Search Results for: united nations⊂mit=Search

BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS AMERICAN and British military forces secure control of Iraq from the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein using the latest military technology, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a cautionary report confirming for the first time that depleted uranium shells can and have contaminated drinking water.…

BY MARK ROWE
RUSSIA and vodka are inseparable bedfellows but is there room for a ménage-a-trois? Its domestic market for beer is booming, while abroad both Russian immigrant communities and western European and north American drinkers are enjoying the novelty factor of a quality brew from the traditional home of vodka.…

Keith Nuthall
WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) wine and spirits rules of origin register talks chairman Eui-yong Chung, of South Korea, has released his draft proposal designed to end the long running negotiations. It tries to crystallise positions so a deal can be struck at the WTO TRIPs council, July 2-3.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has released detailed information about pharmaceutical industry mutual recognition agreements struck between the European Union and the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These trade-enabling regulations are available at http://pharmacos.eudra.org/F2/mra/doc/mraeccan.pdf;

http://pharmacos.eudra.org/F2/mra/doc/mraecus.pdf;

http://pharmacos.eudra.org/F2/mra/doc/mraeccau.pdf; and

http://pharmacos.eudra.org/F2/mra/doc/mraecnz.pdf…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States Trade Representative office has published the details of the unconfirmed textile trade agreement that the USA has negotiated with Vietnam. It is available on the Internet at

http://www.ustr.gov/regions/asia-pacific/2003-04-25-Vietnam-textiles-summary.pdf…

BY PHILIP FINE

THE UNITED States senate is examining a new air cargo bill that would impact upon British security companies and professionals working in the shipping and airline industries. The senate’s committee on commerce, science, and transportation has approved and moved an Air Cargo Security Act aimed to strengthen security on flights into the US, notably on the busy trans-Atlantic run.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States, with Argentina, Canada and Egypt have decided to challenge at the WTO the EU’s five-year de facto moratorium on imports of biotech foods and crops. EU trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said Brussels would fight the case, maintaining that “the EU’s regulatory system for GMO’s authorisation is in line with WTO rules.”…

BY PHILIP FINE

THE UNITED States needs to better link its federal and state food safety rules, says a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Washington’s official think-tank. It also recommends integrating information on pathogens that US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration gather through food sampling, with public health agencies’ surveillance data on food-borne diseases.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Labour Organisation (ILO) has released a detailed report warning that the globalisation of the world’s utilities is leading to job losses in the energy and water sectors, with only the roll-out of new infrastructure and services in developing countries likely to generate employment.…

BY PHILIP FINE

SEVERAL major bacterial food-borne illnesses seem to be on the decline in the United States, according to a recent survey of clinical laboratories that test for infection. In their annual release of data, the US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveyed labs that serve 13 per cent of the American population and found that sustained progress is being made in meeting the national health objectives for illnesses caused by listeria and campylobacter, when comparing 2002 data with 1996-2001 numbers.…