Search Results for: Russia

BY MARK ROWE
RUSSIAN counterfeit goods manufacturers, who have traditionally regarded clothes and textile goods as prime and lucrative targets, have seen a six-fold fall in the number of goods they sell. The country’s State Customs Committee says Russia lost US$600 million last year in the sale of fake goods of all kinds, compared with US$1 billion in 1999.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
ENHANCED powers, responsibilities and resources are being proposed for the new European Maritime Safety Agency to enable it to fight tanker pollution. The European Commission has proposed that it should buy or lease specialist anti-pollution vessels. It also wants its work expanded to cover maritime security and seafarer training.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL in Paris, ALAN OSBORN in London, MARK ROWE in Singapore, ED PETERS and DON GASPER in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane and ALEX SMAILES in Port of Spain.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development is promoting on-site power generation in Russia, developing plans to lend a major potassium salt producer US$75 million, which it would use to build its own power plant. Located in the city of Berezniki, the Perm Region, in the Urals, OAO Uralkaly would use the new generator to make “improvements in energy efficiency and environmental compliance.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THERE has been a lot of talk about water in international meetings and organisations this year. Report after report has spelt out that we are all using too much water and if reforms do not make systems more sustainable, then a thirsty future beckons.…

BY MARK ROWE
DANISH confectionary giant Dandy’s Dirol-Cadbury has won an injunction to continue operating its plant in the Russian town of Novgorod despite government efforts to close it down for alleged unspecified breaches. Russia’s National Resources Ministry said it had decided to suspend Russia’s largest chewing gum manufacturer for what it described as “the unauthorised release of harmful agents into the atmosphere” at the US$100 million factory.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE NEED for greater openness in the management of scarce water resources in Europe, north Africa, the Middle East and central Asia is required, to better highlight the growing costs of ensuring reliable supplies and persuade the public that more investment is needed to guarantee them.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THERE has been a lot of talk about water in international meetings and organisations this year. Report after report has spelt out a gloomy message: we are all using too much water and if reforms do not make systems more sustainable, then a thirsty future beckons.…

BY RICHARD HURST
THE SOUTH African Competition Commission has given the green light to the proposed merger between Harmony Gold and African Rainbow Minerals Gold (ARMgold). The deal includes the acquisition of all the issued share capital of ARMgold by Harmony; once finalised, the merged business will be the largest gold producing company in South Africa.…

BY MARK ROWE
THE RUSSIAN Tax Ministry has recommended the reintroduction of licensing for cigarette and tobacco wholesalers, which was abolished last year. Officials say the move would reduce the market share of low-quality cigarettes. The ministry also wants to start charging excise tax on cigarettes and tobacco at a rate based on the product’s maximum retail price instead of on the wholesale price.…