Tag Archives: Regime Uncertainty

The Dismal State of Police Body-Camera Laws

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“Des­pite fed­er­al sup­port, there are few fed­er­al laws or guidelines for the use of body cam­er­as. Rules are set piece­meal city-by-city. There are vast dif­fer­ences between how even the largest de­part­ments, like New York and Chica­go, handle film from body cam­er­as. A co­ali­tion of ma­jor civil-rights groups re­leased guidelines for op­tim­al rules in May. The re­port re­leased on Monday is the first to sur­vey how many loc­al de­part­ments stack up.  The res­ults are not good. No city po­lice de­part­ment was ideal. Two de­part­ments stood out in par­tic­u­lar as hav­ing es­pe­cially dread­ful rules: At­lanta and Fer­guson, Mis­souri.  City de­part­ments in Phil­adelphia, De­troit, San Ant­o­nio, and Al­buquerque also did not fare well.”

http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/criminal-justice/dismal-state-police-body-camera-laws

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Google ordered to remove links to stories about Google removing links to stories

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“The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has ordered Google to remove links from its search results that point to news stories reporting on earlier removals of links from its search results. The nine further results that must be removed point to Web pages with details about the links relating to a criminal offence that were removed by Google following a request from the individual concerned. The Web pages involved in the latest ICO order repeated details of the original criminal offence, which were then included in the results displayed when searching for the complainant’s name on Google. Understandably, Google is not very happy about this escalation of the EU’s so-called ‘right to be forgotten’.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/08/google-ordered-to-remove-links-to-stories-about-google-removing-links-to-stories/

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Bitcoin Companies Terminate Service in NY due to BitLicense Compliance Costs

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“The world’s largest peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace Local Bitcoins and bitcoin marketplace BitQuick have terminated their services in New York due to the strict restrictions and fees demanded by New York’s BitLicense.  Local Bitcoins is a unique case; as every single seller on Local Bitcoins would be required to pay $5,000 to apply for BitLicense.  New Yorkers who have depended on the services of Local Bitcoins would have to cross the river and sell or purchase bitcoin in New Jersey legally.  The worst part, BitQuick and Shapeshift say, is that the government is trying to get hold of sensitive customer data of all exchanges.”

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/21553/bitquick-local-bitcoins-terminate-service-ny-due-bitlicense-compliance-costs/

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Dallas Puts the Brakes on Hard-Working Mechanic

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“Hinga Mbogo immigrated to Dallas from Kenya to live the American dream—but Dallas officials had other plans for him.  City officials are demanding that Hinga stop repairing cars at his popular shop, Hinga’s Automotive Company, because it doesn’t fit in with their plans to reimagine the up-and-coming neighborhood. The city barred Hinga from using his land for auto repair and told him to close his business after letting an ‘amortization’ period pass.  Dallas officials are using this technique to avoid compensating Hinga for the time and money he invested in his business and property. So even though the city is wrenching away this hard-working mechanic’s livelihood, the city isn’t paying him a dime.”

http://www.ij.org/dallas-puts-the-brakes-on-hard-working-mechanic

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Jeffrey Tucker: Who Will Lose in the War on Contractors?

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“The haters of the sharing economy are rallying around a plan for destroying the most spectacular ad innovative sector of modern economic life.  The hint came from a speech by Hillary Clinton at the New School in which she suggested that current ‘contractors’ be redefined as ’employees.’ According to her, this means that the workers can then enjoy new human rights, as if by magic. Hillary’s comments amount to a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand. She was speaking for the entire cabal of special interests who dream of crushing innovation.  Hillary poses as a spokesperson for the worker. What it actually means for employment is that many will be out of a job.”

http://fee.org/anythingpeaceful/detail/whats-at-stake-in-the-war-on-contractors

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All Android operating systems infringe Java API packages, Oracle says

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“The ongoing legal saga known as the Oracle-Google copyright battle took a huge leap Wednesday when Oracle claimed the last six Android operating systems are ‘infringing Oracle’s copyrights in the Java platform.’  That’s according to the latest paperwork (PDF) Oracle filed in the five-year-old closely watched case that so far has resulted in the determination that Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are, indeed, copyrightable. Its suit, which had been mired in litigation and appeals, now names Android operating systems Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, and Lollipop. These are the operating systems that came after Froyo, when the suit was filed in 2010.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/08/all-android-operating-systems-infringe-java-api-packages-oracle-says/

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Yahoo Files for Alibaba Spinoff, Though Tax Issues Linger

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“In the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internet company warned shareholders that it might cancel the spinoff if federal tax authorities failed to provide written assurance in advance that the transaction will be tax-free to shareholders.  Yahoo’s 384 million shares of Alibaba are currently worth about $32 billion. The spinoff, announced in January, is intended to transfer the value of that stock to Yahoo’s shareholders without incurring the capital gains tax of more than $10 billion that would be due if Yahoo simply sold the stock and returned the cash to its shareholders.  The company’s stock has fallen as Wall Street worried that the deal might not pass muster with the I.R.S.“

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/business/dealbook/yahoo-files-for-alibaba-spinoff-though-tax-issues-linger.html

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China stuns financial markets by devaluing yuan for second day running

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“With the bank having said on Tuesday that that day’s action was a ‘one-off depreciation’, the rapid two-day drop in the value of the currency of about 4% dealt a blow to investors. They fear a prolonged currency war that could damage world trade should the US and Japan retaliate and drive down the value of the dollar and yen.  The prices of key industrial and construction metals – nickel, copper and aluminium – hit six-year lows.  The International Monetary Fund said China’s move to make the yuan more responsive to market forces appeared to be a welcome step and that Beijing should aim to achieve an effectively floating exchange rate within two to three years.”

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/aug/12/china-yuan-slips-again-after-devaluation

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Beef, big bucks and buy-ups: are Chinese investors changing the face of Australia?

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“The arrival of the Chinese as serious buyers into Australian agriculture coincides with the Abbott government dramatically raising the scrutiny of their farmland purchases.  It has slashed the threshold for Foreign Investment Review Board screening of agricultural land acquisitions by Chinese from $248m to $15m, which has focused new attention even on deals at the modest end of this space. The government has also tasked the tax office with collecting all data on foreign ownership of farmland, with a view to compiling a register next year.  These moves come well on the heels of Europeans, Americans, Japanese and Koreans acquiring great swaths of Australian agriculture.”

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/aug/06/beef-big-bucks-and-buy-ups-are-chinese-investors-changing-the-face-of-australia

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China currency devaluation hits stocks; dollar gains on currency war fears

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“China’s 2 percent devaluation of the yuan on Tuesday pushed the U.S. dollar higher and hit Wall Street and other global equity markets as it raised fears of a new round of currency wars and fed worries about slowing Chinese economic growth.  U.S. stock indices dropped more than 1 percent and stocks also fell in Asia and Europe as investors contemplated the implications of a move designed to support China’s slowing economy and exports. Companies that sell to China were hit hard, with heavy equipment maker Caterpillar losing 3.13 percent and Germany’s Volkswagen dropping 4 percent. Energy and materials shares also tumbled on China demand concerns.”

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/11/us-markets-global-idUSKCN0QG00F20150811

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