Search Results for: Switzerland

It is maybe surprising that maternity support garments (MSGs) are still a niche segment, even though women of childbearing age constitute approximately one-quarter of the populations of developed countries. Indeed, tubular bands made out of cotton and elastane are still commonly used instead of MSGs across the world. …

On November 11 (2021), Indonesia’s National Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s top Muslim clerical body, ruled that “using” cryptocurrency is haram, due to its “uncertainty” and “potential for wagering and harm”. 

The ruling, which was not accompanied by any public clarification of MUI’s position on what constitutes “using” cryptocurrency, sent ripples through the Islamic world and reignited discussions about the role of the rapidly expanding digital assets sector in Sharia-compliant finance. …

THE TURKISH apparel sector is capitalising on sourcing diversification and changes in retailers’ orders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Exports are up on last year, and the industry is laying the foundations for strong future demand as the sector expands.…

Global supply chain delivery delays and price tensions continue to disrupt Italy’s otherwise robust food can production sector. With profit margins squeezed, food canners expect prices to rise across the board for these long shelf-life food staples

According to Italian can manufacturing industry association ANFIMA’s most recent data, Italy produced 698,523 tonnes of rigid metal packaging (tinplate and steel) and 24,745 tonnes of aluminium packaging in 2020, up 3.6% and 7% from the same period the previous year, respectively.…

With its complex supply and distribution chain, the international knitwear sector fosters innovation, with commercial partners cross-fertilising technical and design ideas that span digitisation and mechanical smarts, as well as consumer-focused creativity.

One key area of innovation in the past year has been warp knitting – for instance by leading northern Italian warp seamless knitwear manufacturer Cifra (1), which last December (2020) launched an innovative and sustainable garment concept for women, spanning beachwear, athleisure bodywear and lingerie.…

THE TURKISH apparel sector is capitalising on sourcing diversification and changes in retailers’ orders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Exports are up on last year, and the industry is laying the foundations for strong future demand as the sector expands.…

The huge offshore finance leak unveiled yesterday (October 3) by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and its media partners has highlighted the pressures AML reporters face in complying with increasingly tough beneficial ownership transparency laws.

Reports generated from 2.94 terabytes of data within 12 million documents leaked to the ICIJ from the confidential records of 14 offshore service providers have been analysed by 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries.…

The Bangladesh innerwear industry has been witnessing robust growth in the past decade and this outsourcing hub is now competing effectively with its major rival China. The production value of the country’s intimate wear jumped from US216 million in 2012 to US1.078 billion in 2021, according to a report from data service Statista (1).…

The Turkish apparel sector is looking to build on its long-standing record as a major apparel producer for the American market, offering quality products at a swifter time-to-market than its key competitors in Asia, especially China.

Turkey’s apparel exports to the USA remain robust – at around USD1 billion-a-year according to Mehmet Kaya, a board member of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (İstanbul Hazır Giyim ve Konfeksiyon İhracatçıları Birliği – İHKİB).…

THE NEED for a proactive effort to improve the teaching and researching of physics in sub-Saharan Africa, as a foundation for critically important scientific work, has been highlighted in a new report from the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the UK-based Institute of Physics (IOP).…

Malawi, one the world’s largest producer of burley leaf tobacco, is making significant efforts to reduce child labour within its tobacco left sector, but the problem is still endemic.

A key sensitivity is that Malawi’s economy heavily relies on tobacco leaf, which contributes to 52% of the total export value for the country, according to the Malawi ministry of finance 2020 annual economic report.…

WHILE the imposition of age limits on the consumption of tobacco and other nicotine products remains very much a national, and in some cases sub-national jurisdiction decision, there is no doubt that the general trend worldwide is for tighter restrictions on younger consumers, even if they are often tough to enforce.…

INTRODUCTION

Financial crime is a minefield for the international textile and clothing industry. With extended international supply chains extending into jurisdictions where the rule of law and a reliable independent judiciary may have a weak hold, if they exist at all, textile and clothing brands and manufacturers must take care.…

INTRODUCTION

Without doubt, the world’s clothing and textile sector is undertaking a technical upgrade that is unprecedented in decades, with new digital systems offering automation and efficient internal controls. As these are worked into the businesses of brands, manufacturers and their suppliers, a new potential emerges, and that is linking these digital systems in a way that could revolutionise efficiencies within the supply chain.…

The home textile sector is a strong growth segment for digital investments within the industry and the amount of innovation indicates this expansion has some way to go. There are good reasons why this segment is well suited to digitalisation. One is the rectangular form of most bed sheets, curtains and tablecloths – which aids fully automated cutting and sewing.…

The question of when and whether lobbying is ethically questionable or even a criminal bribe is a complex issue, with rules varying according to jurisdictions. Often, actions that are politically embarrassing, are definitely not bribes, or indeed unlawful in anyway. For example, on September 15, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney survived a no-confidence vote in the Dáil Éireann over his handling of the appointment of former minister for children Katherine Zappone as his country’s ‘Special Envoy to the UN on Freedom of Opinion and Expression’.…

The question of when and whether lobbying is ethically questionable or even a criminal bribe is a complex issue, with rules varying according to jurisdictions. Often, actions that are politically embarrassing, are definitely not bribes, or indeed unlawful in anyway. For example, on September 15, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney survived a no-confidence vote in the Dáil Éireann over his handling of the appointment of former minister for children Katherine Zappone as his country’s ‘Special Envoy to the UN on Freedom of Opinion and Expression’.…

THE RULING council of the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) is preparing to agree major reforms to the International Cocoa Agreement, which should see the agreement increase its commitment to boost sustainability in the chocolate sector.

Council members are considering final changes committing the ICCO to ensuring that cocoa production, processing and manufacture is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.…

INTRODUCTION

In a global textile and clothing market that is increasingly integrating design with functionality, the potential of luminescent yarns is becoming ever more apparent. The focus of groundbreaking research and development, there is widening diversity in this segment from luminescent coatings on yarns to those that integrate LEDs (light-emitting diodes).…

The Swiss Federal Council’s (Switzerland’s cabinet) May 26 unilateral decision to end seven years of negotiations on a new agreement to govern future relations between Switzerland and the European Union (EU), citing sovereignty concerns (1), closes the door on attempts to ensure the country has a formal link with EU AML/CFT legislation.…

Last November (2020), the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that cannabidiol (CBD) liquids for e-cigarettes that were lawfully produced in a European Union (EU) member state are not narcotics and can be sold in any other EU country. The ruling was welcomed by the EU CBD sector, which has said it helps open-up the European market to products that often fall into a legal grey zone due to their origins in hemp, or cannabis with little or no intoxication effects.…

INTRODUCTION

In a highly technical textile sector segment such as the manufacture of compressed garments, the use of detailed standards to guide production is not just useful in guaranteeing quality output, it can help manufacturers and brands’ marketing. Where products are associated with international, regional, national and private standards, this builds confidence in consumers, promoting sales.…

A trade war over airplane manufacturing subsidies between the USA and UK, which has led to 25% additional duties being levied on British knitwear exports to America, appears to have been resolved. The EU and the USA have suspended for five years retaliatory duties that both sides have imposed on each other’s exports in the long-running ‘Airbus’ subsidy dispute.…

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) will consider allowing the amortisation of goodwill, maintain some harmony with USA GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). A joint US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)/IASB education meeting discussed FASB plans to allow goodwill amortisation. “Most of those respondents commenting said that convergence on this topic with US GAAP was desirable,” said a meeting note.…

SWITZERLAND and the European Union (EU) will gain nothing by throwing away existing trade rules after long-term negotiations to create a new comprehensive EU-Swiss ‘Institutional Framework Agreement’ collapsed, dairy industry experts have told Dairy Industries International (DII).

Talks ended on May 26, when Switzerland’s Federal Council announced it would not pursue its discussions with the EU, over concerns that a major EU deal would undermine Swiss wages, give EU immigrants social benefit rights and reduce Swiss government powers to subsidise particular chosen industries.…

INTRODUCTION

THE MANUFACTURE of protective masks has been maybe the largest growth area in the international textile and non-wovens industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Billions of people have donned masks as they seek to avoid catching a disease that by June 11 (2021) had killed 3.7 million people and infected 175 million [1].…

The fight is on to save Swiss textile industry unfettered access to European Union (EU) internal market and research programmes after Switzerland pulled the plug on seven years of talks aimed at a new trade and cooperation treaty. A May 26 Swiss Federal Council statement (1), explaining why it could not support the projected Institutional Framework Agreement (InstA) deal, cited “substantial differences” on “key aspects” of the draft agreement mapped out in 2018.…

The Angolan government has been implementing several measures to improve the weak reputation of its higher education system, such as stricter accreditation and assessment laws, with some experts saying these changes need to be implemented more comprehensively.

Since the current President João Lourenço took office in 2017, after almost 38 years under José Eduardo dos Santos’ command, the country has undergone significant change.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission in June (2021) signalled it was running out of patience with Malta and Cyprus over their ‘golden passport’ schemes which allow people investing in these small island nations to effectively buy citizenship. The European Union (EU) executive has long warned that such policies contain significant ML risks, releasing a detailed report in 2019 that highlighted concerns that governments failed to properly screen the source of funds used to gain golden passports.…

As the world looks upon China’s oppression of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, clothing companies have been stepping carefully around calls for brands to refuse to handle fabric that includes Xinjiang cotton.

Xinjiang grows 87% of Chinese cotton crop, with 5.16 million tonnes produced in 2020.…

Switzerland’s largest insurance company, Swiss Life, and its subsidiaries in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Singapore have admitted to conspiring with US taxpayers and others to hide a total USD1.452 billion in offshore accounts, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said on May 14.…

The world’s anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) system has come a long way since the G7 group of nations decided to launch the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in July 1989. But Australian researchers have claimed AML/CFT compliance costs USD300 billion and only nets USD3 billion of an estimated USD3 trillion in criminal funds generated annually (a 0.1% success rate).…

The European garment sector has been growing uneasy about how the six-day stranding of the 400-metre-long cargo ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal will affect its supply chain. It has also been assessing the lessons for future contingency plans regarding such cargo transport pinch-points.…

The Czech Republic’s digital textile printing business continued to thrive in 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic’s e-commerce boom boosting trade rather than hampering the sector. Europe’s leading print-on-demand provider Spread Group, which was founded 18 years ago under the name Spreadshirt, and has a key plant in the Czech Republic, had a record year.…

COVID-19 has unleashed a significant boom in demand for apparel and other wearables that are anti-viral, cleansing consumers’ bodies of viruses, as well as bacteria.

Companies making fibres and yarns have been quick to tout anti-viral technologies. Examples include HeiQ Materials AG – a Switzerland based textile innovation specialist, which has been selling a new anti-virus textile treatment HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, added to textile products during final processing and utilising anti-microbial silver, whose charge attracts viruses to spherical liposomes which deplete the virus membrane of cholesterol, allowing the silver to kill them.…

Environmental regulation is becoming increasingly tight for textile companies and this of special concern for the higher-tech side of the industry where new fibres, chemicals and processes are delivering a cutting edge. This is especially the case for innovative segments such as performance and outdoor materials.…

INTRODUCTION

NEW technology can deliver effective maintenance strategies to clothing and textile manufacturers, helping them go beyond reactive and proactive maintenance, moving into the more sophisticated world of prediction. The goal is to deliver an optimum maintenance strategy that enables manufacturers to get the most value out of their plant and equipment by spending the least amount of time, resources and money to deliver effective performance.…

COVID-19 has unleashed a significant boom in demand for apparel and other wearables that are anti-viral, cleansing consumers’ bodies of viruses, as well as bacteria.

Companies making fibres and yarns have been quick to tout anti-viral technologies. Examples include HeiQ Materials AG – a Switzerland based textile innovation specialist, which has been selling a new anti-virus textile treatment HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, added to textile products during final processing and utilising anti-microbial silver, whose charge attracts viruses to spherical liposomes which deplete the virus membrane of cholesterol, allowing the silver to kill them.…

The president of the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) has warned that the military takeover in Myanmar could spark a significant shift in sourcing away from this south-east Asian country if democracy is not restored promptly. Julia Hughes told just-style: “If there is not a quick resolution, then yes we would expect a major shift to other Asian suppliers.”…

WHILE investment into nuclear energy continues, especially in emerging market countries such as China, in Europe, this sector continues to dwindle in size, with some key countries sticking to plans to phase out the technology.

Concerns about safety and the environmental cost of its waste have encouraged Belgium, for example, to stick to its goal, as laid down in a January 2003 law (1), of stopping any nuclear energy production within the country by 2025, experts have told Energy World.…

THE REPUTATION of the Caribbean’s major cigar production centres – Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua – has dominated global markets for years. But the entire region’s balmy and moist climate and rich soils are ideal for growing cigar wrapper and filler leaf.…

The newly implemented African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to have minimal positive impact in the short term for the continent’s garment and textile manufacturers. The FTA, which came into force at the start of the year and brings together 1.3 billion people in a USD3.4 trillion economic bloc of 54 African countries, a January 1 formal implementation date that was delayed by six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.…

WHILE the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) will bring significant change to civil aviation across Europe, extensive air industry provisions within the 1,256-page EU/UK trade and cooperation agreement agreed on Christmas Eve, means that significant disruption has been avoided.…

LUXEMBOURG may be a small country, but it is big in dairy, especially milk – with its other main products cheese, butter, butteroil and cream. Growth in the dairy sector of this Grand Duchy, similar in size to the UK country of Dorset and slightly smaller than the US state of Rhode Island, is continuing – even during the market disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.…

A Shanghai-based startup confectioner LANDBASE (NOTE TO EDITOR – UPPER CASE SPELLING FOR COMPANY NAME IS CORRECT) has tapped China’s competitive chocolate market though selling sugar-free chocolate, sweetened with alternative flavouring inulin, targeted at health-focused consumers.

The two-year-old company’s brand CHOCDAY and product lines ‘Dark Milk’ and ‘Dark Premium’, have been developed in China, but manufactured in Switzerland for the Chinese market, a first in China.…

The international gold trade is worth over USD6 trillion a year, according to the World Gold Council (WGC), but oversight of the supply chain is considered weak by many critics, relying on self-regulation, making it vulnerable to money laundering.

Gold remains scarce and hence valuable: from antiquity until 2019, just 197,576 tonnes has been mined – equivalent to a 21.7 metre cube, according to the World Gold Council.…

SOUTH Africa’s paints and coatings industry has been struggling though the particularly tough Covid-19 lockdown imposed by the country’s government, which saw its manufacturing plants and most paint retailers closed from March 26 until May 1.

What made this order worse was that from March 26 until May 1, homeowners were told to remain at home except for essential purchases, making it hard for them to help each other with renovations, swapping decoration equipment and more – preventing many from undertaking renovations during this enforced time off.…

The Peruvian alpaca-based fabric industry is targeting a robust post-Covid 19 recovery by strengthening its international relationships through strategic alliances. Also, by focusing on innovation, this speciality wool segment is also trying to reverse declines in production and exports worsened by claims of cruelty by alpaca farmers made by USA-based campaign group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).…

In the car of the not-too-distant future, Japanese vehicle technology developer Kyocera Corp believes the dashboard, the engine bay, the front wheels and the front pillars of the vehicle will effectively have disappeared. 

At least from the perspective of the driver and/or passengers when inside the cab.…

SWITZERLAND’S federal government has passed a new law that will finally prevent Swiss companies and individuals from tax deducting bribes as investment or business development costs, even though such graft has been illegal since July 2017.

That was the date that a revised criminal code outlawing bribery in Switzerland and overseas of public and private partners came into force, but Swiss tax law has not kept pace.…

Mavi, the Turkish denim giant, sold 9.7 million pairs of jeans worldwide in 2019, and, its chief executive has told just-style, has rebounded from the shuttering of the garment sector earlier this year with e-commerce sales doubling in its major markets.…

Countries exporting the most goods and services are also the worst at foreign bribery enforcement, according to the latest report from anti-graft group Transparency International. ‘Exporting Corruption Progress Report 2020: Assessing Enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention’ finds that most countries assessed (34 out of 47), conducted weak or no enforcement of their foreign bribery laws, in part hindered by a lack of public information on beneficial ownership. …

Switzerland may be a small country of 8.5 million people, with an area of 41,285 km², 60% of which is mountainous, but its paint and varnish industry is substantial and growing, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, it helps that Switzerland is rich.…

A PLAN to build a dedicated hydrogen pipeline network of almost 23,000 km within nine European countries by 2040 has been released by 11 European gas infrastructure companies. Enagás, Energinet, Fluxys Belgium, Gasunie, GRTgaz, NET4GAS, OGE, ONTRAS, Snam, Swedegas (Nordion Energi), Teréga and a consultancy Guidehouse call their proposed network a ‘European Hydrogen Backbone’.…

Innovation is a key to success in the knitwear sector, but when a manufacturing hub combines centuries-old traditions of knitted product production with new technology and ideas, that is a winning combination. This is the strength of Japan’s Wakayama knitwear manufacturing centre, located south of Osaka, on the western coast of the Kii Peninsula.…

THE UNITED Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has proposed creating a permanent ‘observatory’ monitoring cocoa markets, assessing value and costs, to help chocolate sales revenues be more equitably distributed throughout supply chains.

In a report called a ‘Comparative study on the distribution of value in European chocolate chains’, the FAO said such “objectified and cross-checked data” would aid “a multi-stakeholder discussion” at national and global levels on revenue sharing.…

DAIRY products are supposed to be healthy, tasty, clean and legal, but unfortunately, as with other industries, criminals seek to exploit demand created by honest suppliers through smuggling, mislabelling, adulterating and selling unsafe stock.

These concerns prompt regular action by police, for whom food fraud and related crime is an increasing risk worldwide, and given the international nature of today’s supply chains, cross-border collaboration between law enforcement forces is of special value.…

INTRODUCTION

Quantum computers were once the stuff of science fiction, the technology that was always 10 years away from fruition. But now they are real and operating. Google last October announced it had developed a device of 53-qubits (quantum computers’ ability to express a signal), nicknamed Sycamore, which it claimed in a Nature article [1] took 200 seconds to sample one instance of a quantum circuit a million times, which the IT major claimed would take 10,000 years for a state-of-the-art digital supercomputer to achieve.…

An Egyptian state-owned holding group is to build the world’s largest spinning factory, set to open in 2022, a key part of the country’s drive to modernise its textile and garment industry.

“It will have 182,000 spindles under one roof. Daily capacity will be 30 tonnes of fine yarn from Egyptian cotton, with average thread count 116 and a maximum count of 200,” Dr Ahmed Mostafa, chairman of the Holding Company for Cotton, Spinning, Weaving and Garments, told just-style.…

THE EGMONT Group, the international network of financial intelligence units (FIU), is focusing on improving how its central resources and members use and interact with new technology. Interim Egmont Group chair, Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, told MLB that the group is reviewing its IT systems, of critical importance regarding the safe and encrypted exchange between its 164 member FIUs (there were 22,538 such exchanges in 2017, the most recent available data).…

THE NORTH American – especially the USA – nonwovens sector, has this year had to content with two major external impacts – the US trade war with China and the Covid-19 pandemic. New statistics from the North Carolina, USA-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) have revealed a sharp decline in north American exports (including those from the USA, Canada and Mexico) to China from across north America (with the USA dominating) showed a fall in exports tonnage of 18.6% respectively year-on-year between 2019 and 2018, “led by declines in trade with China”, according to a memo from the organisation.…

The challenges facing European automakers are not unique, given data protection laws are being developed around the world. In the USA, a California Consumer Privacy Act came into force in January (2020) and contains significant requirements for how businesses collect, retain and use personal information – see https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB375…

TEXTILE and fibre innovators worldwide are seeking to tap growing demand for antimicrobial, virus and bacteria killing fibres and fabrics generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, encouraging clothing and fabric-makers to develop groundbreaking new technology.

Indeed, for companies such as HeiQ Materials AG – a Switzerland based textile innovation specialist – the pandemic has “opened a whole new chapter for the development of antimicrobial surfaces and textiles”, its co-founder and CEO Carlo Centonze told just-style.…

Egypt’s garment and textile manufacturing sector has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, despite strict lockdown measures not being enacted and factories being able to stay open.

“A lot of orders were cancelled, or delayed, and many companies went into Chapter 11 (bankruptcy),” said Mohamed Kassem, chairman of the Egyptian Company for Textile Parks Development, in Cairo.…

WHEN a crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic hits a supply chain as complex as the clothing sector, financing problems can gum up commercial relationships, so in the short term, governments, along with regional and international organisations, need to step in.…

With many brands and manufacturers unable to visit factories due to travel bans and lockdowns during the Covid-19 crisis, experts have told just-style that there are numerous ways they can still proceed with responsible sourcing, using trusted local representatives. Hervé Ostrowski, chief operating officer at Hong Kong-based supply chain compliance solutions provider QIMA, advised that “brands must have reliable boots on the ground…who can still carry out onsite audits when possible.”…

IF there was a sub-Saharan African country expected to steer a middle course between World Health Organisation (WHO) demands on smoking and protecting a stable and prosperous tobacco industry and market, it would surely be relatively wealthy Botswana – with an average per capital income in 2018 USD7,750.…

Metal packaging companies are innovating to make the most of the Covid-19 crisis, as competition intensifies from their rivals in the plastics packaging sector, with consumers seeking protection from the disease buying more wrapped food and more single-use plastics containers being sold and discarded.…

INTRODUCTION – SERIES

A series of reports from WTiN is exploring the need for the textile and clothing sector to protect itself against attacks from cybercriminals as it invests in new transformative Industry 4.0 technologies – extended reality, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.…

Derisking through the dismantling of correspondent banking relationships continues to be a problem, according to the latest data, prompting concerns that informal transaction networks may grow, whose AML checks may be less robust than those applied by traditional banks.

The European Union (EU) is concerned, with the European Banking Authority (EBA) in October 2019 issued a report on risks affecting the financial sector, with derisking one of its biggest concerns regarding money laundering.…

ASIA Pacific Rayon (APR) has broken ground in the Indonesian viscose manufacturing sector by receiving the internationally recognised STeP sustainable textile and leather production certification from the Switzerland-based standards body OEKO–TEX.  APR, a vertically integrated viscose-rayon manufacturer, with a production capacity of 240,000 tonnes-a-year, is hoping to boost sales through the STeP recognition of its modular analysis of chemicals, environmental performance, environmental management, occupational health and safety, social responsibility and quality management.…

Innovative textile materials are proving to be a game changer in the auto industry’s drive towards sustainability, electric transmission and autonomy. Experts have noted how the amount of textiles used in the automotive sector have been growing and will continue to do so: up from 20kg in a mid-size car on average in the year 2000 to 26kg in 2020, said the chair of a ‘Textile Opportunities in a Changing Automotive Industry’ conference, held in Birmingham, England, at the Jaguar Experience centre.…

INTERNATIONAL export centres for the wool industry have been considering how they will help fill gaps in supplies to the knitwear sector because of the damage caused to Australia’s wool sector by January’s devastating bush and outback fires. Extensive rain has now at last extinguished most of Australia’s bushfires, but wool growers are still assessing the damage.…

INTRODUCTION – SERIES

A series of reports from WTiN is exploring the need for the textile and clothing sector to protect itself against attacks from cybercriminals as it invests in new transformative Industry 4.0 technologies – extended reality, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.…

GEOGRAPHICAL indications can be controversial legal protections that some food manufacturers regard as being unjust restrictions on trade in quality food items that are inspired by traditional products.

Of course, for companies based in traditional production regions of goods such as Prosciutto ham and Irish whisky, they can be a Godsend – preventing illicit competition (as they see it) from banking on a reputation for taste that has been created by protected manufacturers in previous decades, even centuries.…

THE TREND towards consumers buying confectionery made with natural ingredients is gathering pace, with research from Germany-based international food ingredients-maker Döhler saying that worldwide more than 50% of confectionery consumers now want a “healthier” product and more than 60% “value natural ingredients”.…

While new financial technologies and associated developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence offer AML/CFT solutions, anti-money laundering specialists are concerned about new risks being posed by new business and industrial innovations.

Banks are starting to adopt AI-based machine learning, but terrorists and criminals can use technology too: “It is really an AI arms race in financial crime”, said Kamer Yüksel, chief data scientist for Munich-based artificial intelligence start-up hawk:AI’s and author of more than 35 publications on AI.…

In principle, the technology of osmotic power, known widely as ‘blue energy’, has a lot going for it: unlike wind or sunlight, its electricity generating technique of mixing freshwater and saltwater at the mouths of estuaries is constant, with electrically charged salt ions moving from salty seawater to fresh river water.…

Digital printing is still a relatively new concept to Poland’s traditional fabric finishing sector – but national pride in the country’s well-established textile sector is sparking a desire to modernise so it can maintain its competitive edge. Much of the resulting investment has been focused on local and independent textile printers located throughout the country – but a significant number of these are based in Łódz, central Poland, a key textile manufacturing hub, with the port-town of Gdynia also being home to upgraded finishing plants.…

With electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) set to account for an estimated 30% of all vehicle sales worldwide within five years according to investment bank JP Morgan, the demand for conductive adhesives, which can transmit thermal or electrical energy between two surfaces, as an alternative to solder and even wiring is set to soar, according to Lux Research Inc, based in Boston, USA.…

Global production of fibreglass is predicted to soar over the coming decade, as appreciation grows of its utility and cost effectiveness in expanding materials manufacturing sectors.

