Search Results for: Switzerland

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SCOTTISH & Newcastle’s long-term bid to offer distribution services to its rivals has been approved on competition grounds by the European Commission, which has cleared the international joint venture underpinning the move. The British brewer is teaming up with Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) Logistics Ltd, part of the Switzerland-based Kuehne+Nagel Group.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE COMMITTEE on milk and milk products of world food standards body Codex Alimentarius is developing a new draft standard for blends of evaporated skimmed milk and vegetable fat. Assuming it is adopted, it would define these products as “recombining milk constituents and potable water, or by the partial removal of water and the addition of edible vegetable oil…fat or a mixture”.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) is expected to adopt this November an updated Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Underground Coalmines, designed to improve conditions in what is still a high-risk working environment. This follows the acceptance of a new draft at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, by 23 experts representing worker organisations, employers and governments.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

FORMAL approval has been secured at the European Parliament for renewing the European Union’s (EU) Marco Polo freight transport investment programme, with a Euro 400 million budget being set for 2007-13. Local authorities with interests in ports are well placed to secure funds, with a priority being short sea shipping routes, to make maritime transport more attractive, cutting road journeys.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

DEBATES are continuing in European Union (EU) institutions over whether general vaccination is a safe response to Europe’s growing bird flu problem. With Germany, France, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Greece, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy all reporting new cases, the EU’s Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has approved the first vaccination campaigns.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CITIZENS of a Swiss canton have exercised direct democracy to ban smoking from local bars, nightclubs and restaurants. The proposal was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, north of Milan, with 79.1% (90,384) voting in favour, against 20.9% voting against (23,945).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A SWISS sportswear company has launched a European Union (EU) Court of First Instance case to secure EU-wide trademark rights to the controversial name ‘Binladin’ for clothing and headgear. Falcon Sporting Goods is appealing against a registration refusal by EU’s Office for Harmonisation for the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs) – OHIM on "public policy" "morality" grounds.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Environment Agency (EEA) has launched a research project aiming to document the effects of long-term, low exposure to toxic metals, such as mercury and lead, to influence future pollution controls. Although many metals have been proven toxic in sufficient quantities, much less is known about the damage caused by trace elements in water, the atmosphere and soil.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Environment Agency (EEA) has launched a research project aiming to document the effects of long-term, low exposure to toxic metals, such as mercury and lead, with the aim of influencing – probably tightening – future pollution controls.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

FACT BOX

Population: approx. 35,000

Number of students at the university: about 840

Percentage of its students who are Liechtensteiners: about 85%

Percentage of Liechtensteiners who attend university: about 30%

INTERVIEW

IT says something about the University of Liechtenstein that most of its masters programmes are taught in English even though the inhabitants of this tiny Alpine principality speak German and the country itself is sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria.…