Politics Asia Bibi, hated by Pakistani crowds, will find a new home The lawyer of Asia Bibi, Saif-ul-Malook, had a nice day on Tuesday. The Pakistani Supreme Court finally relieved his client of blasphemy. It is not easy to interview the Islamic lawyer. The telephone connection with Pakistan is poor and it does not have much more than ten minutes. The man sounds tired and gives short, somewhat measured answers. Can you … Read More
News Environment office wary of future groundwater contamination Tap water in Switzerland, and the groundwater from which much of it is drawn, remains at a high and clean level – but the federal environment office is worried about contamination. According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, who reported on a recent study by the Federal Office for the Environmentexternal link (FOEN), the tap water in 80% of Swiss households … Read More
Politics French economy is barely growing The French economy grew by 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the previous period, despite the impact of the yellow vests on the economy. This was reported by the French statistical office on the basis of a preliminary estimate. As a result, the economy of France grew slightly stronger than expected, helped by higher exports. Economists … Read More
Business Nasdaq makes takeover bid on Oslo Børs The American technology exchange Nasdaq has made a takeover bid on Oslo Børs. The board of the Norwegian stock exchange company advises shareholders to accept Nasdaq’s proposal and to refuse the recently launched Euronext takeover bid. Nasdaq’s bid amounts to almost 674 million euros in cash, while the Euronext proposal is approximately 625 million euros. Nasdaq says it has the … Read More
Business London stock exchange takes interest in Euroclear British stock exchange LSE has taken a minority stake of almost 5 percent in Euroclear, which specializes in settling global securities transactions. € 278.5 million is paid for this. LSE says that the existing commercial and operational ties with Euroclear will be strengthened. The British finance the deal from existing resources and debt. Despite the costs involved in the deal, … Read More
Business Swiss small businesses sound optimistic note for exports Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Switzerland are optimistic about export business at the start of 2019, a new survey has found, with over half expecting foreign sales to grow during the year. “The export climate will remain favourable for Swiss SMEs in 2019,” wrote the authors of a Switzerland Global Enterprise and Credit Suisse survey published on Thursdayexternal link. … Read More
Politics Venezuela assets are gaining in value State loans from Venezuela are relatively gaining in value as the prospects of a change of government leader in the oil-rich Latin American country has become real. After virtually all government bonds and those of the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) went down in November 2017, and interest payments could no longer be repaid, some signs of recovery … Read More
News Switzerland says Greece-Macedonia deal is good for Europe Switzerland has welcomed a historic deal between Greece and its small northern neighbour Macedonia to settle a longstanding row over a name. The agreement sends a strong signal for stability in the region and is an important step for a peaceful and prosperous Europe, the foreign ministry told Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA on Friday. The Greek parliament has now ratified … Read More
Business ENI and OMV to get share of state-owned oil company The European oil and gas companies Eni and OMV take an interest in the refining branch of Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil company. The Italian Eni and the Austrian OMV together will pay 5.8 billion dollars for a 35 percent stake in the division, it was announced. The deal values Adnoc’s refining division at 19.3 billion dollars. As part of the … Read More
Business Big variations in rent costs of Swiss embassies abroad Switzerland pays dearly for its representation abroad – some CHF1.2 million monthly is spent on rent across the world, according to a newspaper report. Officials reject claims of overspending and defend the need for propriety. Diplomacy doesn’t come cheap: according to the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, the total cost to Switzerland of renting embassies, consulates, and official residences came to CHF14.3 million … Read More
Aybek Barysov, Gulmira Wakhitova and Kanat Ibraev among founders of Qazaqstanda Jasalğan economic movement