Driven by a push to increase reliance on renewable energy sources to help tackle the climate crisis, manufacturers of wind turbines are increasingly reliant on glass – and carbon – fibres to produce rotor blades, for instance.…

WORRIES about the future of manufacturing in Europe are certainly not being applied to the continent’s nonwovens industry, which has been growing steadily in recent years. Indeed, last year, the overall production of nonwovens in Europe in 2018 grew by around 1.3% year-on-year to reach 2.76 million tonnes, (the most recent Europe wide figures released by industry association EDANA).…

A NEW collaborative research project could lead to identification and prediction of fraudulent commodities markets trading by using particle physics technology currently deployed in the Large Hadron Collider, the particle accelerator built underneath Switzerland and France, near Geneva. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, has teamed up with the Commodity Risk Management Expertise Center (CORMEC) – joint initiative of the Netherlands’ Wageningen University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as Wageningen University operating alone, to use advanced data analytics from particle physics to help protect commodity and financial markets under their ‘HighLo’ project.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has called on EU member states and other EU institutions to work harder to fight the scourge of food fraud, which can damage the commercial health of legitimate manufacturers and risk consumer health. In a detailed policy statement (called ‘council conclusions’ in EU jargon), ministers said an EU “legal definition of food fraud” should be created that would underpin future regulatory actions fighting such wrongdoing, which can include deliberate mislabelling and the use of illicit ingredients.…

Wrangling between Chile’s dairy farmers and major dairies and process is over milk prices is threatening to overshadow the opportunities that this Potentially strong industry has to grow, especially in export markets. On a similar latitude to Australia and New Zealand, southern Chile’s Los Lagos and Los Rios regions offer almost ideal conditions for dairy farming, with plentiful rains, lush pastures, and mild winters.…

BEAUTY consumers worldwide are demanding more transparency in manufacturing processes and ingredients, less environmental impact, and simple and clean ingredients. So goes the product, so goes the packaging. The beauty industry is responding with brand packaging and labelling that transmits a marketing message that the beauty product inside may be healthy and full of goodness.…

THE UZBEKISTAN clothing and textile industry is eyeing a major increase in clothing and textile imports as its government liberalises what was until three-years-ago a largely unreformed post-Soviet state. A key goal is swapping raw cotton exports for overseas sales of added value textiles and clothing.…

A series of reports published in recent weeks have highlighted the need for increased collaboration across the shipping industry to develop and share best practice to significantly reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. Between 2000 and 2017, the CO2 emissions associated with the shipping sector grew at an average annual rate of 1.87% between 2000 and 2017, according to a report published in September by the Bonn-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), ‘Navigating the way to a renewable future: solutions to decarbonise shipping’, resulting in emissions of  677 megatonnes (Mt) of CO2 in 2017.…

INDIA maybe a populous and diverse country with its 1.36 million potential consumers who speak 22 languages, but one company maintains a strong, even dominant, position in India’s fast-growing chocolate market which saw sales of USD1.8 billion in 2018, according to GlobalData – Mondelēz International Inc’s Cadbury brand.…

A free trade deal between Europe and Australia is in the making but European Union (EU) trade negotiators have managed to generate some serious concerns among Australian dairy industry in the process. The EU wants Australia to recognise the exclusive rights of EU cheesemakers to the traditional names of almost 60 different types of cheeses through Australia recognising EU geographical indications (GI) within any agreement.…

Germany’s Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL – Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft) has summoned its state-level (länder) counterparts for crisis talks following revelations that listeria-infested meat products have killed three people and made another 37 sick. These were made by from Twistetal, Hesse-based Wilke Waldecker Fleisch- und Wurstwaren.…

COMPANIES using offshore tax jurisdictions need to assess whether their strategies can be branded unethical, as well as illegal, causing them reputational as well as financial damage. They need to assess whether the risk is worth taking. Poorna Rodrigo reports.

The series of data dumps, such as the Panama Papers, and the recent Mauritius Leaks have continued to tarnish the reputation of offshore tax havens, but experts stress that properly used, a positive case can be made for offshore tax policies.…

A harmonisation of regulatory frameworks and increased sharing of data between financial institutions may help overcome the “metronomic tension” within financial businesses balancing effective fraud detection and low user friction, say experts. With more challenger banks delivering services, real-time checks based on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics may ensure the speed customers expect in digital transactions does not compromise security, including during onboarding.…

CHINA’S ministry of finance drafted regulations punishing accountants violating national accounting laws. Proposals under public consultation would include blacklisting accountants found guilty of fabricating, hiding or destroying financial reports, books and documents, or telling other accountants to undertake such malpractice. Accountants involved in embezzlement would suffer the same fate.…

CONTINUOUS dyeing technology is being refined and improved and offering finishers worldwide the chance to improve their output efficiency, while reducing chemical, water and energy usage. However, emerging markets finishers can struggle to find the investment costs required to install this top-line cutting edge dyeing machinery.…

Europe’s transition to electric vehicle ownership is developing at two clear speeds, with richer countries headed for mass market penetration in the early to mid 2020s but poorer countries lagging. 

This is posing a regulatory challenge for manufacturers – EV sales have to increase Europe-wide for carmakers to meet tough European Union (EU) CO2 emissions limits.…

THE WOOL sector is part of an increasingly complex and global supply chain and, as a result, international technical standards are growing in utility and importance. Where suppliers and buyers follow and require the use of international standards to guide their operations and products, there will be fewer nasty surprises, in orders and purchases.…

WEAVERS and their mechanical suppliers are increasingly appreciating the benefits of integrating digital technologies into their work practices and equipment. Digital investments are being made to use digitisation in boosting the precision loading of looms with appropriate threads to generating smart fabrics, using virtual visualisation rooms to aid fabric design, and more.…

BULGARIA’S plastics industry has been making the most of the growing demand for supplies from major western markets. The sector has been particularly buoyant over the past five years, with Bulgaria’s comparatively low costs and occasional regulatory light touch making its plastics companies competitive with competitors in western Europe.…

A MEMORANDUM of understanding (MoU) has been signed by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) with China’s ministry of finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) boosting SFC access to audit working papers from audits of HK-listed mainland companies.…

AN INTERNATIONAL market research company is predicting that the legalisation of recreational cannabis, notably in Canada, and now in 10 US states, could encourage tobacco consumers to shift from smoking to vaping, and even depress tobacco sales overall long term.

Shane MacGuill, head of tobacco at Euromonitor International, said that while in the short term, recreational cannabis legalisation “could support the Canadian tobacco market as consumers experiment with consumption of cannabis flower in combustible format”, he predicted “any bump will be relatively small and short lived”.…

EVERY manufacturing and agricultural industry has an impact on climate change – and the tobacco sector is no different. Faced with long-standing criticism of the health impact of its products, the tobacco industry is now facing attacks that its work generates carbon emissions and hence climate change.…

In April (2019), Switzerland’s highest court (the federal tribunal) ordered that Zurich-based Falcon Private Bank hand over Swiss Francs CHF2.5 million (USD2.5 million to Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for its involvement in the global money laundering (ML) scandal involving state-owned Malaysian investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).…

Just four months before Italy’s much-anticipated Formula One (F1) Grand Prix was set to roar through the Monza racetrack on September 6-8, (2019), a major arrest involving money laundering within FI was made in Dubai. Luigi Provini was handcuffed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) emirate and placed on a direct flight to Rome, for questioning by Italy’s Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza – GdF).…

MARCH’S approval by the European Parliament of new European Union (EU) electricity market rules, designed to increase consumer choice, boost renewables access and cap power subsidies, were hailed by the European Commission as a new dawn for the creation of the EU’s much vaunted Energy Union.…

WITH the Carbon Trust defining energy management as the use of technology to improve energy performance of an organisation within their holistic management processes, the need to tap data banks of expertise can only help in framing and operating such policies.…

THE PERSONAL care product sector has an increasingly complex and global supply chain and as a result, international technical standards are growing in utility and importance. Where suppliers and retailers follow and require the use of international standards to guide their operations and products, there will be fewer nasty surprises, in orders and purchases.…

RUSSIA’S paint industry is slowly growing but upcoming chemical regulations could limit the output of some potentially hazardous products. There are two such laws in the pipeline. One is a technical regulation ‘On the safety of chemical products’. This was adopted and ratified by the Russian government in 2016, and will come into force in 2021 (on July 1), and bans the use of a range of hazardous chemicals, some used by Russian coatings manufacturers. …

The US paint and coatings industry is set to experience pain as “the spectre of significantly reduced profits looms large” because of the ongoing trade war over tariffs with China, a trade think-tank has warned.

And American industry representatives have indicated job losses and “negative financial impacts” could result from the tariffs increasing the cost of chemicals and other raw materials imported by the sector.…

THE INDUSTRIAL minerals mining and processing sector and its customers has an increasingly complex and global supply chain and as a result, international technical standards are growing in utility and importance. Where suppliers and retailers follow and require the use of international standards to guide their operations and products, there will be fewer nasty surprises, in orders and purchases.…

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s announcement, May 10, to slap 25% additional tariffs on plastics exports to China could increase opportunities for European plastics exporters, experts have told Plastics News Europe.

Mike Boswell, managing director of UK-based plastics products supplier Plastribution, said: “Sales could increase to the US, depending on which items, as US products will become more expensive because of duty barriers.”…

THE GLOBAL demand for lactic acid is growing, with the world market forecast to reach USD1.75 billion by 2020, on the back of an 8.6% annual gain for polylactic acid, according to data from international nutrition group Glanbia Ireland. So, it is encouraging to hear about the launch of the company’s first-of-its-kind bio-refinery project, that will turn low value by-products from the dairy processing industry into sustainable lactic acid among other by-products, and finally turn Europe to a net exporter of lactic acid.…

With a growing population of guanacos, a llama-like animal that runs wild in Patagonia, the Argentine government is analysing how best to produce and export the natural fibre it yields, at prices like those commanded by vicuña wool. But hurdles stand in the way of getting it right and there are concerns that the approach could backfire if sustainable practices are not

 in place. …

THE INTERNATIONAL clothing industry needs to take a holistic and assertive approach to fighting intellectual property theft and counterfeiting, which while can be easier to detect today, because of advances in data analysis, still poses a significant threat, an expert USA seminar was told.…

INTERNATIONAL efforts are under way to improve how airports can serve as effective humanitarian logistics hubs, reducing the risk that they become bottlenecks in disaster relief efforts. These moves follow research and a growing consensus in the air and aid sectors that while airports are undoubtedly a lifeline during crises, they can also hamper the efficient delivery of aid to victims.…

THE PASSING of the USD5 billion annual clothing export milestone by Sri Lanka is especially significant, says its industry association, because it has been achieved while maintaining an “ethical and reliable brand”.

The country’s total clothing exports reached USD5.05 billion last year (2018 calendar year), posting an annual gain of 4.97% year-on-year, Joint Apparel Association Forum Sri Lanka (JAAFSL) secretary general, Tuly Cooray told just-style.…

While the confectionery industry is traditionally associated with high sugar levels and unhealthy indulgence, market research indicates that efforts to also appeal to consumers with a growing interest in health and wellness trends are paying off. According to UK-based market researcher GlobalData, in 2016 alone USD3.7 billion worth of confectionery with functional or fortified attributes was sold globally.…

SWISS bank UBS has said it will appeal a judgement made by a Paris court that it should pay penalties of EUR3.7 billion and EUR15 million, plus civil damages of EUR800 million, for helping its French customers evade tax.

Le tribunal correctionnel de Paris found UBS guilty of illicit solicitation and laundering of the proceeds of tax fraud, having heard allegations about how UBS executives persuaded French depositors to move money to accounts in Switzerland – reducing France’s tax take.…

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been touted by Beijing as a ‘win-win’ for all actors involved in the sprawling infrastructure project that connects the Far East with Europe – but it could be a double-edged sword for Turkey’s textile and garment sector, warn experts.…

BRITAIN was among a handful of European nations that fell down in Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index, dropping out of the top-10 of the most honest jurisdictions in the 2018 rankings. The UK is now joint 11^th with Germany, dropping two points to 80 on the scale where 100 is seen as cleanest and 0 highly corrupt among experts and business people surveyed.…

ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) maybe the focus of hype in anti-fraud circles, but specialists insist that as AI systems are refined, they will create effective tools for financial institutions, governments and large companies.

Sundeep Tengur, London-based banking fraud and financial crime specialist within the global fraud and security practice of US-headquartered analytics software producers SAS Institute Inc, noted in a blog on the Fintech Extra site last April last year that the financial services industry has witnessed “considerable hype” around AI.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) food and drinks sector will have to prepare itself to find alternative materials to plastics, after the European Parliament and EU Council of Ministers struck a deal on approving European Commission proposals to ban single-use plastics. Under a new directive – now on track to receive formal approval by this summer (2019) – the EU will ban the use of such materials where alternatives are easily available and affordable.…

Malaysia’s money laundering regulation and policies may be on par with international best practice, but their implementation has been tested of late, experts say. These concerns have been sharpened by the scandal related to Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 1 Malaysia Development Bhd or 1MDB, with Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak accused of channelling more than Malaysian Ringgit MYR 2.67 billion (USD700 million) from the fund to personal bank accounts.…

WITH consumers globally becoming ever-more concerned about whether the woolen products they buy, use or wear were made without cruelty to the animals from which this natural fibre was shorn, the wool industry has been working hard to improve its traceability systems.…

With the USA re-imposing sanctions on Iran, and international financial institutions wary of dealing with the country, Tehran is dusting off its pre-2015 sanctions-busting playbook. Old networks are being renewed, including with neighbouring countries and China, but there are more obstacles for the Iranian government to contend with this time around.…

AFRICAN garment and textile manufacturers have a long way to go to increase capacity, develop the supply chain and diversify overall production away from North Africa, an industry conference staged in Cairo has been told. But while north Africa accounts for more than USD10 billion out the continent’s USD13.54 billion in clothing and textile exports (during 2016, according to international trade data), the much discussed potential of Africa as the world’s next sourcing hub is starting to materialise.…

AFRICAN garment and textile manufacturers have a long way to go to increase capacity, develop the supply chain and diversify overall production away from North Africa, an industry conference staged in Cairo has been told. But while north Africa accounts for more than USD10 billion out the continent’s USD13.54 billion in clothing and textile exports (during 2016, according to international trade data), the much discussed potential of Africa as the world’s next sourcing hub is starting to materialise.…

DIGITAL production technologies could help African manufacturers pick up business lost by Chinese rivals because of the trade war in the USA, with brands looking to take advantage of the free trade agreements that many African countries have with the USA and Europe.…

THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has agreed to establish disputes settlement panels to rule on whether retaliatory duties imposed by Canada, China, and Mexico on US meat exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…

WITH environmental concerns increasingly important worldwide as a key plank of sustainable development, the role that effective geo-textiles can play in ensuring infrastructure performs effectively in the longer term is underpinning demand for these products.

In June 2017, Global Market Insights released a report on geotextile market size by material, application, region, price, market share and forecasts for 2017–2024, which stated that “positive application outlook in construction, agriculture, erosion control, and drainage should drive geotextile market size” globally.…

Japan’s traditional tobacco market continues to contract, with fewer people smoking and more smokers expressing a desire to stop, but sales in the heated tobacco sector remain positive and are growing.

Less than 30% of Japanese adults now smoke, according to statistics released by the health, labour and welfare ministry in early September, the first time the figure has fallen beneath that threshold since statistics were first collated in 1986.…

A FAILURE to embrace and adopt science and technology is hurting the clothing, textile and cotton industries of Africa, delegates attending an International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) three-day conference in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 7-9. The annual conference, staged this year in a sub-Saharan African country for the first time in the ITMF’s 114 years of existence, heard experts commenting that a reluctance by African companies to adopt new technology had not only slowed growth in the apparel and textile sector, but was also potentially pushing companies towards stagnation.…

A new report from Transparency International has found that only 11 major exporting countries in the world significantly punish companies that pay bribes abroad. The report, called ‘Exporting Corruption’, also found that more than half of world exports come from at least 33 jurisdictions, including several European Union (EU) member states, where companies that export corruption along with their goods and services face weak consequences. …

ALL plastic bottle caps and lids put on the European Union (EU) market must contain at least 25% recycled content by 2025, Belgian Liberal MEP Frédérique Ries, has proposed as lead negotiator, for the European Parliament’s environment committee, on the European Commission’s controversial single-use plastics (SUP) proposal.…

SOLAR energy in Africa ought to be a no brainer. The continent has lot of sun, and weak electricity supplies, especially in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. And yet, climate finance that has developed since the Paris climate change agreement of 2015, that could help grow green energy in this sunny continent, has not focused on Africa.…

REGULATORY and other pressures are behind a recent international surge in construction of electric vessels.

Using battery-electric power instead of traditional fuels such as marine diesel to drive a ship’s propulsion and/or operate its equipment can reduce greenhouse gases and lessen health, safety and environmental risks, particularly when vessels are in or near port.…

With lower battery and auto prices boosting the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market in Europe, the race is on to ensure there are enough fast-charging stations to satisfy demand. 

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) warned European Union (EU) lawmakers July 5 that plans to force a continent-wide switch to BEVs through swingeing cuts in CO2 emissions caps for manufacturers, was doomed to fail due to the lack of charging points.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) paint and coating sector will be keeping a close eye on plans to craft a new EUR94.1 billion Horizon Europe research and development programme operating from 2021 to 2027. These major EU research budgets fund innovation in the sector involving companies from different countries within the EU – proposed industry and natural resources priority spending sections in the 2021-27 programme may especially promote paint and coating studies.…

AML compliance departments are having to take an increasingly close look at any transactions involving Venezuela, as its authoritarian government attracts increasingly large numbers of international sanctions.

The European Union (EU) in June sanctioned 11 senior Venezuelan officials following the May re-election of President Nicolas Maduro in polls that the EU said were “neither free nor fair and…lacked any credibility…”

The sanctions – see https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018D0901&from=EN…

A CRACKDOWN coordinated by European Union (EU) police and judicial cooperation authorities, Europol and Eurojust, has caught a network of online scammers responsible for stealing some EUR18 million, with a total 19 arrests. With the ringleader in Cyprus and members in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Ukraine and the UK, the gang was behind over 35,000 online fraud cases detected since 2012 in a six-year long probe called Operation Warenagent, managed by the public prosecution office of Dresden, and the Saxon state office of criminal investigation, both in Germany, and the Vilnius public prosecutor, in Lithuania.…

DEBATES are now underway at the European Union (EU) on a proposed revamp of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), a programme for 2021 to 2027 that would exclude Brexited Britain. As a result of losing UK contributions to the EU from next March (2019), funding for the CAP would fall by around 5% to EUR365 billion, with EUR265.2 billion spent on direct payments for food producers, EUR20 billion for market price support measures and EUR78.8 billion for rural development.…

THE TURKISH denim fabric manufacturer Orta Anadolu has told WTiN.com that it is experiencing growing demand for its eco denim initiatives, resulting in an increased use of sustainable cotton.

Speaking to WTiN.com, Murat Sozeri, regional sales manager (Asia) at Orta Anadolu, said that the company has been increasing its use of ‘Better Cotton’, supplied by the Switzerland-based Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), which he said now accounts for 5% of the company’s total cotton consumption.…

THE FRENCH paint and varnishes industry saw sales decline for the third consecutive year in 2016, contracting by 1.6% year-on-year to EUR2.9 billion, according to market research company Euromonitor International. It believes, however, that business should pick up in the coming years due to rising construction of homes.…

THE OUTLOOK for European Union (EU) beef, sheep and goat meat imports looks bleak, with sales tumbling, according to an EU agricultural markets 2018 and 2019 forecast released by the European Commission.

Beef exports started falling by December 2017, and this has continued into this year, with exports almost 15% lower in the first four months of 2018 year-on-year.…

IN the USA alone, USD1.4 billion in counterfeit consumer products were seized in 2016 by the United States Customs and Border Protection, including 2,000 shipments of counterfeit cosmetics products. This, according to a note from USA-based Clarkston Consulting, cost the beauty industry at least USD75 million, which said: “Counterfeiting of consumer products remains on the rise” – see https://clarkstonconsulting.com/insights/counterfeit-cosmetics/counterfeit.…

THE AMERICAN confectionery sector is facing tough tariffs in its key export market of Canada after the US government decided to impose punitive duties on Canadian exports of steel and aluminium.

Ottawa announced its own retaliatory duties, which it intends to impose from July 1, having consulted on a shortlist of products, including potential 10% duties on US-made maple sugar and syrup, liquorice, toffee, chocolate, sugar confectionery, strawberry jam, nut purées and pastes.…

The European Commission has proposed new European Union (EU) company law procedures saying how a company should move from one EU country to another; companies from different countries can merge; or one company can divide into two or more new units in more than one EU country.…

AS China’s retreat from mass market clothing production continues, Bangladesh knitters are eyeing another added value knitwear niche – sportswear. Following the industry’s success in boosting sales within the profitable lingerie segment, Bangladesh manufacturers are ramping up production in sports apparels, although some experts say that work is needed on boosting its supply chain, particularly of manmade fibres.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) food and drink exporters could be major beneficiaries of a revised EU-Mexico trade agreement which will remove almost all bilateral tariffs left by a year 2000 deal. Under a new agreement struck in principle, Mexican import duties on EU exports of cheeses, such as gorgonzola and roquefort, and pasta (of up to 20%), will be removed, along with duties on chocolate and confectionery, (that can exceed 20%).…

Switzerland’s significant foreign bribery enforcement should be accompanied by harsher penalties and private sector whistleblower protection, according to the latest report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery. A statement said that the working group welcomed “the significant level of enforcement” by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), noting that “Switzerland has cracked down on the bribery of foreign public officials in recent years.”…

Green and European Free Alliance (EFA) members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are calling on the Spanish government to block a requested extradition to Switzerland of a French-Italian whistleblower arrested in Spain on April 4.  Hervé Falciani revealed details of 100,000 accounts held by French nationals, including politicians and celebrities, to France’s then finance minister Christine Lagarde (now managing director of the International Monetary Fund – IMF) in 2006 and 2007 when working as a computer scientist at HSBC’s Swiss affiliate.…

THE ORGANISERS of Italy’s premier beauty trade fair, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, are claiming a record number of visitors and international buyers attending this year’s 51st edition of the event from March 15-19. Exceeding the 250,000 visitors from last year’s Cosmoprof, attending foreign buyers, distributors and retail representatives grew 11% in 2018, year-on-year.…

WILL Brexit increase money laundering through the UK, or will the British government’s October 2017 Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill (SAMLB) and the UK money laundering regulations 2017 adequately replace the European Union’s (EU) anti-money laundering directives (AMLD)?

British Labour member of the European Parliament (MEP) Claude Moraes has his doubts.…

The official publication of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nhân Dân, has urged Vietnamese enterprises to increase the product value of textiles and garments by improving human resource development programmes, adopting advanced technologies and brand development.

In an unsigned editorial published in early March, Nhân Dân criticised Vietnam’s textile and garment sector noting that while it has reached double-digit growth rates in recent years, with a total export turnover exceeding USD31 billion in 2017, the products’ added value has been low, accounting for only 5%-10% of total worth.…

VISITORS to the INDO Intertex in Jakarta, Indonesia, will not only be introduced to the state-of-the-art textile and garment machinery, but also meet with potential clients, exchange business insights around key areas such as sustainability and energy efficiency and expand connections, organisers said.…

The INDO Intertex textile machinery exhibition will be staged in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month to boost investment in a textile and clothing sector that is growing, the show’s project manager Paul Kingsen said. 

“The theme for this year INDO Intertex is investment growth acceleration.…

THE DECISION of the European Commission not to propose a harmonised European Union (EU) approach for excise duty on e-cigarettes and other novel tobacco products has been welcomed by the tobacco sector for avoiding punitive taxation on a nascent segment.

But should such rules ultimately be introduced the tobacco sector may not oppose them if they reflect the lower health risks involved in consuming such products by enabling lower excise duty bands.…

SINCE the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the USA, the UK, Russia, France, China, Germany and the European Union (EU), foreign financial institutions have – in theory – been allowed to do business with Iran.  But the reality – as ever with relations with Iran – is proving to be a good deal more complex.…

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has signalled that the British government wants to seek associate membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) if the country quits the European Union (EU), as planned, on March 29, 2019. In a speech at the Mansion House, London the PM said: “We would, of course, accept that this would mean abiding by the rules of [EASA] and making an appropriate financial contribution.”…

THE UK may have a formal relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) after its planned March 29, (2019) departure from the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May has signalled in a detailed policy speech. Speaking in the City of London, she said: “We will also want to explore with the EU, the terms on which the UK could remain part of EU agencies…” And while not naming EFSA, she said – in theory – she was prepared to allow the UK to be bound by the rules of EU agencies, post-Brexit. …

With China losing its sheen as a low-cost manufacturing heartland, Bangladesh’s clothing exporters are tapping into this opportunity by diversifying into another new higher margin segment — suits.

Senior executives and analysts told just-style how potential larger profits are drawing in major manufacturers, who are now confronting the challenges of building technical knowhow, recruiting skilled labour and attracting global buyers available. …

CLOTHING and textile companies are grappling with new good practice guidance in supply chain management that was released by the Organisation for Economic Development & Cooperation (OECD) last May (2017). An OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector was staged in Paris last month (January 30-31), attended by governments, businesses, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working within or having an impact on the apparel sector.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s ‘third circular economy package’ of pro-recycling reforms and regulations, proposed January 16 which contains an ambitious European Union (EU) plastics strategy, should be enshrined in hard law, with sector-wide targets, plastics industry experts have told Plastics News Europe.…

DAIRY products sold in Europe, a regional market where high standards of food safety apply, continue to be contaminated with plastics, glass, chemicals, biological matter and other materials. This is despite the fact that European food producers and authorities have zero risk as their ultimate goal, sector experts and the European Union (EU) regulators admit.…

SALES of cosmetics and toiletries in the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) may be steady, but these developed markets are shifting amid growing diversity in distribution. Products are increasingly bought online and in non-traditional channels such as budget, lifestyle and fashion stores.…

The economic crisis, anti-smoking legislation, increased product taxation and new tax regimes for producers are taking their toll on the Greek manufactured tobacco market.

