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Zurich’s US unit confuses Sweden with Switzerland

This content was published on Aug 2, 2001 However, as Scudder tried to promote itself as a savvy global mutual fund manager it also managed to confuse the two nations in a full-page advertisement in the Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal. “How many lightning bolts does it take to change a stock market,” the ad asks in bold lettering emblazoned over a dramatic photograph…

Marron steps down from PaineWebber

This content was published on Aug 2, 2001 Marron, who at one point was a candidate for chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, agreed to sell PaineWebber to UBS after a 20-year reign as head of the firm. Marron agreed to sell the company for $10.8 billion last July, a price that valued his stake in the company at $215…

Swiss scientists show Neanderthals differed from humans

This content was published on Aug 1, 2001 Christoph Zollikofer, a neurobiologist at the University of Zurich, in collaboration with Marcia Ponce de Leon, a computer scientist and anthropologist, created virtual reality models of Neanderthal skulls from 16 fossils of the creatures who lived in Europe, North Africa and Asia from 125,000 to 40,000 years ago. The images of the skulls appeared to…

Zeppelin postal delivery slowed by wind

This content was published on Aug 1, 2001 The zeppelin, in its first flight over the region, picked up the mail from a motorboat at Lake Lucerne to deliver it to Altenrhein. However, the manoeuvring turned out to be more troublesome than expected. The “Friedrichshafen” had trouble keeping its position, which made hauling the postal sacks a real challenge. But the mail bags…

Graubünden draws new business with five-star service

This content was published on Jul 31, 2001 With resorts such as Davos, Klosters and St Moritz all located within its borders, it’s no surprise that 60 per cent of Graubünden’s income comes from tourism. But now the canton is using top-drawer service to attract investors, offering assistance that varies from helpful contacts to tax breaks, loans and even cash injections. Eugen Arpagaus,…

Victorinox and Swiss Army Brands plan new watch business

This content was published on Jul 31, 2001 A joint announcement said that the new company, Victorinox Swiss Army Watch, would market and distribute a single unified brand in all international markets outside the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Victorinox and Swiss Army Brands will each contribute an equivalent anount of cash, inventory and their entire watch businesses outside the US, Canada…

Lower petrol prices put a brake on inflation

This content was published on Jul 31, 2001 The annual inflation rate fell to 1.4 per cent in July, compared with 1.6 per cent in June and 1.9 per cent in July last year. Commenting on the figures, the office said that the slight decline in the price index was due mainly to lower transport costs (-1.4 per cent), which had been influenced…

Air quality suffers as heat rises

This content was published on Jul 30, 2001 Temperatures touched the 30-degree mark over the weekend, while 13 of Switzerland’s 16 regional centres for measuring air quality recorded ozone levels higher than the official maximum limit. The high temperatures over the last 10 days, coupled with minimum amounts of rainfall, have lifted the amount of ozone in the atmosphere well above the accepted…

Silicon Graphics closes plant in Switzerland, 300 lose jobs

This content was published on Jul 30, 2001 The company, also known as sgi, said the move was being made in response to economic pressures caused by the global IT downturn and was part of a restructuring plan designed to restore the company’s financial health. Silicon Graphics said it expected to close its manufacturing facility at Cortaillod in canton Neuchâtel by the end…

More Swiss opt for countryside burial

This content was published on Jul 30, 2001 Since the early 1990s the Swiss have had the option to have their ashes scattered under a tree in a private wood, rather than placed in an urn and buried in a cemetery. The idea has taken off to such an extent that there are now 25 “forests of rest” across the country. The brains…

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