Fashion brands and unions sign new Bangladesh accord on fire, building safety

Leading fashion brands have joined global trade unions in signing a new accord on fire and building safety in Bangladesh to redouble their efforts to improve clothing supply chains.

IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, together with representatives from C&A and LC Waikiki, announced the new agreement in Paris on Thursday.

The accord expanded worker protections, aiming to ensure that factories give severance pay to employees when they shut or relocate for safety reasons.

The new agreement puts greater emphasis on the right of workers to organise and join a union, linking worker empowerment to workplace safety for the first time.

The latest agreement extends independent, expert building safety inspections for three more years for all covered factories. It also presents the possibility to expand the accord to sectors other than the garment industry.

The agreement has so far been signed by Kmart Australia, Target Australia, Primark, H&M, Inditex, C&A, Otto, KiK, Aldi South, Aldi North, Lidl, Tchibo, LC Waikiki and Helly Hansen.

A further eight brands, such as Esprit, Hüren, Bestseller, Wibra, Schmidt Group, N Brown Group, PVH, Specialty Fashion Group Australia have committed to signing it.

It means that more than 1,000 Bangladeshi garment factories supplying products to signatory brands will be covered under the new accord.

IndustriALL and UNI -- both based in Switzerland -- are signatories to the new accord, while four nongovernmental organisations including the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Worker Rights Consortium will be witness signatories.

The three-year agreement builds on the achievements of the first Bangladesh accord signed in May 2013 in response to the Rana Plaza building collapse that claimed the lives of more than 1,100 workers and injured 2,500 more.

It continues the first accord’s ground-breaking legally binding framework and commitment to transparency.

It also ensures that many more factories will be inspected and renovated, as signatory brands add suppliers.

Ronaldo sets Portugal on way to Confederations Cup semis

European champions Portugal comfortably dispatched New Zealand 4-0 to reach the Confederations Cup semi-finals on Saturday after Cristiano Ronaldo set them on their way with a penalty.

Portugal's all-time leading scorer swept the ball home in the 33rd minute, his 75th goal for his country, and Bernardo Silva added the second four minutes later.

A solo effort from Andre Silva, his eighth goal in 11 appearances, in the 80th minute and a stoppage-time goal from substitute Nani completed the scoring.

It was a typically efficient performance from Portugal who never looked in real danger despite a sluggish start.

However, it was not all good news as Bernardo Silva went off injured at halftime, while a needless and reckless challenge from Pepe, with his side 2-0 up, earned the controversial central defender his second yellow card of the tournament, ruling him out of Wednesday's semi-final.

"It was an odd game - we were in control, but they started creating problems, and if it had got back to 2-1, it could have got complicated," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

New Zealand goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic, who helped Unterhaching win promotion from the German fourth division last season, kept the score down with a superb second-half display.

The Oceania champions were far from disgraced but have now competed in the tournament four times without winning a game and have an overall record of 11 defeats and a draw in 12 matches.

Even so, coach Anthony Hudson was proud of his side, who refused to shut up shop in the second half.

"We know we've played some really good football at times. We never stopped. We created chances, we put them under pressure, so we could have got a little more out of this tournament," he told reporters.

"This team are on the right path, they have got great character, great belief and it's a young team moving in the right direction."

Portugal topped Group A with seven points from three games, ahead of Mexico on goal difference after the CONCACAF champions beat hosts Russia 2-1. New Zealand finished bottom of the group after losing all three games.

Ronaldo had already headed against the crossbar before firing Portugal ahead after Danilo went tumbling under a challenge from two defenders and the referee pointed to the spot without asking for a video replay.

Bernardo Silva turned Eliseu's low cross into the net four minutes later, although he suffered a knock on the ankle in the process.

Marinovic made impressive saves to deny Ronaldo, Andre Silva and Nani but was powerless stop Andre Silva when he collected the ball on the halfway line, ran at two defenders who backed off, and fired his shot into the far corner.

Nani completed the scoring with his 25th international goal.

In Warsaw, Trump to promote US natural gas exports: Cohn

US President Donald Trump plans to promote US natural gas exports at a meeting next week in Warsaw with a dozen leaders from central and eastern Europe, a region heavily reliant on Russian supplies, his top economic adviser told Reuters.

On his way to the G20 summit in Germany, Trump is slated to speak in Poland - which received its first shipment of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) this month - to a group of leaders eager to reduce their dependence on Moscow for energy.

"There are people who use supply almost as a political weapon, in threatening to cut off supply in the coldest parts of the year - in the winter, when people need gas to heat their homes," Gary Cohn, director of the White House National Economic Council, said in an interview.

"Our intention is to be a force for good and make gas readily available for anyone who needs it," Cohn said.

Moscow cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes in 2006 and 2009, causing shortages during winter months in Ukraine and many other European nations.

The United States has looked at boosting its LNG exports for years, since drilling advances vastly expanded its domestic supplies.

The Trump administration sees growth in LNG exports as a way to reduce trade deficits with other nations and expand the economy.

Trump is set to outline his plans to help expand natural gas production and expedite LNG exports in a speech in Washington on Thursday.

The White House does not have projections for how quickly exports could ramp up, noting those decisions will be driven by market conditions and made by independent producers and exporters rather than the government.

Trump has also vowed to do what he can to boost the US manufacturing sector. Some manufacturers, including Dow Chemical Co and Nucor Corp, had long fought to prevent a flood of exports, arguing that cheap domestic energy has helped them compete in world markets.

But the White House has rejected that view, instead pushing for infrastructure renewal and regulatory reforms.

Cohn said abundant reserves of natural gas should satisfy the needs of domestic users and exporters alike "as long as the infrastructure and the backbone of our natural gas system works."

