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The farmers protesting in Punjab against the Central government’s farm laws say they are not agitating on railway tracks and platforms anymore, but train services are yet to be resumed. Vikas Vasudeva reports on the impact of the blockade on industry and agriculture
November is generally a busy month in Punjab as the wheat crop is all set for sowing. But this year, the air is thick with resistance. On the tenth day of the month, outside the railway station in Shambhu village in Patiala district on the Punjab-Haryana border, farmers gather to agitate against the Centre’s three recent controversial farm laws. They have come to replace a group of farmers who have just left the makeshift site after spending a chilly winter night in protest.
On the stage of the makeshift protest site the farmers reiterate their resolve: ‘Long live the unity of 30 farmer outfits’. Farmers trooping in say they are distressed about the Centre’s attitude towards their concerns; they think the Centre is being indifferent and confrontational. But they are not angry with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government alone; they are also upset with the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal — parties who many allege are working only to gain political mileage ahead of the 2022 Assembly election in the State.
The farmers want their voices to be heard and their demands to be met. Their agitation initially halted train services in the State. The farmers say that they stopped protesting on tracks and platforms a few weeks ago, but the Railways are yet to resume operations in the State. Talks between Central Ministers and protesting Punjab farmer unions on Friday ended inconclusively with the government saying that it was open to more talks. The farmers are against the resumption of passenger services, but are angry that the Centre hasn’t resumed goods trains, even though they had lifted the blockade on the tracks. The absence of supply has set off a massive economic crisis that pervades several sectors ranging from farming to manufacturing.
‘Ours is a peaceful protest’
The farmers also say that they will not budge until their concerns are addressed. “We are not squatting on railway tracks or on the platform any more. We have announced that goods trains will be allowed to move. Yet the Central government has not resumed railway services. This is nothing but a confrontational attitude. Our indefinite ‘rail roko’ agitation started on October 1. It was completely peaceful. Can you tell us about any incident of violence? There hasn’t been a single such incident,” says Hazura Singh Mirzapur, a farmer leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) and co-ordinator of the protest at the Shambhu railway station.
“We were occupying railway tracks till the afternoon of October 22. After that we vacated the tracks and moved to the platforms. On November 4, members of 30 farmer outfits collectively decided to shift the agitation from railway platforms to nearby vicinities. Since November 5, we have been sitting outside the railway station and protesting peacefully. On October 22, at 3.28 p.m., a goods train passed through this station. That happened the next day too; we have records. But from October 24, the movement of trains was stopped. Why is that,” asks Mirzapur.
Also read | With goods trains off track, Punjab’s lifeline cut off
The 30 farmer outfits, cutting across political affiliations, had first announced on October 21 that they would allow the movement of goods trains till November 5. On November 4, they decided to extend the movement of goods trains till November 20. However, they made it clear that they would not allow movement of passenger trains until their demands were met. The Railways say losses due to the agitation have crossed ₹1,200 crore in October.
Gurbaksh Singh Balbera, another farmer leader, says the farmers are upset that they were not taken into confidence by the Centre before introduction of the new farm laws. Now that they are agitating, the government is giving Punjab step-motherly treatment, he says. “These laws have been imposed on us. We will stop protesting only when they are withdrawn. Farmers are protesting in other States as well, and trains are plying in all those States except Punjab. Why is there step-motherly treatment towards Punjab? As far as the issue of security is concerned, which is being raised by the Railways, the State government has already given us an assurance that the police will extend all their support to the Railways in providing security to enable smooth movement of freight trains,” he says.
Also read | Amarinder Singh warns Centre of repercussions of farmers’ agitation
No trains, no goods
As farmers gather to discuss the day’s strategy, Jaspal Singh, a farmer from Mandauli village, points out the problems that people have started facing: “There’s a shortage of urea in the market. Shop owners have told me that new stock will come only after train services are resumed. I have sown wheat in my field and I am now preparing to use last year’s stock of urea. Also, domestic power cuts in the morning and evening for around two hours each are being imposed for the last few days. At night, power cuts for tubewells are in place these days, which is hampering sowing operations.”
Sukhchain Singh, a 35-year-old farmer, has purchased wheat seeds recently from Ambala in Haryana as quality seeds are not available in his vicinity. “Earlier I used to get seeds from Ghanaur in Punjab. But this time the dealers have informed me that there’s a shortage of seeds on account of trains not moving. I had to shell out more money to buy seeds,” he says.
Also read | Congress demands immediate resumption of train services in Punjab
A few kilometres from the railway station on the Amritsar-Delhi national highway at the Shambhu border, there are also sit-in protests inside two makeshift tents. At one of the sites, under the banner of the Amritsar Kisan Union, associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal, only a few people are present. Lakhvir Singh, vice-president of the union, says the Central government has been acting in a “vindictive manner” against the farmers of Punjab who have raised their voice against the farm laws. “The people of Punjab are being humiliated. Not resuming goods train services is an attempt to impose an economic blockade. Are we not citizens and do we not have a right to protest,” he asks.
The adjacent protest site houses a group of people led by a Punjabi actor-turned-activist, Deep Sidhu. The gathering is a mix of the young and old. Ranjit Singh of Mahru village says he is fighting for the “rights of Punjab” and as a Punjabi, he won’t relent. “We are facing power cuts. The local industry is facing a shortage of raw materials as goods trains services have been stopped. It’s the government’s strategy to weaken our movement but we won’t budge,” he says while serving food to his fellow protesters.
Also read | Akali Dal on ‘course correction’ in Punjab
On the same highway, in Gandian village, a few farmers have blocked entry to a fuel station run by a private company. They say the new farm laws will promote corporate control of food and farming systems, and by protesting outside a “corporate house”, they are conveying the message that they are not willing to accept “corporatisation of farming”.
“The biggest fear is that the government will stop purchasing wheat and paddy in the coming years, which will eventually eliminate the Minimum Support Price regime and destroy the ‘mandi’ system. Where will I go then? It’s a conspiracy to phase out farmers from agriculture and let big corporates take over gradually,” says Parvinder Singh, a farmer participating in the protest. “By not resuming goods train services, the government is trying to scare us as it results in a shortage of urea, fertilizers, seeds, etc. But our resolve is only getting stronger. This a battle for our survival and the generations to come.”
Also read | More than half of farmers oppose farm laws: survey
Sumit, 24, says the government needs to understand that the railway impasse will hit neighbouring areas including Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. “We produce our own foodgrains and vegetables. We have stocks. If the government thinks that by stopping trains it can pressure us, it is wrong. The people in the neighbouring States could suffer, however, especially the armed forces. With the onset of winter, they may run out of supplies once snowfall blocks the roads to Ladakh and the Valley,” he says.
Harvinder Singh of Nagawan village says he has sown wheat in his 15-acre farm with last year’s stocked seed. “I am not worried even if there’s no urea or there are no pesticides available in the absence of train services. The important thing is that I need to stand against these black laws. Otherwise they will spell doom for future generations,” he says.
Also read | Punjab passes its own three agriculture Bills
A ripple effect
The suspension of goods trains has adversely impacted several sectors including agro-processing, engineering, hosiery, pharmaceutical, textile and power. The supply of raw material has reduced considerably, and delivery of products has come to a near halt.
Industry players and economists say that if the blockade is not removed, it could have multiple effects on inter-related value chains across sectors hampering production and livelihoods.
“In Punjab, rail traffic had halted for about a month. The loss is not confined to Punjab’s boundaries, this is a loss to the country. As per the Annual Survey of Industries (2017-18), Punjab has 5.4% of the organised manufacturing factories in the country, with 4.5% of the total persons engaged in manufacturing and contributing about 2.2% to the total net value added from the Indian organised manufacturing sector. Further, as per the National Sample Survey Organisation (73rd round), there are 14.56 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises in Punjab with 24.8 lakh employees. According to the latest IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2020), growth projections for India for 2020 is (—) 10.3% for the fiscal year basis starting April 2020. These projections are probably considering only the COVID-19 effects on the economy. But what would be the projections if other internal causes hampering growth were also taken into account such as the ‘rail roko’ in Punjab,” asks Swati Mehta, assistant professor at the Punjab School of Economics, Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.
Also read | Railways seeks complete security from Punjab govt. to resume services
According to the statistical abstract of Punjab (2018 and 2019), says Mehta, commodities like mineral oils and other edible oils, kerosene, jute, cement, iron and steel, electrical goods, fertilizers and chemicals come in bulk to Punjab. “Therefore, the dearth of raw materials that are used mainly in agriculture and the industrial sector is hampering growth. Apart from exporting foodgrains and other agricultural commodities, Punjab exports hosiery and ready-made garments, leather products, sewing machines, electric switch gears and electrical accessories, auto spares, sports goods, hand tools and machine tools. In 2018-19, the value of exports of industrial goods from Punjab was ₹1,01,758.38 crore (Statistical Abstract of Punjab, 2019). Thus, the estimated per day loss to Punjab with curbs on exports is expected to be around ₹278 crore,” she says.
“Missing production deadlines would have a negative impact on future production orders. It will also impede future investment prospects in the State. With the Railways as the cheapest means of cargo transportation, the halting of trains has broken the backward and forward linkages in local and global value chains thus hurting the already COVID-19-hit economies. Hence, in the path of revival, governments at different levels along with other stakeholders should work together to find a path to revive growth and secure jobs of the people,” she adds.
Also read | Punjab staring at two-three hours long power cuts as situation turns critical
A severe blow
The crisis triggered by the suspension of goods trains had resulted in the curtailment of agricultural and vegetables supplies in the State. According to the State agriculture department, fertilizer is the most critical input for sustainable production of wheat crop, sowing of which has already started. Punjab receives the supply of fertilizers from Gujarat and other States through the Railways. At present, shortage of urea is being felt in the vegetable-growing areas of the State and the required quantities are being supplemented by moving truckloads of urea from National Fertilizers plants at Nangal and Bathinda. But it will not be possible to transport large quantities of fertilizer through trucks for meeting the requirement of the wheat crop, according to a recent report of the agriculture department.
Ashok Sethi, director of the Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association, says the agro-processing industry has taken a severe blow in the past few days. “The continuing impasse over the movement of goods trains services has shaken the confidence of the agro-processing industry and has caused distress to rice exporters. Over 2,000 rice export containers are stranded at an inland container depot in Ludhiana for almost two months attracting huge demurrage, which has added to financial losses. Shipping companies are charging about $54 per day and it is estimated that ₹25 crore has already been lost. Already rice worth ₹5,000 crore is blocked due to non-movement of rail container cargo.”
Data | Farmers in Punjab, Haryana depend the most on government procurement
He adds: “It is imperative that the State and Central governments engage in a meaningful dialogue with total sincerity to find a solution to the situation. Their adamant attitude is extremely worrying and any delay will harm the future of rice exports.”
Ludhiana-based Vikram Jeet, owner of Newstar industries, engaged in the manufacturing of fasteners including nuts, bolts, studs, rivets and screws, says production has gone down by at least 50% due to non-availability of raw material. “Manufacturing units of cycle parts, auto parts, sewing machines and tractor parts are also facing the same problems. As racks of steel scrap, coal and sponge iron is not coming, the local steel mills and traders have increased the price of steel by about 25%,” he says.
The textile industrial unit owners have similar problems. “Since last month, over 5,000 inbound and outbound containers are stuck at the Ludhiana inland container depot. At present, essential raw material including yarns, chemicals and finished goods are not being cleared to meet Diwali sales. This will dampen the business spirit,” says Ramesh Jagota, president, All India Mink Blanket Manufacturers Association.
Also read | Railways incur loss to the tune of ₹1,200 crore
Sachin Khanna, a leading blanket exporter in Amritsar, says, “We had shelled out more than triple the amount to ferry our goods through containers by road to Mudra Port. We have paid ₹30,000 extra for each of the five export containers. It’s an extraordinary situation, especially for Punjab due to its location and the problem of logistics.”
The suspension of railway services has also taken a toll on the pharmaceutical industry in Himachal Pradesh. “The pharmaceutical units that are booking export consignments through Punjab’s Ludhiana dry port are being drastically affected,” says Rajesh Gupta, president of the Himachal Pradesh Drugs Manufacturers Association.
Also read | Punjab parties criticise Centre’s move to withhold rural fund
Last week, the State government had stated that it had run out of coal stocks, bringing power generation at coal-based thermal plants in the State to a virtual halt. The daytime power shortage ranging between 1,000 megawatts and 1,500 megawatts has forced the power department to impose power cuts on all residential, commercial and agricultural consumers. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited says it was left with no generation control. Market rates of power continued to be highly volatile and could spike any time, resulting in an increase in the cost of power purchase, on which the State is now completely dependent to feed its cables.
The Railways declined to resume only goods train services in Punjab after protesters cleared the tracks, asserting that they will operate both goods and passenger trains or none at all. All inward and outward goods transportation including essential commodities have been affected adversely in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh.
“Any decision on allowing the movement of passenger trains will be taken on November 18 at our joint meeting of unions. The ongoing impasse is due to the authoritarian attitude of the Central government and discrimination towards Punjab farmers,” says Jagmohan Singh, general secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda).
Disclaimer: This post has not been edited by our staff and is published from a syndicated feed. The Original Source of this post can be found at Source link


