Bethel Finance: Israel Bonds Raises $225 Million at Miami Conference

Bethel Finance news:
Israel Bonds Raises $225 Million at Miami Conference
Israel Bonds has raised $225 million at its annual conference in Miami, news outlets reported Monday. Over the course of the last year, the organization – responsible for underwriting and selling Israeli government bonds – raised $1.1 billion. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz spoke in Miami, calling 2012 “the year of investment in Israel.”

British Israel to Invest NIS 30 Million to Renovate Sirkin Mall
British Israel plans to invest NIS 30 million to renovate the Sirkin Mall in Petah Tikva, talniri.co.il reports. The company bought the mall for NIS 85 million in 2010, and expects the renovation to be complete by the second half of the year.

Strauss Group Signs 5-Year Deal with Germany’s Viva Coffee
The Strauss Group has signed a five-year agreement to operate Germany’s Viva Coffee, the Group said in a statement filed with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on Sunday. The deal offers an option to extend for three years. Strauss can also by the company for €53 million.

Syria Rejects Arab League Plan
The Syrian government has rejected a plan put forth by the Arab League to end the political violence that has resulted in thousands of deaths since violent clashes broke out last March between anti-regime protesters and the nation’s security forces, Fox reports. The Arab League proposal calls to establish a unity government within two months with the aim of preparing for free, supervised presidential elections. According to the SANA news agency, Syria considers the proposal a “violation of its sovereignty.”

Google to Disable Picnik, Sky Map Services
Google has decided to shut down its Sky Map and Picnik services as part of a decision to unload some of its service that weren’t performing well. Picnik is a cloud-based image edition function that Google bought in 2010. Other services expected to get the axe are Needlebase, Urchin, and Social Graph.