Tesco stops sourcing from a Bangladesh factory due to safety concerns

LONDON/DHAKA (Reuters) - Tesco, the world's No. 3 retailer, has stopped sourcing clothes from a factory in Bangladesh after discovering serious problems with the safety of the site, the company said on Saturday.

The move follows a survey the British-based supermarket chain conducted in the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in Dhaka in April that killed 1,129 people.

"A structural survey of a site we source from in Bangladesh, owned by Liberty Fashions, has revealed serious problems with the safety of one of the buildings," Tesco said in a statement.

Mozammel Huq, the owner of Dhaka-based garment maker Liberty Fashion, told Reuters that the building, in an industrial zone near Dhaka, met the required building codes.

"I fully followed the building code, so the question does not arise that it is an unsafe building," Huq told Reuters by phone on Saturday.

"The building is almost new - one phase I built only five years ago and the other one eight years ago."

Tesco, which has promised to conduct structural surveys of all the factories it sources from, said it had stopped using 15 factories of concern in Bangladesh in the past 12 months.

It said it had urged the owners of the Liberty Fashions site to stop all production and to evacuate the premises to ensure the safety of its workers.

"We immediately made the owners aware of our findings, and tried to find an alternative to ceasing production of Tesco products on this site. We are disappointed that this was not possible. We are disappointed that this was not possible ...," it said in its statement.

"Our concerns about the structure of this building are so serious that we decided our only option was to stop taking clothes from this site with immediate effect."

The head of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Mohammad Atiqul Islam, told Reuters that after Tesco's decision he had asked Huq to stop production at the factory if it was unsafe.

Huq in response had asked the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) to inspect the building for safety risk and had agreed to shut the factory if it was found to be unsafe and shift to a safe site, Islam said.

"He told us that they took the issue seriously and had already deposited the required money with the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology to examine the level of risk," Islam said.

Huq had put down 172,000 taka ($2,205) for the BUET inspection, Islam said.

SHORTCUTS ON SAFETY

Bangladesh has pledged to improve safety in the garment industry after the Rana Plaza collapse but has not pledged any new money to relocate dangerous buildings.

The collapse of Rana Plaza, a factory built on swampy ground outside Dhaka with several illegal floors, on April 24 ranks amongst the world's worst industrial accidents and has galvanized brands to look more closely at their suppliers.

Very low labor costs and, critics say, shortcuts on safety, makes the country of 160 million the cheapest place to make large quantities of clothing.

Companies are split over how to improve conditions. Big European names have signed an accord that would make them legally responsible for safety at Bangladesh factories. U.S. firms like Wal-Mart Stores Inc have broken ties with non-compliant factories.

(Reporting by Stephen Addison in London and Serajul Quadir in Dhaka; Editing by Susan Fenton)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tesco-stops-sourcing-bangladesh-factory-due-safety-concerns-104314444.html

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Post-injury headaches may leave you on hook indefinitely ...

If a worker who was hurt at work can find a doctor to testify that subsequent debilitating headaches were caused by the work injury, you can expect to continue making disability payments for a long time.

Recent case: Katherine fell out of her office chair while standing up and hit her head on the floor. She had bruises and a headache. Katherine applied for workers? comp benefits and got them after her doctor testified that the fall had caused her to suffer constant headaches.

The employer tried to get Kather??ine?s benefits terminated, arguing that she should be able to hold down a job. Her doctor testified that she could never be a ?reliable em??ployee? and would never get past a probationary period and thus was unemployable. Her benefits continue. (Will??iams v. Bank of America, No. COA12-965, Court of Appeals of North Caro??lina, 2013)

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Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/35386/post-injury-headaches-may-leave-you-on-hook-indefinitely

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Oasis of the Seas to cruise Europe for the first time

Don?t forget to inform your banks about your travel plans

Telling your banks about your travel plans can prevent you from experiencing something inconvenient when it comes to using you credit or debit cards in a foreign land.

This is because, some banks may put a fraud hold on your cards, once they realize that the cards are used overseas.

By informing them where you would go, they can put a note on your account, so that you can continue using your cards, without hassles.

Source: http://travelfox24.com/oasis-of-the-seas-to-cruise-europe-for-the-first-time/

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Facebook planning Android-related event on April 4th

It looks like Facebook's got an Android-related event up its sleeve next Thursday April 4th right here in the Bay Area. So, what's this about? A major revamp of Facebook's Android app? An Android-based Facebook phone like HTC's rumored Myst? Whatever it is, we'll obviously be there to liveblog the announcement in great detail, so be sure to tune in at 1PM ET (10AM PT). While focusing its recent efforts on features like Graph Search and News Feed, Facebook's been clear that mobile is a top priority for 2013. Let's just hope this event brings something more exciting to fruition than HTC's half-baked Status.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Google, Facebook

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/facebook-planning-android-event-on-april-4/

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AT&T Galaxy S4 preorders start April 16 for $249 on contract

Storage options still not known for AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S4

AT&T this morning announced that it's Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available for $249 on contract. Preorders start April 16.

