Every day we wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for work. Following are a handful of stories from around the tech world condensed to fit into a single cup of coffee. These are the things you need to know before you step foot out of your door (or in front of a webcam) and into the real world this morning.
So sit back, grab a cup, and start your morning off right with a few “Quick Bytes” from Innovation & Tech Today.
Police Clash with Chinese Apple Factory Workers
Foxconn Technology Group is attempting to resolve issues at its largest iPhone factory in China by offering workers a $1,400 bonus.
Employees clashed with police outside of the plant Tuesday and were filmed being beaten during protests related to delayed bonus payments and sub-par working conditions.
Apple said in a statement it has staff at the Zhengzhou site and it is working closely with Foxconn to ensure their employees’ concerns are addressed.
The protest and exodus of workers at the plant is stifling production of the iPhone 14 heading into the holiday season.
Tesla Recalls 80,000 Vehicles in China
Tesla has recalled 80,000 vehicles in China due to seatbelt and software issues, according to the country’s market regulator.
Models S and X built in 2013 and later are subject to the mass recall.
The U.S.-based electric car maker has recalled 67,698 cars imported to China between Sept. 25, 2013 and Nov. 21, 2020, due to software problems affecting the battery management system in the vehicles.
The regulator said the problem with the battery-management system may cause vehicles to stop, possibly increasing the risk of accidents, but didn’t mention whether any accidents have occurred as a result.
Tesla said it will update the software before returning the vehicles.
Iran Calls for USA World Cup Ban
Ahead of the U.S.’s final group stage game against Iran in the World Cup, Iranian state media has called for the U.S. to be banned from the competition.
In a now-deleted tweet, the U.S. Men’s national soccer team (USMNT) posted a graphic that included a doctored Iranian national flag without the Islamic Republic emblem, which represents the Islamic saying: “There is no god but God.”
According to Iranian state media outlet Tasim, the altered flag posted by the team’s official Twitter page “breached the @FIFAcom charter, for which a 10-game suspension is the appropriate penalty.”
In a statement to CNN, the US Soccer Federation said posted the image for a 24-hour span to show support for “the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.” Images on its social media accounts returned to using the proper Iranian flag by Sunday afternoon, according to The Hill.
Publications Urge U.S. Government to Drop Assange Charges
Major publications including the New York Times and The Guardian are calling for the U.S. government to drop charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
In a joint open letter, The Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El País said the prosecution of Assange under the Espionage Act “sets a dangerous precedent” that threatened to undermine the First Amendment and the freedom of the press.
“Obtaining and disclosing sensitive information when necessary in the public interest is a core part of the daily work of journalists,” the letter said. “If that work is criminalized, our public discourse and our democracies are made significantly weaker.”
Assange has been fighting extradition from Britain to the U.S. since 2019.
