Thousands of people are flocking to the northern Swiss city of Basel to see a giant, stinky flower bloom for the first time.
The amorphophallus titanum – known as corpse flower because it exudes a smell of rotting flesh – is the first to blossom in Switzerland in 75 years.
The Basel Botanical Gardens expects the 6.6ft (2m) plant to attract 10,000 people whilst in bloom.
The bloom is set to wilt late Saturday or Sunday.
Some Indian Politicians are worth much more.
Read my blogs-Corruption, India,Radia tapes.
Gaddafi’s Wealth.n Switzerland, the government ordered a freeze today on any assets Qaddafi may have there. In the U.S., the Treasury asked banks to watch for any suspicious transactions involving Libyan accounts.
Qaddafi has ruled his oil-rich country for more than 40 years – but how much is he worth? Chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports government officials are still trying to figure out exactly how rich the Libyan leader and his family are. But one intelligence source told CBS News their wealth is estimated to be “in excess of $20 billion.”…
Confidential diplomatic cables unearthed by WikiLeaks underscore that estimate. In a January 2010 State Department cable written by current ambassador Gene Cretz, he states Qaddafi’s regime controls $32 billion in liquid assets around the world. And “that several American banks are each managing $300-500 million” in regime funds.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/25/eveningnews/main20036623.shtml?tag=cbsContent;cbsCarousel
Related;
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8281904-part-2-gaddafi-family-and-wikileaks
The federal data protection commissioner, Hanspeter Thür, said on Friday he was bringing a case against Google at the Federal Administrative Court to force the company to make changes to its application.
He explained that Google had rejected many of the recommendations he made immediately after Street View went online in the middle of August.
Faces and car registration plates were still not sufficiently blurred, and many pictures did not respect people’s private sphere, Thür said during a news conference in the Swiss capital, Bern.
Google said it was disappointed by the move, and would fight the case “energetically”. It said the service was very popular in Switzerland.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/Google_faces_court_action_over_Street_View.html?cid=7656246
1. Swiss bank accounts are only for millionaires
This is not true. The majority of our clients are not major manufacturers or movie stars, but everyday people (business people, computer engineers, civil servants, etc.). Swiss banks are no longer only for stars.
You can open a Swiss bank account with a deposit of only 5,000 Swiss francs. We even offer accounts with no minimum balance.
2. Money invested in Switzerland yields no interest
Nothing could be more untrue. You can invest your money worldwide from your account in Switzerland through investment funds, bonds, the stock market, the purchase of metal values, raw materials, derivatives and many other types of investments. Swiss bankers are among the best finance managers in the world, so it comes as no surprise that they manage over 35% of offshore holdings.
3. It’s impossible to open an account in Switzerland by correspondence
This is not true. Most of the accounts that we offer can be opened by correspondence as long as you comply with our opening procedures and provide us with the necessary documents. What is more, your banking relations can be conducted by correspondence, using the telephone, Internet banking, bank transfer and credit cards. That said, we encourage our customers to meet with their banker at least once in order to get acquainted and see where their money is held.
4. Swiss bank accounts are very expensive to maintain
This is not true. Most of the accounts we open don’t charge a cent in annual fees. Even if you would like additional services such as retained correspondence or numbered banking relations, the annual fees are very reasonable.
5. It is difficult to close a Swiss bank account
On the contrary. You can close your account in Switzerland whenever you wish and without any restriction. You will pay no financial penalty. If need be, you will just have to realize your investments. Contrary to many onshore banking practices, your money is not held hostage by Swiss banks.
6. Swiss bank accounts attract only criminals and dictators
Not true! The vast majority of Swiss bank account holders are honest people who want to keep their savings in a country renowned for its stability. Swiss banks are extremely cautious regarding politicians who wish to open an account and they systematically refuse to accept any money that is of dubious origin or poorly founded.
7. Numbered accounts are anonymous
There are no anonymous accounts in Switzerland. A numbered account is an account that is identified solely by a number, rather than a name, in order to preserve the strictest confidentiality possible during teller transactions or bank transfers. Only the bank manager and a few select people know the identity of numbered account holders.
http://swiss-bank-accounts.com/e/banking/7myths.html
It is a surprise that India is still hiding behind ‘Secrets’.
A Credit Suisse banker has been arrested in connection with a long-running US tax evasion investigation and could be one of several individuals likely to face charges this week as prosecutors turn their focus from institutions to bankers and wealthy clients, said people familiar with the matter.
Christos Bagios was arrested about two weeks ago on entering the US and is in transit to a detention centre in southern Florida, according to the Bureau of Prisons’ website and people familiar with the matter.
The arrest is part of a US government crackdown on tax evasion schemes that has shaken Swiss banking secrecy.
In 2009, the US Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service reached a landmark deal with UBS in which the Swiss bank agreed to pay $780m and turn over thousands of client names.
– http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb39ff2c-7a71-11df-9cd7-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1EeTPTFBf
Switzerland yesterday ended months of uncertainty over the diluting of bank secrecy when its parliament finally approved legislation allowing the transfer of the names of thousands of American clients of UBS suspected of evading tax owed to the US authorities.
The decision followed days of parliamentary wrangling that had threatened to delay a crucial treaty between Bern and Washington authorising the transfer. This could have triggered a crisis in bilateral relations and threatened the future of UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank.
Under the agreement, negotiated last August, Switzerland promised within a year to pass to the US authorities the names of 4,450 wealthy American UBS clients suspected of having undeclared accounts at the bank.
The bilateral agreement followed a lengthy US investigation that showed UBS had broken laws by helping Americans with offshore Swiss accounts evade tax through elaborate financial structures such as sham companies in Hong Kong and Panama.
In February 2009 UBS, the world’s second-biggest wealth manager, agreed to pay $780m to settle criminal charges.
However, the US authorities pursued a linked, but separate, civil action requiring the bank to release the names of about 19,000 US clients with offshore Swiss accounts.
Differences were only resolved last August through a special treaty between Bern and Washington, in which the Swiss promised to deliver the 4,450 UBS client names within a year.
Swiss parliamentary approval then became necessary after a top Swiss court ruled this year that the Bern-Washington deal broke the country’s bank secrecy law and the government should have gained parliamentary acceptance first.
You must be logged in to post a comment.