World News
Daily Mail – A former employee of a major Canadian bank who claims he was told he had ‘no hope’ of a promotion because he was straight is to have his discrimination complaint reassessed, a federal court has ruled.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission had previously dismissed Aaren Jagadeesh’s claim that he faced discrimination at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) in Toronto due to his sexual orientation as a straight man.
Mr Jagadeesh, who was turned down for multiple promotions, stated that he was told by his boss to join a ‘group’ of gay and bisexual men in the office as only they would get promoted.
Madam Justice Janet M. Fuhrer ruled in Federal Court that the Commission had wrongly dismissed the employee’s complaint and ordered a new investigation and reassessment.
In court last month Mr Jagadeesh described how in a one-on-one meeting on September 15 2015 his boss told him that every male manager in the office was gay or bisexual, and that there was ‘no hope’ of him becoming a manager unless he joined this ‘group’.
The employee claims the boss then told him to ‘be smart and learn’ after explaining that sexual orientation was the reason why young male employees with little experience were promoted ahead of him.
Mr Jagadeesh claims male employees were ‘sexually exploited’ in order to gain the promotions they wanted.
Daily Mail – Five whistleblowing workers at the only NHS transgender clinic in Britain have quit over fears children as young as three are going through unnecessary gender reassignment treatment.
The clinicians from the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) clinic based in London and Leeds left over concerns children were being incorrectly diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
It was feared some gay children struggling with their sexual identity are being incorrectly diagnosed as transgender.
Specialists also worried that some of the youngsters were being referred and pressured into having gender change treatment after suffering homophobic bullying.
Oxen and horses put back to work in Cuba
AFP – A lack of fuel, in large part due to the US blockade, is forcing Cubans to return to horse and ox power for farming, transport and everyday travel.
In Los Palacios, 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the west of the capital Havana, Heriberto Piloto bellows at his oxen “Montezuelo” and “Pasajero” as they plough a tobacco field at the “La Juanita” farm.
Once the fields were ploughed by tractors, plus some animal help, but now beasts of burden are the only option, meaning the job of ploughman has made a comeback too in Cuba’s fields.
“Under normal conditions, we always used animals and… given the country’s fuel restrictions, we’ve had to increase this activity,” said Alfredo Reynoso, the director of the state company Cubaquivir, which provides services to the 12 agricultural cooperatives in Los Palacios.
“We need to prepare around 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of land with animal power during the cold season,” Reynoso added.
– No buses –
A thousand kilometers (miles) to the east, long, straight roads flanked by sugarcane fields lead to Havana.
There, “Dragau” and “Abre Campo” pull an ox cart driven by Felix Betancourt, a 65-year-old bringing food to field workers.
“I bring food to cooperative workers: breakfast, lunch. It works well, it saves a lot of things (including) fuel, given that there is none any more,” said Betancourt.
“The animals’ fuel is grass. In the evening I given them food, leave them to sleep well, then I get up the next morning and put them to work at 5:30 am.”
In the eastern city of Bayamo, horse-drawn carriages have long been a tourist attraction — today they’ve become an integral part of the public transport system.
“Carriages have always been used in Bayamo, but now they’re being used a bit more,” said Silvia Diaz, a neighborhood leader.
High-level NKorea defector warns Trump on Kim, nukes… ‘Tricked’
Washington Times – A high-level defector from Kim Jong-un’s regime has sent a letter to President Trump warning that he has been “tricked” into believing the North Korean leader will ever denuclearize and that Washington should instead ramp up a “psychological warfare campaign” aimed at inspiring North Korea’s elites to replace the young dictator from within.
The U.S. should simultaneously impose “all-out sanctions” against Pyongyang and be prepared to carry out a “preemptive strike” against Mr. Kim’s nuclear sites, according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The warning comes as the White House seeks fresh momentum for Mr. Trump’s historic personal diplomatic outreach to Mr. Kim in the face of a slew of provocative military moves, rhetorical outbursts and more than a dozen ballistic missile tests by Pyongyang in recent months.
Election-weary Israel to face third vote in year
AFP – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz prepared Thursday for their third election campaigns in a year, with the country trapped in its worst political crisis in decades.
