Search Results for: united nations

Cigar sellers are exploring the potential offered by southern Africa’s two Portuguese-speaking countries, Angola and Mozambique, not only as sustainable growth markets, but also as African cigar production centres. Both countries have tobacco production and growing traditions that date back well into the Portuguese colonial times that ended with independence in 1975.…

Many Muslim countries, their governments and businesses, have adopted an uneasy neutrality towards Russia, as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Malaysia is a case in point – its close relations with European, north American and Asian countries (such as Japan and South Korea) means it will not want to breach their sanctions on Russia.…

The Australian food export sector is targeting Malaysia’s rapidly growing certified halal food market. A new memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Malaysia’s Halal Development Corporation in February should benefit Australian exporters. Both organisations have agreed to share information and collaborate actively in developing commercial partnerships between Malaysian and Australian companies.…

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly today (March 9) for a European Union (EU)-wide ban on golden passports or citizenship by investment (CBI) schemes by 2025. In a 595 for, 12 against and 74 abstentions vote, MEPs approved a report on ‘citizenship and residence by investment schemes’ (1) which said schemes operated by 12 EU countries (2) “pose several serious security risks for Union citizens” notably corruption and money laundering.…

The European Union (EU) has launched potentially crippling sanctions against Russia’s iron and steel industry, banning imports to the EU. It bought 753,958 tonnes of Russian pig iron and 1.4 million tonnes of Russian steel slab in 2020. The move is part of a fourth wave of sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU Council of Ministers over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which by March 15 had killed at least 636 civilians, said the UN.…

The Vietnamese apparel sector is a great success story, but to maintain its strong position, the country will have to build backward linkages, while mitigating some deep-rooted cost and labour challenges. Data from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) shows that from the 1990s, the country’s garment industry has risen from a low base to overtaking Bangladesh’s exports’ sales in 2020, with USD29 billion overseas sales revenues, ranking second worldwide.…

With fraud levels booming – a PwC report released last May (2021) said 47% of more than 5,000 interviewees’ companies suffered an average of six frauds in the previous two years – anti-fraud professional salaries are growing. (1)

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) will release its next anti-fraud sector salary survey in the summer, but Mason Wilder, an ACFE research specialist confirmed pay is “going up – as are most wages and salaries in professional fields”.…

NEW Zealand’s butter industry is thriving, despite the disruption of Covid-19 and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with strong export demand particularly from China but also from other markets worldwide, especially in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc. Major exporter Fonterra is also looking ahead to a world that increasingly cracks down on carbon emissions, introducing the first carbon-zero certified organic butter made in NZ, reflecting how consumers are seeking more sustainability in their food purchases.…

A lack of renewable energy industry cybersecurity standards has seen green power producers “fly under the radar of regulation” when developing their systems and technologies, a senior US cyber-security consultant, and other industry experts, are warning. Peter Lund, CTO of Industrial Defender, a cybersecurity solutions provider for major utility and energy companies based in Massachusetts, USA, said these failings need addressing to avoid catastrophic outages, increased consumer costs or even crippled economies, as renewable energy becomes ever more important in power generation mixes.…

Steadily falling costs of digital textile printing in India and the country’s central government’s success in developing the specialised skills needed to operate these technologies are paving the way for modern inkjet printers to replace conventional printing techniques in this key Asian textile manufacturing centre.…