A surge in cigarette prices has depressed cigarette sales and increased fine cut tobacco sales, according to market researchers Euromonitor International.…

WITH full supply chains and innovative products, Thailand’s knitwear industry is thriving, making the country a nucleus for fashion manufacturing in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA) executive director Chartchai Singhadeja said: “Thailand’s strength lies in our full-value supply chains, starting from fibres to yarns and fabrics, then apparel and clothing within the fashion industry.”…

LURED by a shifting global market and better margins, Bangladesh’s apparel producers are rushing into the lingerie space, predicting Chinese manufacturers will secure fewer export orders for these lines as their costs rise.

This new niche opportunity for the Bangladesh industry is fortuitous, as it dovetails with the country’s textiles and clothing makers’ core strategy of moving from their traditional low-cost growth pillars, such as t-shirts, shirts, trousers, jackets and sweaters.…

FINANCIAL fraud, as all practitioners know, has become increasingly international, a trend that will doubtless continue. For law enforcers based on national units of theoretically sovereign countries, this poses challenges, and one particularly tough nut to crack are procedures to extradite suspects to face trial in the country where their alleged victims reside.…

SINGAPORE’S Accounting Standards Council (ASC) has issued the Singapore Financial Reporting Standards (International) (SFRS(I)s), the city state’s equivalent of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). This new set of rules will cover Singapore-incorporated listed company accounts for annual periods beginning January 1, 2018, and onwards.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers today (December 5) adopted a money laundering blacklist, bringing widespread criticism because the listing – designed to prevent tax fraud and evasion – only covers countries outside the 28-nation bloc. Despite the European Commission screening 92 jurisdictions worldwide, the final list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in taxation matters only contains 17 jurisdictions: American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam (another US territory), South Korea, Macau (a China special administrative region), the Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British plastics chemical suppliers and their trading partners in Europe, should the UK push ahead with quitting the European Union (EU) as planned, on March 29, 2019.

It has released a database seeking to advise chemical producers of how their legal obligations will change.…

THE EUROPEAN textile finishing sector is welcoming the approval by the European Parliament of a binding workplace limit saying that workers using dyes should not breathe air with more than 0.005 mg/m3 (milligrams per cubic metre) of chromium (VI) compounds – mineral-based chemicals widely used in the textile, dyeing and finishing industries.…

HONG Kong regulators have laid down binding rules on financial institutions insisting that they practice effective cybersecurity management. The special administrative region’s (SAR) Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued ‘Guidelines for Reducing and Mitigating Hacking Risks Associated with Internet Trading’ requiring all licensed or registered internet traders to implement 20 steps to reduce cyber-attack vulnerabilities.…

MORE than half of current jobs in Malaysia could either disappear totally or see their nature “considerably change” over the next two decades due to advancements in automation, according to a new report.

And businesses will have to work with education providers to ensure relevant skillsets are taught to bridge the employability gap, human resources experts warned.…

IT has now been six years since the German entrepreneur Anke Domaske has been turning waste cow milk into dresses. Her business, QMILK, is based on manufacturing textile fibre from milk protein, casein, transforming raw milk that while not suitable for human consumption, is also “100% natural and from verified suppliers.”…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British meat and livestock industry-related chemical manufacturers and their trading partners in Europe, should the UK push ahead with quitting the European Union (EU) as planned, on March 29, 2019.…

TECHNICAL textile brands are only too aware of the reputational risks posed by consumers purchasing performance clothing and gear to protect them from the elements in the great outdoors, whose manufacturing chemicals and processes are actually damaging the planet.

Environmentally harmful chemicals have been a mainstay in producing the highest quality durable water repellent (DWR) for outerwear, footwear and kit – including backpacks, tents and sleeping bags – with manufacturers apparently putting profits from this lucrative, burgeoning market ahead of ‘green’ credentials.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British and other European Union (EU) clothing companies, especially brands with integrated upstream fabric and finishing units, should the UK push ahead with quitting the European Union (EU) as planned, on March 29, 2019.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British and other European Union (EU) knitwear companies, especially brands with integrated upstream fabric and finishing units, should the UK quit the EU as planned, on March 29, 2019.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British minerals sector chemical suppliers and their trading partners in Europe, should the UK push ahead with quitting the European Union (EU) as planned, on March 29, 2019.

It has released a database seeking to advise chemical producers of how their legal obligations will change.…

IT is no surprise that Singapore has a significant exposure to money laundering and terrorist finance. It is one of the world’s largest financial centres, a major free-trade hub and has neighbours where corruption and Islamic extremist insurgent groups remain are real threats.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British finishing chemical companies and their trading partners in Europe, should the UK push ahead with quitting the European Union (EU) as planned, on March 29, 2019.

It has released a database seeking to advise chemical producers of how their legal obligations will change.…

BRAZIL may be the source of just 1.6% of all nanotechnology research papers across the world according to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), but it remains a leader among its Latin American neighbours due to its National Nanotechnology Programme.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has warned of the major impact on British tobacco sector chemical suppliers and their trading partners in Europe, should the UK push ahead with quitting the European Union (EU) as planned, on March 29, 2019.

It has released a database seeking to advise chemical producers of how their legal obligations will change.…

A recent survey conducted by University of Malaya’s Social Security Research Centre (SSRC) has pointed to a growing number of Malaysians wishing to work as long as their health permits, despite having savings or investments.

Close to half of the respondents aged 60 and above continue to work, most of them feeling their savings are insufficient, said a report released in October.…

THE ARAB Spring, for all its faults, inconsistencies and disappointments, has delivered the world one thriving open and pluralistic Arab society – Tunisia – where women especially have seized new freedoms and spending power. This is reflected in spending on spa and salon services in the country, where, according to market researcher Euromonitor International, in the year of the 2011 Jasmine Revolution the turnover of the Tunisian spa sector was just USD32.4 million.…

A new industry roadmap to advance the development of power-to-gas in Europe is just one reason advocates of hydrogen production and storage are optimistic about the next decade. The laying of foundations for larger-scale developments of power-to-gas (P2G) in Europe have gathered momentum throughout 2017, with the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) and the Joint Programme on Energy Storage under the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) laying plans.…

IN a cutting-edge area of the textile sector such as digital manufacturing, planning and distribution, it is always helpful to know what the gold standard is for performance. But with technologies still developing and innovation taking hardware and software in directions that are untested – with implications that are as yet unknown – companies may not want to follow the crowd.…

HONG KONG and Saudi Arabia has struck an agreement on avoiding double taxation so any Saudi Arabian tax paid by Hong Kong companies will be credited against tax payable on the same profits in the special administrative region. The same would apply to Saudi companies paying tax in Hong Kong.…

Customer willingness to pay a premium for the natural health qualities of honey appears to be outweighing price hikes for the natural sweetener amid falling production levels as beekeepers have battled catastrophic colony losses.

This has reduced worldwide bee numbers, prompting fears that confectioners might adapt production methods to replace honey with other naturally occurring sweeteners, such as stevia.…

A YOUNG population with high disposable incomes coupled with a booming medical tourism sector has created an ongoing demand for cosmetic procedures in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai especially dominates this important market, being a global luxury-centric city with world-class medical infrastructure.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission is to hold a special meeting with European Union (EU) ministers and food safety authorities over the ongoing scandal about fipronil-contaminated eggs to gather information on how to manage such crises in future. The EU executive will stage the meeting on September 26, it told just-food today, allowing time for more information to emerge.…

While moves in the knitwear sector are afoot to overtake ‘fast fashion’ with sustainable products and processes, the ultimate push to become certified organic is proving an unnecessary step too far for many producers.

There is widespread support in the industry to embrace sustainable business practices and boost eco-credentials for yarns and knitwear items.…

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) projected comprehensive trade deal with Japan, agreed in principle at a July 6 EU-Japan summit in Brussels, will benefit exporters of Europe-produced non-ferrous metals, experts have told Metal Bulletin. Japanese non-ferrous metal exporters are more cautious about the potential benefits for their industry, however.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned that the Chinese government is planning to introduce what it calls “unjustifiable food certification requirements” for imports into China. This alert comes in a new annual report from the EU executive on international trade and investment barriers, looking at developments last year (2016) and upcoming changes.…

Europe’s meat and livestock industry is to benefit best practice information regarding animal protection and wellness issues via a new European Union (EU) Platform on Animal Welfare of experts. EU health and food safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis inaugurated the first meeting at the European Commission in Brussels yesterday (June 6), with 75 specialists participating, from the meat and livestock industry, retailers, animal welfare activists, scientists, EU governments, European Economic Area countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, international organisations and EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority).…

EUROPE’S nonwovens producers again served up a solid performance in 2016 against the background of (uneven and) uncertain trading conditions for the industry.

As usual, the just-published returns from EDANA, the representative organisation for the USD30 billion nonwovens industry in Europe, show some important national variations.…

A NEW food trade agreement has been struck between the European Union (EU) and Norway, especially helping EU exporters of meat and dairy products. Norway will open a new 1,600-tonnes quota for EU-made bovine meat and smaller quotas for EU exports of chicken and duck meat, pork, hams and sausages.…

Consumers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are becoming savvier about their beauty products and more conscious of what ingredients they’re putting on their skin and hair. This increasing awareness along with a widening choice of products is driving steady growth in the country’s natural and organic cosmetics and toiletry market.…

THE PLANNED introduction of mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) by the South African Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) has sparked widespread dissention within the country’s business and accounting communities This is despite that the reform’s goal is to strengthen auditor independence and audit quality and that there are some calls for the move to be brought forward from the current introduction date of April 1, 2023.…

Italian state-controlled oil and gas producer ENI has cemented its role as a major gas player in Mozambique, after further defining in 2017 the scope of its Coral FLNG (floating liquified natural gas) project in this southern African country. However, doubts are emerging that ENI will actually deliver significant volumes of Mozambique’s huge gas reserves to Italy, and consequentially the rest of Europe, as an alternative and more secure source of natural gas.…

A case detected last May (2015) at Lisbon international airport, Portugal, says much for the worrying scale of the laundering of illicit funds from Europe into mainland China. A nondescript Chinese couple travelling from Lisbon to Shanghai via the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Dubai was stopped carrying more than EUR1 million in large denomination notes found elaborately wrapped in ‘danger, chemicals’ packaging within packets marked ‘FRAGILE’.…

Technological innovation continues to transform every step of the jeans industry from fibre blends, alternatives to indigo dyes, use of sustainable resources, and new developments in fit and finish. It was also a major focus of the Kingpins Show Amsterdam (April 19/20) denim showcase.…

A Transparency International (TI) investigation has found 3,452 properties in São Paulo, Brazil, worth at least USD2.7 billion are linked to 236 companies registered offshore, raising red flags about the use of real estate for money laundering in Brazil’s largest city. …

Swiss bank Credit Suisse is facing parallel investigations in five countries – Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK for facilitating tax evasion and money laundering. The bank admitted in a March 31 statement that it was “cooperating” with local tax authorities which had contacted its London, Paris and Amsterdam offices the day before “concerning client tax matters.”…

THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a comprehensive study into the healthiness of consuming sugar, that could guidance telling consumers when to stop eating sugary foods, such as confectionery. An ad-hoc working group with expertise in dietary exposure, epidemiology, human nutrition, diet-related chronic diseases and dentistry will examine the issue, along with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which requested the work.…

Europe’s nonwovens producers again served up a solid performance in 2016 against the background of (uneven and) uncertain trading conditions for the industry. As usual, the just-published returns from EDANA, the representative organisation for the USD30 billion nonwovens industry in Europe, show some important national variations.…

AS the international glass market continues to recover from the global recession, experts predict emerging markets might be tempted to invest in plant development to manufacture their own flat glass rather than paying expensive import fees buying from one of the handful of major suppliers.…

Europe’s nascent organic meat import sector has been offered a boost by a new digital certification system, that the European Commission says will make the European Union (EU) “a global leader in traceability and in the collection of reliable data on trade of organic products”. …

The official leading Switzerland’s efforts to combat money laundering in the country’s banking system has denied that a scandal unveiled last week involving Credit Suisse shows weaknesses in efforts to stop ill gotten gains being hidden in Swiss banks. Credit Suisse has acknowledged that tax authorities in France, the Netherlands and the UK are investigating the bank for tax evasion and money laundering.…

ASIA’S technical textiles sectors continue to grow, fuelled by ready buyers in domestic and overseas markets, but governments can and do help too – keen to promote these sustainable high tech industries.

China is a case in point. Its industry and information technology ministry plus the National Development and Reform Commission in January (2017) jointly issued development guidance for technical textiles as part of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, which runs from 2016-20.…

Anti-corruption campaign group Transparency International (TI) has called on major financial centres to be more open about their anti-money laundering (AML) efforts, claiming survey data indicates governments are being overly secretive. In a report based on studies of 12 developed jurisdictions called ‘Top Secret: Countries Keep Financial Crime Fighting Data to Themselves’, TI has said that only 36% of basic anti-money laundering indicators drawn from internationally accepted guidelines is available to the public and regularly updated.…

THE SWISS Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has ordered London-based bank Coutts & Co Ltd to disgorge unlawfully generated profits of Swiss francs CHF6.5 million (USD6.5 million) for breaching money laundering regulations over its dealings with Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.…

THE EUROPEAN beef sector must keep its direct payments at a time when the European Union (EU)’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is under review, according to new research highlighted by the European Parliament.

‘The EU cattle sector: challenges and opportunities – milk and meat’ report, published February 27 by the parliament’s agriculture and rural development committee, says these payments play an important part in farm-household income.…

THE CONTINUED success of Europe’ major technical textile fair, Techtextil, Frankfurt, (the next event runs from May 9 to 12) illustrates how the continent’s technical textile sector is thriving on its innovation.

“We don’t know what the future brings. We only know where it will be exhibited.…

KEY MESSAGES

*The nuclear industry has an ageing staff and needs to recruit new professionals as they retire

*Its strong health and retirement benefits packages could help it attract the new staff it needs

*The nuclear industry outside north America has a strong expat component, making it easier for recruit staff from abroad

INTRODUCTION

The nuclear industry sector is facing some significant human resources challenges, but new research carried out by Airswift and Energy Jobline indicates that the nuclear sector can still compete for talent.…

AN INTERNATIONAL art traders group has released detailed guidelines and advice to its business, designed to help executives, managers, sellers and auctioneers from on-selling product that has been looted, stolen, or is being used to launder the proceeds of crime and generate funds for terrorists.…

SWITZERLAND may have lost its reputation as a haven for dirty money deposited in numbered accounts with no questions asked, but global anti-money laundering (AML) body the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) wants more vigilance and proactivity in Swiss AML policies and actions.…

2016 – Winners and losers

RETAILERS & BRANDS

WINNERS

US-based sportswear brand Under Armour delivered its 26th consecutive quarter of 20%-plus revenue growth in the third quarter of 2016, with sales increases across all divisions. Net sales were up 22% in the third quarter to USD1.47bn.…

A long-held ambition by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to create an aerotropolis, or airport city, anchored around Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is taking key steps forward with a newly finalised master plan and a number of strategic partnerships.

The project, called KLIA Aeropolis, was announced in May (2016).…

Currency exchange falls in Pounds Sterling following the UK’s Brexit vote have been blamed by easyJet for a decline in profits. The company which has extensive costs in the Eurozone and revenues in the UK, reported a 27% year-on-year dip in pre-tax profits to GBP495 million (EUR 587 million) for the year to September 30, 2016.…

THE EUROPEAN Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is investigating if European Union (EU)-wide controls are needed to protect consumers against substances used in tattoo inks and permanent make-up (PMU) – with one solution expanding the scope of the EU cosmetics directive.

While the printing ink industry has suffered a recession, the tattoo and PMU ink sectors are booming in the wake of a huge increase in purchases of tattoos EU-wide.…

IRAN’S rose water export sector is facing the potential for rapid expansion now that the country can trade freely globally after the bulk of international banking and economic sanctions imposed over the Iranian nuclear programme were lifted this January (2016).…

SINCE the bulk of textile and apparel and production moved offshore from the wealthy city state of Singapore – seeking lower costs labour elsewhere – the country has become an industry innovator, and experts say this trend will continue.

The United States department of commerce (DoC) said in a report issued in May (2016): “Manufacturing has moved offshore to mainly other countries in the region, forcing the textile and apparel sector to reinvent itself and focus on research and development.”…

PAKISTAN’S denim export industry hopes that help for the textile announced by the government in February (exemption from paying sales tax and payment of long overdue tax refunds) and in a meeting with industry leaders in September (a promised reduction in energy costs) will boost this promising segment.…

KNITTING production is likely to move away from its long-time Chinese production base and move closer to “home”, Lutz Walter, secretary general of the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (ETP) – the largest European textiles research and innovations network – told Knitting International at the 12-13 October ‘European Textiles: Going Digital – Going High-Tech’ conference in Brussels.…

SINGAPORE has signed deals allowing for the automatic exchange of financial account information with two key trade partners – Britain and Australia. The agreements were struck by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) with the UK’s Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).…

THE OILS and fats business has always been international, with its commodities and the products made from them, being traded worldwide. And as a result, the companies involved have always had to pay attention not just to the regulations of the country were they manufacture or source, but those of importing and transit countries.…

Concerns about the US-European Union (EU) Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP) have abated, particularly regarding oversight and data-sharing issues. But the issue remains controversial, with a potential EU version of the system still being debated within the EU executive, the European Commission, whether to be standalone or complementary to the USA-promoted TFTP.…

THE CONCEPT of 3D printing in the food retail sector has been under serious consideration since 2014. And while major brands and innovators are still investigating the technology, they are yet to become an integral part of their production systems and business models.…

AS the British government starts the complex process of considering the form of the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union (EU), one issue will be foremost in the minds of exporters – tariffs.

These have not existed for UK exports to other members of the EU since 1973, when Britain joined what was then called the European Economic Community (EEC).…

SINGAPORE has signed deals allowing for the automatic exchange of financial account information with two key trade partners – Britain and Australia. The agreements were struck by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) with the UK’s Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).…

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) spa market experienced healthy growth in 2015 compared to 2014, increasing 11% in value terms to reach Emirati Dirham AED1.57 billion (USD428 million), according to market research company Euromonitor International.

In 2016, the market is predicted to grow by 9% to hit USD435 million year-on-year, accounting for nearly 14% of the Middle East and Africa’s USD3 billion spa market, according to Euromonitor.…

BIG marketing stunts can boost sales of technical textiles and maybe one of the biggest examples in Europe this year was created by world renowned artists Christo. He created ‘The Floating Piers’ on Lake Iseo, near Brescia, in northern Italy.…

A EUROPEAN Commission ruling that Ireland must recover up to EUR13 billion in back-taxes (plus interest) from Apple has signalled a tough approach from Brussels over alleged European Union (EU) competition law breaches associated with sweet taxation deals by member states.…

WORKFORCE DEMOGRAPHICS

East Asia is a very varied region in terms of economic development. Take the 10 members of trade bloc ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations): with 632 million people, demographics greatly vary, from aging Singapore and Thailand, to the younger and emerging economies of Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.…

IN an ever more interconnected world, where reliable energy flows are of critical importance to sophisticated developed economies, the role of diplomacy in helping keep oil and gas flowing is perhaps more important than ever before.

Of course, oil and gas has always been an international business.…

The Philippines has been standing accused of passively aiding money launderers and terrorist financers ever since its Anti-Money Laundering Act in 2001 exempted local casinos from the duty of submitting suspicious transaction reports on their operations.. But pressures to revise that decision have been growing markedly since earlier this year Chinese cyber hackers managed to launder USD81 million through banks and casinos in Manila, with only approximately USD6 million of the booty recovered so far.…

Victory by the ‘Leave’ side in Britain’s in-out referendum enables the UK government to kick off an exit process by invoking Article 50 in the Treaty on European Union, which gives notice that member state wishes to leave.

Assuming Article 50 is invoked, and only a serious political crisis would prevent this, Britain would have two years to renegotiate its relationship with the EU, during which time existing EU legislation would stay in force.…

With new UK Prime Minister Theresa May apparently determined to fulfill the wishes of the 52%/48% Brexit referendum result backing Britain leaving the European Union (EU), what EU accounting and taxation laws will ultimately remain on the British statute? The PM has made it clear she recognises that a key force behind the ‘leave’ vote was a dislike of unrestricted EU immigration into Britain, and should she satisfy that demand, the prospect of the UK becoming a non-EU member of the European Economic Area (EEA) will become most unlikely.…

SUPPLIERS to auto manufacturers are releasing increasingly innovative technology to help brands reduce interior noise in their vehicles.

Luxembourg-based automotive interiors supplier International Automotive Components (IAC) Group, for instance, is expanding its operations to produce lightweight injection molded inner dash insulation that enhances interior acoustical performance.…

Textile, yarn and fibre manufacturers based in Britain face a risk that their exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties now the UK government has confirmed it will push ahead with leaving the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum.…

Automobile manufacturers based in Britain face a risk that their exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties now the UK government has confirmed it will push ahead with leaving the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum result. These could be imposed after the two years of mandated talks on a future relationship with the EU following a UK decision to trigger Article 50 under the Treaty on European Union.…

BRITISH manufacturers and exporters of nuclear power generating equipment, nuclear power plant suppliers and nuclear fuel face a risk that some key exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties in future, now the UK government has confirmed it will push ahead with leaving the EU.…

ITALIAN law enforcement agencies are cracking down on the use of the country’s gambling sector by transnational organised criminal groups (OCGs) to launder dirty money. The country’s most powerful mafias – Cosa Nostra (Sicily); ‘Ndrangheta (Calabria); Camorra (Campania); and Sacra Corona Unita’ (Apulia) all abuse gambling to hide criminal proceeds, according to reports from national police investigations.…

THE UK’s vote on June 23 to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future electricity industry regulations in Britain, and the UK’s regulatory relationship regarding power supplies with countries remaining in the EU.

Victory by the ‘Leave’ side in Britain’s in-out referendum enables the UK government to kick off an exit process by invoking Article 50 in the Treaty on European Union, which gives notice that member state wishes to leave.…

British potash and other industrial mineral producers face a risk that their exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties should the UK government push ahead with plans to leave the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum result.

These could be imposed after the two years of mandated talks on a future relationship with the EU following a UK decision to trigger Article 50 under the Treaty on European Union (EU), and Britain fails to strike a free trade agreement with Brussels in that time.…

British non-ferrous metal manufacturers face a risk that their exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties should the UK government push ahead with plans to leave the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum result.

These could be imposed after the two years of mandated talks on a future relationship with the EU following a UK decision to trigger Article 50 under the Treaty on European Union (EU).…

CASES of African swine fever (ASF) continue to be reported in Poland, Lithuania, Russia, the Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, making it tough for an agreement to be reached between Moscow and Brussels on lifting trade controls sparked by the disease.…

Branded food manufacturers based in Britain face a risk that their exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties now the UK government has confirmed it will push ahead with leaving the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum result.…

Financial directors whose companies make the most of London being a key centre of cross-border commercial litigation and international arbitration services will have to keep a close eye on how these conflict resolution services may change as a result of Britain quitting the European Union (EU).…

Personal care product and ingredient manufacturers based in Britain face a risk that some key exports to the European Union (EU) will attract duties in future, now the UK government has confirmed it will push ahead with leaving the EU following the June 23 Brexit referendum.…

South-east Asia is a region that has sharp contrasts in economic development, from between the wealth of Singapore to countries such as Myanmar, where poverty is endemic and consumer markets are relatively undeveloped.

Such contrasts pose challenges for personal care product companies seeking regional strategies to tap the markets of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) 10 countries, whose cosmetics suppliers have to comply with the standards of the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive, which was modelled on European Union legislation.…

Finland is always different from its neighbours across the Baltic. Not Scandinavian, but still Nordic, Finland’s personal care product market has been experiencing hard times, as the country of 5.5 million people sees its economy seesaw between contraction and mild grow (-0.7% – +0.5%) in the last three years.…

IF more evidence was needed that India’s sweet bakery and confectionery market was becoming more international and sophisticated, exporters may look to Mumbai’s macaroon specialist Pooja Dhingra, 29.