Israel’s parliament dissolved itself and called March 2 elections in the early hours of Thursday morning, less than three months after an inconclusive general election saw neither Netanyahu nor Gantz able to form a governing coalition.
The September election followed a similarly deadlocked vote in April and opinion polls suggested the third round could again be tight, with neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor Gantz’s centre-left alliance currently on course for a majority.
Pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom labelled the deadlock a “circus” on its front page on Thursday.
Public dissatisfaction with the stalemate prompted President Reuven Rivlin to call for citizens not to lose faith in the democratic process.
For Netanyahu, who was last month indicted on a series of corruption charges, the immediate challenge is to make sure he leads his Likud party into the election — with a leadership primary set for later this month.
In September, Gantz’s Blue and White alliance won 33 seats in the 120-member parliament, while Netanyahu’s Likud got 32.
Unable to command a majority with their natural allies, the two men spent weeks in talks on a national unity government but failed to agree on who should lead it.
Gantz was expected to address a meeting of his faction on Thursday evening.
– ‘Sink into despair’ –
Repeat elections are deeply unpopular with the Israeli electorate, and Gantz and Netanyahu were quick to trade blame on Wednesday.
Opinion polls found that around 40 percent of respondents blamed Netanyahu primarily for the deadlock, with only 5 percent naming Gantz as the main cause.
Rivlin, a largely ceremonial figure who had been trying to force the rivals to compromise, called on Israelis to keep faith in politics.
“We must not allow ourselves to sink into despair or grievance, which does no good. We must not lose faith in the democratic system,” he said in a statement.
Harvey Reaches $25M Settlement With His Accusers
SF Gate – After two years of legal wrangling, Harvey Weinstein and the board of his bankrupt film studio have reached a tentative $25 million settlement agreement with dozens of his alleged sexual misconduct victims, a deal that would not require the Hollywood producer to admit wrongdoing or pay anything to his accusers himself, according to lawyers involved in the negotiations.
The proposed global legal settlement has gotten preliminary approval from all the major parties involved, according to several of the lawyers. More than 30 actresses and former Weinstein employees, who in lawsuits have accused Weinstein of offenses ranging from sexual harassment to rape, would share in the payout — along with potential claimants who could join in coming months. The deal would bring to an end nearly every such lawsuit against him and his former company.
The settlement would require court approval and a final signoff by all parties. It would be paid by insurance companies representing the producer’s former studio, the Weinstein Company. Because the business is in bankruptcy proceedings, the women have had to make their claims along with its creditors. The payout to the accusers would be part of an overall $47 million settlement intended to close out the company’s obligations, according to a half-dozen lawyers, some of whom spoke about the proposed terms on the condition of anonymity.
Representatives for Weinstein declined to comment. Lawyers did not respond to requests for comment for board members and other parties.
Weinstein is scheduled to be tried in New York in early January on charges of sexual assault involving two women. While his criminal prosecution has drawn public attention, the largely hidden negotiations over civil claims have been far more consequential for many of his accusers, who include women from the United States, Canada, Britain and Ireland.
U.S. News, Politics & Government
Judiciary panel takes first steps toward vote
AP – The House Judiciary Committee took the first steps Wednesday evening toward voting on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, beginning a marathon two-day session to consider the historic charges with a lively prime-time hearing at the Capitol.
Democrats and Republicans used the otherwise procedural meeting to deliver sharp, poignant and, at times, personal arguments for and against impeachment. Both sides appealed to Americans’ sense of history — Democrats describing a strong sense of duty to stop what one called the president’s “constitutional crime spree” and Republicans decrying the “hot garbage’’ impeachment and what it means for the future of the country.
Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island asked Republicans standing by Trump to “wake up” and honor their oath of office. Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana responded with his own request to “put your country over party.” Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., shared his views in both English and Spanish.
One Democrat, Rep. Val Demings of Florida, told the panel that, as a descendant of slaves and now a member of Congress, she has faith in America because it is “government of the people” and in this country “nobody is above the law.” Freshman Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia emotionally talked about losing her son to gun violence and said that while impeachment was not why she came to Washington, she wants to “fight for an America that my son Jordan would be proud of.”
