Designers
Black and white fashions remain the big winner this season, most fashion designers have added articles of clothing in tones of black and white,. Many designers adding just a splash of colour to the black and white combination, red being one of the popular additions, as well as cheery yellow. Let’s face it – you can’t go wrong with the traditional classic black and white outfit, and designers know this little fact, and continue to cash in on it.
So, what’s one of the most popular item of clothing for spring/summer 2013? Think ladylike dresses, and A-line skirts.
However, this season fashion designers have also given us all kind of fun fashions. Fashions that will offer wonderful vivid prints, stripes, and geometric prints – not to mention some great new takes on animal prints. The main theme this spring is somewhat tailored, classic, with a touch of bold, and edgy added into the mix.
Stripes – Stripes seem to hold a place in fashion year after year. This spring be ready to see stripes being worn from head to toe, in the most unlikely match ups.
Trousers – the new waist line falls just below the waist, and is very flattering on most figure types. In regard to trouser style, anything goes, from the very skinny to the very flared leg.
Do your feet long for a bit of comfort? Let’s face it, our feet need a rest from the spiked stiletto heels. Well, this spring the kitten heel has made a comeback. You will also notice that the platform is well on its way out. The kitten heel again is a throwback to the classic 1960s. They are feminine and classic.as well as comfortable.
ABC
ABC issued a statement saying it was “surprised by the action” after content on its website about unrest in Myanmar between Muslims and Buddhists was included on the blocking list. India’s Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde insisted in a statement the government was “only taking strict action against those accounts or people which are causing damage or spreading rumours.” Shinde added that the government sought to block the Myanmar online photos because they were “disturbing the atmosphere here in India.”
The government said photographs of clashes in Myanmar were circulating on the Internet with fake captions claiming the scenes were from the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, where 80 people have died in recent ethnic violence. Vivek Sood, senior Supreme Court lawyer and an author on Internet legalisation, called the government’s step “a gross abuse of power.”
“It’s completely illegal under the Indian IT Act,” he told The Economic Times. Indian journalist Kanchan Gupta, who is often critical of the government, had his Twitter account targeted by a government blocking order in a move he called a “political vendetta”. Al Jazeera webpages on the blocking list, including a report on the exodus from Bangalore, appeared unaffected by the government orders, the channel’s Delhi bureau chief Anmol Saxena told AFP.
Ministers earlier complained they had not received co-operation from websites and social network groups. The government on Thursday said Twitter had agreed to remove six fake accounts parodying Prime Minister Singh. The prime minister’s office issued a statement on Friday quoting Twitter that they have “removed the reported profiles from circulation due to violation of our Terms of Service regarding impersonation”. United States State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said as India “seeks to preserve security, we are urging them also to take into account the importance of freedom of expression in the online world”.
IKEA
More Sri Lankan investments in India – IKEA to invest.
The Union minister of Commerce has decided to redefine small and medium enterprises (SME) to make it possible for investment by the Swedish furniture giant IKEA . Union minister Sharma announced this at the India road show here.
IKEA furniture manufacturer has sought some changes in policy to come in with an investment of over Rs 10,500 crore into India. As per current definition, SME is a unit with $1 million investment that can go in for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). IKEA pointed out that once it started sourcing from SME in India, the growth would be fast and SMEs would have to exceed the investment limit.
Sharma said that the moment SME started selling its products to companies abroad its investment would need to go up and under the present law it would cross the limit given and make it not eligible for FDI. Sharma said that the present law was penalizing SME for doing well.
The government to attract FDI had relaxed the foreign direct investment rules last year to allow 100% FDI in single-brand retail . Earlier it was 51% but imposed numerous conditions such as mandatory local sourcing kept off foreign players.
A few investors such as Skechers, Pavers England, Promod and Tommy Hilfiger did express interest but were deterred by stringent norms in upcoming national manufacturing investment zones (NMIZ).
Sharma announced three additional national manufacturing investment zones (NMIZ) will be
coming up in Andhra Pradesh and two in Karnataka. Work on 12 more zones will start by the end of August. Talking about Sri Lankan companies’ investment , Sharma said Sri Lankan companies especially the textile firm Brandex, MAS textiles and Toray are coming to invest heavily in India.
He said Brandex apparels aims for fourfold increase in its exports from Vizag unit in the coming years. Not only Brandex is very upbeat on increasing its investment in India, every Monday about 50 million lingerie pieces are exported by them to Victoria Secret.
Business climate
Business climate: Hopes pinned on a new economic model
If attracting outside investment can be difficult during a recession, tempting foreign capital into a country that has received an international bailout is a gruelling task.
At present, Portugal would not appear likely to attract a queue of investors. Anyone pondering whether the country’s current business climate may present a contrarian opportunity must at the same time consider a series of alarming data.
Unemployment, while lower than Spain’s, stands at 15 per cent and gross domestic product is expected to shrink by 3.4 per cent this year.
Meanwhile the yield on 10-year government debt still hovers above 11 per cent, following Standard & Poor’s decision in January to cut Portugal’s credit rating to junk.
Such an environment is hitting many businesses hard, as consumers retrench and credit remains difficult to come by, as the banking system hoards funds so as to meet higher capital requirements.
John Duggan, a former partner with PwC in Portugal, says: “It is going to be difficult to get the economy working properly until we see credit come back.
“When you speak to people you hear that trading conditions are difficult in service industries. Demand is there, but pricing is under pressure and people are working twice as hard for half the money. Many retailers also had a terrible Christmas, with sales starting early.”
Ernst & Young expects a fall in consumer spending of 6.2 per cent this year, followed by a further contraction of 3.1 per cent in 2013, while investment in the non-financial corporate sector fell 19 per cent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2011.