Search Results for: World Trade Organisation

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FIRST livestock census in Afghanistan has shown that 10 years would be needed to naturally restore national herds to an economically sustainable level, following losses caused by 22 years of war. The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation said there are currently 3.7 million cattle, 8.8 million sheep, 7.3 million goats and 12.2 million poultry in the country.…

BY PHILIP FINE

SWEET drinks are helping to increase daily caloric averages, according to a study published in the USA’s Obesity Research. The research found average world consumption up by 74 calories a day, with sugar making up a larger proportion of that increase.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MEAT purchase tax imposed by the French government on meat retailers is illegal under European state aid law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. It said that the tax, which funds the free disposal of carcasses and slaughterhouse waste, is a subsidy that places French meat producers at an unfair advantage in the European Union (EU) export market against competitors from other Member States.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Commission president Romano Prodi has announced a string of reforms designed to further toughen his organisation’s ability to fight internal fraud and mismanagement. Stung by criticisms following the Eurostat scandal that he has failed to deliver on his goal of squashing European Union (EU) financial misconduct, he told the European Parliament’s budgetary affairs committee that the Commission would increase the political responsibility of Commissioners for the actions of their officers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union ministers have approved the accession of the EU as a full member of the world food standards body Codex Alimentarius.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL and ALAN OSBORN
EUROPEAN Commission president Romano Prodi has announced a string of reforms designed to further toughen his organisation’s ability to fight internal fraud and mismanagement. Stung by criticisms following the Eurostat scandal that he has failed to deliver on his goal of squashing European Union (EU) financial misconduct, he told the European Parliament’s budgetary affairs committee that the Commission would increase the political responsibility of Commissioners for the actions of their officers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
POLITICAL pressure applied by the European Union (EU) on its Member States to improve the environmental performance of their water sectors is failing to achieve the desired results, according to a report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations (UN) has framed a new anti-corruption convention and its established convention against organised crime is now coming into force. Keith Nuthall examines what this will mean for businesses, banks and governments.

THE COMMERCIAL world is often doubtful about the value of international conventions fighting crime, but their texts do at least reflect a global consensus amongst concerned governments.…

BY DEIRDRE MASON
DECLARATIONS of intent on tackling climate change are no longer good enough, delegates to last week’s (Nov4-5) Royal Institute on International Affairs/Carbon Trust conference on delivering climate technology was told by a senior executive from Italy’s environment ministry.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
THE UNITED States is to slap quota limits on imports of Chinese knitted fabrics, brassieres and dressing gowns, because it claims a surge in imports from China has disrupted its markets and could endanger US textile industry employment.…