Search Results for: Finland

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission is to spend Euro 3.5 million on setting up secure truck stops for hauliers having to wait at the frontier between the European Union (EU) and Russia. Length delays in processing cargoes mean "truck drivers are compelled to spend several days in a queue of many kilometres on the border", said a Brussels announcement: "This situation threatens not only road safety and drivers’ security but also creates a damaging environmental and social situation."…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE TEMPORARY right of European Union (EU) member states to levy reduced rates of VAT on clothing and footwear repair services could become permanent. The European Commission has proposed governments henceforth always can reduce VAT on such services by up to 5% from their standard rate.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CONCERNS that antibacterial cleaning products are weakening the natural immunity of children against diseases will be assessed by Euro 6 million research project involving 7,000 children in Finland, Estonia and north-western Russia’s Karelia. All three test areas have similar ethnic backgrounds, but widely differing standards of living and domestic cleanliness.…

By Keith Nuthall

The launch of a new Euro-Mediterranean University in Slovenia dedicated to higher education courses focused on issues of importance to European, African and Levantine countries bordering the sea has been given a formal seal of approval. The creation of the institution was welcomed within a joint declaration issued by heads of state and government from 43 countries at a Paris summit launching a Mediterranean Union organisation.…

By Keith Nuthall

It is almost a truism that women have a tougher time in most professions than men, and academia is no different. But it is worth considering the absurdity of this statement: that in the 21st century, it is still quite normal to assume that the success of an academic or student is likely to be affected by their gender.…

By Keith Nuthall

Research funding for a global project that seeks to harness the thermodynamics of the stars to create a sustainable and safe nuclear fusion reactor is starting to be released. A consortium of 14 research teams from across Europe has been formed to create a computer simulation of the international ITER fusion reactor, to model the technology required to operate it safely.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON, in London; LUCY JONES, in Dallas; JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo; and KEITH NUTHALL

GIVEN the spate of oil tanker accidents in recent years involving substantial pollution of seas and coastlines around the world, it is no surprise that international organisations have weighed in with regulatory controls and guidelines on shipping standards.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CONCERNS that antibacterial cleaning products are weakening the natural immunity of children against diseases will be assessed by Euro 6 million research project involving 7,000 children in Finland, Estonia and north-western Russia’s Karelia. All three test areas have similar ethnic backgrounds, but widely differing standards of living and domestic cleanliness.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

ENVIRONMENTAL health officers think they are helping keep people fit and well by reducing pollution and food disease. But maybe the best move the cold, rheumatism and asthma sufferers of Britain can make to be healthy is emigrate to a Greek island, sunbathe (moderately) and eat fish, vegetables and olive oil.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A SIGNIFICANT new phase in the application of the European Union’s (EU) crucial REACH regulation for controlling the use of chemicals throughout the 27 EU countries came into effect at the beginning of June. This involved the invoking of a deadline essentially giving the cosmetics and other chemical-based industries six months to lodge registration, pre-registration and other notifications before risking their products being banned.…