The Story Re-Spun, Raymond's Khadi Project fashion show, was held on April 4 at its flagship store at Breach Candy

The guests gathered at Raymond's Breach Candy store earlier this month for The Story Re-Spun, a showing of the menswear brand's latest line, had one question on their minds - how will the corporate professional accustomed to crease-free workwear warm up to whimsical, organic khadi? But the team at India's oldest fabric retailer knew they had pressed the right button when the campaign around their just-launched Khadi initiative clocked 15 million views in 30 hours on their social media page.

Raymond has launched the collection in association with young designers Gaurav Khanijo, Anuj Bhutani, Ujjawal Dubey and Alan Alexander Kaleekal, and their choice of textile is the "fabric of the nation", which they call universal, and one that transcends age and social barriers. The brand has used its fabric technology expertise to lend khadi, drape and wash-and-wear qualities. The silhouettes and prints which comprise the collection of suits, tuxedos, bandhgalas, bomber jackets, hoodies, shirts and kurtas, are modern and approachable. To complete the look, on offer is a range of khadi accessories - ties, pocket squares, cuff links and shoes.

Varanasi-based textile developer and designer Hemang Agrawal's

"The design and technical teams from Raymond worked extensively with clusters of khadi weavers from across the country for over 12 months to give the fabric a whole new face and form," says Gaurav Mahajan, President-Apparel Business, Raymond. Style observers see Raymond's move as one that seeks to give sustainable fashion a nifty edge, a trait often compromised in the drive to produce ethical fashion, and promote indigenous crafts. Fashion entrepreneur and consultant Sabina Chopra says, in the absence of labels offering appealing sustainable designs at reasonable prices to the young buyer, Raymond's model could be one to ape. "Collaborations [between designers and fabric manufacturers] could be the way forward if we are to impact purchase," she thinks.

Summer 2018 collection reimagined Benarasi textiles to make minis and box-pleated dresses, and used Tanchoi and Katarwan weaving techniques to create the houndstooth pattern

While the world over, sustainable fashion champions fair trade, local techniques of production, and reuse and upcyling, in India, an ancient tradition of craft has moved focus to the revival of textiles. That it is currently also a political talking point, makes it complicated. "In India, we stress on sustainable fashion from an aesthetic point of view, motivated by the revival of textiles. There's too much of one thing, without regard for price point, the young customer demographic, fit or design," feels Delhi-based designer Arjun Saluja. He is currently occupied with creating a collection from upcycled cotton, with a focus on minimum fabric wastage. And so, the sustainable cause is a subtle story behind the collection, not its central identity.

After showing at LFW S/R 2018, The Good Loom showcased its summer collection of casual menswear and sarees, designed with a special focus on ethical production and getting the right fit at ARTISANS' gallery at Kala Ghoda last week

Hemang Agrawal, textile developer and designer from Varanasi, agrees. "Shoppers buy basis design and style. The ethical credentials of a label come later," he says. Living in a city that's at the heart of the ongoing revival of Benarasi weaves, he speaks of fly-by-night designers jumping in to claim to own the cause.

Agrawal decided it was time to rewrite the script; one that tested the sprightly, dressy competence of time-honoured Indian weaves. Un-Revive, his summer 2018 collection, included modern-day essentials such as minis Mary Quant-would approve, trench and box-pleated dresses, maxis, cropped pants and palazzos. He pinned his interest on the sustainability mast by working with master weavers from his hometown to create tartan checks, polka dots, houndstooth and geometric patterns using the Tanchoi and Katarwan techniques. "Why can't handlooms be young?" he says, explaining the thought behind using one of India's oldest textiles to create plucky, young designs.

Chopra wonders why sustainable clothes are devoid of colour or refined cut. A chunk of craft practitioners focusing solely on revival of textiles are taking for granted the design element of clothing. "Hence, the final tailored garment tends to be weak on cut, giving us tent-like, boring clothes…who decided colour is not cool?" she says. Veteran designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore of A&T push the boundaries when the former says, "Theoretically, you could do anything with craft, even design a bikini or hot pants. The trouble is, designers are not intervening into developing their own textiles. Ideally, they should."

A&T made a compelling case for ethics-meets-aesthetics with the recent #SadakSmart collection. Encouraged by DIY countercultural streetwear trend, the range looked at indigenous shapes, such as the salwar, kameez, saree and ghagra, and tipped them in favour of teasing everyday styles using updated versions of sequined Chanderi, aari embroidery, and floral patterns inspired by the great Indian chintz.

