Apple pulls HKmap from App Store, the day after Chinese state media criticized its “unwise and reckless decision” to approve it - TechCrunch

Less than a day after Apple was criticized by Chinese state media for allowing HKmap in the App Store, the crowdsourced map app said it had been delisted. Its removal comes less than a week after Apple reversed its initial decision to reject the app, which provides information about the location of pro-democracy demonstrations, street closures and police activity (its website is still available).

After Apple allowed HKmap into the App Store, an article in the China Daily, a newspaper owned by the Communist Party of China, criticized the company, claiming that it enabled “rioters in Hong Kong to go on violent acts,” and adding that “Business is business, and politics is politics…Apple has to think about the consequences of its unwise and reckless decision.”

While the Chinese government has labeled protestors as violent, including through coordinated campaigns on social media, human rights groups like Amnesty International have documented multiple instances of police abuse against protestors.

HKmap’s creators tweeted that Apple claimed it endangered law enforcement and residents, and said they disagreed.

1. We disagree @Apple and @hkpoliceforce ‘s claim that HKmap App endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong.#HKmap #HKmaplive #HK #Censorship

— HKmap.live 全港抗爭即時地圖 (@hkmaplive) October 10, 2019

Update: Since publishing this article, Apple has provided a statement directly to TechCrunch confirming endangerment of police and residents of Hong Kong as two reasons for removing the app:

“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. We have learned that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong. Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it,” a spokesperson said in a written statement. “The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement. This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.”

The app’s developers question this reasoning, however, in their response: “There is 0 evidence to support CSTCB’s [the Hong Kong Police Force’s Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau] accusation that HKmap App has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement,” it said, adding that other apps containing crowdsourced information and public postings, including Waze, which is used by commuters to avoid traffic cameras and police, are still allowed on the App Store.

“The quoted Apple’s App Store Review Guideline is vague, does that include user-generated contents? We are sure there are contents ‘solicit, promote, or encourage criminal activity in Facebook, Instagram, Safari, Telegram, Twitter, Waze, Whatsapp, etc. at some point in time,” wrote HKmap’s developers.

Pro-democracy demonstrations began in March to protest a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China, but have grown to encompass additional demands that center on Hong Kong’s ability to safeguard rights, including freedom of press and speech, under the “one country, two systems” policy that has been in place since it was returned from British rule to China in 1997.

This is the latest in several decisions made by Apple that have concerned pro-democracy observers and appear designed to appease the government of China, its third-biggest market by sales. Two years ago, it removed VPN apps from its App Store in China and within the last week has removed the Taiwan flag emoji from the iOS keyboard in Hong Kong and the app version of Quartz from the Hong Kong App Store, reportedly because of its protest coverage.

Updated with response from Apple.

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2019-10-10 06:32:18Z
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Apple removes Hong Kong map app after Chinese criticism - The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Apple removed a smartphone app that allows Hong Kong activists to report police movements from its online store Thursday after an official Chinese newspaper accused the company of facilitating illegal behavior.

Apple Inc. became the latest company to come under pressure to take Beijing’s side against anti-government protesters when the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily said Wednesday the HKmap.live app “facilitates illegal behavior.” The newspaper asked, “Is Apple guiding Hong Kong thugs?”

Apple said in a statement that HKmap.live was removed because it “has been used to target and ambush police” and “threaten public safety.” It said that violated local law and Apple guidelines.

HKmap.live allows users to report police locations, use of tear gas and other details that are added to a regularly updated map. Another version is available for smartphones that use the Android operating system.

“We have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement,” said the Apple statement. “This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.”

The Hong Kong demonstrations began over a proposed extradition law and expanded to include other grievances and demands for greater democracy.

Activists complain Beijing and Hong Kong leaders are eroding the autonomy and Western-style civil liberties promised to the former British colony when it returned to China in 1997.

