Wednesday saw the release of a narrower loss than in the first quarter of 2010, but the slight improvement was still short of analyst’s estimates.

The results mean that Kodak, one of the world leaders in printers and cameras, continues to struggle with its years-long battle to restructure since the advent of digital imaging.

Kodak’s share performance on the S&P 500 ranked as the largest decliner by percentage, falling by 15 per cent to just $4.18. The stock has been in continual sale from investors since it peaked at a 12-month high back in April of $9.08.

Erik Kolb, equity analyst with Standard & Poor’s, said that the stock market remained concerned that continued declines in the sales of film would continue to impact on Kodak’s cash flow, with the consumer products market likely to bear the brunt of the decline. Kolb noted that there had been a slight increase in recent times in the sales of inkjet printers, but otherwise the market was forecast to remain stagnant and unprofitable for the foreseeable future.

In keeping with recent trends, Kodak has made a larger push into the inkjet printer market, targeting both individual and business customers. According to Kodak, personal inkjet printer sales have grown by 50 per cent in the past year, while business sales have risen by 18 per cent.

However, this was overwhelmed by the operating loss for the second quarter of $167 million, down from $191 million, or roughly 71 cents per share, compared to the same time last year.

After months of protests, many of them ending in violence, the Bangladesh wage board has announced that the minimum wage for garment workers will be almost doubled.

Under the terms of the new arrangement, the average monthly wage will rise from 1,662 taka (£16) to be set at 3,000 taka (£16). A formal announcement of the wage increase will be made by the labour ministry tomorrow. Despite the increase, the wage limit falls short of the 5,000 taka called for by workers.

Leading UK retailers such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Zara, Carrefour and H&M all source their clothes from Bangladeshi factories, where the garment industry is the financial backbone of the country’s economy. The industry accounts for some 80 per cent of the nation’s exports and generates around USD$12 billion per year.

Earlier this year, many western fashion labels pressured the Bangladeshi government into reviewing the minimum wage structure after allegations that the country’s factories were using exploitative labour. As a result, the wage board convened an emergency committee made up of union leaders, garment manufacturers and government officials to address the crisis.

The conflict saw angry workers clash with local police in recent weeks and it is not yet clear if union leaders will agree to the new government offer, which, despite the increase, still leaves the garment industry in Bangladesh as one of the world’s lowest paying.

Spearheading the new clothing line to hit the high streets is the famous British walker Alfred Wainwright.

Wainwright is more commonly known for his walking guides to the Lake District, along with a reputation for foul moods to suit the foul weather. He is renowned as a notoriously bad dresser, which in some part could explain the new wave of counter-chic. Over the past two years, his fame has increased markedly thanks to a host of radio and television programmes about his life.

The public exposure has cascaded down from the cliffs to the high street in that time, with demand for walking boots, rucksacks and all-weather, hiking-style clothing soaring, leading Debenhams Director for Menswear Buying, Paul Baldwin, to call the new trend ‘Wainwright Chic’. Baldwin claims that both women and men across Britain have taken to the rugged outdoors look, and that the hill climbing image usually reserved for the most extreme of weekends has now found a place in everyday wear. In the past, specialist clothes such as Wainwright’s defining look were the preserve of nature enthusiasts and train-spotters only, but Baldwin says they are now just as likely to appear on the streets of Chelsea and Kensignton as Scafell or Grisedale Pike.

The Wainwright look usually involves a woollen jumper, belted coat and aged flapped-ear cap. These are most often complemented by trousers that use braces rather than a belt for support and which are tucked in to thick woollen socks. The choice of footwear is traditionally unstylish but highly functional.

Marks and Spencer has launched a new range of over-sized school uniforms for children that are aged as young as four. The decision comes after studies reveal that one out of every five British schoolchildren is clinically overweight when they begin their schooling.

