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.
INDUSTRIAL MINERAL SECTOR HONES SKILLS THROUGH DETAILED INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL STANDARDS
THE INDUSTRIAL minerals mining and processing sector and its customers has an increasingly complex and global supply chain and as a result, international technical standards are growing in utility and importance. Where suppliers and retailers follow and require the use of international standards to guide their operations and products, there will be fewer nasty surprises, in orders and purchases.…
INDIAN CLOTHING AND TEXTILE TAX BREAKS SHOULD BOOST GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS, SAY INDUSTRY LEADERS
THE INDIAN clothing and textile industry thinks it is better able to score export orders internationally since March when the central government announced new tax benefits for the country’s garment exporters. Rahul Mehta, president of Clothing Manufacturing Association of India, told just-style, that the combined reduction in costs delivered by a refund of the central and state taxes, new benefits under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), and renewed 2% duty drawbacks, is 9% to 10%, and that “makes us more competitive”.…
GLOBAL AML/CFT REGIME’S EFFECTIVENESS IN DOUBT AS ITS 30TH BIRTHDAY APPROACHES
This July is the 30th anniversary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which developed its 40 recommendations on anti-money laundering (AML) and nine special recommendations on combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) – but the jury is still out on whether the AML/CFT system it has created is really working.…
BRITISH COLUMBIA GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES AML COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON MAJOR DIRTY MONEY PROBLEM
The Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) has announced a public inquiry [1] into how money laundering has distorted its economy after three independent reports noted how criminal funds have flooded into this Pacific coast region. BC Supreme Court Judge Austin Cullen has been appointed to head the inquiry, which BC attorney general David Eby said would have the power to force cooperation by “people and organisations who refuse to share what they know unless legally compelled to do so”.…
RUSSIA TELLS MEXICO AT THE WTO THAT ITS ANTIDUMPING DUTIES ON RUSSIAN STEEL ARE ILLEGAL AND OUTDATED
Russia has criticised Mexico at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for maintaining anti-dumping duties on Russian steel exports, which it claims are outdated, being based on pricing assessments using data from a different country.
The Mexican government used this method for past dumping calculations on Russian steel because it is permitted under WTO rules where a government dominates an economy that does not operate as a free market.…
USA INCREASES TO 25% ADDITIONAL DUTIES ON CHINESE BASE METAL EXPORTS
THE US government has increased its existing 10% additional duties on imports of non-ferrous base metals and ferrous metals and associated products from China to 25% from today (May 10), citing a lack of progress on ongoing trade talks.
These duties will be imposed on Chinese exports to the USA of tariff lines including items and products of copper, zinc, nickel, iron and steel and other base metals.…
VIETNAM SEEKS TO BOOST FABRIC PRODUCTION SO GARMENT-MAKERS CAN PROSPER FROM CPTPP DEAL
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) took effect in December 2018, incrementally bringing down import tariffs for Vietnamese garments in a market with 495 million consumers across 11 countries.
But Vietnamese garment-makers are struggling to reduce costs to deliver pricing that is competitive enough to make the most of CPTPP.…
PAKISTAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE COMPLEXITY OF INPUT IMPORT RULES
PAKISTAN’s apparel and garment exporters have called on the country’s new government to simplify what it regards as overly complex trading red-tape impeding the import of key inputs, vital for diversifying export-oriented production.
“To increase our exports, we will have to enhance our product lines and relax the existing import policy for import of raw materials,” Muhammad Ijaz Khokhar, coordinator of the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA) told just-style.…
BANGLADESH LEATHER INDUSTRY NEEDS MORE HEALTH AND SAFETY ATTENTION SAY EXPERTS
WITH decent working conditions eluding Bangladesh’s booming leather industry, an advocacy group has suggested forming a tripartite body involving the government, manufacturers and unions to help improve the sector’s health and environmental safety standards. Modelled after the efforts that have been made in the country’s textile and fabric-based garment industry, such a tri-party consultation committee would discuss the development of a leather sector whose safety and environmental records remain patchy, except for export-oriented units.…
HENAN KEDI DAIRY ANNOUNCES PLAN TO BUY HENAN KEDI QUICK FROZEN
CHINA’S Henan Kedi Dairy has notified its shareholders that it plans to buy an associated autonomous company Henan Kedi Quick Frozen Food Co Ltd for a tentatively set transaction price of Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY1.48 billion (USD221.28 million) via share issue.…