Latest news with #AWEX
The Print
18 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
Belgian govt distances itself from staffer who ‘put up anti-Netanyahu posters' near embassy in Delhi
AWEX is the public service in Belgium's Wallonia region. It is in charge of attracting foreign investment to the region and also helps companies currently operating in the region to export their products. 'Since this matter primarily concerns the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX), for whom the person concerned works, we refer to them for more information,' a Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said to ThePrint. New Delhi: The Belgian government Thursday distanced itself from a staffer at its embassy here who was allegedly involved in putting up posters against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in the Chanakyapuri area. On Tuesday, the Delhi Police said an AWEX staff member at the embassy was allegedly behind putting up 'wanted' posters of Netanyahu in the high-security diplomatic area. The incident is said to have occurred last week, with at least two posters seen on electricity poles, according to reports. The incident was being investigated by the relevant local authorities. According to reports, an individual wearing a blue shirt and black trousers was allegedly spotted putting up the posters in the early hours of Tuesday morning. From CCTV recordings, Delhi Police identified the individual and confirmed his employment at the Belgian mission. A person familiar with the matter said that the issue has not been officially raised with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yet. The ministry can only take action after it has been officially informed of a case. The embassy in New Delhi has representatives from two regions in Belgium—Flanders and Wallonia. The country has three regions in all, the third being Brussels, the capital. Wallonia is the French-speaking region located in the southern part of the European nation. In 2015, India was the thirteenth largest export destination for goods manufactured in the region. Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern region of Belgium, also has an Investment and Trade Commissioner appointed to the embassy in New Delhi. Over the years, India has become an important partner for engagement in trade for Belgium. In March this year, Princess Astrid, the younger sister of the current monarch, King Philippe, led a high-level economic delegation to India for a week. She met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and they agreed to cooperate across emerging and high-impact sectors and to 'deepen' the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The Belgian delegation also met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav. Brussels condemned Israel's conduct in the current conflict in Gaza and has pushed for the resumption of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. In April, Belgium's permanent representative to the United Nations Sophie De Smedt declared that Israel must not weaponise aid during the conflict. More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its 18-month operation following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead. At least 250 individuals were also taken hostage. Since then, while Hamas has released dozens of hostages as part of deals between the two sides, others have been retrieved by Israeli forces. According to reports, 56 hostages still remain in Gaza. A fresh ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, potentially including hostage exchanges, is currently under discussion. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Zelenskyy calls for meeting with Trump, Putin & Erdogan as Istanbul ceasefire talks fail a 2nd time
West Australian
29-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Australian wool markets sees first increase, 14 cents, for first time in four consecutive weeks
The Australian wool industry is breathing a sigh of relief as the wool market makes its first meaningful recovery after four consecutive weeks of declines. Wool industry experts say the result — owing to the stabilisation of the Australian currency, an increase in consumer confidence and an increase in woollen top sales — is indicative of future market trends. The Eastern Market Indicator added 14 cents to close at 1203¢/kg on April 22. Australian Wool Exchange senior market analyst Lionell Plunkett said the national offering was the smallest it's been since 2020 at 26,897 bales. With Fremantle not in operation, bales were down 3762 on the week prior. Mr Plunkett said the smaller offering this week attracted good widespread competition, pushing prices higher from the outset. 'Although the strongest demand continued to be on the higher yielding lots, particularly those possessing favourable additional measurement (AM) results, with such a limited selection of these types, the lesser style types and wool with less favourable (AM) results also benefited from the rising market,' he said. 'On the opening day, all the published individual AWEX Micron Price Guides across all three centres posted upward results. 'The Merino fleece MPGs added between 5 and 54 cents. 'The crossbred and skirting markets both trended higher.' Mr Plunkett said the benchmark EMI added 10 cents for the day — the biggest daily rise in nine selling days. 'The EMI also managed a US2¢ increase,' he said. 'This was the first time the EMI rose in both Australian (AUD) and US currency terms since the 19th of March.' On the second day, AWEX said the market again trended higher. 'The EMI rose again in both AUD and US terms, adding 4 and 3 cents respectively. 'The EMI finished the series 14 cents higher, closing at 1203¢/kg clean.' Although most wool types experienced a rise, the Merino carding indicator was the only anomaly with a 28¢/kg drop in Melbourne. Westcoast Wool and Livestock regional wool manager Brad Faithfull said he was confident the wool market had found its base level and would continue a positive trend. He said a major indicator in the trend was the increase in woollen top sales, which was 'always a good sign'. Demand from trader buyers forced price rises into the local sale rooms as trading exporters quite often had to outbid the top makers and indents to meet their shipment obligations. 'We have also seen our currency — which has been radical for a while — stabilise and an increase in producer confidence,' Mr Faithfull said. 'Greasy stock is down at an international level which is also boosting demand.' Around 28,000 bales are being offered on April 29, with the WA centre at Fremantle selling just one day again on Tuesday.
