Monday, December 25, 2017

Rodrigo Duterte Son Quits Government Post Over Drug Smuggling Allegation- NDTV


Rodrigo Duterte Son Quits Government Post Over Drug Smuggling Allegation
Paolo Duterte, the president's son, made headlines last week when he used the official Facebook page of the Davao vice mayor's office for an expletive-laced rant at his teenage daughter Isabelle, after she posted criticism of him on social media.
World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: December 25, 2017 19:27 IST
Rodrigo Duterte Son Quits Government Post Over Drug Smuggling Allegation
Paolo Duterte testifies at a Senate hearing on drug smuggling in Pasay, Manila. (File)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's eldest son resigned from his local government post Monday, citing allegations of links to drug smugglers which he denies and a bitter social media dispute with his own daughter.
Paolo Duterte told the city council of Davao, a southern port where he serves as vice-mayor, that he was resigning because of "recent unfortunate events in my life" -- citing family problems and allegations of drug smuggling.
"These among others, include the maligning of my reputation in the recent name-dropping incident in the Bureau of Customs smuggling case and the very public squabble with my daughter," he said.
"I take responsibility for all that has happened," the 42-year-old said in a statement later released to the press.
The president's son made headlines last week when he used the official Facebook page of the Davao vice mayor's office for an expletive-laced rant at his teenage daughter Isabelle, after she posted criticism of him on social media.
Her posts were not publicly available.
The vice mayor responded in a Facebook post - which was no longer publicly available Monday - saying his daughter had "embarrassed" herself with her behaviour though he did not elaborate.
Isabelle was in the media spotlight earlier this month when photos of her posing in designer gowns at the presidential palace went viral on social media.
An opposition senator accused Paolo earlier this year of facilitating the smuggling of crystal methamphetamine worth 6.4 billion pesos ($125 million) into the Philippines from China.
He testified in the Senate in September to deny the drug allegations, in a country that has seen thousands killed in an anti-narcotics campaign launched by his father.
Harry Roque, the president's spokesman, said Monday that Paolo's resignation letter had been received but did not comment further as "the father wants to speak to the son first".
Davao mayor Sara Duterte, the president's daughter, said Monday she did not know if her brother's resignation had been accepted.
The Duterte family has controlled Davao politics for more than two decades, with the president also having served as the city's long-time mayor.
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This Factor Is Key to Your Attractiveness - TIME

This Factor Is Key to Your Attractiveness
By ALEXANDRA SIFFERLIN April 4, 2016
TIME Health
Humans are drawn to one another for countless reasons, and the fact that we’re often drawn to people who seem to “get us” emotionally is now borne out by a new study published in the journal PNAS: We are attracted to people whose emotions we can easily understand—and that may be due in part to matching neural circuitry.
“Being able to comprehend another person’s intentions and emotions is essential for successful social interaction,” says study author Silke Anders, a professor of Social and Affective Neuroscience at the University of Lübeck. “To accomplish a common goal, partners must understand and continuously update information about their partner’s current intentions and motivation, anticipate the other’s behavior, and adapt their own behavior accordingly.”
Anders and her fellow researchers wanted to learn whether there is a neural mechanism that underlines a person’s ability to read another’s emotions and become attracted to them. They had around 90 people watch video clips of women who facially expressed fear or sadness. After watching the videos, the people in the study were asked to judge how the women felt and asked how confident they were that they were reading her right. The researchers also measured the people’s brain activity through imaging.
They found that the more certain a person was about how a woman was feeling, the more attracted they were to her. Higher levels of certainty and attraction were also associated with more activity in the area of the brain that processes rewards. This, the researchers say, suggests that the ability to read someone successfully activates the brain’s reward system and spurs attraction.
“What I believe makes our findings really exciting is the fact that understanding and personal attraction seem to depend on both the sender’s brain and the perceiver’s brain, and on how well they match,” says Anders. “If the emotional signals sent by a sender—for example a facial expression of fear or sadness—can efficiently be processed by the perceiver’s brain, then their reward system will fire and they will feel attracted to the sender.”
Anders says prior research has shown that the brains of people who have difficulty understanding others’ emotions differ from people who are particularly good at it. Differences in brain circuitry may be at least partially responsible for missed connections in this study too. “If communication does not work as smoothly as expected, this might not always mean that sender or perceiver are not interested in communicating, it could simply mean that the overlap of their neural vocabulary is not yet large enough,” she says.
Whether emotional decoding and attraction can change if people work at it remains unknown. The study size was small, so more research will be needed, but Anders says she’d like to study how our understanding of others’ emotions changes over time, and whether the ability to successfully read people emotionally can grow with experience.
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Microsoft Won’t Make Women Settle Sexual Harassment Cases Privately Anymore. Here’s Why That Matters - TIME

