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☆ Iran central bank governor blames protests for currency's fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"To make adjustments in the (foreign exchange) market, we in the Central Bank will act both as a market-maker and as a hard currency policymaker," Salehabadi told state TV. "Whichever hard currency is more in demand, we will offer that in the market." The dollar sold for as much as 395,600 rials on the unofficial market, up from 386,800 on Friday, according to foreign exchange site Bonbast.com. The rial has lost nearly 20% of its value since the nationwide protests erupted three months ago. According to the activist HRANA news agency, 495 protesters had been killed as of Friday, including 68 minors.

☆ Peru ministers resign after protest deaths as new government wobbles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/8] Demonstrators injured during clashes with security forces are treated by medical personnel amid violent protests following the ousting and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo, in Ayacucho, Peru December 15, 2022. Education Minister Patricia Correa and Culture Minister Jair Perez announced their resignations on Twitter, citing the deaths of individuals during the unrest. Peru has been through years of political turmoil, with multiple leaders accused of corruption, frequent impeachment attempts, and presidential terms cut short. The United Nations on Friday expressed "deep concern" over reports of deaths and detentions of minors involved in the demonstrations. Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Valentine Hilaire and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Child workers found throughout Hyundai-Kia supply chain in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

Hyundai and Kia now have dozens of suppliers in Alabama, according to the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, a business group. The agency, they said, hired underage workers while they worked there. “It was my first job in the United States and this is not what you would expect to see here.”Six other former workers told Reuters they, too, saw underage workers at Ajin’s two factories in Cusseta. Herrera said he raised concerns about the underage workers with managers at SMART, but was brushed off. The officials, wearing shirts that bore Hyundai logos, inspected the assembly line even as underage workers labored there, Herrera said.

You can buy a CD as a gift for a minor, but you can't give a CD to another adult. How to buy a CD as a gift to a minorWhile you cannot buy a CD as a gift for an adult, you may get a CD as a gift for a minor. Here is a step-by-step guide you can take to buy a CD as a gift for a child:1. Our best CD rates guide has an overview of competitive CD rates for a variety of terms. If you are managing a custodial account, Carlos recommends setting a reminder for the date the CD term will end.

The UK government has promised to overhaul the youth gender care system, after it was deemed inadequate by England’s regulator of health and social care. They described a deeply flawed system that is now hobbled by a toxic political climate around gender care. The letter said a decision would be made at some point from early 2022 on whether the child “is likely to meet the access criteria” for gender care. The family has received no NHS gender care or mental health support since the referral, she said. These recommended supporting “identity exploration” and mental health treatment as the first steps to ensure that any psychological issues are addressed.

☆ Club Q survivors blame 'hateful rhetoric' for Colorado Springs shooting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Two survivors of the Nov. 19 attack on a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, told members of Congress on Wednesday that they believe the shooting was the result of escalating anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. The committee heard from Michael Anderson and James Slaugh, two survivors of the shooting at Club Q, which left five people dead and 17 others injured after a gunman entered the club and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle. Hate speech turns into hate action, and actions based on hate almost took my life from me at 25 years old. “The hateful rhetoric we’ve heard from elected leaders is the direct cause of the horrific shooting at Club Q,” he said. They are basic human rights.”The suspect accused of the Club Q shooting has since been charged with 305 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and bias-motivated crimes.

☆ Tech industry group sues to block California law designed to protect kids online over free speech concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Modeled off standards in the U.K., the California law aims to establish rules that make the internet safer for kids. Lawmakers are, in many instances, attempting to weaken the broad liability protections that online platforms enjoy for their content moderation efforts and their users' posts. "The State is empowered to impose crushing financial penalties" if the companies guess incorrectly, the group said. "The State can also impose such penalties if companies fail to enforce their content moderation standards to the Attorney General's satisfaction." The Supreme Court could still choose to take up the cases against both the state laws.

CNN —One week into her presidency, Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte is battling to contain widespread protests that erupted after the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. Boluarte announced Tuesday the government will set up a crisis management committee as protests calling for political change continue across the country. Boluarte, his former vice president, has since become president, and on Monday proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024 during a televised speech. At least seven people have died in the protests ongoing in Peru, according to a tweet from the health ministry on Wednesday. Boluarte also doesn’t belong to a political party after she was expelled from Peru Libre due to internal disagreements.

Meanwhile, Twitter’s resources to fight child sexual exploitation content online (and what is sometimes called child pornography or child sexual abuse materials) are thin, following layoffs, mass-firings and resignations from the company. Child sexual exploitation content has remained a problem for Twitter, though most major social media platforms continue to deal with it in some form or another. Moderation of this content usually relies on a combination of automated detection systems and specialized internal teams and external contractors to identify child abuse content and remove it. “So, I mean, that is disheartening.”It’s unclear how many Twitter employees remain to work on child safety issues. A search on LinkedIn for current Twitter employees who say they work on child safety turned up only a few accounts.

