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.
GREEK
BY KEITH NUTHALL
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STOCKHOLM CONVENTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is to press for global production and trade restrictions on additional persistent organic pollutants under the UN’s Stockholm Convention. These include pentabromodiphenyl ether, chlordecone, hexabromobifenyl, hexachlorocyclohexane, polychlorinated napthalenes and short-chained chlorinated paraffins, among others. The convention entered into force May and there are now moves to expand the list of pollutants that it covers.…
PHYTOESTROGENS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Union (EU) network of research institutions investigating the safety and health effects of phytoestrogens has been created by the European Commission; called Phytohealth, it will especially check whether phytoestrogens prevent cancer. The compounds are found in plant foods, such as beans, cabbage, flax seed, rye, berries, grains and soya products.…
JELLY MINICUPS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) could expand restrictions on the sale of jelly mini-cups, the gelatinous confectionary blamed for causing dangerous choking in young people. This follows advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that any mini-cup made with a gel-forming additive “could cause choking and not just in children”.…
ASBESTOS DEATHS
BY MONICA DOBIE
DEATHS linked to asbestos exposure in the United States have skyrocketed and will continue to rise according to the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which said that 1,493 people died from asbestos in 2000, compared with 77 in 1968.…
CANADA FOOD COPS
BY MONICA DOBIE
A RECENT Ontario government review of its meat processing industry has recommended the Canadian province adopt a powerful new agency to enforce food safety, including using armed guards with the authority to arrest. Judge Roland Haines, the official judicial investigator, said the status quo for inspectors does not go far enough.…
TRACKING DEVICE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NORTHERN Ireland company is poised to launch an Internet-based child monitoring system in the USA this year, with a European release due in 2005. Kinderguard Ltd is supported by the University of Ulster. Its global positioning-linked sensor sparks an alarm when a child moves beyond a previously defined area.…
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.…
ICC SECURITY GUIDE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has released a practical guide advising small and medium-sized businesses on improving their security for information technology and telecommunications. ‘Securing Your Business: Information security issues and resources for small and entrepreneurial companies’ tells companies how to implement 2002 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines on network and IT security.…
NEW EU COMMISSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IN the age of the Euro-sceptic politician, no one can deny that European Union (EU) institutions have a lot of power, and that their authority is felt in every economic sector, including the insurance business. With European rules currently being debated that will shape the future of car insurance, for instance, it is futile to deny the industry follows EU politics as closely as it does national public affairs.…