In the new M&S Plus school wear range, items include clothing designed for pre-school children who have waistlines of anywhere up to 23 inches – which is the size more usually found on the average eight year old. Marks and Spencer has said that the trial range of clothing followed demand for bigger sizes from parents, while industry experts said that the decision simply reflected the growing rate of obesity among younger children.

According to the National Obesity Forum’s Tam Fry, the move was commercial recognition of what the public and parents had been aware of for years, namely, that obesity levels in pre-schoolers is on the rise. Fry added that of all new entrants to primary schools across Britain, 27 per cent were obese or overweight.

The Plus school wear collection hit the shelves last week, and targets the 3 – 16 age bracket, with waistlines in both boys pants and girls skirts ranging up to 41 inches. A spokesperson for M&S said that they wanted to ensure that their school wear range was accessible to all shapes and sizes of pupil.

The group has further declared that it will undertake closer working relationships with the UK government to ensure that it is at the forefront of tackling alcohol misuse and abuse across Britain.

The announcement follows the recent high-profile media case of a Tesco store that sold wine for less than cost price in Scotland, leading health campaigners to claim that supermarket chains could not be trusted to be self-policing when it came to the sale of alcohol.

Asda introduced its new alcohol policy on Tuesday, whereby a floor price of duty plus VAT is set on more than 99 per cent of the alcohol sold by the group. This will result in a minimum price of £8.95 for a 20-pack of 440ml 5 per cent strength cans of beer, which would be made up of a duty of £7.62 plus the VAT of 17.5 per cent on top. Similarly, a 750ml bottle of wine would go for a minimum of £1.99 and a one-litre bottle of spirit such as vodka at £10.49.

Asda has also proposed that the government enforce the same policy throughout the entire retail industry in a letter to home secretary Theresa May from chief executive Andy Clarke. Mr Clarke claims that Asda supports a Responsibility Agreement on Alcohol development agreement to ensure that the previously successful partnership between government and industry would not be wasted, and that in conjunction with the OFT, all those involved would be responsible for establishing a safe retail environment which would openly discuss and tackle the issues of alcohol misuse across the UK.

Prada will no doubt be delighted, with their dress appearing on the front page of Vogue, Elle and W all at the same time, but industry analysts are wondering how such a faux pas could have happened in a business which employs teams of people to make sure that this precise incident is avoided. In what is the industry equivalent of three supermodels turning up to a party in the same outfit, the coincidence is somewhat of an embarrassment to all concerned. Fashion houses such as Prada go to great lengths to ensure that rival photo shoots are not given the same outfit, something which has left the respective magazine editors scrambling to deflect criticism.

While Elle magazine said the situation was not surprising given that the dress was so fabulous, Vogue attempted to point out that the dresses were not the same, saying that they had not even noticed the other covers.

Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen appears on the cover of British Vogue in tangerine version of Prada’s diffusion line Miu Miu, while Lily Allen is featured in a lilac lace version for UK Elle, and Eva Mendes adorns the cover of US glossy W in a yellow number. As if that wasn’t enough, model Mona Johannesson appears in the lilac dress on the cover of Swedish Elle.

Choice Hotels Europe’s UK division has released a new survey which shows that 36 per cent of UK hotel owners claim the slow the pace of economic recovery could continue for some years.

Choice Hotels, which operates the Comfort, Quality and Clarion brands, questioned managers and owners on priorities for the immediate future and also what they deemed the biggest factor to losing business.

The biggest barrier in preventing the highly valued customer loyalty was found to be the attitude of staff, with 50 per cent of those surveyed sating they felt this was the largest contributor to any negative impact. 18 per cent of hotels have subsequently implemented a range of staff training and customer service initiatives designed at making the customer experience as best as possible. In particular, front of house and Reception staff, along with room cleaners, will need to improve performance to prevent a poor image of a property being reflected on the key arrival time.