Criticism of Apple followed government attacks starting last weekend on the National Basketball Association over a comment by the general manager of the Houston Rockets in support of the protesters. China’s state TV has canceled broadcasts of NBA games.

People’s Daily warned Apple might hurt its reputation with Chinese consumers.

“Apple needs to think deeply,” the newspaper said.

Brands targeted in the past by Beijing have been subjected to campaigns by the entirely state-controlled press to drive away consumers or disrupt investigations by tax authorities and other regulators.

China has long been critical to Apple’s business.

The mainland is Apple’s second-biggest market after the United States but CEO Tim Cook says it eventually will become No. 1.

Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, also is an important asset for China.

Most of its iPhones and tablet computers are assembled in Chinese factories that employ hundreds of thousands of people. Chinese vendors supply components for Mac Pro computers that are assembled in Texas.

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2019-10-10 05:29:58Z
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AT&T to Sell Its Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Operations - The Wall Street Journal

AT&T’s sale of its Puerto Rican and U.S. Virgin Islands businesses allows the telecom giant to shave its debt load. Photo: Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal

By

Shalini Ramachandran and

Shalini Ramachandran
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @shalini
• Shalini.Ramachandran@wsj.com

Drew FitzGerald

Drew FitzGerald
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @drewfitzgerald
• andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com

Updated Oct. 9, 2019 10:09 am ET

AT&T Inc. has agreed to sell its Puerto Rican and U.S. Virgin Islands businesses to Liberty Latin America Ltd. for $1.95 billion in cash, allowing the telecommunications giant to shave its debt load and move closer to repurchasing shares.

AT&T’s operation in Puerto Rico provides cellular, landline and internet connections. It had 1.1 million wireless subscribers. As part of the deal, about 1,300 AT&T employees will be transferred to Liberty Latin America.

The two companies said they expect the deal to close within six to nine months. The Wall Street Journal earlier Wednesday reported the companies had agreed to a deal.

Puerto Rico accounts for a small sliver of AT&T’s domestic operations, but shedding the unit will help it work down a large debt load accumulated through its $80 billion-plus acquisition of Time Warner last year.

Related

• AT&T Explores Parting Ways With DirecTV
• Activist Investor Challenges AT&T Over Strategy, Board

The deal signals progress on AT&T’s goal of selling noncore assets, something activist investor Elliott Management Corp., which recently disclosed a stake in the company, is also pushing. AT&T has also sold its stake in streaming service Hulu.

On Wednesday, AT&T said the deal brings to more than $11 billion the amount of money it will have raised from asset sales this year. The company said its expects to return to repurchasing shares in the fourth quarter, along with debt reduction.

Liberty is already the biggest pay-TV and broadband provider on the island. Cable tycoon John Malone, who holds a 25.5% voting stake in Liberty Latin America, and Liberty Latin America CEO Balan Nair have told investors they would like to expand in the region through disciplined mergers and acquisitions.

Liberty plans to finance the cash deal in large part by raising debt against the combined Puerto Rican operation, one person familiar with the matter said.

AT&T originally entered Puerto Rico in 2009 after it acquired Centennial Communications Corp., a rural telecom company with a large share of revenue from the island, for under $1 billion.

The complexity of the Puerto Rican unit slowed negotiations. Thousands of residents of the commonwealth spend several months out of the year on the U.S. mainland, for example, which made difficult the job of counting subscribers, according to another person familiar with the matter. The island also was heavily damaged in 2017 by Hurricane Maria.

Liberty Latin America is a publicly traded telecom and cable provider that operates in Chile, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and other countries in Latin America. The company spun out last year from Liberty Global, the international cable operator headed by Mr. Malone. The Latin America operator currently has a market value of about $3 billion.

