Latest Breaking International News
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Virtuous people not happy all around the world
Virtuous people are believed to have happier lives, but a new research has revealed that it depends on where you come from. In countries where antisocial punishment is common and where people commonly justify dishonest behavior, virtuous individuals (measured, for example, by how comfortable people are avoiding a fare on public transport or cheating on their taxes) are not as satisfied with ...
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Russia to spend $8 billion on 2018 World Cup
Russia is expected to spend no more than $8 billion to fund the 2018 football World Cup, a steep fall from the previously estimated $16.6 billion, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said. "All parameters that could have been cut have been cut. The last figure that (Sports Minister Vitaly) Mutko came to me with was 250 billion rubles ($7.94 billion)," Xinhua quoted Shuvalov as saying. The ...
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Are international retirement plans the future for expatriates
The number of employees on international assignments has increased by almost 90 per cent over the last three years, according to ...
More Breaking International News
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Europe to become main driver in RI market
Responsible Investment (RI) will become ‘mainstream’ by 2015 with 20 per cent of pension funds’ assets under management invested in this way, according to a report published jointly by Dutch asset manager Robeco and global consulting firm Booz & Company. The companies predict total revenue of approximately US$50bn by 2015. ';We expect the RI market to become ...
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Lowest asset growth among world top managers
The total assets under management among the world’s 500 largest fund managers grew by around nine per cent in 2007 to US$69.4trn, according to ...
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Standard Life paves way to Southern Europe
Standard Life Investments (SLI) has reinforced its interest in expanding into Spain, Portugal and Italy by appointing Will Pawson as investment director of Southern Europe. Pawson will be based in Edinburgh and will report to head of European Business Development, Phil Barker. He will take responsibility for the wholesale and institutional marketing of SLI’s products in Spain, ...
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Launch of world’s fifth largest insurance company
Aviva Investors has officially launched, marking the creation of the world’s fifth largest insurance company. The company is investing to transform its asset management business over the coming years, which will significantly increase its contribution to the Aviva Group’s profit, and will become an ';investment powerhouse on a global scale';. The single business ...
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International shift towards Defined Contribution pensions
A series of working papers released by the International Organisation of Pension Supervisors (IOPS) has highlighted the increasing importance of Defined Contribution (DC) The papers, which follow on from a successful initial series, have marked a strong shift in focus towards DC provision. The initial papers looked as the use of education and risk based regulation. Drafted by various ...
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World pension assets grow to US$12 trn
, also showed that most major countries recorded increases in assets, and that the size of these assets has more than doubled over five years. ';The world’s largest pension funds continue to benefit from a high profile as global demographic challenges remain front of mind,'; commented Carl Hess, global head of investment consulting at Watson Wyatt. ';As a result ...
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AEGON continues international expansion
Financial services organisation AEGON has entered into a partnership with Catalan-based savings bank Caixa Terrassa Vida, which will distribute AEGON life insurance, pension and health products through its network of almost 300 bank branches. AEGON has bought a 50 per cent stake in the Spanish bank’s life insurance and pension unit for €190 million. The partnership with ...
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Watson Wyatt releases Western Europe updates
Financial consultant Watson Wyatt has published the latest editions of its employee benefits and employment terms and conditions for Western Europe. The annual reports are in their 35th and 34th editions, and are references for executives with management responsibility for European or global operations. Covering 19 countries – Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, ...
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Borsa Italiana and London Stock Exchange leader in Europe for ETF trades
Aggregated figures show that July 2008 set a record in trading of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on Borsa Italiana and London Stock Exchange markets, with 140,452 trades amounting to a highest ever total of €8.8bn (£7.0bn). The average daily value traded was €383.2 million, an increase of 141 per cent year on year, and the total amount traded was an increase of 152 per ...
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AEGON moves further into Eastern Europe
AEGON has further cemented its presence in Central and Eastern Europe with the acquisition of the Turkish life insurance and pension provider Ankara Emeklilik. The acquisition marks AEGON’s first step into the Turkish market, and is marketed as part of a broader strategy to build scale in emerging markets. The firm agreed to buy Ankara Emeklilik in February 2008, and AEGON also has ...
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Europe ETFs overtake US market
The assets under management (AUM) in European Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) are predicted to exceed the AUM of American ETFs in the next few months. Since the beginning of 2006, the AUM of fixed income ETFs have grown from £4.4bn to £16.7bn at the end of May 2008, equating to a return of 73.5 per cent. AUM in US fixed income ETFs are currently at £21.8bn, and in Europe ...
