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Experts warn of disturbing factory conditions still happening years after disaster: 'This needs to be reversed'

Experts warn of disturbing factory conditions still happening years after disaster: 'This needs to be reversed'

Yahoo27-05-2025
Twelve years have passed since the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh killed 1,138 people and injured more. However, garment industry workers and advocates say major fashion brands are still dragging their feet on meaningful reform.
Nonprofits like the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) are sounding the alarm over stalled progress on workplace safety in the world's second-largest textile-producing country. Many brands tied to factories in the Rana Plaza — including Walmart, Urban Outfitters, and Amazon — have still not taken full responsibility, advocates say.
"Twelve years since the Rana Plaza collapse, it is vital that worker safety remains safeguarded," said Salahuddin Shapon, president of the Bangladesh NGWF, to Just Style. He warned that factory safety committees are weaker now due to a 2022 labor code amendment that reduced workers' rights and gave more power to factory owners.
"This needs to be reversed," he said.
After the collapse, more than 260 brands signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, a legally binding agreement for five years to improve factory conditions. But many major brands never signed on.
Despite the international attention, dangerous working conditions, poverty wages, and union suppression remain widespread in Bangladesh's fast fashion supply chain. The CCC reports that only a few of the 30 brands linked to the Rana Plaza disaster have made meaningful contributions to worker protections since.
These problems are not isolated.
They're built into the fast fashion model, which churns out massive volumes of cheap, low-quality clothing designed to wear out quickly and be replaced. This results in a flood of textile waste that ends up in landfills and our environment, all while workers remain stuck in unsafe, underpaid jobs, hurting progress towards a healthier, greener future for all.
Bangladesh has seen some progress, including a 2022 Employment Injury Scheme that provides limited support to injured workers and their families, and major strikes last year that resulted in 18 worker demands being met by owners. Still, advocates say stronger labor laws around workers' rights and injury compensation are urgently needed.
"These 12 years have shown that real change can only happen if brands' behaviors and practices are regulated by robust legal obligations," said Kalpona Akter, labor leader and founder of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity, to Just Style.
What should the government do about the fast fashion industry?
Set strict regulations
Incentivize sustainable options
Use both regulations and incentives
Nothing
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
One promising step via global effort is the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, a European policy that will require brands to take responsibility for their supply chains by 2026.
But consumers also have the power to change things right now. Shopping secondhand at thrift stores or online, or supporting transparent, ethical brands, can help save money and reduce demand for fast fashion's exploitative practices.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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The Trump administration wants to end the UN peacekeeping in Lebanon. Europe is pushing back
The Trump administration wants to end the UN peacekeeping in Lebanon. Europe is pushing back

San Francisco Chronicle​

time4 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

The Trump administration wants to end the UN peacekeeping in Lebanon. Europe is pushing back

