Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Cover

  • Five world’s wealthiest families control a fortune of over $620 billion

    Five world’s wealthiest families control a fortune of over $620 billion

    Data presented by Buy Shares indicates that the world’s wealthiest families cumulatively control a fortune of $621 billion. The wealth is as of October 2020.

    The data shows that the Walton family that runs the Walmart retail chains controls a fortune of $215 billion, followed by the Mars family with wealth amounting to $120 billion.

    The Koch family running the Koch industries owns a fortune worth $109.7 billion.

    Al Saud family, known for vast wealth reserves, controls wealth worth $95 billion. India’s Ambani family owns the fifth-highest fortune at $81.3 billion.

    Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest person in the world

    The research also overviewed the wealth of the five wealthiest individuals globally.

    Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest person with a fortune of $188.7 billion, followed by Bernard Arnault at $119.2 billion.

    Microsoft founder Bill Gates is the third richest person with a net worth of $115.2 billion.

    There is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at $101.8 billion in the fourth spot, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the fifth richest person at $93 billion.

  • CEE: Restaurants and entertainment spaces impacted by new restrictions

    CEE: Restaurants and entertainment spaces impacted by new restrictions

    New measures have been recently adopted by the governments of the Central and Eastern European countries to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

    Wearing masks became mandatory in the crowded outdoor spaces in most countries, while gatherings allow a limited number of people, schools are functioning online only or in a hybrid model, and restaurants are allowed to trade at limited capacity.

    Czechia

    In Czech Republic, the Government ordered all non-essential shops to close and tightened other social distancing rules starting 22 October. In the past two weeks, the country registered the highest number of COVID-19 new infections since the beginning of the pandemic, and the highest in the CEE.

    In addition, restaurants in Czech malls operate only for take away orders and deliveries.

    The Government communicated its support for all affected retailers and provides a subsidy of 50% of the rent and related charges, with no subsidy requested from landlords.

    In addition, the government covers 100% of payroll costs for companies affected by the restrictions.

    Romania

    In Romania, restrictions relate to temporary closing entertainment spaces in the cities/regions where the number of infections has exceeded 3 cases/1.000 inhabitants, while indoor restaurants in such regions can only operate for take away orders and deliveries.

    This is the case in three of the Romanian biggest cities, capital Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca.

    Poland

    In Poland, temporary restrictions have been implemented for fitness clubs and swimming pools. In addition, from 24 October onwards, indoor restaurants will operate only for take away orders and deliveries.

    Slovakia

    In Slovakia, indoor restaurants only operate for take away orders and deliveries, while entertainment tenants temporarily suspended their activities.

    Bulgaria

    Bulgaria is introducing more restrictions as coronavirus infections remained high. In the capital Sofia, bars, clubs and discos will close for two weeks.

    The order for the temporary closure will become effective on October 25 and will be in place until November 8. 

  • Goodbye Ford Mondeo with 100% petrol engines

    Goodbye Ford Mondeo with 100% petrol engines

    Ford has switched 100 per cent of petrol engine Mondeo production to full hybrid powertrains, the company announced today.

    The Mondeo Hybrid delivers pure-electric driving capability without the need for customers to use an external power source to charge the battery. 

    Mondeo Hybrid increased its share of total Mondeo sales by 25 per cent in Europe during the first seven months of this year compared with full-year 2019, to account for more than one third of all Mondeo sales.

    Mondeo Hybrid grew in popularity by more than 50 per cent in the UK, and by more than 40 per cent in Italy, where 75 per cent of Mondeo customers chose the Mondeo Hybrid during the first seven months of 2020.

    The Mondeo Hybrid combines a specially-developed, Atkinson-cycle 2.0-litre petrol engine, electric motor, generator and 1.4 kWh lithium-ion battery.

    Regenerative braking technology captures up to 90 per cent of the energy normally lost during braking to replenish the vehicle’s battery.

  • Coronavirus: Slovakia to test all persons older than 10 years

    Coronavirus: Slovakia to test all persons older than 10 years

    Slovakia Prime Minister Igor Matovič said at a press conference that the state prepares nationwide coronavirus testing.