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Pensions innovation rife in Eastern Europe
10.6.08 Creative thinking when it comes to pensions and benefit provision is rife in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) among employers keen to attract and retain an evermore demanding workforce. The latest editions of Watson Wyatt’s annual reports on employee benefits and employment terms and conditions for CEE reveal that companies are having to differentiate themselves by ...
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Seven Dials targets Northern Europe in latest asset allocations
The Seven Dials European Property Fund has targeted Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany as primary territories in the latest round of asset allocation. Fund manager Brett Robinson said that, as a result of the 2007 market fall out, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland all present ';outstanding'; opportunities for the fund, and the Netherlands and Germany also offer ...
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Fidelity International Real Estate Business expands into Germany
Fidelity International’s Real Estate Business is planning to expand into the Continental European market with the opening of a dedicated Fidelity Real Estate Business office in Munich. The new office, which is currently going through its regulatory notifications, will provide a strategic base for Fidelity’s director of European Real Estate, Keith Sutton. From here he will ...
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Pensions barometer uncovers Europe’s best and worst
Denmark has come top for the second year running in a report ranking European countries according to their success at addressing pension scheme risk. The third annual Aon European Pensions Barometer, which analyses 25 of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), rates countries by assessing four key areas of pension risks: demographics; adequacy of State provision; affordability ...
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Pension reform leads to pension cuts across Europe
Pension reforms in Europe and across the globe have resulted in a significant reduction in pension promises, a new study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has indicated. The average pension promise in the 16 OECD countries covered by the Pensions at a Glance 2007 study* has been cut by 22% (for women the reduction was 25%) because of reforms, and in only ...
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Amnesty International Sudan Still Holding Hundreds Without Charge Months After Attacks Ouside Khartoum
Sudan Still Holding Hundreds Without Charge Months After Attacks Outside Khartoum, Amnesty International Says NEW YORK - August 18 - Amnesty International today accused the Sudanese government of holding hundreds of people -- including women and a nine-month-old -- without charge or access to lawyers as they prepare to try another 109 individuals in sham courts over the armed attacks by the ...
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International Campaign to Ban Landmines Condemns Russian Use of Cluster Munitions in Georgia
ICBL Condemns Russian Use of Cluster Munitions in Georgia August 15 - The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) strongly condemned Russia today for the use of cluster bombs in Georgia which resulted in at least 11 civilians being killed and dozens injured. Evidence of cluster munitions use by Russia was revealed by ICBL member Human Rights Watch in a press release issued ...
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Amnesty International USA Brings Guantanamo Cell Replica to Denver
Human Rights Organization Will Tour Cell Across the Nation Urging the Bush Administration to Close Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba WASHINGTON - August 13 - Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) will bring its national tour of a life-size Guantanamo prison cell replica to Denver, Colorado starting Sunday, August 24 through Tuesday, August 26; visitors are encouraged to experience the ...
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Amnesty International Welcomes Release of Syrian Prisoner of Conscience Dr. Aref Dalilah
Amnesty International Welcomes Release of Syrian Prisoner of Conscience ...
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International Fund for Animal Welfare Penguin Stranding Mystery in Brazil Prompts Rescue Attempt
Penguin Stranding Mystery in Brazil Prompts Rescue Attempt YARMOUTH PORT - August 7 - More than 1000 juvenile Magellanic penguins have washed-up either dead or dying along the Brazilian coast and as far north as Natal in Rio Grande do Norte, 3000 km north of Sao Paulo. IFAW (International Fund for Animal ...
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International Labor Rights ForumInstitute for Policy Studies Firestone Workers in Liberia Sign Historic Contract
New Contract is a Major Victory for International Campaign Against Firestone WASHINGTON - August 6 - Workers on the ...
Kazakhstan Focus
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Kazakhstan capital's next challenge
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, has experienced rapid growth in recent years and has seen the completion of some impressive architectural feats, now there are plans by the government to build a huge indoor city within the capital, providing the country with a modern feat of engineering and a tourist attraction of which to be proud.
Astana and Dubai, despite vast differences, have a few things in common as cities. Dubai is not the capital of the United Arab Emirates, while Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana is one of the coldest capitals in the world while Dubai is in one of the hottest regions on the planet. But Astana, like Dubai, has experienced rapid development in recent years, due in large part to the relocation of the capital to the city, and like Dubai, it has had to make sometimes impressive adaptations to architecture and development in order to compensate for the climate. Read more
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