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Basel looks to drive luxury goods market

This content was published on Apr 15, 2004 As the largest trade show of its kind in the world, Baselworld is aiming to banish a host of problems that have dented consumer confidence over the past few years. These include the economic downturn, the war in Iraq and the ongoing threat of global terrorism. The fair will also be trying to repair the…

Switzerland and EU seek accord on re-export tax

This content was published on Apr 14, 2004 Swiss officials met their EU counterparts on Wednesday in a bid to persuade Brussels not to impose the tax as planned in June. “Our discussions were open and constructive…and different options were examined,” said EU spokesman Jonathan Todd. “We are confident that we will have a solution by the beginning of May. And this solution…

Swiss watch fairs broaden their horizons

This content was published on Apr 14, 2004 But this year’s Baselworld proves that the northern Swiss city still has the edge over its southern rival. The fierce competition between the two cities – which marked the boom years of the watch industry – has tempered, notably because the sector has suffered from the economic downturn. Despite a rise in watch exports in…

Smaller watch brands find their niche

This content was published on Apr 14, 2004 Before Basel opens its doors on Thursday, swissinfo took a look behind the scenes of the mid-price Certina brand, a member of the Swatch group. If there is anything that is characteristic of the watch world it is enthusiasm and emotion, and that is also true at the house of Certina. Founded in 1888 in…

Swiss scientists dig deep in South Africa

This content was published on Apr 14, 2004 Scientists at the University of Zurich have made groundbreaking discoveries in the South African province of Gauteng. “We are trying to reconstruct the origins of the human race,” Peter Schmid, who is working on an excavation project in Gladysvale, told swissinfo. “We are working in a cave into which animals dragged their prey between 500,000…

Music industry calls time on illegal downloading

This content was published on Apr 13, 2004 Individuals who exchange music samples and collections on the web are being warned that they could face prison sentences and fines of up to SFr100,000 ($77,000). The Swiss branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) – which represents the interests of 90 per cent of record labels in Switzerland – says it…

Stone and water temple delights the senses

This content was published on Apr 13, 2004 The people in the village of Vals make their living from thermal waters and the rock from which it springs. The narrow road leading to the valley of Vals was blasted out of the hard granite mountainside, and snakes high above a river gorge. Water and stone are the only natural resources in this primeval…

Products line up for seal of approval

This content was published on Apr 12, 2004 Initial reactions have been positive, not least because the new classifications have led to an increase in sales and offer protection against foreign imitators. After wine, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status – similar to the French “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (AOC) quality label – is being extended to other Swiss agricultural and food products. PDO…

Swiss nanoparticle startup explores a global opportunity

This content was published on Apr 9, 2004 It has customers lining up to buy its powders for use in the chemical, electronics and automotive industries. It was the cold calls from industry to his lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) to order the engineered powders made using a process called flame synthesis that convinced Karsten Wegner to leave the…

Astronomers map stars in Milky Way

This content was published on Apr 8, 2004 The results of the study by the Swiss, Danish and Swedish team are the culmination of 15 years of work, including more than 1,000 nights of observing more than 14,000 stars. Birgitta Nordstrom of Denmark’s Niels Bohr Institute, the leader of the research team, said the data not only showed the history of stellar movement…

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Basel looks to drive luxury goods market

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Switzerland and EU seek accord on re-export tax

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Swiss watch fairs broaden their horizons

More

Smaller watch brands find their niche

More

Swiss scientists dig deep in South Africa

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Music industry calls time on illegal downloading

More

Stone and water temple delights the senses

More

Products line up for seal of approval

More

Swiss nanoparticle startup explores a global opportunity

More

Astronomers map stars in Milky Way

Popular Stories

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