Not so long ago, anti-fit fashion found its moment internationally, and India, a land of drapes, was more than happy. The unstructured silhouette became an approved form of anti-fit, and handloom - one of the heroes of sustainable fashion - tagged along. Saluja points out that a change in design will take place only when we break the myth that hand-woven equals anti-fit. "The latter is about how you play with both, fabric and body - kiss it or turn it away from skin. Lend it form or leave it formless. Fabric development plus emphasis on silhouettes is key."

And so, good design is both the problem and the solution. Sustain, a 12-year-old apparel vertical of the Good Earth brand of luxury lifestyle, insists on being known as classically Indian. "We are not interested in being hip or cool. But we understand the value of offering modern clothing options that highlight India's incredible workmanship. It might be difficult to make khadi glamorous, so we've started working with Bhagalpuri silks for evening wear. Similarly, we've updated traditional embroideries by combining them with fresher colour ways," says Deepshikha Khanna, head of Sustain.

Rozana, a sub-brand of Sustain, positions itself as daily tonic for everyday wardrobe woes. Aimed at younger clients, it's a line of separates. Sassy shirtdresses, long and short kurtas, lehengas, kalidar kurtas and Hiba trousers are made in malkha cotton, khadi and muslin, priced between Rs 4,500 and Rs 22,000. Interestingly, timely interest by two of India's biggest fashion weeks has plucked the sustainable fashion lobbyists from their craft-based address to dazzling runways with dedicated show slots. The Autumn/Winter 2017 edition of Amazon India Fashion Week addressed the relevance of handlooms, while highlighting sustainable businesses with, The Handloom School. Supported by Good Earth, nine designers including Sanjay Garg, Neeru Kumar, Gaurav Jai Gupta, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Bal, Péro and Ekà worked with weavers and textiles designers under the watchful eye of textile revivalist Sally Holkar.

For the last seven years, Lakmé Fashion Week has dedicated a day towards the promotion of Indian crafts, recycling and re-purposing. "It started as a means to encourage dialogue on sustainable values. And with initiatives like #CraftisCool, we are working towards creating viable collections that appeal to high street sensibility," says Gautam Vazirani, fashion curator, IMG-Reliance, organisers of LFW.

This season, LFW collaborated with The Good Loom, an artisanal brand from GoCoop, (the first e-commerce store to win a national award for 'Marketing of Handlooms') to present a selection of smart, casual menswear and sarees, with a special focus on ethical production and getting the right fit. It was a sincere attempt at bridging the gap between how the country's Instagram generation interprets fashion and its duet with indigenous craftsmanship. "That sustainable fashion should be sexy, and not stop at mundane or homogeneous, is now our agenda. The millennials don't see themselves dressed in kaftans or anti-fit shapes," adds Vazirani. But he's up against a challenge. Designers often tell him of the 35+ consumer loving the anti-fit way. Saluja has an answer to that. "Let's not be blinded by the revival manifesto. Sixty per cent of India's population is under 35, and they are seeking stylish ready-to-wear options."

Challenge of handlooms: Colour forecast doesn't figure in our scheme
For 11-year-old label, Amrich, led by Delhi-based Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav, instead of reinforcing a divide between ethical and non-ethical consumers, they prefer to be known as a Western wear brand of separates, infused with enough versatility to be worn in Indian styles. "Working with handlooms is not without its unique set of challenges. For example, we can't afford to follow the colour forecast, since we work with natural dyes. Plus, we work with tricky timelines. We have to work two years in advance since there is lot of back and forth between craftsmen and our design team," says Vijaya. Luckily, the two design and develop their signature shibori in-house, making it possible to control how the garment is cut. "It also allows us to keep the price affordable. The shibori range starts at Rs 13,000," he adds.

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Pakistani television personality Aamir Liaquat Husain has apologised for making extremely insensitive remarks about the deaths of iconic Bollywood stars Sridevi and Irrfan Khan. Recently, in a segment of his show Jeewey Pakistan, he joked about the deaths, which shocked the film world globally, with actor Adnan Siddiqui, who has worked with Sridevi and Irrfan Khan.

Liaquat Husain started off by saying that Adnan saved the lives of Rani Mukerji and Bipasha Basu. A confused Adnan asked how. To which, Liaquat Husain disgracefully joked about how the actors Adnan worked with outside of Pakistan, died.

