Search Results for: Germany

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE PRESIDENT of the Brewers of Europe organisation Alberto da Ponte has warned of a "sharp decline in the beer market" across Europe. He told a Brussels symposium: "The recession…taken with other events, such as widespread and recently-introduced smoking bans in pubs and restaurants, is having a very negative impact."…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission is claiming its reform of the European Union (EU) sugar and isoglucose sector has been a success, lowering prices for confectionery manufacturers. Brussels also claims that a planned contraction of EU sugar production over the past three years has left a sustainable industry based on efficient producers.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

THE SULTANATE of Oman has earmarked billions of dollars to build six new airports and expand its existing international airports of Muscat and Salalah.

This Arabian country of 3 million people has the least developed aviation sector of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and this dramatic increase in capacity forms part of a diversification strategy away from energy – which accounts for an estimated 75% of government revenues.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN

IN the early 1990s the nuclear power industry faced a bleak outlook. High profile accidents such as in Chernobyl and Three Mile Island in, Pennsylvania, the USA, had raised public concern about the safety of the industry to all time high.…

BY MARK ROWE

DESPITE the gathering storm of global economic recession, the Vietnamese paint industry has so far turned in a reasonably strong performance through 2009. Projected growth of 8.1% for the whole of 2009 – made by Vietnam’s General Statistics Office (GSO) back in November 2008, now looks slightly optimistic, but the reality may not be too far from that figure, suggest experts.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ALAN OSBORN

Although today’s nuclear technology is used primarily to produce electricity, meeting about 14.2% of the world’s demand, the birth of nuclear power, like many technologies, was not intended for civilian use. Rather, it was used to harness a militaristic advantage at the onset of the Second World War.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) is a complex set of institutions and so it will not surprise European auto executives that the EU response to the financial threat they face has been anything but simple. It is so much simpler in the US of course: there the federal government can actually talk about bail-outs, without looking over its shoulder at critics from abroad.…

BY MARK ROWE

SHIFTS in technology within an industry always have a major impact on the skills required by its workforce. And this is especially when a sector undergoes a root-and-branch transformation, such as now happening amongst energy utilities. This is because of the sometimes dizzying development of new technology for renewable energy sources, from hydro power to biofuels, solar power, wind power to ground-heat pumps.…

BY TONY MALLETT

GIVEN that they work in a country renowned for its knee-deep bureaucracy and fervent industrial action, Belgian truckers seem a surprisingly contented bunch. At least when taken individually.

Despite recent protests about the price of fuel – which resulted in their blockade of the Brussels inner ring road and demonstrations outside the headquarters of both the European Commission and the European Parliament – the pros riding way up high in the cabs of HGVs on Belgian roads seem generally happy with their lot.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

EUROPEAN Union (EU) heads of government have approved Euro 3.9 billion in EU spending on energy investment projects, after they finally finished wrangling over the detail of this keystone of their economic stimulus package.

As expected, the final programme has more projects in southern and eastern Europe than in previous drafts.…