Write to Shalini Ramachandran at shalini.ramachandran@wsj.com and Drew FitzGerald at andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com

Copyright ©2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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2019-10-09 14:09:00Z
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Johnson & Johnson Risperdal verdict: Company hit with $8B verdict after drug linked to boy growing breasts - CBS News

A Philadelphia jury has ordered medical company Johnson & Johnson to pay $8 billion dollars in punitive damages in the case of a man who said he developed breasts after taking the company's anti-psychotic drug Risperdal as a child. The case is unrelated to a string of big-money lawsuits the company is facing over its signature baby powder. 

In the Risperdal case, a jury found that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn 26-year-old Nicholas Murray of the drug's side effects. Murray claimed that taking the Risperdal as a child caused him to develop breasts, an incurable condition known as gynecomastia. Thousands of others have filed lawsuits alleging the same.   

Murray said he was prescribed the medicine at age 9 for symptoms related to autism spectrum disorder, despite the fact that the FDA's approval of the drug in the 1990s was to treat schizophrenia and episodes of bipolar mania in adults.

Attorneys for Murray alleged the company marketed the drug for unapproved, off-label use in children to increase profits, choosing "billions over children."

Johnson & Johnson denied the allegations, and said it's confident the ruling will be overturned. In a statement, the company said it was "precluded from presenting ... key evidence..." The company further claimed that evidence showed how the label for the drug "clearly and appropriately outlined the risks associated with the medicine." 

Murray's attorneys told "CBS This Morning" consumer investigative correspondent Anna Werner that the punitive damages were meant to deter the company from similar conduct in the future. They believe the decision will stand.

© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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2019-10-09 11:40:00Z
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China's toughness amid Trump impeachment talk misplaced - Fox Business

Gordon Chang, author of 'The Coming Collapse of China,' discusses the country's perspective of President Trump.

As the Democrats ratchet up impeachment talk, they may be giving the Chinese false hope that high-level trade negotiations with the U.S., which resume Thursday, will get easier.

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“They are looking very closely at what’s going on in the U.S., and this impeachment inquiry is effecting, I think, their negotiating position, making them much tougher than they ordinarily would be,” Gordon Chang, the author of “Coming Collapse of China” told Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “They have signaled in the last couple days they’re just not going to talk about the core issues that U.S. negotiators demand that we discuss,” Chang added.

However, underestimating the U.S. and Trump may be a miscalculated move, Myron Brilliant, executive vice president and head of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, tells FOX Business.

“With rising tensions, it would be a huge mistake for China to play the waiting game on trade talks. Concerns over China’s trade practices are not a partisan issue. There is strong bipartisan consensus in our country that China needs to take concrete and measurable actions to address a range of unfair trade practices.  China should be doubling down during this critical window to make constructive offers that will lead to a high-standard, enforceable agreement" he said.

In the last 24 hours, the White House has upped the pressure on the Chinese.

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials for human rights repression in Xinjiang. This followed a move Monday when the U.S. added 28 names to its blacklist, including a government entity. Inclusion on the list, which designates entities believed to act in ways contrary to U.S. foreign policy or national security interests, restricts access to American goods.

Additionally, top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow told FOX Business the U.S. was reviewing Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges amid alleged investor complaints. And the White House is also considering restricting government pension fund investments in China.

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“The idea that we’re going back to a peaceful, harmonious, happy U.S.-China relationship, I think that’s over,” Michael Pillsbury, American director of the Center on Chinese Strategy, told FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria.” “It’s clearly going to be a kind of certainty that there will be U.S.-China friction.”

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On Tuesday, it was announced that Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who is leading the delegation, has not been designated as special envoy, meaning he cannot make any decisions and must report to President Xi Jinping, shelving any hopes for a deal to be reached this week.

Meanwhile, the IMF warned the U.S.-China trade war, if it continues, will produce no winners.

The 15-month long trade war between the U.S. and China could cost an increasingly fragile global economy about $700 billion, or 0.8 percent of GDP, by 2020, Kristalina Georgieva, the new chief of the International Monetary Fund, said in her first speech on Tuesday.