"You worked in Mom and Sridevi died, you worked with Irrfan Khan as well and he passed away. You were offered roles in Mardaani 2 and Jism 2 but you declined, so the actors of that movie owe their life to you," he added.

Adnan looked uncomfortable with the remarks and even told Liaquat Husain that it was not something to joke about. Adnan worked with Irrfan in 2007's A Mighty Heart, which also featured Angelina Jolie.

Liaquat Husain faced a lot of flak for remarks. On Saturday, he released a video, apologising for his insensitive comments.

"Sometimes you lose control over your words. That happens in a live show. At the time it didn't seem like a big issue but when I later thought about I realised that was not appropriate. So I'm really sorry. Keeping humanity in mind, this should not have been said. I made a mistake," he said in the video. Adnan also released a statement about his reaction to the incident on Twitter. Have a look at the video:

 

 

 

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My statement regarding yesterday’s program... hope we all can move on with this now... May Allah bless us in this holy month Aameen #aamirliaquat #humanity #respect

A post shared by Aamir Liaquat Hussain (@iamaamirliaquat) onMay 1, 2020 at 6:46pm PDT

In a statement, he said: "So I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling right now or what to say. But this needs to go out. I was invited on the live chat show Jeewey Pakistan yesterday when this unfortunate incident happened. The anchor Amir Liaquat Sahab joked about something extremely sensitive. Not only were they both close to me but also as a human it was wrong on so many levels. I cannot even call it hitting below the belt."

"It was an extremely callous act to joke about the deceased. This is in very bad taste, not only does it show him and me but also the entire country in bad light. I want to apologise to the families of Sridevi Sahiba and lrrfan Khan Sahab, their loved ones and fans. If you see my body language I was extremely uncomfortable with what he said but I didn't want to stoop to that level. I regret being on the show. I've learnt my lesson and I promise I will not tolerate such an act in future. I was hoping this bit wouldn't become public but unfortunately it has. I'm sorry. Thank you," he said, concluding the statement with folded hands emoji.

Sridevi died in 2018. Irrfan breathed his last on April 29 at the age of 54. He was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. However, he succumbed to his ailment.

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Filmmaker Karan Johar says he is bringing up his three-year-old twins Yash and Roohi by giving them emotional encouragement, and is making sure that they dont fall into stereotypes. "All of us are very proud parents, we all love our children. And it's very integral that we give them all the love, the attention and the care. We also really make their home feel beautiful, we make them love their home, we make them feel like home is where the heart is," Karan said.

"But we sometimes miss the point, we sometimes pretend that their home is just their residence, but that's not true. Our planet is also our home. There are few things that I have done with my kids at a very young age apart from the emotional encouragement that one has to always give them about making sure that they don't fall into stereotypes," he added.

The filmmaker continued: "The other thing that I do is I tell them about plastic, single use plastic and about how it's important not to consume single use plastic, because you know that it's a big deterrent to our planet and we must be very careful. So, saying no to plastic is the one thing that I've been actually inculcating within their sensibility."

Now, Karan has joined hands with Neha Dhupia, Soha Ali Khan, Esha Deol, Tusshar Kapoor, Pragya Kapoor, Kunal Khemu, Amrita Arora and Neelam Kothari to take a pledge to protect the planet through a campaign by Simone Khambatta's parenting and motherhood blog Mama Says.

Neha Dhupia said: "Apart from all the other conscious work that we are doing, I also pledge that we continue buying wooden toys for our daughter Mehr, try and keep her away from plastic toys as much as we can. And more importantly we are totally open to hand me downs. Mehr has got a lot of friends who are six months or a year older and we believe in hand me down toys, clothes, books, all of it. It's great on the pocket and more importantly it's very good for the environment," added the actress.

To this, Soha added: "I pledge to use a reusable water bottle with me every time I step out of the house instead of buying plastic bottles because I care about the future of our children and our grandchildren on our planet."

"The pandemic has made us realise many things with the most important one being that we need to care for Mother Earth! We don't have to do big things, we have to do small things but have to do it together," Khambatta said.

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Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday penned down a poem paying tribute to the legendary lyricist and poet Gulzar thanking him for making lives happier with his magical work even during the lockdown.

Irani took to Twitter to share that she had a conversation with the poet and also posted the poem.

The poem ended with Smriti thanking Gulzar for making everybody's lives 'Gulzar' or a beautiful garden.