WASHINGTON (AP) — The future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon has split the United States and its European allies, raising implications for security in the Middle East and becoming the latest snag to vex relations between the U.S. and key partners like France, Britain and Italy. At issue is the peacekeeping operation known as UNIFIL, whose mandate expires at the end of August and will need to be renewed by the U.N. Security Council to continue. It was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel's 1978 invasion, and its mission was expanded following the monthlong 2006 war between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah. The multinational force has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon for decades, including during the Israel-Hezbollah war last year, but has drawn criticism from both sides and numerous U.S. lawmakers, some of whom now hold prominent roles in President Donald Trump's administration or wield new influence with the White House. Trump administration political appointees came into office this year with the aim of shutting down UNIFIL as soon as possible. They regard the operation as an ineffectual waste of money that is merely delaying the goal of eliminating Hezbollah's influence and restoring full security control to the Lebanese Armed Forces that the government says it is not yet capable of doing. After securing major cuts in U.S. funding to the peacekeeping force, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed off early last week on a plan that would wind down and end UNIFIL in the next six months, according to Trump administration officials and congressional aides familiar with the discussions. It's another step as the Trump administration drastically pares back its foreign affairs priorities and budget, including expressing skepticism of international alliances and cutting funding to U.N. agencies and missions. The transatlantic divide also has been apparent on issues ranging from Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine conflict to trade, technology and free speech issues. Israel has for years sought an end to UNIFIL's mandate, and renewal votes have often come after weeks of political wrangling. Now, the stakes are particularly high after last year's war and more vigorous opposition in Washington. European nations, notably France and Italy, have objected to winding down UNIFIL. With the support of Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and envoy to Lebanon, they successfully lobbied Rubio and others to support a one-year extension of the peacekeeping mandate followed by a time-certain wind-down period of six months, according to the administration officials and congressional aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic negotiations. Israel also reluctantly agreed to an extension, they said. The European argument was that prematurely ending UNIFIL before the Lebanese army is able to fully secure the border area would create a vacuum that Hezbollah could easily exploit. The French noted that when a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali was terminated before government troops were ready to deal with security threats, Islamic extremists moved in. With the U.S. easing off, the issue ahead of the U.N. vote expected at the end of August now appears to be resistance by France and others to setting a firm deadline for the operation to end after the one-year extension, according to the officials and congressional aides. French officials did not respond to requests for comment. The final French draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, does not include a date for UNIFIL's withdrawal, which U.S. officials say is required for their support. Instead, it would extend the peacekeeping mission for one year and indicates the U.N. Security Council's 'intention to work on a withdrawal.' But even if the mandate is renewed, the peacekeeping mission might be scaled down for financial reasons, with the U.N. system likely facing drastic budget cuts, said a U.N. official, who was not authorized to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. One of the U.S. officials said an option being considered was reducing UNIFIL's numbers while boosting its technological means to monitor the situation on the ground. The peacekeeping force has faced criticism There are about 10,000 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, while the Lebanese army has around 6,000 soldiers, a number that is supposed to increase to 10,000. Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon have frequently accused the U.N. mission of collusion with Israel and sometimes attacked peacekeepers on patrol. Israel, meanwhile, has accused the peacekeepers of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah's military activities in southern Lebanon and lobbied for its mandate to end. Sarit Zehavi, a former Israeli military intelligence analyst and founder of the Israeli think tank Alma Research and Education Center, said UNIFIL has played a 'damaging role with regard to the mission of disarming Hezbollah in south Lebanon.' 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Trump runs into the difficulty of Putin diplomacy and ending a long war
Trump runs into the difficulty of Putin diplomacy and ending a long war

San Francisco Chronicle​

time4 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Trump runs into the difficulty of Putin diplomacy and ending a long war

