Search Results for: Dominican Republic

Regardless of the debate about whether China is losing its shine as a clothing source, brands will always be looking for a competitive edge in new manufacturing hubs.

Myanmar’s low wage garments sector, for instance, is poised for rapid growth. The country’s first democratically elected government in 50 years is set to assume power in April and several reforms have already been made to bolster the country’s appeal as a sourcing destination for international clothing brands.…

The Russian government has approved a proposed state programme targeting a significant increase in the domestic production of rare-earth elements (REE) by 2020. The news was announced by a spokesman for Denis Manturov, Russia’s minister of industry and trade, whose ministry oversees the development of REE.…

The European Union (EU) is struggling to resolve deep political divisions over whether a future diligence scheme to prevent conflict minerals hitting Europe’s shores should be mandatory or voluntary and over the influence that industry should have on the system’s operation. …

A major European trade union executive has warned a European Commission conference that Europe’s aluminium and steel industries could disappear if the European Union (EU) gives China ‘market economy status’ (MES) within its anti-dumping calculations.

Bart Samyn, deputy secretary general of industriALL, gave a stark warning claiming that “if the EU grants MES to countries such as China, this could kill a number of industries we have here in Europe”.…

The easing of international commercial sanctions against Iran is likely to boost both the country’s exports of non-ferrous metals and ores, well as foreign investment in the sector.

The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation (IMIDRO) is the key government agency boosting this work and it announced on March 14 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the China’s Sinosteel Corporation to establish an alumina production plant and aluminium factory in Iran, along with an associated power plant supplying on-site electricity.…

The Islamic Republic of Iran has had to deal with financial sanctions imposed by the United States following the revolution in 1979, and then ramped up during the Bill Clinton and George W Bush administrations. But it was the multilateral financial sanctions imposed by United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) and the European Union (EU) from 2007 onwards, and particularly in 2011, that hit Iran even harder, further narrowing an already limited window to operate financially in international terms.…

An unprecedented spike in rhino poaching has not only threatened the existence of the charismatic species but also shone a spotlight on the highly organised criminal networks responsible. Wildlife crime is no longer seen as victimless or offering little reward but authorities are fighting back with some innovative tactics, reports Mark Rowe. …

Activists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are locked in a battle with President Joseph Kabila’s administration over what they are describing as an attempt to extend his mandate beyond the official end of his second – and final – term in November.…

Following the international agreement limiting its nuclear power ambitions, Iran is essentially open for business. However, certain US sanctions remain in place, adding to Western banks’ caution in dealing with Iran, long a pariah to global investors and bankers. Indeed, the biggest challenge will be reintegrating Iran’s financial institutions back into the international system after their years’ long experience of dealing with, and circumventing, sanctions.…

Back in March 2014, a Hong Kong businessman named Joseph Lau Luen-hung was sentenced in absentia to five years and three months in prison by Macau’s Court of First Instance.

Lau had been found guilty, along with along with fellow businessman Steven Lo Kit-sing, of money laundering and paying a Hong Kong dollars HKD20 million (USD2.5 million) bribe to Macau’s former secretary of public works, Ao Man Long, who is himself serving a 27-year jail term (for bribery charges).…