Irani who is also a former actor incorporated Gulzar's famous works like the iconic songs 'chappa chappa charkha chale' and 'chhaiya chhaiya.'

"Jinki kalam se gilehri key jhoothe matar ka swaad aajaye muh mei, jinhone chappe chappe mei charkha chalvaaya shabdo ka," read the minister's post.

"Jinki ek lakeer pe bade se bada sitaara chhaiya chhaiya karta hua, rail ki raftaar ki tarah dil se dil ko chhoo jaaye, unko salaam," her post further read.

She ended the post by saying that it is due to the senior poet's art that lives of many is still full of happiness even during the testing times of coronavirus crisis. "Kyunki unki kalam se corona mei bhi, zindagi kahi na kahi gulzar hai," Irani's poem further read.

The Amethi MP further complemented the 'Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi' lyricist in her caption and shared the details of her conversation with him.

"There are many in our lives who impact us unknowingly... their lives, their works inspire millions & touch many a chords," she wrote.

"today I asked one such person "sab khairiyat Sir?". I've had the privilege of being inspired by his craft over the years. Say thank you to those who help us get over our corona blues ... jinki wajah se aapki zindagi Gulzar hai," her post further read.

 

 

 

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There are many in our lives who impact us unknowingly... their lives , their works inspire millions & touch many a chords.. today I asked one such person “ sab khairiyat Sir ?“. I’ve had the privilege of being inspired by his craft over the years. Say thank you to those who help us get over our corona blues ... jinki wajah se aapki zindagi Gulzar hai 🙏❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Smriti Irani (@smritiiraniofficial) onMay 6, 2020 at 1:17am PDT

One of the most senior songwriters of the Indian cinema, Gulzar has given several marvels to music and poetry lovers.

A national award-winning lyricist, Gulzar has penned down songs for many iconic films like 'Dil Se,' 'Saathiya,' 'Masoom', and others.

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A cooperative sugar mill in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra has taken the lead in producing fuel-grade ethanol directly from sugarcane juice in the state, a senior official said on Thursday. The Centre had in July last year allowed sugar mills to manufacture ethanol directly from sugarcane juice or an intermediate product called B-molasses.

The decision was taken to help mills divert cane juice for ethanol manufacturing during surplus years. Maharashtra sugar commissionerate's joint director Sanjay Bhosale told PTI that Kolhapur's Tatyasaheb Kore Warana Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd is the only cooperative sugar mill in the state which has started making ethanol from sugarcane juice.

Traditionally, in India ethanol is made from 'C-Heavy' molasses, but in July last year, the government gave permission to make ethanol from sugarcane juice and 'B-Heavy' molasses or B-grade molasses, he said.

"A miller can do a minimum modification in the equipment to make ethanol from B-Heavy molasses. But in case of ethanol from sugarcane juice, the mill would have to go for changes in the machinery. That is why no sugar mill was ready to go into that direction, but Warana has shown the courage," Bhosale said.

The fuel grade ethanol that is produced directly from cane juice is fetching Rs 59 per litre. This is going to be beneficial for the sugar industry that is facing crisis of excess stock of sugar, Warana co-operative group chairman and former minister Vinay Kore said.

The Kolhapur-based sugar mill is producing 70,000 litres of ethanol per day, another factory official said. The government allowed fuel-grade ethanol production from sugarcane juice with an aim to increase the earnings of sugar mills and help them in making full and timely payments to farmers.

Cane-based ethanol can be produced in three different ways directly from cane juice, from B-grade and C-grade molasses. Molasses is a viscous product obtained from raw sugar during the refining process.

Maharashtra is one of the leading sugarcane producing states. Sugar mills in the country were incurring losses as prices fell below the production cost on account of record output as against the annual domestic demand.

On May 1, Shirish Kunder's directorial Mrs Serial Killer was released on Netflix. The film is co-produced by Farah Khan. While Jacqueline Fernandez, Manoj Bajpayee and Mohit Raina play the lead roles, the film also marks the debut of Zayn Khan, who is the daughter of Mansoor Khan and niece of Aamir Khan.

On Thursday, Farah Khan took to her Instagram handle to share a picture with Zayn Khan. Sharing the picture she also revealed how life came a full circle for her with Zayn's debut in her film. "In 1992 her father, Mansur khan gave me a break as choreographer in #jojeetawohisikandar .. 28 yrs later his daughter @zaynmarie makes her debut n wins hearts in our film , #mrsserialkiller.. life has a way of coming full circle," she wrote.