She owns four Le 15 Patisserie outlets in India’s commercial capital that sell top-class original sweet bakery products.…

THE UK’s personal care and cosmetics industry faces uncertainty and potential future trade challenges with the European Union (EU) following the 52% to 48% June 23 referendum vote to leave the EU. “No longer being part of a single market for the free circulation of goods and no longer being a key player in the development of legislation governing those goods will be a major challenge to the cosmetics industry as it will be to all other sectors of the UK industry,” Chris Flower, director-general of the UK’s Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA), told Soap Perfumery and Cosmetics.…

THE UK’s vote yesterday (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future food and drink regulations in Britain. The same applies to market access for companies operating from Britain or seeking to export to its consumers.…

AS the UK and the European Union (EU) digest the result of the June 23 referendum vote to leave the EU, all options are under consideration. However, short of an unexpected collapse of the movement towards Brexit, reformed future EU-UK relations are likely to complicate existing civil aviation arrangements within Europe.…

British paint and coatings manufacturers are hopeful that the UK decision to leave the European Union (EU) in the June 23 referendum will not damage the paint and coatings market, industry organisation the British Coatings Federation (BCF) told Polymers Paint Colour Journal (PPCJ) yesterday (June 27).…

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s trade directorate general and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office have said that they will be assessing the impact of Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union (EU) on the planned EU-US Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP).…

BRAZIL’S textile sector needs to look to boost exports by producing quality products to survive the current recession, a major industry conference has been told. Brazilian textile and yarns makers must invest, innovate and globalise if they want to ride out the recession, said the majority of speakers addressing the International ABIT Congress, organised by the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT – Associação Brasileira da Indústria Têxtil e de Confecção), staged in São Paulo on June 1 and 2.…

THE UK’s vote last week (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future meat and livestock regulations in Britain. The same applies to EU market access for British meat and livestock companies or exporters from the rest of the EU wanting to target British consumers.…

THE UK’s vote last Thursday (June 23) to quit the European Union (EU) creates deep uncertainty over the shape of future nuclear industry regulations in Britain. The same applies to EU market access for British nuclear fuel and component companies or exporters from the rest of the EU wanting to target British nuclear operators.…

THE EUROPEAN nonwovens industry has been pushing ahead, maintaining consistent growth above increases in GDP for the whole economy, increasing its international collaboration, and the successfully exploring new markets. And while it is rarely prudent to make anything more than short-term predictions about cost and tariff problems, such difficulties faced by the European nonwovens sector seem have been pushed into the background. …

In 2015, North America’s manufacturing capacity for nonwovens (regarding the United States, Canada and Mexico) grew from 2014 by 2.4% to reach about 2.77 million tonnes, according to a spokesperson for the US-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA). The United States dominates supplies in the region, making up 91% of capacity.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced that it will propose a ‘services passport’ system by December 31, designed to simplify administrative procedures for service providers, such as accountants, auditors and bookkeepers, who want to expand to foreign member states. EU internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska said: “The cross-border provision of services in the EU is underdeveloped, in particular in the area of business services – such as accounting…” The passport system would give accountants more information, boosting legal certainty and clarity about relevant professional rules in another member state.…

Indonesia’s mosquito net industry is facing high demand due to the growing number of middle class consumers in the country and their increasing desire to live a more natural lifestyle, according to Citra Maya, an Indonesian mosquito net supplier.

Arif Novianto, a marketing manager at Citra Maya, told WTiN.com…

Russia and Turkmenistan have discussed selling an increased level of textile and cotton products from this central Asian country on the Russian market, according to a report from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

At a high-level meeting in March between the chamber’s vice-president Alexander Rybakov, and the Turkmen ambassador to Russia, Berdymurad Redzhepov, the two countries raised the prospect of greater cotton exports.…

Limiting an agreement on the controversial Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) to cutting tariffs will not suffice, and could have negative consequences for some segments, major food manufacturers and their representatives in the European Union (EU) and United States have told just-food.com.…

AS accountants, auditors and their business clients consider whether the UK should remain in or leave the European Union (EU) in the upcoming referendum on British EU membership, it has become abundantly clear that there are no simple options.

Remaining in the EU will mean the UK will continue to face demands for accepting European taxation policies that its government and businesses may find unpalatable, especially as it seeks to cement the City of London’s place as Europe’s, if not the world’s, premier financial centre.…

THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has released detailed data on global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in 2015, noting these increased by 25% to USD1.7 trillion, their highest level since 2007. And while financial and corporate restructuring accounted for part of the increase rather than productive investments, FDI inflows within OECD member states almost doubled compared to 2014.…

In Argentina, investor optimism has swelled since the arrival of a conservative government in December, but sales of cosmetics and personal care products have taken a hit as soaring inflation cuts consumer spending power.

Argentina fell into a recession this year after four years of slow growth, and a spate of economic reforms by the new President Mauricio Macri has sped up the inflation rate to nearly 40% from 26% in 2015.…

Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda Auto, the subsidiary of Germany’s Volkswagen, plans to strengthen its position in the Chinese market, through a planned EUR2 billion investment over five years in the Shanghai-based SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Company Ltd.

The manufacturer is betting on the Chinese market in the future, Škoda China president Andreas Hafemann told wardsauto, saying the company wanted to double its China sales following the deal.…

The attack at Brussels Zaventem airport will spark new discussions on the security of landside facilities at European airports as the European Union rolls out reforms from its European Agenda on Security Strategy (EASS).

It was launched last April (2015), and was the latest in a series of security policy developments undertaken by the EU since the September 11 attacks on the USA.…

IT is perhaps little surprise that many senior leaders within the UK and European Union (EU) civil aviation sector oppose the withdrawal of Britain from the EU following the planned June 23 in-out membership referendum. The industry has benefited mightily from the open borders and travel rights offered by the EU.…

GROWING demand for European home textiles, particularly in western Europe, is boosting demand for chemical finishes and dyes used in these products. Water and soil repellent finishes as well as flame retardant chemicals remain popular, but companies are also increasingly turning to more environment-friendly alternatives.…

THE EUROPEAN Association of Sugar Pro­ducers (CEFS) and the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors (EFFAT) have called for the European Union (EU) to push for a global agreement ending all subsidies and other trade-distorting policies affecting the sugar sector.…

GROWING demand for European home textiles, particularly in western Europe, is boosting demand for chemical finishes and dyes used in these products. Water and soil repellent finishes as well as flame retardant chemicals remain popular, but companies are also increasingly turning to more environment-friendly alternatives.…

IF anything is clear about the vital decision that must be made by the British electorate on June 23 about whether their country should stay within or quit the European Union (EU), it is that the pharmaceutical industry – largely – wants the UK to stay put.…

Fears have emerged that UK minerals companies could be left behind in terms of vital research and development if Britain leaves the European Union (EU) following the now scheduled June 23 in-out referendum. Industrial minerals experts and industry chiefs have been focussing on the consequences of a ‘Brexit’, but – in contrast to other industries – they have been concentrating on the potential impact upon R&D – the key to the locating and developing new deposits.…

THE INDIAN government’s decision to increase its available subsidies to help companies purchase new textile machinery from 10% to 15% will boost the investment in the country’s technical textile sector, which has been struggling to build big capacities.

Under the ‘Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS)’, from January 14 (2016), a producer of technical textiles can avail itself of up to USD4.5 million as capital investment subsidy.…

The Chilean chocolate market grow by almost 11% annually over the last four years to hit 2.4 kilogrammes annually per head during 2014, with Chile’s consumption overtaking Argentina for the first time, according to data from market analysts Nielsen. But while overall consumption is growing, Chileans are also becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tastes, which has given rise to a growing market for gourmet chocolates, both locally produced and imported.…

A report released yesterday (Mar 10) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) has advised textile manufacturers to support government efforts to tighten environmental rules, saying they are unlikely to cause a loss of business.

The report is an attempt to dispel the widely-held view that tighter environmental rules increase costs and damages business – especially in emerging market manufacturing hubs.…

Devendra Chawla, group president of food and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) at India’s Future Group, has a clear view of how the Indian branded food sector is and has been developing: while Indian consumers love to try new products, they prefer them to be spiced with some familiar flavours from the past.…

PRIVATE label brands for cosmetics and personal care products are attracting consumers with an increasingly wide range of offerings that stress their value-added nature, as well as affordable prices. Reflecting private labels’ innate reliance on quality and function rather than image, manufacturers supplying these products have been especially focusing on using scents to add value, from traditional florals to more adventurous notes.…

TUBES, bottles, and jars for packaging cosmetics and personal care products are not only becoming increasingly user-friendly and sustainable, suppliers and brands are looking for extra added-value features to promote sales. These range from useful applicators and storage devices to precision dosing, attracting consumers looking for convenient packaging.…

Brazil’ biggest money laundering and corruption scandal kicked off at a petrol station that sits only two kilometres away from the National Congress of Brazil. And it still has a lot of fuel to burn.

When the Federal Police of Brazil raided a currency exchange booth at this fuel retailer on March 17, 2014, it began dismantling a political party financing and personal enrichment scheme that defrauded state-run oil giant Petróleo Brasileiro SA – more commonly known as just Petrobras – by at least USD2 billion in current figures.…

A year after the Russian rouble suffered its worst single-day drop in exchange rate value in 16 years, Russians are more cautious about buying cosmetics and are showing a tendency to downgrade to cheaper products or seek out sales items. Experts are expecting increased competition in these lower cost segments in the coming years, as well as growing consumer interest in local brands and natural cosmetics. …

The rise of hipsters and the appeal of the bearded lumberjack look, dubbed ‘lumbersexual’, in recent years has led to a rapid growth in beard and moustache care products sector worldwide. Specialty products such as beard oil and conditioners, as well as tools such as beard brushes, have become necessities for many men with facial hair.…

The conflict in Syria has seriously impacted trade and business in the Levant. The millions of Syrian refugees that have fled to neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan are putting economies under serious strain, causing the authorities to turn a blind eye to illicit trade and unregulated business.…

THE INDONESIAN textile industry is being put under pressure to boost its environmental performance by international non-governmental organisation (NGO) Greenpeace, which has accused sector of poisoning a major river in West Java.
WTiN.com visited elderly residents in Majalaya, a small town by the Citarum River, who say it was once clean enough to wash in.…

World football’s governing body FIFA – Fédération Internationale de Football Association – has claimed it is the victim following the arrests of 14 officials in Zurich on May 27, before its latest annual congress. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), which made the arrests for its US counterpart, also announced it had opened its own separate case.…

EUROPEAN dairy producers are keen participants in the European Union (EU) protective systems that prevent competitors from claiming to sell products made using traditional production methods and ingredients. The systems: PDO (protected designation of origin); PGI (protected geographical indication); and TSG (traditional speciality guaranteed) promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs.…

The global confectionery and sweet bakery sectors have been hit hard by California’s worst ever drought, lasting since 2011, which has devastated its critically important production of the key ingredient almonds. The result has been scarcity and rising prices for this nut, worldwide
Sylvia Kälin, head of corporate communications for Lindt & Sprüngli, in Switzerland, said the shortage has helped increase the price of chocolates that include almonds, at a time when cocoa prices are also rising: “Even if we always attempt to counter— at least partially— these challenges with ongoing increases in efficiency and volume, this challenging situation may possibly result in further price increases on the side of the chocolate industry,” she told Confectionery Production.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed a European Union (EU) directive that would force EU member states to automatically share information about their tax rulings. Under the proposals, national tax authorities would every three months send a short report to all other member states on all their cross-border tax rulings.…

Pakistan has launched disputes proceedings at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) signalling it wants to challenge countervailing duties imposed by the European Union (EU) on Pakistani exports of certain polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In an unusual case brought by Pakistan against the EU, Islamabad is arguing that the European Commission mishandled an investigation prompting EU ministers to impose protective measures, compensating European PET-makers for Pakistan government tax breaks and subsidies.…

THE ONWARD march of nonwovens production in Europe appears to be relentless, but the drivers behind it have changed in recent years. Early markets for disposable products have matured and levelled off in many countries and newer applications have taken up the slack.…

The Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring), Moscow’s financial intelligence unit (FIU), has singled out individual and commercial customers using Russian banks from 41 countries for special transactions reports. Among these countries on the “blacklist” are the U.S., Canada, the European Union (28 states), Australia, Norway, Iran, Syria, Sudan, New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico Switzerland, North Korea and Zimbabwe.…

Despite Paraguay’s past difficulties in effectively fighting money laundering, the country has been introducing new regulations to boost its controls; however their reforms’ implementation have been hampered by lack of political will.
Located between Argentina and Brazil, Paraguay is a key country in the struggle against money laundering and financing of terrorism in South America because its porous border is used by drug cartels to smuggle drugs, among other illicit items, into the two region’s biggest markets for cocaine and marijuana.…

INDIAN tax authorities are pushing their Swiss counterparts to disclose financial details of Indian nationals with accounts at HSBC Switzerland.
The Swiss Federal Tax Administration has written to HSBC, listing individuals the Indian tax authorities have identified as potentially evading tax, telling the bank to ask these clients to appoint representatives, usually lawyers, in Switzerland, a spokesman for the tax administration told Fraud Intelligence. …

EXPORTERS of liquid milk and associated products to the European Union (EU) will have to work harder to secure sales in future from April 1, with the EU finally scrapping its production quotas from that date. They may also have to fend off new tough competition from EU exporters in their domestic markets.…

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) research project will end this month (March), having discovered inhibitors for viruses, which could hasten the development of effective drugs. The EU-funded EUR21.8 million SILVER project (the EU contributed EUR 12 million) was launched in October 2010.…

There were high hopes that Egypt was embarking on a new clean financial era following mass protests in January 2011 that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Popular calls for an end to the corruption and cronyism that had characterised Mubarak’s 30 year rule appeared to be heeded.…

THE VOLATILITY of the global energy market is presenting several challenges to the European Union’s (EU) biofuel sector. Low oil prices, recession, slumps in demand and political uncertainty in key oil producing areas are all raising questions of an industry that was meant to mitigate or provide solutions to many of these issues.…

Kenya is the third largest market for industrial paints and coatings in sub-Saharan Africa, ranking behind South Africa and Nigeria, according to regional analysis conducted by market researchers Frost & Sullivan.
According to their report, released last May (2014), the three countries are projected to have a joint market volume of over 140 million litres for industrial paints and coatings by 2017.…

North Africa’s entire paints and coatings market is valued at about USD1.1 billion on approximately 0.5 billion litres of coatings, according to the International Paint and Printing Inks Council (IPPIC). Of this, nearly 60% of the market value and more than 75% of market volume is comprised of decorative paints and coatings, according to data collected for the IPPIC by US-based Orr & Boss Inc.…

A CONFERENCE has been staged in Brussels that has heard how the European Commission plans to reintroduce its ‘circular economy’ proposals on increasing recycling and targeting zero waste systems, including for plastics. This policy was dropped from the work programme of the new Commission that took office from November 1, but various materials sectors were unhappy and proposals are now being redrafted for release by December.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed a European Union (EU) directive that would force EU member states to automatically share information about their tax rulings. Under the proposals, national tax authorities would every three months send a short report to all other member states on all their cross-border tax rulings.…

In the latest in a string of bans on cheese products entering Russia, the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights and Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) has banned cheese products made by Poland’s Ostrowia.
But this latest dairy ban is not all it seems, and Milkiland, the Netherlands-based dairy products producer owning Ostrowia, has called for “dialogue” with Russian authorities because its banned ‘Wesola Krowka’ (‘Jolly Cow’) is made from vegetable fats.…

SWITZERLAND could soon be recognised as a country fully compliant with international standards on releasing tax information to fight global tax evasion.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes has ruled Switzerland has made sufficient reforms to receive its ‘Phase 2’ peer review.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) residents will no longer be able to evade tax by hiding undeclared income in Swiss bank accounts from 2018, under a landmark agreement that the European Commission and Switzerland clinched on March 19.
Under the agreement, which complies with a new Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/G20 international information exchange standard, the EU’s 28 member states will receive annually full financial account information, including names, addresses, tax identification numbers, dates of birth and balances, of their residents with accounts in Switzerland.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and the five members of the East African Community (EAC) are now legally scrubbing the text of a free trade agreement (FTA) concluded last October (2014), to prepare it for signature and ratification, according to the European Commission.…

Ethiopia’s appointment of the Vitol Group, the Switzerland-based and Dutch-owned physical oil trading major, to supply Ethiopia with petroleum imports in 2015, marks a sea-change for this key sub-Saharan Africa market.
Vitol is replacing the Kuwaiti Independent Petroleum Group after it had supplied the Horn of Africa country with petroleum products for five years.…

AN INTERNATIONAL regulatory cooperation pilot involving medicine regulators sharing real time assessments about generic medicines is now in full flow. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is leading the initiative, building on the European Union’s (EU) experience of cooperation between national regulators.…

In a country embroiled in an ugly armed conflict, the issue of confectionery may seem at first glance to be superfluous. In Ukraine, though, that is anything but the case.

Not only is confectionery a key industry for the country, but it is a highly politicised one.…

Chinese travellers are increasingly venturing to Greece, offering great potential for its tourism industry. And while Greece’s exotic landscapes and architecture attract visitors from China, the tourism industry could prosper still further from developing services and infrastructure designed to cater to this growing market.…

THE FACIAL skin care market in Chile has enjoyed double digit growth for over a decade, and is expected to continue expanding. Although this market is expected to grow at a slower rate this year, market research firm Canadean Ltd has forecast an average annual growth rate of 11% between 2013 and 2018.…

Increasing efforts are being made across the cocoa supply chain in globally important producer Ghana to ensure its industry operates ethically and sustainably. Total Ghanaian cocoa production for the 2013/14 season was forecast to be around 830,000 tonnes, according to a report by the Oxford Business Group, which noted that 835,000 tonnes of cocoa were harvested in Ghana during the 2012/13 season, representing around 21% of the global total.…

Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the continuing conflict in the east of Ukraine overshadowed international events last year. But Russia’s cosmetics industry has proved resilient and even maintained ties with Ukraine.

Despite the concerns and challenges, the forecasts for the calendar year 2014 are buoyant.…

The Japan Dairy Association has welcomed a combined Japan government and dairy industry move to tackle a national butter shortage ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Megmilk Snow Brand Co, Meiji C, Morinaga Milk Industry Co, and Yotsuba Milk Products Co – Japan’s four major domestic dairy companies – are cutting back on drinking milk and cream production to make more butter.…

Afghanistan is undergoing a transition of sorts. A new president has taken office who is keen to curb corruption and bolster business, while US-led forces are slated to be reduced, albeit a full withdrawal is not happening as expected. Meanwhile, Kabul managed to not be blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in 2014, although major challenges remain in the war-torn country and the country remains on FATF’s watch list.…

Pakistan has launched disputes proceedings at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) signalling it wants to challenge countervailing duties imposed by the European Union (EU) on Pakistani exports of certain polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In an unusual case brought by Pakistan against the EU, Islamabad is arguing that the European Commission mishandled an investigation prompting EU ministers to impose protective measures, compensating European PET-makers for Pakistan government tax breaks and subsidies.…

Companies are being offered an increasing amount of advice, guidance and tools to fight the demand for and payment of small bribes such as cash and vouchers, benefits in kind such as tickets to sporting events, pre-paid phone cards, alcohol, tobacco and perfume.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed changing the basis of intra-European Union (EU) VAT arrangements. It wants to shift away from the current system where VAT is charged in the country of supply, which Brussels regards as vulnerable to fraud. Instead, a consultation paper suggests charging VAT in the destination country of an intra-EU trade.…

GREATER integration and cooperation among African states is needed to boost business and investment in the cotton, textiles and apparel sector of the continent, a three-day industry conference in Nairobi, Kenya, was told.

The Origin Africa event from November 10-12 brought together clothing and textile industry players and experts heard that national cotton apparel and fabric sectors within Africa were duplicating products when a collaborative approach could be more effective.…

The European Commission today cleared the acquisition of the Corialis Group, a European supplier of aluminium extrusion services and aluminium doors and windows, by Advent International Corporation, a US investment firm. A Commission communiqué said the deal “would not raise competition concerns as Advent is not active in any market in which Corialis is active” at present, notably the aluminium sector.…

THE NEW European Commission of president Jean-Claude Juncker, which will take office for five years on November 1 is expected to be more political than its predecessors and certainly has a clear brief from its boss: more growth and jobs.

Juncker, a consummate European Union (EU) insider, a former president of the Eurogroup of Euro-zone finance ministers, and an ex-prime minister of his native Luxembourg, will use powerful vice-presidents to keep his team in line.…

The US, Germany, Britain and Switzerland are the only countries among 41 signatories to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) 1997 Anti-Bribery Convention to vigorously investigate and prosecute firms that bribe foreign officials.

So says anti-corruption organisation Transparency International in the latest update of Exporting Corruption, its tenth such annual report, covering the years 2010 through 2013.…

THE STRENGTH and diversity of Bangladesh knitwear producers’ supply chains is one reason why this key outsourcing location is so popular with international brands. And indeed, attention to the supply chain is the mantra of Bangladesh knitwear boss Mohammed Abdul Jabbar.…

As anti-money laundering (AML) regulations become more complex and demanding, compliance technology and software providers are updating their solutions to screen more data, more efficiently, and present the results in a comprehensible way. Companies have been honing products to help clients switch to their software, dealing with problems such as incorporating old data from a legacy system; moving such data efficiently and accurately; and minimising errors by staff unused to the system.…

RUSSIAN meat importers have started soliciting meat from Switzerland as its ban on European Union (EU) food imports looks set to stay in place for months. With allegations emerging today of direct Russian military involvement in Ukraine, the chance of any kind of deal to ease the sanctions stand-off between the EU and Russia looks slim.…

Switzerland’s Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft (BLW – the federal office for agriculture) has turned down requests from European Union (EU) fruit, vegetable and dairy product associations to export products to Russia through Switzerland to bypass Russia’s trade embargo on EU goods. Under present rules, EU food products would have to be registered in Switzerland and this is “quite a long process,” said Jürg Jordi, a BLW spokesman.…

EDITOR’s NOTE: Proceedings area active and Contempt of Court applies. This version is safe.

A JUDICIAL hearing is scheduled for September 9 in London after the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) charged the UK subsidiary of French engineering group Alstom with fraud and conspiracy to corrupt.…

IN the search for ways to extract energy from a reliable and efficient source to power heat pumps, the water lapping the shores of our continents is increasingly being viewed as a key resource. “Sea water, like any water, has the ability to retain heat for a long period of time.…

AFTER upgrading its laws against money laundering, Bangladesh has earned praise from anti-money laundering (AML) watchdogs however implementing this legislation remains an uphill challenge. Satisfied with the progress Bangladesh made toward plugging “strategic deficiencies” in its AML and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) regime, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed the country from its special watchlist.…

Caribbean jurisdictions may be increasingly signing up to the requirements of America’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) but there is no great enthusiasm about it. Indeed, some bankers fear it could lead to a sharp fall in the region’s charms for investors.…

European Union (EU) meat production is projected to start growing in 2014, according to the European Commission, as Europe’s economic recovery solidifies. This could be up 0.7% year-on-year for beef, veal, pigmeat, poultry, sheep and goat meat. However, exports might fall for pigmeat and poultry, with Russian import bans especially causing problems for pigmeat.…

NASDAQ-listed pharmaceutical project manager and equipment supplier manager Foster Wheeler has become the subject of a takeover bid by British consultancy and engineering firm AMEC plc, the European Commission has said. Announcing that it would assess the potential deal for competition problems, the Commission said the offer involved a “public tender offer, the consideration for which is a combination of cash and AMEC securities.”…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has used the momentum created by Europe’s financial crisis to push through legislation on taxation issues that have been politically unpalatable during times of prosperity and growth. But it has not brought European Union (EU) countries’ tax systems closer together through overall harmonisation, to the chagrin of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which still struggle with different systems across EU member states.…

A SINGLE global standard for automatic information exchange (AIE) between tax authorities worldwide is in the final stages of preparation by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD). G20 finance ministers will consider it in September before sanctioning its implementation.…

The value of European Union (EU) exports of spirits and liqueurs dropped 1.6% in value last year after being the fastest-growing product group in 2012, according to the European Commission’s ‘Agricultural trade in 2013: EU Gains in Commodity Exports’ report. Whisky exports in particular dropped steeply – by EUR131 million.…

Big data is creating a growing range of opportunities that can help the global pharmaceutical industry develop and manufacture drugs more effectively. However, the industry faces a number of challenges in the way it manages and analyses the increasingly broad range of data that is available, with collaboration essential for the industry to capitalise on the potential of the big data explosion.…

A DISPUTES panel has at last been formed at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to consider whether Australia is breaking WTO rules by insisting since December 2012, under the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011, that all tobacco products must be sold in plain packaging.…

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) launch of a disputes proceeding at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over Russian anti-dumping duties on German and Italian van exports might seem like diplomatic overkill. But experts say there are good geo-political reasons behind the case brought by the EU executive, the European Commission.…

SWITZERLAND has agreed to contribute up to USD18 million to initiatives designed to strengthen corporate governance in Sub-Saharan Africa run by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), of the World Bank.  The country’s economic affairs secretariat will earmark up to USD4.5 million of this to fund IFC advice to sub-Saharan Africa private sector companies wanting to increase their transparency and accountability.…

Switzerland-based Nestlé is to further develop its personal care products following its planned acquisition of sole ownership over Galderma, its joint venture with L’Oréal. The European Commission cleared Nestlé to acquire sole control of Galderma on May 5. Galderma manufactures, markets and sells products including shampoos, soaps, bath, shower and skin care lines, noted a Commission statement. …

One of the main drivers of the Ukrainian revolution of February this year was the monumental levels of corruption within both the private and state sectors. Transparency International last year placed the country in 144^th place on its ‘corruption perceptions index,’ at par with Papua New Guinea and the Central African Republic.…

Compliance experts believe the sanctions imposed thus far by the USA and European Union (EU) on Russia over the Ukraine crisis will have a mixed effect. One of the biggest criticisms is that the sanctions were publicly discussed before being implemented giving targeted individuals time to get their finances to a safe haven.…

Compliance experts believe the sanctions imposed thus far by the USA and European Union (EU) on Russia over the Ukraine crisis will have a mixed effect. One of the biggest criticisms is that the sanctions were publicly discussed before being implemented giving targeted individuals time to get their finances to a safe haven.…

SINGAPORE has been working hard to lose its past reputation for lax anti-money laundering (AML) controls.

Its ‘steering committee for combating money laundering and terrorist financing,’ jointly headed by the ministry of home affairs, ministry of finance, and the monetary authority of Singapore (MAS) published the country’s first ‘national risk assessment report’ on money laundering and terrorist financing in January 2014.…

AVERAGE Swiss consumers ate almost 52 kg of meat in 2013, up 0.4% from what they consumed in 2012, according to Proviande, the trade association of Swiss meat producers.

