Search Results for: United Nations
10 results out of 4207 results found for 'United Nations'.
LONG-RUNNING BANANA TRADE WAR - PEACE AT LAST
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD’S longest-running trade dispute is over: a deal on European Union (EU) banana imports has been initialled today in Geneva. The EU, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico and United States have struck a long-awaited agreement.…
USA, CHINA, STRIKE ANTI-SUBSIDY DEAL ON CHINESE 'MAJOR BRANDS' DISPUTE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States is claiming victory in a trade dispute with China, after Beijing announced it would scrap subsidies for products including sugar confectionery, chocolate, fruit jelly, pies, dried noodles, frozen pork, beef and mutton. Washington had argued these China-christened ‘famous brands’ handouts were export subsidies banned by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).…
PAINT SECTOR BENEFITTING FROM INDONESIA'S GROWTH
BY KARRYN MILLER
AS Indonesia’s economy continues to grow so too does demand for paint and coatings in the region. In 2008, the archipelago recorded a 6.1% increase in gross domestic product (GDP), moving from a GDP per capita of US$3,700 in 2007 to US$3,900 the following year (using purchasing power parity adjustments).…
Roman Polanski case highlights the global politics of extradition
By Katherine Dunn, International News Services
The travails of Roman Polanski in Switzerland this autumn have offered some lessons to the world’s wanted over extradition laws and how to deal with them. The Polish director has of course been living in France, with little fear of extradition, since 1978, when he fled the USA facing statutory rape charges. Only now of course this autumn was he arrested on an American warrant on a visit to Switzerland, while movie stars and directors crowed for his release.
Now, he is out on bail, secured with the help of French president Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, who intervened on Polanski’s behalf.
As Polanski languishes in Alpine house arrest in a luxury Swiss chalet, it’s clear that extradition is still, at base, a political decision – and to avoid it, one key is not supporting international causes unpopular with powerful governments.…
Van Rompuy, Ashton appointments could boost French protectionism within Europe
By Alan Osborn, International News Services
The share-out of top jobs in the EU announced last Thursday night after weeks of political maneouvring has had an almost universally poor reception. The appointment of Mr Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian prime minister, to be the first full-time EU president, and that of the British peer baroness Catherine Ashton to be the EU’s foreign policy chief, (both of them relative unknowns) have been widely seen as disappointments and the waste of a chance to put the EU on the world stage by appointing well-known, assertive figures.
Not everybody will see it negatively though. As the realpolitik behind these moves becomes plainer, we can see that France and Germany have done a lot better than other countries – apparently at the expense of the United Kingdom. As part of the deal to install Lady Ashton, Britain has agreed to allow Michel Barnier, a centre-right French politician, to take responsibility for the internal market in the new EU Commission next year.…
ITALIAN FINANCING PROMOTES QUALITY IN SYRIAN TEXTILE FINISHING
BY PAUL COCHRANE
THE ITALIAN government has agreed to a soft loan of Euro 20 million
(US$29.3 million) to upgrade Syria’s textile sector as part of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation’s (UNIDO) ‘integrated programme’ to bolster the international competitiveness of ‘Made in Syria’ products.…
US-SOUTH KOREAN AUTO SECTORS FOCUS ON TRADE DEAL IMPASSE
BY KEITH NUTHALL and KARRYN MILLER
THE AMERICAN and South Korean auto sectors are closely watching the outcome of informal talks between their governments over removing trade barriers within the 2007 US-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, which still requires ratification. The deal was negotiated by the old Bush administration, and is now being reviewed by Obama team, ahead of any renewed ratification push in the US Congress – with the auto sector being a key focus.…
FAO BOOSTS GLOBAL GOVERNANCE FOR FOOD SECURITY ISSUES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A UNITED Nations committee has been charged by the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s with establishing a global campaign to boost food supplies. The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) will be strengthened to create and control a Global Partnership for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition.…
SYRIAN TOBACCO MARKET THRIVING
BY PAUL COCHRANE
THE SYRIAN tobacco market, dominated by the state-run General Organisation of Tobacco (GOT), is witnessing substantial growth on the back of rising domestic demand and export of Syrian tobacco leaf, with average annual growth of 10% to 13%, according to the GOT.…
KNITWEAR SIZING DIFFERENCES AROUND THE WORLD
BY LEE ADENDORFF, WANG FANGQING, and ANCA GURZU
FOR consumers, sizing is easy – you know your size and you can tell if it has changed. But for knitwear manufacturers exporting internationally, sizing correctly for various regions can be a frustrating task.…