Search Results for: Japan

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations’ International Seabed Authority has delayed agreement of new regulations governing how metal ore mining companies would explore and exploit deep seawaters for hauls such as polymetallic sulphide nodules and cobalt-rich crusts. These mineral resources are rich in copper, iron, zinc, silver, gold and cobalt; sulphides are found around volcanic areas and crusts on oceanic ridges.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
DESPITE the increase in global prices for coal since 2003, European Union (EU) coal producing countries still need to restructure their industries, a detailed European Commission survey has noted. Highlighting the increase in spot price for South African steam coal from US$36 in early 2003 to US$74 at the end of 2004, the report cited higher freight rates for Australian coal caused by rising demand in China and solid demand in Japan and South Korea, enabling “traditional suppliers” to the Atlantic market to raise their prices.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE STEEP decline in sales of European Union (EU) finished leather to its number one market, the United States, has been highlighted by a comprehensive report on the global leather (and textile) market written for the European Commission.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
INSURERS should have a much clearer idea of the risks involved in extending cover to the areas hit by the tsunami at the end of last year following agreement by 23 Indian Ocean nations to share data and set up seven regional warning centres.…

BY MATTHEW BRACE
FIGHTING money laundering is about getting your hands dirty. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) may pronounce global standards that it would like jurisdictions to follow, but all governments need help, and often regional bodies are better placed to do the detailed work than more remote global organisations.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
EARTHQUAKE insurance is an odd business in that the human scale of a disaster is sometimes wildly in excess of the economic losses and the latter in turn often far exceed the level of cover and therefore claims.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A COMPREHENSIVE study on the competitiveness of the European Union (EU) cosmetics industry is being ordered by the European Commission, comparing the EU against the USA, Japan and China. Researchers will gather and analyse data on both the economic and industrial strengths of the EU cosmetics “to get a comprehensible comparative description of the structure of this sector”, said a Commission note.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE LONG-RUNNING World Trade Organisation (WTO) row between Japan and the United States over American anti-dumping duties on certain hot-rolled steel products appears to have been solved, with Japan suspending plans to secure approval for retaliatory duties on American imports.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
ALTHOUGH it sounds like a chocolate teapot, organisers of this year’s world Expo in Aichi, Japan, are claiming a world first: the creation and construction of a biodegradable plastic exterior wall. Made from biodegradable materials including corn-starch and food waste, the plastic has been manufactured and treated to not degrade, unless it is buried.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
IN an increasingly crowded and polluted world, pursuing sustainability and using renewable resources in construction will inevitably become more important. The question is how? And as a result good examples of innovative transport systems, industrial practices and materials are on show at this year’s World Expo at Aichi, Japan.…