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Meta faces backlash over Canada news block as wildfires rage
Meta is being accused of endangering lives by blocking news links in Canada at a crucial moment when thousands have fled their homes and are desperate for wildfire updates that once would have been shared widely on Facebook. The situation "is dangerous," said Kelsey Worth, 35, of one nearly 20,000 residents of Yellowkife and thousands more in small towns ordered to evacuate the Northwest Territories as wildfires advanced. She described to AFP how "insanely difficult" it has been for herself and other evacuees to find verifiable information about the fires blazing across the near-Arctic territory and other parts of Canada. "Nobody's able to know what's true or not," she said. "And when you're in an emergency situation, time is of the essence," she said, explaining that many Canadians until now have relied on social media for news. Meta on August 1 started blocking the distribution of news links and articles on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to a recent law requiring digital giants to pay publishers for news content. The company has been in a virtual showdown with Ottawa over the bill passed in June which only takes effect next year. Building on similar legislation introduced in Australia, the bill aims to support a struggling Canadian news sector that has seen a flight of advertising dollars and hundreds of publications closed in the last decade. It requires companies like Meta and Google to make fair commercial deals with Canadian outlets for the news and information -- estimated in a report to parliament to be worth Can$330 million (US$250 million) per year -- that is shared on their platforms, or face-binding arbitration. But Meta has said the bill is flawed and insisted that news outlets share content on its Facebook and Instagram platforms to attract readers, benefiting them and not the Silicon Valley firm. Profits over safety Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week assailed Meta, telling reporters it was "inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of (safety)... and keeping Canadians informed about things like wildfires." Almost 80 percent of all online advertising revenues in Canada go to Meta and Google, which has expressed its own reservations about the new law. Ollie Williams, director of Cabin Radio in the far north, called Meta's move to block news sharing "stupid and dangerous." He suggested in an interview with AFP that "Meta could lift the ban temporarily in the interests of preservation of life and suffer no financial penalty because the legislation has not taken effect yet." Nicolas Servel, over at Radio Taiga, a French-language station in Yellowknife, noted that some had found ways of circumventing Meta's block. They "found other ways to share" information, he said, such as taking screenshots of news articles and sharing them from personal -- rather than corporate -- social media accounts. Life and death Several large newspapers in Canada such as the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star have launched campaigns to try to attract readers directly to their sites. But for many smaller news outlets workarounds have proven challenging as social media platforms have become entrenched. Public broadcaster CBC in a letter this week pressed Meta to reverse course. "Time is of the essence," wrote CBC president Catherine Tait. "I urge you to consider taking the much-needed humanitarian action and immediately lift your ban on vital Canadian news and information to communities dealing with this wildfire emergency." As more than 1,000 wildfires burn across Canada, she said, "The need for reliable, trusted, and up-to-date information can literally be the difference between life and death." Meta -- which did not respond to AFP requests for comment -- rejected CBC's suggestion. Instead it urged Canadians to use the "Safety Check" function on Facebook to let others know if they are safe or not. Patrick White, a professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, said Meta has shown itself to be a "bad corporate citizen." "It's a matter of public safety," he said, adding that he remains optimistic Ottawa will eventually reach a deal with Meta and other digital giants that addresses their concerns. The post Meta faces backlash over Canada news block as wildfires rage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Salient rights of OFWs (1)
Whether it is to find greener pastures or provide for their families, many Filipinos have been compelled to pursue employment opportunities abroad. In fact, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs has increased throughout the years. In 2021 alone, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that there are over 1.83 million OFWs. Under Republic Act 8042, as amended, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, an OFW is any person engaged, is engaged, or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a state of which he or she is not a citizen or on board a vessel navigating the foreign seas other than a government ship used for military or non-commercial purposes or in an installation located off-shore or on the high seas. It is important to note that the constitutional protection granted to labor under Article II, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution likewise extends to OFWs regardless if they are working outside the Philippine jurisdiction. Here are the salient rights of an OFW pre-employment, during employment, and post-employment. Pre-employment: The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency requires that every employment contract of OFWs must contain the following minimum provisions: Complete name and address of the employer/company; Position and job site of the Overseas Filipino Worker; Basic monthly salary, including benefits and allowances and mode of payment. The salary shall not be lower than the prescribed minimum wage in the host country or the prevailing minimum wage in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, whichever is higher; Food and accommodation or the monetary equivalent which shall be commensurate to the cost of living in the host country, or off-setting benefits; Commencement and duration of the contract; Free transportation from and back to the point of hire, or off-setting benefits, and free inland transportation