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.
SCOTTISH SCIENTISTS CREATE AUTOMATED TASTE TESTER, WHICH COULD IDENTIFY COUNTERFEIT SCOTCH
Researchers have developed an artificial ‘tongue’ capable of tasting differences between whisky brands, which they hope will help tackle the market for counterfeit alcohol. Engineers and chemists from the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde in Scotland created a set of optical ‘tastebuds’ using sub-microscopic slices of gold and aluminium, arranged in a checkerboard pattern.…
US SENATE TO DEBATE WIDELY SUPPORTED BIPARTISAN LAW TO STRENGTHEN MEAT BORDER CHECKS
A bipartisan bill has been proposed in the United States Senate to fill what the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has warned is a shortage of nearly 700 agricultural inspectors at ports of entry.
The Protecting America’s Food & Agriculture Act of 2019, if approved, would authorises the annual hiring by the CBP of 240 agricultural specialists every year until the workforce shortage is filled.…
HIGH FASHION FOR PENNIES? ROMANIA’S CLOTHING AND TEXTILE WORKERS STILL STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET
ECONOMIC data show how Romanian clothing and textile workers are suffering from comparatively low wages, with increases lagging behind employees in other sectors.
Average monthly net wages for workers in Romania’s textile, garment and footwear industry reached Romanian Leu RON 2,280 (USD543) in December 2018, almost a third less than the national average of RON3,770 (USD897), according to statistics from Romania’s National Institute for Statistics (Institutul Național de Statistică – INSSE) and Romania’s National Bank (Banca Națională a României – BNR).…
EU COULD SANCTION COUNTRIES THAT OLAF SAYS MISSPEND FUNDS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) could introduce a warning and sanctioning system for member states that misspend EU funds, according to a leaked paper mapping out plans for the incoming executive European Commission due to take office November 1. Both the EU’s anti-fraud office OLAF and the future European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) would be key to identifying deficiencies, alongside reports from the European Court of Auditors (the EU financial watchdog), national audit bodies, police agency Europol and judicial agency Eurojust, plus what the paper calls “open sources”.…
GENERAL ELECTRIC LINKED TO USD38 BILLION ACCOUNTING FRAUD
The whistleblower who highlighted the infamous Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme is now pointing the finger in a new direction now, accusing General Electric (GE) of USD38 billion in accounting fraud. In a report called ‘General Electric, a bigger fraud than Enron’, Harry Markopolos contends US utility and electronics giant GE is heading for bankruptcy and accuses the conglomerate of hiding USD29 billion in long-term care losses. …
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL SHOULD PROMOTE FOOD, DRINK SALES
THE TRADE in food and drink between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is likely to intensify under a new trade deal between the two regional groupings. The agreement, which now needs ratification, will phase out Mercosur duties on 93% of EU exported food and drink product types, including those on wine (27%); spirits (20% to 35%); soft drinks (20-35%); chocolate (20%); biscuits (16 to 18%); canned peaches (55%).…
UK FINANCIAL TRANSACTION REGULATORS ORDERS BIG BANKS TO FIGHT AUTHORISED PUSH PAYMENT SCAMS
The UK’s six major banking groups have been set a deadline of next March 31, (2020) to fully implement new ‘Confirmation of Payee’ rules, to reduce the threat of fraudulent activity. The country’s Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has issued a ‘specific direction’ to the banks – Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland (which includes the NatWest bank), Santander and Nationwide – says PSR
The PSR believes the rules will protect customers from authorised push payment (APP) scams where people are tricked into sending money to the wrong account by ensuring such payments cannot be authorised.…
USA/CHINA TRADE WAR CREATES NEW COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES FOR EUROPEAN PLASTICS AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS EXPORTERS
THE TRADE war between China and the United States is creating additional opportunities for exporters of plastics, plastic products and ingredients in both these key markets, as both sides erect protective tariffs against each other.
In the latest round of duty escalation – while talks to resolve the dispute over American claims of Chinese misconduct regarding intellectual property misappropriation, industrial subsidies and market access stall – duties of 10% are being imposed by the USA on Chinese goods and 10% and 5% by China on US exports.…
TRUMP’S LATEST DUTIES ON CHINESE EXPORTS INCLUDE KEY FINISHING CHEMICALS
THE USA textile finishing sectors will be facing potential increases in costs for textile finishing chemicals imported from China, as a result of US President Donald Trump announcing that more tariffs will be imposed on Chinese exports – of 10%, levied from September 1.…
CONTINUOUS DYEING MACHINES OFFER CUTTING EDGE EFFICIENCY GAINS – BUT OUTSOURCE CENTRE FINISHERS MAY NEED SUBSIDIES TO AFFORD THEM
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.…