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Franco-Swiss deal envisages new biotech hub

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 The goal is to create a European hub for academic research and biotech start-ups along the border area between France and Switzerland. At a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, officials from Switzerland and France hailed the creation of a joint research foundation. “This agreement between the French and Swiss governments aims to improve scientific research…

Lantal textiles fly the world

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 President Bush sits on Lantal fabric every time he flies in Air Force One. And Britain’s Queen Elizabeth walks on the company’s carpet in her aircraft. Lantal has carved out a niche for itself in producing textiles for what can best be described as “moving interiors”. “We are specialists in transportation textiles – fabrics for…

Swiss device targets deadly mines

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 Digger-1 is designed to eliminate the danger posed by directional fragmentation mines, which are responsible for 80 per cent of mine clearance accidents in the Balkans. These deadly weapons, which are triggered by trip wires, use a shaped charge that fires hundreds of lethal metal fragments in a certain direction. The four-ton, remote-controlled Digger-1, which…

Restored films reveal Switzerland’s past

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 The DVD, entitled “Es war einmal… die Schweiz” (“Once upon a time… in Switzerland”), contains 156 minutes of film from 1896-1934. “These were the first films ever shot in Switzerland and the very first ones made by the Lumière brothers,” Hervé Dumont, director of the Lausanne-based Swiss National Film Archive told swissinfo. “The films have…

Army knife is still a cut above the rest

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 If anything is a real symbol of Switzerland, it must surely be the Swiss Army knife, the little red prodigy that stands for precision and quality. Its image is so polished that it is frequently used in advertising for products that have absolutely nothing to do with a pocket tool. But to keep that reputation,…

Brain technology offers hope to disabled

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 Researchers in Switzerland are developing cutting-edge technology that uses human brainwaves to tell computers what to do. Scientists at the Dalle Molle Institute for Perceptual Artificial Intelligence (Idiap) in canton Valais have been experimenting with ways of harnessing brainwaves via electrodes to send simple commands to a computer. According to director Jean-Albert Ferrez, the institute…

Constant surveillance guarantees fresh air

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 Known by its German acronym Nabel, the national air pollution-monitoring network consists of measuring stations around the country. In order to be as representative as possible, the 16 stations are deliberately sited in a wide range of locations from city centres to rural areas and even on the top of a mountain. Here, sensitive instruments…

Rent hike fears overshadow vote

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 But the government says a “yes” in February’s nationwide vote could help ease the country’s housing shortage. Under the proposals, rents would be linked directly to inflation rather than to the mortgage interest rate as they are at present. Some 70 per cent of Swiss live in rented accommodation and there is a severe lack…

Government grudgingly backs road transport vote

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 Opponents argue a “yes” in February’s nationwide vote would be disastrous for the environment. The transport minister, Moritz Leuenberger, has half-heartedly approved the proposals. But he has also made it clear that they are not exactly what the government put forward in the first place. “Those proposals said that certain hotspots around cities should be…

Young jobless struggle to find work

This content was published on Jan 21, 2004 Though the number of unemployed 15- to 24-year-olds fell in February, experts warn that the figures mask the jobless reality for many young people. “The unemployment statistics do not tell the full story of how many young people are in a desperate situation after leaving school,” warns Mario Bugnon, who runs job training schemes in…

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Franco-Swiss deal envisages new biotech hub

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Lantal textiles fly the world

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Swiss device targets deadly mines

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Restored films reveal Switzerland’s past

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Army knife is still a cut above the rest

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Brain technology offers hope to disabled

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Constant surveillance guarantees fresh air

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Rent hike fears overshadow vote

More

Government grudgingly backs road transport vote

More

Young jobless struggle to find work

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