Nadler refuses to trust voters in take down Trump
Fox – The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night began the first phase of a fiery “markup” process for the two articles of impeachment against President Trump that they have settled on, barreling toward a final floor vote even as moderate Democrats in GOP-leaning districts have floated the idea of backing down in favor of a censure resolution.
Almost immediately, the evening proceedings broke out into heated disagreement, as the panel’s top Democrat declared that it would be unsafe to wait until the 2020 election to remove Trump, and another claimed Trump’s actions were an “affront to the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.” Meanwhile, the ranking Republican slammed Democrats for attacking Ukraine’s leader because he had undercut their case against Trump, which has foundered in several battleground polls.
“We cannot rely on an election to solve our problems, when the president threatens the very integrity of that election,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said in his opening statement, claiming Trump’s discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Joe and Hunter Biden’s dealings in the country, and the White House’s temporary withholding of military aid to Ukraine, constituted an “urgent” threat to national security.
House passage of $738 billion defense policy bill gives Trump a big win
Washington Examiner – The bipartisan $738 billion defense policy bill that passed the House yesterday on a rare 377-to-48 lopsided vote gives President Trump practically everything he wanted, and nothing he didn’t.
“Wow! All of our priorities have made it into the final NDAA: Pay Raise for our Troops, Rebuilding our Military, Paid Parental Leave, Border Security, and Space Force! Congress,” Trump tweeted after the vote. “Don’t delay this anymore! I will sign this historic defense legislation immediately!”
The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act now goes to the Senate, with a vote expected by early next week.
Eric Holder, once Obama’s ‘wingman,’ now calling out Barr for loyalty to Trump
Fox – Eric Holder, who headed the U.S. Justice Department under former President Barack Obama, penned a column late Wednesday in which he calls Attorney General William Barr an unfit successor due to “nakedly partisan” actions and loyalty to President Trump.
Barr has been a favorite target of Trump critics since becoming attorney general in February following the departure of Jeff Sessions. Barr’s detractors see him as a high-ranking enabler of the president who may use the department to serve Trump’s personal and political interests.
In an interview with Fox News earlier this year, Barr said he was ready for the criticism.
His supporters, however, see Barr as a major player in determining the origins of what became the Russia investigation. The White House and Republicans in Congress say they want to know more about why the FBI decided to investigate the Trump’s 2016 campaign’s possible ties to Moscow — what Trump has often called a partisan “witch hunt.”
Writing in The Washington Post, Holder’s criticism of Barr is wide-ranging. He points to a comment Barr made last month at a Federalist Society event, asserting that Barr made the “outlandish suggestion that Congress cannot entrust anyone but the president himself to execute the law.”
YORK: Of course FBI spied on Trump campaign
Washington Examiner – The great debate about whether the FBI spied on the Trump campaign continues. The question is why there is still any argument. The newly released report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz shows that by any definition the FBI did indeed spy.
The proof is in the details of the report. In addition to the much-discussed wiretap of Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page, Horowitz discussed the bureau’s use of what is called a CHS — a confidential human source, or, in more common terms, an informant, and a UCE — an undercover employee, or a secret agent, to gather information from at least three targets in the Trump campaign. One was Page, another was George Papadopoulos, also a member of the advisory team, and the third was an unnamed “high-level Trump campaign official who was not a subject of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”
Horowitz described “multiple CHS operations undertaken by the Crossfire Hurricane team.” There were “numerous CHS interactions with Page and Papadopoulos.” There was the CHS contact with the high-level campaign official. And then there were “additional CHSs” who attempted to contact Papadopoulos but did not succeed.
All the meetings and conversations were secretly recorded by the FBI. Some were also monitored live, as they happened, by agents and supervisors. The Horowitz report quoted liberally from transcripts of the recordings.
The Trump campaign was “clearly spied upon,” Attorney General William Barr said in an interview with NBC Tuesday. “I mean, that’s what electronic surveillance is. I think wiring people up to go in and talk to people and make recordings of their conversations is spying.”
That is correct. But remember what Barr said back in April after he launched another investigation, this one by U.S. Attorney John Durham, of the Trump-Russia probe: “The question is whether it was adequately predicated.” Did the surveillance have a proper basis?
