There goes the future of Chinese surveillance giant Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology.For months, the risk of sanctions or other penalties has been hanging over Hikvision, one of the world’s largest makers of security cameras and other spying equipment. In August, President Donald Trump signed a law that forbade US government agencies from buying surveillance products from Chinese firms including Hikvision, ZTE and Huawei Technologies. In September, the New York Times reported that the US wa

France and Germany have now reached a consensus on how to tax some of the Silicon Valley giants. America, the ball’s in your court. The two countries released a statement on Dec. 4 declaring their support for a 3 percent tax on digital ads, providing a breakthrough in European Union wrangling on how to deal with big tech. It’s essentially a levy on Facebook and Google parent Alphabet. The accord represents a softening of the French position, which had initially sought a broader tax on data. That

From the moment the French government canceled its planned fuel tax hike in the face of massive protests, it was obvious the move would be perceived as inadequate, insignificant and above all incapable of having any calming effect. Honor to whom honor is due: the Yellow Vests claim to be an expression of the sovereign people. But they now bear a heavy responsibility.For starters, they must announce a moratorium on demonstrations and blockades for a period long enough to accommodate the dialogue

The high-level talks that have dominated the news headlines in 2018 represent a real opportunity for decreasing tensions and improving relations between states on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider region. The successful removal of some of the most destructive weapons known to humankind would be a tangible sign that the region is emerging from an era of inter-state relations characterized by enmity, mistrust and aggression. What is currently missing from these high-level talks, involving some

The prosecution has been driving investigations into suspected power abuses in past administrations too quickly. It rushes requests for arrest warrants.Last week, the court rejected the prosecution’s requests for arrest warrants for retired Supreme Court Justices Ko Young-han and Park Byong-dae, suspected of abusing their power as chief judicial administrators during the days of President Park Geun-hye’s rule.Throwing out the request, the judges cited that there were no concerns about destructio

Just under 10 years ago, the International Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress issued its report, “Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn’t Add Up.” The title summed it up: GDP is not a good measure of well-being. What we measure affects what we do, and if we measure the wrong thing, we will do the wrong thing. If we focus only on material well-being -- on, say, the production of goods, rather than on health, education, and the environment -- we become distor

Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong should be lauded for giving the final go-ahead to the nation’s first foreign-invested medical institution in the country. The decision will have many positive impacts on health care services, deregulation and the local economy. Won deserves praise because he needed courage to override the verdict of a public deliberation committee he commissioned. As a politician who has a presidential ambition, it would have never been easy to go against a decision of a panel that repres