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Cambodia’s labour ministry has outlined new guidelines to prevent factory workers in the country’s apparel and footwear industries from fainting at work.

The first ever organic cotton certificates in Ethiopia have been achieved by 200 of the country’s cotton farmers in three districts where yield rates have risen by 100%.

US apparel giant VF Corporation has begun a new long-term partnership with North Carolina State University to help drive industry-leading research, provide education opportunities for VF executives, and develop a pipeline of future talent for the company.

French luxury goods group Kering is to spin off German sports brand Puma to its shareholders as part of plans to transform itself into a pure luxury player.

Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing has reiterated its full-year guidance as first-quarter revenue and profit gains exceeded its expectations and Uniqlo International revenue overtook that of the brand’s Japanese operations for the first time.

The Top Dog Barkery holds its free, monthly Bow-Wow brunch, with fresh woofles and plenty of puppy play for pooches, 10 a.m. – noon, Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Barkery store, 21010 Pacific Coast Highway, Ste. A-160. Information: 714-960-3647, http://topdogbarkery.net

After serving 300,000 visitors Hello Kitty-themed coffee and treats, a temporary Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up Container at the Irvine Spectrum Center is closing Sunday.

The steel container cafe, which opened in July 2016, announced plans to serve its last cup of Joe to customers on Saturday. It will remain open until 10 p.m.  According to its operators, the pop-up cafe was never meant to be permanent.

“We knew going in it would be completely temporary,” said co-operator Urania Chien.

Chien, and her husband, Charlie, along with partner Allan Tea, also operate two Hello Kitty Cafe food trucks and two mini-cafes in Southern California.

Chien declined to comment about the cafe’s permanent relocation at the Spectrum. On Thursday, the Irvine Co. said a permanent Hello Kitty Cafe with a bar would open later this year as part of a $200 million expansion of the center.

Sanrio has a policy of keeping product news hush-hush. Chien would not comment about the Irvine Co.’s announcement, including shocking details that the cafe would be serving Sanrio fans cocktails.

“At this time we can’t say anything, but there’s definitely things on the horizon for the Hello Kitty Cafe,” she said.

Fans need not fret over the Orange County loss.

The Chiens and Tea, whose offices are based in Irvine, also operate mini Hello Kitty Cafes in the Santa Anita Mall and Victoria Gardens in Ontario. The cafes offer nearly all the same beverages and baked goods sold at the Irvine pop-up, Chien said.

The coffee is by Kean Coffee, a boutique brand with cafes in Tustin and Newport Beach. When they opened, the company sourced its coffee from Portola Coffee Roasters. But they had to switch because the local brand couldn’t keep up with demand, Chien said.

The mini cafes do not sell merchandise, which could often be found on the Irvine cafe.

The Hello Kitty Cafe food trucks, however, offer a different menu and can be found parked at various locations on both coasts most of the year. The East Coast truck, however, is not operating due to the inclement weather back East, Chien said.

This Saturday, Jan. 20, the West Coast truck will be in Culver City and in Oxnard. Chien said fans can find the truck’s schedule by following its Instagram page: @hellokittycafetruck

The Chiens and Tea began operating Hello Kitty cafes in various forms (trucks, pop-ups and mini-cafes) in 2014. Tea, whose family runs a string of Capital Seafood restaurants in Orange County, recently opened a dumpling restaurant, Paper Lantern, at Diamond Jamboree.

The Chiens used to work in the software manufacturing business until launching the Hello Kitty Cafe operations.

They have since sold the company, and are all-in with Hello Kitty. Chien is a self-admitted super fan, who has been passionate for all things Hello Kitty for years.

“I’m one of the people who have waited in line to buy collectible merchandise,” she said.

John Mangum, president and artistic director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, has accepted an offer to lead the Houston Symphony. A press release announced that he will begin his new job as the Texas orchestra’s executive director on April 16.

A search committee is being formed by two members of the Philharmonic Society’s board to find a replacement before the beginning of next season. Mangum replaces Mark Hanson, who left Houston to join the San Francisco Symphony as executive director in September.

“I was very attracted to the artistic possibilities here,” Mangum said from Houston this morning. “I really enjoyed my time in Orange County and wasn’t looking to leave. But I think there’s a creative outlet that leading an orchestra offers that’s special and unique. My career prior to Orange County involved working with some major orchestras, and I enjoyed that.”

Mangum will transition from a presenting group with an annual budget of a little over $5 million to the nation’s 10th largest orchestra, with a budget of $34 million in 2017. Mangum said that the difference in size between the two organizations doesn’t worry him. “I certainly feel like I have the skill set and the background to navigate that kind of environment.  I feel a lot of excitement about the possibilities. From the conversations I’ve had here I’ve learned that this is a very forward-thinking community.”