Swiss residents ate a total of 426,771 tonnes of meat in 2013 compared to 421,059 tons in 2012, head of IT and statistics at Proviande Mike Schneider told globalmeatnews.…

NEPAL pashmina fibre is “exotically delicate, weightless and the finest natural insulation fibre of the world,” according to the Nepal Pashmina Industries Association’s (NPIA) general secretary Vijoy Kumar Dugar. This reputation has helped Nepal producers carve out a niche markets for pashmina knitwear and traditional shawl exports.…

WHEN the Percassi family, owners of the successful make-up brand KIKO Make Up Milan, purchased in October 2013 a UNESCO-listed historic industrial site called Crespi d’Adda in northern Italy, it was not only a sign of their success, but proof of the old adage that tough economic times can be good for the beauty industry. …

REPRESENTATIVES from Europe’s sugar industry want sugar to be excluded from the current free trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union (EU). Speaking at an EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) briefing in Brussels, Oscar Ruiz de Imaña – the deputy director general of the European Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS), warned of the uncertainties in the sugar markets on both sides of the Atlantic.…

THE INSTABILITY prompted by the crisis in Ukraine is increasing the risk of crime-tainted Russian assets being moved into new safe havens to avoid the effects of possible sanctions. With EU member state Cyprus long favoured by Russian investors, and likely to be covered by any sanctions, could the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) offer an attractive alternative?…

The corporate logo of a white cross on a red shield is instantly and unmistakably the mark of every adventurous schoolboy’s favourite gadget. But while Victorinox is renowned for its Swiss Army Knives, it is now bringing the same commitment of quality to ranges of functional and fashionable clothing that make the most of innovative materials.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) member states hope to follow up this week’s (Monday) approval of an EU directive preventing savings accounts being used for tax evasion, with a similar deal with non-EU Switzerland. EU taxation Commissioner Alrgirdas Šemeta told a Brussels press briefing that the EU has already concluded two rounds of negotiations on the subject with Switzerland.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) member states hope to follow up their approval of an EU directive preventing savings accounts being used for tax evasion, with a similar deal with non-EU Switzerland. EU taxation Commissioner Alrgirdas Šemeta said that an agreement on automatic exchange of information between Switzerland and EU countries is expected “by the end of the year”.…

In the first year of his pontificate, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis, has had to deal with his healthy share of scandal. His reaction to the most recent accusation of money laundering by a former Vatican accountant has been swift – some even say revolutionary – for one of the world’s oldest and most secretive financial institutions.…

IT is a truism to say that adding new services to telecommunications businesses will make them more complicated to run. But it is not a given that they will become more successful.

To do this, telcos will need to synthesise the management of their various arms, as they move into the digital space of Internet, television, social media, content and more.…

THE JAPANESE pharma sector may have previously lagged behind its counterparts in Europe and north America helping the very poorest people in the developing world, but the enthusiasm with which five of Japan’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have embraced the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund indicates a sea change in policy.…

With consumers becoming more aware of the environmental impact and social implications of the fashion and textile industries, Italian luxury textile manufacturer Canepa is addressing these issues in practical ways. Canepa, for instance, became a signed supporter of the Greenpeace Detox Campaign in September 2013.…

EASTERN and central Europen markets for biocosmetics are a key growth area for personal care product companies, with some markets growing and others relatively untapped.

The region’s largest country, Poland (38 million people) is witnessing sales of bio-cosmetics surging at rates of 10% to 30% annually, according to producers and distributors.…

FOR years, Switzerland’s success as a global financial center has rested upon the rock-solid foundation of banking secrecy, a guarantee of discretion as solid at the Matterhorn.  The Swiss proudly declared banking secrecy to be part of the country’s DNA, a practice formally established in the 1930s when Nazi Germany was on the rise and which helped shield individuals against abusive states. …

THE EUROPEAN Commission has claimed that the European Union (EU) has made significant progress in fighting tax evasion since releasing an action plan on the subject last December. In a progress report, Brussels noted that it had secured agreement in June on establishing an EU quick reaction mechanism and reverse charge system enabling member states to more swiftly respond to large-scale VAT fraud.…

THOSE who have spent some time walking Chinese supermarket aisles in the past decade will have noticed astonishing changes in the local diet. Increased sales of dairy products and meat are driving demand for soy as an animal feed ingredient, and demand for higher-end consumer products such as ice cream, and confectionery are increasing palm oil requirements.…

A SWITZERLAND and Greece-based pharmaceutical company Sellas Life Sciences has signed a Euro EUR388 million investment deal with China’s Fochon Pharma for developing and selling two novel molecules for treating type II diabetes and lung cancer. Under the deal, Sellas will acquire the worldwide rights, outside China, to sell the resulting medicines, having organised and funded the clinical trials, some in Greece.…

ALTHOUGH Colombia’s pharmaceutical sector has enjoyed growth over the past few years, new price controls could disrupt the sector’s expansion if they are poorly planned, industry representatives claim.

Their concerns focus on the reaction to maximum price controls on medication recently approved by the government.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission is attempting to move the legal boundary where tax avoidance becomes tax evasion, criminalising some aggressive tax planning that has caused controversy across Europe. The move is one a number of recent practical tax and anti-fraud law reforms that Brussels has been pushing to help tax authorities in the European Union (EU) collect reasonable levels of revenue.…

The ongoing investigation into Swedish telecoms group TeliaSonera’s involvement in suspected money laundering (ML) and bribery in Uzbekistan has prompted a fresh push by government to introduce tougher reporting rules for a broader range of ML offences in 2014.

Significantly, the new measures will give law enforcement agencies greater powers of arrest and asset seizures where money laundering is suspected.…

KNITWEAR manufacturing is a complex as well as international business, so the development of detailed global, regional and national standards covering its production processes can be immensely helpful. They act as a transparent blueprint for good practice, having been developed by industry, regulatory and academic experts.…

More academic papers are now available for free than in paid-for peer reviewed journals, according to a study released yesterday (Wednesday) by the European Commission’s directorate general for research and innovation.

“This new research suggests that open access is reaching the tipping point, with around 50% of scientific papers published in 2011 now available for free,” Brussels said in a statement.…

The European Commission has today (Friday August 23) approved the acquisition of Luxembourg-based non-ferrous metal company Metallum Holding by American private equity investment firm TowerBrook Capital. The Commission, acting as the European Union’s (EU) senior competition regulator, waved the deal through as using a fast track procedure.…

Foreign mining companies may have a range of options to claim compensation against Kenya for revoking mining licenses granted between January 14 and May 15 and introducing new drilling charges and/or royalty schemes, leading arbitration law experts advise.

Lawyers at US-based international law firm King & Spalding say companies with investments whose licenses were cancelled earlier this month and/or whose revenues are hit by new charges and/or royalties may be able to claim through international investment arbitration tribunals.…

THE MOLDOVA government was quick to respond to the latest Moneyval assessment (December 2012) of its anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) policies, adopting a five-year strategy and action plan in June. This responded to Moneyval’s recommendations that Moldova improve its anti-money laundering legislation and law enforcement.…

THE INSURANCE risks involved in oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) are rising in line with growing industry complexity and the move into deeper, remoter and more environmentally sensitive environments.

This is placing ever greater demands on the need to identify, quantify and insure against risk, particularly when the financial and reputational repercussions of getting it wrong are escalating too.…

Although it has been the subject of intense speculation over recent years, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging has fulfilled many of the predictions made by industry forecasters more than 10 years ago, when pilots of wide scale deployment by giant department store retailers began.…

The European co-generation sector has been looking hard for a competitive edge and one area of innovation that has helped it improve its energy efficiency is in the convergence of software, control and instrumentation, internet and wireless communication, and smart grids.…

IN signing up to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) multilateral agreement on tax information transparency, Singapore has moved to address a major paradox that applies to its banking, business and financial operations.

Singapore scores exceptionally highly in global anti-corruption indexes – in 2012 it was ranked fifth by Transparency International out of 176 nations, behind only Denmark, Finland, New Zealand and Finland, for its lack of perceived corruption.…

June 9, 2013 – TETRA PAK International SA has declined to comment on the potential impact on its important business in China as authorities there investigate the liquid food packaging giant for alleged abuses of its dominant  market position.

Christopher Huntley, senior vice-president communications at Tetra Pak’s head-office in Lausanne, Switzerland, confirmed yesterday that the Chinese State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) had asked the company for information related to its business in China.…

MOBILE communication services have become a significant focus for airports worldwide regarding improving passenger experience, especially as the use of interconnected smart devices has boomed. Airports have been building on previous services, such as improving and expanding their wireless internet coverage and working with airlines to allow for flight check-ins via mobile communication devices.…

‘LA TORRE PUIG,’ the 22-storey Puig Tower now being fitted out in the Plaza de Europa, of the Catalan capital, Barcelona, for Puig SL, the family owned fragrances and fashion firm, will be yet another landmark building for one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.…

PERSONAL care product market in the Middle East can be divided into two current trends: sales in the affluent Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are booming, while on the other side of the region, in the Levant, markets are feeling the effects of the Syrian conflict, with the loss of tourists and low consumer confidence impacting bottom lines.…

India’s new textiles minister Kavuru Sambasiva Rao told an international textile conference in New Delhi on Friday he wants the textile sector to be relieved from rigid labour laws that prevent manufacturers working 24 hours-a-day. Rao, who was appointed last month (June), said that he is pushing for the Indian cabinet to approve new legislation in the southern state of Karnataka that would give the industry more flexibility in laying-off workers and to allow women to work night shifts in factories.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and the industry will invest an additional Euro EUR1.4 billion (USD1.8 billion) in the second phase of a public-private partnership meant to expand the use of clean and efficient technologies in transport and energy, according to an announcement made this week by the European Commission, the EU’s executive body.…

Making money in the mobile communications sector is always about the art of the possible, but ambitious companies will always seek to tap the most revenue streams. The question, as ever, is how to achieve such goals, without being weighed down with additional layers of management that eat into those vital profit margins.…

THE INDONESIAN Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN that the Indonesian government is considering revamping its policy programme designed to boost investment in the sector. He added that the industry is also looking to improve its own competitiveness by focusing increasingly on higher value products.…

The challenges of working out whether textiles are sourced, produced or manufactured ethically are magnified by the plethora of eco-labelling schemes that apply to the industry. According to the Vancouver, Canada-based Ecolabel Index (www.ecolabelindex.com) there are 436 ecolabels worldwide, of which at least 24 cover textiles, clothes, other apparel and garments (while several others potentially overlap into the industry).…

BIOMETRICS technologies producing voice and phone ‘fingerprints’ to prevent, detect and prosecute fraud and other crimes are evolving rapidly in an arms race between fraudsters, law enforcement, private companies and private sector anti-fraud companies.

For forensics, many jurisdictions admit voice biometrics in evidence.…

Drinks packaging design has always been about communicating with consumers – whether it is broadcasting a brand image or delivering information. And with new technologies aiding communication in many ways, interaction is a key theme with international beverage packaging designers today.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) heads of states and governments have urged their ministers to agree important pieces of draft EU legislation that could potentially curb tax evasion in the bloc.

Meeting during a European Council meeting in Brussels last week (May 22), leaders were under pressure to act from media reports revealing how much untaxed incomes politicians, companies and rich business owners have stashed in tax havens.…

AFTER many false starts and delays, Pakistan appears to be finally ready to expand its bagasse and biomass co-generation output by persuading the 83 sugar mills in the country to start production of electricity on commercial basis. The government is planning incentives such as an attractive upfront power purchase tariff and help in capital financing.…

EUROPEAN Union (EU) heads of states and governments have urged their ministers to agree important pieces of draft EU legislation that could potentially curb tax evasion in the bloc.

Meeting during a European Council meeting in Brussels last week, leaders were under pressure to act from media reports revealing how much untaxed incomes politicians, companies and rich business owners have stashed in tax havens.…

PROMOTED in China’s press as the Richmond, Virginia of China, driving into Yuxi, in the southern Yunnun province, you get the impression of how a successful tobacco sector can generate all kinds of wealth. Yuxi is home to China’s largest tobacco company, Hongta, and this has helped fuel real estate speculation – construction is everywhere.…

PERSONAL care product packaging has entered a new era of ultra-customisation in which nearly everything is possible, and careful choices must be made by design teams in order to effectively communicate to consumers. “In the cosmetics and personal care product industry, where competition is so high, packaging design is crucial because otherwise, consumers don’t have a clear way of differentiating the quality of a product without opening it,” remarked Gabriel Alvarez-Jacobo, managing director of Imagemme, a New York-based packaging design and branding agency.…

THE ANNUAL conference of the European University Association (EUA) has debated how rankings systems need to become more sophisticated benchmarks as the higher education system worldwide becomes more internationalised.

Speaking to University World News after last week’s event in Ghent, Belgium, Ms Lesley Wilson, the EUA’s Secretary General, said that while “everyone has a different view” about rankings, they need to deliver sophisticated benchmarking systems with which institutions will be able to compare themselves against other learning bodies.…

THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has rejected a claim by the Swiss government that Germany had breached a 1999 European Union-Switzerland air transport agreement by restricting night and early morning flights to and from Zurich airport. Berlin insists on altitude minimums over German territory.…

A COMPLEX international supply web supporting an illicit business of tobacco counterfeiters, losing European Union (EU) governments Euro EUR50 million in duties, has been unveiled in a German court. Details were revealed in a case at the Berlin-Moabit criminal court convicting a German-Russian co-national to nine years jail.…

A REGULATION aimed at ensuring the rollout of broadband networks across the European Union (EU) is achieved more cheaply and swiftly has been proposed by the European Commission. It tries to force member states to ensure new buildings are broadband ready, while telling incumbent telcos to give access to their physical networks to broadband service providers.…

ROMANIA’S accounting and tax processes are about to come under spotlight after the country joined the Organisation for European Cooperation & Development (OECD) global forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes at the end of January. It could be a rough rise for a country whose corruption failings are still being assessed by a special European Commission review, even though it joined the European Union (EU) as long ago as 2007.…

IRAN is under sanctions from the United States, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations, and last year the US tightened the screws even more. As President Barack Obama said following his re-election in November, 2012: “We’ve imposed the toughest sanctions in history.”…

PROFITS from human trafficking are estimated at USD32 billion-a-year and growing, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), with the trade one of the fastest growing international crimes, now second to the drugs trade and ahead of arms trafficking. But despite its emotive nature as a crime, only recently has the money laundering angle to human trafficking been taken more seriously, and there is still a way to go.…

THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has rejected a claim by the Swiss government that Germany had breached a 1999 European Union-Switzerland air transport agreement by restricting night and early morning flights to and from Zurich airport. Berlin insists on altitude minimums over German territory.…

SWITZERLAND’S oldest private bank, founded in 1741, is closing after pleading guilty January 11 to helping US taxpayers evade tax by setting up secret Swiss accounts for them to hide assets and interest from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The closure of Wegelin & Co is the first-ever guilty plea in the USA to tax law violations by a foreign bank.…

TWO property fraudsters who rooked Allied Irish Banks (AIB) and Bank of Scotland (BoS) for hundreds of millions of pounds in loans were jailed for a total of 12 years in London on January 17, in a case exposing lax lending oversight during the 2003-2008 boom years.…

SO diverse are the Middle East’s oil and gas reservoirs and the environmental conditions encountered that companies focused on optimising exploration and production view the region as a giant laboratory for proving new technologies.

Its oil also varies hugely in viscosity, from the Arab Light crude of Saudi Arabia’s Al Khurais onshore field to the heavy crudes in Oman’s Mukhaizna onshore field.…

THE ENERGY sector has been left guessing whether there will be a robust future international climate change agreement after the latest global diplomatic meeting on the subject in Doha, Qatar. Delegates attending the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change were tasked from November 26 to December 7 with solving two key issues: devising a post-Kyoto Protocol agreement that will kick in from 2020; and also devising a holding agreement for countries wanting to reduce emissions from the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol this December until the new agreement comes into force.…

THE BRITISH government is creating a unique regime of energy price incentives to spur commercialisation of carbon capture and storage systems, yet significant barriers remain to unlocking the billions of Pounds Sterling needed to build a CCS industry of sufficient mass in the UK able to create economies of scale for investors.…

BY ROBERT STOKES

ELCORE GmbH, a German maker of fuel cell micro-CHP (FC mCHP) units currently has only a few being put through their paces in homes in its domestic market. It has high hopes, though, of selling plenty on a fully commercial basis from late next year before spreading its wings into other European markets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPE’S new airport policy network Airpol has started showing its operational worth, helping coordinate a two-day operation targeting 28 airports in 15 European counties, where 10 smugglers of cash, drugs and counterfeit goods were arrested. Airpol was launched late 2010 and has since developed operations as a coordinator of European network police.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

It is a testimony to the continuing power of the American marketplace, even in today’s multi-polar world, that the USA’s controversial Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has so much influence. Indeed, by key US trade partners adopting many of its provisions themselves, the act is going global and threatening to turn the world of international tax management upside down.…

BY MICHAEL KOSMIDES, IN ATHENS

THE GREEK economic crisis may provide the perfect backdrop for money laundering. Dr Ioannis Filos, professor of Auditing at Panteion University in Athens and director of the Greek chapter of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) told the Money Laundering Bulletin that "it is obvious… that the financial stress is a big threat for someone to get involved in wrong actions/fraud/corruption."…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU)-funded research consortium is developing the first tuberculosis vaccine based on mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. Switzerland’s medicines authority Swissmedic has now authorised clinical trials in healthy adult volunteers. The project has been financed funded through the through the NEWTBVAC project, which has received Euro EUR12 million from the EU,and it has been coordinated by the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI), a collaborative Europe-based consortium developing new TB medicines.…

BY TENZING LAMSANG in BHUTAN

HELP WANTED IN ‘THE GARDEN OF EDEN’

The tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has undergone tremendous changes in the last decade, from opening up to television and the internet in 1999, to the introduction of parliamentary democracy in 2008 by an enlightened monarchy.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE WORLD’S developed countries are enthusiastically or moderately implementing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) anti-bribery convention, so that 52.3% of world exports are sold by countries opposing graft. So says the latest Transparency International report that says the leading established economic players are now leading by example: with the USA, Germany, Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark all praised for actively implementing the convention.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE FEAR of conviction over beefed up foreign bribery rules is growing in the USA, a consultants’ report is claiming, but scandals involving graft overseas continue. BDO USA released findings from a survey of 72 corporate directors of public companies with turnovers exceeding USD250 million.…

BY ZLATKO CONKAS

INCREASING passenger traffic and aircraft movements have required an expansion of Croatia’s Zagreb Airport, which serves the country’s capital, in the form of a new passenger terminal which should be fully operational by 2016.

"Given the imminent entry of Croatia into the European Union [EU] in January 2013, and the existing attractiveness of the capital Zagreb, we need bigger, better, more beautiful and more efficient facilities – which will certainly be achieved with the construction of a new passenger terminal," Tonci Peovic, general manager of Zagreb Airport (Zra?na…

BY LEAH GERMAIN, CARMEN PAUN AND KEITH NUTHALL

PART I: Air Quality and Congestion

SWITZERLAND has always been a land of contrasts – Europe’s mountain hub has always combined an international outlook with intensely local democratic structures based on the country’s 26 cantons – and road transport policy is no different.…

BY LEAH GERMAIN, CARMEN PAUN AND KEITH NUTHALL

THE SWISS federal transport agency FEDRO has estimated that in 2011, motorists travelled a total of 25.874 billion km on Switzerland’s motorway network. As one of the most central countries in Europe, Switzerland has long been a major transport route for European goods haulage, as well as a popular tourist destination.…

BY LEAH GERMAIN, CARMEN PAUN AND KEITH NUTHALL

EVEN with Europe mired in recession and financial crisis, an awful lot of lorries cross Switzerland moving goods between southern and northern Europe. According to Swiss road transport agency FEDRO, in 2010 the number of heavy goods vehicles transporting goods across the Alps increased 6.5% year-on-year.…

BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN LA PAZ

Bolivia’s state mining company Comibol has said it plans to triple zinc production at the recently nationalised Colquiri zinc and tin mine, previously operated by Switzerland-based mining giant Glencore. Hector Cordova, head of Bolivia’s state mining company Comibol, which is now operating the mine, told Metal Bulletin that Comibol will continue with the operations that had been implemented by Glencore, but that it also plans to add operations in parts of the mine that have not been previously exploited, "and that have good reserves."…

BY CARMEN PAUN, IN RIO DE JANEIRO

THE WORLD’S energy ministers are pondering policy responses to ‘The Future We Want’, a document summarising recommendations from the United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which ended June 22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.…

BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN BOLIVIA

THE INDUSTRIAL production of lithium carbonate and lithium-ion batteries in Bolivia has moved a step closer following the formation of a joint venture between Bolivia’s state-owned mining corporation Comibol and a South Korea consortium led by the country’s state-run mineral development corporation Korea Resources Corp.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

INTERNATIONAL travel in the last decade has become exponentially more secure, with countries all around the globe having reformed their systems to cope with transnational crime in a post-9/11 world – largely, through the increased collection, processing and legislation of passenger information.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) taxation Commissioner Algirdas ?emeta has been angered by Austria and Luxembourg blocking moves to renegotiate the EU’s tax cooperation deals with Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, Lichtenstein and San Marino. These countries currently transfer withholding taxes of 35% on savings accounts held by EU citizens.…

BY MARK ROWE

FOR products that are marketed for their ability to sooth and generate the feel-good factor, the sustainable sourcing of cosmetics ingredients causes plenty of headaches for manufacturers and suppliers. The industry is in a period of transition, in which several of the world’s multinationals are engaging in a step change in how they go about sourcing the oils they need, and the public wants.…

BY GERARD O’DWYER, IN HELSINKI

A TOUGH legislative response to the rising problem of money laundering-related crimes in Sweden appears to be having a meaningful impact on curbing illegal activities within the country – with the latest statistics from Finanspolisen, the Swedish financial crime police, revealing that while the number of reports pertaining to money laundering grew by 30% to 11,892 in 2010 (year-on-year) that figure dropped to 11,135 in 2011.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission is preparing to release calls for research proposals commanding millions of Euros of European Union (EU) funding, offering opportunities for innovative liquid fuel and oil production. The initiative is the last batch of funding under the outgoing EU seventh framework programme on research, which ends next year.…

BY MARK GODFREY, IN BEIJING

DINERS in Beijing were appalled recently to discover that restaurants on the city’s most famed dining street have been using recycled – or so called ‘gutter’ – cooking oil processed by an underground industry of oil collectors.…

BY LEAH GERMAIN

THE UNITED States Trade Representative (USTR) has joined forces with the European Union (EU) to press Indonesia to simplify its licensing for meat and livestock imports. The US and Canada, with the support of the EU, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland, have complained to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) import licensing committee, claiming that Indonesia’s tough licensing for meat and livestock imports could seriously damage trade.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

PLASTICS companies in the European Union (EU) storing potentially dangerous chemicals on their premises will have to by 2015 abide by tougher management standards preventing industrial accidents. This is because the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council of Ministers have struck an agreement on the contents of a new law – the Seveso III directive – that will include new safety rules for chemical-using businesses.…

BY ROBERT STOKES

SWITZERLAND just signed a so-called ‘Rubik deal’ with Austria to safeguard Swiss banking secrecy in return for it levying withholding taxes anonymously on undeclared savings and investments held in Switzerland by Austrian nationals.

The bilateral treaty with Austria, start date 2013, follows those with Britain and Germany, and has raised the hackles of the European Commission, which has questioned these agreements’ legality under the European Union (EU) Savings Tax Directive, which tries to erase loopholes allowing depositors to squirrel money away from tax assessors.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A FIVE-YEAR Euro EUR1.9 million research project has been launched to develop intelligent polymers able to release scents among other functionalities. These behaviours would be controllable, so that "mechanical stress provides the activation energy to trigger specific pre-programmed chemical reactions," said a European Commission memorandum.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL AND KITTY SO, IN OTTAWA; AND CARMEN PAUN, IN BRUSSELS

KNOWING how to speak two languages in a country where there are two official languages is always going to be a good bet. But as well as the delights of knowing you peanuts from your arachides and your gelée from your jelly, there are whole host of additional cognitive advantages to mastering two tongues rather than one.…

BY LEAH GERMAIN

WITH what was once an estimated net worth of over USD2 billion, R. Allen Stanford was once revered as one of the wealthiest men in America. Yet a Texas court has now heard in detail that his wealth, which he displayed in both opulent and lavish ways, was derived from ill-gotten gains.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

HEALTH is not really a priority for most confectionery consumers, but it is covered by ingredient labelling designed to promote well-being anyway – and the industry has to take note. The European Union (EU) is a case in point: it has been updating legislation on food labelling to promote consumer awareness about not-so-healthy ingredients in food products.…

BY MARK ROWE

ALTHOUGH it has been likened to a 21st century Silk Road, the southern gas corridor is currently making painstaking and troubled progress; inching its way through the political and economic strife that stands between the Caspian Sea and Western Europe.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

PHARMACEUTICAL major Bristol-Myers Squibb is among 85 mainly health-centred organisations requesting changes to the latest European Commission planned reforms to European Union (EU) pharmaceutical good distribution practice guidance. Commenting on proposals that medicinal products not intended for EU markets should be kept in segregated areas, BMS comments that "for supply chain efficiency, many companies ship their goods together.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

SO it’s done at last. Reform of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) Recommendations was formally agreed at the plenary session in Paris on February 15 after some two years of high-powered negotiations and a vast amount of consultation.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

IN an economic climate where industries are trying to cut costs left and right, it only makes sense that the converting industry at large – a key element of many manufacturing sectors – has been raising the bar when it comes to waste handling and recycling.…

STORIES BY KEITH NUTHALL

A REPORT from the anti-bribery working group of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has attacked Italy over the tardiness and weakness of its anti-bribery efforts. While, the paper did recommend that the organised-crime ridden country had made "significant enforcement efforts" through its "comprehensive framework for prosecuting the foreign bribery offence", these efforts were insufficient.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AN ILLICIT flow into the European Union (EU) of dumped cut-price China-made molybdenum wire is being choked off by new antidumping duties of 64.3% that will henceforth apply to exports of this metal product from Malaysia. The EU Council of Ministers has been convinced that a sudden bloom of molybdenum wire exports from Malaysia to the EU – from zero in 2009 to six tonnes from April 2010 to March 2011 – was not because of the birth of a Malaysian molybdenum sector.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WINNERS

VF

In one of 2011’s biggest deals, US-based VF announced its plans to buy major footwear brand Timberland in a US$2bn takeover. As well as boosting earnings by US$700m a year, the purchase would leverage VF platforms in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and boost e-commerce operations.…

BY JILL LANGLOIS, IN SÃO PAULO

BRAZIL’S dyeing and finishing sector is working hard to maintain a commercial edge – especially through environmental good practice – while its key market, the Brazilian textile industry, faces some tough times.

