European Parliament passes EU import ban on seal products to force end to Canadian hunt

September 16th, 2009 Activists dressed as seals arrested at embassyWASHINGTON — Three animal rights activists protesting seal hunting have been arrested in front of the Canadian embassy in Washington. U.S. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan says officers arrested three members of PETA Wednesday morning on charges of disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly and failure to obey.

September 16th, 2009 EU backs Barroso for another stint as EU chiefSTRASBOURG, France — The European Parliament has agreed to give Jose Manuel Barroso another five-year term as European Commission President. The EU assembly voted 382 to 219, with 117 abstentions, in backing the conservative Portuguese ex-premier for a second term at the EU's executive office.

July 27th, 2009 EU gives final OK to seal product banBRUSSELS — European Union nations gave their final approval Monday to a ban on imports of seal products in an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt. A majority of the EU's 27 member states see the way Canada conducts its hunt, the world's largest, as inhumane.

July 6th, 2009 Namibian seal hunt to go on, 90,000 to be clubbedJOHANNESBURG — Namibia's annual commercial seal hunt will go on despite objections by animal welfare groups, a government official said Monday. Frans Tsheehama of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources ministry said that the season started on July 1 and will run until Nov.

June 18th, 2009 Canadian seal hunt experiences drop in catchesST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland — The global recession, plummeting pelt prices and the prospect of a European ban on seal products dramatically lowered the number of seals killed in this year's hunt, Canadian officials said Thursday.

June 18th, 2009 Number of kills in Canadian seal hunt dropsTORONTO — The global recession, plummeting pelt prices and the prospect of a European ban on seal products dramatically lowered the number of seals killed in this year's hunt, Canadian officials said Thursday. About 70,000 harp seals were hunted this year out of a commercial quota of 273,000 animals, said Fisheries and Oceans Canada spokesman Scott Cantin.

June 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The ban on milk and milk product imports from China, which was to have expired June 24, has been extended by another six months, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said. "The central government hereby extends the prohibition on import of milk and milk products, including chocolates and chocolate products..., for a period of six months from 24 June, 2009, and until further orders," said a DGFT notification.

May 27th, 2009 OTTAWA - Canada's Governor General Michaklle Jean gobbled a piece of raw seal meat this week. The event took place in the Rankin Inlet in Nunavut, where Jean indulged in the traditional feast, reports the Globe and Mail.

May 10th, 2009 LONDON - Canada's new opposition leader Michael Ignatieff has denounced European animal right activists including Sir Paul McCartney for their hostility to seal hunting. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Ignatieff hit out at last week's vote by the European Parliament to ban the sale of seal products.

May 6th, 2009 EU, Canada to sign deal to open aviation marketsPRAGUE — The European Union and Canada were expected to sign a deal Wednesday that would open their aviation markets to each other and begin free trade negotiations, despite strains over a new EU ban on seal products. The aviation deal is the EU's most far-reaching and open aviation pact with a trade partner and is meant to spur trans-Atlantic trade and competition.

May 6th, 2009 EU, Canada start talks on free trade agreementPRAGUE — The European Union and Canada delayed the signing of a deal Wednesday to open their aviation markets to each other — for procedural reasons, an official said — as strains over a new EU ban on seal products intensified. The two sides also opened free trade negotiations and signed an air safety agreement.

May 5th, 2009 EU takes aim at Canada, bans seal productsSTRASBOURG, France — The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban imports of seal products, including fur coats and even some omega-3 pills, in an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt, the world's largest. The Canadian government reacted sharply to the move, with Trade Minister Stockwell Day promising that Ottawa will challenge the ban and take the 27-nation bloc to the world trade body if the new law does not exempt Canada.

May 5th, 2009 Canada to talk trade despite EU seal product banTORONTO — Canada's trade minister says a European Parliament ban of Canadian seal products won't prevent Canada and the EU from agreeing on a wide-ranging free-trade agreement. The European Parliament voted Tuesday to ban imports of seal products in an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt.

April 27th, 2009 EU approves trade talks with CanadaLUXEMBOURG — The European Union endorsed plans Monday to open negotiations with Canada on a free trade pact that could see easier temporary movement of skilled wokers and reduction in rules and red tape. The negotiations, which could last two years, are to be officially launched at an EU-Canada leaders summit May 6, in Prague.

April 24th, 2009 LONDON - Former 'Baywatch' star Pamela Anderson has made a personal plea to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin asking him to help her ban the slaughter of baby seals in her native Canada. The Russian leader was recently applauded by animal lovers all over the world for overseeing a ban on the hunting of young harp seals, and now Anderson has asked him to urge Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to follow his lead, reported femalefirst.co.uk 'The Canadian government has refused to budge on this issue despite widespread protests and international bans on the trade in baby seal skins.