Posted: 19 Dec 2017 02:19 PM PST

Microsoft announced on Tuesday morning that it will no longer require women to settle sexual harassment cases privately, becoming one of the first major companies to eliminate what are known as forced arbitration clauses.
The tech giant also threw its support behind federal legislation introduced by a group of bipartisan lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, to bar companies from using forced arbitration for sexual harassment.
Forced arbitration prevents employees from taking their claims to court, instead requiring them to settle disputes in a private process run by a third party. The process is cheaper and faster for employers than a court case, but anti-sexual harassment advocates like Gretchen Carlson have pointed out that women are less likely to win cases in arbitration and receive smaller settlements than in trials. Advocates have also argued that arbitration allows companies to hide systemic issues from public view.

“Forcing sexual harassment claims to be arbitrated is a tool to keep the company looking squeaky clean and out of the news,” employment attorney Maya Risman said.
In a blog post, Microsoft’s chief legal officer and president Brad Smith said that most of the company’s employees already did not have forced arbitration clauses for sexual harassment. But an internal review found that such clauses did apply to a “small segment of our employee population.” The company has now voided those clauses, meaning all employees have the option of pursuing sexual harassment claims in court.
The company has also used arbitration to settle other types of disputes and did not say whether that would continue.
“We concluded that if we were to advocate for legislation ending arbitration requirements for sexual harassment, we should not have a contractual requirement for our own employees that would obligate them to arbitrate sexual harassment claims,” Smith wrote. “And we should act immediately and not wait for a new law to be passed.”
Microsoft’s decision comes a week after Bloomberg reported that a former company intern alleged in February 2014 that another intern sexually assaulted her outside of work. The woman said Microsoft made the two work together while it investigated her claims.
The company told Bloomberg it encouraged the woman to go to law enforcement and offered to connect her with victim advocacy groups. (She was not working at Microsoft under a forced arbitration clause.) “We work hard to create a safe work environment for every employee,” the company said in a statement at the time.
Some advocates say that while Microsoft’s announcement on arbitration clauses is largely symbolic, it is still significant.
“By doing this, Microsoft is saying that it’s going to take concrete steps to make its workplace culture more conducive to addressing and preventing harassment,” said Emily Martin, the general counsel and vice president for workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center. “That message is important above and beyond the impact on individuals whose contracts are about to change.”
Gillibrand and Graham’s legislation estimates that 60 million Americans have forced arbitration clauses in their contracts, while a September study from the Employment Rights Advocacy Institute for Law & Policy found that 80% of the country’s 100 biggest companies use them.
“While Microsoft apparently didn’t use these provisions across its workforce, some companies use them more indiscriminately across their workforces to bind lower-wage workers as well as higher-wage workers,” Martin said. “By standing up and saying that it believes that these provisions aren’t fair to employees, Microsoft helps change the conversation in a way that has the potential to help a lot of people by increasing the pressure on companies to do the same.”
But Myriam Gilles, a vice dean and professor at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, isn’t so sure Microsoft’s announcement will influence smaller companies. “Small companies might feel like these clauses protect their bottom line,” Gilles said. “They might feel more concerned about their bottom line than optics, considering they don’t really have to worry about optics.”
Amid the #MeToo movement, many have called for an end to forced arbitration. Carlson has become a prominent voice on the issue after navigating around the arbitration clause in her contract to sue Roger Ailes for sexual harassment last year. (Ailes, who died earlier this year, had denied the allegations). In August, Uber whistleblower Susan Fowler’s lawyers filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court arguing that tech companies should eliminate these clauses, as the court weighs whether employers can ban class action lawsuits and force employees into arbitration.
Fowler and Carlson both praised Microsoft’s decision on Tuesday.
Even if more companies join in the movement to end forced arbitration for sexual harassment cases, however, Gilles is still concerned that companies will continue to use it to settle other workplace disputes, including over issues of racial discrimination, wage-theft accusations and the mistreatment of the elderly in nursing homes.
“I get this is a cool thing that Microsoft is getting ahead on this issue that’s in the news right now,” Gilles said. “But I would challenge Microsoft and every other companies to get rid of forced arbitration across the board.”

