Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
SPIRALLING COVID-19 CASES THWARTS MALAWI UNIVERSITIES RE-OPENING
Malawi’s higher education sector will not be open for business as usual this week (from July 13), despite earlier government recommendations that the country’s Covid-19 lockdown (in place since March 23) be lifted. This is because the country is facing spiralling infection rate and death rates from the coronavirus.…
STATISTICAL OFFICE SAYS UK CYBER-FRAUDS ON THE INCREASE
THE UK’S Office of National Statistics (ONS) has reported a 23% year-on-year increase in computer-related fraud incidents referred to Britain’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) for the year to March 31, compared to the same period in 2018-19. The 26,215 offences were notified to the NFIB by Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.…
FOOD INDUSTRY CALLS FOR SMARTER RISK ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICALS WITHIN REVAMPED EU CONTROL SYSTEM
ENVIRONMENTAL good practice is at the heart of policy-making for the current European Commission, which took office last November under its new president Ursula von der Leyen. A range of initiatives under the European Green Deal umbrella have already been launched and one of the latest – a review of European Union (EU) chemical rules – will impact the EU food industry.…
EUROPEAN DAIRY SECTOR ENCOURAGED BY RUSSIA LOOSENING IMPORT BAN TO COPE WITH COVID-19
Moscow’s action on 90% demineralized whey powder followed up an announcement made in March 19 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that from March 20 “for one month, all restrictions on the supply of essential goods, including customs, are cancelled”. This was followed up by a government plan allowing for the easing of sanctions-related restrictions – see http://static.government.ru/media/files/vBHd4YRxpULCaUNNTFLVpPSZbMCIA2Zq.pdf…
GROWING DESIRE FOR WELLNESS EXPANDS SALE OF NICHE BEAUTY PRODUCTS FOR EXERCISE AND ATHLETICS
Comprised of a dry shampoo, deodorant, face moisturiser, lip balm, and more recently, body lotion, the line is sold only in North America and available in gym or travel sizes. “For over 20 years, lululemon has been focused on solving athletes’ needs.…
EGYPT'S CLOTHING SECTOR SUFFERS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, EVEN THOUGH FACTORIES HAVE REMAINED OPEN
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.…
BENIN’S UNIVERSITIES RESUME ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES, BUT NIGERIA-BASED OVERSEAS STUDENTS STRUGGLE TO RETURN TO CLASS
THE HIGHER education system in the Francophone west African country of Benin is getting back to work, after the government said a ban on classes being held to fight the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic would end on May 11.
However, while the public higher education segment has quickly returned to teaching, partly leveraging a new remote learning system, the country’s private universities have struggled to return to normal, with one major obstacle being cross-border movement controls imposed on overseas students from Nigeria, who have been a key component of their classes.…
EU TO ENCOURAGE GREEN ENERGY FUNDING BY MEMBER STATES IN OTHER EU COUNTRIES
The European Commission is asking for comments from the energy sector and consumers on a draft new European Union (EU) financing system that will enable member states to finance renewable energy projects in other EU member states. The goal is to help EU countries with limited ability to establish renewable energy projects on their own territory, because of geographical, climatic or market saturation reasons, to finance projects in countries which have more potential to expand their renewable energy sectors.…
EUROSTAT SAYS EUROPE WAS REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS EVEN AHEAD OF COVID-19 CRISIS
Carbon emissions within the European Union were falling fast last year (2019) even before the Covid-19 crisis halted much of the EU economy and slashed CO2 releases, according to new figures from EU statistical agency Eurostat. It argues that tightening regulatory controls were the key reason for a 4.3% year-on-year EU-wide fall in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion (including oil and oil products, coal, peat and natural gas).…
HUNGARY REMAINS STRONG MARKET FOR TOBACCO WITHIN EUROPE, AS GOVERNMENT TARGETS SMUGGLERS WITH ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
HUNGARY continues to be an attractive market for tobacco majors, with its populist government seemingly determined to fight the European Union (EU) for the right to keep excise duties below EU mandated minimums, and the fact that, according to the OECD Country Health Profile 2019 official data (https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/hungary-country-health-profile-2019_4b7ba48c-en#page1…