    This should take place during two consecutive weekends, Slovak Spectator reports.

    The pilot testing will take place next weekend in the districts of Tvrdošín, Námestovo, Dolný Kubín, and Bardejov. Testing for the rest of the country will take place the following two weekends.

    The testing will be free of charge and available to everybody. It is not clear whether the testing will be mandatory.

  • A new border fence between Greece and Turkey will be erected by April 2021

    A new border fence between Greece and Turkey will be erected by April 2021

    A new border fence between Greece and Turkey will be erected by April next year to discourage migrants, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s office said on Saturday, as AFP and dpa reported.

    Mitsotakis, who visited the Evros region of northeastern Greece to inspect the status of the project, said the fence would be built in the Ferres area along the Evros River.

    “The prime minister has promised to visit the region again by April, when the project is due to be completed,” government sources in Athens said.

    Greek authorities are recruiting another 400 border guards to be deployed in the Evros region and are considering consolidating an existing 11-kilometer-long border barrier in the Kastanies-Kapikule crossing.

    The construction of a 26-kilometer fence in the Evros region was announced after migrants attempts to enter were encouraged by Turkey in February and March this year.

    Greece has managed to stop most illegal migrant crossings, while the European Union has sent an additional number of representatives of the European Borders and Coast Guard to the area.

  • Siemens Healthineers launches rapid test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

    Siemens Healthineers launches rapid test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

    Siemens Healthineers is launching a rapid and easy-to-use antigen test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

    The CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test is a point-of-care cassette test that does not require laboratory instruments or specialized lab personnel to administer, and it delivers results in 15 minutes.

    96.72 % sensitivity

    The CE marked test which has been developed and tested by a Siemens Healthineers partner demonstrated 96.72 % sensitivity and 99.22 % specificity based on a clinical study of 317 subjects.

    The study was performed using operators with varied credentials at six diverse sites including a hospital, a community clinic, a college campus, and an oncology unit.

    Siemens Healthineers intends to meet such testing demand as the pandemic evolves. There are plans to submit the test for FDA Emergency Use Authorization.

  • How satisfied are European citizens of their life in cities around EU

    How satisfied are European citizens of their life in cities around EU

    The European Commission released a report on Tuesday on the quality of life in European cities. Cities are home to about 40% of the EU’s population.

    In the top 10 cities where citizens are satisfied with the noise level are those in northern Europe. The most satisfied are the citizens of Oulu (Finland), in proportion of 88%, followed by those from Malmö (Sweden), Dublin (Ireland) and Aalborg (Denmark), with 86%.

    On the other hand, the least satisfied with the noise level are the residents of Bucharest (Romania), in proportion of 31%, Palermo (Italy), with 32% and Athens (Greece), with 33%.

    Residents of Zurich (Switzerland) are the most satisfied with air quality (93%), compared to 13% for those living in Skopje (Northern Macedonia).

    Also in the top of the most satisfied citizens with air quality, with over 85%, are those from Oulu and Helsinki (both from Finland), Aalborg (Denmark) and Białystok (Poland).

    Six out of ten city residents are satisfied with the cleanliness of the city where they live (62%). The percentage is below average in cities in the south of the EU (47%), in the Western Balkans and Turkey (54%).

    On average, the citizens of the European capitals are less satisfied than those who do not live in the capitals. Satisfaction also decreases depending on the size of the city, air quality and noise. The percentage of citizens satisfied with the cleanliness of the city where they live varies from 94% in Luxembourg to less than 10% in Palermo and Rome.

    Three out of four city residents in EU are satisfied with public transport

    Three out of four city residents are satisfied with public transport, although the figures range from just 22% in Palermo to 97% in Zurich.

    Besides Palermo, the least satisfied with public transport are the inhabitants of Rome (Italy, 26%), Tirana (Albania, 30%), Naples (Italy, 31%), Podgorica (Montenegro, 36%), Belgrade (Serbia, 40%), Nicosia (Cyprus, 51%), Oulu (Finland, 52%), Bucharest (Romania, 53%) and Diyarbakir (Turkey, 55%).

