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Swatch adds German brand to expanding luxury range

This content was published on Oct 9, 2000 The company said in a statement that the purchase “will enhance the existing prestige and luxury segment of the Swatch Group”. Spokeswoman Béatrice Howald added, “Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb produces fewer than 10,000 time pieces per year”. Glashütter joins Swatch’s impressive range of luxury brands, including Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet-Droz, Omega, Longines, Rado and Swatch, as well as…

LEP era at CERN ends on a high note

This content was published on Oct 9, 2000 The event was clearly intended as a celebration rather than a wake. At a colourful ceremony marked by Dixieland music and ballet, speakers from some of the 20 member states of CERN reviewed the achievements of the LEP, which started operating 11 years ago. They also paid tribute to CERN as a platform for effective…

Swiss firms bankroll Republican election campaign

This content was published on Oct 9, 2000 Generous donations to US presidential candidates are nothing new: every four years Swiss firms with US interests put their “donation dollars” in the hands of the presidential candidate they feel would best serve their interests. This time they are betting on George W Bush, according to an article published on Monday in the French language…

The business week ahead

This content was published on Oct 8, 2000 With little in the way of fresh domestic economic data expected, the focus will return to the United States dollar’s strength against the euro and the Swiss franc. Last week’s increase in interest rates at the European Central Bank (ECB) failed to bolster the weaker euro. More dollar strength against the euro and the Swiss…

Caritas to boost emergency supplies to Yugoslavia

This content was published on Oct 8, 2000 The programme will intensify efforts already begun last autumn in the region. Areas in Serbia near Belgrade, Nis, Subotica and Zrenjanin are to receive 80,000 aid parcels containing basic food and hygiene products. Nine thousand families would benefit from receiving firewood, while a further 3,000 would be given wood stoves. In neighbouring Montenegro, 20,000 families…

The business week in Switzerland

This content was published on Oct 7, 2000 Friday’s data followed a report from the Swiss Institute of Business Cycle Research (KOF) in Zurich, which was released on Thursday. It forecast a slowdown in economic growth over the coming two years. In its autumn report, KOF forecast that Gross Domestic Product would grow by 2.9 per cent in 2000, before slowing to 2.2…

Website helps humanitarian workers deal with trauma

This content was published on Oct 7, 2000 The website (address below) was created by the Centre for Humanitarian Psychology, which was founded in 1998 by the psychotherapist, Claire Colliard. She turned her attention to the problems experienced by humanitarian workers after being asked by the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to set up a unit to offer…

The Week in Switzerland

This content was published on Oct 7, 2000 The government this week came out in favour in legalising cannabis. Under the proposal, the consumption of hashish and marijuana would become legal, while their production and sale could be tolerated. But it is too early to say whether Switzerland will follow the Dutch example. Parliament has still to discuss the issue and it is…

Locarno: a slice of the Mediterranean with a Swiss twist

This content was published on Oct 6, 2000 I started my tour of the city in canton Ticino with a stop at one of the traditional ‘grotti’, not to be mistaken for restaurants. “The word grotto comes from the Italian word for cavern, ‘grotta’,” Dario tells me as we settle down to a plate of ‘formaggini’, they’re little fresh cheese patties, drenched in…

Health premiums to rise by more than five per cent

This content was published on Oct 6, 2000 The increase in health premiums was approved by the interior minister, Ruth Dreifuss, on Friday. The health insurance companies had wanted a bigger rise, but Dreifuss refused to push up premiums by more than 5.5 per cent. The announcement prompted mixed reactions – ranging from sharp criticism, to renewed calls to cut either medical services,…

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