Hong Kong Lawmaker ‘lengthy Hair’ Is Arrested Over Donation

An competition lawmaker in Hong Kong became arrested and charged on Thursday with failing to declare a donation of approximately $32,000 from Jimmy Lai, an outspoken media tycoon who's essential of the Beijing authorities.

The lawmaker, Leung Kwok-hung, referred to as long Hair for his unkempt coiffure, turned into accused by using Hong Kong anticorruption investigators of concealing the charge, made in 2012, from the metropolis’s legislature. Procedural rules require him to declare such donations.

Mr. Lai, additionally referred to as Lai Chee-ying, based and owns next Media, which publishes the Apple day by day newspaper and next magazine in Hong Kong. Apple daily also publishes in Taiwan.

each guys have been central figures inside the seasoned-democracy Occupy principal protests, which roiled Hong Kong for months beginning in late 2014.

Hong Kong is a semiautonomous chinese language territory with its own legislature, the Legislative Council. Elections for the next legislative consultation will be held in September, and the arrest comes about a month before the begin of nominations.

The unbiased fee towards Corruption said in a information release that it arrested Mr. Leung and charged him with misconduct in public office. The organisation said Mr. Leung had failed to declare his recognition of the donation, which turned into acquired via Mr. Lai’s accomplice Mark Simon. The company added that the case had arisen from a corruption criticism and that the inquiries that accompanied discovered Mr. Leung’s suspected offense. The commission declined to comment in addition on Thursday.

Mr. Leung, 60, said in a submit on fb that commission officials came to his home approximately 6:30 a.m. on Thursday. He changed into launched on bail and is scheduled to seem in district courtroom on Friday for a procedural listening to.

regarding the money, Mr. Leung said by using telephone on Thursday afternoon, “I gave to the party, to a publishing residence, i will’t recall the memory, however I need to talk to a lawyer and defend myself now.” He stated he couldn't talk the problem similarly due to the fact he had no longer yet talked to his lawyer.

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 He mentioned that the prices came just ahead of nominations for election to the Legislative Council. “It’s nearly like a smear, you understand,” he stated.

“I said earlier than, if the government wants to press expenses to all and sundry, they are succesful,” he delivered.

In an in advance publish on fb, he wrote, “He who has a mind to beat his dog will without problems discover his stick.”

Mr. Simon, in an e mail, stated, “Legislator Leung is a uniquely fantastic presence in Hong Kong, and so as I don't have any idea what that is all approximately, it’s first-class, for this rare event, I preserve my normally wide-open mouth closed.” He introduced that he had no longer been contacted by using the anticorruption council.

Legislative regulations require lawmakers to claim donations inside two weeks, and Mr. Leung has formerly been cleared of wrongdoing on the subject of other payments that have been now not straight away reported.

according to a statement he made to a fee of lawmakers investigating the earlier donations, Mr. Leung admitted to receiving approximately $64,000 from Mr. Lai in 2013 on behalf of the League of Social Democrats, a party with which he is affiliated.

Mr. Leung contended that he had received the cash from Mr. Lai on behalf of the party, not in his ability as a lawmaker. ultimate December, the committee sided with Mr. Leung in saying that he had now not violated the legislature’s policies.

Mr. Leung has declared receiving donations totaling approximately $115,000 within the modern-day legislative session, which started in 2012, in keeping with the legislature’s facts.

The South China Morning submit, a newspaper in Hong Kong, reported in 2014 that Mr. Lai had donated hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars over several years to competition lawmakers and democracy advocates, bringing up laptop information leaked online.

other lawmakers have declared the receipt of donations from Mr. Lai when you consider that at least 2007, according to the legislature’s data.

China Vows to update ‘poisonous’ strolling Tracks at schools

chinese language officers have pledged to replace school jogging tracks fabricated from commercial waste which have reportedly sickened thousands of kids, the brand new public health scandal in a country already stricken by using environmental dangers which include air pollutants and soil contamination.

