Search Results for: South Africa

Confectionery and related ingredient sales between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur countries of south America are set to rise after a trade agreement between the two blocs was finalised. A deal in principle had been held over since 2019 while details were ironed out, but these have now been resolved.…

The European Union (EU) has further broadened its sanctions targeting Russia to increase pressure on its government, as the fall of its ally in Syria weakens Moscow’s geopolitical position. EU ministers have now sanctioned Chinese suppliers of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Russian crude oil suppliers and an airline, as well as companies alleged to be spreading disinformation in Africa and elsewhere.…

The new European Commission (2024-2029) taking office on December 1, 2024, under reappointed Commission president Ursula von der Leyen should use its term of office to enable a strong, competitive agri-food chain. That was the message of European Union (EU) food industry experts speaking to Just Food this week.…

The international can making and filling industry is assessing the impact of a second Donald Trump presidency in the USA, given he has threatened to impose universal tariffs on all imports.

Trump has floated imposing 10%-20% tariffs on all US imports, including trades with countries having free trade agreements with America.…

A strengthening domestic cheese market is expanding capacity for Czechia dairy manufacturers, who may use this additional production to boost export sales. Czechia may be a small European country but it is a significant cheese exporter, with more than half its cheese production sold abroad, according to Jiří Kopáček, of the Czech-Moravian Dairy Association (ČMSM).…

The Dutch higher education community has condemned massive cuts to the sector’s budget and caps on international student numbers, after the country’s ruling politicians rejected calls to rethink its controversial structural reforms.

On 27 November (2024), in a vote in the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer), the Netherlands’ right wing four-party coalition led by Independent Prime Minister Dick Schoof supported a proposal spearheaded by Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins of the New Social Contract party, to cut education funding by approximately EUR2 billion – half of which is earmarked for higher education – despite growing pressure from opposition parties who are threatening to block the plans in the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) (https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/11/coalition-stands-firm-over-e2bn-education-cuts-despite-warnings/…

The global cotton supply chain is expected to be impacted by extreme weather events, trade disputes, geopolitical tensions, increasing regulation and more complex shipments in 2025, but traceability and innovation might help to reinvent the sector, experts have said.
According to the US department of agriculture, “2024/25 global cotton consumption is forecast at 115.2 million bales (…) more than 9 million bales below the record level witnessed four years ago”, thanks to more production and consumption of man-made fibres (1).…

The nearly two-month long Israeli military attacks on Lebanon, an escalation of a year-long conflict between Israel and Lebanese Shia militant group Hizbullah, has hit the country’s higher education sector hard. The impact is all the worse given Lebanon’s universities and colleges have been struggling with financial and economic problems for the past five years.…

The government of Eswatini has stopped scholarships for bachelor of arts (BA) in humanities degrees in the country’s key public HE institution, the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), with effect from the 2025/2026 academic year.

Prospective and current students who were hoping to secure public financial assistance for BA courses such as English, geography, history, religious studies and African languages.…