"It's a little bit like you know a sumo match, they're sort of both in the ring grappling," Center for Strategic and International Studies Scholl Chair and Senior Adviser Bill Reinsch told FOX Business.

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"We've gone beyond stomping on the earth and glaring in each other's face, but they can't agree but they can't leave. If Trump leaves it's a failure on a signature issue. If they leave it lets him off the hook. He can blame them for everything, exposes them to further retaliation which they don't want. So everybody keeps talking."

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2019-10-09 10:31:13Z
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Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay man $8 BILLION over drug causing him to grow breasts - RT

A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday said that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) must pay $8 billion in punitive damages to a man over his claims that a drug manufactured by the US firm caused him to grow breasts.

The verdict in favor of Nicholas Murray, 26, came first in one of thousands of Risperdal cases pending in Pennsylvania.

Murray, like other male plaintiffs in the mass tort litigation over Risperdal, alleges that he developed breasts after being prescribed the medicine and taking it from 2003 to 2008. A psychologist prescribed the drug after diagnosing him with autism spectrum disorder. In late 1993, the drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating schizophrenia and episodes of bipolar mania in adults.

Also on rt.com Johnson & Johnson gets $572mn slap on wrist for causing opioid crisis in Oklahoma

Four years ago, a jury awarded Murray $1.75 million after finding that J&J was negligent in failing to warn consumers of the risks. A state appeals court upheld the verdict last year, but reduced it to $680,000.

“This jury, as have other juries in other litigations, once again imposed punitive damages on a corporation that valued profits over safety and profits over patients,” Murray’s lawyers, Tom Kline and Jason Itkin, said. “Johnson & Johnson and [subsidiary] Janssen chose billions over children,” they said.

J&J said the award was “grossly disproportionate with the initial compensatory award in this case, and the company is confident it will be overturned.” It added that the jury in the case had not been allowed to hear evidence of Risperdal’s benefits.

Plaintiffs claim that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn of the risk of gynecomastia (the development of enlarged breasts in males) associated with Risperdal, which they say J&J marketed for unapproved use with children.

Also on rt.com Companies people love to hate: World’s most despised corporations

Plaintiffs in the mass tort litigation had been barred from seeking punitive damages since 2014, when a state court judge ruled that the law of New Jersey (which prohibits punitive damages and is J&J’s home state) should be applied globally to the cases.

In 2018, a Pennsylvania Superior Court ruling cleared the way for punitive damages awards, holding that the law of each plaintiff’s state should instead apply.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

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2019-10-09 08:24:00Z
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Dow futures jump 200 points on a report China is open to a partial US trade deal - CNBC

U.S. stock index futures jumped Wednesday morning on a Bloomberg report that said China is open to agreeing to a partial trade deal with the U.S.

Around 5:40 a.m. ET, Dow futures indicated a positive open of about 200 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were both higher as well.

Market focus is largely attuned to global trade developments, with high-level negotiators from the U.S. and China poised to meet for a fresh round of talks in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Citing an official with direct knowledge of the talks, Bloomberg reported that China is prepared to accept a partial trade deal as long as no more tariffs are imposed by President Donald Trump. (Read the complete report here.)

President Trump has said tariffs on Chinese imports will increase on October 15 if no progress is made in bilateral trade negotiations.

The world's two largest economies have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of one another's goods since the start of 2018, battering financial markets and souring business and consumer sentiment.

The long-running dispute has slowly expanded beyond trade policy, exacerbating fears about further damage to a fragile global economy.

To be sure, U.S. visa restrictions on Chinese officials and the addition of more Chinese companies to a U.S. trade blacklist this week has dampened already slim hopes of a trade truce.

On the data front, weekly mortgage application numbers are expected out at 7 a.m. ET, and wholesale trade figures for August and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data for August will both be released at around 10 a.m. ET.

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2019-10-09 06:34:39Z
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