 

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In 1992 her father, Mansur khan gave me a break as choreographer in #jojeetawohisikandar .. 28 yrs later his daughter @zaynmarie makes her debut n wins hearts in our film , #mrsserialkiller.. life has a way of coming full circle ♥️

A post shared by Farah Khan Kunder (@farahkhankunder) on May 7, 2020 at 4:00am PDT

Mrs Serial Killer is the story of a renowned gynaecologist who is accused of murdering five unmarried pregnant girls. All the evidence is against him due to which his bail is rejected. With no other option in hand, the gynaecologist’s wife decides to commit a copycat crime to prove his innocence. While Manoj Bajpayee plays the gynaecologist, Jacqueline Fernandez plays the dutiful better half. Mohit Raina essays the role of the cop. As for Zayn Marie Khan, she plays Anushka, who is selected by Jacqueline’s character Sona as her target.

ALSO READ: 16 Years Of Main Hoon Na: “Farah Khan is the only director who feels I could be a very COOL action hero” – Shah Rukh Khan

Nidhi Tiwari (in orange) with her crew

I have always felt that mobility is key to empowerment — especially where women are concerned," says Nidhi Tiwari, an extreme terrain driver. Let us explain her job profile by outlining a few of her achievements — she is the first Indian woman to drive from Delhi to London in 2015, and became the first Indian to drive to the Pole of Cold in North Eastern Siberia in 2016. She also founded Women Beyond Boundaries (WBB) in 2015, which focuses on undertaking extreme overland journeys. Recently, Tiwari led a crew of five female drivers to Upper Mustang in Northern Nepal, and they became the first crew of women drivers to reach Lo Manthang (the erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Mustang).

With an average height of around 13,000 feet, the area hosts two of the higher peaks in the Greater Himalayas that stand above 8,000 metres — the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. "No women drivers from anywhere in the world had ever driven up the treacherous road to Lo Manthang. But then, every journey is about pushing boundaries," says the 37-year-old, who has been now driving for 13 years. The women drove from Delhi and entered Nepal via Gorakhpur to reach Pokhara in two days, from where started the off-road section into the Mustang Valley. Mustang is infamous for its non-existent and challenging roads punctuated by numerous streams and nallah crossings. A particular section between Muktinath and Tsarang, though only 36 km, took them eight hours. And then they headed to Lo Manthang, which is located just 50 km short of the Chinese border.

Five women drove the cars to Mustang

Delhi-based Tiwari may have been be well equipped with what such a journey entails but as they drove, major challenges cropped up. Most of the crew were city drivers and they were all learning on the go. "It was a very steep terrain, with plenty of blind corners," she describes. For example, one had to be very careful where they placed the wheel — there were instances where the road had a gorge on one side, and a river bed on the other. "But the way they adapted to the terrain — that transformation was a very big high for me," says Tiwari of her team. This could do with the kind of training Tiwari is known to provide. Her WBB workshops aim to make women self-sufficient as far as driving goes. "It's all about self-maintenance. A woman has to be ready to fix tyres."

Tiwari also chose her crew with care, making sure she had a varied bunch on the trip. There was an academician, a physiotherapist, an IT professional, and an e-commerce expert. "Extreme terrain is seen as a man's forte. We have broken that misconception. It threw the spotlight on some critical gender questions that have hovered around driving, expeditioning and the extreme terrain overlanding space. Along with being the first women to get there, we are also the second set of Indian vehicles to get there. Isn't that something?"

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Experts warn that disaster looms in war-torn Syria, where hospitals are unable to meet existing needs and hygiene conditions are dire. The Damascus government has closed borders, forbidden movement between provinces and shut schools and restaurants in an effort to stem the spread.

Official numbers are low with two deaths and 19 confirmed cases, but only 100 patients are being tested daily. "Medical staff believe that there are many people who are dying with the symptoms of the virus. But the security agencies ask them or order them not to mention it," said Zaki Mehchy, senior consulting fellow at a London-based think tank.

"There is a disaster in the making," said Emile Hokayem, an analyst. "Lack of food, water and exposure to cold weather have already left thousands in poor health, making them even more vulnerable," said IRC's Misty Buswell, adding that the devastation in Idlib could be "unimaginable".

