A focused recap of international news stories by Newsendip: French cheese, Spanish milk, a Chilean island for sale, and more.
- A genetic threat to French cheese
- A “milk cartel” in Spain
- The right to sit for Mexican workers
- Smartphone seizure reform in Italy raises concerns
- An island to preserve for sale
- Australian police criticized for terrorism charges on autistic teenager
- A call to stop Ethiopia’s “silencing of peaceful dissent”
- Are screen time guidelines for the youth unrealistic?
Lack of genetic diversity threatens Camembert and Roquefort cheese
Two traditional French cheeses are under threat due to a lack of genetic diversity as a result of years of standardized production. If the Camembert is to survive, consumers will have to become accustomed to variations in texture, taste, and color.
Spanish justice confirms the fines against the “milk cartel”
Spanish justice confirmed that the dairy industry collaborated for years to fix low prices for the milk they bought from local farmers. In 2019, nine companies were fined 81 million euros (88 million dollars) for competition infringement. The new decision opens the door for about 50,000 Spanish farms to claim financial compensation that could amount to hundreds of millions of euros.
Mexican workers could have the right to sit
The Mexican Senate unanimously approved a law stipulating that employers cannot force their employees to stand up all day and that they must provide sufficient seats with backrests to accommodate it. This law, which still has to be voted on by the Chamber of Deputies, targets especially workers in the fashion and retail ndustries, where some may work in almost “slavelike conditions,” according to the senator who initiated the “chair law.” The Global Slavery Index estimated that 850,000 people were subject to some form of modern slavery in Mexico in 2021.
Italian reform on smartphone seizures for privacy raises concerns
A proposed legislative reform in Italy would limit the seizure and use of information on mobile phones, computers, and other IT devices in the name of protecting privacy. Members of the opposition have raised alarm, warning of a potential hindrance to mafia-related investigations. While one of the top priorities of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni is to improve the efficiency of Italy’s justice system, the reform would likely make processes longer. The proposal is part of a series of measures criticized for decreasing the power of the justice system and its autonomy from politics.
A “virgin” island for sale
In Chile, the Patagonian island of Traiguén, 7 times larger than Manhattan Island, is for sale at 35 million dollars. The owner, Eduardo Ergas, director of a Chilean helicopter company, bought the island in 2008 to protect Darwin’s frog, a nearly extinct species that had been discovered in the region. The money from the sale would be reinvested in environmental protection. The Nahuelquín-Delgado, a local indigenous community of around 40 people, lives on the island.
Australian Police criticized for handling of autistic teenager charged with terrorism
The Australian Federal Police has been criticized for charging a 13-year-old autistic boy with terrorism. His parents approached the police for help because of their son’s continued fixation with Islamic State leaders’ videos. A psychologist, taking into account that he has an IQ of 71, assessed that his ISIS fixation was not based on religious ideology and that he “demonstrated little knowledge about Islam.” Yet three months later, the Joint Counter Terrorism Team began to gather evidence and information and used undercover agents to communicate with the boy, which eventually led to charging him with being a member of a terror organization and advocating terrorism. But during a parliamentary hearing, AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney said he would sign off on the operation again.
Ethiopia called out to stop “silencing peaceful dissent”
Amnesty International has accused the Ethiopian authorities of using the state of emergency in the Amhara region “to silence peaceful dissent by arbitrarily detaining prominent politicians critical of the government and journalists” and has called for an end to this practice. The Ethiopian government has banned journalists from traveling to the Amhara region and cut off Internet access. The region endures a military conflict between the federal and regional forces on one hand, and the Fano militia on the other. The Fano fought alongside the Ethiopian Federal Army in the two-year civil war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which ended in November 2022. However, the government is now considering this group and other regional forces as a threat to its authority.
Are screen time guidelines for children realistic?
In 2019, the World Health Organization published guidelines suggesting that children under the age of 2 should not be exposed to screen activities at all, and screen time should not exceed one hour a day for those between the ages of two and five. Sweden, which was a pioneer in the use of digital tools at school, decided to reintroduce schoolbooks last summer. But media and communications professors from three Swedish universities published a study where they criticized “unrealistic” recommendations that give “rise to feelings of guilt and shame” rather than fostering the support needed for parents to deal with the technology surrounding their children.