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Human dignity versus scientific freedom

This content was published on Nov 19, 2004 Theologian and ethicist Ruth Baumann-Hölzle told swissinfo that embryos have both rights and dignity and therefore shouldn’t be used for scientific purposes. The vote, due to take place next Sunday, is highly controversial. Scientists argue that stem-cell research is vital to help combat incurable diseases such as Alzheimer’s. In Geneva, researcher Marisa Jaconi has already…

Switzerland trapped in economic “slow lane”

This content was published on Nov 19, 2004 Professor Silvio Borner, head of Basel University’s department of applied economics, says too many voters are isolated from market realities. Borner hit the headlines this year when he calculated that the Swiss spend as much annually on subsidising three cows as they do on primary schooling for one child. But he says high agricultural subsidies…

The ethical dilemma of stem-cell research

This content was published on Nov 19, 2004 Marisa Jaconi, the first Swiss researcher with a mandate to study human embryonic stem cells in Switzerland, told swissinfo that the potential medical benefits cannot be ignored. Research on stem cells taken from human embryos is highly controversial. In the United States, it was an issue in the presidential election campaign, while in Switzerland new…

Swiss teenagers are Europe’s top joint smokers

This content was published on Nov 19, 2004 The findings, published on Thursday, revealed that one in three Swiss 15-year-olds has lit up a joint within the past year. According to the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Addiction, the number of teenagers regularly smoking or getting drunk rose by ten per cent between 1998 and 2002. “For a large…

Farming bears fruit for tourism in Grindelwald

This content was published on Nov 18, 2004 The Bernese Oberland village has for decades benefited from a fragile symbiosis between agriculture and tourism. “Tourism needs agriculture and agriculture needs tourism,” says Grindelwald farmer Sämi Brawand. On his six-hectare farm above the village, Brawand and his wife attend to eight head of dairy cattle and, when they are done with the farm chores,…

Irish beat Swiss to top quality of life survey

This content was published on Nov 18, 2004 Ireland topped the poll, which rated more than 100 countries based on criteria including income, health, unemployment, climate and political stability. According to the survey’s authors, Ireland is officially the best place to live in the world. But Switzerland also scores well, coming in ahead of Norway, Luxembourg and Sweden. Zimbabwe brought up the rear…

Jodlerchörli Lehn Escholzmatt: Jodlerstimmig

This content was published on Nov 18, 2004

Tax vote faces little opposition

This content was published on Nov 18, 2004 Yet the SFr30 billion ($26 billion) raised through direct tax and VAT forms nearly two-thirds of the annual revenue of the federal authorities. The vote is required as the federal authorities’ current mandate to levy taxes runs out at the end of 2006. “It is a peculiarity of our country that Swiss voters from time…

Watch industry records best month in history

This content was published on Nov 18, 2004 The record month pushes total export revenue for the year to SFr8.87 billion, an increase of nearly nine per cent on the same period last year. The figures, from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, were released as luxury group Richemont announced a sharp rise in operating profits for its first half. Richemont earns…

More and more species face extinction

This content was published on Nov 17, 2004 The question of how to halt that decline is the main focus of the union’s congress in Bangkok, which is being attended by delegates from around the world including Switzerland. According to the IUCN, which has its headquarters in Gland in Switzerland, more than 15,000 species of plant and animal are in danger of becoming…

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