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BY ALAN OSBORN
ONCE again significant recovery of coal mining in Kosovo has been frustrated by unforeseen natural disasters – in this case the collapse last November of the coal face in the Bardh coal mine after very heavy rain, causing serious damage to equipment.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL in Paris, ALAN OSBORN in London, MARK ROWE in Singapore, ED PETERS and DON GASPER in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane and ALEX SMAILES in Port of Spain.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
VIETNAM has launched an ambitious reform of its judiciary, which it wants to make more efficient and independent to underpin its drive towards doubling its gross domestic product in the next 10 years through a thriving private business sector.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE DOMINICAN Republic, Brazil and the Philippines are the key beneficiaries of the latest low tariff import quotas for sugar unveiled by the United States Trade Representative. Out of a total low duty quota for 2003-4 of 1,117,195 metric tonnes, the Dominican Republic commands 185,335 tonnes, Brazil 152,691 and the Philippines 142,160.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
THE CANADIAN asbestos industry is redoubling its efforts to persuade the European Union to reverse its ban on chrysotile asbestos using the findings of a new study, which backs arguments that the mineral is safer for human use than some alternative materials.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A DETAILED and global draft code of practice on reducing violence and stress suffered by service industry employees has been released by the International Labour Organisation, which says the problems are a “threat to productivity and decent work”.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
UNITED Nations cultural and scientific agency UNESCO has welcomed a pledge by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) not to exploit, explore or mine in official World Heritage sites. The council represents 15 of the world’s largest metals and mining companies, namely Alcoa, Anglo American, AngloGold, BHP Billiton, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Mitsubishi Materials, Newmont, Nippon Mining & Metals, Noranda, Pasminco, Placer Dome, Rio Tinto, Sumitomo Metal Mining, Umicore and WMC Resources.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
DATA released by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has shown the wide extent of the fires that have this year ravaged the world’s forests. In Europe, Portugal has been particularly hard hit, with 417,000 hectares being burnt so far this year, compared with 123,910 in all of last year.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have released a set of educational materials on protecting children from ultra-violet radiation, as young people today are, they say, “most vulnerable and most exposed. The information packs point out that annually, there are 2-3 million new cases of non-malignant melanomas and more than 130,000 melanoma skin cancer cases worldwide, causing 66,000 deaths; “children are disproportionately affected,” it warns.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has started to get tough with the United States over the ongoing controversy regarding the use by Washington of air passenger data handed over by European Union airlines. Internal market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said in a speech to the European Parliament justice and home affairs committee in Brussels: “We cannot let this process go on indefinitely.…