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Japans 20-year government bond yield fell 2.0 basis points to 2.490%.South Koreas central bank decided the interest rate at 2.5% on July 10, in line with expectations of 2.50% and the previous value of 2.50%.On July 10, an important panel in the U.S. Senate debated proposed digital asset regulation, with Republicans calling for a moderate approach and Democrats warning of potential loopholes and conflicts of interest. "Our job is to set clear, loose guardrails to protect investors, stop fraud, and allow responsible innovation to flourish," said Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. He noted that legislation should clearly define which tokens are securities and ensure appropriate protection from illegal financing. Republican Senator Hagerty and others released market structure principles last month, calling for a clear definition of the legal status and regulatory agencies of digital assets. The plan is largely in line with the CLARITY Act proposed by the House Committee in June. Hagerty said he was not worried about losing bipartisan support for market structure legislation and predicted that Democrats who support stablecoin legislation would begin to act.Foreign investors bought Japanese government bonds worth -164.6 billion yen in the week ending July 4, with the previous value revised from 105.26 billion yen to 105.91 billion yen.Japan bought 512.7 billion yen of foreign stocks in the week ending July 4, compared with 190.6 billion yen in the previous period.

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.