Lasith Malinga falls ill

Sri Lanka's controversial fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been diagnosed with a viral influenza and will sit out the second one-day international against Zimbabwe on Sunday, the cricket board said. 
Malinga, who was slapped with a suspended six-month match ban earlier this week, has been told to take two days of rest after coming down with the bug. 
"Medical reports have ruled him out of the next game and recommended a rest period of 48 hours," Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. 
It added that Lakshan Sandakan did not play in the first ODI on Friday at Galle because he had the same virus. 
Malinga, 33, took one wicket on Friday, giving away 51 runs in the game which Zimbabwe won by six wickets. 
The 80-kilo (176-pound) bowler was disciplined after he pleaded guilty to comparing the country's sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera to a monkey for saying national cricket players were too fat and unfit. 
Jayasekera has given national players three months to improve their level of fitness or get booted out. 
He said the entire team selected to play against Zimbabwe were below the internationally accepted fitness level.  

Anushka Sharma isn't averse do

Anushka Sharma, who will be seen shortly as Sejal in the romance When Harry Met Sejal directed by Imtiaz Ali recently confessed to a daily that she can't see herself doing mindless comedies. 
This is what she said, "Comedy is a very exciting and a difficult space. Either you have it or you don't. Obviously, I would love to challenge myself. But it has to be in sync with my sensibilities. I won't be able to do a mindless comedy. Leave that, I can't do anything mindless." She said she loved films like the doped out comedy Pineapple Express or the Apocalyptic comedy This Is The End. 
Besides the Imtiaz Ali film, she has films like her home production Pari, the Aanand L Rai Shah Rukh Khan starrer as well as the Sanjay Dutt biopic in her kitty.

Trump travel ban comes into effect for six countries

People from six mainly Muslim countries and all refugees now face tougher US entry due to President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban.
It means people without "close" family or business relationships in the US could be denied visas and barred entry. Lawyers took up positions at US airports, offering free advice.

People from six mainly Muslim countries and all refugees now face tougher US entry due to President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban.
It means people without "close" family or business relationships in the US could be denied visas and barred entry. Lawyers took up positions at US airports, offering free advice.

But the judges provided a major exception, for those who have "a credible claim of a bona fide relationship" with someone in the US. The effect is that citizens of the affected countries with a close relative in the US, such as a spouse, parent, child or sibling, will potentially be allowed in. In a last minute change, the Trump administration extended the definition of close family to include fiancés. However grandparents, aunts, uncles,
 nephews and nieces are not considered to be "bona fide" relations. The rules apply to people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, as well as to all refugees. Moments before the ban began at 20:00 Washington time on Thursday (00:00 GMT), it emerged that the state of Hawaii had asked a federal judge for clarification. Hawaii's attorney general has argued that the definition of "close family" is too narrow and may improperly prevent people from travelling to the US. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it would be closely monitoring the guidance and implementation of the order.
The Supreme Court is expected to make a final decision on the ban when its next session begins in October.
According to the new rules, for the next 90 days those from the six countries without a close relationship will not be able to enter the US. IN - a parent, spouse, fiancé, child, son- or daughter-in-law, or sibling, including step- or half-siblings. OUT - grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, in-laws, extended family and grandchildren. Also exempt from the new rules are those with business or educational ties to the US.
However, the guidelines specifically state that the relationship must be formal, documented and not formed for the purpose of evading the order. As well as making clear that those with valid visas and legal permanent residents are not affected, the Department of Homeland Security says dual nationals who travel on their passport from the unaffected country will also be allowed entry.
The Supreme Court also approved a 120-day ban on refugees entering the US, allowing the government to bar entry to refugee claimants who cannot prove the same ties to an American individual or entity.
The US president insisted his ban was necessary for national security and pointed to terrorist attacks in Paris, London, Brussels and Berlin as evidence. However, critics called the policy un-American and Islamophobic, and said that this ban would not have stopped atrocities in the US perpetrated by American-born attackers.
The original ban, released on 27 January, provoked mass protests at American airports.
It included Iraq among nations whose travellers would be barred from the US, and imposed a full ban on refugees from Syria. The president issued a revised version with a narrower scope on 6 March to overcome some of the legal problems. The policy was left in limbo after it was struck down by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland.

5 natural ingredients and their beauty benefits

Looking for natural beauty solution that won’t be harsh on your skin? Here are 5 amazing ingredients that you may have in your kitchen and can work amazingly on your skin and hair. From using a garlic for inflamed pimples to trying turmeric face mask, here’s are five DIY tricks using all-natural ingredients!

Garlic

Garlic is known as one of the best home remedies to treat pimples. It is known for its antiviral befits that can actually kill all the bacteria causing acne. All you need to do is cut the garlic clove from one side and then press it on the white head and leave it overnight. This trick will help to flatten a pimple.

Coconut Oil

This wonder oil is known for many beauty benefits. For a natural hair pack, you can always rely on coconut oil. All you need to do is massage your hair with coconut oil 15-20 minutes before washing your hair. This way your hair will get nourished and will have extra shine. Make sure you use less coconut oil, so your hair doesn't get greasy!

Honey

A natural humectant, honey can do wonders to your skin if you're dealing with dry skin. For this hack, you would need raw honey which is unfiltered. All you need to do is apply a thin layer of this sweet stuff on your face as a pack and leave it for 10-15 minutes.

Aloe Vera

This natural plant is a genius solution for dark circles, as it is loaded with Vitamin E and C. Apply raw gel on the dark circles and the eyelid area overnight. Try to follow this ritual on a regular basis for best results.

Turmeric

This wonder ingredient is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Many Indian women swear by this trick for face masks, as it helps to reduce pigmentation and get the glowing skin. Make a paste of turmeric, honey, and yogurt in thick consistency. Apply this mask for 10-15 minutes and later wash it off with lukewarm water.