    Also, eight out of ten citizens are satisfied with the public spaces (squares, squares, pedestrian areas) in the city, and the least satisfied are those in Athens (Greece, 35%), Valletta (Malta, 44%), Palermo (Italy, 47%), Naples (Italy, 49%), Heraklion (Greece, 51%), Skopje (Northern Macedonia, 51%), Rome (Italy, 54%), Bucharest (Romania, 56%), Istanbul (Turkey, 56%) and Nicosia (Cyprus, 57%).

    Residents in Zurich are very satisfied with local health care services

    Seven out of ten residents are satisfied with local health care services, with the highest percentage being in Zurich (Switzerland, 94%) and Groningen (Netherlands, 93%).

    The least satisfied are in Skopje (Northern Macedonia, 35%), Athens (Greece, 35%), Palermo (Italy, 38%), Warsaw (Poland, 41%), Belgrade (Serbia, 41%), Budapest (Hungary, 41%), Miskolc (Hungary, 41%), Bucharest (Romania, 44%), Burgas (Bulgaria, 45%) and Naples (Italy, 45%).

  • Online data shows fans most interested in Manchester United clubs’ transfer activity

    Online data shows fans most interested in Manchester United clubs’ transfer activity

    With the European transfer window closed on Monday 5th October, Compare.bet utilised online analytics tool Ahrefs to discover which clubs’ transfer activities fans were most interested in.

    Football fans were most interested in the transfer activity of Manchester United with an astonishing 719.000 online searches a month for ”Manchester United transfer news”.

    Arsenal (633.000 online searches a month), Chelsea (512.000 online searches a month) and Liverpool (414.000 online searches a month) are among the other clubs where a significant proportion of fans are closely keeping an eye on their transfer dealings.

    Sheffield United (1.000 online searches a month) and Burnley (3.700) are among the Premier League clubs that supporters are least curious about the transfer news.

    Surprisingly, there were 64.000 online searches per month for ”Celtic transfer news”.

    When it comes to interest in the transfer business of Europe’s heavyweight teams, this is how they fare: Barcelona (58.000 online searches a month), Real Madrid (50.000 online searches a month), Bayern Munich (26.000 online searches a month)and Juventus (20.000 online searches a month)

  • Sia and Arctic Monkeys among the best artists to increase productivity

    Sia and Arctic Monkeys among the best artists to increase productivity

    OnBuy.com conducted a study that analysed Spotify playlists titled ”motivational” and ”concentration” to determine the all-time most productive songs.

    People on average who took part in the study found that overall, ”My Love” by Sia, ”Real Love” by Tom Odell, and ”I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys among the most productive songs to study to, with people completing 6 of the 10 tasks through the duration.

    ”Secret Garden” by Bruce Springsteen and ”Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin also among those that increase productivity and concentration with people also completing 6 of the 10 tasks.

    OnBuy’s study also found a general correlation with the beats per minute (BPM) of a song. The lower the BPM, the more productive people were.

    Least productive playlist

    Despite being a popular song, ”I’m So Excited” – The Pointer Sisters, was the worst song for productivity. People only completed 2/10 tasks whilst listening to this song.

    Also among the worst songs to be productive to was ”Roar” by Katy Perry and ”Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol; with all participants also completing 2 out of the 10 tasks.

    The penultimate least productive songs were ”Fight Song” by Rachel Platten, ”Unstoppable” by Sia, and Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf. Participants only completed three tasks whilst listening to these songs.

  • Romania remains the worst place to live in the European Union

    Romania remains the worst place to live in the European Union

    Romania ranks again 45th out of 163 countries and is surpassed by all the other EU member states, according to the 2020 Social Progress Index, which analyzes the quality of life and social wellbeing and is conducted by the Social Progress Imperative with the support of Deloitte.

    Romania registers a score of 78.35 points out of 100, slightly higher than last year, which places it among the ranking’s third category countries, after Barbados, Bulgaria and Mauritius.

