Reviving craftsmanship, empowering women in South Asia
Big News Network, March 31, 2015
Sabah is an organisation that empowers and enables home-based women across the eight South Asian countries to earn sustainable livelihoods through crafts and enterprise.
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Afghan ambassador says sister city pact aims to strengthen people-to-people ties
Hindustan Times, 30 March, 2015
The sister city pacts between India and Afghanistan go beyond governments to strengthen people-to-people ties of the two nations, said Shaida Mohammed Abdali, Afghanistan s ambassador to India. I see potential in education, agriculture, mining, tourism and cultural sectors between Madhya Pradesh and Afghanistan, he said.
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Tanzania agrees with Kenya on forests
East African Business Week, 29 March, 2015
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments through their respective forest agencies was signed in Tanzania s northern city of Arusha. The MOU which spells out a five-year plan focuses on trans-boundary collaboration around law enforcement to reduce illegal trade in forest resources such as timber and charcoal.
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Food standards will be upheld in TTIP trade deal Bruton
Agri Land, 28 March, 2015
European food standards will be upheld in any EU/US trade deal, according to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton. Speaking at the launch of a report on the impact of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the Irish economy, he said that there there is no question that EU standards will be upheld.
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India may export basmati rice, now `infestation-free`, to China from this year
The Economic Times, 27 March, 2015
India may be able to export basmati rice to China from this year, with rice-shelling and exporting units registered with the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) being declared infestation-free.
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Hannover Messe to focus on Make in India, Skill India: Sushma
Business Standard, 26 March, 2015
The Hannover Messe fair, the world`s largest industrial trade fair, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to inaugurate next month, will provide the perfect platform to showcase India`s engineering prowess and reinforce government initiatives like `Make in India`, `Skill India` and `Digital India`, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said here on Thursday.
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Australia in battle with New Zealand over milk to Asia
Financial Review, 25 March, 2015
Australia is set to lock horns with New Zealand in the burgeoning market of providing Western-standard milk and dairy products to middle-class Asian consumers, especially in China. The FTAs will put Australian industry on a much more competitive footing with New Zealand`s export-focused dairy sector.
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Sri Lanka to meet required need of big onion seeds locally this year
Colombo Page, 24 March, 2015
Agriculture Minister of Sri Lanka Duminda Dissanayake says the country`s required big onion seeds for cultivation this year will be met locally. The Minister said there would not be any imported seeds being distributed among farmers.
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Toward ASEAN market integration
The Jakarta Post, 23 March, 2015
From a business perspective, Southeast Asia has long been an interesting but unsynchronized collection of smaller markets, but that is rapidly changing. More than 11 years in the making, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will come into existence on Dec. 31, 2015.
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How Afghanistan can build a strong economic future
The National, 22 March, 2015
Afghanistan has already attracted considerable investment, with China pledging $2.8 billion for the development of copper mines, and a consortium of Indian companies in partnership with Canadian companies announcing an investment of $14.6 billion for the development of iron ore mines in Hajigak. However these projects are at a standstill due to the precarious security scenario.
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Climate change to cut South Asia’s growth 9 percent by 2100
AG Week, 21 August, 2014
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18th COMESA summit under theme inclusive and sustainable industrialization , 20-31 Mach, Addis Ababa
Somali Land Press, 21 March, 2015
The summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMES) scheduled from 20-31 March, 2015 has started in Addis Ababa at AU Headquarters.
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Major Asia-Pacific trade pact enters final stages
CNBC, 20 March, 2015
Negotiators concluded another round of TPP discussions on Sunday in Hawaii, sparking some protests but making “significant progress” on a number of issues, according to William Craft, the deputy assistant secretary of state for trade policy and programs in the State Department`s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.
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International Conference on India and the Indian Ocean to begin from Friday in Odisha
Orissa Diary, 19 March, 2015
The state has able to put its footsteps in various countries and through this first of kind event, Odisha is going to be a maritime trade hub, said Reception Committee Chairman and eminent writer Sri Haraprasad Das while addressing a press conference here today on the eve of the three day long international conference titled India & The Indian Ocean: Renewing the Maritime Trade & Civilisational Linkages , to be held from 20 March to 22 March, 2015 at Bhubaneswar.
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World looking to India to lead the path to higher, sustainable, and inclusive growth: IMF
India Infoline, 18 March, 2015
In her speech titled Spillovers from Unconventional Monetary Policy Lessons for Emerging Markets, Christian Lagarde, IMF Managing Director, said, global growth is still fragile and uneven.
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India`s maritime awakening? PM Modi endorses a Blue Revolution
India TV News, 17 March, 2015
The three island-nation trip that took Prime Minister Modi to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka in mid-March may well mark the beginning of India`s long-overdue maritime awakening.
