Search Results for: International law

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has called for a moratorium on new pollution control proposals from the European Commission, claiming that national governments have quite enough new European Union (EU) legislation to absorb and administer already. Overwhelmingly backing a non-binding report on the Commission’s recent policy paper on integrated pollution prevention and control, MEPs called on the Commission and ministers “not to supplement or expand the relevant legislation at present.”…

BY MATTHEW BRACE
AUSTRALIA’S valuable minerals industry has welcomed the controversial draft US-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which will remove tariffs from almost all non-metallic industrial minerals on both sides of the Pacific Ocean upon ratification. The Minerals Council of Australia said the deal would directly improve its exports of non-metallic minerals such as rutile and zircon, of which Australia is the world’s leading producer.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
A LEGAL action just begun by the European Commission against France over that country’s public procurement code seems likely to bolster the determination of the UK government in its attempts to steer the Planning and Compulsory Purchase (PCP) Bill through Parliament.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is offering Internet access to some nuclear fuel cycle related databases and a simulation system for long-term projections of nuclear fuel cycle material and service requirements. Based on information from the IAEA’s Integrated Nuclear Fuel Cycle Information System (iNFCIS), this data is mainly based on voluntary reports from IAEA members as well as published material.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MASS vaccination campaign against bird flu might result from the ongoing outbreak in Asia, with the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) moving away from a pure pro-culling policy. Following meetings with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Office International des Épizooties on animal health the FAO said that a targeted vaccination campaign in heavily affected countries maybe required.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NEW International Maritime Organisation convention will – upon ratification – tell ships to better manage ballast water releases, preventing transported species escaping into alien waters where they may cause ecological havoc. Ships would also record ballast water collection.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
INITIAL results from the world’s largest ever study into whether mobile phone use causes cancer suggest that the technology is safe. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says that research carried out in Denmark, forming part of the global INTERPHONE study, has concluded: “Use of a cell phone for 10 years or more did not increase acoustic neuroma risk over that of short term users.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
INTERNATIONAL Paper Co. made a profit in the fourth quarter of last year, despite lagging demand for paper and packaging products in 2003. The Connecticut, USA-based company posted a profit of US$48 million, compared with a loss of US$130 million the same time in 2002.…

KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) sub-committee on fish trade has ordered the promotion of cost-effective and global standards to trace a fish’s progress through the commercial chain, from harvesting to consumption. At a meeting in Bremen, Germany, many national representatives expressed concerns about health and safety issues affecting the international fish trade, including consumer perceptions over problems such as antibiotic residues in farmed fish.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MASS vaccination campaign against bird flu might result from the ongoing outbreak in Asia, with the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) moving away from a pro-culling policy. Following meetings with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Office International des Épizooties on animal health the FAO said that a targeted vaccination campaign in heavily affected countries maybe required.…