31 per cent of respondents said the past six months were the most difficult ever faced, with the trading environment unlike anything seen in the past. The Choice ‘Hotelier Pulse-Check’ survey however did manage to find that around a third of those polled held hopes that the 12 months ahead would show signs of a turnaround in fortunes. The main priority for all hotels in this period is to step up marketing and advertising campaigns to attempt to attract new customers to their properties, with 18 per cent of hotels also investing in new or upgraded facilities.

Andrews has announced she will be suing a number of hotels who allowed a known stalker to find out where she was staying, who then proceeded to film her nude in her hotel room and post the footage online.

The glamorous Andrews, 32, is suing both the Radisson Hotels International and Marriott International Hotels for negligence, as well as invasion of privacy and causing emotional distress and invasion of privacy. Her actions follow the sentencing of former Illinois insurance salesman Michael David Barrett four months ago to two-and-a-half years in prison after he was found guilty on a range of stalking charges.

The prosecution in the case alleged Barrett had made contact with 14 separate hotels to ascertain reservation information on Miss Andrews. Barrett pleaded guilty to renting hotel rooms next door to Andrews in no less than three cities, while firstly in Columbus, Ohio, in 2008 and then Nashville, Tennessee, in 2009 he was found to have created peepholes and used his mobile phone to video Andrews. He then attempted to sell the videos to online celebrity site TMZ who declined to purchase the footage. He then uploaded the video himself online where it went viral in a matter of days.

Andrews is seeking $1.2 million (£784,000) from the respective hotels and from Barrett himself, in the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, for severe and permanent emotional distress.

The leading specialised retailer in gifts for grown-ups, Ann Summers, is currently offering a massive 75 per cent of selected items in its huge summer sale.

The retail group is renowned for its high quality adult products, with everything from toys to oils, sexy to kinky on sale now. Highly respected in an industry which traditionally sees shady operators and poor quality products, Ann Summers claim they personally test and retest all of their items in what must be a fun job. With discounts on all of the classiest bedroom finery, including teddies, camisoles, suspenders, thongs nightwear, hosiery, briefs and even bondage clothing there is sure to be any number of sale items that will ensure you look and feel your sexiest.

Right now you can find some sultry lingerie deals including 50 per cent off selected bra sets, chic lace corsets reduced down £25 from £55, camisole and brief sets at just £8 and the online featured product – the gorgeous Cami-Suspender set from Florence which is on a steal at just £5, down from the normal £30. Still not satisfied? Spend more than £40 and you can add an intimate ‘bullet’ toy for just £5, or choose from the latest remote-controlled ‘rampant rabbits’. There’s also plenty of titillating items for the guys too, from brief sets to gels and lotions, adult DVD’s to videos. Everything is delivered via registered post in discrete packaging and comes with a money-back guarantee, so start shopping and discover the world or sensual wonders at AnnSummers.com

That is the verdict of one leading UK nutritionist should argues that GPs would be better of referring obese patients to group-focused weight-loss schemes instead of the national health provider.

The Medical Research Council’s Dr Susan Jebb found in a new study that sufferers who joined the popular WeightWatchers programme lost on average twice as much weight compared to those with individual GP care. Although the study was partially funded by WeightWatchers, Dr Jebb stressed that all similar group programs were likely to be just as effective. The National Obesity Forum has also said that NHS patients could benefit from group help, while the NHS is trialling pilot schemes with WeightWatchers, the recognised leading weight loss company.

Jebb and her colleagues spent over a year studying test patients referred to WeightWatchers meetings by GPs in Northampton, while also running similar projects in both Germany and Australia. The GPs referred half of their patients to the group program, leaving the remainder as a comparative group where they were generally provided with information and appointments with healthcare professionals. At the end of the 12 months, the WeightWatchers patients came out best, losing on average close to 7kg (15lbs), whereas the GP-led group lost on average3kg (6lbs).

While 3kg may not seem like a significant amount, ask anyone who has ever tried to lose weight and they will tell you that the slightest change can make all the difference, especially to diabetics or those with weight-associated illnesses. Ultimately, it appears the weekly meetings and group accountability is the better motivator.