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- About 150 workers at Welfare Electronic Technology (运丰) in Shenzhen went on strike in April 2023, protesting relocation to a factory 200km away;
- While workers were still striking on the rooftop, China Labour Bulletin spoke to Mr. Lan, the factory's enterprise union chair, who told us that workers had negotiated with management for a portion of the compensation owed to them under China’s labour laws for factory relocation. But management called the move an “industrial upgrade,” and the local union refused to get involved;
- CLB also called the Bao’an district trade union’s psychological support department to urge for better crisis response when workers are pushed to their limits.
On 24 April, workers at a circuit board factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, posted videos online of over a hundred workers on strike and dozens on the factory rooftop threatening to jump if they are not compensated for being transferred to a sister factory 200 kilometres away. The parent company states that it produces for major brands including Sony, Clarion, Foxconn, Flex, NEC, and Casio.
Workers’ videos preserved in CLB’s Strike Map show the fire department responding to the workers on the rooftop of the three-storey building by placing a giant inflatable device on the ground below.
The strike lasted for at least seven days at Welfare Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (运丰). The Shenzhen factory is owned by Welfare Printed Circuits Board Co. Ltd. in Hong Kong. The parent company opened the Shenzhen factory in 1991, and a second factory in Kaiping, Guangdong province, in 2013.
Photograph: humphery / Shutterstock.com
Since July 2022, the Shenzhen factory has been phasing out some production and moving workers to the Kaiping factory. Workers said online that they have gone on strike three other times since last summer over the relocation and lack of compensation. Workers have also periodically stationed themselves outside the factory to physically prevent equipment transfer.
According to the enterprise union, the Shenzhen factory currently employs about 300 workers, 150 of whom participated in the strike action in April. Comments on the online videos state that about one-third of the workers have already resigned within the past year, when the company began a gradual relocation process.
On 8 May, the factory posted a notice, preserved in our Strike Map, stating that since 22 April, workers had “slowed production for many days” - referring to the strike - and that to restore production, a penalty system would be put in place. Workers deemed absent a set number of days would be considered to have voluntarily resigned.
Understanding workers’ demands and their rights under the labour laws
Welfare Electronic Technology has an enterprise union affiliated with China’s official trade union. China Labour Bulletin contacted the enterprise union chair, Mr. Lan, by telephone on 28 April to understand the situation. Mr. Lan explained that negotiations fell through, despite government stakeholders being involved.
Lan: The union, the union’s lawyers, the labour department, and the local party secretary all arrived and set up a negotiation, but so far a consensus has not been reached.
CLB: Did the union negotiate on behalf of the workers?
Lan: In the negotiation, the boss offered 30 percent off, but workers want 20 percent off, so they are not satisfied.
CLB: What do you mean by 30 percent off?
Lan: The workers are only asking for 80 percent [20 percent off] of the compensation under the labour law.
CLB: But the law is the law. There is no bargaining. The boss can’t propose 30 percent less than the [minimum in the] law.
Lan: Well, it is not defined as a factory relocation, but “industrial restructuring.”
CLB noted that although these are business decisions of the factory, they will certainly affect workers, whose needs should be taken into account.
CLB: This may result in the consequence that some employees, or even all employees, will lose their jobs because of this.
Lan: Yes, the factory orders have decreased in the past few months, and some orders have also been sent out. This is to say that the workers receive 1-2,000 yuan a month, and this can’t meet their salary requirements.
But Mr. Lan believes that the situation at Welfare in Shenzhen is only temporary, and management is doing the right thing to offer workers to transfer to Kaiping. He pointed to the “temporary uncertainties” of the current economic situation and that this arrangement was preferable to shutting down, as other factories are doing.
Photograph: humphery / Shutterstock.com
But Mr. Lan admitted that management’s actions led to “distrust” among workers, which is why many have already resigned and why the strike has lasted so long and involves workers threatening to jump.
CLB: So how long has this been going on since the problem occurred and still hasn't been resolved?
Lan: It must have been six or seven days now.
CLB: Six or seven days? I saw the workers climbing the roof of the building, and that should be on the 24th and 25th, right?
Lan: It also happened today.
Lan: Today. On April 28th, the workers were still on the roof.
The enterprise union that Mr. Lan chairs is at the most grassroots level within the structure of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. As the enterprise union chair, Mr. Lan displayed a decent understanding of the workers’ situation and their demands for compensation, but was not able to get involved before the strike. However, his actions to reach out to the higher-level unions in the district after the strike broke out are commendable.
The next level up is the street-level union in Songgang, which Mr. Lan told us had only sent outsourced lawyers to the scene. Mr. Lan had requested for the Songgang street-level union to send bread and water to the striking workers, but the union responded simply that they “had no plan to do so,” let alone step in to negotiate with the company on behalf of workers. As the enterprise union chair, Mr. Lan’s hands are tied up in the structural and bureaucratic constraints within the system.
Workers need psychological support when facing labour rights disputes
CLB also called the Bao’an district union’s psychological support department and spoke with Ms. Zhang about whether the union had sent counsellors to the workers threatening to jump. Ms. Zhang relayed to us that although she herself works for the district union, her job is to outsource the counselling services provided to workers, and the union makes use of crisis intervention hotlines at the national level and through Shenzhen city.
CLB suggested that the Welfare factory incident shows that the union should take further steps to provide counselling assistance to workers for their psychological needs. But Ms. Zhang defended the union’s inaction.
Zhang: What we can do now is to do a good job of publicity and intervention in the early stages, so our focus is on that part. When they really encounter a crisis, community-level entities are equipped with counsellors, and the companies will also provide related services. If they encounter a crisis situation, we will also go to the scene, but right now, the focus of the work is intervention and publicity - on prevention first - so that these workers will not go to the last resort to jump in this situation.
CLB: We understand that, of course, and we all know that the threat of jumping is a means. They don’t necessarily actually do it, but also we cannot rule out that the conflict will get out of hand. What I mean is that, as a new phenomenon, there are more and more officials, will our trade unions consider taking psychological counselling to the forefront to deal with this new situation? After all, the trade union says it is like the workers' family members, and represents workers' interests.
Ms. Zhang said that she would pass our recommendations along to her superiors.
Factory workers need representation as global brands reduce their orders and businesses try to survive
From this incident, we can see that workers have a deep distrust in their employers during these uncertain economic times. Although the enterprise union was present and requested aid from the local union structures, the local union has basically frozen the enterprise union out of the process and not allowed it to perform its role as a bridge between workers, the factory, and the broader ACFTU.
In addition, the psychological support department of the district union is a relatively new unit and not every union has such services. With the recent high incidence of factory worker strikes and protests in Guangdong province, the Bao’an district union has the opportunity to set the standard for how to respond to workers needing psychological assistance related to their labour rights claims.
International brands sourcing from China should take note of changing conditions in their supply chains, and their role in causing worker distress through decreased orders and shifting supply chain patterns that leave factories unable to provide compensation according to the law.
Further CLB reading:

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While popular YouTuber Elliott ‘Muselk‘ Watkins is more commonly associated with the likes of Fortnite, and Overwatch in his rise to internet stardom, the content creator revealed one staggering CSGO deal he turned down.
The biggest names on Twitch and YouTube alike are often approached by globally recognizable brands in order to promote their products or services. Whether that be a new gaming headset or a new sneaker deal for instance.
While many of these proposals see the light of day in the form of posts or even exclusive videos, deals are occasionally turned down. Revealing his biggest rejection, Muselk shared details on a staggering CSGO agreement he once turned down.
A few years back when his channel was considerably smaller than the Fortnite juggernaut that it is today, Muselk was approached by a Counter-Strike betting company. He admitted he was “caught off-guard” by the lucrative pitch.
Although his YouTube channel was focused on Overwatch at the time, and not at all relevant to CSGO, the company reached out to him nonetheless. “We want you to do a sponsored video,” they suggested in the cold-message email. “We will give you $55,000 USD to do one sponsored video.”
Muselk suggested it the biggest deal he’d seen up until that point in his career, and that it “was so much bigger than any other thing I’d ever done.” Yet, the “mindblowing” amountwasn’t quite enough for him to accept.
For mobile readers, the relevant section begins at 41:00.
“I mulled on it for a little bit and ultimately was just like, no, I don’t wanna do that,” he explained. “I didn’t want to end up putting that content on my channel.”
“It was right during that CSGO gambling phase.” While the conversation hadn’t quite blossomed into the major scandal that it would soon reach, plenty of content creators were able to sniff out the “dodgy” nature of such a deal.
With various CSGO gambling websites rigging bets in their favor, the ruse was soon caught out and those attached to the brands undeniably took a hit. So while Muselk turned down a hefty payday, he also unknowingly dodged a big bullet.
“Fundamentally, the more you do sponsored stuff on YouTube, the more you learn what’s appropriate,” he added, detailing that while the money can be great, not every brand deal is of the best interests of each unique content creator.
By and large the biggest deal that he had seen at the time, he shared that while $55,000 USD was a huge chunk of change for a YouTube brand deal a number of years ago, he now knows people in the industry who have walked away from far more considerable sums in the last few years. “I know people who have turned down well into the six-figure amounts,” he added.
The YouTuber went on to discuss a number of brand deals over the years, from his first major opportunity with Ubisoft, to other collaborations that didn’t quite work out. This enormous CSGO deal stood out as the most significant that he had turned down, however.


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As soon as she entered, Pooja and Sky objected to her presence. The two filed a defamation case against Pooja on Wednesday. Looks like these reality show contestants are soon going to have a bout in real life too!
Photos: Alia Bhatt, Sunny Deol at an event in Mumbai
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Flashback: When sexy models sizzled in bikinis at Tokyo fashion show
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In pictures: Indian-origin artistes in Hollywood


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Virkesbörsen raised SEK 4.5M for a regional marketplace for wood
Virkesbörsen, a Stockholm, Sweden-based startup providing a marketplace for selling and buying wood across Sweden, announced raising SEK 4.5M ($520k) in equity investment.
Virkesbörsen, founded in 2016 by CEO Adam Aljaraidah, has developed a platform that makes it easier for buyers and sellers of wood to find each other. Today in Sweden there is no structured way to trade the timber without the seller often turn to established contacts and competitive bidding is not always a good sales process among buyers. On Virkesborsen forest owners can compare quotes from various forestry companies to ensure the profitability of forestry.


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By Amber-Rose Hurst
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused everyone to press pause on their daily activities, industries across the globe have grappled with the dire consequences of either intense demand or indefinite closure. Emergency services have experienced unprecedented pressure, independent brands and start-ups have fizzled out, and supermarkets have had to completely restructure operations in order to provide enough food for everyone.
Like any other industry, fashion is running into its own set of problems. But could there be light after the lockdown?
The rapid decline of the fashion industry over the last few months has caused a serious dent in the global economy. The closure of physical shops as a result of lockdown measures has led to large-scale furloughing and unemployment for individuals from across the spectrum, from artists and designers to suppliers and manufacturers.
In the subsequent sales downturns, Forbes claims that western fashion brands have cumulatively cancelled over £2.26 billion in orders from Bangladeshi suppliers alone. The loss of jobs and income on this kind of scale in a country where the average earner makes just £100 a month has the power to cause a humanitarian crisis.
On the other hand, this time of severe financial difficulty is likely going to see a decline in overall fashion consumption. With the extra time spent at home, and no reason to change out of their pyjamas, people are likely to be more selective about what they’re buying, and as we move towards a potential economic recession the frivolities of fashion are likely to no longer be seen as essential.
The demand for sustainable clothing may also see a rise as the understanding that our planet is fragile really begins to hit home. Images of clear waters in the Venice canals and news that holes in the O-Zone layer have healed give us an insight into what a slower world can do to help reverse the damage we have been inflicting on our planet over the last few centuries.
The Coronavirus outbreak has further seen a drastic halt in emissions. According to Climate Brief, 2020 is set to see the largest ever fall in co2 emissions off the back of the pandemic - more than any other economic crisis or period of war in history. As fashion is the second-largest polluter in the world, it has a massive part to play, but what will the fashion landscape look like when this is all over?
McKinsey surveyed 6,000 individuals across Europe about their purchasing behaviours during lockdown. The study revealed that consumers are becoming more aware of the fragility of our planet and what the cease in manufacturing has done to help slow the breakdown of the climate. 16% said they agree they will buy more socially and economically sustainable clothing and 21% agree that they want to reduce their overall clothing consumption in the wake of the lockdown. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, it's likely that we will see an intensification of sustainable and ethical initiatives from both brands and individuals, who have been given extra time to consider their values, and the ways in which these relate to their actions.
Brands that have been able to entice customers with greenwashing campaigns backed by little substance or followthrough will also find this period challenging as customers use this lockdown period to further their education, leading to a more well-informed average consumer who is able to call out brands that are failing to uphold proper ethical and environmental standards.
The scale of consumption is not all that is changing. Rewind back to February when the penultimate week of AW20 season was underway and COVID-19 had made its way to Europe, resulting in mass disruption to Milan Fashion Week. Many Chinese brands initially cancelled their shows, including MASHAMA, Uma Wang and western brands soon followed suit. Giorgio Armani cancelled on his invitees with less than 24 hours’ notice, asking them to instead watch a live stream of the catwalk.
Although currently implemented out of necessity, could this new digital form of prestigious fashion week events be the future of haute couture? On the 2nd of May, YouTube hosted the first-ever virtual fashion show, with Caroline Roitfeld, former French Vogue editor and founder of CR Fashion Book, and the amfAR Fund to fight COVID-19. The show included famous models walking their own at-home runways, with the likes of Karlie Kloss, Winnie Harlow and Joan Smalls in attendance. This kind of digital revolution has been hovering around the fashion industry for years, and the prolonged lockdown period may just be the ignition that was needed to completely reshape the future of fashion.
The crisis has shown us that the industry at present is inherently flawed. While it has created a myriad of new issues across the sector, it has also shone a light on the holes that already existed in industry practices. This awakening has caused brands, manufacturers and the fashion industry as a whole to open up to a more constructive conversation about what is working, what is not and what can change to heal the damage that that fashion has been causing to people and the planet.
Those discussions that once were solely limited to the obvious hardships and difficulties of the industry are now turning into those of solutions. Consumers have seen just how vulnerable our modern world is. The crisis has raised awareness for the need for social and environmental responsibility, even amongst those who were previously unfazed about the topic. This shift in mind-set is providing a much clearer path to recovery and a strong platform to tackle sustainability issues post-COVID-19.


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San Juan Capistrano officially will say farewell to the swallows for 2012 when the Chamber of Commerce presents its 16th annual Vintage Food & Wine Festival from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Mission San Juan Capistrano, featuring more than 20 local restaurants, eight wine sellers and a concert by rhythm and blues band Family Style.
The famed cliff swallows traditionally fly into the San Juan area in March and begin their migration back to Argentina in October.
Guests at the festival can partake of casino-style gaming and a silent auction in addition to the food and music. This year, the casino section will be moved to the main event area, and a cocktail bar has been added.
In addition to the established local restaurants participating in the event, Hamilton Oaks Vineyard, which has a new wine-tasting venue in the historic Swanner House, and Harlow’s Fine Cuisine, a new restaurant taking over the former location of Mr. B’s Pizza in Marbella Plaza, will be serving samples of their fare.
Festival tickets are $50 and are available online here or through the Chamber of Commerce, 31421 La Matanza St., 949-493-4700. The price includes all-you-can-eat food samples and wine and beer tasting. Proceeds will benefit the chamber, Mission San Juan Capistrano and local Scouts.
The mission is at 26801 Ortega Highway.