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6 Filipino firms show why they`re leading companies for women
Rappler, 16 March, 2015
Bohol Bee Farm, Computer Professionals Incorporated, Crea 8 Innov 8 Marketing, ECHOStore, Filip + Inna, and Pointwest are the Filipino companies included in APEC`s “50 leading companies for women” in the region. The 50 companies are cited for their exemplary work in advancing opportunities for women in the APEC region and beyond.
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Saudi-UNESCO partnership aims to bolster Mideast education
English Al Arabiya, 15 March, 2015
The recently-established UNESCO Regional Center for Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE) aims to be a service provider, a standard-setter and a research center to help spreading awareness and promoting best practices and practical ideas in education quality and excellence.
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UAE Ministry of Economy signs MOU agreement for mega-trade event
Gulf News, 14 March, 2015
Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister for Economy has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the organisers of Global Trade Development Week, to keep the event in the UAE for the next three years. Global Trade Development Week 2015 (GTDW), is being held in Dubai from October 27-29 and is organised under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Economy.
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Brazil Biofuel, Sustainable Projects Get $100 Million From IDB
Bloomberg, 13 March, 2015
The Inter-American Development Bank approved $100 million in financing for biofuel and sustainable agriculture projects in Brazil. The funds will be for investments through Banco ABC Brasil SA, said Luiz Antonio Assumpcao Neto, director of foreign funding at ABC. The Brazil bank has one year to choose projects and existing businesses to finance.
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India, ASEAN to Work in Agri and Food Sector
The Crop Site, 12 March, 2015
India ASEAN cooperation in agriculture and forestry sectors form an important part to ensure long-term food security in the region, Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East), Indian ministry of external affairs said at the ASEAN India Cooperation in Food Security, Agriculture Technology And Food Engineering for Delhi Dialogue VII recently.
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Exports not the basis of sustainable local food economies
Bangor Daily News, 11 March, 2015
As the push for fast-track trade authority intensifies, there has been an onslaught of new promotional materials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These opinion pieces assert that fast-track and new free-trade agreements would increase farm exports and, by extension, improve rural livelihoods. But they don t back up these assertions with specifics, and they are silent on the possible negative impacts on rural communities and our food systems. Further, they never explain how the inherently undemocratic fast-track trade-agreement approval process is necessary or beneficial.
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China confident of meeting 6% annual trade growth target
The Jakarta Post, 10 March, 2015
China is confident of meeting its annual foreign trade growth target of 6 percent in 2015 despite the persisting weak growth in global demand, the country s commerce ministry said over the weekend.
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GSP+ improves Pakistan s trade profile
Dawn.com, 9 March, 2015
Pakistan has improved its trade profile in the European Union in the first year of the GSP Plus.
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Mobile connectivity improves sustainable artisinal fisheries in Indonesia
Enterprise Innovation, 8 March, 2015
A US-based communication company has partnered with an Indonesian telecommunications operator to provide fishermen in Lombok island with mobile connectivity.
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Reduce Trade Barriers, United States Ambassador Urges Jamaican Government
Jamaica Gleaner, 7 March, 2015
United States (US) Ambassador Luis G. Moreno has called on Jamaica to lower barriers to trade as he is banking on the doubling of trade between the two countries over the next decade.
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VDMA and ACIMIT joins Euratex to promote energy efficiency
Innovation in Textiles, 6 March, 2015
Energy Made-to-Measure campaign, the initiative for energy efficiency in the European textile and clothing industry led by Euratex, will intensify as of 2015 thanks to new collaboration with both the VDMA s Blue Competence initiative and the Sustainable Technologies project of ACIMIT.
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Egypt: Cottonforlife to promote sustainable fair trade
ANSAmed, 5 March 2015
A five-year initiative for the cultivation, processing and marketing of Egyptian organic cotton on the basis of a collaboration agreement signed in September by an Italian firm and the Egyptian agriculture ministry is under implementation.
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Betting on a greener Macao
Eco Business, 4 March, 2015
The Macao government hopes to transform the city into the centre of green development in the Pearl Delta Region and make tourism – its economic backbone – far more sustainable.
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AIM 2015 to host ministerial roundtable on prospects for FDI
Azer News, 3 March, 2015
The UAE Ministry of Economy announced that the Annual Investment Meeting 2015 will include a ministerial roundtable for ministers of several countries specialized in investment, economy, finance, foreign trade, foreign affairs and international cooperation.
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Nagaland Guv stresses on commercial horticultural products in NE
The Shillong Times, 2 March, 2015
Nagaland Governor P B Acharya, terming horticulture as one of the main agricultural practices among nations, has said it being promoted by the states and the Centre in order to make it a commercial activity to meet growing demands.
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