at the job site or off-setting benefits; Regular work hours and days off; Overtime pay for services rendered beyond the regular working hours, rest days, and holidays; Vacation leave and sick leave for every year of service; Free emergency medical and dental treatment; Just/valid/authorized causes for termination of the contract or of the services of the workers, taking into consideration the customs, traditions, norms, mores, practices, company policies, and the labor laws and social legislations of the host country; Settlement of disputes; Repatriation of worker in case of imminent danger due to war, calamity, and other analogous circumstances, at the expense of employer; and In case of worker’s death/repatriation of OFW’s human remains and personal belongings, at the expense of the employer. The licensed recruitment agency shall, prior to the signing of the employment contract, inform the OFW of their rights and obligations, and disclose the full terms and conditions of employment. It shall likewise ensure that the OFW is provided a copy of the POEA-approved contract to give the OFW ample opportunity to examine the same. Any changes to provisions of the signed employment contract, whether done in the Philippines or abroad, must be approved by the POEA. Otherwise, the alteration, substitution, or change shall be considered null and void. (To be continued) For more of Dean Nilo Divina’s legal tidbits, please visit www.divinalaw.com. For comments and questions, please send an email to cabdo@divinalaw.com. The post Salient rights of OFWs (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Thailand charges Canadian over Indian gangster murder in Phuket
Thai police said on Monday they have charged a Canadian man they described as a mercenary with the murder of an Indian gangster in the resort island of Phuket. Officers launched an investigation after Jimi "Slice" Sandhu -- whose nickname came from a distinctive scar on his face -- was shot and killed in February 2022. Interpol issued a red notice last year for Canadian citizen Matthew Leandre Ovide Dupre in connection with the murder. The 38-year-old was extradited from Canada and returned to Thailand late Sunday. "He is quite a key suspect and a professional mercenary. He flew in to finish his job, and did not even bring a weapon," National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas told reporters. Dupre was charged with premeditated murder, illegal gun possession, and firing a gun, a police statement said. Officials said Dupre denies all charges. Damrongsak said Dupre was a former soldier and mercenary who had worked in several countries, including Afghanistan. He had arrived directly from Canada in the Thai capital Bangkok on a special Thai Air Force flight, Damrongsak said. "It is a difficult case, no commercial flights or countries allowed the plane to refuel as they were concerned about hostage-taking," he said. Officers will continue to investigate who supplied the weapon. Canada and Thailand have an agreement to provide mutual assistance, including extradition, in criminal cases. Thai state prosecutor Intranee Sumawong said the foreign office had reassured Canadian concerns over Thailand's death penalty, under a new extradition bill. Sandhu was shot on 15 February 2022, after he flew in on a private jet from Malaysia days earlier. Police obtained CCTV footage showing two men jumping from bushes, opening fire on Sandhu, and then fleeing into the night. Sandhu's car had had a GPS tracker taped to it before the attack, the 2022 Interpol notice said. Sandhu was deported from Canada in 2016 over a string of criminal offenses, resurfacing when he was detained in India over a ketamine factory in 2018. A second man, Gene Karl Lahrkamp, also wanted in connection with the murder, died in a small plane crash in 2022, according to Canadian media. The post Thailand charges Canadian over Indian gangster murder in Phuket appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lawsuit alleges Twitter-Saudi Arabia conspiracy
The sister of a Saudi critic jailed and allegedly tortured in prison has sued Twitter and the kingdom before a United States federal court in San Francisco for damages. American citizen Areej al-Sadhan filed the lawsuit accusing the short-messaging platform of transmitting her brother’s tweets to Saudi authorities. Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, a former employee of the Red Crescent in Riyadh, set up an anonymous Twitter account through which he critiqued the ultra-conservative monarchy and retweeted dissident voices, according to the lawsuit. The transmittal of the tweets led to his 2018 arrest and 20-year jail sentence. The kingdom’s secret police broke Abdulrahmam’s hand and smashed his fingers, taunting him that ‘this is the hand you write and tweet with,’ his sister claimed in the lawsuit. “The secret police also tortured Plaintiff Abdulrahman with electric shocks, flogged and hung him from his feet, suspended him in contorted positions, deprived him of sleep, threatened to behead him, insulted him and kept him in solitary confinement for years,” the suit added. The lawsuit said, “Twitter became a participant tool of transnational repression to silence voices of dissent beyond Saudi Arabia’s borders in the United States and abroad, all in an effort to monetize its commercial relationship with Defendant KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).” The lawsuit noted that a Saudi investment firm as of late last year was the second biggest shareholder in Twitter after CEO Elon Musk and that some of the Saudi stake had been sold to the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. The lawsuit named Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a conspirator, and seeks a jury trial to determine damages. The post Lawsuit alleges Twitter-Saudi Arabia conspiracy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Twitter, Saudi Arabia sued in US over jailed user
