Switzerland's favourite brand in 2010
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Migros has just moved up three places to take the top slot as Switzerland’s number one brand for the first time, according to Young & Rubicam’s “BrandAsset Valuator” 2010. The consulting agency, an arm of the advertising agency of the same name, surveyed 1,100 Swiss people who gave the Migros brand points for repesenting “Swissness” and traditional values. The supermarket chain which has a series of linked brands, such as Migrol for petrol sales, says its M-Budget label performed particularly well in the survey.
The BAV’s top 20 list includes names known well outside Switzerland, such as Coca-Cola and Google.
International sports, tennis
Madrid, Spain (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer loked like he was back in top form as he eased past Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 6-1 despite losing his opening service game in their match at the ATP Madrid Open, 13 May. The ATP number 1 disposed of his Beijing Olympics doubles partner in just 69 minutes to set up a quarter-final encounter with Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who beat him at the Rome Masters.
In the other matches Rafa Nadal beat John Isner 7-5 6-4, while Andy Murray thrashed Victor Hanescu 6-2, 6-1. Nadal plays Gael Monfils next, Murray plays David Ferrer.
Links to other sites: ATP World Tour, Telegraph
Head north, dear diners, and feast on musk ox and roast marrow, at the restaurant that now holds the coveted number one in the world slot, according to Britain’s Restaurant Magazine. Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, was bumped up to the top rating, beating out Spain’s revered elBulli which has been number one for four years running. Noma’s chef, 32-year-old Rene Redzepi formerly worked at elBulli and his restaurant has been working its way up the list. His cuisine is distinctly Nordic: forget about the olive oil.
In the restaurant’s own words: “What you will find here at noma is not centered so much on olive oil, foie gras, sun-dried tomatoes and Mediterranean black olives. We’ve been busy traveling around in the Nordic regions and we have been finding a number of simply phenomenal ingredients that we have flown into town for our use: Horse mussels, deep-sea crabs and langoustines from the Faeroe Islands, which are living right up until the moment they are served to our visitors. Halibut, wild salmon, cod and seaweed and curds from Iceland. Lamb, musk ox, berries and the purest drinking water from Greenland.”
ElBulli and Britain’s The Fat Duck both slipped a notch to second and third places.
Links to other sites: Irish Times, Restaurant Magazine
A June 1938 Action Comic number one that introduced Superman to generations of readers was sold online for a record $1 million, by an unnamed seller to an unnamed buyer. The price is reported to be three times that paid for a lower-grade copy of the comic book in 2009. The owner of Comic Connect, a US-based comics auction site, Stephen Fischler, says there are only about 100 of the number one comic books left, and only two of this quality grade. Fischler says the comic is likely to disappear from view for a number of years again: few people knew of its existence, but he did, because he sold it in 1995 for $150,000.
The Action Comic number one also introduced Lois Lane, Superman’s sweetheart and modern female reporter.
ComicConnect was forced to temporarily remove its normal home page due to the high volume of traffic wanting to know about what it describes as “It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s the First Million Dollar Comic Book!”
Links to other sites: Comic Connect, Xinhua
Didier Cuche (image: Swiss Ski)
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Didier Cuche, 35, one of Switzerland’s best skiing hopes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver, had surgery Saturday 30 January to mend his right thumb, broken in a fall close to the finish line in Kranjska Gora, Slovakia, during Friday’s World Cup Giant Slalom race. Doctors in Zurich said after the operation that they are very pleased, have put in a plate and seven pins to stabilize it and he should be able to start training again within days. Cuche may be able to join the team in Vancouver, but he and doctors will talk about this further in a press conference Sunday.
Cuche also injured his left knee, an MRI scan showed, but doctors expect him to be able to take up training despite several slight injuries to the knee.
Cuche is currently the world’s top-ranked downhill skier and he is in third place overall. He ended third in World Cup rankings for the 2008-2009 season. A week before his accident he won the legendary Kitzbuehel race in Austria.
Links to other sites: About.com, FIS international ski federation, Swiss Ski
Federer inches closer to another Sampras record
London, England (GenevaLunch) – Roger Federer neatly defeated Scotland’s Andy Murray in three sets, 3-6 6-3 6-1 at the ATP World Tour in London’s o2 arena. The Swiss player thus ensures that he will keep his ranking as the world’s top player for the rest of 2009. He finishes the year at the ATP World Tour Champion: “With five year-end number 1 finishes, Federer ties Jimmy Connors’ mark and now stands just one back of Pete Sampras on the list of all-time ATP World Tour Champions. Sampras finished as the No. 1 player six straight years, from 1993-98,” the tennis association notes on its site.
Federer held the top slot in world tennis for 237 straight weeks from 2 February 2004 to 17 August 2008.
London, England (GenevaLunch) – Rafael Nadal’s chances of pushing Roger Federer out of the number one slot in tennis faded Monday night when he lost to Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-4 in the ATP World Tour, in the first match of a round robin. Soderling had handed Nadal his first loss on clay at the French Open in Paris in May 2009. Monday’s game had Nadal running all over the court, and after the game Nadal said he hadn’t really had the “necessary calm” to stay on top.
Links to other sites: AP, ATP official site, Guardian