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Snapchat is releasing a pair of video recording sunglasses that will upload recordings directly to the app. The glasses called Spectacles, will record 10 seconds at a time with a tap of a button on the glasses. The videos that are recorded will be playable on full screen on any device because they record in what they call “circular” video which is intended to record like the human eye sees. The new glasses will be available for a limited time this fall for $130 in the US, they will come in black, teal and coral.
Find out more here.


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Kanye And Julia Just Made Their Red Carpet Debut In All-Denim Outfits
The throwback Britney/JT energy this has.
Kanye “Ye” West and new boo Julia Fox just took their relationship to a stylish new level. The couple made their red carpet debut while attending Paris Fashion Week in matching denim outfits. The duo attended the Kenzo Men’s Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion show on Sunday, Jan. 23, where they posed with friends like Pharrell Williams and J Balvin. Ye is pretty well known for his love of fashion and he’s already given Fox a complete wardrobe makeover, so it’s no surprise the couple totally stole the spotlight with matching fashions. The photos of Kanye West and Julia Fox’s red carpet debut in denim are a major throwback to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
The duo each rocked head-to-toe denim outfits for the big event. Ye and Fox’s look no doubt brings back memories of Spears and Timberlake’s iconic 2000 American Music Awards appearance. Spears sported a Kurt and Brown denim gown that was accompanied by an array of rhinestone accessories while Timberlake wore a light-wash denim tuxedo paired with a cowboy hat. The out-of-the-box look has gone on to define Y2K fashion in a major way, so Ye and Fox’s new take on it combines modern edge with stylish nostalgia.
With a few tweaks, Ye and Fox made the matching all-denim looks their own. Ye, like JT, wore a lighter shade of denim with matching jeans, an oversized jacket, black shades, gloves, and boots. Meanwhile, Fox didn’t wear a dress but wore denim pants and boots paired with a cropped jacket that nods toward Madonna’s 1990 Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra.
Madonna’s iconic cone bra first caught the public eye while she was on her Blonde Ambition tour. While performing in Chiba, Japan, the singer wore Gaultier’s pink cone bra corset that was inspired by the 1950s bralette style. Although controversial for the time, the look has been widely recreated by stars like Lady Gaga at the 2009 Much Music Awards and her “Alejandro” music video, and Katy Perry in her 2010 “California Girls” music video where the singer wore whipped cream cans.
Given that Fox and Ye had dinner with Madonna on Jan. 12, it’s easy to see where Fox’s look likely gained its inspiration.
The actor recently got candid in her latest podcast episode of Forbidden Fruits, in which she addressed claims that stated she was only dating West for clout. “It’s funny ’cause I’m getting all of this attention, but I really couldn’t care,” she said. “People are like, ‘Oh, you’re only in it for the fame, you’re in it for the clout, you’re in it for the money.’ Honey, I’ve dated billionaires my entire adult life, let’s keep it real.”
If Ye and Fox’s next red carpet look is anything like their all-denim outfits, it’s bound to be another serve.


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InterDigital - News, Features, and Slideshows
If operators are to build 5G mobile networks with download speeds at 10Gbps and above, they are going to need a lot more spectrum -- but getting it won't be easy.
By Mikael Ricknäs | 26 June, 2015 02:21
Microsoft has lost the latest round in a patent-infringement case that could lead to an import ban on its phones.
By Stephen Lawson | 28 April, 2015 09:33
Samsung has signed a patent deal with InterDigital, a week before the U.S. International Trade Commission could have decided to ban the import of several Samsung phones into the U.S.
By Loek Essers | 04 June, 2014 00:38
A Chinese anti-monopoly investigation into Qualcomm is examining whether the U.S. company has been abusing its market position and overcharging clients, the nation's regulators said.
By Michael Kan | 19 February, 2014 08:56
The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled against InterDigital in a complaint that alleged Huawei, Nokia, ZTE had infringed the company's patents.
By Michael Kan | 20 December, 2013 05:05
This report showcases the results from a Computerworld survey across IT managers and CIOs on their organisation’s use and intentions around data backup and recovery processes. Find out: how IT leaders are changing the way they protect their organisation’s valuable information, the most popular uses and intentions around data backup practices and how organisations are dealing with exponential data growth.
Before buying new UPS hardware, today’s data centre operators need to know that the funds they’re investing will result in a quick and significant payback, one that can be improved further if their electrical utility provides energy-efficiency incentive programs for data centres. Find out: How a properly equipped high-efficiency mode UPS pays for itself in as little as two years, the environmental benefits of UPS, plus, the 8 capabilities to look for in high efficiency mode UPS.
- Humans again to blame for latest accidents involving Google autonomous cars
- Microsoft offers researchers $500K to work on HoloLens
- Microsoft is just days away from wrapping up Windows 10
- iPhone 7 rumor rollup: Apple's just going to have all the money, production revs up
- Cisco invests in virtual networker
- The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Monday, July 6
- Leak of ZeusVM malware building tool might cause botnet surge
- Giant mecha robots from Japan, US will meet in epic battle
- Startup Catalyst extends deadline for applications
- Italian surveillance software maker, Hacking Team, allegedly breached
- Bitcoin glitch expected to abate as software upgrades continue
- Digital Pacific acquires Crucial
- Uber throws in the towel in battle with French taxi drivers
- As Windows 7 breaks the one billion-device mark, Microsoft's challenge will be to force it back to zero
- Android phone vendors should improve update policies, consumer organization says


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Ivanka Trump's clothing line is in the midst of historic sales numbers. But not everyone involved in making the clothes is benefitting.
A factory audit found the Ivanka Trump brand uses a factory that pays its workers $62 a week for a 57-hour work week, The Washington Post reports. The factory makes clothes for the G-III Apparel Group, which has an exclusive license to make the Ivanka Trump brand as well as clothes for Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
Trump stepped down from her management role to become a federal employee, but still has an ownership interest in her brand.
Chinese factories are the predominant source of Trump's line, though G-III operates in several other countries. The group has shipped more than 110 tons of Ivanka-brand clothes since October, according to shipping data.
Many of the workers logged 82 hours of overtime per month, despite limits of 36 hours a month. They earned less than China's minimum wage.
Trump has long touted the merits of working women and her father's "buy American, hire American" methodology. But she was poorly received by a German crowd discussing those issues on Tuesday.
Workers at the factory earned five days of leave per year and did not have a union. Inspectors also found multiple safety violations. The inspection was carried out a month before Ivanka's father was elected President.
G-III has distinguished itself as a trusted partner for some of the world's finest and most visible brands.
G-III has been cited for multiple labor rights violations. In 2015, the Fair Labor Association found 15 percent of one of its factories' workers made $3.30 a day.
WATCH | For more news you need, check out our 60 Second Circa.


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CHICAGO (WLS) -- There are new complaints about Illinois' firearm ID, or FOID, cards, this time from a woman in Calumet City who said after waiting nearly a year for her credentials, only to get a card with a stranger's face on it.
Koffie Brown said she has no clue who the man in the picture is, and can't get the state to fix the problem.
She said she never thought it would take this long to receive her FOID card and now she's wondering if she'll have to wait another year for the state to get it right.
"I'm ready to purchase a firearm," Brown said. "I waited a year."
Brown said she applied for her FOID card in July 2020.
"I don't understand why we have to go through all of this to be able to carry a gun. I don't understand it," she said.
To make matters worse, when she finally got her card it had someone else's picture and signature with her name and personal information.
"I'm like who is this man and who has my information?" she said. "It kind of spooked me."
Complaints have been rolling in about FOID cards and Concealed Carry Licenses for more than a year. Dozens of people across the state said they've been waiting for their firearm credentials for months, and can't get ahold of anyone from the state to get answers.
Brown said the whole experience left her very frustrated.
"I'm still in limbo waiting on this card. I already took my concealed carry class, but I can't apply for that until I have my FOID card so I'm still stuck," she said.
The I-Team reached out to Illinois State Police, who administer the credentials. They apologized for the incorrect picture, saying in part, "This was the result of a coding error in the software from a program that was written five years ago...These cards represent about 1% of the cards processed in the first four months of 2021. As soon as the error was discovered, the Illinois State Police (ISP) Firearms Services Bureau (FSB) printed and mailed all of the identified photo errors."
As for the FOID card and CCL delays, ISP said, "New FOID backlog has decreased by 18% and renewal backlog has decreased by 38% since March 2020, which can be attributed in part to more hiring and technological advances."
New FOID applications are taking the state almost five months to process, and FOID card renewals are taking just over six months according to ISP's website.
Brown said she still hasn't gotten her corrected FOID card.
"Get it together," she said. "It should not take this long to apply for a FOID card. Hire people. Do what you need to do. You should not have a citizen waiting a year."
ISP said they are currently requesting legislation that would help streamline the firearm credentialing process, like consolidating the FOID and CCL card into a single card, and creating an electronic card that can be instantly updated.
Brown said the state finally did get back to her and said she should receive her new card, but didn't say when.
To see average wait times for FOID card and CCLs, click here.