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump walked into a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin pressing for a ceasefire deal and threatening 'severe consequences' and tough new sanctions if the Kremlin leader failed to agree to halt the fighting in Ukraine. Instead, Trump was the one who stood down, dropping his demand for a ceasefire in favor of pursuing a full peace accord — a position that aligns with Putin's. After calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, Trump wrote as he flew home from Friday's meeting in Alaska that it had been 'determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.' It was a dramatic reversal that laid bare the challenges of dealing with Putin, a cunning adversary, as well as the complexities of a conflict that Trump had repeatedly boasted during his campaign that he could solve within 24 hours. Trump's position after the summit with Putin Few details have emerged about what the two leaders discussed or what constituted the progress they both touted. The White House did not respond to messages seeking comment Saturday. While European leaders were relieved that Trump did not agree to a deal that ceded territory or otherwise favored Moscow, the summit allowed Putin to reclaim his place on the world stage and may have bought Russia more time to push forward with its offensive in Ukraine. 'We're back to where we were before without him having gone to Alaska,' said Fiona Hill, who served as Trump's senior adviser on Russia at the National Security Council during his first term, including when he last met Putin in Helsinki in 2018. In an interview, Hill argued that Trump had emerged from the meeting in a weaker position on the world stage because of his reversal. Other leaders, she said, might now look at the U.S. president and think he's 'not the big guy that he thinks he is and certainly not the dealmaking genius.' 'All the way along, Trump was convinced he has incredible forces of persuasion,' she said, but he came out of the meeting without a ceasefire — the 'one thing' he had been pushing for, even after he gave the Russian leader the 'red carpet treatment." Trump has 'run up against a rock in the form of Putin, who doesn't want anything from him apart from Ukraine," she said. Democrats call for consequences for Putin At home, Democrats expressed alarm at what at times seemed like a day of deference, with Trump clapping for Putin as he walked down a red carpet during an elaborate ceremony welcoming him to U.S. soil for the first time in a decade. The two rode together in the presidential limousine and exchanged compliments. Trump seemed to revel in particular in Putin echoing his oft-repeated assertion that Russia never would have invaded Ukraine if Trump had been in office instead of Democrat Joe Biden at the time. Before news cameras, Trump did not use the opportunity to castigate Putin for launching the largest ground invasion in Europe since World War II or human rights abuses he's been accused of committing. Instead, Putin was the one who spoke first, and invited Trump to join him in Moscow next. 'President Trump appears to have been played yet again by Vladimir Putin," said Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 'The President rolled out a red carpet and warmly greeted a murderous dictator on American soil and reports indicate he got nothing concrete in return.' 'Enough is enough," she went on. 'If President Trump won't act, Congress must do so decisively by passing crushing sanctions when we return in the coming weeks.' Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he supports diplomacy but 'peacemaking must be done responsibly.' 'Instead of caving to Putin, the U.S. should join our allies in levying tough, targeted new sanctions on Russia to intensify the economic pressure,' he said. Trump has touted himself as the president of peace Trump has tried to cast himself as a peacemaker, taking credit for helping deescalate conflicts between India and Pakistan as well as Thailand and Cambodia. He proudly mediated a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and another between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to end decades of fighting. Trump has set his eye on the Nobel Peace Prize, with numerous allies offering nominations. But Trump has struggled to made headway on the world's two most vexing conflicts: the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas. Republicans and Trump allies offer little response so far In Washington, the summit was met by little response from Trump's allies. Republican lawmakers who spoke out were largely reserved and generally called for continued talks and constructive actions from the Trump administration. 'President Trump brought Rwanda and the DRC to terms, India and Pakistan to terms, Armenia and Azerbaijan to terms. I believe in our President, and believe he will do what he always does — rise to the challenge,' Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement to The Associated Press. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, wrote on social media after the summit that 'while the press conference offered few details about their meeting" she was "cautiously optimistic about the signals that some level of progress was made." Murkowski said it 'was also encouraging to hear both presidents reference future meetings" but that Ukraine 'must be part of any negotiated settlement and must freely agree to its terms.' Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close Trump ally, offered that he was 'very proud' of Trump for having had the face-to-face meeting and was 'cautiously optimistic' that the war might end 'well before Christmas' if a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin transpires. 'I have all the confidence in the world that Donald Trump will make it clear to Putin this war will never start again. If it does, you're going to pay a heavy price,' he said on Fox News. For some Trump allies, the very act of him meeting with Putin was success enough: conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk called it 'a great thing.' Some see a Putin win and a Trump loss But in Europe, the summit was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Putin, who has been eager to emerge from geopolitical isolation. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, praised the summit as a breakthrough in restoring high-level dialogue between Moscow and Washington, describing the talks as 'calm, without ultimatums and threats.' Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said the summit was 'a distinct win for Putin. He didn't yield an inch' but was also 'a distinct setback for Trump. No ceasefire in sight.' 'What the world sees is a weak and wobbling America,' Bildt posted on X.

Trump-Putin summit receives mixed reactions from European leaders, US lawmakers
Trump-Putin summit receives mixed reactions from European leaders, US lawmakers