The Ministry of education said late Wednesday that it might coordinate with environmental safety and first-rate inspection government to investigate synthetic rubber tracks in faculties across China at some stage in the summer season break. Substandard running tracks — called “poisonous tracks” by means of the news media — are to be eliminated. everyone who has reduce corners inside the creation of college sports centers, the ministry said, might be “significantly punished.’’ And it promised stricter oversight over the development of such tracks.

a day earlier, CCTV, the kingdom broadcaster, aired an investigative record that stated manufacturers of jogging music rubber, many based in neighboring Hebei Province, used substandard substances and violated safety regulations. The declaration also followed months of information reviews from Beijing, Shanghai and several provinces approximately schoolchildren experiencing nosebleeds, skin rashes, dizziness and complications after being uncovered to the tracks.

“We were very indignant when the hassle changed into determined,” said Wang Baoquan, a resident of Beijing who stored his 10-12 months-old daughter at home for four days this month as a health precaution. In a smartphone interview, Mr. Wang stated his daughter had now not grow to be unwell, however many of her schoolmates had developed coughs, skin problems and nosebleeds.

final week, his daughter’s college, the Baiyunlu campus of the Beijing No. 2 Experimental primary college, removed running tracks that have been renovated remaining summer season, Mr. Wang said, including that he and many different mother and father took their kids for checkups after fitness issues broke out in may additionally.

 “We guessed in advance that the college’s going for walks tracks had a few troubles,” he said. “when we went to parents’ conferences, we would once in a while smell a totally strange scent from the going for walks tracks. but the college did nothing however pour some thing at the tracks’ floor.”

The CCTV document, which stated some tracks had been made the usage of recycled tires, cables and wires, provoked irritated comments on line. a few criticized government officers and school administrators for his or her loss of supervision.

“What kind of united states of america could treat children’s fitness and lives as a comic story?” a consumer diagnosed as SoftLipa_cen wrote on Weibo, a chinese language microblogging service just like Twitter.

“poisonous jogging tracks, problematic vaccines, poisonous milk,” someone recognized as AACamille wrote of the safety problems in China. “Is there something scarier?”

In April, in every other nicely-publicized case of dangerous materials threatening youngsters’s health, dozens of college students at a faculty in Jiangsu Province reportedly built on a poisonous waste website evolved ailments, consisting of leukemia.

remaining month, China introduced plans to make 90 percent of its polluted arable land safe to use through 2020,  years after a countrywide survey that discovered around 20 percentage of the us of a’s arable land changed into contaminated.

Many schools subcontract the construction of jogging tracks to outside businesses, usually to the lowest bidder, Cao Qingxin, an expert on waste rubber at the China Rubber industry association, said in an interview. He estimated that 2 percent of scrap tires, or round one hundred,000 lots a yr, are recycled to make going for walks tracks in China. Many producers cut prices, he stated, by the use of substandard glues and other substances.

The CCTV file mentioned that the going for walks tracks on the fowl’s Nest in Beijing, the stadium built for the 2008 Olympics, fee 1,000 renminbi, or approximately $one hundred fifty, according to square meter. At one of the number one schools in Beijing plagued with the aid of “toxic tracks,” the value become 119 renminbi, or $18.

The bad first-rate manage has disenchanted dad and mom like Shen Yang. Ms. Shen said her 4-year-antique daughter has had a runny nostril, coughs and stomachaches given that may, two months after her Beijing kindergarten renovated its running tracks.

“My information is that merchandise on grocery store cabinets are secure regardless of who produces them due to the fact they’re checked for nice,’’ she said. “It have to be the equal for strolling tracks, because colleges need to make certain they’re secure. but they failed to try this, and that i simply don’t understand it.”

South Korea problems Arrest Warrant for VW govt in Emissions Probe

A South Korean courtroom on Friday issued the first warrant for the arrest of a Volkswagen AG executive in reference to its cheating of automobile emissions assessments, in any other blow to the German automaker's efforts to move on from the scandal.

The warrant is the first to be levelled in opposition to a Volkswagen government anywhere within the world after the company in September admitted to the usage of software to falsify pollutants checks on some diesel vehicles, spurring felony motion within the america, Germany, South Korea and some other place.

"this is just the beginning of the investigation," an legit on the prosecution office stated, declining to be named due to the fact the research become ongoing.