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Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, April 28, 2021:
First-quarter cargo theft levels similar to same period a year ago
Cargo theft recording firm CargoNet is reporting similar levels of theft activity for the first quarter of 2021 as the same period of 2020. The firm says reports of industry-related fraud schemes increased, while outright theft of trucking vehicles or cargo decreased slightly.
CargoNet recorded 289 thefts or attempted thefts in the first quarter of 2021, which is a decrease from the same period in 2020. The firm says the decrease was “mostly felt in fewer theft schemes targeting truckload copper shippers in Illinois, trailer burglaries in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Georgia, and fewer full-truckload thefts in Pennsylvania.” The average value per theft was $142,574, the firm adds.
Theft activity in first quarter was highest in Texas, California and Florida, and all three states reported significant increases in theft. Theft activity in Florida fell in February but spiked significantly in March, CargoNet says. This paved the way for a 26% increase when compared to first quarter of 2020 in theft activity in the state. Historically, theft was most frequent around Miami, but that trend has recently shifted to truck stops and retail parking lots in the Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando metropolitan areas.
For California and Texas, CargoNet's analysts have worked to prevent victimization by releasing several warnings about commodities and locations of concern to CargoNet members so they can harden their supply chains to theft. The firm continues to monitor crime patterns in both states – specifically frequent attacks on truckload computer electronics shippers in Northern and Southern California. Pilferage and full-truckload theft of computer electronics shipments in California have increased 88% year-over-year.
Own a Mack? Enter 2022 Mack Trucks Calendar contest
Proud owners of Mack trucks will have the chance to be featured in the upcoming 2022 Mack Trucks Calendar by entering the Mack Calendar Contest between May 4 and June 4.
As in past years, the Mack Calendar Contest calls on Mack’s social media followers to select deserving truck owners to be spotlighted for a month in next year’s Mack calendar.
“It’s always fun to see the truck submissions by our passionate fans, whether they’re current production models or vintage models still hard at work,” said John Walsh, Mack Trucks vice president of North American marketing. “The annual calendar contest brings together members of the Mack family to celebrate hard work, determination and great-looking trucks.”
Nominations will be accepted in categories for each of Mack's seven current models, including the Mack Anthem, Granite, LR, MD, Pinnacle and TerraPro. There will also be a vintage category for Mack models that are no longer in production.
To be eligible, nominated trucks must currently be in operation in a business or trucking company, the truck must be in routine use and trucks may not be collector or show trucks that are no longer licensed for commercial use.
ATHS HQ to house trucking industry hall of fame
This country's trucking industry and the men and women who built and operate it will be enshrined in a new hall of fame in Kansas City, Missouri.
The American Truck Historical Society will house the American Trucking and Industry Leader Hall of Fame at its headquarters. The ATIL Hall of Fame will serve as a new home for existing Industry Achievement Awards programs and a place to recognize industry leaders and icons, according to the ATHS.
The announcement comes as ATHS celebrates its 50th year.
“There are various awards programs out there,” ATHS Chairman Tom Mullen said. “We want those awards programs, their winners, and industry leaders to be known forever, easily found, and honored all in one trucking industry center.”
The ATIL Hall of Fame is built around honoring all industry awards and safety recognition programs, including the well-established ATHS Awards program, and is set to grow through the inclusion of the whole trucking industry. The ATIL Hall of Fame can now invite all company and industry awards programs to display their programs as part of the overall trucking industry experience, alongside the ATHS Visitors Center and the Zoe James Memorial Library.
“For too long trucking professionals have been receiving prestigious awards, only to then be forgotten,” said Laurence Gration, ATIL Hall of Fame executive director. “The ATIL Hall of Fame will allow proper recognition to continue and expand the awareness of the excellent work trucking professionals do as they contribute daily to our society.”


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OpenAI has introduced that it’s releasing a devoted iPhone app for its ChatGPT service. The app, which is on the market through the App Retailer, provides customers the flexibility to make use of ChatGPT via a local app on their iPhone. The app is free to obtain and contains no advertisements. It’s at present solely out there in america, however OpenAI says availability will increase “within the coming weeks.”
ChatGPT for iPhone now out there
As introduced by OpenAI in a weblog submit, ChatGPT for iPhone will provide the identical set of options as the online model of the service. This can embrace ChatGPT Plus assist, which lets customers subscribe to pay for extra superior variations of the service.
The app can even sync your ChatGPT historical past throughout all of your units, together with the online. It additionally contains assist for Whisper, OpenAI’s open-source speech-recognition system. This integration with Whisper permits voice enter for the ChatGPT app on iPhone. The ChatGPT app can also be fully ad-free.
As ChatGPT has gained reputation during the last six months, plenty of copycat and rip-off apps have surfaced on the App Retailer. Apple has cracked down on these apps, partly by blocking apps that use “GPT” of their title. By releasing its personal model of ChatGPT for iPhone, OpenAI hopes to straight management the expertise of utilizing the service on an iPhone.
Moreover, Microsoft’s Bing app for iPhone has seen a serious increase in reputation because it added ChatGPT integration.
ChatGPT for iPhone is rolling out beginning right this moment to customers in america. OpenAI availability will “increase to extra international locations within the coming weeks.”
Comply with Probability: Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon
FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.


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When it comes to buying technology in the current languid economy, business customers are delaying purchases and demanding more value and return on investment, according to several speakers at the Comdex Fall 2002 technology exposition held here.
At an event that has traditionally focused on the latest and greatest technology innovations, the message was clear that business customers want to see a clear link between technology investments and their bottom lines–a sentiment that also seems to have taken hold in insurance and financial services.
In a pre-conference panel discussion, Joe Levy, founder of CIO magazine, asserted that in many cases it costs a company 10 times the purchase price of a software package to get it up and running. “Customers are sitting on their wallets,” he said. “The [technology] industry must respond.”
One major problem facing large organizations, he noted, is data fragmentation. “There are just too many databases,” he said. “The average Global 500 company has between 350 and 450 different customer databases. The interesting thing about it is none of them can talk to each other.”
As a result, he continued, “top management does not have a clue if they wanted to aggregate all the spending on a worldwide basis of some customer.”
To combat such problems, said Levy, companies are now being forced to make their internal systems collaborate. “The days of information silos are going to be at an end,” he declared. “Companies are going to go from 400 databases to one database or two databases. What this will enable us to do is to spend less, because every database has one or two [database administrators]. DBAs, last time I looked, make between $75,000 and $85,000.”
Levy added that if companies are going to invest in technology, people, growth, innovation or new products, “the one ingredient theyll need is profits.” While CIOs have traditionally been interested in “bleeding edge technology” or “the latest, greatest gizmo,” Levy insisted that corporate America is seeking “adequate technology.”
What that means to them, said Levy, “is unless you can demonstrate ROI or some reason why whatever youre thinking of doing and however much you want to spend is going to produce some tangible improvement in one of three lines–the top, middle or bottom line–the company isnt going to spend it.”
According to Levy, the reason companies spent more on technology in the recent past was “primarily fear.” He pointed out that during the Y2K era, “every major company had to buy new technology. We werent quite sure what would work and what wouldnt. We couldnt take the risk.” In the end, he noted–with no major meltdowns on Jan. 1, 2000–”IT worked,” thereby justifying the investment in technology.
Levy said there was also a point in the last five years where “every middle-aged CEO was scared about some 20-something making him or her or the company look foolish, because the Internet was going to obsolete everything else.”
Many said then that industries would suffer as people ordered everything they needed from Web sites, rather than traditional businesses. “That, in hindsight, was just lunacy,” he noted.
Today, Levy said, “Companies have to invest in technology, because that is the only leverage they have on productivity, and that is the bottom line. Dont sell technology short. I think we all have to have more confidence in asking for money to invest in our technology infrastructure to make it more efficient and effective.”
Another panelist–David McQueeney, vice president, Intellectual Property & Asset Commercialization for IBM Global Services, Armonk, N.Y.–affirmed todays customers are demanding more of their technology suppliers.
“Customers today are asking us for complete end-to-end solutions,” he said. “They are demanding more now. Customers who spent a lot on IT are asking us to help them create more value. Theyre asking us to help integrate some of the systems they bought before they werent connected together, and I cant visit any one of our customers without a very powerful discussion coming up about horizontal integration through the enterprise.”
McQueeney emphasized that basic level technology research is still a vital role for technology companies such as IBM. “Its still important to have faster transistors, denser chips, higher quality networks; thats a given,” he said.
“But now [customers are] asking us to try to innovate more in carrying more of the load for them of tying those integrated solutions vertically into a horizontal network, where we take more of the responsibility as an industry in creating business value,” he added.
In a keynote address the following day, Carly Fiorina, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard, also emphasized the importance to customers of adding value and ROI.
“What [customers] want is straight talk and practical solutions,” said Fiorina, adding that buyers are also seeking lower operating costs and lower acquisition costs, as well as “a tight link between business and IT systems.”
Lowering technology acquisition costs will be achieved through standards and modular design of hardware, she said. The goal, she noted, is to “make a deeply diverse technology landscape work and work better.”
In order to lower technology operating costs, she continued, “your entire infrastructure must be adaptive to fully capitalize on your investment.”
Finally, she noted, companies must invest in IT services “that fundamentally improve ROI.” She said “companies must see a clear link between technology investments and ROI.”
Fiorina was optimistic about the economy and the technology sector. “I am more confident than I have ever been,” she said. “Progress is not made by the cynics and doubters. The need [for technology] is stronger than it has ever been.”
She added that news of “the latest, greatest, exciting and new products” is not what customers need most. Instead, they need solutions that “make all the pieces youve already got work together.
“The real agenda in todays world is a customer agenda. It is not measured in how much it invades our lives, but in how much it supports how we live and work,” she said.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Life & Health/Financial Services Edition, December 8, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.