The sister of a Saudi national imprisoned after tweets criticizing the government on Tuesday sued both Twitter and the kingdom, alleging they worked together to support "repression." The lawsuit filed in a US federal court in San Francisco, which named powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a conspirator, seeks a jury trial to determine damages. Abdulrahman al-Sadhan was working for the Red Crescent in Riyadh when he was taken away from the office in 2018 and later handed a 20-year jail sentence. Al-Sadhan, who had studied in the United States, had set up an anonymous Twitter account through which he critiqued the ultra-conservative monarchy and retweeted dissident voices. US prosecutors later charged two former Twitter employees for spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia. One was convicted in December with another believed to have left for the kingdom. The lawsuit said the agents transmitted confidential Twitter data 30,892 times. Al-Sadhan's sister Areej al-Sadhan, a US citizen, said in the lawsuit that she learned that secret police "broke Plaintiff Abdulrahmam's hand and smashed his fingers, taunting him that 'this is the hand you write and tweet with.' "The secret police also tortured Plaintiff Abdulrahman with electric shocks, flogged and hung him from his feet, suspended him in contorted positions, deprived him of sleep, threatened to behead him, insulted him, and kept him in solitary confinement for years," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit sued Twitter and Saudi Arabia on allegations of racketeering, a US crime initially used to target the mafia that involves coordinating illegal activity for profit. The lawsuit noted that a Saudi investment firm as of late last year was the second biggest shareholder in Twitter after CEO Elon Musk and that some of the Saudi stake had been sold to the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund. The lawsuit said that Twitter, including by allowing anonymous accounts, had been a champion for activists in the Arab Spring democratic uprisings. "Unfortunately, Defendant Twitter became a participant tool of transnational repression to silence voices of dissent beyond Saudi Arabia's borders in the United States and abroad, all in an effort to monetize its commercial relationship with Defendant KSA," it said, referring to the kingdom. Areej al-Sadhan said in the lawsuit that she has had to be "constantly vigilant" since her brother's arrest and fears being kidnapped. "Plaintiff Areej suffers daily as a target of the Saudi Criminal Enterprise, in what she can only describe as a 'living nightmare,'" it said. The post Twitter, Saudi Arabia sued in US over jailed user appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Retired US Navy officer proposes ship repair facilities in Subic
A decorated former United States Navy admiral has discounted the possibility of the reported plan to re-establish an American military base in the Philippines like the facility they used to share in Subic Bay.In an open letter to President Duterte, retired US Navy Rear Admiral Daniel W. McKinnon, Jr. instead suggests it would be a “good business” for the Philippines to embrace the idea of bringing shipyard jobs back to Subic Bay. McKinnon was reacting to the statement made by President Duterte during his State of the Nation Address last week where the latter flatly rejected the reported US plan to return to its former naval base in the Philippines. “I saw in the press that in your recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) you voiced concern about the United States Navy returning to establish a base in the Philippines, like the remarkable joint security facility we used to share in Subic. I believe I can assure you it will never happen,” the retired US naval officer said in his letter dated July 29, 2020.McKinnon, who was stationed at the former US base in Subic, said what can happen is that the US Navy can help re-establish a viable “commercial” ship overhaul and voyage repair, or even ship construction industry on historic Subic Bay. “And why not? It is neither war provocation nor threatening to the Philippine people,” the retired US Navy officer said.If approached to bring shipyard jobs back to Subic Bay under a public-private partnership, the Philippine government should embrace the idea, noting that the Philippines is a 7,000-island archipelago straddling a major artery of world commerce. “Repairing ships transiting that artery is only good business,” he said. He explained that the US Navy, and every sea power, commercial or naval, needs voyage repair. For decades the Ship Repair Facility (SRF) on the deep-water port of Subic Bay, and a similar facility in the port of Yokosuka in Japan, helped sustain the upkeep of ships far from home. He recalled having attended the opening of Philseco, a commercial ship repair facility at Subic City in 1981. The US bases, however, were closed in 1992 after the Philippine Senate rejected the extension of its tenure. The facility later became Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction, a commercial bulk cargo ship construction on the Redondo peninsula across the City of Olongapo. “It became of national importance, providing employment to the many skilled Philippine shipyard workers displaced when the US Navy SRF at Olongapo closed in 1992. It was sad to see Hanjin go into bankruptcy and the effect it had on Philippine families,” McKinnon said. In his open letter, McKinnon remembered back in 1968 when his naval ship was undergoing repair in Subic. “I and my friends became tourists. It was wonderful to attend a concert of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, visit the historic island of Corregidor, and learn to love ‘pancit’, both ‘canton’ and ‘bihon’. Doctors loved going into the small communities on Luzon providing family health care. Ships, both commercial and military, need voyage repair. Sailors go ashore, become tourists, and make friends.” Upon the closure of the SRF in Subic, the US Navy workload moved to countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, among others. When the first United States military command was established in Singapore in 1991, it became a regional contracting center, not a base. “It was all about the conduct of business in Asia,” he said. While in Subic Bay, McKinnon was assigned as Director, Shipbuilding and Overhaul Contracts, Naval Sea Systems Command and Commanding Officer, Naval Supply Depot. He co-founded an organization that provides vocational training to unemployed young men, co-founded a foundation that supported the City of Olongapo hospital and orphanage, and later becoming an honorary citizen of the city.In his military career, McKinnon was a recipient of two Legions of Merit and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Service Medal of the US Department of Defense. .....»»
