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.
NAZI ART LOOT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FIFTY years after the turn of the tide in the Second World War, the European Parliament is calling for the creation of a comprehensive international legal system to identify the whereabouts of artworks looted by the Nazis, fairly settling ownership and compensation claims.…
AFRICA LEATHER
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) have developed a joint blueprint for generating a prosperous African leather production sector. Their development, investment and trade guide has been written for aid agencies, policy makers, industrialists, financiers, investors, traders and farmers “to open up new opportunities for adding value to and commercially exploiting hides and skins.”…
EASTERN EUROPE
Keith Nuthall
EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have been asked to approve the expansion of EU import quota levels for textile and clothing products, to take account of the oncoming accession of 10 eastern and southern European countries in May. The products would circulate around the EU and cover those from 18 mostly developing countries, including China and India.…
PAKISTAN BED LINEN
Keith Nuthall
EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have been asked to approve 13.1 per cent definitive anti-dumping duties on Pakistani exports of cotton-type bed linen. No provisional duties had been imposed, because on site inspections were halted after investigating European Commission officials received death threats.…
COTTON TAGGING
BY MONICA DOBIE
AMERICAN researchers are developing a tagging system to confirm the origin of USA sourced cotton. DNA information will be embedded into cotton fibres allowing officials to authenticate the textile with monitors, when re-exported to the US after being made into a textile or clothing product abroad, qualifying for decreased tariffs.…
BIRD FLU ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MASS vaccination campaign against bird flu might result from the ongoing outbreak in Asia, with the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) moving away from a pro-culling policy. Following meetings with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Office International des Épizooties on animal health the FAO said that a targeted vaccination campaign in heavily affected countries maybe required.…
INTERNATIONAL PAPER
BY MONICA DOBIE
INTERNATIONAL Paper Co. made a profit in the fourth quarter of last year, despite lagging demand for paper and packaging products in 2003. The Connecticut, USA-based company posted a profit of US$48 million, compared with a loss of US$130 million the same time in 2002.…
SOUTH AFRICA PULP
BY RICHARD HURST
SOUTH Africa pulp and paper producer Sappi has reported a first quarter loss for 2004, warning that its profits would probably fall year-on-year, prompting industry analysts to reconsider forecasts. The company posted a US$0.09 loss per share for the three months ending December, down from US$0.11 for the September quarter.…
PARMALAT SCANDAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has called for the creation of a single European Union (EU) authority for supervising cross-border financial supervision in Europe as a long-term response to the Parmalat scandal. MEPs made a number of recommendations after voicing their concern that “neither the supervisors nor the regulatory authority nor the auditors nor the rating agencies” had any idea that Parmalat funds were being embezzled.…
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
APPROVAL has been secured at the European Parliament for a new European Union (EU) directive on the mutual recognition within member countries of professional qualifications; importantly, the directive would allow any lawyer legally established as a professional in their home state to provide services “on a temporary and occasional basis” elsewhere in the EU under their original professional title, without having to apply for recognition of their qualifications.…