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Julian Assange's official Twitter account not appearing - CBS News

December 25, 2017, 6:02 AM
Julian Assange's official Twitter account not appearing
Julian Assange giving remarks from Embassy of Ecuador in London, via Periscope, March 9, 2017
The official Twitter account of controversial Wikileaks founder Julian Assange -- @JulianAssange -- isn't showing up. It wasn't clear whether the account was suspended or deleted by Twitter or Assange himself -- or why or for how long. Twitter wasn't commenting.
Instead, anyone trying to reach it gets this message:
deleted-julian-assange-twitter-account-screenshot-122517.jpg
Twitter uses seeking Julian Assange's official account early on December 25, 2017 saw this message TWITTER.COM
The official Wikileaks Twitter account was still live but wasn't mentioning the Assange account.
An account purporting to be an alternative Assange account was claiming Twitter had deleted his official one ahead of a blockbuster story he's preparing to break. There was no confirmation that Assange was authoring that alternative account -- and that account has now been suspended by Twitter.
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Haley announces $285M cut in 2018-19 UN operating budget- fox News

24/12/2017
Haley announces $285M cut in 2018-19 UN operating budget
By Robert Gearty | Fox News
Haley: 'The US will remember this day'
Griff Jenkins reports on the UN vote to condemn Jerusalem decision.
Calling it “a big step in the right direction,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday night announced a historic reduction in the U.N. biennial operating budget.
Haley said the plan calls for a $285 million cut for the 2018-19 fiscal year.
“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known,” Haley said. “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked."
The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known. We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked."
- Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
She added, “This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable U.N. – is a big step in the right direction.”
The U.N. budget now covers a two-year period, beginning in January of an even-numbered year.
TRUMP PUTS HIS UN MONEY WHERE HIS MOUTH IS
The United States was seeking a $250 million cut to the U.N. budget for 2018-19, on top of $200 million in savings already proposed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Agence France-Presse reported two weeks ago.
Guterres has proposed capping the U.N. biennial budget at $5.4 billion, shaving off $200 million from the 2016-17 budget.
The U.S. pays about 22 percent of the U.N.’s budget, or roughly $3.3 billion, and fully 28 percent of its peacekeeping effort.
The U.N.'s operating budget is separate from its peacekeeping budget, which was cut by $600 million this year, under pressure from President Donald Trump, AFP reported.
Trump last week threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor of a draft U.N. resolution calling for the U.S. to withdraw its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The final tally was 128-9, with 35 nations abstaining, including five members of the European Union.
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What makes Jerusalem so holy? - BBC News

What makes Jerusalem so holy?
30 October 2014
There are increasing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem, the fate of which is one of the most contentious issues in the Israel-Arab conflict.
The BBC's Erica Chernofsky takes a closer look at why this city is so important to Christianity, Islam and Judaism, the three religions which trace their shared origins back to the biblical figure of Abraham.
Jerusalem - its name resonates in the hearts of Christians, Jews and Muslims alike and echoes through centuries of shared and disputed history.
Known in Hebrew as Yerushalayim and in Arabic as al-Quds, it is one of the oldest cities in the world. It has been conquered, destroyed and rebuilt time and again, and every layer of its earth reveals a different piece of the past.
Tour guide Shraga Ben Yosef gives us a quick trip around the holy sites
While it has often been the focus of stories of division and conflict among people of different religions, they are united in their reverence for this holy ground.
At its core is the Old City, a maze of narrow alleyways and historic architecture that characterises its four quarters - Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian. It is surrounded by a fortress-like stone wall and home to some of the holiest sites in the world.
Scene outside Damascus Gate, Jerusalem (file photo)Image copyrightAFP
Jerusalem: Communities up close
Each quarter represents its own population. The Christians have two, because Armenians are also Christians, and their quarter, the smallest of the four, is one of the oldest Armenian centres in the world.
It is unique in that their community has preserved its own particular culture and civilisation inside the St James Church and monastery, which comprises most of their section.
The church
Inside the Christian Quarter is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a significant focus for Christians all over the world. It is located on a site which is central to the story of Jesus, his death, crucifixion and resurrection.
According to most Christian traditions, Jesus was crucified there, on Golgotha, or the hill of Calvary, his tomb is located inside the sepulchre and this was also the site of his resurrection.
The church is managed jointly by representatives of different Christian denominations, mainly the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Franciscan friars from the Roman Catholic Church and the Armenian Patriarchate, but also by the Ethiopians, Coptics and Syrian Orthodox Church.
It is one of the main pilgrimage destinations for millions of Christians worldwide who visit the empty tomb of Jesus and seek solace and redemption in prayer at the site.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III explains why Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the holiest place in Christianity
The mosque
The Muslim Quarter is the largest of the four and contains the shrine of the Dome of Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque on a plateau known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary.
The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and is under the administration of an Islamic trust called the Waqf.
Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad travelled here from Mecca during his night journey and prayed with the souls of all the prophets. A few steps away, the shrine of the Dome of the Rock holds the foundation stone, where Muslims believe Muhammad then ascended to heaven.
Muslims visit the holy site all year round, but every Friday during the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to pray at the mosque.
Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib al-Tamimi explains the importance of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque to Islam
The wall
The Jewish Quarter is home to the Kotel, or the Western Wall, a remnant of the retaining wall of the mount on which the Holy Temple once stood.
Inside the temple was the Holy of Holies, the most sacred site in Judaism.
Jews believe that this was the location of the foundation stone from which the world was created, and where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Many Jews believe the Dome of the Rock is the site of the Holy of Holies.
Today, the Western Wall is the closest place Jews can pray to the Holy of Holies.
It is managed by the Rabbi of the Western Wall and every year hosts millions of visitors. Jewish people from all over the world visit this place to pray and connect to their heritage, especially during the High Holidays.
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Urbi et Orbi: Pope calls for peace for Jerusalem - BBC News


