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BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE VULNERABILITY of world food markets to the often fragile health of bees has been underlined by new European Union (EU)-funded research. It concluded pollination services provided by insects are worth Euro 153 billion-a-year. This figure – said a Franco-German scientific team coordinated by Germany’s Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research equals 9.5% of world agricultural food production value.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) research network Eureka has launched an innovative research project developing the plasma (ionised heated gas) treatment of textiles, which can improve their adhesive properties, amongst other benefits. The Czech Republic’s Spolsin Spol and Sintex, are planning to work with Poland’s University Of Bilsko-Biala; and Wroclaw University Of Technology; along with the Slovak University Of Technology, in a Euro 1.14 million project lasting three years.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE WORLD’S civil aviation industry has approved guidelines on airport charging that tries to square the circle of additional flexibility and avoiding discriminatory punishing fees, as the industry faces twin challenges of higher costs and ongoing privatisation. A conference staged in Montreal, Canada, by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) agreed changes to the UN body’s policy guidance on charges, especially improving policy guidance regarding the commercialisation and privatisation of airports and air navigation service providers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Parliament’s industry committee is pushing for auto manufacturers to be given an additional three years to hit the proposed European Union (EU)-wide 120g/km ceiling for carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). The European Commission has proposed the industry should comply with this maximum by 2012, albeit with some built in flexibilities to accommodate concerns amongst manufacturers of larger cars.…

BY MARK ROWE

NANOTECHNOLOGY can imbue textiles with eye-catching properties, but scientists and watchdogs are increasingly uncertain about the extent to which safety issues surrounding such developments have been explored.

According to the US-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, more than 350 nanotech consumer products are now available, such as stain-resistant clothing, (as well as cosmetics, sunscreens and food containers).…

BY ALAN OSBORN

THE WORLD is not over-full of specialist academic experts at universities and colleges teaching anti-money laundering methods. This is partly because the subject is often subsumed into financial crime generally and partly because genuine AML skills can command a useful premium to banks and other major financial institutions better able to support lavish salaries and back-up systems.…

By Monica Dobie

Companies fighting commercial crime are always on the lookout for new resources and tools to deal with the problem. Where better to look than the world’s best universities in the USA? A good example is the University of Maryland’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which is a national and international leader in research into crime and justice.…

BY BILL CORCORAN

SINCE international football association FIFA awarded South Africa the right to host the 2010 world cup four years ago, the country’s government has been using the event as a driving force to improve transport infrastructure nationwide.

The African National Congress-led government’s commitment to using one of the biggest competitions in world sport as a means to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure can be seen in many sectors, but none more so than in the Airports Company of South Africa’s (ACSA) expansion plans.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

DETAILS have emerged of the European Union (EU) review of environmental health legislation to deal with nanotechnology used by the dying and textile industry. Brussels is concerned these laws may need comprehensive reform because nanomaterials behave so differently from new articles, tighter controls maybe needed to protect consumers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Balkans ministerial council has approved the rules of a dispute settlement mechanism for countries participating within the southeast Europe Energy Community. This links Balkans’ gas (and electricity) regulation with that of EU member states and ensures EU energy legislation is adopted in participating countries.…