Foreign competition, weak international branding and unhelpful Brazilian government regulations are weakening the textile sector in Brazil: "The industry’s deficit will hit a record USD5 billion [last] year [2011] – we’ve already had to cut 19,000 jobs…" said Aguinaldo Diniz Filho, president of the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE LEADING powers of the automotive industry worldwide have agreed to attempt forging common technical standards for the still evolving electric car sector. An agreement struck today (Thursday) in Geneva, Switzerland, will see the United States working with the European Union (EU) and Japan within two working parties: their goal is to write a formal global technical regulation (or regulations) on electric cars by 2014 and debate informal standardization.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched a detailed anti-trust investigation into concerns that US-based Johnson & Johnson may have paid the generic branches of Switzerland’s Novartis to hinder the sale of generic versions of pain killer Fentanyl in the Netherlands.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

THE WESTERN financial system is undergoing profound change, of weakened trust in the sector, heightened tax regulations, pressure to curb banking secrecy and tougher regulatory compliance. As a result, the owners of legal and extra-legal capital who are looking for a safe haven for their money are starting to consider destinations outside the established offshore jurisdictions – the less regulated financial centres of the Middle East and Asia.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

HAS the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) taken on more than it can handle at present? In proposing that tax crimes be made a predicate offence for money laundering as part of its reform of its 40+9 Recommendations, the FATF has picked a fight with a number of heavyweights in the sector and may have a real struggle on its hands.…

BY EUGENE VOROTNIKOV

RUSSIAN businesses could return to widespread borrowing from criminal sources in any repeat of the 2008-09 recession and credit crunch, the country’s financial watchdog has warned as continuing global turmoil hits interbank lending.

"We are facing a situation where criminal capital is increasingly being used for lending to business, thereby replacing the legal banking sector," said Yury Chikhanchin, head of the federal financial monitoring Service, Rosfinmonitoring.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

The recent 100% acquisition of UK voice and data communications company Airwave Solutions by Australian-based banking group Macquarie Group is the latest example of an investment company taking over a telco, writes MJ Deschamps. The Australian group’s Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II (MEIF II) already owned just over 50% of Airwave, and is now buying all the stock.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

BETWEEN rising costs for raw materials and a global push towards more environmentally-friendly production, label converters and equipment manufacturers are becoming increasingly focused on getting things done right the first time; and getting them done quickly, at that.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS and KEITH NUTHALL

AFTER three years of painstaking scientific work, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has finished assessing 2,758 health claims made by European Union (EU) food manufacturers about their products.

The companies appear not to have covered themselves in glory.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

LITTLE more excites the international auto industry more than the search for an alternative to fossil fuels, and an American company is now looking seriously into the idea of using a heavy element thorium to generate locomotive power.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A CONSULTANTS report for the European Commission on the impact of biofuel expansion has warned that a reliance on bioethanol could damage the European Union’s (EU) fossil fuels security of supply.

Written by experts from Wood Mackenzie, Ricardo and Celeres, the paper – just released by Brussels – says that with bioethanol sources focused on Brazil and a few other countries, "there is a risk of a high degree of reliance on few sources of ethanol supply."…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

PERSONALISED medicines are one of those innovations that are so patently a good idea, it is almost inconceivable that they will not be the norm in 10 or 20 years’ time. Taking pharmaceuticals without checking your molecular make up for side-effect risks will probably be seen as dumb, or worse, the subject of negligence claims.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

AS one of the final stages in the converting process, it is important that the coating and laminating of raw materials goes off without a hitch to produce the best possible end product for paper, plastic and textile packagers.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

FEW transatlantic agreements have given rise to more friction and animosity than the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP) set up by the US Treasury in 2001 shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in direct response to them.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) research project is trying to create consensus over scientific principles affecting complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM), sufficiently robust to inspire EU regulation. The CAMbrella project involves academics from Germany, Britain, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Romania, Spain, France, Denmark, Austria and Sweden, ending December 2012.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

BRAZIL and the European Union (EU) have struck a civil aviation access deal, but not an ‘open skies’ agreement like that reached recently between the USA and the Brazilians. Instead, the EU and Brazil merely confirmed direct flight access for their respective airlines: cabotage services will be allowed for freight.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

HIGH sugar prices and tight supplies are a constant worry for confectionery manufacturers this year, and the European Union (EU) has been trying to keep these problems under control. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated that global prices rose 81.4% from last July (2010) to this January (2011) and the EU has taken action.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

POP science reports have been raving about how towels, clothes and sheets impregnated with tiny nanoparticles can kill germs and wipe out body odour. A good example is nano-socks, containing nano-silver, which apparently stop feet smelling, no matter how sweaty.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

FORMAL negotiations for a linkage between the European Union (EU) and Swiss carbon emissions trading systems (ETS) began in March after some three years of exploratory discussions. Both sides could gain significantly from a successful outcome. The Swiss would win access to a considerably larger and more liquid European emissions market than they can use at present, bringing greater flexibility in helping them to meet their emissions targets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A DRAFT anti-fraud agreement being negotiated by the European Union (EU) with Liechtenstein maybe a model for future similar deals with Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Switzerland, the European Commission has said. In a memorandum to EU ministers, Brussels noted the Liechtenstein agreement covers fraud in direct and indirect taxation by individuals and companies, including not just "false documents and false tax returns, but also…incomplete tax returns."…

BY MARK ROWE, ALAN OSBORN and PAUL COCHRANE

IT may be no coincidence that football (or soccer as it is known by north American readers) is generally regarded as corrupt by law enforcement agencies and has chosen to stage two of its next major spectacles – the 2012 European championships, and the 2018 World Cup, in Ukraine and Russia.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) research project is developing an innovative business model which can allow consumers to design and choose their own clothing online, with manufacturers shipping remotely-controlled bespoke work. The Euro 5.17 million Open Garments project aims to create a secure and practical electronic communications system delivering customer requirements to manufacturers, who can act on them swiftly.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SLAUGHTERHOUSES may have to install additional ventilation and air extraction systems after scientists discovered bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) can be spread to livestock by air. The have found prions – the infectious agents triggering the disease – are not necessarily transmitted only by eating contaminated material.…

BY EMMA JACKSON

IN the green clothing and textiles market segment, the requirement to create sustainable and marketable eco-friendly products is becoming increasingly competitive. Out-of-the-box innovation is immensely valuable in such a market where companies seek to balance environmental marketing against increased costs – if green production can be achieved for lower costs, then major labels can and do take notice.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A COOPERATION agreement has been struck between the international Switzerland-based Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Both sides will work together in training medicine inspectors; participate in each other’s meetings; exchange information, especially on good manufacturing and distribution practice; and also in auditing pharmaceutical industry inspectorates.…

BY LEE ADENDOORF, ALYSSA MCMURTRY, MAKKI MARSEILLES, and KEITH NUTHALL

GLOBAL olive oil manufacturing is on a roll, with the International Olive Council (IOC) saying 2009-10 world production was 3.02 million tonnes, a season-on-season increase of 354,500 tonnes (+13%). This would be the second best olive oil production year ever, next only to the record of 3.17 million tonnes produced in 2003/04.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SYSTEMIC advantages given to biofuels in the European Union (EU) through tax breaks and subsidies could take a knock this year, with the European Commission examining their indirect contribution to greenhouse gas production.

Brussels already takes account of their direct effect, through production and use emissions, and land use changes on fields used to grow feedstocks: only biofuels with a proven 35% emissions advantage over fossil fuels qualify for environment-linked tax breaks and handouts, under the EU’s renewable energy directive.…

BY KENCHO WANGDI

HYDRO-ELECTRIC power is of critical importance to the tiny landlocked nation Bhutan, hidden deep in the folds of the Himalayas, with economic and military giants China to the north and India to the south. Indeed, its government regards hydropower energy as being instrumental in shifting the country from being recognised by the United Nations as a least developed into an emerging developing country in the south-east Asia.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

Switzerland food manufacturer and retailer Coop has been given permission by the European Commission to assume full ownership of Germany-based food wholesaler transGourmet (NOTE – CORRECT SPELLING). Coop has shared control with German retailer REWE. transGourmet claims to be Europe’s second largest cash-and-carry and food service company – turning over Euro EUR5.8 billion in 2009, employing 21,000 staff.transGourmetwholesales…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THERAPY dogs can be a great nursing aid, but new European Union (EU)-funded research has shown how pure bred dogs can be powerful resource for investigating the sources of disease in human patients. The fact is that dogs suffer from many of the same diseases as their two-legged owners, and it is a lot easier to investigate the genetic causes of such illnesses in pure bred dogs.…

BY MARK ROWEAND ZLATKO ?ONKA?

IT is easy to see why the European Commission is upset over money laundering in Bulgaria, a key consequence of the widespread corruption bedevilling the country before and since it joined the European Union (EU) in 2007.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

IT sounds like every child’s dream job – chocolate testing: something out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But it is of course a deadly serious business – not just to ensure chocolate tastes good and is healthy – but also to comply with laws on chocolate composition.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

18

THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved the takeover by Unilever of Sara Lee’s body and laundry care businesses, on condition it sells off the US company’s Sanex brand and related business in Europe. Following an inquiry as the European Union’s (EU) lead competition authority, Brussels concluded there were particular concerns regarding Unilever’s future dominance of some EU deodorant markets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

COUNTRIES negotiating a plurilateral Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) fighting fake products have announced that all remaining problems have been resolved and a final text is being drafted. This will allow the European Union (EU) and its member states, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the USA to ratify the treaty.…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS, KEITH NUTHALL

THE KNITWEAR sector, especially at the higher end of the market spectrum, is a prey for organised counterfeiters. Sophisticated illicit manufacturers, especially in emerging markets, create copies of established brands, that can be high enough quality to fool, but poor enough to disappoint the consumer after a few wears.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A NETWORK exchanging security information between airports in the 27 European Union (EU) countries, (plus the associated Schengen open border treaty countries – Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) has been agreed by the EU Council of Ministers. The new AIRPOL network will be a permanent multi-disciplinary cooperation network of police, border guards and other relevant law enforcement services "with the mission of contributing substantially to increasing security in airports," said a Council official.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

TARGETED investments aimed at improving energy self-sufficiency and efficiency maybe the key result of a grand European Union (EU) ‘Energy 2020’ strategy, released this month (November 10) by the European Commission. Building on existing reforms to liberalise and green EU energy production and delivery, the policy paper proposes ensuring energy efficiency is a criteria of public procurement by member states, and also that energy efficiency certificates are created to encourage sustainable energy investment by industry.…

BY WANG FANGQING

CHINESE consumers just cannot hold themselves back from spending money on luxuries it would appear, and the personal care product industry is reaping the benefit.

From February 2010 to March 2011, the Chinese had spent an accumulated amount of USD10.7 billion on luxuries (excluding automobiles, yachts and private jets) in domestic sales alone, about 25% of global luxury consumption, reported the World Luxury Association (WLA) in June 2011.…

BY EMMA JACKSON, MAGGIE DESCHAMPS

THERE are many good reasons for fleets to use natural gas powered vans running on compressed or liquefied natural gas (CNG/LNG). However, so far, British fleets have yet to be convinced and the market is tiny.…

BY JOHN PAGNI

THE NORD Stream natural gas pipeline, linking Russia with Germany, is not just making political waves, but inspiring technological innovations. Its developers appear to be taking environmental issues seriously. This could appease the project’s doubters.

When completed by the end of 2012, two parallel pipelines will stretch 1,224 kilometres from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald on Germany’s Baltic coast, linking with EU networks, notably those run by DONG Energy (Denmark), Germany’s E.ON…

BY MJ DESCHAMPS

With the global textile and clothing industry this year emerging from a deep slump, it is perhaps understandable that there were going to be unexpected twists and turns in the sector during 2010. Of course, the fashion business is always colourful, and attracts characters and innovation.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE PERSONAL care product sector should benefit from a new Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), now largely negotiated. A draft text has been released by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Switzerland.…

BY DAVE YIN

A GENE discovery in Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, which traditionally function as game water retrievers and truffle hunters, could shed light on the cause of human benign childhood epilepsies, according to an European Union (EU)-funded study.

The finding was made as part of the LUPA project, which aims to better understand human diseases through the research of dogs, who suffer from the same ailments despite having simpler genetics.…

BY LEE ADENDORFF

ITALY: Poor funding and weak competition stunt Italian universities

Lee Adendorff

Full report on the University World News site

ITALY: Poor funding and weak competition stunt Italian universities

Lee Adendorff

Despite being home to Europe’s oldest higher education university, Italy has fared less than brilliantly in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN scientists studying the geological disposal of nuclear waste have released papers indicating that the process could be safe over the very long term. Indeed, an assessment of European Union (EU)-funded projects on the issue published by the European Nuclear Society (ENS) has suggested that "spent fuel is an effective isolation barrier for tens of thousands to millions of years".…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

9

A UNITED Nations campaign could – if successful – significantly increase worldwide demand for soap. Its Global Handwashing Day has highlighted how diarrhoeal and acute respiratory diseases kill 3.5 million children aged under five annually, and that washing their hands after using toilets and before handling food can reduce such deaths by 40% and 23% respectively.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON, MJ DESCHAMPS

IT is the classic chicken and egg scenario. To what extent do widespread networks of fuel filling stations need to be established offering compressed and liquefied natural gas (CNG/LNG) for a mass market of autos using these fuels to develop?…

BY MAKKI MARSEILLES, PAUL COCHRANE

CYPRIOTS are Europe’s heaviest smokers, according to figures from European Union (EU) pollsters Eurobarometer. For those living in the internationally recognised predominantly Greek Republic of Cyprus (RoC) portion of the island, consumption of consumers aged 15 and above during 2009 averaged 21.7 cigarettes daily, and those in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 21.6.…

BY MARK ROWE

INNOVATIVE packaging is transforming the drinks industry. Heavy tins and bottles are being replaced by lighter composite and biodegradeable materials; hi-tech cartons are being manufactured that tell consumers if the milk’s gone off; and RFID (radio frequency identification) tags are being embedded with temperature sensors.…

BY ALYSHAH HASHAM

THE RECESSION has had a significant effect in driving packaging companies and departments to lower costs through using more efficient technology, requiring less energy, maintenance and idling time. Drives and controls have been a critical element of this process.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

THE PROCESS of ‘unbundling’ in the European Union (EU) gas industry as called for under the EU’s third energy package, notably the gas directive 2009/73/EC, adopted in 2009, has come to a bit of a standstill. This will not last.…

BY WANG FANGQING, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, BILL CORCORAN, PACIFICA GODDARD, KEITH NUTHALL

DRINKS packaging can be quite different in emerging and developing markets than in the rich world. One issue simply is scale. Poorer consumers are often, simply, more interested in smaller sized portions than richer.…

BY EMMA JACKSON

SUSTAINABILITY is becoming increasingly important in the beverage industry, and worldwide companies have been embracing environmentally conscious initiatives.

In the province of Ontario, in Canada, The Beer Store (TBS), a protected retailer under Canada’s highly regulated drinks sales system, collects empty packaging, and has boasted of a return rate of 94% between 2008 and 2009.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AN INTERNATIONAL consortium will generate and investigate a liquid library of 3,600 plant extracts, hunting for compounds useful for cosmetics (and food) manufacture. Germany’s BASF and Bruker Biospin GMBH, Greece’s Korres SA Natural Products will work with national research centres from Greece, France and South Africa plus universities from Greece, Panama and Switzerland in this 2010-2014 Euro 4.2 million, European Union-funded research project.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL and ALYSHAH HASHAM

CANADA – long a difficult jurisdiction for the tobacco sector – became tougher still on July 5, when a national ban on manufacturing and selling most flavoured cigarettes, cigarillos and blunt wraps came into force.…

BY PACIFICA GODDARD

THE ORGANIC cosmetics market has been booming over the last few years, generating substantial consumer interest in the US and Europe. As cosmetics companies scramble to offer the latest, most effective natural ingredients, many are turning to the biodiverse region of Latin America for inspiration.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) is helping the USA deal with the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Coordinated by the EU emergency response group, the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), the EU will send oil skimmers and oil spill experts.…

BY EMMA JACKSON

PAINT companies looking for an edge may very well find themselves turning to robots, as the industry in the Asia-Pacific region increasingly embraces automation. Cost effective, efficient and consistent, robots are indeed replacing employees in paint manufacturing processes and applications of coatings to products such as cars and machinery.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL and EMMA JACKSON

AUSTRALIA’S tobacco industry can be expected to put up a strong fight against a federal government proposal to mandate plain paper packaging for its products. And it will doubtless have the support of the international tobacco industry because this planned legislation is a clear test case.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission – the executive body of the European Union (EU) today formally launched its bid to develop common technical standards for electric vehicle rechargers. It told the continent’s standards bodies, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CEN) and the European Electrotechnical Standardization Committee (CENELEC), and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to develop a common charging system for electric cars, as well as scooters and bicycles.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has fined 17 producers of prestressing steel Euro 518 million for operating a cartel that lasted 18 years until 2002 and covered all but three of the then 15 European Union (EU) member states – Britain, Ireland and Greece.…

BY KARRYN MILLER, ALAN OSBORN RAGHAVENDRA VERMA and WANG FANGQING

Private label drinks sales in supermarkets worldwide are no longer the poor relation of commercial ‘national’ brands – cheap drinks for consumers caring little about taste and brand image. A good place to examine this trend is the USA, whose private label offerings have often lagged behind those in Europe.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE ROLL-OUT of the European eCall in-car emergency system is approaching critical mass with 20 countries now committed to operating its supporting infrastructure. The European Commission today announced another five countries were implementing eCall services – Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Malta and Romania.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

BY its very nature, money laundering tells us that another crime is being, or has been committed. The detection of the act of money laundering itself is usually the handiwork of specialised Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) but these often do not have the resources or the responsibility to investigate the predicate crime.…

BY EMMA JACKSON

A PACKAGING system is only as strong as its conveyors, and they can come in all shapes, sizes and specifications. Indeed, countless types of conveyors exist to support every kind of application, yet in the last year – facing challenging economics – companies have been adding even more to the line-up, improving on old ideas and creating completely new ones to add innovative new conveyor options to the market for manufacturers across Europe.…

BY ERIC LYMAN

THE TRIAL of 11 international bankers and two officials from the City of Milan got underway on May 19 in connection with a series of 2005 bond issues in which the parties are accused of generating as much as Euro EUR100 million in illegal fees and interest.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE ROLL-OUT of the European eCall in-car emergency system is approaching critical mass with 20 countries committed to its infrastructure. Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Malta and Romania have now joined Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and other supporters: Britain and France remain outsiders.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has confirmed Euro EUR23.44 million in European Commission fines on five companies participating in an industrial thread cartel. Within this, judges reduced Belgian Sewing Thread’s fine from EUR980,000 to EUR856,800 because of cooperation in the cartel investigation sparking the original fines.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS any journalist who has covered regional or local authorities will testify, sub-national public administrations yearn for the big time. They want their efforts considered important, over and above their day-to-day delivery of community services.

But they know their aspirations must deliver added value.…

BY MIRIAM ELDER

WHILE the government of the Russian Federation has made real efforts to fight money laundering – as documented recently in the Money Laundering Bulletin – the problem remains rampant in this resource-rich country, according to Russian and international experts.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AN IMPORTANT step has been made towards guaranteeing the safety of electric and hybrid cars, with the adoption by the UN’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations of a new technical standard on this subject – a global first.…

BY PACIFICA GODDARD

LAST year in Latin America, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris International (PMI), the region’s two dominant companies, battled to maintain profits through declining volumes. Overall, Latin America was profitable for both companies. For BAT, profits were mainly attributable to a strong performance in Brazil, and improved premium brand sales, however volumes sales declined throughout the region.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has pushed for a quick replacement of the provisional ‘SWIFT’ agreement transferring European Union (EU) banking data to the United States’ Department of The Treasury.

It has proposed it should quickly negotiate a new Terrorist Financing Tracking Programme (TFTP) deal with Washington, following the annulment of an existing provisional agreement by the European Parliament.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

THE ISLAND Gulf Kingdom of Bahrain has embarked on a US$4.7 billion (Euro 3.45 billion) expansion of its one and only commercial airport, the Bahrain International Airport (BIA), to handle rising passenger traffic and regain its position as an aviation hub in the region.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH

University rankings can sometimes be confusing, and should not be the basis of devising policy, said Jean-Marc Rapp, (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT) European University Association (EUA) president, at the EUA’s spring meeting in Brussels at the end of January, "because universities are confronted with rankings every day."…

BY ANCA GURZU

ALTHOUGH the economic effects of recession can be felt in different sectors of the German converting industry, its companies have been busy launching new innovations, equipment and technologies aimed at energy-saving, waste-reduction and increased productivity. The printing sectors were notably active in 2009.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A PROGRESS report issued by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has claimed almost 300 tax transparency agreements have been signed by jurisdictions since the April 2009 G20 summit in London. This called on governments and sub-national administrations worldwide to adopt the OECD’s standards on revealing and exchanging tax information.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A PACKAGE of measures designed to fight tax evasion within the European Union (EU) has been approved in principle by the EU Council of Ministers. A ‘general approach’ backing proposed amendments to directive 2003/48/EC on taxing savings accounts has been secured – the changes would extend requirements to declare income (or pay a withholding tax) to interest from some innovative financial products; certain life insurance policies; and savings accounts held in trust.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, ANCA GURZU and DAVID HAWORTH

THE CONFECTIONERY manufacturing sector in the European Union (EU) has a new political boss in the shape of Romania’s Dacian Ciolo?, who became the EU’s latest agriculture Commissioner on February 10. Appointed amidst pledges he would be willing to use EU money to guarantee food production, he has promised to undertake a swift review of the EU’s reformed sugar regime.…

BY EMMA JACKSON

With a new EU research Commissioner about to be appointed and lobbying expected to be underway soon over the shape of the next eighth EU framework programme on research, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) has released a major report "Harvesting talent: strengthening research careers in Europe."…

BY DAVID HAWORTH

IT is, perhaps, a sign of the European Union’s (EU) growing role in fighting crime: from February, it will have its first justice Commissioner. David Haworth reports from Brussels on how a new 27-member European Commission that should take office on February 9 might fight commercial crime.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

THE TASTE for liquorice is surprisingly well defined in geographical terms in Germany and its neighbouring countries. There seems to be a cut-off point at the Rhine Valley. "They don’t like the taste in the southern part of Germany and if you go south of the Rhine valley you don’t find liquorice products in the shops," said Jens Milt, head of the liquorice division at the leading German liquorice supplier Alfred L Wolff, based in Hamburg.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH

EUROPEAN Parliament members have claimed one scalp over ethical concerns from among the 27 European Commission candidates, who will begin five-year terms on February 9. Rumiana Jeleva, Bulgarian foreign minister, took the lawmakers’ hit after being strongly quizzed about her business interests.…

Anil Giri, in Kathmandu

Ahead of the UN Conference on climate change, in Copenhagen, the Nepalese
government has held a cabinet meeting at the foot of Mount Everest to bring
attention to the impact of climate change on the Himalayas.

The meeting comes after the government of the Maldives hosted a similarly
unusual cabinet meeting (in that case underwater in the Indian Ocean), where
they urged the international community to cut their carbon dioxide
emissions. The Maldives have long been at risk from global warming-linked
sea level rises, which threaten to drown the small islands.…

BY LEE ADENDORFF, ERIC LYMAN and KEITH NUTHALL

INTRODUCTION

THE ITALIAN wine industry hit rock bottom a generation ago, when thousands of bottles of Italian wine were found laced with deadly levels of methanol, a key ingredient in antifreeze that had been used to raise the alcohol content of the wine.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CORRUPTION in Greece is now considered as bad as in Romania and Bulgaria – European Union (EU) member states investigated by the European Commission over graft. Greece’s slide from 57th in last year’s Transparency International (TI) corruption perception index to 71st in this year’s report will concern its new left-wing PASOK government.…

BY KENCHO WANGDI

NESTLED against the Himalayas, Bhutan was one of the last oases of isolation, untouched by commercialism and capitalism. But in the last decade, things have changed, and Bhutan has embraced all the joys of the modern world – and the crime.…

By Emma Jackson

‘Out of sight, out of mind’ may have worked for chemical cleanups in the 1950s, but now Swiss researchers from several national institutes have discovered that long-banned chemicals are popping back into view – turning up in glacial lake sediments at levels not seen since they were in use over 50 years ago.…

BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA

INDIA will strongly promote the export of organic food items to European Union (EU), United States, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea, the country’s Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has announced. It wants to double exports from their current level of US$100 million in 2008.…

BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA

THE INDIAN government is launching a campaign to attract foreign investment from Europe for its textile and clothing industry. On October 26, its textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran along with a business delegation will make a nine-day visit to Switzerland, Italy and Turkey, followed by another trip to Germany and France in November.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

EGYPT

Eastern Tobacco Company

450 Al Ahram Street, Giza

Tel : +20-18-5724711- 5724332 – 5724945

+20-23-5793326

www.easternegypt.com

British American Tobacco Egypt

City Stars Complex

Star Capital – Tower 4A

Omar Ebn El Khattab Street

Postal Code 11771

Heliopolis, Cairo

T: (+20) 2 480 1080

Japan Tobacco International (Regional)

2nd Floor, Lophitis Business Centre

249, 28th October Street & Emiliou Hourmouziou Corner

CY-3035, Lemesos

P.O.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

ONE of the lynchpins of the European Union’s (EU) single market is its public procurement rules, which try to ensure pubic authorities, and some utilities and transmission operators, openly tender for their major purchases. The aim is that all EU suppliers have a fair crack of the whip in offering them goods and services.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has welcomed its receipt tonight (27-10) in Brussels of a declaration from 50 representatives of European electricity generators, power distributors and energy industry associations to create a standardised re-charging system for electric vehicles. European Union (EU) transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani, whose organisation is charged with removing barriers to business between the 27 EU member countries, declared satisfaction with the commitment, made without the urging of European legislation.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) research project has been launched to prevent allergic reactions to wine, by finding alternatives to sulphur dioxide – widely used by the industry to prevent micro-biological damage to taste and colour.