The Volkswagen Korea govt, recognized with the aid of his remaining call Yun, confronted five accusations including fabrication of documents and violation of the Air great maintenance law, Seoul imperative District court docket spokesman Shin Jae-hwan stated.

"The court docket acknowledges the purpose and the need of the arrest," he advised Reuters, declining to provide further details or call the government.

South Korea has taken a specifically difficult line against the automaker, filing a crook criticism in opposition to  different executives, fining it 14.1 billion gained ($11.97 million) and ordering it to recollect one hundred twenty five,522 vehicles.

about four,four hundred Korean customers also have filed a category movement lawsuit against Volkswagen and sister marque Audi annoying repayment over the false emissions claims.

sources inside the u.s. on Thursday said Volkswagen might pay greater than $10 billion to settle claims with the aid of almost 500,000 proprietors and fund efforts to offset pollution.

The South Korean arrest warrant comes after German prosecutors on Monday said they had been investigating former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn and any other govt over whether they efficiently manipulated markets through delaying the release of records about the test dishonest.

South Korean prosecutors could cooperate with their counterparts in Germany and the usa, the respectable said in Seoul.

The scandal has triggered a slide in Volkswagen's proportion of Asia's No. 2 diesel vehicle market, wherein it competes with dominant home players Hyundai Motor and Kia automobiles.

Volkswagen said in April it might set aside sixteen.2 billion euros ($18.2 billion) and cut down its dividend to cowl the fees from the scandal.

A Russian Oil organization Is on the market

for sale in Russia this summer one repossessed asset, nicely loved and maintained. dealer is inspired. everything need to pass.

in this hearth sale, the asset is Bashneft, the oil enterprise once owned by Vladimir P. Yevtushenkov, who turned into prosecuted and placed beneath house arrest. And the vendor is the Russian nation, in desperate need of coins.

at the proper price, traders will chunk. however the sale, and dozens of others taking place around the us of a, will support Russia’s recognition within the global markets for uncertainty.

Early in his tenure, President Vladimir V. Putin pursued a coverage of controlling the so-known as commanding heights of the economy with a nationalization push that elbowed Russian and foreign owners out of strategic industries. Now, he's inviting buyers returned, as Russia faces the monetary fallout from a second yr of Western sanctions and low commodity fees.

The political approximately-face, a part of the reputedly infinite cycle in Russia between nationalization and privatization, provides to traders’ concerns approximately being blindsided.

within the early publish-Soviet duration, privatization become regarded as a as soon as-in-a-lifetime opportunity. but those possibilities are just taking place again and again once more below Mr. Putin.

Bashneft is coming complete circle. Bashneft, Russia’s 6th-biggest oil business enterprise, changed into first privatized in a chain of income in the early 2000s. Then it become renationalized in 2014 when Mr. Yevtushenkov changed into positioned underneath residence arrest. Now, it is for sale once more.

 “Any client nowadays must recognize the dangers,” Aleksandr Y. Abramov, a professor of finance at the higher faculty of Economics in Moscow, said of the present day planned resale of fifty one percent of Bashneft. “In a few years, this deal, too, could be unwound for one purpose or some other.”

Such uncertainty is a big purpose traders continue to be cautious of Russian stocks.

don't forget the differing perceptions of Brazil and Russia. each developing nations are huge commodity exporters facing critical monetary headwinds. but traders are willing to pay simplest about half as much for a Russian business enterprise as they would for a Brazilian commercial enterprise with the same income capacity, according to Renaissance Capital, a Moscow funding financial institution.

Illustrative of Russia’s inventory troubles is Gazprom, the nation-managed oil massive that became once the us of a’s biggest company. Gazprom’s marketplace cost became $52 billion on Tuesday, down from its top in might also 2008 of $367 billion.

Russia’s mighty oil, mining and commercial holdings appeared like a good deal inside the early Nineties in the course of the transition from communism to capitalism. The government tried to create a society of stockholders out of the Soviet ashes through giving everyone vouchers representing shares in nation-owned organizations. however the chaotically run attempt largely flopped.

hard up for cash beforehand of an election in 1996, President Boris N. Yeltsin attempted a new tack of catering to rich insiders. He bought agencies at the cheap to a new elegance of rich Russians.