Said the operator in a brief statement:

Continuing our legacy as the first carrier to launch Samsung’s Galaxy series, we are excited to announce AT&T customers will be able to begin pre-ordering the Galaxy S4 beginning April 16 for $249.99 with a two-year commitment. We are proud to offer this iconic device and continue to offer our customers the best smartphone line-up, with a variety of devices for every lifestyle and budget. For more information and to pre-order, please visit http://www.att.com/galaxys4.

We still don't have an exact launch date for the Galaxy S4 on AT&T, but figure a week or two of preorders (at least) before it's available. Nor do we have storage options for AT&T's Galaxy S4. 

T-Mobile has announced that its Galaxy S4 will be available May 1.

Source: AT&T
More: Our Galaxy S4 hands-on preview; Samsung Galaxy S4 forums

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/XNVKlKBPDYU/story01.htm

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New York City marks 10th anniversary of smoking ban

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg marked the tenth anniversary on Wednesday of his ban on smoking in bars and restaurants with a report saying the ban and subsequent anti-smoking measures had prevented 10,000 premature deaths.

"Ten years ago when New York City prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars, many predicted the end of the hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries," Bloomberg said in a statement.

"Yet ten years later, fewer New Yorkers are smoking, we are living longer, our industries are thriving and nobody longs for a return to smoke-filled bars and restaurants."

Critics of the move feared banning smoking would hurt the restaurant and bar business, but the Health Department report said there are now some 6,000 more restaurants and bars in the city than there were a decade ago.

The city's Smoke-Free Air Act came into effect a little over a year into Bloomberg's first term as mayor in 2003 and prohibited smoking inside bars, restaurants and most workplaces.

The following year, the city began providing free nicotine replacement therapy to smokers trying to quit and in 2011 expanded the smoking ban to the city's parks and beaches.

According to the report released on Wednesday, the proportion of adult smokers dropped by about a third to 15 percent in 2011 from 21.5 percent in 2002. The report, released by the city's Health Department, also said the proportion of youths under age 18 who smoke dropped by about half to 8.5 percent.

Bloomberg's tenure, which will end this year, has been marked by his efforts to improve New Yorkers' health by trying to induce them to eat less salt, trans fats and calories in general, among other measures.

Bloomberg has been criticized by some as paternalistic but his efforts have coincided with an increase in New Yorkers' life expectancy, including a decline in tobacco-related deaths.

Bloomberg's attempt to limit the size of sugary drinks sold in the city was derailed this month only hours before the new rules were to take effect when a judge ruled that they were "arbitrary and capricious". The city is appealing that decision.

A week later, Bloomberg announced his plan to require shops to hide cigarettes and tobacco products from public view, arguing that would shield young people from marketing efforts.

Some shop owners and cigarette manufacturers have criticized the plan as unnecessary extra regulation that would infringe the free speech provision of the U.S. Constitution.

Bloomberg also proposed a minimum price of $10.50 for a pack of cigarettes, in the hope that some smokers would find the habit too expensive to maintain. The two bills are now before the city council.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature death in the city, according to the Health Department.

Ronald Beyer, a professor of public health at Columbia University, called Bloomberg's health initiatives a "major achievement" and said his efforts to make smoking less socially acceptable were an effective and legitimate use of his office.

He said it remains an open question how much further government could go to discourage smokers to quit.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-city-marks-10th-anniversary-smoking-ban-214037890.html

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US Army vet charged with fighting with al-Qaida

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) ? A U.S. Army veteran is charged with conspiring with an Al-Qaida group to wage war against the Syrian regime.

Eric Harroun of Phoenix was charged Thursday in federal court in northern Virginia with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the U.S. An affidavit states Harroun has been engaged in military action in Syria, siding with rebel forces against the Syrian government. It says he used rocket-propelled grenades in the fighting earlier this year.

On his Facebook page, he claimed credit for downing a Syrian helicopter.

Prosecutors say one of the groups with which Harroun served is the al-Nusrah Front, which is commonly known as al-Qaida in Iraq.

Harroun has made an initial court appearance. A public defender was appointed to represent him in a detention hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-army-vet-charged-fighting-al-qaida-184044925.html

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