Organised under the umbrella of EU research network Eureka, wine industry specialists are testing a variety of alternative substances and treatments to reduce the amount of sulphites in wines, which are regarded as an allergen.…

BY SHABTAI GOLD

THE CREW over at Top Gear, the BBC petrol-lovers show, recently declared that the Switzerland part of the Alpine mountain range has some of the best roads in the world for driving. But they were in top sports cars, costing a fortune and hardly designed for bringing farmers’ produce to the supermarkets.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON

FROM the earliest times, cosmetics and toiletries marketers have relied as much on pretty containers and stylish packaging as on the product itself for its special place in customers’ hearts. At the high end of the market, luxury packaging has traditionally been about opulence, extravagance, and a sense of lavishness.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

DESPITE being granted special emergency subsidies, Europe’s hard-pressed dairy farmers are increasing their protests across Europe. Yesterday (MONDAY 21 SEPT), a group of producers set hay on fire and spilt milk in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has granted competition approval to the takeover of Austria’s generic pharmaceuticals company EBEWE Spezial-Pharma Holding by Novartis, of Switzerland, enabling the Euro 1.3 billion deal to go ahead. Despite Novartis also making generic medicines, the Commission concluded that the deal "would not significantly impede effective competition" in Europe.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A NEW crisis over the presence of genetically modified (GM) ingredients in food and livestock feed has once more focused attention on the European Union’s (EU’s) controversial GM policies. It has especially raised the spectre of job losses, farm bankruptcies and higher consumer prices if a relaxation of the current de facto zero tolerance restriction applying to unauthorised GM products is not agreed soon.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

TURKEY – the lynchpin of European Union (EU) efforts to secure energy independence from Russia – has started negotiations to join the EU’s Energy Community. The organisation currently extends EU energy legislation to non-EU Balkans countries, but there are plans to add Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey to its membership.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Canada are about to embark on detailed negotiations to upgrade their existing long-standing nuclear cooperation agreement. A key aim of the talks, European Commission and Canadian officials told World Nuclear News, was the authorisation of widespread nuclear technology transfers between the EU and Canada, which are currently tightly restricted.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

THERE seems little doubt that European consumers are not only still hostile to the idea of buying products containing genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), they may actually becoming increasingly negative. They just don’t like the idea of applying creams or make-up from organisms containing genes from different and often unrelated species introduced to give them special qualities such as pest or disease resistance.…

BY PHILIPPA JONES, in Paris; LEE ADENDORFF, in Lucca, Italy; KARRYN MILLER, in Tokyo; and LUCY JONES, in Dallas

IT almost seems commonsense to say that an industry providing such a human product as clothing has to take account of cultural sensibilities in target markets.…

BY ANDREW CAVE

WHO regulates money laundering at the stock exchange listings of companies around the world? If this is a beguilingly simplistic question, then the answer is anything but.

The reply depends not only upon which country one is referring to but also on which companies list in which market and in which stock exchange sector.…

By Alan Osborn

A Swiss university is offering a course designed to train professionals for careers in international organisations and agencies.

Increasingly, decisions affecting the global economy, international security, the environment and even health and social matters, are being devised and put into effect by multilateral institutions, both governmental and non-governmental.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission will stage negotiations with Switzerland to forge a trade liberalisation deal for processed food. The agreement would build on the existing free trade deal on food commodities between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland, which remains outside the EU.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A CALL has been made by senior European Union (EU) scientists for studies into concerns that electromagnetic fields, such as those caused by power cables and mobile phones, could cause Alzheimer’s disease. It comes in a report from the EU’s scientific committee on emerging and newly identified health risks, which has reviewed the ever-growing scientific literature on environmental health concerns about electromagnetic fields (ELF is a common acronym).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN researchers have created a new method to manufacture groups of different kinds of proteins they claim is much faster than traditional genetic engineering systems. A group of scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), in Heidelberg, Germany, and colleagues in Britain, France, Switzerland and Sweden have called their discovery "the first fully automated pipeline for the production of multiprotein complexes", or ACEMBL, said a European Commission note.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

ADDING different alphabet versions of a trademark may not prevent the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling a proposed mark is too similar to a registered brand. The court ruled Delta Protypos Viomichania Galaktos, of Greece, cannot register as a European Union (EU) trademark its ‘Milko’ sign, written in western Latin and Greek alphabets, for "milk with cocoa" products.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CONFECTIONERY giant Kraft has won an important precedent-setting ruling at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to protect its ‘Milka’ mark, for chocolate, cocoa, bakery, sugar, ices, milk and other products. Judges have ruled that Vivartia ABEE Proïonton Diatrofis kai Ypiresion Estiasis, of Greece, cannot register as a European Union (EU) trademark its ‘Milko’ sign, written in western Latin and Greek alphabets, for "milk with cocoa" products.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

FACED with a global recession caused partly by commercial financial crime, governments have been pushed into taking action against tax evasion in recent months by ending the practice of banking secrecy. Is it the end of the road for tax havens as protected jurisdictions where illicit transactions can hide?…

BY MARK ROWE

The expansion of the European Union (EU) continues eastwards – and the food and drink industry of the existing EU will inevitably be affected by the new competition, as will companies in the new member countries.

The next few years are likely to see several countries accede to the EU.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, ALAN OSBORN, DAVID HAWORTH, RUSSELL BERMAN, MARK GODFREY and GAVIN BLAIR

INTRODUCTION

WHILE the drinks industry is undoubtedly an important sector in the global economy, the honest truth is that there are bigger players in town: the IT sector, steel making, and food, to name a handful.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A REVISED food and drink trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland will provide wines and spirits from the 12 countries joining the EU since 2004 with key geographical indication protection in key Swiss export markets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has given the go-ahead for a swift launch of negotiations with Switzerland to forge a trade liberalisation deal for processed food. The agreement would build on the existing free trade deal on food commodities between the EU and Switzerland, which has steadfastly refused to become a member state.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SWISS chocolate manufacturers should be key beneficiaries of a new trade deal to result from newly authorised negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland. The agreement would create "full liberalisation" for sales in processed food between them and build on an existing free trade deal on food commodities.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Switzerland have staged a public row over Swiss bank secrecy.

In a highly undiplomatic letter to Hans-Rudolf Merz, the Swiss president, OECD secretary general Angel Gurría complained that "some Swiss officials have characterised the OECD as not having been fair to the Swiss government on…international cooperation on tax matters", and that he wanted to "prove the inaccuracy of such statements".…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

YOU might think, given the preponderance of doomsayers predicting drought and desertification in Europe because of global warming, that the rainfall data would back them up.

But on a continent-wide scale, it does not.

A report on water scarcity issued by the European Environment Agency (EEA) earlier this year noted that "precipitation in Europe generally increased over the twentieth century, rising by 6-8 % on average between 1901 and 2005".…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has drawn back from a robust collective response to the swine flu crisis, despite the disease spreading around Europe. Meeting on Thursday, the EU Council of Ministers for health rejected a French proposal for an EU-wide travel ban to Mexico, the source of the outbreak.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) funded study confirmed the major differences between industry, governments and environmentalists over the development of nanotechnology, whose use in coatings and paint is being enthusiastically researched. This ‘mapping study on regulation and governance of nanotechnologies’ involving Britain’s Institute of nanotechnology, the Innovation Society, Switzerland, and others.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has warned about the risks involved in incorporating nanoparticles in food and drink packaging and products. Its scientific committee says each use of nanotechnology in foods and related packaging should be assessed case-by-case.…

BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA

INDIA’S US$12.4 billion annual turnover tobacco industry is passing through a difficult period, with little hope for a better future, despite its continued large size – this estimate coming from the Tobacco Institute of India for sales of all tobacco products, chewing tobacco and beedis.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU)-funded study has confirmed the major differences between industry, governments and environmentalists over nanotechnology. This ‘mapping study on regulation and governance of nanotechnologies’ involving Britain’s Institute of nanotechnology, the Innovation Society, Switzerland, and others. It confirmed environmental and consumer groups want probes into nanosafety and a "strict precautionary approach"; industry thinks current environmental health laws are sufficient; while governments prefer more studies.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, JULIAN RYALL, in Tokyo, EMMA JACKSON and LEAH GERMAIN

TIME was when counterfeit personal care products were commonly crude fake perfumes pedalled in markets and workplaces during the Christmas and other festive periods to bargain hunters who knew they were buying rubbish.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A PROPOSED acquisition of chemical producer Ciba, of Switzerland, by BASF SE of Germany, has been cleared by the European Commission, after the German chemicals giant agreed to allow to share certain UV filters owned by the Swiss firm.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN

IN the early 1990s the nuclear power industry faced a bleak outlook. High profile accidents such as in Chernobyl and Three Mile Island in, Pennsylvania, the USA, had raised public concern about the safety of the industry to all time high.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN

THE NUCLEAR energy industry has always been a global business, and since the fall of communism, it has become more, not less international. As a result, the need for common standards and practices, relevant to the industry, its suppliers and its customers is becoming increasingly important.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN

DESPITE widespread initial scepticism about its viability, the ITER project to build the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion reactor is now under way. It is employing specialists (nearly 300 staff and rising at the end of 2008); releasing Euro millions in research and procurement funding; and in November of last year moved into its headquarters, in Cadarache, southern France, which is where the first nuclear fusion reactor will be built on a 180 hectare site.…

BY WANG FANGQING

CHINESE manufacturers have told Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics they see no threat in the newly-effective ban, under the European Union’s (EU) revised cosmetics directive (76/768/EEC), on all the animal tested cosmetics and personal care products sold in the EU.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU)-funded study confirmed the major differences between industry, governments and environmentalists over nanotechnology. This ‘mapping study on regulation and governance of nanotechnologies’ involving Britain’s Institute of nanotechnology, the Innovation Society, Switzerland, and others, showed environmental and consumer groups wanting probes into nanosafety and a "strict precautionary approach".…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE THUMBSCREWS are being turned on the world’s tax havens, preventing their banks hiding assets from tax investigators worldwide. A comprehensive communiqué from April 1 and 2s’ G20 meeting in London committed member governments "to take agreed action against those jurisdictions which do not meet international standards in relation to tax transparency."…

BY ALAN OSBORN

STANDFIRST

Every country has its own food and drink regulatory body or bodies: in the first place to ensure that its citizens eat safely and in the second to help safeguard its position in the rapidly-growing world food trade.…

BY MONICA DOBIE

IT is one of nursing’s unlikelier medical developments, but those often pampered pedigree dogs that make an exhibition of themselves at Crufts may actually be a lynchpin to fighting genetic diseases in humans.

Veterinary clinics from 12 European countries will collect 10,000 DNA samples from a large cohort of dogs either healthy or suffering from a range of 18 defined diseases of relevance to human health such as cancer, heart disease and epilepsy.…

By Monica Dobie

Universities examining pedigree dogs may provide some answers to the mystery of genetic illnesses in people through a new European Union (EU)-funded project called LUPA. It will try to pinpoint such disorders in pure bred canines. The work could prove to be valuable as humans share many of the same diseases.…

BY MARK GODFREY

BARRY Lee is probably typical of Chinese wine drinkers. The auto-sales accountant started off drinking a local Great Wall red at an office lunch, then got curious and went to a Beijing branch of the French Carrefour supermarket chain where he spent RMB78 (US$11.40) on a bottle of Chilean red.…

BY MONICA DOBIE

DOGS may provide some answers to the mystery of genetic illnesses in people through a new European Union (EU) project called LUPA that will try to pinpoint such disorders in canines. The work could prove to be valuable as humans share many of the same diseases.…

By Katherine Dunn

The travails of Roman Polanski in Switzerland this autumn have offered some lessons to the world’s wanted over extradition laws and how to deal with them. The Polish director has of course been living in France, with little fear of extradition, since 1978, when he fled the USA facing statutory rape charges.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

AN EU regulation banning the direct sale of untreated eggs from farms where salmonella has been detected has come into force from January 1 – a year earlier than originally planned following reports of high salmonella outbreaks in recent years.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A RELATIVE newcomer has joined the ranks of the world’s professionals in the financial services sphere – the anti-money laundering practitioner. True, not everybody would agree that he or she warrants a place up there with accountants, lawyers and the other traditional professionals.…

By Alan Osborn

The failure of business to invest significantly in innovation projects remains the major weakness in the European Union’s (EU) research picture, says the European Commission. While there is "substantial progress" in some aspects of the EU’s innovation performance, investments by business in R&D and IT projects "are still relatively weak, especially if compared to the US and Japan," claims Brussels.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE ACQUISITION of sole control of German meat and sausage company Zimbo Fleisch- und Wurstwaren by Switzerland’s Bell Holding has been approved by the European Commission on competition grounds, despite the Swiss company also selling these products.

ENDS…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

ANOTHER fine-tuned blueprint for an agreement at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round has been released in Geneva and despite clear progress, a final deal before Christmas is still a long-shot. Trade ministers now must decide whether to meet in Switzerland this month, or wait until Barack Obama has been installed as US president in January.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SWITZERLAND will participate in the European Union’s (EU) rapid alert system for contaminated and unhealthy food products RASFF. This means warnings about food identified in Switzerland as potentially dangerous will be circulated around the EU – important given the volumes of Swiss-sourced food exported to member states.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

DESPITE widespread scepticism about its viability, the ITER project to build the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion reactor is now under way. It is employing specialists (nearly 300 staff and rising at the end of 2008); releasing Euro millions in research and procurement funding; and in November moved into its headquarters, in Cadarache, southern France, which is where the first nuclear fusion reactor will be built on a 180 hectare site.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have approved new international convention rules on common frontier control procedures for hauliers for use in all 27 EU member states. It means that when crossing a national border within Europe, including between some non-EU countries, hauliers will have to comply with identical paperwork on visas, declaring perishable goods, vehicle inspection and weight certificates.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A CONFERENCE on aviation environmental issues has been told by senior European transport figures to expect further action to fight climate change, beyond including the sector in the European Union’s (EU) emissions trading scheme. Staged in Geneva by the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and the European Commission, the conference was told by Switzerland transport and environment minister Moritz Leuenberger the sector must act or face more regulation: "If aviation is not ready to take the appropriate steps now…states will force the industry to act…" Furthermore, EU transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani agreed said the emissions trading scheme was just a "first step", with a final objective being "global measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation".…

By Alan Osborn

Many European academics and experts in the study of commercial crime are more than happy to discuss the state of play in the sector in an informal way with outsiders; others may be a little more cautious. But all are likely to suggest ways to gain further assistance.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) researchers are investigating why the citizens of poorer European countries are less likely to contract food allergies by those in richer states. The EU’s EuroPrevall project has noted that between 2% to 4% of EU adults suffer from food allergies, with 6% of children younger than three-years-old suffering from the problem.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN nuclear regulators have been alerted about a release of Iodine-131 gas from the Institut National de Radio-éléments (IRE) in Fleurus, Belgium. As a result of environmental sampling of grass, the Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control restricted the consumption of vegetables and milk produced within 5 km of the plant, near the south Belgium city Charleroi.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN nuclear regulators have been alerted about a release of Iodine-131 gas from the Institut National de Radio-éléments (IRE) in Fleurus, Belgium. The leak was reported by the Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control as a Level 3 incident on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) scale, which had seven grades of incident severity.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) research project has been launched to prevent allergic reactions to wine, by finding alternatives to sulphur dioxide – widely used by the industry to prevent micro-biological damage to taste and colour.

Organised under the umbrella of EU research network Eureka, wine industry specialists are testing a variety of alternative substances and treatments to reduce the amount of sulphites in wines, which are regarded as an allergen.…

BY KARRYN MILLER

FRITS Vranken, senior vice president for business development at Japan Tobacco International (JTI), has recently seen his role expanded since his 2006 appointment at JTI’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr Vranken’s role changed at the start of 2008 to include corporate strategy, tobacco taxation and internal communications.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON

THE AUTOPARTS and automotive industries are calling for far tighter world-wide enforcement against counterfeiting, as influential countries meet in Geneva to thrash out more details of a global Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

First mooted by the Office of the US Trade Representative in October 2007- and pursued aggressively by the US Chamber of Commerce – Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates have since come on board to try to develop ACTA.…

By Keith Nuthall

It is almost a truism that women have a tougher time in most professions than men, and academia is no different. But it is worth considering the absurdity of this statement: that in the 21st century, it is still quite normal to assume that the success of an academic or student is likely to be affected by their gender.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

Research on the causes of food allergies and measures that can be taken to

prevent them are primary topics of the EU-funded project EuroPrevall,

coordinated by the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, UK.

Between 2 and 4% of EU adults suffer from food allergies 6% of children

under three.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A POWERFUL international bloc is debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement insisting upon cooperation over fighting fake drinks products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea in Geneva.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A GROUP of influential countries are debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement, fighting fake food and drink products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH

THE EUROPEAN Smoking Tobacco Association (ESTA) represents the interests of the European manufacturers, distributors and importers of fine-cut (rolling) tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and nasal snuff tobacco. The members of ESTA are mainly small and medium sized companies (SMEs) as well as member associations from the vast majority of the European Union Member States from Norway and Switzerland.…

By Keith Nuthall

Plans to sweep away some restrictions preventing private universities and higher education service providers from teaching, researching and examining in foreign countries have been put on ice at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

This follows the collapse of negotiations at the July ministerial meeting of the WTO IN Geneva, Switzerland, which had lasted 10 days.…

By Alan Osborn

Metrology, the science of measurement, has not figured largely in European research activities to date but that may change now that the European Union (EU) member states have come down in its favour and promised EU money to support it.…

By Keith Nuthall

WE all know about Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. These social utility websites allow us all to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, exchange messages, post pictures and play silly games – such as throwing a digital sheep at someone or giving them a pixellated hellraiser cocktail.…

By Keith Nuthall

Research funding for a global project that seeks to harness the thermodynamics of the stars to create a sustainable and safe nuclear fusion reactor is starting to be released. A consortium of 14 research teams from across Europe has been formed to create a computer simulation of the international ITER fusion reactor, to model the technology required to operate it safely.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

NORWAY is being threatened with legal action at the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) Court over alleged discriminatory taxation of imported non-refillable beverage packaging. Under Norway’s membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), it cannot tax products made in other EEA states [the European Union and EFTA, minus Switzerland] differently from Norwegian products.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A POWERFUL international bloc is debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement insisting upon cooperation over fighting fake food products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea in Geneva.…

BY PACIFICA GODDARD, in Caracas

IN Latin America, the combination of economic growth, weak law enforcement, and a culture that turns a blind eye to corruption, creates an increasingly fertile setting for a variety of commercial crimes, Pacifica Goddard reports from Caracas.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A GROUP of influential countries are debating forging an international anti-counterfeiting of goods agreement, which would see them cooperate against the production and trade in fake tobacco products. Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have been discussing the idea in Geneva.…

BY BILL CORCORAN, in Lilongwe, Malawi

A NEW initiative to improve the health, wealth and environment of Africans is being driven by the Kyoto Protocol’s international trades in carbon credits. This allows wealthy developed countries to scale back their emission reductions, if they can invest in slashing greenhouse gas pollution abroad.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A SIGNIFICANT new phase in the application of the European Union’s (EU) crucial REACH regulation for controlling the use of chemicals throughout the 27 EU countries came into effect at the beginning of June. This involved the invoking of a deadline essentially giving the cosmetics and other chemical-based industries six months to lodge registration, pre-registration and other notifications before risking their products being banned.…

BY BILL CORCORAN, in Lilongwe, Malawi

THE WIDESPREAD implementation of new technological developments in Malawi’s flue-cured tobacco process could enable local producers to dramatically increase their output and its quality, according to industry experts.

Results from tests run during Malawi’s latest tobacco curing season using a new method of heating have shown a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency over standard methods, and an improved quality of the end product compared to traditionally cured tobacco.…

BY BILL CORCORAN, in Lilongwe, Malawi

THE WIDESPREAD implementation of new technological developments in Malawi’s flue-cured tobacco process could enable local producers to dramatically increase their output and its quality, according to industry experts.

Results from tests run during Malawi’s latest tobacco curing season using a new method of heating have shown a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency over standard methods, and an improved quality of the end product compared to traditionally cured tobacco.…

By Monica Dobie

European university scientists are at the heart of a research project is developing a solar powered aircraft that could fly around the world without fuel. This development may have a significantly positive impact on the environment in the long term, as well as a potentially huge overhaul of the airline industry, should the technology become widely adopted.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

LARGE mining companies take the environment seriously today, maybe rather more than in times past. They are devoting significant resources to reducing or mitigating the environmental problems caused by mining. But what about the small and artisanal mines that pepper much of the developing world?…

BY MONICA DOBIE

A EUROPEAN research project is developing a solar powered aircraft that could fly around the world without fuel, a development that may have a significantly positive impact on the environment as well as a potentially huge overhaul of the airline industry.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

ETHIOPIA COMMODITY EXCHANGE OPENS

ETHIOPIA has opened a commodity exchange, designed to bring order to the country’s often chaotic food markets. Their informality effectively forces farmers to sell locally to traders they know and trust. This prevents commodities moving from regions where there is abundance to those where there are shortages, intensifying the risk of famine and for prices to plummet in districts with a production glut.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

YOU would think it would be possible to ensure that liquids capable of making explosives are not taken on to aircraft without at the same time requiring the confiscation of countless bottles of duty-free from passengers at airports every day.…

By Keith Nuthall

A UNITED Nations-sponsored global initiative to encourage business schools to teach and promote social and environmentally responsible commercial practices has gathered a critical mass of support. More than 100 business schools worldwide have now signed up to the Principles for Responsible Management Initiative.…

By Keith Nuthall

The long-sidelined services portion of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round is to get a push, reawakening hopes that access to foreign higher education markets could improve in global trade deal maybe coming this year.

WTO director general Pascal Lamy has launched "horizontal talks" at the trade body, which will allow negotiators to discuss the liberalisation of global services markets, food, industrial goods and other issues simultaneously.…

By Keith Nuthall

Imagine an intelligent transport system so clever, that it could tell a motorist how fast to drive in a city to avoid all red lights in a given journey. And then also imagine a system that could also advise a driver how to motor at the most constant speed possible, avoiding unnecessary accelerations and braking, saving gallons of fuel and engine wear-and-tear to boot.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

IMAGINE an intelligent transport system so clever, that it could tell a motorist how fast to drive in a city to avoid all red lights in a given journey. And then also imagine a system that could also advise a driver how to motor at the most constant speed possible, avoiding unnecessary accelerations and braking, saving gallons of fuel and engine wear-and-tear to boot.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) seven-year-old Doha Development Round maybe drawing towards a close, the cosmetics, soap and perfumery industries might start considering that a final deal may lead to the elimination of most import duties on their products, worldwide.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) seven-year-old Doha Development Round maybe drawing towards a close, the plastics industry might start considering that a final deal may lead to the elimination of most import duties on its products worldwide.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) seven-year-old Doha Development Round maybe drawing towards a close, the paint industry might start to consider that a final deal may well lead to the elimination of most import duties on paints and coatings, worldwide.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AIRPORTS Council International (ACI Europe) has warned air passengers arriving in the European Union (EU), Switzerland, Norway and Iceland with duty free alcohol purchased at non-EU airports or non-EU airlines still cannot take these products onto connecting flights.…

BY MARK ROWE

THE ANNOUNCEMENT by the UK government that it intends to build a new generation of nuclear power plants stands out, not just because of the scale of the proposals, but because it is the first such comprehensive initiative in Europe for some years.…

BY LUCY JONES, in Dallas; ALAN OSBORN, in London; KARRYN CARTELLE, in Tokyo; BILL CORCORAN, in Johannesburg; PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut; RACHEL JONES, in Caracas; MARK ROWE; and KEITH NUTHALL

WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round being slow to proceed since its 2001 launch – and only this year approaching something resembling and end game – free traders wanting to encourage global commerce have looked to bilateral and regional trade deals.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AIRPORTS Council International (Europe) has advised that air passengers arriving in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland with duty free perfumes purchased at non-EU airports or on non-EU airlines still cannot take these products onto connecting flights.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WITH the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) seven-year-old Doha Development Round maybe drawing towards a close, the pharmaceutical industry might start to consider that a final deal could lead to the elimination of most import duties on drugs and medicines, traded worldwide.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

HEAVIER vehicles such as SUVs and luxury models will be able to breach a proposed European Union (EU) carbon dioxide cap, under formally proposed legislation now tabled by the European Commission. Pressure from German manufacturers forced Brussels into abandoning an absolute cap for all new models of 130 grams of CO2 per kilometre.…

BY KEITH NOYAHR, in Colombo

SRI Lanka’s Tamil Tigers have stepped up commercial crime across continents to fund what they call the "final war" of separation, now the formal ceasefire with the govern,ent has ended. But, the foundation to pursue such sophisticated crime was laid during Sri Lanka’s highly internationalised peace process, reports Keith Noyahr from Colombo.…

BY Monica Dobie

A Hungarian university has shown that computer programmes and algorithms can accurately classify different types of dog barks, and in some instances better than trained dog lovers, according to new research published in the journal Animal Cognition.