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Discussing work through the coronavirus pandemic in a virtual town hall meeting with employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook said many employees will probably continue working from home until Summer 2021, suggesting the company may be more flexible about remote work.
Due to the challenging work environment in recent months, Apple employees in many regions will get an additional paid holiday scheduled for January 4, the CEO added. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman relays what Cook told staff in terms of working from home:
There’s no replacement for face-to-face collaboration, but we have also learned a great deal about how we can get our work done outside of the office without sacrificing productivity or results. All of these learnings are important. When we’re on the other side of this pandemic, we will preserve everything that is great about Apple while incorporating the best of our transformations this year.
Dan Riccio, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple, explained that remote-working Apple engineers had to use special augmented reality software to guide technicians in China due to travel restrictions:
Apple worked around this, with engineers controlling robots from home and using iPads with augmented-reality software to guide technicians in overseas factories, Riccio said. Staff also worked different hours to communicate better with staff already stationed in China. The ‘very best is yet to come,’ Riccio added.
Apple’s head of custom chip development Johny Srouji told staff that Apple’s long-rumored custom cellular modem went into development earlier this year, indicating the Cupertino technology giant will eventually ditch Qualcomm like it ditched Intel. As the last tidbit, Apple’s AI and machine learning chief John Giannandrea has revealed to employees that the release of the Apple Watch hand washing feature was moved up to this year due to COVID-19.


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We’ve discussed in prior articles how consumers aren’t leveraged. However, when someone loses their job even if they only owe a small amount on their credit cards, it becomes a big problem. Luckily, last year the government came to the rescue with very strong unemployment benefits that paid some people more than their normal job did.
— North Bluff Capital (@bluff_capital) January 19, 2021
The slide above from Bank of America shows the latest developments. Credit card delinquencies fell from March through July as we had a recovery along with $600 weekly unemployment checks from the federal government. From August to early Q4 delinquencies increased maybe because the unemployment checks expired. Since then, they have fallen (outside of 90+ day delinquencies). That’s surprising because the economy got much worse in December as there were job losses for the first time in the recovery.
Amazingly, in Q4 2020 the population 5-29 days past due was 31% lower than the prior year. It mostly worked out for consumers because they came into the recession deleveraged and the government came to the rescue. The recession was so bad that it forced the government to act which allowed us to avoid a lot of the weakness.
Retail Sales Should Bounce In January
In the week of January 16th, Redbook same store sales growth only rose a tick to 2.2%. However, we think spending increased more than that. Congress dithered last year, but it just managed to do the right thing in time as the labor market has been weakening in the past few weeks.
More states are starting to pay out the $300/week unemployment supplement. Treasury reports it paid out $3.8 billion in benefits on Tuesday, the biggest daily total since Aug. 31. (MLK holiday is a factor in the big one-day spike, but upward trend is clear.) pic.twitter.com/BsJXdhey1t
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) January 21, 2021
If it wasn’t for the 2nd stimulus, there could have been a double dip recession threat. Instead, the consumer will manage to get through this weak period which probably will end in about two months which is about how long it should take until the economy reopens. As you can see from the chart above, in mid-January, the $300 in weekly unemployment checks just started going out. They should all start going out by the end of the month (through mid-March), meaning consumer spending should ramp throughout the month even though some have already spent their $600 checks.
BAML: Credit and debit card spending was 10% higher y/y at the start of Jan. And it was 20% higher among those who received stimulus payments. pic.twitter.com/4WZb9SOiZi
— Dani Burger (@daniburgz) January 18, 2021
As you can see from the chart below, the stimulus payments kicked in at the start of the year. It looks like rather than seeing a bump up, consumers who got the checks didn’t see a downturn. This is likely a seasonal issue as people probably typically spend less money in the first few days of the year (follows a holiday). Since the retail sales report is seasonally adjusted, we can expect a bounce in January especially compared to December which was weak. Of course, restaurant sales will still be in trouble until the economy reopens sometime around March.
The chart below shows the same data, but adds in the growth gap (and has a different scale) to emphasize the difference. In a not so shocking turn of events, the working poor, lower-middle class, and middle class will all spend money after they get it.
this chart is incredible pic.twitter.com/LV7T3PLnho
— Myles Udland (@MylesUdland) January 22, 2021
New Stimulus New Spending Habits
If you invest in retail stocks and care about quarterly results, you will want to pay attention to the chart below. It shows the changes in spending habits between the first stimulus checks which were $1,200 to the $600 checks that just went out.
How people spend/planning to spend their #stimuluschecks, according to baml
♻ To buy products (not much services) pic.twitter.com/7DstTjl7hj
— Mo Hossain (@MoHossain) January 17, 2021
As you can see, those who got the checks last year had large spending growth in online electronics as compared to people who didn’t get the checks. People were just getting used to the work from home situation which meant they needed to buy computers and electronic accessories. Intel just reported a large jump in profits related to strong PC sales. In the quarter ending in December, PC sales with Intel chips inside were up 33%. That’s the backdrop for January as millions of people already bought electronics the prior year. That being said, with the 2021 checks, there was still a jump in spending on online electronics. It just wasn’t as large as the last one.
This time, there was a much bigger spike in spending on clothing from people who got the checks versus people who didn’t. Bank of America card data shows spending on clothing increased 19.5% (yearly) in the week ending January 9th which was up from 15.1% growth in the prior week. We think people anticipate a return to normalcy later this year, so they are preparing for gatherings by buying clothing. If that’s the case in January, we think the trend will further exacerbate in the $1,400 checks that will be given out in Biden’s stimulus. Depending on when those checks go out, we might get a large jump in spending on clothes and at restaurants. Little additional spending will be on online electronics and home improvements.
We don’t know exactly when the $1,400 checks will go out, but it definitely won’t be in January and probably won’t be in the first half of February. The chart below shows the survey responses to where people say they will spend the money.
What would you do with $1,400 stimulus #checks? @YouGov surveys shows 35% of adults would pay bills, 15% would put them into emergency savings, 12% would pay down debt, & 10% would pay for essentials.
Another reflection of the K-shaped economy
— Gregory Daco (@GregDaco) January 21, 2021
Only 3% said they would buy non-essentials, but the “pay bills” option is a bit vague. Many traders were expecting to see a spike in risky stock investing in early January due to the $600 stimulus. That has happened, but it may have happened without the stimulus. We might not see the same speculation with these $1,400 checks because people will have more spending options such as going to restaurants indoors. The chart shows that 3% would speculate in stocks and another 3% would put it in their retirement funds. A lot of that decision will be determined by how stocks are doing. If the S&P 500 falls 15% (hypothetically), people will be less likely to invest new money.
What Now BOJ?
The Bank of Japan now owns 53.3% of all Japanese government bonds. That has caused net debt to fall to 89% of GDP from 140% in 2011. The BOJ owns close to 7% of all Japanese equities. You can see all those data points in the chart below. The Bank of Japan is in a quandary because buying more stocks will have negative consequences. This is no longer about theoretical monetary policy. The BOJ could own everything. You can see in the first few months of 2020, the BOJ didn’t increase its ownership percentage. Maybe that will continue.
Serious Q: when will Japanese assets disappear?
– BOJ owns 53.3% of all JGBs (so net debt has fallen 89% of GDP, from 140% in 20111)
– BOJ owns close to 7% of all equities
If central banks own everything, private savings have to go abroad.
–> Go long Asia ex. Japan assets pic.twitter.com/dzu83R4nE4
— Vincent Deluard (@VincentDeluard) January 21, 2021
Credit card delinquencies aren’t signaling an issue. The weekly $300 unemployment checks started to go out in mid-January. Those who got the $600 checks spent more in the first half of January compared to those who didn’t relative to how much they were spending before the checks went out. The $600 checks were spent differently than the first round. The next round ($1,400 checks) will show further differences as the economy will be reopened or close to reopening when they go out. If the BOJ buys more stocks, it will cause big issues in the Japanese economy.


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Sweden-based grocery store chain Coop has closed all 800 of its stores because it could not operate its cash registers following ransomware attacks.
The shutdown of the major food retailer followed Friday’s sophisticated cyber attack on U.S. technology provider Kaseya. REvil, a leading ransomware gang, is suspected of hijacking Kaseya’s desktop management tool VSA and pushing a malicious update that infect tech management providers serving thousands of business.
Coop, one of Sweden’s biggest grocery chains, said a tool used to remotely update its checkout tills was affected by the attack, so payments could not be taken.
“We have been troubleshooting and restoring all night, but have communicated that we will need to keep the stores closed today,” Coop spokesperson Therese Knapp told Swedish Television.
News agency TT said Kaseya technology was used by the Swedish company Visma Esscom, which manages servers and devices for a number of Swedish businesses.
State railways services and a pharmacy chain also suffered disruption.
“They have been hit in various degrees,” Visma Esscom chief executive Fabian Mogren told TT.
Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told Swedish television the attack was very dangerous and showed how business and state agencies needed to improve their preparedness.
Huntress Labs, one of the first to sound the alarm of the wave of infections at the providers’ clients, said Saturday that thousands of small companies might have been hit.
Miami-based Kaseya said it was working with the FBI and that only about 40 of its customers were impacted directly. It did not comment on how many of those were providers that in turn spread the malicious software to others.
FBI in a statement late on Saturday said it was investigating in coordination with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Reuters reported.
“We encourage all who might be affected to employ the recommended mitigations and for users to follow Kaseya’s guidance to shut down VSA servers immediately,” FBA said.
The impacted businesses had files encrypted and were left electronic messages asking for ransom payments of thousands or millions of dollars.
Some experts said the timing of attack, on the Friday before a long U.S. holiday weekend, was aimed at spreading it as quickly as possible while employees were away from the job.
“What we are seeing now in terms of victims is likely just the tip of the iceberg,” said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of security company CrowdStrike.
President Joe Biden said on Saturday he has directed U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate who was behind the attack.


