The Republic of Korea's former president Lee Myung-bak arrives at the prosecutors' office in Seoul, March 14, 2018. [Photo/Agencies] SEOUL - Lee Myung-bak, former president of the Republic of Korea, returned home on Thursday after a marathon interrogation by prosecutors over corruption, the last of the country's living ex-leaders to be embroiled in a criminal inquiry. Allegations of graft involving his relatives and aides during his term have mounted in recent weeks as prosecutors investigate multiple cases of bribery amounting to millions of dollars. The probe means that the country's all four living former presidents have been convicted, charged, or investigated for criminal offenses. Lee spent more than 21 hours at the prosecutors' office in Seoul from Wednesday morning, and did not reply to questions from journalists outside as he left. President Lee denied most of the charges, a prosecutor was quoted as telling Yonhap news agency. Lee, who was head of state from 2008 to 2013, has previously denounced the inquiry as political revenge and said on Wednesday he hoped it would be the last time in history that a ROK ex-leader was summoned for questioning by prosecutors. As a former president, I have a lot to say about this but I will spare my words, he told reporters when he arrived for the interrogation. Prosecutors are thought likely to ask a court for an arrest warrant for Lee in the coming days. But almost one in six ROK citizens - 15.3 percent - think he should be treated leniently because of his status as a former president, an opinion poll by Realmeter showed. The figure rose to 50 percent among supporters of the main opposition Liberty Korea party - which Lee led under a previous name - with only 38 percent believing he should be strictly punished according to the law. Among the population as a whole, 79.5 percent said he should receive no preferential treatment. The allegations against Lee include claims that the Samsung Group bought a presidential pardon in 2009 for its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who had been convicted of tax evasion and given a suspended jail sentence. Both Samsung and Lee have described the allegations as groundless. Agence France-presse medical id silicone wristbandscustom id braceletsprinted wristbandrubber bracelets canadabasketball silicone bracelets
China registered a higher rate of decarbonization than any of the world's major economies for the second year running, according to a new report published by London-based consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (known as PwC).China reduced its carbon intensity by 5.2 percent in 2017, PwC found in its annual Low Carbon Economy Index of the G20 members. Carbon intensity rates are measured by comparing greenhouse gas emissions with a nation's energy demand and gross domestic product, also known as GDP.While emissions levels in China actually rose by 1.4 percent last year, this increase was low in comparison to a high GDP growth rate of 6.9 percent and an increase in energy demand.The United Kingdom also performed well in the index, registering an average drop in carbon intensity of 3.7 percent over the least 10 years, the best of all nations studied. In 2017, UK carbon intensity dropped by 4.7 percent, the fourth best in the G20 behind China, Mexico and Argentina.Overall, PwC found that global emissions are now on the rise again - by 1.1 percent - having plateaued for the past three years. Global energy demand rose by 2.1 percent last year, more than twice the rate in 2016, and most of the increased energy demand was met with fossil fuels, according to the report."The gap between the current decarbonization rate and that needed to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius is widening," the report said. "There seems to be almost zero chance of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees, the main goal of the Paris Agreement."The PwC study coincided with the release of a report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (known as IPCC), which said the world has only 12 years to limit a climate change catastrophe.Also this week, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences - commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in economics - to United States economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for their work integrating climate change into macroeconomic analysis.When asked about the new IPCC report, Romer urged governments and the public not to succumb to pessimism."Once we start to try to reduce carbon emissions, we'll be surprised that it wasn't as hard as we anticipated," Romer told press. "The danger with very alarming forecasts is that it will make people feel apathetic and hopeless."In China last year, PwC found that renewable power generation rose by 25 million metric tons of oil equivalent, which is an energy usage measurement, also known as MTOE. This was driven by a 71 percent increase in solar energy, and a 20 percent increase in wind energy.Coal use in China increased by 1 percent last year, following several years of reductions in consumption. PwC attributed the rise of coal consumption to the opening of coal-fired power generation plants."Despite this growth, political signals do not suggest that coal consumption will grow long term in China again as pollution control is at the top of the political agenda," the report stated.China also saw the highest percentage increase in use of natural gas, at 15 percent. This is largely associated with residential heating and small industrial boilers switching from coal to gas."Despite growth of fossil fuels, China has positioned itself as a global engine for renewable deployment," the report said. "It has made significant strides toward meeting its pledge under the Paris Agreement to generate 20 percent of its energy in 2030 from low-carbon sources."
