Canada Claims North Pole – Canada has filed a preliminary submission to the United Nations making a claim on the North Pole as a way of asserting control over a large part of the Arctic. Denmark and Russia also look ready to claim the North Pole on grounds it lays on a continental shelf they control.
Read more from The Maritime Executive.
U.S. Signs Trade Agreement with Bangladesh – The United States has signed a Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) with Bangladesh. In the spring of this year, a garment factory in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed and killed over 1,100 people. Shortly after, the U.S. suspended duty-free trade access to some products from Bangladesh. TICFA has been signed in hopes of restoring the damaged relationship.
Read more from Integration Point.
Cuba Finalizes Maritime Boundary Treaty with Honduras – Chancellor Mireya Agüero Corrales of Honduras and Cuban embassy official, Sergio Oliva, finalized the Exchange of Instrument of Ratification to Maritime Delimitation Treaty between their respective countries. The maritime boundary stipulates that both countries have agreed to cooperate in the development of programs in navigational safety, maritime search and rescue, hydrographic studies, scientific marine research, and preservation and protection of marine environment.
Read more from The Maritime Executive.
Swiss Parliament Approves FTA with China – The Swiss National Council has approved a free trade agreement (FTA) with China, Switzerland’s largest trading partner in Asia. This is the first FTA between China and a country in continental Europe.
Read more from Global Times.