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iOS 15 to Come with WPA3 Wireless Network Security Protocol
The hotspot feature on the iPhone is getting a massive update with the release of iOS 15, as a developer has discovered that Apple is working on adding WPA3 support in the next operating system.
The Cupertino-based tech giant officially announced iOS 15 earlier this month, with the launch projected to happen in September according to the typical release calendar.
But at this point, Apple is already shipping preview builds to developers, and these allow us to find out even more details about what’s coming in the operating system once it’s ready for all iPhones out there.
As reported by MacRumors, iOS 15 will include support for WPA3, which means that iPhone users creating a hotspot will be able to protect their networks with this new security protocol. The current iOS version only supports WPA2, so the addition of WPA3 is definitely good news for those relying on their iPho… (read more)


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SAN FRANCISCO – General Electric (GE) on Tuesday unveiled an ultrasound device about the size of an iPhone, saying the gadget could become "the stethoscope of the 21st century."
WASHINGTON - Sharing status updates on online services such as Twitter or Facebook is becoming increasingly popular among Americans, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft on Wednesday began integrating Twitter messages into its new Internet search engine Bing and arch rival Google announced plans to do the same.
TORONTO - Research In Motion is rolling out an updated version of its top-end BlackBerry Bold smartphone, aimed at the company's base of professional users as well as wealthier retail consumers.
SAN FRANCISCO - PayPal plans to throw open the doors of its software platform to enable outside developers to build innovative tools using the online financial transaction service.
SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc rolled out a new line of redesigned Mac computers on Tuesday, hoping to build up sales momentum for its biggest business heading into the all-important holiday season.
CHIBA - Toyota Motor unveiled Wednesday a new Lexus two-seat supercar, the LFA, with a 4.8-litre engine and a price tag of about 375,000 dollars.
SAN FRANCISCO - Twitter chief executive Evan Williams spoke optimistically Tuesday about the popular microblogging service's future despite slowing US growth and no clear plan for making money.
NEW YORK - Sun Microsystems said Tuesday it is cutting 3,000 jobs over the next 12 months because of its delayed takeover by US business software giant Oracle.
SINGAPORE - Sales of personal computers (PCs) in the Asia-Pacific region rose 17 percent from a year ago to 23.4 million units in the third quarter, an industry monitor said Tuesday.


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Despite the uncertainty created by the coronavirus crisis, founders of digital logistics platform Loop Freight were certain that their ongoing deal with Anchorless Bangladesh - a USA based venture capital (VC) firm – would come through. Just like Loop Freight, Anchorless were not in it for the quick money.
" We are trying to solve a problem we strongly care about, and creating an impact in the long run, something which resonates with the vision of Anchorless in Bangladesh as well," the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Loop Freight, Rajib Das said.
Anchorless Bangladesh provided Loop Freight with an initial seed fund of $600,000 in May this year. This was the second investment made by Anchorless since its inception in 2019. The VC firm started its journey by investing $830,000 in Gaze AI – a Singapore-Bangladesh based artificial intelligence start-up.
Anchorless's approach with both Gaze and Loop and all the investments to follow, is that they will not just provide capital to early-stage startups, but also actively guide them on their journey to scale their business for an eventual sale or public listing.
Partners at Anchorless believe that operational support, technical assistance, access to global resources, and mentorship are more important for a start-up than just financial aid.
"As an ex-founder, I can empathize with founders. Money in and of itself isn't often enough to support founders who could benefit from a feedback loop or introductions to potential clients and advisors. The right investor can create more value for a company, even with less money," said Rahat Ahmed, founding partner and CEO of Anchorless Bangladesh, in an interview with The Business Standard.
Prior to the inception of Anchorless, Rahat covered emerging markets equities with a focus on frontier markets at Prince Street Capital, the hedge fund he later brought in to help seed Pathao.
"We do not like investing in founders who just want the money. We expect these to be long-term relationships, often over five years. It is as much about the people and their ability to work with us in building the right teams and partnerships, and wanting to work towards a bigger vision."
In 2016, the late Fahim Saleh, co-founder of Pathao who was tragically murdered earlier this year, told him that the logistics start-up was raising funds.
"Back then, venture capital was not exactly common in Bangladesh. When I read an email from Elius describing his plans for Pathao, I was blown away and pinged my ex-boss at Prince Street," said Rahat. Soon after, they came to Dhaka and made an investment in Pathao.
Rahat's connection to Bangladesh has been consistent throughout his career, starting from 2004, and being heavily active in the Dhaka Stock Exchange thereafter. According to him, a country with a dense consumer market and a population where the majority are under 30, brings about great opportunities for start-ups to grow and investors to build their portfolios by empowering young, exciting talent.
Now, Bangladesh's start-up ecosystem is growing steadily. There are more enablers in the form of accelerators and incubators, and there are more founders. While there is still a significant funding gap compared to India and Indonesia, foreign investment continues to increase.
According to Light Castle Partners, over $200 million has been invested in start-ups in the form of international venture capital till now. Rahat believes that with the right guidance and access to resources, founders can become regionally competitive; as local start-ups gain traction and common misconceptions about Bangladesh are dispelled, investments from foreign firms will also increase.
Money being invested in start-ups in Bangladesh by foreign investors can help to strengthen the country's economy. According to industry experts, the start-up ecosystem can contribute 2 percent to the GDP by 2025.
However, there are some start-ups that seek investment just for the money, mistaking investors to be a silent, inactive source of funding used to sustain immediate gaps in cash flow. This is a poor strategy as money will eventually run out—and investors can often identify founders without a greater purpose.
Referring to this red-flag, Rahat said, "We do not like investing in founders who just want the money. We expect these to be long-term relationships, often over five years. It is as much about the people and their ability to work with us in building the right teams and partnerships, and wanting to work towards a bigger vision."
While it varies from firm to firm, VC firms assess potential investments on pre-set criteria. In the case of Anchorless, the firm is searching for startups that are at the seed round or "Series A" round or approaching "Series B". These companies also need to have shown a clear pathway in how they are using technology to scale the business.
Along with that, startups should have a clear plan on how to utilize the initial round of investment, how those plans set the stage for the next round of growth and expand into future revenue and market opportunities. They should also aim for regional expansion and be open to collaborating with Anchorless's existing portfolio companies to maximize potential.
Rahat also mentioned that young entrepreneurs often fail to distinguish between start-ups and small-medium enterprises (SME). Most of the start-ups that he has come across at Anchorless operate on SMEs business model, generating profit while offering a consistent long-term value. On the other hand, a start-up should be dominating its market with the expectation of raising future funding to drive that growth.
"There is a lot of money out there in the world, and Bangladesh has barely started tapping into it. We need to show a grander vision from our founders to bring that type of capital into the country."
Despite significant improvements and changes in the local startup culture since the early 2010s, driven by organizations such as Startup Dhaka and on the back of local successes of companies like Pathao and Sheba, there are still long ways to go and a lot of continuous effort required to maintain momentum.
Like in any other country, the success rate of start-ups in Bangladesh is very low. Out of 100 start-ups, around 90 end up failing. This low percentage of success, however, does not stop investors from funding start-ups. According to Rahat, even if 80-90 percent of the start-ups fail, the success rate of the remainders can lure in a promising return on investments.
Asked about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on start-ups and the start-up ecosystem, especially when many start-ups have shut down, Rahat said times like these can also be a great opportunity to innovate.
"While many start-ups had to seize operations, a bunch of start-ups saw opportunities, came up with products and services, and started gaining traction during the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation has had a huge impact on some start-ups and has created space for certain start-ups to expand as well, and we are looking forward to work with such ventures," he said.
Alongside providing investments to potential startups, Anchorless Bangladesh also prioritizes helping any sincere and active stakeholder in the startup world.
On that note, Rahat said, "We are always here to support startups on their path. Even if we do not fund a company, we want founders to send us updates and reach out for feedback. We know that ultimately, the success of our portfolio is connected to the success of the ecosystem as a whole, which is why we will support it at every step possible."


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Located in Shunde, which is a city in China's Guangdong province, the restaurant eliminates most human-to-human contact and may be a harbinger of how businesses plan to handle the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Country Garden assistant executive officer and Qianxi Group general manager Qiu Mi explained that Qianxi Group has built a complete industry chain encompassing back-end supply production (the centralized kitchens) and robotic cooking alongside the operation of restaurants and the management of robots," Country Garden shared.
The restaurant complex is 2,000 square meters or about 21,527 square feet, and it has 20 robots equipped to serve a variety of dishes, including Chinese food, fast food, clay-pot rice and hot pot. The menu has 200 items, but they are available within 20 seconds of ordering. The restaurant can handle 600 diners at once.