The Houston Symphony has recently faced the same budget challenges common to many American orchestras. In May, the symphony announced layoffs and restructuring of several positions in its administrative department, including early retirement plans for senior leadership.

Mangum said the cutbacks weren’t symptomatic of larger problems. “It’s part of the normal business cycle of being a not-for-profit institution.”

Mangum, who joined the Philharmonic Society in July 2014, oversaw some significant events and developments: a gala evening with Yo-Yo Ma,  the return of the Berlin Philharmonic after a 15-year absence, raising significant funds for the group’s operations and endowment fund.

He hopes to make similar strides in Houston, and he thinks he has the support to achieve them.  “As in Orange County, there seems to be an incredibly generous community here. A lot of donations come from long family traditions over multiple generations. This orchestra was founded in 1913, so it’s a longstanding arts tradition here. After Hurricane Harvey, the musicians did an incredible amount of volunteer work and free concerts. Everything about its relationship to the community feels right.”

The huge wildfire that led to this week’s devastating debris flows in Montecito is finally 100 percent contained.

The U.S. Forest Service made the announcement Friday after aerial surveys of the 440-square-mile scar left by the Thomas fire.

The fire erupted Dec. 4 in Ventura County, destroying hundreds of homes before it spread into Santa Barbara County and threatened more communities, including Montecito.

It continued to smolder before a drenching Pacific storm hit bare hills and mountains this week, unleashing debris-laden flash floods that swept away homes and killed at least 17 people.

The Thomas fire was the largest wildfire in recorded California history.

An Orange County Superior Court judge has dismissed child-molestation charges against a 98-year-old Laguna Woods man after finding that he sufferers from severe dementia and may have acted unintentionally.

Kenneth Leroy Collins was 96 when arrested in March 2016 and charged with molesting two girls, then ages 10 and 11.

Described by family members as a frail World War II veteran, he spent about a week in the Theo Lacy jail and then about a month in a medical ward before an anonymous person posted his $1 million bail, his family said.

Although officials don’t keep such records, he was clearly one of the oldest inmates ever held in an Orange County jail. The Sheriff’s Department declined to reveal specifics on his housing at the time, but did say it was appropriate and well monitored.

Prosecutors had accused him of touching the girls over their clothing, masturbating and taking off his adult diapers to expose himself when they would visit his Leisure World home.

But in his Thursday ruling, Judge Gregory Jones dismissed all charges after reviewing a psychological evaluation and medical records. The judge noted that Collins, who uses a wheelchair, suffers from “severe dementia and kidney disease.”

“Given his age at the time of the commission of actual acts, the court has serious questions as to whether or not he had the requisite specific intent,” the judge said in court records.

Collins’ wife and his sister-in-law have maintained that Collins is not of proper mind and didn’t have the strength or opportunity to molest anyone.

“We’re so relieved this nightmare is over,” said his wife, Yvonne Collins, 71. “I thank the dear Lord that now when Ken dies, he’ll leave this earth as a WWII hero where he can be saluted, not as a convicted child molester.”

Orange County Deputy District Attorney Heidi Garrel, who prosecuted the case, said on Friday that the office believes it had a “viable case” but does not plan to refile charges.

“I respect the court’s the decision, but we firmly support our victims,” she said. “The defendant admitted the crime, and we were prepared to proceed.”

Yvonne Collins said she belies her husband was confused and may have given a false confession to deputies before his arrest.

Yvonne Collins, who married her husband eight years ago, said he would sometimes walk out of the bathroom as his adult diapers were falling and was not aware that he was exposing himself.

She said Collins didn’t understand why he was in jail. She said she was appalled to find out he was handcuff to his wheelchair while in custody.

“Ken doesn’t know what he did from day one, because he didn’t do anything,” she said. “What (law enforcement) did to him was terrible.”

Authorities said there are no statistics available on inmates over 65 in Orange County, but Collins at the time was one of 305 prisoners older than 56.

After a 40-year career as an engineer at Lockheed Martin, Collins moved to Laguna Woods from Pasadena in 1989. He was a widower with two grown children when he married Yvonne Collins.

A Laguna Woods Historical Society document describes Collins as a U.S. Navy veteran during World War II. He served as an aviation storekeeper aboard the USS Essex, an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1945 and was involved in 67 combat missions.

“It’s been a very tough two years,” said Collins’ sister-in-law, Frances Corado. “We’re just glad it’s over.”