The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to reinstate the U.S. Export-Import bank. The bank, whose Congressional authorization expired on July 1, provides a range of services intended to assist in the foreign purchase of U.S. goods. The bank’s authorization must still be approved by the U.S. Senate before it can resume operation. (The Hill)

Numerous locales in Vietnam are preparing for what is expected to be an onslaught of foreign investment spurred by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Officials in Ho Chi Minh City say they plan to open 6 new industrial zones totaling over 2,000 acres over the next few months. Likewise, the province of Long An is gearing

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has launched a new program aimed at improving the relationship between workers and their supervisors in Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector. The effort, funded by the Swedish government and enacted during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, will work to enhance relations through improved dialogues between employers and

A coalition of trade unions in Cambodia has agreed to propose a US$168 monthly minimum wage in the upcoming negotiations between them, the government, and industry leaders following weeks of disagreement. While some unions had proposed to increase the minimum wage from its current level of US$128 to US$207, others sided with the government which

India has emerged as the world’s top destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) this year, according to the Financial Times, beating out both China and the United States. According to fDi Markets, the paper’s data service, India secured US$31 billion in FDI during the first half of 2015, marking a 47% increase over 2014. Rounding

e Tanzania-based East African Community, an inter-governmental organization comprising of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, is pushing for its own long-term preferential trade agreement with the United States in an effort to mitigate the risk of being removed from the unilateral Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). EAC representatives say that AGOA’s dependence on

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs has released the latest edition of its “Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor” report. With this release also comes the launch of a new mobile app developed by the Labor Department called “Sweat & Toil” which will allow significantly easier mining of report

Vietnam has implemented new rules on permitted limits of formaldehyde and azo dyes in textile products made in, imported to, or traded in the country. While the limits themselves have remained unchanged, the new rules have implemented new requirements on sampling methods. They do not, however, apply to untreated yarn or fabric, fabrics imported for

A total of 13 people have been charged in connection with the deadly 2012 Tazreen Fashions fire that claimed over 100 lives. These include the owner, Delwar Hossain, and his wife along with 11 other factory managers and security guards. The trial will begin on October 1 and if convicted, all could spend the rest

Over 150 workers at a factory in the Kandal province have threatened to burn the facility down after the Chinese owner disappeared without paying the workers nearly a month ago. One of the workers said that the owner has been missing since August 6 and owes nearly US$30,000 in unpaid wages. Local authorities have also