After Mr. Putin assumed power on New year’s Eve in 1999, he vowed to dispose of these oligarchs “as a category.” three years later, police arrested Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, then Russia’s richest man as proprietor of the Yukos oil company, bought inside the sale under Mr. Yeltsin.

The primary pumping asset have become Rosneft, the kingdom oil corporation. Rosneft turned into partly privatized; the nation sold 13 percentage at the London stock exchange in 2006.

foreign buyers had been hurt, too.

In 2006, Russian regulators pressured the Western oil massive Shell to promote a 25 percentage proportion in its valuable Sakhalin Island subject after threatening to shut it down for environmental violations. The risk went away after Gazprom, the nation gas giant, won control of the field.

It turned into Shell’s 2d run-in with the Russian schedule. The corporation’s oil property inside the country have been nationalized in 1918, and Shell was handiest partially compensated with the aid of the Soviet authorities.

Bashneft’s story is possibly one of the maximum tangled.

In 1993, the Russian government transferred Bashneft to the nearby government of Bashkortostan, at a time while Mr. Yeltsin turned into trying to curry want with local leaders. within the early 2000s, the regional government sold stocks to a employer owned by way of local elites, Ural-make investments. inside the years after, Mr. Yevtushenkov steadily picked up shares through a conserving business enterprise called Sistema, in deals that have been certain to were permitted by the Kremlin, according to oil analysts.

Mr. Yevtushenkov changed into ensnared through the flurry of criminal and civil instances that followed. His shares have been passed over to the nation.

Mr. Yevtushenkov was sooner or later cleared in a ruling overdue ultimate year. Sistema received $950 million in a lawsuit towards the preceding proprietor, Ural-invest. A spokesman for Sistema declined to comment.

Russia’s view of Bashneft has changed, too. Mr. Putin in April removed Bashneft from a listing of so-called strategically important agencies, regardless of considerable tested oil reserves of two.2 billion barrels. The move clears the manner for the agency’s capacity sale to distant places traders.

The for-sale signs and symptoms are broadly up again. along side Bashneft, the government plans to provide shares in Sovcomflot, a delivery agency; Alrosa, a diamond mining agency; VTB, a country financial institution; and Rosneft.

investors are already sniffing around. Russian oil businesses, one run by way of a former leader govt of Rosneft, have introduced plans to bid for Bashneft. Executives and authorities officers in India and China have stated the nations’ energy giants are potentially inquisitive about shopping for stocks in Rosneft.

The government needs cash to cover a part of Russia’s projected deficit this 12 months of two.four trillion rubles ($36 billion), up from 1.95 trillion rubles ($31 billion) ultimate year. And the privatization push is one of the few ways for the government to elevate cash.

Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis make it difficult for Russia to keep bond income, a not unusual approach for governments to cover finances shortfalls. even as the us Treasury has now not in particular outlawed Russian bond deals, it has informed American banks not to underwrite them.

At a meeting of presidential economic advisers last month, Aleksei L. Kudrin, a former minister of economic system, counseled that the Kremlin spur increase by using easing worldwide tensions, as another option along with privatization. Mr. Putin replied that Russia could now not “good deal with its sovereignty.”

Russia insists that the government will do better this time around with the privatization plan. Dmitry Pristanskov, head of the Federal enterprise for kingdom belongings, who is overseeing the attempt, said the early publish-Soviet income have been partially rolled lower back due to the fact corruption had tainted the manner.

“on the time, 25 years in the past, there has been no clear standards for deciding on an investor,” Mr. Pristanskov stated. He said the nation now carefully vetted ability customers for crook ties or flaws like vulnerable compliance departments, proscribing the risk that offers will collapse later. “this is precisely what we do in a different way today.”

