27 June 2017

Commenting on the fact that Google has been fined 2.42bn euros (£2.1bn) by the European Commission after it ruled the company had abused its power by promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results, Molly Scott Cato MEP, Green Party economics spokesperson, said:

“Rightly, the European Commission has come down heavily on one of the world’s most powerful corporations, which has been using its size and influence to achieve unfair competition. Attempts by Google to use its domination of the Search arena to favour its shopping comparison service represents a damaging extension of its monopoly power that must be resisted. The action by Commissioner Vestager is a good example of how the EU member states can act collectively to clamp down on corporate power; action an individual country may not feel able or willing to do on its own.

“Given previous scandals involving Google avoiding taxes in the UK and the powerlessness of tax authorities to tackle this [2], we must also remain focused on the risk that post-Brexit Britain will become a tax haven for corporations like Google.”

Molly Scott Cato went on to say:

“We also need the EU to stand up for digital start-ups that challenge the might of US digital monopolies and remain vigilant to prevent them using their market power to create barriers to entry.”

Notes

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40406542

[2] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/google-deal-hmrc-concedes-internet-giants-uk-tax-arrangements-are-legal-a6837881.html

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China and Kyrgyzstan frontier forces on Tuesday held a joint anti-terrorist exercise in Kizilsu Kirgiz Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in northwest China.

The drill, carried out under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), was witnessed by representatives from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, all the SCO member countries.

A total of 700 police officers from the two countries, aided by armored vehicles, were involved in the drill.

Chen Dingwu, head of the border management administration under the Ministry of Public Security and also commander-in-chief of the drill, said the drill featured simulated weapon smuggling by armed terrorists from Kyrgyzstan to China. It tested the joint action ability in checking terrorism in the border region.

There are 15 land ports along a 5,700-km border line in Xinjiang.

Wang Jian, assistant minister of public security, said the drill reflects SCO member countries’ highly consistent stand and resolution in fighting against terrorism, secessionism and extremism.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to Russia and Germany from July 3 to 6, the Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Xi is invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.

Xi will also attend the 12th Group of 20 (G20) summit from July 7 to 8 in Hamburg, Germany, Lu said.

China on Tuesday released a regulation on exclusion of illegally-obtained evidence in criminal cases, banning confessions by torture and forced self-incrimination.

The document was jointly issued by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, and the Ministry of Justice, in a bid to curb wrongful convictions and safeguard human rights.

According to the regulation, it is illegal for police or prosecutors to extort confessions through torture, threats or cheating. Forced self-incrimination is also prohibited.

Confessions, witness testimonies and depositions of victims obtained by force will no longer be accepted as evidence.

Audio and visual recordings must be made of interrogations of those implicated in serious criminal cases, in which death penalty or life imprisonment could be meted out, the regulation said, adding that all original recordings should be kept intact.

Criminal suspects and their defenders are allowed to apply for illegal evidence to be ruled out during the investigation, it said.

Prosecutors are required to inquire suspects in major cases and examine whether they have been forced to confess or confronted illegal evidence collection before the conclusion of investigation, the document said.

Judges should ensure all evidence held up in court is legitimate and valid, according to the regulation.

The regulation will help judicial organs collect, examine and use evidences in accordance with law, said the SPC.