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Good morning.

From the newsroom of the Financial Times, today is Monday, October 29th, and this is your FT news briefing.

Today, we'll be looking at new allegations of the legal hiring practices in Apple's supply chain.

Then we'll see what message voters are sending to Angla Merkel's coalition government and

whether it still stands a chance. Then which company just made the tech industry's biggest deal

so far this year? Plus what to look for when the annual UK budget is presented today?

I'm Eric Krupky and here's the news you need to start your day.

Apple is officially opening an investigation into its supply chain after a workers rights group alleged that one of its supply chain. After a workers' rights group alleged that one of its suppliers was illegally employing students in China to make Apple watches.

The FT reports that a Hong Kong-based human rights group called Saacom alleged that a Taiwanese apple

supplier called Quanta Computer was illegally employing students to assemble Apple

watches in Shan Shan Shanxi.

Saacom said it interviewed 28 high school students at the factory this summer.

The students said their teachers sent them there for internships, but they performed the same jobs

as other assembly line workers, and they often had to work overtime and

night shifts, both of which are illegal for student interns under Chinese law.

These allegations come nearly a year after similar labor violations were uncovered at a Genjo FoxCon factory where

iPhones were made.

And in Germany, Angla Merkel's coalition government has suffered another setback.

Voters in the German state of Hessa went to the polls yesterday.

The ruling Christian Democrats got only about 28% of the vote, down from 38% five years ago.

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