For Chuck Taylor, a Sole Trademark Is Upheld

An worldwide change commission stated that many elements of a Chuck Taylor shoe, like the rubber-toe band and the toe cap, aren't covered by means of trademark. credit Earl Wilson/The big apple instances

speak says its popular Chuck Taylor sneakers have many one of a kind marks. And it has taken to the courts to dam different groups from selling shoes with a similar look.

but on Thursday, an international alternate fee stated that no longer all parts are protected by way of trademark, handing several predominant organizations, including Walmart, a win.

the united states global exchange fee barred any business enterprise from importing shoes that violated speak’s trademark diamond-patterned outsole, lengthy a part of the Chuck Taylor sneakers. That large exclusion order goes beyond any one corporation, giving converse protections in opposition to ability future knockoffs.

In a extra consequential decision for the outlets nevertheless struggling with the corporation within the courts, however, the commission said that many different elements of the sneaker’s appearance — the rubber-toe band, toe cap and stripes — do no longer have the same protections. meaning the stores can retain to import and sell their shoes that look comparable due to the fact their footwear does now not have the diamond outsole.

“whilst we do now not trust all the I.T.C.’s findings, we sense assured our rights might be vindicated on attraction,” said Brian Fogarty, senior director, international intellectual belongings litigation at Nike, which owns communicate. “this is however one step in a long system.”

the use of its recognizable star and rubber-toe the front, speak was one of the first corporations to gasoline the us’s obsession with athletic shoes as a fashion assertion, paving the way for shoe companies like Nike, Reebok and Adidas. for the reason that advent of its first sneaker, created for basketball players in 1917, communicate says it has sold greater than one billion pairs of shoes with its trademark striped midsole worldwide.

The enterprise even covered pix in its prison filings of “well-known humans” sporting its shoes — from Sylvester Stallone to Snoop Dogg to Michelle Obama.

“The huge enchantment of the converse midsole trademark is evidenced by means of its look in all walks of existence,” said in court docket files. “From the ft of a toddler taking her first steps to a celebrity at the red carpet.”

In October 2014, speak took a -pronged method to try to shield the trademark on its Chuck Taylor All Stars: It sued 31 companies in 22 instances inside the united states of america District courtroom in Brooklyn. one at a time, the agency also pursued a criticism with the usa global exchange fee, which has the energy to dam products which are considered to be counterfeit from getting into the usa.

whilst communicate will be presented financial damages via its civil fits, an exclusion order from the change commission gives sweeping protections against future counterfeiters. converse might have been able to pass after any products that violated its trademark designs, despite the fact that the agencies in the back of them had been now not named inside the original I.T.C. complaint.

“In some approaches, it’s an nearly ideal enforcement mechanism due to the fact if an excellent doesn’t get to return inside the us of a, then it doesn’t get to be bought in any respect,” stated R. Polk Wagner, a professor of regulation at the college of Pennsylvania law college who focuses on highbrow belongings.

but that huge internet scared the shoe enterprise New balance, which sued converse in December 2014 in an attempt to invalidate a number of the trademark functions at the All Stars. The designs, New stability argued, were too wide and could seize other footwear with comparable patterns — consisting of, probably, New stability’s PF Flyers. even though New balance was not named within the unique litigation, the organisation worried it might be swept up in the flurry of litigation, such as within the case earlier than the I.T.C.

The ruling on Thursday approach that communicate might be able to block any shoe that infringes on its diamond outsole from entering the usa, creating a “huge headache for every person seeking to carry in those forms of footwear, because customs does not have the ability to make choices on this place fast,” according to Susan k. Ross, a federal regulatory lawyer who is a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, a law company in l.  a..

The selection affirms a number of the findings of an administrative law choose remaining November, however overrules the choose’s selection that the midsole turned into a valid trademark.

at the same time as the I.T.C. decision might not have a formal impact at the courtroom instances, legal professionals for each sides should use the commission’s selection to strengthen their instances. most of the 31 defendants inside the Federal District court case introduced via communicate, such as Kmart, have settled; best Walmart, Skechers and Highline United, which sells footwear below the Ash logo, continue to be.

each facets can appeal the I.T.C. ruling. Highline United and New stability couldn't be reached or did now not respond to requests for remark.

In separate statements, each Walmart and Skechers stated they had been “pleased” with the change commission’s choice.

“Walmart is an intellectual property proprietor and respects the intellectual property rights of others,” the employer stated.