☆ Michael Jordan: The NBA has renamed its MVP trophy after the Bulls great
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images Jordan poses for a Little League Baseball photo in the late 1970s. Ken Levine/Getty Images Jordan famously shrugs his shoulders after hitting another 3-pointer during the 1992 NBA Finals versus Portland. "There is a reason you call someone the Michael Jordan of ... neurosurgery, or the Michael Jordan of rabbis, or the Michael Jordan of outrigger canoeing. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Jordan continues to promote Nike's Jordan Brand across the world. Jordan Brand/Getty Images Jordan cries at the Kobe Bryant memorial in Los Angeles in February 2020.

Less than a month after taking control of Twitter , Elon Musk said addressing child sexual exploitation content on the social media platform was "Priority #1." "It is a crime that they refused to take action on child exploitation for years!" Meanwhile, Twitter's resources to fight child sexual exploitation content online (and what is sometimes called child pornography or child sexual abuse materials) are thin, following layoffs, mass-firings and resignations from the company. Twitter's imperfect efforts fighting child sexual exploitation content were well documented. Stroppa said he felt Twitter's previous efforts were lacking and that it now moves quickly to find and suspend accounts that post child sexual exploitation content.

☆ Blizzard seeks new partners to continue offering World of Warcraft in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Blizzard Entertainment is in talks with potential partners about continuing to offer its popular World of Warcraft title in China, as its deal with Chinese gaming giant NetEase is set to wind down. Blizzard said last month that it would discontinue services for World of Warcraft and other games in China from January 2023, after failing to renew its contract with NetEase. The deal, first signed in August 2008, allowed Blizzard to offer World of Warcraft in the country, where it has since become wildly popular. World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online game that sees players role play as their own characters, embark on various quests and battle monsters. High did not say whether Blizzard plans to seek alternative distribution partners for its other games in China, which include Hearthstone, Starcraft and Diablo III.

CNN —Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo has denied allegations of conspiracy and rebellion, following his dramatic ouster and arrest last week. And at least 47 individuals were hospitalized as a result of protests in the cities of Lima, Apurímac, Huancavelica and Arequipa, Peru’s Health Ministry tweeted. Travel disruptedTrains to and from Machu Picchu will be suspended from Tuesday due to Peru’s protests, railway operator PeruRail said in a statement. Peru’s National Police said that, as of Monday evening, there were blockades on national roads in at least 11 regions of the country. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect a revision by the Peruvian National Ombudsman of the known death toll from Peru's recent political protests.

☆ Nigerian Army massacred children in war on insurgents, witnesses say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

CJTF members provide the army with intelligence on suspected insurgents, serve as interpreters and help soldiers navigate sometimes unfamiliar terrain. Bello Danbatta, a spokesman for the CJTF, told Reuters that the military and CJTF forces did not target civilians. During combat operations, soldiers told Reuters, it was common to take aim at anyone they came across in areas the army did not fully control. And in a war in which insurgents have forced minors to fight, soldiers said they couldn't even trust in the innocence of children. Soldiers told the women that their children needed injections for malaria and other afflictions, she said.

But they fear a harsh new anti-gay law passed by Russian lawmakers will leave them little choice. As the Kremlin prepared to finalize the expansion of the 2013 discriminatory anti-gay law, members of the LGBTQ community in Russia told CNN they feared the uncertain future ahead. Activists say a new legislative package that beefs up an existing anti-gay law is a threat to LGBTQ people in Russia. And it’s just reducing the space within which a non-heterosexual existence can comfortably take place in Russia,” Healey told CNN. Yulia Alyoshina, Russia's first transgender politician, said the new law was discriminatory and would make life tougher for Russia's LGBTQ community.

☆ Free condoms: France is making condoms available to all young people after learning a startling percentage of its population doesn't use protection
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

France will start offering free condoms to all young people in January in an effort to curb STIs. Health officials there say STIs have been on the rise lately, especially among young people. More than a quarter of people say they never or don't always use a condom, per a 2021 study. Young people in particular have become more prone to infection, French health officials have said, in large part due to a lack of knowledge around preventative methods. Macron acknowledged that the country has a "real issue" regarding young people's sexual health in his Friday video, according to French reports.

☆ North Carolina power grid attack stokes fear in rural LGBTQ community
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

However, authorities are considering the timing overlap and recent attacks on similar events nationwide as they proceed with their investigation. Regardless of whether investigators connect the two events, Sandhills Pride Director Lauren Mathers said repeated efforts to shut down what was billed as a family friendly drag performance have left the county’s LGBTQ community feeling vulnerable. The FBI posted a notice seeking information related to the North Carolina investigation, and Gov. Of the 124 incidents documented across 47 states as of late November, at least 10 occurred in North Carolina. Opponents of drag events catered toward families often falsely claim they “groom” children, implying attempts to sexually abuse them or somehow influence their sexual orientation or gender identity.

REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The United Nations has expressed concern over threats to civil liberties posed by Indonesia's new criminal code, warning the revised laws could result in the erosion of press freedom, privacy and human rights in the world's third-largest democracy. Indonesia's parliament approved the legislative overhaul on Tuesday, part of a decades long process to replace its colonial-era penal code. The criminal code includes laws that make it an offence to insult the president, the national flag and state institutions. The code could also affect reproductive and privacy rights and exacerbate gender-based violence based on sexual orientation and identity, the statement said. "Same-sex couples cannot marry in Indonesia, so this clause also effectively renders all same-sex conduct illegal," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

☆ Apple abandons controversial plan to check iOS devices and iCloud photos for child abuse imagery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Apple is abandoning its plans to launch a controversial tool that would check iPhones, iPads and iCloud photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) following backlash from critics who decried the feature’s potential privacy implications. Apple first announced the feature in 2021, with the goal of helping combat child exploitation and promoting safety, issues the tech community has increasingly embraced. Apple was criticized in 2021 for its plan to offer a different tool that would start checking iOS devices and iCloud photos for child abuse imagery. Many child safety and security experts praised the attempt, recognizing the ethical responsibilities and obligations a company has over the products and services it creates. But they also called the efforts “deeply concerning,” stemming largely from how part of Apple’s checking process for child abuse images is done directly on user devices.

☆ Iran Sentences Five to Death Over Killing of Paramilitary Member
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David S. Cloud | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The number of people sentenced to death in Iran in connection with recent protests is at least 10, according to judiciary statements. Iran’s judiciary announced Tuesday that it had sentenced five defendants to death and 11 others, including three minors, to prison in the killing of a paramilitary member, widening its use of capital punishment and lengthy jail sentences against antigovernment protesters. The unidentified defendants were convicted of involvement in the death of Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of Iran’s elite paramilitary Basij unit who is said to have been killed last month in a Tehran suburb, according to Masoud Setayeshi, a spokesman for the judiciary.

☆ Juul settles another 5,000 lawsuits after receiving equity investment, an effort CEO calls 'yet another significant step to secure our path forward'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Juul Labs settled over 5,000 lawsuits covering 10,000 plaintiffs on Tuesday. The company said it secured an equity investment to fund the settlement, according to a spokesperson. Juul agreed to pay $439 million to US states and territories in a separate settlement in September. Plaintiffs of the suit include Juul consumers, personal-injury plaintiffs, government entities, and Native American tribes, WSJ reported. A spokesperson for the vape company told Insider the settlement is a "major step" in shaping the future of the company.

☆ A McDonald's franchisee is accused of asking 100 teens to work too many hours or late shifts. Restaurants are recruiting younger workers during ongoing labor shortage.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

13 McDonald's restaurants in Pennsylvania violated child labor laws, according to a federal probe. The franchisee, Santonastasso Enterprises LLC, was accused of assigning shifts to 14- and 15-year-old workers that violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. "Employers who hire young workers must understand and comply with federal child labor laws or face costly consequences." McDonald's and Burger King restaurant operators have advertised work to teens as young as 14. Teens 14 to 15 years old can work in restaurants and quick-service businesses during non-school hours, up to three hours on school days, and up to 18 hours on a school week.

☆ Lensa AI's owner says the company's face-changing tech can be tricked into generating NSFW images — but some users are saying it happened to them without even trying
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Lensa app creates face-changing effects using machine learning and photos uploaded by users. Some users have received images of themselves portrayed in the nude thanks to AI-generated edits. The company says Lensa can be tricked into making nudes but some users say they didn't upload NSFW images. "Lensa users: Did you receive a highly sexualized image in your avatar package?" We also abstain from using such images in our promotional materials," Usoltsev told TechCrunch.

☆ Indiana Attorney General files lawsuits against TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN Business —Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita on Wednesday announced he has filed two separate lawsuits against TikTok, which accuse the company of making false claims about the safety of user data, and age-appropriate content. “The TikTok app is a malicious and menacing threat unleashed on unsuspecting Indiana consumers by a Chinese company that knows full well the harms it inflicts on users,” Rokita said in a statement. “With this pair of lawsuits, we hope to force TikTok to stop its false, deceptive, and misleading practices, which violate Indiana law.”The lawsuits mark the most serious action taken yet by a state against TikTok, amid increasing attention to and concern about TikTok from state and federal officials in recent months. TikTok does not comment on pending litigation, but said, “the safety, privacy and security of our community is our top priority,” according to a statement from a company spokesperson. And there has been renewed criticism of TikTok this year, stemming from a Buzzfeed News report in June that said some US user data has been repeatedly accessed from China.

☆ Polygamous leader in Arizona had more than 20 ‘wives,’ including children, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Bateman was the leader of a branch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the affidavit said. The girls had escaped from their group homes in Arizona, the affidavit said. On Sept. 14, nine girls were taken into custody with the Arizona Department of Child Services, according to the affidavit. A defendant named in the affidavit became one of Bateman’s wives when she was under 18. The woman left Bateman and that's when he began accumulating wives, the affidavit said.

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