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.
SPATIAL INFORMATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has released open-use software GeoNetwork helping developing countries manage geographical, climatic and population data vital for monitoring food production and distribution. It overlays map data from different institutions on vegetation density, soil quality, rivers, population density, water reservoirs, food distribution points and other issues.…
WORLD BANK - POLLUTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AFTER removing lead from fuel, developing countries should concentrate on cutting sulphur content, a World Bank report – Reducing Air Pollution from Urban Transport – has proposed. Where sulphur is high, diesel fuel content should be cut to 500 ppm or lower, it said.…
PLANT BIODIVERSITY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Plant Genetic Resources Institute and United Nations Environment Programme have launched an In-Situ Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives Through Enhanced Management and Field Application scheme preserving biodiversity in species rich Armenia, Bolivia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.…
OFFSHORING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FOUR out of 10 European firms have begun to relocate service operations offshore, according to a survey by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. They polled a sample of Europe’s top 500 companies, covering more than 20% of their total revenue.…
WEST BENGAL FEATURE
BY MARK ROWE
AT first sight they would appear to be uneasy bedfellows. On the one hand, English Heritage, the British government’s advisory body with responsibility for the care and maintenance of the country’s historic environment; on the other, the Marxist-led government of the Indian state of West Bengal.…
ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched an inquiry to identify obstacles that could impede the development of electronic public procurement, following this year’s adoption of a directive legalising the practice across Europe. Brussels is concerned that IT, linguistic, regulatory and other barriers could prevent local authorities and their suppliers from making full use of Internet-based procurement.…
ANIMAL COLLISIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WESTERN European countries – including Britain – are facing an increasing risk of vehicles colliding with large wild animals, two independent European studies have suggested. Researchers from the UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, and Madrid University concluded more animals are straying onto roads, because habitat loss forces them to migrate for food and mates.…
E-CALL DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN AGREEMENT has been struck between Europe’s car manufacturers and providers of intelligent vehicle systems to ensure new eCall accident alert systems can work across the European Union (EU). Brokered by the European Commission, the memorandum of understanding has been signed by EU carmakers federation ACEA and high-tech association ERTICO.…
AA DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PURCHASE of Britain’s Automobile Association (AA) by two financial groups has been cleared by the European Commission, despite competition concerns regarding Kwik-Fit and Halfords. New AA co-owner CVC Capital Partners, of Luxembourg, owns Kwik-Fit and Brussels is concerned it – like the AA – provides breakdown services.…
NEW TRANSPORT COMMISSIONER
BY ALAN OSBORN
JACQUES Barrot, who has been given responsibility for transport in the new European Commission, is a close political ally of the French president Jacques Chirac and can be expected to take a tough line in defending French interests when Brussels draws up transport policy in the next five years.…