25/12/2017
Urbi et Orbi: Pope calls for peace for Jerusalem
Media captionPope Francis urged "peace for Jerusalem"
Pope Francis has used his traditional Christmas Day message to call for "peace for Jerusalem" and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.
Acknowledging "growing tensions" between them, he urged a "negotiated solution... that would allow the peaceful co-existence of two states".
US President Donald Trump recently announced that America recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The controversial move drew international condemnation.
Why the city of Jerusalem matters
Last week, UN members decisively backed a non-binding resolution that said any decisions regarding the status of Jerusalem were "null and void" and must be cancelled.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their future capital, and all countries currently keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
The Roman Catholic leader gave his Urbi et Orbi speech, which in Latin means "To the city and world", in Saint Peter's Square.
What makes Jerusalem so holy?
Profile: Pope Francis
Guatemala to move embassy to Jerusalem
US plays hardball at UN over Jerusalem vote
"On this festive day let us ask the lord for peace for Jerusalem and for all the Holy Land," he told the crowd.
"Let us pray that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful co-existence of two states within mutually agreed and internationally recognised borders."
The pontiff's speech touched on other pressing international issues, from the migration crisis to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, from Venezuela to North Korea.
Is the US alone in recognising Jerusalem?
Guatemala has said it plans to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, following Mr Trump's announcement.
It joined the US and Israel, and Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo, in voting against the UN resolution.
However, 128 countries backed the resolution while others abstained.
Why does the city matter so much?
Jerusalem is home to sites sacred to Judaism and Islam, and because of its role in the life of Jesus, the city is also one of the holiest places for Christians.
The city's status goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal and undivided" capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war - as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Israeli PM Netanyahu: 'I'll be your Christmas tour guide'
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally and, according to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.
Since 1967, Israel has built a dozen settlements, home to about 200,000 Jews, in East Jerusalem. These are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
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Sunday, December 24, 2017

These Companies Have Promised to Give Employees Bonuses Because the Tax Bill Passed - TIME

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:08 PM PST

Several companies announced new investments, minimum wage hikes and employee bonuses on Wednesday as a result of the passage of Republican tax reform bill, which is set to bring them significant tax cuts by lowering the corporate tax rate.

AT&T

AT&T said it would give $1,000 bonuses to more than 200,000 employees in the U.S. once the tax bill is signed into law and promised to invest an additional $1 billion in the U.S. in 2018. CEO Randall Stephenson praised the tax legislation as “a monumental step to bring taxes paid by U.S. businesses in line with the rest of the industrialized world.”

Trump praised AT&T’s announcement in remarks at the White House. “That’s because of what we did,” he said. “So that’s pretty good. That’s pretty good.” AT&T is currently awaiting approval from Trump’s Justice Department of its pending $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner.

Boeing

Boeing announced that it would spend $300 million on “employee-related and charitable investments” because of the tax plan. “The reforms enable us to better compete on the world stage and give us a stronger foundation for the investment in innovation, facilities and skills that will support our long-term growth,” CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement.