West Australian
22-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
RWS-certified wool demand rises exponentially in recent months, fetching more than 100c/kg premiums
Global demand for ethically-produced wool has risen exponentially during the past six months, with fleeces certified through the Responsible Wool Standard fetching premiums of more than 100c/kg. And industry experts expect premiums to continue to rise as demand, particularly from Eastern Europe, continues to build. Westcoast Wool and Livestock broker Justin Haydock said RWS-certified wool fetched an average premium of 6.5 per cent above the market, with specific clips showing up to 11.46 per cent premiums during the last RWS sale on April 30 — selling week 44. 'Total average price difference over 100 bales was $10,500,' he said. 'I've got another clip here that offered 41 bales, averaged 9.75 per cent above the market, and total price difference was 6k. 'Another clip here: 67 bales, $10,000 and an average 11.46 per cent above the market. 'And another clip here was a larger clip, but they did have lower yielding wool with with high vegetable matter, but that's still average 6.2 per cent above the market, 200 bales, and total price difference of 22,000 there.' Mr Haydock said the stats are based on sold prices versus AWEX quotes on the day for particular lines of wool. The RWS is a voluntary standard — established by international non-for-profit Textile Exchange — which requires all sites, from wool farms to the seller, to be certified. Farmers are evaluated against animal welfare, land management and social requirements to meet the standard, and all wool has to be produced from non-mulesed sheep. Mr Haydock said he was conducting private RWS sales catalogues to offer larger volumes, which buyers preferred. 'We've identified that buyers really like the opportunity to bid on volume,' he said. 'They're not force to take a position on the wool themselves. They can fill orders straight away, get it straight onto a ship and delivered to mills.' Mr Haydock said low-yielding, high VM wools are heavily discounted in the auction marketplace however, RWS certification mitigates this discount. 'Looking forward, I think demand is only going to increase,' he said. 'Surprisingly, we've actually seen people drop away from the AWS. 'There could potentially be more growers start to sign up again now that the premiums are starting to increase but I think the demand will outweigh volume at the end of the day.' Fremantle Wool Trading managing director John Bradbury said while there was financial benefit in being RWS certified and there was 'certainly a demand in Europe', many farmers simply 'can't be bothered with it'. 'The complexity of it drives everyone mad — it's clunky,' he said. 'Non-mulesed is almost impossible to find and it's harder and harder to find RWS wool.' In week 46, May 14, the national offering was 30,931 bales, with 7529 were declared non-mulesed or ceased mulesing.
West Australian
13-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Dusty, low-yielding wool is the current norm Australia-wide due to dry seasonal conditions
A lack of rain across the country is taking its toll on Australian wool quality, with dusty, low-yielding wool more prevalent than usual. The industry is not unfamiliar with dry conditions and experienced similar conditions this time last year but traders say it has been difficult to find a home for lower-style wools. Australian Wool Exchange senior market analyst Lionell Plunkett said the ongoing dry weather across the country had contributed to dusty growing environments. He said in turn, this resulted in reduced fleece yields and had negatively impacted wool style and quality. AWEX classifies wool into seven style categories, ranging from one (choice) to seven (inferior). Most Australian wool is usually graded within style categories three and five, but during the past four to six weeks there has been a clear increase in the number of sale lots assessed as style six and seven. Mr Plunkett said the decline in style quality had been particularly noticeable in the Southern and Western selling centres. Figures from the Southern region increased 14 percentage points since the final sale of 2024, from one per cent to 15. 'In the Western region, the proportion has risen sharply from 2 per cent in December to 23 per cent this week,' Mr Plunkett said. 'Traders are finding it increasingly difficult to integrate these lower-style wools into existing orders, which is placing further downward pressure on the market.' The Eastern Market Indicator fell 19¢/kg during the May 6 and 7 sales, to close at 1191¢/kg, but prices were still up five per cent, or 57¢, compared to the same time last week. The latest stats marked the third week in succession of falling prices, with brokers attributing price variances to varying quality. Westcoast Wool and Livestock broker Justin Haydock said he is currently seeing 'a lot' of low-yielding wool come through the system, believing it to be season-related. 'It seems to be worse than usual,' he said. Mr Haydock said he was watching 21 microns carefully, believing changes to the 21 microns in the market would be reflective of the market as a whole but does not believe there will be a shift any time soon. 'I believe the micron price spread will stay low for quite some time with many breeding objectives over the years being to produce a finer wool while maintaining wool cut, seasonal conditions nationwide — causing a finer micron,' he said. 'In my opinion, the only way we will see fines lift is if 21 microns can break through their resistance level of 1500, something they have rarely done. 'Due to a supply-and-demand scenario, historic data tells us that the micron price spread could stay low for the near future until we see an increase in broader wools on the market.'
