BERLIN: Strong foreign trade and buoyant consumption drove Europe’s largest economy to better-than-expected growth in the second quarter, federal statistics office Destatis said yesterday. GDP grew by 0.4 percent between April and June, adjusted for seasonal, calendar and price effects — twice as fast as analysts surveyed by Factset predicted. However, the final figure, which confirmed a preliminary Destatis reading earlier this month, represented a slowdown from the unexpectedly strong 0.7 percent expansion in the first quarter.
Pakistan’s leading oil refineries warn of shutting down production over smuggling
ISLAMABAD: Five of Pakistan’s largest oil refineries on Thursday warned that increasing smuggling of petroleum products is threatening refinery operations...