    In the global ranking, Romania is in the top 50 countries in two of the three analyzed categories, basic needs (45th place) and opportunities (49th place), while in the wellbeing category it ranks 57th.

    Analyzing the values assigned for each of the coordinates falling into these three categories, our country obtained the best scores for personal safety (36th place), personal rights (46th place), access to advanced education (49th place) and access to communications and information (49th place).

    On the other hand, the coordinates analyzed for Romania that recorded lower scores are inclusiveness (91st place), shelter (90th place), health and wellness (85th place).

    Norway continues to rank first in the world

    In 2020, Norway, Denmark and Finland occupy the first places in the ranking, while Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan are on the last positions.

    The EU member states, except Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, are in the first two categories of countries in the ranking, with a good quality of life.

    Among the Central and Eastern Europe countries, the best place is occupied by Slovenia (22), followed by Estonia (24), the Czech Republic (25), Poland (31), Lithuania (32), Latvia (35), Slovakia (36), Croatia (39), Hungary (40), Bulgaria (43) and Romania (45).

    Overview of index changes in the last ten years

    The global average on social progress increased from 60.63 out of 100 in 2011, to 64.24 in 2020.

    Between 2011 and 2020, 155 of the analyzed countries experienced an improvement of at least one point in the quality of life and social wellbeing, while 42% of them improved by five or more points. The United States, Brazil and Hungary are the only three countries that have seen a decline in the social progress index during this period.

    Since 2011 until now, the coordinates that have improved globally are access to information and communications, access to advanced education, shelter and water and sanitation.

    Personal rights and inclusiveness are among the indicators that have declined over the reviewed period, while personal safety and environmental quality have stagnated.

    How the Social Progress Index (SPI) is made

    The Social Progress Index (SPI) measures the quality of life and social wellbeing of citizens from 163 countries, based on the analysis of three main dimensions.

    The methodology consists of assigning a score for basic needs categoryitems – nutrition and basic medical care, water and sanitation, shelter and personal safety -, for wellbeing categoryitems- access to basic knowledge, access to information and communications, health and wellness, environmental quality – and for opportunities category – personal rights, personal freedom and choice, inclusiveness, access to advanced education. Based on the score, the countries in the ranking are grouped into six categories arranged in descending order.

  • Which European country imported the most face masks?

    Which European country imported the most face masks?

    Comparing the first semester of 2019 with the first semester of 2020, the value of EU imports of face masks grew dramatically, from €800 million to €14 billion; an increase of 1800%, as Eurostat reports.

    In EU, Luxembourg, with a government policy of nationwide distribution of face masks, had by far the highest per capita imports of face masks at €121 per person.

    Belgium, Germany and France were the only other countries with imports above €50 per person. In contrast, imports were below €10 per person in Cyprus, Poland, Sweden, Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria.

    China was the main EU partner for the import of face masks, supplying 92% of face masks in the first semester of 2020, up by 30 percentage points compared to the first semester 2019.

    With the exception of Hong Kong, the other top-6 EU import partners all lost market share. In the first semester of 2020, only Vietnam and Hong Kong supplied more than 1% of total EU face mask imports. The United Kingdom, Turkey and Tunisia all had a share of 0.7%.

  • 98% of Romanian pupils learned more than two languages in school

    98% of Romanian pupils learned more than two languages in school

    In the EU, 48% of the pupils in upper secondary education studied more than two languages in 2018. This share was higher than 80% in Romania (98%), Finland (94%), the Flemish community of Belgium (84%) and Luxembourg (82%).

    On the other end of the ranking, in Greece, only 1% of the students in upper secondary education studied more than 2 languages in 2018, Eurostat shows.

    English is the most commonly studied foreign language in the EU

    Almost 87% of pupils learned English in upper secondary education in 2018. English was followed by French (19%), German and Spanish (both around 18%). 

    In 2018, in all EU Member States more than 65% of students enrolled in upper secondary education were learning English as a foreign language, with the exception of Denmark (57%).

    Russian was the most commonly non-EU language learned in 2018 (2%) especially in Latvia (48%), Estonia (44%), Bulgaria and Lithuania (both around 26%).