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.
NEW COMMISSION ANALYSIS
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the policy portfolios commanded by the incoming European Commission from November generally spells good news for the European Union’s (EU) ferrous and non-ferrous sectors, senior industry figures have told Metal Bulletin. “In general … we are quite happy with the commissioners who will be responsible for industry”, said Gordon Moffat, director of the association of European iron and steel industries Eurofer.…
KAZAKHSTAN DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
DETAILS of the expansion in European Union (EU) import quotas for Kazakhstan steel products because of May’s enlargement of the EU by 10 new member countries have been released by the European Commission. The central Asian republic had a pre-existing steel trade deal with Brussels, guaranteeing its access to EU markets for a range of products.…
NAFTA CANADA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
COUNTERVAILING and antidumping duties imposed by the United States on Canadian exports of carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod have been undermined by a strongly critical ruling a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panel.
US International Trade Commission (ITC) inquiries leading to the tariffs’ imposition in 2002 were challenged by Canada’s Ivaco Inc and Ivaco Rolling Mills Inc.…
SLUDGE RECYCLING
BY MATTHEW BRACE
AUSTRALIAN scientists claim they have made a mineral-recycling breakthrough that should save the Australian metals and minerals sector an estimated A$295 (US$208) million in costs. The private-public project coordinated by the AJ Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurgy in Perth, Western Australia, boasts a fundamental advance in the understanding of processes for separating fine particles from water, produced new insights into the behaviour of flocculants, substances used to clump and separate particles from water.…
SERBIA ALUMINIUM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is planning to lend Euro 20 million to help an American packaging giant, the Ball Corporation, build an aluminium can plant in Serbia, focusing on drinks. The factory should start work next year, employing 100-150 workers at its Belgrade site.…
ICELAND - EIB
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank (EIB) is planning to lend up to Euro 75 million to an Iceland utility, so it can build a new geothermal power station to meet the anticipated demand for electricity from the country’s growing aluminium sector.…
TURKEY EARTHS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE TURKISH government has launched a formal investigation that could lead it to erecting temporary protective safeguard duties on imports of activated earth and clays. Turkey has told the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that imports have risen from 3,173,604 kilograms in 2001 to 3,977,236 in 2002 and 4,970,399 in 2003, (although 2000 imports were slightly higher than 2001, at 3,749,432 kg).…
NEW EU COMMISSIONER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE AWARD to Cyprus of the key European Commission health and consumer affairs portfolio could signal a waning of Brussels’ enthusiasm for tougher food safety, environmental health and consumer protection rules. Cypriot Markos Kyprianou, 44, has been given the job in the new Commission that takes office in November.…
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, (including soya milk, tofu and miso).…
ISO PUBLIC HEALTH
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has launched detailed technical guidelines on the use and development of smart cards carrying health data that could be read by doctors and nurses worldwide. The standard ISO 21549 is the latest in a programme of work on harmonising medical records carried out by the Geneva-based organisation; three parts have now been published and five more will be released next year.…