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.
EU-RUSSIA DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A TRADE deal between Russia and the EU has involved Moscow promising to cap tariffs on all agricultural goods at an average of 13 per cent. It will also maintain fixed tariff rate import quotas for fresh and frozen meat and poultry at around Euro 600 million in sales annually.…
ITALY AID
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has blocked as illegal state aid an Italian government plan to pay Euro 10.3 million to poultry producers for suffered during the 1999 dioxin contamination crisis.…
GM RESEARCH
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BRISTOL university researchers have created a genetically modified plant producing healthy fatty acids normally associated with eggs and fish – polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and omaga-6 that regulate blood pressure and improve cell signalling.…
CODEX - DAIRY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
GLOBAL food standards body Codex Alimentarius has tabled risk assessment standards for all foods. It has also drawn up new dairy standards for consultation, including guidelines for evaporated skimmed milk-vegetable fat blends, fermented milks and minimum protein content in cheese.…
SILICON - EFSA
BY KEITH NUTHALL
TOO much vitamin C can play havoc with digestion, but silicon is safe to eat, says the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Silicon naturally occurs in foods as silicon dioxide and silicates, added as silica, silicates and dimethylpolysiloxane anti-caking and anti-foaming agents and in antacids.…
NORWAY STATE AID
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EXEMPTION enjoyed by the Norwegian mining industry to a tax on electricity consumption has been found to be illegal state aid by the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) Surveillance Authority, which has ordered the repayment of this de facto subsidy.…
RAG AMERICAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has approved – under a fast track merger review procedure – the acquisition of joint control over the USA’s RAG American Coal by US merchant bank First Reserve and private equity firm Blackstone. Brussels had been examining the deal since May 27.…
UN UNDERSEA REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE FEEDING of rare and exotic marine species off deep ocean mineral deposits that may become a target for mining companies could create a conflict between international mineral extraction and environmental conventions, a United Nations report has warned.…
REACH LATEST
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE BRITISH government maybe “re-considering” its proposals for chemical registration in the context of the EU’s REACH plan, following criticism from industry that its approach is impractical and costly. Britain, acting under a mandate from the EU Council of Ministers, is developing a “one substance – one registration” policy in response to charges that the original proposal from the European Commission is over-complex and would involve excessive testing.…
PVC STUDY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PVC or polymer materials for roofing generally have a lower environmental impact than using bitumen, because of their comparative lightness, a life cycle assessment on PVC written for the European Commission has claimed. Undertaken by a research consortium led by German consultancy PE Europe GmbH, the review added that for flooring, PVC is less useful in environmental terms, having a bigger impact that linoleum, for instance.…