The Hill

time7 hours ago

  • The Hill

Trump-Putin summit receives mixed reactions from European leaders, US lawmakers

The high-stakes summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin garnered mixed reactions from U.S. lawmakers and European leaders. Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, huddled with Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, for nearly three hours at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska on Friday. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský welcomed the president's effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been raging for well over three years, but slammed the Russian leader's remarks following the closed-door meeting in Alaska. 'From Putin, we heard the same propagandistic nonsense about the 'roots of the conflict' that his state television promotes. The problem is Russian imperialism, not Ukraine's desire to live freely,' Lipavský said in a Friday post on social media platform X. European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said Saturday morning that Trump's effort to stop the conflict in Eastern Europe is 'vital,' but argued that Russia has no intention of ending the war 'anytime soon.' 'The U.S. holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the U.S. so that Russia's aggression does not succeed and that any peace is sustainable,' Kallas wrote on X. 'Moscow won't end the war until it realizes it can't continue. So Europe will continue to back Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package.' Trump said Friday evening that both sides made progress, but a ceasefire agreement was not struck. Neither the president nor Putin relayed any details about the agreements when addressing reporters after the huddle. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Trump ally who has a warm relationship with the Kremlin leader, argued the world is a safer place as a result of the summit. 'For years we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday,' Orban wrote Saturday morning on X. 'May every weekend be at least this good!' Trump briefed EU leaders — dubbed the 'Coalition of the Willing — and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a Saturday call after the meeting. The European politicians hailed the president's push to end the war, but emphasized that Ukraine needs 'ironclad' security guarantees in order to 'effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' The coalition is made up of French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Trump on Monday at the White House. The president said Saturday on Truth Social that the 'best way' to end the war is to 'go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.' Ukraine's leader indicated his support for a trilateral meeting between himself, Trump and Putin. 'President Trump informed about his meeting with the Russian leader and the main points of their discussion,' Zelensky said Saturday on X. 'It is important that America's strength has an impact on the development of the situation.' During the Saturday joint call, Trump told European leaders and Zelensky that he wants to broker a trilateral meeting as soon as next Friday, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Reaction to the summit was also mixed among some U.S. lawmakers. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), one of the staunchest Ukraine supporters in the House, said Friday that 'time will tell what ultimately manifests' from Friday's meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations. 'I commend and credit President Trump's peace through strength policies which forced Putin to come to America to discuss a possible cease-fire, which Ukraine has already and repeatedly agreed to,' Fitzpatrick said Friday on X. 'Ukraine's sovereignty and freedom are not bargaining chips; they are principles that must be defended. No path to peace is credible without their voice,' the Pennsylvania Republican added. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a supporter of Ukraine and Trump ally, predicted Friday night that if the trilateral meeting between the president, Putin and Zelensky takes place, the conflict could end before Christmas. 'Make no mistake, this war is a war of aggression by Putin against Ukraine. However, I have always said Ukraine will not evict every Russian soldier and Putin is not going to take Kyiv,' Graham said. 'The key to ending this war honorably and justly is to create an infrastructure of deterrence that Biden and Obama failed to do — which will prevent a third invasion.' Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he supports 'active' diplomacy and argued that peacemaking has to be done 'responsibly' or it 'risks' the security of Europeans, Ukrainians and Americans. 'I didn't care for the red-carpet treatment Putin was afforded or the signal Trump sent by welcoming him with applause. And I think everyone was a bit surprised by the lack of detail and unorthodox post-meeting press conference,' Reed said in a statement on Saturday,' adding that the U.S. should team up with allies to impose new sanctions on Russia to 'intensify the economic pressure.' Trump said during the call with European and NATO officials that he is open to offering U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing European officials familiar with the matter. The president told European leaders that the Russian president will not halt the military offensive while peace discussions are underway, according to the report. But Putin is open to, as part of a potential peace settlement, having Western security forces in Ukraine to ensure the truce would last, the Journal reported, citing four officials briefed on the matter. Macron signaled the U.S.'s openness to contributing to Ukraine's security guarantees on X. The French leader said Saturday that 'any lasting peace must be accompanied by unwavering security guarantees. I welcome, in this regard, the readiness of the United States to contribute. We will work on this with them and with all our partners in the Coalition of the Willing, with whom we will meet again soon, to make concrete progress.' Still, Putin is reportedly demanding that Ukraine pull back from Luhansk and Donetsk regions as a condition to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Financial Times (FT) reported, citing four sources with direct knowledge of the Friday meeting, that Putin would halt the rest of the front lines if this request is fulfilled. The Russian leader would freeze the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and would refrain from new offensives to conquer more Ukrainian land in exchange for Luhansk and Donetsk, the FT reported. Russia controls about 70 percent of Donetsk. Zelensky has previously said he is not willing to give up Donetsk, but he is open to negotiating the territorial divides, one of the main sticking points, with the president at the White House, the FT reported.

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