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Synacor Inc. (SYNC) Shares Down 0.7%
Synacor Inc. (NASDAQ:SYNC)’s share price was down 0.7% on Friday . The company traded as low as $2.95 and last traded at $3.01, with a volume of 189,256 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.03.
Separately, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $4.50 price target on shares of Synacor in a research report on Friday, May 13th.
The company’s market capitalization is $90.07 million. The company has a 50-day moving average of $3.14 and a 200 day moving average of $2.12.
Synacor (NASDAQ:SYNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.04. The business had revenue of $30.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.60 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Synacor Inc. will post ($0.34) EPS for the current fiscal year.
In other news, Director Jordan Levy sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.08, for a total transaction of $77,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 77,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,508.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Synacor, Inc is a technology development, multiplatform services and revenue partner for video, Internet and communications providers, device manufacturers and enterprises. The Company enables its customers to provide their consumers engaging, multiscreen experiences with products that require scale, actionable data and implementation.
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TalkTo, an app that lets users ask questions to stores and restaurants by text message, has been acquired by San Francisco-based social media company Path. (No particulars of the deal were disclosed; however the deal is rumored to be a combination of cash and stock.)
Based in Cambridge, TalkTo was founded in 2010 by Stuart Levinson (who previously founded Venetica, which was acquired by IBM) and Riley Crane of the MIT Media Lab as a way for people to ask local retail stores about product availability and prices or to make restaurant reservations, all with only a quick text.
The company raised $3 million from Matrix Partners in 2012, an investment that was led by general partner Antonio Rodriguez.
In addition to the acquisition of TalkTo, Path is launching a new messaging platform called Path Talk, which will integrate TalkTo’s technology later this summer.
Path Talk is an app that brings together a number of currently trending features within one mobile messaging tool. Highlights include:
-Messages are automatically erased from Path’s servers 24 hours after they are sent; a different take on the Snapchat disappearing message phenomenon.
-Path Talk can also automatically notify user’s friends when they are in transit to a location, in the same neighborhood, or even low on battery.
-The new app also lets users send movies, music, books, maps, and high quality pictures and videos to friends.
-Additionally, Path Talk can send message responses to friends quickly and easily with just a swipe and allows to send and receive voice messages to individuals or to groups.
In the statement announcing Path Talk, the company said that soon — Levinson and Morin say later this summer — the app will also be able to message restaurants, stores, and more, allowing Path Talk users to make reservations, get specific product prices, and check the availability of goods in-store “all through text messaging.” In essence, Path Talk will slowly integrate TalkTo into its messaging services.
Levinson said that TalkTo opened up its API at the beginning of 2014 and immediately started having conversations with interested parties about partnerships. TalkTo piqued the interest of Path co-founder and chief executive Dave Morin, who is well-known for his work with Facebook. Since this year’s South by Southwest, Path has been adding more messaging features to its app, which has fueled growth for the company (Levinson said that Path previously had 1.5 million daily active users, which has grown to 4 million daily users since the launch of the messaging features.)
Morin and Levinson realized that their visions for messaging were well-aligned and Path made the move to acquire TalkTo as it is also launching a stand-alone messaging product.
As Morin explained, “On Path, people message with their friends and family every day, but we wanted to give our users the opportunity to communicate with places, too.”
“We started speaking with TalkTo – the pioneer in place messaging – and realized the opportunity for both companies to merge and enhance this idea together. TalkTo will be incorporated into Path Talk later this summer and we can’t wait for people to experience it.”
Levinson will remain in Cambridge and continue to work on TalkTo’s technology for Path, while Crane will be heading to San Francisco to work for the company at its San Francisco headquarters.
Levinson sent out a blog post to TalkTo users today about the deal. Current users will continue to have access to the app, while new users will be diverted to Path Talk.
Talking this morning after a red-eye flight from the West Coast, Levinson said that everyone at TalkTo is really excited about the deal and added: “It’s something that we really wouldn’t have expected at the beginning of the year.”
“We are going to be bringing the first messaging platform that allows you to communicate with your friends and family, but also allows you to communicate with the places around you.”


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Apr 02, 2013 2:49pm
Some people listen to a local AM or FM radio station, while others use some electronic device to bring their digital music or podcast library with them on the go. If you’re the former, Automatica isn... continued.
Apr 16, 2012 3:49pm
It’s not easy being green. But eco-friendly options, from environmentally safe products to hybrid cars, are increasingly common. Computers and electronics are no exception. In honor of Earth Day, we’... continued.


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Theatre Tokens has announced a new partnership with Tesco, which will enable shoppers to buy gift vouchers for theatre alongside their groceries.
The gift cards have been rolled out to 719 Tesco stores across the UK.
They can be redeemed to purchase tickets at more than 250 theatres around the country, including in London’s West End.
Established in 1984, Theatre Tokens is the only nationwide theatre gift card and voucher scheme. They have no expiry date and are produced by the Society of London Theatre.


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New Jersey is experiencing a "big day" as restaurants start to open with limited seating outdoors and as retail stores reopen, but Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that he believes coronavirus will hit again. The state experienced the second-highest numbers of COVID-19 deaths in the country.
"My gut tells me, and I'm practicing without a license, that this will come back, but God willing it will come back in spurts that we can, with testing and contact tracing, surround it and push it back down," the Democrat governor told NBC "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie during an interview from the boardwalk at Asbury Park.
On Monday, New Jersey's outdoor dining, all retail stores, and daycare centers reopened. Barbershops and hair salons will reopen next week, and "we're slowly but surely getting back on our feet," Murphy said.
As Murphy spoke to Guthrie, a heckler yelled at him about how Murphy has handled the state's reopening, including at one point calling the governor a "traitor."
Guthrie noted the man and asked Murphy about the rage people feel about businesses remaining closed.
“This guy deserves to say what he wants to say," Murphy said. “But honestly, overwhelmingly the majority of folks get it. We make the decisions; they’re not arbitrary. They’re based on facts and data.”
The unknown heckler was not charged, as he "said what he had to say and moved along,” Sgt. Lawrence Peele said, reports NJ.com.
Murphy noted that COVID-19 killed more than 12,600 people in his state and that the virus is "far more lethal" indoors than outside.
"We have to be very careful about opening things up that are inside, lack of ventilation, close proximity," said Murphy. "We'll get there. No question we'll get there. We're just not ready yet."
© 2021 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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Aston Martin has unveiled a stunning new luxury sports car -- the Vanquish. Sitting proudly at the pinnacle of the luxury British car maker's sports car line-up, this new super grand tourer represents the zenith of current Aston Martin design and engineering. - Audi has released two new exclusive editions for the A1 and the A1 Sportback. Their names are the A1 amplified red and the A1 amplified white, and they are being launched on the market now. An additional V8 petrol model joins the Mercedes M-Class range in the shape of the ML 500 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY, which features a turbocharged BlueDIRECT V8 direct injection petrol engine, offering outstanding performance along with top-class efficiency. Which? has named Kia as its Best car Manufacturer for 2012 in its annual awards, praising the company's "superb new range of cars" as well as the brand's excellent value for money and "industry-leading" seven year warranty.
Vanquish, ML, 500, 4Matic, Cars, Auto, Audi, A1, Sportback, Automobile (Industry), Kia


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April 24 is the first anniversary of the Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza tragedy, in which a building housing garment workers collapsed, leaving 1,134 dead and more than 2,500 injured. At least 800 children were orphaned.
The day is to be marked by the first “Fashion Revolution Day,” arranged by ethical fashion organizations.
More than a hundred bodies had still to be identified as of April 9, almost one year after the tragedy. Meanwhile, the owner of the building was to be charged with murder, according to a police announcement last Tuesday.
The survivors and families are in “desperate need,” says Jyrki Raina of IndustriALL Global Union, “The last year has seen medical expenses, lack of income and the horrors of that day relived. The brands can show that they can be part of the solution – but only if they pay up.”
A trust fund set up in January for the survivors of the tragedy has raised about $15 million, still $25 million short of the estimated amount needed, according to the fund’s website. Donations have been available for victims and families to claim since March 24.
Clean Clothes Campaign, a member of the committee organizing the trust fund and a key organization in the “Fashion Revolution Campaign,” was vocally disappointed that contributions by the world’s biggest brands have remained “shockingly low.”
The 29 brands that sourced from factories in Rana Plaza boast combined profits of more than $22 billion a year, and are being asked to contribute less than 0.2 percent of that amount to compensate those whose labors generate the profits, says Ineke Zeldenrust of Clean Clothes Campaign.
The “Bangladesh Accord” published its first inspection report in March. The accord is a legally binding agreement created after the collapse, aimed at getting international stakeholders involved in the safety of the textile and garment industry in Bangladesh.
That sector accounts for up to 30 percent of the country’s GDP. Shortly after the tragedy last year, there was discussion about possibly sanctioning and boycotting the country. In response, Bangladesh’s foreign minister called on international brands not to leave the country.
Britain’s Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan visited Dhaka in late March to check on progress. Duncan saw the disaster as an opportunity to fix the flaws and said that the U.K. is keen to help Bangladesh upgrade safety and security in the garment factories.
As the first anniversary of the tragedy draws closer, documentaries have been spotlighting the human cost of fashion and consumers’ buying habits. The Shirt on Your Back, presented by The Guardian, pays tribute with a look at the personal stories in the aftermath of the tragic event. Another film by The New York Times similarly focuses on the costs of fashion in the context of the tragedy.
With similar intent, Livia Firth joined with other fashion activists and organizations to launch “Fashion Revolution Day.”
“We want people to re-engage with fashion, slow things down a bit, love the clothes we buy more, care about how they are made and by whom,” Firth told Vogue Magazine.