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Teachers always try to motivate students to learn! And what is a best way to learn other than involving your pets in your study? A legal scholar, Marie-Amelie George in her trial to make learning fun asked her students to send her the pictures of their pet doing the most unusual of all activities they do –doing homework.

The pictures that make up for an under-rated photography genre, prove that pets can be a cute study companion. George posted a picture of a dog doing what looks like it is reading a book that started a trail of pictures of their pets enlightening themselves with some reading.

I ask my students to send me photos of their dogs doing class work. It’s an under-appreciated photography genre. pic.twitter.com/oxXFicXmue

— Marie-Amélie George (@ProfMAGeorge) April 15, 2020

The picture posted on April 16, garnered more than 352,400 likes and was retweeted over 52,600 times. Here are some more pictures of pets doing their homework.

Cats only check your work w a disapproving gaze. pic.twitter.com/zmWXmF7QeK

— 0000 1000 0110 0111 0101 0011 0000 1001 (@CJHicks15) April 16, 2020

He has his own work area.... A bit small though. pic.twitter.com/AxT505vgob

— Ryan Sorensen (@ryanoss123) April 16, 2020

pic.twitter.com/GLsZZBYo9E

— Libby Adler (@libby_adler) April 15, 2020

Beanbag likes to study maps. pic.twitter.com/j5XFshS7HN

— Karla (@Heyitskarla) April 16, 2020

What do you think of this new genre in photography?

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Businesses that will be able to identify and implement changes and address new risks in the post-COVID-19 world would have advantages and can expect value appreciation

Australia's free trade agreements are being widely used by Australian businesses, according to a new report commissioned by the Government.

The UK Government has announced that it will delay ramping up its Making Tax Digital project, in light of COVID-19.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, all crowded cities and streets across the world are now empty. With fewer cars, buses, trucks, trains and other heavy machinery

Could women be the source of change? Advances in women’s representation in government show much promise.

During this downtime we all find ourselves in, now is your chance to implement the necessary updates to ensure your payment channels are as secure as possible, while also reducing chargebacks wherein the credit card companies usually don't side with...

You may additionally have the Pearl Jewelry expertly cleaned. Numerous jewelers who focus on Pearl Jewelry provide cleaning solutions regarding Tahitian pearls, pearls as well as freshwater pearls in any...

The tax burden in Switzerland is low in international comparison, largely reflecting the substantial non-tax compulsory contributions towards the health and pension systems which are managed by private institutions. Taxation of personal income and labour earnings is relatively high, whereas the taxation of consumption is low.

The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes published today 9 new peer review reports, including a Phase 1 Supplementary Report for Switzerland, demonstrating continuing progress toward implementation of the international standard for exchange of information on request.

With Africa’s population set to double by 2050, modernising local economies will be vital to make the continent more competitive and to increase people’s living standards, according to the African Economic Outlook 2015, released at the African Development Bank Group’s 50th Annual Meetings.

The international community continues making progress toward greater cooperation to ensure effective information exchange in tax matters. The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes issued today 12 new reports that highlight action being taken by jurisdictions to implement the international standard for exchange of information on request.

The international community continues making progress toward greater cooperation to ensure effective information exchange in tax matters. The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes issued today 12 new reports that highlight action being taken by jurisdictions to implement the international standard for exchange of information on request.

The Slovak Republic is a country with a limited natural resource base, an important manufacturing sector and rising materials consumption. Coherent polices that aim at increasing resource efficiency and achieving green growth are vital for sustainable growth and increased prosperity. This paper identifies a number of options for improving resource efficiency in the Slovak Republic.

The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes published today 9 new peer review reports, including a Phase 1 Supplementary Report for Switzerland, demonstrating continuing progress toward implementation of the international standard for exchange of information on request.

The Kapil Sharma Show member Archana Puran Singh has been sharing a lot of videos of her househelp ever since the lockdown was announced.

Entire Tollywood has come in support of Vijay Deverakonda and have said that an action plan is needed immediately to stop gossip websites.

New Zealand’s economy has stabilised, with solid growth supporting well-being through jobs and incomes. Ongoing implementation of the government’s new well-being approach to policymaking will offer further opportunities to create a more sustainable and inclusive economy for all New Zealanders, according to a new report from the OECD.

Hundreds of thousands of elected sub-national governments worldwide provide services and levy taxes on residents and companies.

The international community continues making progress toward greater cooperation to ensure effective information exchange in tax matters. The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes issued today 12 new reports that highlight action being taken by jurisdictions to implement the international standard for exchange of information on request.

