Search Results for: German

BY DEIRDRE MASON, ALAN OSBORN, PHILIP FINE and KEITH NUTHALL

IF there had been feelings bubbling under the surface of the British civil nuclear industry that the regulations governing its security were due for an overhaul, the events of September 11, 2001 – becoming universally known by its American shorthand 9/11 – certainly brought everybody to the table.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
FINNISH lawyers are the most lightly regulated in the European Union (EU), according to the surprising results of a European Commission-funded survey designed to promote the need for liberalisation in Europe’s liberal professions. Oddly, Greece, not known for its adherence to EU rules, has the union’s most heavily regulated legal profession; under a statistical indices developed by the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, Greece has a regulation burden of 9.5, while the laissez-faire Finns score a tiny 0.3.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
*The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending Euro 150 million to a special fund to counter the damage caused by the Prestige disaster in Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria. It will be operated by local savings banks and cover recovery project costs.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MOVE by European Union (EU) health and consumer affairs Commissioner David Byrne to kick-start preparations to lift the five year de-facto moratorium on genetically modified organism imports into the EU has been blocked by Germany, France, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
REGULATORY approval for a proposed propylene-based oxo chemicals joint venture between German companies Celanese AG and Degussa AG could be held up by the European Commission, which has opened a detailed investigation into the deal. Both companies want to combine their production and sales activities regarding these chemicals, used as chemical intermediates, solvents and plasticisers.…

BY JONATHAN THOMSON
RESEARCHERS at DaimlerChrysler are developing an automatic driving correction system that they like to call a “predictive powertrain;” DC claims the technology could reduce engine fuel consumption by as much as 10 per cent.

The German carmaker is planning to install “a range of sensors” into vehicles that can examine a driver’s individual style as well as road and traffic conditions.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Finance Corporation of the World Bank is heading up a groundbreaking aid deal that will try to foster key local companies who will be responsible for maintaining and managing piplelines sending natural gas and oil from central Asia to the European Union.…

BY JONATHAN THOMSON
GERMAN chemical company BASF is developing a new “self cleaning” coating from lotus plants that stops dirt clinging to rough surfaces, especially paper. The polymer spray that repels dust and grime exploits what is known as the “lotus effect” – the way water dropping on lotus leaves forms beads and simply rolls off.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Union’s revised take-over directive is facing new obstacles following an unexpected decision by Britain to side with Germany in opposing a number of key aspects of the proposal. Thus far Germany has been alone in rejecting provisions in the draft directive, which would limit national mechanisms to frustrate take-over bids.…

BY JONATHAN THOMSON
SCIENTISTS have developed a spray that allows surfaces to become self-cleaning. German chemical company BASF is working on the coating to stop dirt clinging to leather, textiles and paper. The spray is based around the “lotus effect” – water on lotus leaves form beads which simply roll off.…