Cotton has become a bone of contention again, with various interests indulging in a wrestling match to wrest initiatives in their own interests. On the one side is a record crop with Bt cotton’s share going up significantly.

Textiles account for 60% of China’s total trade surplus, which soared 52.2% in the first 11 months of 2007.

The target for textile exports for the current year has been fixed at US$ 25.06 billion keeping in view the growth that had taken place in this sector after the termination of Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA).

At last, a different book was just published about the global textile and apparel trade. For the first time, “Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade” offers a human and sensible approach to an increasingly global business through a series of remarkably well-written portraits of professionals.

As per data generated by the DGCIS, India’s textiles and clothing exports during 2006 - 07 were of the value of US$ 18,729.93 million, as against exports valued at US$ 17,520.07 million during the year 2005 - 06, registering a growth of 6.91%. DGCIS’s latest provisional foreign trade’s statistics indicate that India’s exports in the first quarter of this financial year registered a decline of 14% in US$ terms compared to the corresponding period of the preceding financial year.

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and the Integrated Database India Limited (India Today Group) are jointly organising “TEX TRADE TODAY”, an exhibition of the entire value chain of textile and clothing industry, at Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO), Bangalore on 19th and 20th of January, 2008.

Dr V K Kothari, Professor in the Department of Textile Technology at IIT Delhi was awarded Honorary Fellowship of The Textile Institute at the Parliamentary Lunch in the Cholmondley Room and the Terrace of the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster, London, on Friday, 9th November 2007 by The Lord Haskel, past president of The Textile Institute in recognition of his outstanding and continued achievements in the field of Textile Technology.

Honduran apparel exports stopped falling in 2007, thanks to full implementation of the duty-free agreement with the United States. Relaxed rules of origin are offering some support to domestic producers, in addition to a decisive proximity with the US market.

ATIRA, SITRA, NITRA & BTRA are jointly organising the 49th Joint Technological Conference during 1st & 2nd February, 2008. This conference is being hosted by BTRA at Mumbai.

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has succeeded in its bid to host the most prestigious international annual event of the print media the world over -- the World Newspaper Congress & World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo from 21 - 25 March 2009.

Following its Fall 2007 Annual Meeting and Technical Conference, the Fibre Society has announced the recipients of its Founder’s Award and its Graduate Student Paper Competition. The conference took place October 9 - 11 at the University of California, Davis.

The second German textile technology symposium in Bangladesh has been opened in the capital Dhaka. Initiated by the VDMA Textile Machinery Association and supported by the German government the two day event will give experts from the Bangladeshi textile industry a detailed survey of latest textile technology ‘Made in Germany’.

Lubbock, USA is the mecca of cotton production and research. Honorable David Miller, the Mayor of the City of Lubbock in his letter of November 2nd, 2007 has congratulated Dr Seshadri Ramkumar for his “Top Twenty under 40 Award.”

Megatex Pakistan is poised with an extensive display of cutting edge technology for textile industry from all around the world at Karachi Expo Centre from 15 - 18 April 2008.

The 18th Vietnam Saigon Textile & Garment Industry Expo 2008 is to be held from 9 - 12 April 2008, HIECC, Hochiminh City, Vietnam.

Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics will move to a larger and more convenient location in 2008. The show, running 27 - 29 March 2008, will be held at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing, a larger venue to accommodate the expanding show.

Lee Cooper, famous for its long-standing association with music (specifically rock) has announced the launch of its Autumn Winter collection 2007. The highlight of the collection is the Red Diamond range aimed at the trend-setting Lee Cooper cult in India

US apparel imports from CAFTA-DR countries fell in the third quarter of last year, reflecting rising uncertainties ahead of US quota’s removal. Poor results in cotton knit shirt categories 337 and 338 may indicate some serious threat for Central American countries while US trouser imports from the Dominican Republic dramatically fell in the last two years. Man-made fibre apparel imports from the region more resisted.