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.
AMAZONIA'S DESTRUCTION COULD STALL THE EU-MERCOSUR DEAL’S BOOST TO TEXTILE TRADE WITH BRAZIL
AFTER 20 years of negotiations the European Union (EU)-Mercosur trade deal, which has boosted hopes for increased can and associated materials trades with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, is now at risk of being blocked ahead of its ratification.
Furious about ongoing deforestation and wildfires in Amazonia, EU countries, including influential countries France and Ireland, have warned that they are ready to block the deal because of alleged breaches by Brazil of its international environmental commitments.…
NEW EU ENERGY COMMISSIONER WILL SEEK TO SWAP PETRO-DOLLARS FOR PETRO-EUROS
THE INCOMING new European Union (EU) energy Commissioner has pledged to increase the role of the Euro in energy markets, instead of the US dollar. Former Estonian minister for economic affairs and infrastructure Kadri Simson, then responsible her country’s energy policy, is expected to assume her new EU role on November 1, when a new European Commission takes office.…
BREXIT COULD BOOST ML AND TF RISKS IN REMAINING MEMBERS OF EU, WARN REGULATORS
THE POTENTIALLY imminent Halloween withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (EU) could create a significant increased risk of money laundering and terror finance in countries remaining within the EU, financial institution regulators have warned.
A joint opinion, from the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) said that national EU AML/CFT and other financial regulators may struggle to maintain effective ML/TF controls as companies quit the UK for new legal homes in the remaining EU to stay within the European single market.…
NEW EUROPEAN COMMISSION MAY PUSH HARMONISATION OF EU FOOD LABELLING
THE INCOMING European Commission, under a new president Ursula von der Leyen, may seek to further harmonise European Union (EU) food labelling rules, especially demanding more transparency on nutrition, a response to a European Parliament questionnaire have indicated.
This pledge comes from the nominee for new EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, a Cypriot parliamentarian, whose EU role includes being responsible for food safety and standards across the union.…
JAPAN’S PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR REMAINS IN THE DOLDRUMS
Japan’s sluggish paint and coatings industry is showing little indication of a dramatic up-tick in its fortunes, despite domestic giants looking to innovative new products and acquiring some major players in overseas markets to drive future growth.
And with a worsening trade war between China and the United States threatening to tip the global economy into recession, on top of a deepening bilateral dispute with South Korea, a major market for Japanese paint, analysts suggest the next few years may be challenging for the sector. …
OUTSOURCING CENTRES IN ASIA UNDERSTAND BENEFIT OF DIGITAL WEAVING TECHNOLOGY – BUT INVESTMENT CAN BE EXPENSIVE
OUTSOURCING centres in Asia for the international textile sector are increasingly adopting digital technologies to improve the efficiency of their weaving, as they compete for business from clothing manufacturers and brands.
Bangladesh weavers are becoming increasingly tech-savvy to improve efficiency while driving down costs.…
WORK ON SAFETY STANDARDS FOR EMERGING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IS NEEDED, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TOLD
THE DEVELOPMENT of uniform safety standards to help reduce the number of reputation-damaging accidents occurring as automated vehicles are rolled out commercially is of key importance, a CAV Canada conference (connected and autonomous vehicles) in Canada has been told.
Sasha Ostojic, a board member of California-based autonomous vehicle company Zoox, and a former senior vice president engineering at GM’s Cruise Automation, said of the current American system, where manufacturers are protecting their CAV IP and not sharing safety information: “I truly think this is a problem.…
PHILIPPINES AND THAILAND CONTINUE TRADE LAW BATTLE OVER ACCESS TO THAI TOBACCO MARKET
THE PHILIPPINES and Thailand cigarette industries are still fighting a long trade dispute that has seen litigation rumble through the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since 2008. That year, the Philippines government lodged a series of complaints with the WTO’s disputes settlement body (DSB) that the Thai Customs Department had imposed unjust restrictions on imports of cigarettes from the Philippines.…
CHINA-US TRADE WAR MAY WORRY MARKETS – BUT NORTH AMERICAN NONWOVENS FUNDAMENTALS ARE STRONG
While the USA-China trade war currently dominates headlines, nonwovens analysts predict it will be a “relatively short-term” issue and not harm north America’s growing nonwovens market in the longer term.
With smart applications and sustainability driving the sector worldwide, the north American nonwovens market looks set to capitalise on these growth areas, aiding recovery from a past 10 years marred by economic weakness and volatile crude oil prices.…
USA LEADS CUTTING EDGE MILITARY FABRIC RESEARCH THAT TRIES TO ANTICIPATE FUTURE THREATS
MILITARIES try to outsmart the enemy, and researchers tasked with producing textiles to aid effective missions are often told to create materials that could defeat imagined as-yet unconfirmed threats.
“Intelligence shares what threats might look like and we look to address them before anything happens,” said Richard M Arndt, public affairs officer with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center, based in Maryland.…