Bangladesh

Kyle A. Richardson is the editorial director of Promo Marketing. He joined the company in 2006 brings more than a decade of publishing, marketing and media experience to the magazine. If you see him, buy him a drink.

Bangladesh said it has met the conditions put forward by the U.S. for better safety and workers' rights in its factories that were essential to regain preferential trade status the impoverished South Asian nation lost in 2013 after two disasters killed 1,500 garment workers.

The preferential trade status does not cover Bangladesh's influential garment industry, which helps the country earn $25 billion annually and mainly exports to the U.S. and Europe. But Dhaka has long lobbied to have duty-free access to the U.S., and the lost status was seen as a big blow to that goal.

A Bangladesh court charged the owners of a garment factory and 11 staff with homicide in connection with the deaths of 112 workers in the country’s worst industrial blaze that took place nearly three years ago.

The court indicted Delwar Hossain and his wife, Mahmuda Akter, the owners of the Tazreen Fashions, and 11 employees, including factory managers and security guards, in connection with the Nov. 24, 2012, fire on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka.

The trial will start on Oct. 1, public prosecutor Khandakar Abdul Mannan told reporters. If convicted, they could face life in prison.

The second anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, in which more than 1,100 people died, is to be marked by demonstrations organized by survivors and trade union groups.

Rallies and tributes will take place on Friday, April 24 at the site where the clothing factory—which supplied garments to western retailers, including Primark, Benetton and Matalan—once stood, as well as in the center of Dhaka.

The United States said Friday that it was not ready to restore special trade benefits to Bangladesh until the country does more for worker safety and rights in its crucial apparel sector.

Nearly two years after more than 1,100 garment workers were crushed to death in the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka, the U.S. Trade Representative said the Bangladesh government needs to complete inspection of hundreds more plants before the benefits are restored.

One year ago today, 17 ready-made garment (RMG) industry global brands and retailers and two global unions and their national RMG affiliates signed an unprecedented agreement to make RMG factories safe in Bangladesh. One year later, 172 global brands and retailers from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia have joined the legally binding Accord. Together, they are building a safe garment industry in Bangladesh.

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