Colombia Signs FTA with South Korea – On Thursday, Colombia signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with South Korea in order to boost bilateral trade and investment. Once approved, the FTA will eliminate tariffs on about 96% of imports and exports between the two countries.
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General Nationwide Strike Shuts Down Ports in India – Major trade unions began a 48-hour general strike on the 20th in protest of the union government’s labor policies. Container terminals in Port of Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva) were closed causing three container ships to be stranded at the terminals and two waiting for berth.
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Workers Strike in Brazil – Port workers at Maceio port in Brazil will strike on Friday, February 22nd effectively closing the port down. The strike will delay the berthing of vessels during that time.
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Hong Kong Bans German Poultry Imports – Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety has banned imports of poultry and poultry products from Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany. The ban is in response to an influenza outbreak in the northeastern parts of Germany.
Read more from Journal of Commerce