Comcast

Comcast is giving $1,000 bonuses to 100,000 “frontline and non-executive employees,” the company announced, citing the rollback of the FCC’s Obama-era net neutrality rules and the passage of the tax reform bill. CEO Brian Roberts also said the company expects to spend “well in excess of” $50 billion on infrastructure investment over the next five years.

Fifth Third Bankcorp

Fifth Third Bancorp said it would increase its hourly minimum wage to $15 for U.S. employees.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo said it would increase its minimum wage for U.S. employees from $13.50 to $15 and spend $400 million on donations to nonprofits and community organizations in 2018.
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FBI investigates Russian-linked Cyprus bank accused of money laundering - Guardian

FBI investigates Russian-linked Cyprus bank accused of money laundering
Request for financial information may be connected to inquiries into possible conspiracy between Trump and Kremlin
Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller is investigating a possible conspiracy between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin. i
Sun 24 Dec ‘17 21.01 AEDT
The FBI has asked officials in Cyprus for financial information about a defunct bank that was used by wealthy Russians with political connections and has been accused by the US government of money laundering, two sources have told the Guardian.
The request for information about FBME Bank comes as Cyprus has emerged as a key area of interest for Robert Mueller, the US special counsel who is investigating a possible conspiracy between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin.
People familiar with the FBI request told the Guardian that federal investigators and the US Treasury approached the Central Bank of Cyprus in November seeking detailed information about FBME, which was shut down this year.
One person familiar with the FBI request said it appeared to be connected to Mueller’s ongoing examination of Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager who was indicted in October, and money that flowed between former Soviet states and the US through Cypriot banks.
The Central Bank of Cyprus, which in 2014 placed FBME under administration in a direct response to US action and obtained full access to the bank’s data, declined to comment. The US special counsel’s office also declined to comment.
FBME has vigorously denied accusations that it has been a conduit for money laundering and other criminal activity.
The owners, Lebanese brothers Ayoub-Farid Saab and Fadi Michel Saab, issued a statement following a series of recent critical articles about the bank and denied all wrongdoing.
Bloomberg reported last week that FBME was the subject of two US investigations: one into the bank’s credit card unit, and another into alleged laundering of money from Russia. Bloomberg said the Russia-related investigation, which is being led by the US attorney’s office in New York, was connected to a flow of illegal Russian funds into the New York real estate market.
FBME, previously known as the Federal Bank of the Middle East, was based in Tanzania but about 90% of its banking was conducted in Cyprus. A report by the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in 2014 said the bank was an institution of “primary money laundering concern”.
The report found that the bank was evading efforts by the Central Bank of Cyprus to supervise its activities, and that FBME was facilitating money laundering, terrorist financing, transnational organised crime, fraud, sanctions evasion, weapons trading and political corruption.
A 2014 internal report by the Central Bank of Cyprus about FBME that was obtained by the Guardian found that FBME had banking relationships with several Russians who were considered to be politically sensitive clients and that about half of the bank’s clients were Russian nationals, including Vladimir Smirnov, who is close to Putin, and Aleksandr Shishkin, a member of Putin’s political party.
FBME was subjected in 2016 to what is known as a “fifth special measure”, a hard-hitting US regulatory tool that was established after the 9/11 attacks to address law enforcement concerns in the banking sector. The move prohibited the bank from doing business in the US or using US dollars, and barred US banks from opening or using any bank accounts on FBME’s behalf. In effect, it shut the bank down. FBME has challenged the decision but US courts have so far upheld the move.
It is not clear why Mueller and his team of investigators appear to be interested in FBME’s financial data. But it indicates that the special counsel is continuing to examine money flows from Cyprus.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to charges that he laundered millions of dollars through foreign banks as part of a scheme to hide his work for political parties in Ukraine. He is accused of funnelling the funds through foreign shell companies, including many that were based in Cyprus.
Manafort’s attorney, Kevin Downing, has called the charges, including those related to his use of offshore accounts, “ridiculous”.
A spokesman for FBME bank told the Guardian that Manafort was never a client of FBME.
Mueller’s team has separately issued a subpoena for information from Deutsche Bank. According to a person close to the bank, the subpoena was issued in the autumn. The German bank is Trump’s biggest lender.
Deutsche also worked as a correspondent bank for FBME. Internal emails seen by the Guardian show that executives from both banks were in contact in 2014 discussing accounts that were “on the radar” of US law enforcement.
Deutsche Bank said in a statement: “We severed our relationship with FBME in 2014 and have added more than 1,000 anti-financial crime staff in recent years to make our business safer and increase our controls.”
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