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According to the Financial Times: As Brexit affects Gibraltar, starting this week, British citizens flying from the UK to Gibraltar will have to go through the EUs controversial new electronic border system.According to the Financial Times, U.S. small-cap stocks surged as investors turned their attention away from large-cap tech stocks.July 14th - According to foreign media reports, ahead of escalating tensions and the US announcement of a renewed blockade of Iranian ports, Iran has begun secretly transporting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. Ship tracking data shows that six Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) sanctioned by the US transited the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman in the past week, with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders turned off. These six tankers can collectively carry 12 million barrels of crude oil. These vessels, along with other ships linked to Iran, completed their voyages after the US revoked its temporary permit for Iranian crude oil sales on July 7th. In addition to the aforementioned six Iranian VLCCs, numerous other ships sanctioned by the US and linked to Tehran have also departed the Strait of Hormuz since July 7th. These vessels are part of the 57 million barrels of crude oil that Iran successfully exported between two rounds of US naval blockades.On July 14th, futures market news reported that yesterday, as tensions escalated, including the US continuing its attacks on Iran and reimposing a blockade on Iranian oil exports, oil prices surged. Currently, WTI crude oil has rebounded to around $80 per barrel, and Brent crude has climbed back above $85 per barrel, showing significant gains. Zhuochuang Information predicts that continued attention will be paid to the consequences of the renewed US-Iran attacks. Against the backdrop of heightened tensions, crude oil prices are generally expected to remain strong, but the possibility of Trump resuming peace talks also needs to be monitored. If talks are initiated, oil prices will likely fall rapidly. Therefore, overall volatility is expected to be high.According to the Jordanian state news agency, Jordan intercepted and shot down four missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory.

Hershey, Nestle, and Cargill win the dismissal of a claim of child slavery in the United States

Charlie Brooks

Jun 29, 2022 11:06


Tuesday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. dismissed a case brought by eight Malians claiming child slavery on Ivory Coast cocoa plantations against Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY), Nestle SA (SIX:NESN), Cargill Inc, and others.


U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich determined that the proposed class action plaintiffs lacked legal standing to sue because they failed to prove a "traceable nexus" between the seven defendant companies and the individual farms where the plaintiffs worked.


She added that the plaintiffs did not adequately explain the role of intermediaries in the cocoa supply chain, and that the companies did not oversee actions in "free zones" where 70 to 80 percent of cocoa is farmed.


Mali and Ivory Coast share a border in West Africa.


The plaintiffs claimed they were trafficked as children after being approached by strangers who promised them employment for which they would be compensated, but did not pay them, threatened them with starvation if they did not work, and forced them to live in squalor.


Their attorney, Terry Collingsworth, said that the plaintiffs plan to file an appeal to "compel the businesses to keep their agreements and put an end to this dreadful system they have created."


Other defendants included Mars Inc, Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ), Barry Callebaut AG, and Olam International Ltd.


In court filings, the seven defendants said that they "strongly abhor the practice of forced labor" and that they were addressing non-forced child labor in cocoa supply chains.


However, they contended that the plaintiffs' too broad legal theory may hold too many parties liable for forced child labor, including consumers and merchants who would benefit from lower prices.


In accordance with the Reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the plaintiffs filed suit.


The Supreme Court of the United States rejected a similar case brought by six Malians against Cargill and Nestle under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789 in June of last year.


This was the most recent in a line of judgments denying access to federal courts based on human rights breaches occurring outside the United States.


Coubaly et al. v. Cargill Inc. et al., U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, case number 21-00386.