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.
VAT REFUND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PROVIDERS of domestic care services to the young, elderly, sick or disabled, may be offered the chance to cut the VAT they charge their customers in the future, with the European Commission planning to extend a pilot scheme currently operating in Ireland, Portugal, France and Greece.…
STAR - SYDNEY
BY MARK ROWE
THE STAR Alliance group of carriers is interested in leasing the terminal space at Australia’s Sydney airport vacated by the failed airline Ansett. Investors backed by Singapore Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance, are believed to want to start up a new Australian domestic carrier by the end of the year.…
CHINA - ATC
BY MARK ROWE
CHINESE passenger jets without the second-generation airborne collision avoidance system ACASII, have been banned from taking off or landing during daytime hours in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, according to rules issued by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China.…
SAFETY CHECKS
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Parliament’s transport committee has called for amendments to proposed European Union regulations on air safety. MEP’s want to enshrine in law the European Civil Aviation Conference’s Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft procedure, making the monitoring of non-EU aircraft, notably those from developing countries, systematic and transparent within every EU Member State.…
SIKKIM
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE INDIAN government has been asked to designate the Himalayan state of Sikkim’s Bagdogra Airport as an international terminal, taking foreign flights, in a bid to boost the region’s tourist industry. The formal proposal has come from the Sikkim Hotel and Restaurant Association.…
HIRE CARS
BY JONATHAN THOMSON
VEHICLE thefts from rental customers in Britain reached their highest level for six years last year, according to new figures from British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA). Its annual report has revealed thieves are targeting car keys in order to bypass security systems.…
CANADA SALES
BY MONICA DOBIE, in Montreal
CANADIAN auto manufacturers have reported record sales numbers for last month, with most companies claiming it had been their best August ever.
A total of 148, 412 vehicles were purchased last month, surpassing the previous record of 138,000 set in August 2000.…
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Commission has launched a research project examining the benefits and problems of cars using daytime running lights, as is common practice in Canada. It has issued tenders for research teams to bid for a contract to examine how they reduce accidents, including crashes with pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.…
EUROSTAMP
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Investment Bank has drawn up plans to lend up to Euro 25 million to a German company Eurostamp Deutschland, to enable it to construct and install a production plant for stamped and assembled auto-body parts. The factory would be sited in one of the poorest areas of Saxony, in eastern Germany, which is labelled as an Objective 1 zone by the European Commission and hence eligible for generous EU development grants; the project would create 90 new jobs until 2005 and 150 until 2007.…
UK CAR PURCHASES
JONATHAN THOMSON
BRITISH motorists buy brand new cars for their reliability and warranty, as well as the prestige of owning a new model, a recent survey has revealed.
Other top reasons for buying a brand new car, according to a poll carried out by Virgin Cars, were the small price differences between new and one-year-old used vehicles, as well as the opportunity to pick and choose the exact colour, trim and other features.…