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.
WTO TALKS UPDATE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) is approaching a key deadline in the agricultural section of its ongoing Doha Development Round. Its 146 member countries have until March 31 to complete a so-called ‘modalities’ agreement for the discussions. This should include binding targets for the talks on future tariff levels, import quota sizes, export subsidies and production grants.…
BATTERY HENS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FORMAL threats of legal action at the European Court of Justice have been made against Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy and Portugal over their alleged failure to implement the 1999 Directive on minimum welfare standards for laying hens. European Union governments were supposed to have introduced the standards, (including minimum cage sizes), by January 1, 2002.…
BACON CAMPAIGN
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is to spend Euro 4.4 million on a Danish-French programme to promote sales of European Union bacon in Japan. Coordinated by Danske Slagterier, the Danish Bacon and Meat Council, the three-year campaign should stress the quality, hygiene, food safety, nutrition, labelling, animal welfare or environment-friendliness of EU bacon.…
COLOURANT RESTRICTION
BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Commission has ordered a significant reduction in the use of canthaxanthin, a feed additive, which reddens the colour of salmon and makes egg yolks yellower. Brussels said a link had been found between high canthaxanthin intake and eyesight problems.…
PRESTIGE ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has reacted swiftly to the Prestige oil spill disaster off Spain, asking ministers to immediately ban single-hull tankers aged 23 years and above from European Union (EU) waters, while blocking single-hull vessels of any age from carrying heavy fuel oil to the EU.…
PETRO CANADA
BY MONICA DOBIE
THE CANADIAN government is taking steps to sell off its remaining 19 per cent share of Petro Canada, which is valued at approximately CDN$2.45 billion. According to the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper, government representatives have contacted investment bankers to prepare for the transaction.…
GAZPROM
BY MARK ROWE
SENIOR Gazprom executives will meet EU officials next month (Feb) to discuss the Russian company’s US$5.7 billion project to build a pipeline to Britain under the Baltic Sea. The North European Gas Pipeline, due to open in 2007, should carry 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Britain.…
INDONESIA
BY MARK ROWE
PERTAMINA, Indonesia’s state oil company, has nominated South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co to build two very large crude carriers as part of the company’s US$300m program to buy 12 new oil tankers to ship refined oil products.…
BUNKER FUEL
BY MARK ROWE
CARGO ships are being encouraged to shut off their engines while docked at Los Angeles and plug into the city’s power system, with the aim of saving vessels from burning around seven tonnes of heavy bunker fuel a day, improving air quality.…
INDIA SALES TAX
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE INDIAN government is publicly discussing plans to introduce a nationwide uniform sales tax on petroleum products; a decision should be made by this April. Rates currently vary amongst Indian states, with Mumbai’s Maharashtra state levying high 34 per cent rates on diesel and 30 per cent on petrol.…