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.
EU BANS DIAMOND IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA
The European Union (EU) has banned imports of diamonds from Russia, which amounted to EUR1.3 billion in 2022, because of the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Most of these precious stones are sold to Belgium, a key diamond trader – under EUR500,000 go to other EU member states, according to the European Commission (1).…
EU ROUND UP – MINISTERS AND MEPS APPROVE NEW CHEMICAL CLASSIFICATION LAW
Paint and coatings manufacturers and traders within the European Union (EU) are facing changes to the key EU regulation on the classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals (the CLP regulation). The European Parliament, and the EU Council of Ministers have struck a deal on updating the existing 2008 law, aimed at increasing protection of human health and the environment, while easing access to up-to-date information on chemicals hazards and simplified labelling rules.…
PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT, EXPORTERS HAVE CONFLICTING VIEWS ABOUT TEXTILE INDUSTRY’S FUTURE OUTLOOK
Prospects of a bumper cotton crop on Pakistan this year (2023) and a planned extension to December 2027 of the country’s European Union (EU) GSP+ trade benefit status has raised hopes for increased sales by the Pakistan clothing and textile sector within the country’s government (1).…
VIETNAMESE GARMENT SECTOR UNDER GROWING PRESSURE TO BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE
Vietnam’s businesses in export-focused garments and footwear manufacturing are facing up to the challenge of becoming greener. This realisation comes even as the country benefits from free trade agreements (FTA), such as the 2019 European Union (EU)-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the 2020 UK–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).…
TÜRKIYE CLOTHING EXPORTERS GACEING TOUGH TIMES IN THE SHORT TERM – BUT RECOVERY COULD COME SOONTÜRKIYE CLOTHING EXPORTERS GACEING TOUGH TIMES IN THE SHORT TERM – BUT RECOVERY COULD COME SOON
Türkiye’s garment and cotton sectors have suffered from a slowdown in demand in American and European markets, with more than 1,000 of the country’s garment manufacturing companies closing in 2023. Also, more than 85,000 employees within the sector in Türkiye were laid off this year, say industry sources.…
TÜRKIYE'S FOOD AND DRINK TRADE WITH THE UK AND EU
Türkiye is a critical food and drink provider to the European Union (EU) and the UK, with trade set to grow as Türkiye ramps up production and adopts agri-tech and smart farming solutions. Renewed trade agreements under discussion with the EU (with whom Turkey is already in a customs union) (1) and a new projected trade agreement with the UK are also set to spur growth.…
INDIAN CLOTHING SECTOR IS ENTHUSIASTIC MECHANISER – BUT JOBS ARE SAFE, SO FAR
The Indian clothing manufacturing sector is investing enthusiastically in new technology, but digitisation, AI, robotics and automation has yet to see jobs being shed on a significant scale, said industry experts. AI-powered automation of processes along with the abundant availability of skilled labour, is preparing the Indian garment industry to gain market share in the global trade, argues Harminder Sahni, managing director of Gurgaon, India-based consultancy Wazir Advisors: “Sampling, colour matching and approvals from foreign buyers, which used to be very time consuming, is now happening more and more online,” he told Just-Style.…
ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT, ANALYSTS PESSIMISTIC ABOUT COUNTRY’S REINSTATEMENT INTO AGOA IN 2024
Ethiopia government and analysists are both pessimistic that the US government will soon reinstate the Horn of Africa country into the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). America suspended Ethiopia from the free trade act in late December 2021, because of the ongoing civil war with the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).…
DRUGS BRINGING IN AS MUCH MONEY AS LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES SAYS UN
Cross-border drug and migrant trafficking is booming with billions of dollars being earned by crime networks, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report. The report ‘Crime-related illicit financial flows: latest progress’ (1) is based on estimates of dirty money flows from nine countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ecuador, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal and Peru.…
TECH FIRMS AND PLATFORMS SIGN UK ONLINE FRAUD CHARTER
The world’s leading platforms and tech firms have pledged to tackle scams targeting their UK users by acting on a series of commitments within six months under an Online Fraud Charter (1). Trade association techUK, Google and Microsoft, online sellers Amazon and eBay, the Match Group, which owns dating sites including Tinder and Hinge, plus social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snap, TikTok, X and YouTube, have all joined the UK government in signing up to the world-first voluntary charter (on November 30).…