SpaceX Aborts Starship Test Flight as Engine Issue Delays Launch 
Eli Lilly Eyes AtaiBeckley Acquisition to Expand Psychedelic Mental Health Pipeline 
Wall Street Ends Lower as AI Selloff, Iran Tensions Weigh on Tech Stocks 
NTSB Leads Investigation Into Ryanair Boeing 737 Engine Failure Over Greece 
Brent Oil Jumps 16% for Best Week Since April as US-Iran Conflict Fuels Supply Fears 
European Earnings Season Gains Strength as Barclays Sees Broader Profit Recovery 
Asian Stocks Slide as Nikkei Leads Losses on Tech Selloff and Rising U.S.-Iran Tensions 
xAI Sues Man for Allegedly Using Grok to Generate AI Child Abuse Deepfakes 
Samsung Electronics America to Cut 739 New Jersey Jobs as Texas Headquarters Move Advances 
Hyundai Takes Full Control of Boston Dynamics to Accelerate Humanoid Robot and AI Strategy 
UBS Boosts China Tech Bets, Adds Kuaishou and Meituan to Focus List 
IEA Warns China Rare Earth Export Curbs Could Threaten $6.5 Trillion in Global Production 
ECB Expected to Hold Rates as Middle East Tensions Keep September Hike in Focus 
Oil Prices Set for Weekly Surge as U.S.-Iran Conflict Fuels Supply Fears 
Moonshot Launches Kimi K3, China's Largest Open-Source AI Model 
Nationwide Data Center Protests Highlight Growing Backlash Against AI Expansion 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S. Strikes on Iran Raise Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
Ralph Lauren, one of the most well-known American fashion brands, is being investigated in Canada. Based on the reports, the company was accused of using forced labor in its supply chain.
According to CBC News, the corporate ethics regulator based in Toronto revealed it had launched an investigation into the fashion brand. Sheri Meyerhoffer, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, said it is not clear if Ralph Lauren Canada LP is exerting enough efforts to remove any elements in the company that may have links to the alleged mistreatment of the Uyghur minority in China.
Aside from the Canadian unit of Ralph Lauren, the ombudsman also asked the mining company, GobiMin Inc., to revise its policies and make it better to avoid any possible use of forced labor within its supply chains.
In her report, Meyerhoffer said that Ralph Lauren responded to her inquiries. Still, it insisted in November 2022 that it is an American company, so it is not covered by Canadian jurisdiction. She also revealed that in June, the firm submitted information about measures it has implemented to prevent any mistreatment of laborers.
The officials released a report on Tuesday about the issue as well, and part of the document reads: "Refusal to participate in the ombudsperson's initial assessment stage, followed by a last-minute shift indicating a willingness to participate and collaborate in the process, has made it difficult to complete the assessment."
The company's spokesperson also responded to address the reports from the ombudsperson last month. "The allegation of forced labor in Xinjiang is a huge lie made up by anti-China forces to denigrate China for the sheer purpose of destabilizing Xinjiang and containing China's development, under the pretext of the so-called 'human right issues,'" the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, The Daily Tribune reported that a coalition of 28 civil society organizations was the one that filed a complaint with the ethics regulators last year. They claimed that Ralph Lauren Canada has links with Chinese companies for the supply of its products.
Photo by: Julia anseele/Unsplash
