## Apple knew a supplier was using child labor but took 3 years to fully cut ties, despite the company's promises to hold itself to the 'highest standards,' report says

Authored by businessinsider.com

Apple discovered that Suyin Electronics, one of its Chinese-based suppliers, relied on child labor on multiple occasions, but still took three years to fully cut ties, The Information reported on Thursday.

Apple has faced intense criticism recently amid reports that it relies on forced Uyghur labor and protests over poor working conditions and wage theft by workers that make its products.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple is back under the spotlight over labor conditions in its supply chain following an explosive report from The Information on Thursday that revealed new details about the company's reluctance to cut ties with suppliers who violate its ethics policies.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

While US lawmakers have proposed legislation aimed on curbing American companies' ability to use forced Uyghur labor, Apple sought to weaken the bill, The New York Times reported last month.

(Apple took issue with that claim, telling The Times that it "did not lobby against" the bill but rather had "constructive discussions" with congressional staffers). »

### Crowds throng Wuhan, where coronavirus pandemic began, to celebrate New Year

Authored by straitstimes.com

Most of the crowd wore masks for the celebrations on Thursday evening, which included a light show.

Wuhan was put under a strict lockdown for more than two months from late January, but has returned to normal life since the summer.

The city of 11 million people was forced into a tough lockdown from January until April and about 4,000 people died, according to Chinese figures. »

### Puerto Rico commits $8 million to rebuild Arecibo telescope

Authored by finance.yahoo.com

The third quarter earnings, however, came in at 19 cents per share, down from 54 cents in the year-ago quarter.

The company is a provider for original commercial mortgage loans starting at $50 million, mainly in US primary markets.

Shares are priced at $10.67 and the average target of $11.00 suggests a modest 3% upside from current levels. »

### McConnell again blocks quick vote on $2,000 stimulus checks, slams 'socialism for rich people'

Authored by foxnews.com

The comments were his most direct to date on his opposition to President Trump's request that stimulus checks be boosted from $600 in the recently passed stimulus.

McConnell also Wednesday emphasized that just this week the president signed a $900 billion stimulus package that included "targeted" stimulus efforts.

Soon after Schumer spoke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also moved to quickly vote on the House bill for stimulus checks. »

### China is guarding ancient bat caves against journalists and scientists seeking to discover the origins of the coronavirus

Authored by yahoo.com

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has re-awoken to a profound truth: Rich, secure capitalists are the natural enemies of authoritarian regimes.

In the absence of civil rights or an independent judiciary, “private” companies have no real independence from the government in China.

Leonard Hochberg is the Coordinator of the Mackinder Forum-U.S. and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. »

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