Of course, even if it was adequately predicated, it was still spying. That’s why the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, known as the FISA court, which approves wiretaps and other surveillance, is colloquially known as the “spy court.”
Beyond that, Horowitz offered a mixed bag on the question of predication.
Yes, the FBI met its own low standards for sending an informant to secretly record a target. The Horowitz report included a touch of wonder, and worry, that FBI rules allow fairly low-level officials to order the use of a CHS who can secretly record a target. “We found it concerning that [Justice Department] and FBI policy did not require the FBI to consult with any Department official in advance of conducting CHS operations involving advisers to a major party’s presidential campaign,” Horowitz wrote.
So the spying “received the necessary FBI approvals,” Horowitz said. But at the same time, the report suggested the necessary approvals were far less than what was needed under the circumstances.
Economy & Business
U.S. offers to cancel December 15 tariffs on Chinese goods
Reuters – U.S. trade negotiators have offered to cancel a new round of tariffs on imported Chinese goods set to take effect on Sunday as part of an effort to cement a phase-one deal to de-escalate the trade relationship between the two powers, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday.
Citing people briefed on matter, the Journal also said Trump administration negotiators have offered to cut existing tariffs by as much as half on roughly $360 billion of Chinese-made goods.
CNS News – The federal government collected record total tax revenues of $470,706,000,000 in October and November, the first two months of fiscal 2020, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released today.
Despite collecting that record amount in taxes, however, the federal government still ran a deficit of $343,360,000,000 during October and November because it spent $814,012,000,000 in those two months.
That was the second-highest federal spending in the October-November period in the history of the United States. The only time the federal government spent more in the first two months of the fiscal year was in fiscal 2009 (October and November of 2008), when Congress enacted the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to bailout insolvent banks.
Bloomberg – Americans are projected to fall seriously behind on their credit card bills at the highest rate in a decade as banks push a record number of people to get plastic.
The share of credit card borrowers who are at least 90 days past due on their accounts will probably tick up to 2.01% next year, the highest level since 2010, according to a forecast by TransUnion. Still, the credit-rating company said the increase isn’t a cause for concern, noting that bad card debt still remains much lower than the level seen during the last recession.
“This is well-managed delinquency,” Matt Komos, TransUnion’s vice president of research and consulting, said in an interview. “It’s still healthy. This uptick is not concerning with the amount that credit has been expanding.”
The number of people with access to revolving credit reached a record 200.5 million in the third quarter. That figure was helped by private-label credit card originations, which reversed a 10-quarter slump by posting 2.4% growth, according to TransUnion.
As lenders sign up more people for credit cards, the newest borrowers are increasingly falling behind on their bills. Accounts opened in recent years have been souring at faster clips than prior years, suggesting that more new borrowers are struggling to keep up with their minimum payments. For instance, 5.4% of credit cards originated in 2018 were delinquent within nine months, up from 4.5% the year before.
Major card issuers including American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services have warned they’ve begun to tighten their credit standards in anticipation of a potential economic downturn. Still, lenders say their customers have continued to keep up with their bills as the U.S. unemployment rate remains near historic lows.
“The fact that a lot more people are employed and wages are going up, I think that’s certainly helping,” Margaret Keane, chief executive officer of Synchrony Financial, told investors at a conference this week. “Pretty much all what I would call ‘precursor signs’ of what we’d start to see if there’s pressure in the system, none of those are coming to fruition.”
Energy & Environment
Daily Mail – Sydney residents have been blanketed by a thick haze on Tuesday morning as dangerous bushfires blazing across New South Wales continue to push hazardous smoke over the harbour city.
Visibility was so low that Sydney ferries were forced to stop running, as smoke infiltrated train stations and set off fire alarms, causing havoc for the public transport system.
Buses will replace ferries between the city and Manly on the northern beaches, but no other routes will receive additional services. Sydney Ferries suggested commuters ‘delay their journeys’.
Transport NSW also warned some customers may be overcharged for their fares as Opal gates would be affected.
Particulate readings of 778 for PM2.5 in Mona Vale on the city’s north-east coast meant the suburb had the highest reported pollution levels in the world on Tuesday morning.