Lead researcher, Csaba Molnár and his team from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary analysed 6,000 barks from 14 Hungarian sheepdogs in six different situations: ‘stranger’, ‘fight’, ‘walk’, ‘alone’, ‘ball’ and ‘play’.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WORLD food standards body the Codex Alimentarius has released final drafts of three new global food safety guidelines, which it wants to formally approve at a meeting of its ruling commission in Geneva, Switzerland, in June and July.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has opened a 1,900 tonne annual quota for duty free imports into the EU from Switzerland of boneless ham in brine (enclosed in a bladder or artificial gut); smoked boneless pork chops; pork sausages (excluding wild boar); and pork neck.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A REVISED food trade deal has been negotiated between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland, which includes low or duty-free quotas for EU and Swiss confectionary ingredients. Examples include imports into the EU of cherries, raspberries and other sweet fruits, and imports into Switzerland of EU nuts, sweet fruits and acacia honey.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round moves towards completion, a big push is underway to see a wine and spirits geographical indication register established within final deal. A WTO special group for the issue met yesterday (Mon Dec 3) and supporters of the register pushed for full negotiations on the issue, ending technical discussions that have dragged on for years.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round moves towards completion, a big push is underway to see a wine and spirits geographical indication register established within final deal. A WTO special group for the issue met yesterday (Mon Dec 3) and supporters of the register pushed for full negotiations on the issue, ending technical discussions that have dragged on for years.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

THE INTERNATIONAL Formula Council (IFC) has dismissed safety fears about liquid infant formula following claims by the Washington DC-based Environmental Working Group (EWG) that the food is sold in cans lined with bisphenol A (BPA) a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen, posing a potential health threat to infants.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Development Round moves towards completion, a big push is underway to see a wine and spirits geographical indication register established within final deal. A WTO special group for the issue met yesterday (Mon Dec 3) and supporters of the register pushed for full negotiations on the issue, ending technical discussions that have dragged on for years.…

BY MARK ROWE and PAUL COCHRANE

IT is something of an understatement to describe Iran as a peripheral player on the international paint scene. The country’s share of the world market in paints and varnishes in 2007 is, according to research analysts Gobi International, just 0.5%.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

SWITZERLAND’S Nestlé, the world’s biggest food and beverage company, played down reports that it had been fined Euro 6.2 million for participating in a Greek dairy cartel. Speaking to just-food.com the company’s spokesman François-Xavier Perroud said he was aware of press reports to this effect, but stressed that over the past two years "Nestlé has not been in the milk market at all in Greece."…

BY MARK ROWE

SWITZERLAND’S competition and monopolies agency Comco has explained its concerns to just-food.com behind its launch of a four-month investigation into Swiss-based Coop’s planned acquisition of Carrefour’s stake in retailer Distributis AG amid concerns that the move may breach competition laws.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has circulated throughout the European Union (EU) series of consumer alerts made over potentially harmful nail polish receiving retail bans in member states. Using its RAPEX alert service, the Commission warned of a marketing ban in Estonia of US-made nail polish range Pinnacle.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has opened a 1,900 tonne quota for duty free imports into the EU from Switzerland of boneless ham in brine; smoked boneless pork chops; pork sausages; and pork neck.

ENDS…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

MANY European academics and experts in the study of commercial crime are more than happy to discuss the state of play in the sector in an informal way with outsiders; others may be a little more cautious. But all are likely to suggest ways to gain further assistance.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

European Commission officials are deciding whether to launch legal action against 22 member states of the European Union (EU) who have failed to implement key legislation allowing researchers to move between EU universities. Because non-EU researchers have faced burdensome immigration procedures when undertaking research projects involving working at different European universities, the EU approved a ‘researchers’ visa’ directive in 2005, ordering member states to introduce a fast-track immigration system.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has conformed it has raided a group of international freight forwarders in an anti-trust inquiry into price fixing allegations. European financial newspapers have since reported that Switzerland’s Kuehne & Nagel International and Panalpina Welttransport Holding have admitted being raided, as has the Zurich-based Schenker transport unit of German railway corporation Deutsche Bahn.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

Brussels

A TEAM of European and Asian researchers has linked more than 40,000 computers across 45 countries to speed studies into developing an anti-viral drug that can defeat bird flu. Funded by the European Union’s (EU) Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) project, the computing grid is analysing the potential of more than 500,000 drug-like molecules.…

BY KARRYN CARTELLE

THE SIGNING of a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States is expected to fuel an already booming seafood trade. And with the Koreans having a host of other FTAs in the works, it appears this seafood-producing nation will use free trade agreements to push its seafood products to every continent.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has the proposed acquisition of Novartis’s Gerber baby-food business by Switzerland’s Nestlé. Although the merging businesses offer some similar manufactured baby food in Poland, Cyprus, Iceland and Portugal, Brussels concluded there was no serious competition risk.…

BY MARK ROWE

CONCERNS over the way in which soybean production takes place have led to calls for the Brazilian government to dramatically escalate its efforts to clean up the industry. Groups campaigning for a socially and environmentally responsible approach to soy production have called on the Brazilian government to speed up the process of providing satellite images that can map the scale of soy-related deforestation, and regulate the ownership of land earmarked for soy production.…

BY MONICA DOBIE

FOOD prices in the UK and Ireland have reached Scandinavian levels according to the European Union’s (EU) statistics agency, Eurostat.
In 2006, Ireland-sold milk, cheese and eggs, for instance, cost 126% of the EU average, and they were 115% in the UK, compared with 104% in Sweden and 110% in Finland.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

SWITZERLAND has asked the European Commission to register the name of the well-known Swiss cheese Gruyère under regulations providing it with protected designation of origin under European Union (EU) law. The request was made on July 6, less than two weeks after France made a similar request in respect of cheese of the same name.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers and judges set important precedents affecting the financial arrangements of utilities last week. The European Union (EU) Council of Ministers gave special permission for waiving VAT for commercial supplies to build a power station spanning the border of Austria and Switzerland, which is not an EU member state.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
CROSS-BORDER flows of electricity within the European Union, Norway and Switzerland increased between 2003 and 2005 by just 0.7% to 10% of all electricity consumed in the bloc, said a report on the weak progress in such energy trades.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
STEERING wheelchairs by brainwaves along may seem science fiction, but it may become a welcome reality for people suffering from paralysis with very limited mobility.

Scientists working for the European Union (EU) funded research project MAIA have developed special software allowing a person to control wheelchairs mentally.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE NUCLEAR energy industry has always been a global business, and since the fall of communism, it has become more, not less international. As a result, the need for common standards and practices, relevant to the industry, its suppliers and its customers is becoming increasingly important.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE FRENCH tobacco market is astir and it’s quite possible that such iconic brands as Gitanes and Gauloise, part of the Franco-Spanish Altardis group with some 30% of the French cigarette market, will no longer be independently owned by the year-end.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Free Trade Area (EFTA) of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein is planning to use the services of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was established as a European Union (EU) agency. A meeting of the European Economic Area council has noted that “EFTA participation…was close to being finalised”, and “looked forward” to a final decision.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Free Trade Area (EFTA) of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein is planning to use the services of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was established as a European Union (EU) agency.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
IT was with sound reasoning that the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) (NOTE: ISO USES AMERICAN SPELLING FOR ITS NAME) last year picked the paint and coatings sector to launch its new collection of CD compilations of its standards.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE POWER generation industry has always been a globalised business, especially regarding the manufacture of equipment, but with the opening of national electricity markets, especially in Europe, it has become increasingly international. As a result, the need for common standards and practices, relevant to the industry, its suppliers and its customers is becoming more and more important.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
As with many financial service providers in the EU, the definition of financial adviser differs, often significantly, from one country to another. In its very basic sense – i.e. the provision of financial advice pure and simple, without the add-on of other services that could involve the handling of client money – the profession of fee-paid advisor is a limited one and probably confined to only a few thousand people in Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.…

BY KARRYN CARTELLE
ASIA’S paint and coatings industry may be growing but South Korea’s share of the market is on the decline. Indeed, the South Korea sector’s annual sales of US$3 billion make a small contribution to the global industry, where demand is predicted to reach US$83 billion this year.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON
FIFTY years ago, the signing of the Euratom Treaty ushered in a system of European non-proliferation controls designed to prevent nuclear-associated technology being exploited for the illicit production of nuclear weaponry. And today, after the anniversary of the three agreements signed on March 25, 1957 that gave the European Communities – later the European Union (EU) – their legal basis, that ‘dual-use technology’ system continues to be refined.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A PLANNED forced merger of the carton packaging businesses of Norway Elopak and Switzerland’s SIG has been abandoned, after the European Commission opened a detailed competition inquiry. Brussels has acknowledged the deal has collapsed, with a public tender offer for SIG shares by Elopak owner Ferd and Luxembourg-based investment fund CVC failing.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
SWISS tobacco manufacturers are set to benefit from free trade agreement negotiations launched between the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) – of which Switzerland is a key member – and Tunisia. An EFTA note on the talks stressed that Switzerland’s third largest export item to Tunisia was tobacco, representing 10% of all consignments.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A REPORT from the US-based Biotechnology Industry Organisation for the US Trade Representative office has accused Switzerland an Israel of intellectual property violations in its sector, which covers bio-pharmaceuticals. Calling for Switzerland to be placed on a US-government watch list, it said reforms to the Swiss patent law agreed by the country’s national council in December could “undermine…patent protection for certain biotechnology inventions in Switzerland.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States’ diplomatic service is surely the largest and best resourced international network of experts in the world, and this is born out by the depth of the narcotics strategy report – or INCSR to use its acronym.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Brussels, and KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union VAT fraud is still growing at such a pace, that the accuracy of member states’ trade statistics remains under serious threat, a recent seminar of tax experts and accountants sponsored by the European Commission concluded.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has approved a third revision of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Pharma-GATT Agreement, removing import duties on 1,290 more pharmaceuticals and medicine ingredients traded between major manufacturing countries.

This agreement was originally framed in 1994, and has been updated twice to account for technical progress and expand its scope.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
UNIVERSITIES and colleges that promote the usefulness of global standards in research, business and public administration will be honoured this summer in new award launched by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). Nominations for entries have now closed and winners of the Swiss Francs 15,000 (GBPounds 6,143) ISO Award for Higher Education in Standardisation will be will be announced in September 2007, at the ISO general assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has cleared the acquisition from ICI of Dutch-registered flavourings and fragrances manufacturer Quest International by Switzerland-based Givaudan, which operates in the same sector.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
IN today’s highly competitive energy sector, oil and gas companies and their suppliers are always looking for an edge over rivals, especially in technology. So it can only be good news that the European Union (EU) will from this year until 2013 be spending Euro 2.3 billion on energy studies through its ‘seventh framework programme’, its largest ever research spending scheme, commanding budgets worth Euro 53.2 billion in total.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) is catching up with the United States in innovation, a European Commission-financed statistical report has claimed, although the US still has many significant advantages. This year’s European Innovation Scoreboard (2006) concludes: “The innovation gap between the EU [minus new members Bulgaria and Romania] and Japan, and in particular with the US is decreasing.”…

BY ALAN OSBORN
AN odd fact about Serbia today is that hardly anybody in the country seems curious about the way its official government financial figures don’t remotely add up. The authors of a US-sponsored report for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) published last October – ‘Money Laundering and Predicate Crime in Serbia 2000-2005’ – acknowledge the conventional shortages of staff and computers but say they “hit on a more fundamental void: lack of curiosity.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
IMPORT duties on tobacco products shipped from the Lebanon to the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries have become duty free under a wide-ranging commercial agreement, which came into force on January 1. The EFTA-Lebanon Free Trade Agreement will also see Lebanese duties being cut from 2008, to be abolished entirely by 2015.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is pushing signatories to its new Protocol on Water and Health to its Convention on Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes to agree detailed targets on improving European water quality.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned of a boom in counterfeits of food and drink products entering the European Union, with more than 5 million fake items seized by customs officials last year. This is 118% compared with the numbers of seizures in 2004 – the first time the food/drink category has exceeded 5 million.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned of a boom in counterfeits of food and drink products entering the European Union, with more than 5 million fake items seized by customs officials last year. This is 118% more than the numbers of seizures in 2004, the first time the food/drink category has exceeded 5 million.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned of a continued surge in counterfeits of cigarettes entering the European Union (EU), with more than 32.6 million fake packets seized by customs officials last year. That said, this actually represents a fall in numbers from 2004, being 78% of the 41 million seized in that year.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE MULTILATERAL Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), of the World Bank, has underwritten the establishment of a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Afghanistan, that will initially produce 300 to 400 million generic antibiotic and analgesic tablets a year. It has issued guarantees worth US$429,840 to Business Humanitarian Forum Association of Geneva, Switzerland, covering its stake in Baz International Pharmaceutical Company (BIPC).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned of a continued boom in counterfeits of clothing and accessory products entering the European Union (EU), with more than 10.9 million fake items seized by customs officials last year. This is 140% more than the numbers of seizures in 2004.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has warned of a continued boom in counterfeits of clothing and accessory products entering the European Union (EU), with more than 10.9 million fake items seized by customs officials last year. This is 140% more than the numbers of seizures in 2004.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has reported a fall in seizures of counterfeit goods by European Union (EU) customs authorities, with the number of articles seized in 2005 being 73% over 2004 numbers, although the final 2005 tally was still 75 million.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WITH global trade ever increasing, and the power of brands to generate massive profits made starkly clear with every company report, the counterfeiting of goods is one of international organised crime’s major boom areas. The European Commission has been researching the threat posed from around the world.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CANADA, with Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, has successfully scuppered plans to place chrysotile asbestos on the ‘watch list’ of the United Nations’ Rotterdam Convention, which would have allowed importing countries to insist on prior consent before admitting any cargoes.…

BY MARK ROWE

CONFECTIONARY production is a never-ending battle to balance the ‘feel-good’ factor of products such as a chocolate and cakes with increasing consumer demands for healthy living and enhanced nutrition, according to a leading food scientist.

Dr Johan Ubbink, a senior research scientist and department group leader at the Nestlé Research Centre for Food and Life Sciences in Lausanne, Switzerland, acknowledged that, while chocolate cake would never be the healthiest thing you could eat, research was embracing new technologies that could mitigate the negative effects of confectionary.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) VAT laws can be mightily complex, and offer plenty of opportunities for fraudsters revelling in regulations lacking in clarity and simplicity. Add high technology to the mix and carousel fraud was born. It’s a problem that has sparked tough police action and regulatory reform.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) director general Pascal Lamy has welcomed a proposal from the United States and Switzerland to expand the group of countries charging no import duties on medicine imports. Speaking to the Assembly of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, Lamy regretted the summer suspension of the WTO Doha round, but claimed WTO initiatives on generic medicines and this zero-duty initiative was having an effect.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has been authorised by the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers to negotiate a comprehensive energy agreement with Switzerland, which would see the landlocked country participating in liberalised EU electricity markets. A memorandum from the council confirmed that the Swiss would have to sign onto EU electricity market rules, including those on trading power and allowing the purchase by EU operators of Switzerland generators.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

KOSOVO differs from all other countries that the Money Laundering Bulletin has surveyed so far in the context of money laundering in that it has no defined and internationally recognised final shape – neither in respect of its borders nor in the composition of its government.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CANADA, in alliance with Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, has successfully scuppered plans to place chrysotile asbestos on the ‘watch list’ of the United Nations’ Rotterdam Convention, a move that would have allowed importing countries to insist on prior consent before admitting any cargoes of this mineral.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) funded research project has developed a system for integrating tiny stainless-steel wires within fabrics, which are designed to ferry information about the wearer’s vital signs to electronic monitors. The aim of the Euro 4 million WEALTHY project has been to create a "groundbreaking woven sensing interface to be worn without any discomfort" that can be plugged into monitors at home or work, downloading important medical data to doctors at remote locations.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

WHEN Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle became the executive director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) earlier this year, she said a key priority would be improving cooperation between her agency and national food safety organisations across Europe.

The Frenchwoman has had a strong start to her job, moving ahead with a number of projects and making sure EFSA dovetails with national agencies has been one.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) national food regulators have today (Friday 29 Sept) signed a ‘declaration of intent’ committing them to developing a detailed cooperation system with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). At a meeting of the EFSA Advisory Forum in Berne, Switzerland, Europe’s food health gatekeepers agreed to draft an agreement by the New Year.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON, in London

A CAR that can think for its driver is a step nearer reality, thanks to a new European Union (EU)-funded project now underway in Switzerland. The 10-partner BACS (Bayesian Approach to Cognitive Systems) project, co-ordinated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, is creating thinking robots that can react in the right way to incomplete information, in the same way that humans and animals do.…

BY MARK ROWE

WHILE personal care product sales for the 15 countries that made up the European Union (EU) before 2003, plus Switzerland and Norway, increased by just 1% in 2005/2006 on the previous year – eastern Europe is a more enticing prospect for the industry, and has been singled out by major organisations and companies as a shining light for sales, investment and production.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission is offering a comprehensive European Union (EU) free-trade deal to Russia, to secure cheaper and more reliable gas and oil supplies. Commission president José Manuel Barroso said the EU will offer this to Russia once it has joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO), maybe this year.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SWITZERLAND, Andorra, the Cook Islands and Samoa have been singled out in an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report (OECD) for still applying a restrictive ‘dual criminality’ principle in swapping sensitive tax administration with other governments. In a comprehensive report on tax havens, the OECD notes that Switzerland, a member government, has also not adopted a common definition of tax fraud, which was drawn up for members to deal with these problems: under dual criminality rules, governments refuse to hand over data, where they think a foreign customer of a bank in its jurisdiction would be behaving legally in its own domestic system, even if their home country considers them guilt of tax fraud.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE COMMITTEE on milk and milk products of world food standards body Codex Alimentarius is developing a new draft standard for blends of evaporated skimmed milk and vegetable fat. Assuming it is adopted, it would define these products as “recombining milk constituents and potable water, or by the partial removal of water and the addition of edible vegetable oil…fat or a mixture”.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

SCOTTISH & Newcastle’s long-term bid to offer distribution services to its rivals has been approved on competition grounds by the European Commission, which has cleared the international joint venture underpinning the move. The British brewer is teaming up with Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) Logistics Ltd, part of the Switzerland-based Kuehne+Nagel Group.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) is expected to adopt this November an updated Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Underground Coalmines, designed to improve conditions in what is still a high-risk working environment. This follows the acceptance of a new draft at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, by 23 experts representing worker organisations, employers and governments.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

FORMAL approval has been secured at the European Parliament for renewing the European Union’s (EU) Marco Polo freight transport investment programme, with a Euro 400 million budget being set for 2007-13. Local authorities with interests in ports are well placed to secure funds, with a priority being short sea shipping routes, to make maritime transport more attractive, cutting road journeys.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A SWISS sportswear company has launched a European Union (EU) Court of First Instance case to secure EU-wide trademark rights to the controversial name ‘Binladin’ for clothing and headgear. Falcon Sporting Goods is appealing against a registration refusal by EU’s Office for Harmonisation for the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs) – OHIM on "public policy" "morality" grounds.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

CITIZENS of a Swiss canton have exercised direct democracy to ban smoking from local bars, nightclubs and restaurants. The proposal was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, north of Milan, with 79.1% (90,384) voting in favour, against 20.9% voting against (23,945).…

BY ALAN OSBORN

FACT BOX

Population: approx. 35,000

Number of students at the university: about 840

Percentage of its students who are Liechtensteiners: about 85%

Percentage of Liechtensteiners who attend university: about 30%

INTERVIEW

IT says something about the University of Liechtenstein that most of its masters programmes are taught in English even though the inhabitants of this tiny Alpine principality speak German and the country itself is sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

DEBATES are continuing in European Union (EU) institutions over whether general vaccination is a safe response to Europe’s growing bird flu problem. With Germany, France, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Greece, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy all reporting new cases, the EU’s Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has approved the first vaccination campaigns.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Environment Agency (EEA) has launched a research project aiming to document the effects of long-term, low exposure to toxic metals, such as mercury and lead, with the aim of influencing – probably tightening – future pollution controls.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Environment Agency (EEA) has launched a research project aiming to document the effects of long-term, low exposure to toxic metals, such as mercury and lead, to influence future pollution controls. Although many metals have been proven toxic in sufficient quantities, much less is known about the damage caused by trace elements in water, the atmosphere and soil.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

FURTHER global restrictions on the tobacco industry are to be developed, the first Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has decided. Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, diplomats established working groups to develop legally binding protocols, using the convention as their authority, that further limit cross-border tobacco advertising and smuggling.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A SWISS sportswear company has launched a case at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) Court of First Instance to secure European Union (EU)-wide trademark rights to the controversial name ‘Binladin’. Falcon Sporting Goods is appealing against a registration refusal by EU’s Office for Harmonisation for the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs) – OHIM.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH, in Helsinki

BY its own lights Finland is a model of Nordic virtue and is snooty about crime in neighbouring countries round the Baltic. But Interpol begs to differ, ranking Finnish criminality as high for an industrialised economy.…

BY MARK ROWE
IN times of conflict, cultural property, such as archaeological sites, works of art, museums and monuments, can also suffer grievously at the hands of opposing military and guerrilla forces. In recognition of this, such objects are accorded protection by the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FIRST meeting of an Intergovernmental Forum for Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development, held in Geneva, Switzerland, has issued practical recommendations, such as capacity building and providing technical support to developing country mining regulators, plus information exchanges with developed country governments and mining companies.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FIRST meeting of an Intergovernmental Forum for Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development has been held, in Geneva, Switzerland, with delegates already issuing practical recommendations. The aim of this UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)-coordinated body is to promote growth through mining in developing and emerging economies, but in a way that does not built up legacy costs through environmental and health problems.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN plastics companies paid together hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in kickbacks to the toppled Saddam Hussein regime, the Independent Inquiry Committee into the UN Iraq Oil for Food programme scandal has claimed. A report said they paid Iraq to secure humanitarian supply contracts under the scheme, out of 2,200 companies overall.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FIRST meeting of an Intergovernmental Forum for Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development has been held, in Geneva, Switzerland, with delegates already issuing practical recommendations. The aim of this UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)-coordinated body is to promote growth through mining in developing and emerging economies, but in a way that does not built up legacy costs through environmental and health problems.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved the acquisition of joint control of seafood firm Nordsee, of Germany, by UK subsidiary of Japanese investment bank Nomura, a private investor Mr Heiner Kamps, and TML-Invest, of Switzerland, (owned by German food company the Müller Group).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
PHARMACEUTICAL companies paid together millions of dollars in kickbacks to the toppled Saddam regime, the Independent Inquiry Committee into the UN Iraq Oil for Food programme scandal has claimed. There were more than 250 medicine suppliers, from countries, many from the Middle East, but also a significant number from Europe, named in a report paying Iraq to secure humanitarian supply contracts.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved the acquisition of joint control of seafood firm Nordsee, of Germany, by a consortium involving the UK subsidiary of Japanese investment bank Nomura, a private investor Mr Heiner Kamps, and TML-Invest, of Switzerland, (owned by German food company the Müller Group).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
FERROUS and non-ferrous metal companies paid together millions of dollars in kickbacks to the toppled Saddam Hussein regime, the Independent Inquiry Committee into the UN Iraq Oil for Food programme scandal has claimed. More than 150 suppliers of ferrous metal products ranging from carbon steel plates, steel coil, steel joists, galvanised steel cores, steel bars, steel pipes, fabricated steel and others are named in the report, as are around 50 suppliers of aluminium, copper and lead.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice (ECJ) has dismissed a bid by Switzerland pharmaceutical manufacturer Alcon Inc. to secure a European Union trademark registration for the brand TRAVATAN to sell medicines and other healthcare products. The court backed France’s Biofarma SA, which claimed the mark would have been confused with its previously registered TRIVASTAN brand, used to sell a medicine treating vascular problems in brains, eyes and ears.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
DYE supplies companies paid together hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in kickbacks to the toppled Saddam Hussein regime, the Independent Inquiry Committee into the UN Iraq Oil for Food programme scandal has claimed. There were four dye suppliers named in a report paying Iraq to secure humanitarian supply contracts under the scheme, out of 2,200 companies overall.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Union (EU)-funded research project IntelliDrug is developing an oral drug delivery device placed next to a patient’s teeth, allowing them to eat and speak without impediment. The kit even looks similar to natural teeth and would be installed in the dental arch, said a European Commission note.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned major international donors have given only 20% of the money needed to control bird flu in poultry and animals before the epidemic spreads again this winter. The FAO wants mass vaccination campaigns in countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned major international donors have given only 20% of the money needed to control bird flu in poultry and animals before the epidemic spreads again this winter. The FAO wants mass vaccination campaigns in east Asian countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam, where the disease is most entrenched and from where a global epidemic is most likely to spring.…