Israel bombs Gaza, fights Hamas around hospitals
Israeli forces pounded besieged Gaza on Wednesday and fought Hamas around several hospitals, despite a UN Security Council demand for a ceasefire. Talks in Qatar towards a truce and hostage release deal involving US and Egyptian mediators have brought no result so far, with Israel and the Palestinian militant group blaming each other. READ: Israel.....»»
Why Jake Cuenca pursued anew ‘TOTGA’ Chie Filomeno
Jake Cuenca previously described Chie Filomeno in interviews as The One That Got Away, but now it seems she’s the one that got back. While he said he’s not putting any label yet on his relationship with the actress-dancer, the two have happily rekindled their aborted romance......»»
Marcos Jr. eyes stronger maritime ties with India
The Philippines is seeking stronger maritime security cooperation with India to ensure the safety of seafarers from both nations as the world’s oceans are becoming more dangerous for commercial shipping, President Marcos said......»»
RCBC to surrender trust license
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) is looking to surrender its license to engage in trust and other fiduciary business as part of its efforts to make RCBC Trust Corp. a stand-alone trust entity......»»
Amparo steps in to replace Andales for the IBF world title bout in Japan
CEBU CITY, Philippines — In a surprising turn of events, world-ranked Jake “El Bambino” Amparo of the PMI Bohol Boxing Stable stepped in as a last-minute replacement for countryman ArAr Andales in facing the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) world minimumweight champion Ginjiro Shigeoka on March 31 in Nagoya, Japan. This was confirmed by PMI.....»»
Six presumed dead after ship destroys major US bridge
Authorities on Tuesday suspended their search for six people missing after a packed cargo ship slammed into a Baltimore bridge, causing it to collapse and blocking one of the busiest US commercial harbors......»»
RCBC surrenders trust license
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. has surrendered its license to engage in trust and other fiduciary business as part of its efforts to make RCBC Trust Corp. a stand-alone trust entity......»»
Flintlock: A Classic Summer Blockbuster – The Daily Guardia
A44 Games, a New Zealand-based developer, is set to release their highly-anticipated third-person action-RPG, Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn. The game pays homage to the.....»»
Indian Coast Guard ship docks at Manila port amid tensions in South China Sea
Manila [Philippines], March 26 (ANI): Amid tensions in the South China Sea, the Indian Coast Guard ship, Samudra Paheredar docked at the Manila Bay in the Philippines as part of a broader initiative aimed at demonstrating ICG Marine Pollution Response capabilities, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an official release on Tuesday. The ICG ship which arrived at the port on Monday, is on an overseas deployment to ASEAN c.....»»
DENR defends LLDA on lake sharing
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources defended yesterday the decision of the Laguna Lake Development Authority to increase the share of commercial operators in Laguna de Bay, saying it was the local government units who recommended to President Marcos the modification in the sharing agreement as small fisherfolk could not meet the required supply of fish......»»
Davao Media-Citizen Council elects officers
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) – The Davao Media-Citizen Council (DMCC) on Saturday elected its officers from representatives of various fields — media, business, law and academe. MindaNews’ Special Reports Editor Carolyn O. Arguillas was elected chair while Antonio Peralta representing the business sector was elected vice chair. Peralta chairs the Southern Mindanao Business […].....»»
Hamas tells mediators it will stick to original position on ceasefire
Hamas earlier presents a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the United States in mid-March that includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences.....»»
Digital connectivity space tackled in amendments to National Building Code
A pending legislation at the House of Representatives amending the 47-year-old National Building Code of the Philippines would make it more responsive to the broadband connectivity demands of a digital economy, a citizen advocacy group said......»»
Billions for commercial tuna industry, crumbs for fisherfolk
Months of investigation by Bulatlat revealed that the booming commercial tuna industry in General Santos City, dubbed the Philippines’ “tuna capital,” favors industrial scale commercial fishing fleets at the expense of the livelihood of thousands of ordinary fisherfolk. The post Billions for commercial tuna industry, crumbs for fisherfolk appeared first on Bulatlat......»»