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.
INDONESIAN ATTACKS
Keith Nuthall
THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Bureau (IMB) of the International Chamber of Commerce has called upon the Indonesian government to take action against a gang of pirates who attacked and hijacked six vessels in six days in the Gaspar Straits, east of Java.…
SAFETY DIRECTIVES
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has formally approved a directive on specific safety requirements for ro-ro passenger ships. It also approved amendments to the existing directive 98/18/EC on safety rules and standards for passenger ships. These changes also covered safety standards for ro-ro stability, plus the phasing out of ro-ro ships and introducing safety standards for disabled passengers.…
WTO SERVICES ROUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has released its detailed offer for improving the access of non-European Union travel agents into the EU market, as part of the ongoing Doha Development Round at the World Trade Organisation. If its trading partners offer adequate concessions in return, Brussels will agree that non-EU nationals wishing to establish travel agencies in EU have the same treatment as EU nationals.…
GROUNDHANDLING CONSULTATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union airport industry has been asked to comment on possible changes to the EU’s key groundhandling directive (EC/96/67), as the European Commission is preparing to propose reforms later this year. The deadline for submitting suggestions is June 1 and may be based on questions posed in a new consultation document issued by Brussels.…
AFGHANISTAN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IMPROVEMENTS are to be made to Kabul international airport, Afghanistan, with a US$19.3 million World Bank credit. The funds will finance reconstruction of its runway and upgrade water and sanitation services. The money – part of an Emergency Transport Rehabilitation Project – will also improve air traffic control services, providing the airport with equipment to support safe air travel, such as communications and air traffic control networks identified as necessary by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).…
BAGGAGE HANDLING LOANS
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank is planning to help Irish and Italian airports comply with new European baggage inspection regulations. It plans to lend up to Euro 150 million to Italian civil aviation authority ENAC to install security inspection equipment and modify baggage-handling systems at 37 Italian airports.…
GALILEO DEALS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
HAULIERS using intelligent navigational equipment logging onto the European Union’s planned global positioning system Galileo should also in future be able to use the USA’s GPS system with the same gear. The European Commission says that it is close to striking a deal with Washington on the interoperability of the two systems.…
COMMERCIAL MOTOR
BY KEITH NUTHALL and ALAN OSBORN
THE FREIGHT Transport Association has called on continental European Union Member States to make use of new powers to screen the qualifications and experience non-EU lorry drivers, weeding out competing companies who may employ cheap unskilled labour from eastern Europe and Turkey.…
SERNAM - GEODIS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE TROUBLE-STREWN proposals to restructure the publicly-owned French road haulage operator Sernam appear to have hit another snag, with the European Commission opening an inquiry into the latest plans, which it fears may break European Union (EU) state aid rules.…
BIOTECH CONCERNS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A SURVEY has been released by the European Commission which shows how a decline in confidence regarding genetically modified food could be deterring investment in medical biotechnology, potentially leaving the European Union at a competitive disadvantage. This Eurobarometer poll says that overall support for GM food is only found in Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Finland; with most Europeans considering them “of little value and dangerous for society.”…