By comparison, Shanghai had a PM2.5 level of 188 while Hong Kong had a reading of just 135 at midday.
Health
Magic Mushrooms Pass First Hurdle as Depression Treatment
Bloomberg -Another party drug is showing signs of going legit as magic mushrooms cleared the first hurdle of tests required to become a treatment for depression. The active ingredient in the mushrooms, psilocybin, was found to be safe and well tolerated when given to healthy volunteers in a study by researchers at King’s College London. Unsurprisingly, the subjects got high. The potential of recreation drugs like marijuana as treatment has caught the medical world’s attention. In September, the school of medicine at Johns Hopkins University started a research center to study psychedelic drugs and their effects on behavior and brain function. Chief among them is psilocybin, whose potential is drawing researchers beyond depression. Scientists are seeking to enlist patients to test the chemical for ailments including addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and migraines.
STUDY: Even Minimal Alcohol Use Raises Cancer Risk
Study Finds – lcohol is such a large part of so many cultures and societies across the globe. From weddings to sporting events, it’s hard to go to virtually any social gathering of people and not encounter alcohol. While the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption are well-documented, a new study conducted in Japan finds that even those who only indulge in one drink at a time are putting themselves at an increased risk of developing cancer.
According to the research, conducted by The University of Tokyo and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, overall cancer risk was lowest among individuals who had never drank alcohol in their entire lives.
Prior to this set of research, previous studies on the influence of alcohol on cancer development have produced varied results. Some studies had found alcohol use actually lowered one’s risk of developing certain types of cancer. Of course, others had found an association between moderate alcohol use and increased overall risk of cancer.
So, in an effort to better understand this relationship, this study’s research team examined a large set of data collected between 2005-2016 across 33 Japanese hospitals. In all, 63,232 patients with cancer were matched up and compared to the exact same number of non-cancer patients, based off of factors like sex, age, hospital admission date, and specific hospitals.
Each participant also reported how often they usually drank alcohol, as well as the typical duration and amount.
After finishing their analysis, the researchers observed a clear and steady increase in cancer risk the more alcohol participants reported drinking. They concluded that a person who drinks just one alcoholic beverage per day for 10 years, or two drinks per day for five years, would increase their overall risk of cancer by a significant 5%.
Even newer drinkers appear to be putting themselves at risk; regardless of how long one has been consuming alcohol, individuals drinking two or fewer alcoholic beverages per day were found to have an increased chance of developing cancer.
These findings stayed consistent across genders, smoking habits, and socio-economic classes. Alcohol-related cancer risks were also especially prominent in body regions such as the breasts, prostate, esophagus, stomach, and colorectum.
“In Japan, the primary cause of death is cancer,” says study author Dr. Masayoshi Zaitsu in a statement. “Given the current burden of overall cancer incidence, we should further encourage promoting public education about alcohol-related cancer risk.”
The study is published in the scientific journal CANCER.
Less Than 5 Hours of Sleep Linked to Low Bone Density
Mercola – According to recent research, lack of sleep can impact your bone density and risk of osteoporosis (brittle bone), a condition that affects an estimated 10.3% of U.S. adults over the age of 50.
Women who slept five hours or less per night had, on average, 0.012 to 0.018 g/cm2 lower bone mineral density than those who slept seven hours or more — the equivalence of about one year of bone aging.
Women who slept five hours or less were also 22% more likely to have osteoporosis of the hip, and 28% more likely to have osteoporosis of the spine than those who slept seven hours or more each night.
Bisphosphonate drugs prescribed for osteoporosis have been shown to weaken bones and cause microcracks that heighten your risk for atypical bone fractures.
Nutrients that are important for healthy bone growth and strength include vitamin D, vitamins K1 and K2, calcium, magnesium and collagen.
Most load-bearing exercises fail to produce sufficient osteogenic load to trigger bone growth. Blood flow restriction training is an alternative that appears to have a beneficial effect on bone health and can be done by the elderly and those who cannot lift heavy weights
More Stories
Today’s News: April 26, 2024
Today’s News: April 25, 2024
Today’s News: April 24, 2024