The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes published today 9 new peer review reports, including a Phase 1 Supplementary Report for Switzerland, demonstrating continuing progress toward implementation of the international standard for exchange of information on request.

Significant progress has been made by an international programme designed to enhance developing countries’ ability to bolster domestic revenue collection through strengthening of tax audit capacities.

An innovative international co-operation initiative that deploys qualified experts in developing countries to strengthen their ability to effectively tax multinational enterprises has achieved significant milestones over the past year, according to a new annual report.

To mark the 15th anniversary of the signature of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, Mark Pieth and Huguette Labelle call on Parties to the OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention to step up enforcement of their anti-bribery laws.

Both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the OECD New Approaches to Economic Challenges explicitly recognise that trade and investment are not goals in themselves, but are a means to an end. That desired end is stronger and more inclusive growth, better jobs for more people, and improved societal well-being.

Shanghai, 9-10 July 2016: G20 Trade Ministers reinforced their "determination to promote inclusive, robust and sustainable trade and investment growth" with the adoption of the G20 Guiding Principles for Global Investment Policymaking.

Globalisation has failed to create a level playing field in trade, investment and corporate behaviour, being one of the factors contributing to a backlash against openness in many countries and a decline in confidence in government institutions.

An ecosystem assessment is a social process through which the findings of science concerning the causes of ecosystem change, their consequences for human well-bring, and the management and policy options are evaluated. The main objective of the paper is to draw insights from experience in the UK, Japan, Spain and Portugal of the added value to policy making of undertaking national level ecosystem assessments.

Globalisation has failed to create a level playing field in trade, investment and corporate behaviour, being one of the factors contributing to a backlash against openness in many countries and a decline in confidence in government institutions.

A major step forward towards putting the measurement of well-being at the heart of policy-making was taken at a four-day international conference which ended in New Delhi today.

Luxembourg is a rich and fast-growing country. However, inequality of disposable incomes has trended up modestly over the past decades and relative poverty has risen reflecting mainly the rapid growth of high incomes.

The paper discusses a number of policies that could help to make the Chilean labour market more inclusive and broaden the benefits of growth. These include expanding childcare, promoting a more flexible labour market and strengthening education and skills policies, among others.

Surveys suggest that Denmark ranks close to or slightly above the OECD average in terms of student and adult skills, even though Denmark spends more than many OECD countries on education, labour market policies and adult learning. Sluggish productivity growth over the past two decades raises the question of how to develop better skills and use them more efficiently to achieve stronger and more inclusive growth.

Poor labour market outcomes remain one of Poland’s major structural weaknesses, impeding firms’ competitiveness and the nation’s potential output. Boosting employment prospects is also critical, as the country will soon be ageing at a fast pace.

Dutch banks were put under heavy strains early in the global downturn and have comparatively weak financial buffers to cope with new shocks. Falling house prices have increased the share of households with negative home equity to nearly 35% for home-owning households and 40% for mortgage holders.

While past labour market reforms have been successful in terms of employment, the relative poverty risk and income inequality have remained broadly unchanged in recent years.

With Africa’s population set to double by 2050, modernising local economies will be vital to make the continent more competitive and to increase people’s living standards, according to the African Economic Outlook 2015, released at the African Development Bank Group’s 50th Annual Meetings.

In Indonesia, the pressure on the environment that natural resource exploitation is creating should be addressed by increasing the share of gas and renewables in the energy mix, properly defining property rights and regulations regarding forest land, and implementing a positive implicit carbon price. More resources should be devoted to combating widespread illegal mining and deforestation.

New Zealand generally performs well in terms of economic and social inclusion. It has high employment rates, and education and health-care systems work well for most.

Inequality measures in Lithuania (like in Estonia and Latvia) are high. To an important extent this is related to the high risk of poverty for non-working individuals and to the low rewards to work. Therefore, increasing the quality of jobs, ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to employment and providing adequate income support for those that have lost their job are key for making labour markets and the economy more inclusive.

In the past 30 years Costa Rica has grown steadily and social indicators have improved markedly. Well-being indicators are comparable or even above the OECD average in several dimensions, such as health, environment or life-satisfaction. This paper reviews the social progress that Costa Rica has achieved and identifies reducing inequality and poverty as the main challenges.

To continue catching up with living standards in other OECD countries Poland needs to invest in higher skills.