Asia

Western Retailers To Fund Upgrades At Bangladesh Factories

Scott Neuman — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

Four retailers who represent the largest purchasers of clothes produced in Bangladesh announced Monday that they have will help finance safety upgrades at apparel factories in the South Asia country after the collapse of a garment complex killed more than 1,000 workers.

The news comes as the death toll in the April 24 collapse of the eight-story Rana Plaza near Dhaka rose to at least 1,127, according to officials.

In a statement from Sweden-based H&M and Inditex, the parent company of Zara, the retail giants urged others to join them.

Republicans Focus On Democrats' Political Misdeeds

Steve Inskeep — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Again and again, President Obama's administration tries to pivot attention toward East Asia. Administration officials believe China and its neighbors are where the economic future lies.

GREENE: And yet it's the Middle East that keeps demanding the president's attention. It brings to mind that line from F.

Sago, An Ancient Chinese Starch, Endures In Asian Cooking

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:49:00 +0000

Long before rice became the mainstay of Asia, prehistoric people in China turned to sago palm for starch.

Chinese researchers reported this week in the online journal PLOS ONE that they had found traces of sago palm starch on stone implements excavated on the southern coast of China.

Reports: Survivor Rescued 17 Days After Bangladesh Building Collapse

Mark Memmott — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:09:00 +0000

(Most recent update: 1:15 p.m.

Bangladesh's Powerful Garment Sector Fends Off Regulation

Jim Zarroli — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:50:00 +0000

Eight people died Wednesday in a fire at a Bangladeshi sweater factory. This follows the much deadlier collapse of the Rana Plaza building, where more than 900 people died.

The deaths are taking place in a garment sector that has seen explosive growth over the past three decades. The country has managed to lure clothing-makers through a combination of low wages and light regulation.

As a manufacturing center, Bangladesh has little to recommend it. The roads are poor. There's no port to speak of. The electricity is notoriously unreliable.