GAY WORLD | 19 countries with same-sex marriage

PARIS, France - Ireland has voted to legalize same-sex marriage, official results showed on Saturday, joining 18 countries which have made, or are in the process of making the change, 13 of them in Europe.

Referendums have previously been held in Croatia and Slovenia, and in both cases voters rejected legalizing gay marriage. In Slovenia same-sex marriages were, however, legalized by parliament in March 2015.

Europe

IRELAND: A constitutional amendment to allow gay marriage is passed in a May 22 referendum by 62 percent in favor to 38 percent against.

Parliament will now have to vote for the change to become law -- a formality since all the political parties were in favor.

THE NETHERLANDS: In April 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to allow gays and lesbians to marry in a civil ceremony and adopt children.

BELGIUM: Same-sex marriage was made legal in June 2003, but some restrictions apply. Homosexual couples were allowed to adopt children in 2006.

SPAIN: The country's socialist government made same-sex marriage legal in July 2005. Homosexual couples were also allowed to adopt, regardless of their marital status.

NORWAY: Homosexuals and heterosexuals were put on the same legal footing in January 2009 and allowed to marry, adopt and resort to assisted reproductive technologies.

SWEDEN: Same-sex couples were allowed to marry in civil or Lutheran Church ceremonies in May 2009. Adoptions for all have been legal since 2003.

PORTUGAL: Same-sex marriage has been legal since June 2010 but adoptions by homosexuals are not.

ICELAND: Same-sex marriages were legalized in June 2010, adoptions by homosexuals in 2006.

DENMARK: Since June 2012, gays and lesbians are allowed to marry in Lutheran Church ceremonies. Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize civil unions for gays and lesbians in 1989.

FRANCE: Same-sex marriage and adoptions by homosexuals were legalized in May 2013.

ENGLAND AND WALES: A law authorizing same-sex marriage was adopted in July 2013, followed by SCOTLAND in February 2014. British-controlled NORTHERN IRELAND remains deeply divided on the issue and is the only part of the United Kingdom not to make the change.

LUXEMBOURG: Parliament approved same-sex marriage in June 2014 and, just months after the law came into force, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel married his gay partner in May 2015.

SLOVENIA: Parliament voted in March 2015 to legalize gay marriage, three years after Slovenians voted against the measure in a referendum.

FINLAND: Voted for gay marriage in 2014, with the law set to come into effect in 2017.

North America

CANADA: A law authorizing same-sex marriage and adoptions entered into force in July 2005.

UNITED STATES: Same-sex marriage is legal in 37 states as well as the capital Washington DC. In a landmark decision in June 2013 the US Supreme Court found that couples in same-sex marriages are entitled to the same benefits and protections as their heterosexual counterparts. Judges are due to rule on the status of gay marriage nationwide in June.

MEXICO: The country's federal capital has allowed same-sex marriage since 2009.

South America

ARGENTINA: In July 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. Homosexual couples can also adopt.

URUGUAY: In April 2013, Uruguay became the second Latin American country to approve same-sex marriage. It had legalized adoptions by same-sex couples in 2009.

BRAZIL: It has de facto authorized same-sex marriage since May 14, 2013, after the National Council of Justice ordered clerks to register all marriages pending the adoption of a law by parliament.

Africa

SOUTH AFRICA: In November 2006, it became the first African country to legalize same-sex civil partnerships or marriage, also allowing couples to adopt.

Asia-Pacific

NEW ZEALAND: Marriage between homosexuals was legalized in April 2013, around 27 years after homosexuality was decriminalized in the first such decision in the Asia-Pacific region.

source: interaksyon.com

Google, ex-F1 boss Max Mosley settle sex party image row

BERLIN, Germany — Google and ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley have settled a dispute over images from a sadomasochistic orgy he took part in, the US tech giant and Mosley’s German lawyer said Friday.

“The dispute is settled to the satisfaction of both sides,” lawyer Tanja Irion told AFP over the years-long row in which Mosley had sought to stop the search engine from listing online links to the photos.

Irion said Mosley, 75, had commented that “the agreement is confidential… I’m happy and I do not want to jeopardise it”.

Google Germany spokesman Klaas Flechsig also told AFP that “I can confirm that we have settled the dispute to the satisfaction of both sides in all countries.

“Since the agreement is confidential, we cannot provide you with any further information,” he said in an email to AFP.

A court in Hamburg, Germany had in January last year ruled that the US technology firm must prevent the pictures being shown on its Germany-based google.de site, two months after a similar ruling in France.

Mosley, who formerly headed the FIA world governing body of motorsport, early this year also launched a court action in Britain to stop Google from showing the pictures.

His lawyers argued that Google was effectively a publisher — a notion that has been rejected by the company, which argues that its search engine is automated and throws up results based on algorithmic operations.

The German court in January 2014 said the images taken from a video of the orgy that was filmed by Britain’s now defunct News of the World tabloid “seriously violate the plaintiff’s privacy” as they showed Mosley performing sexual acts.

Internet privacy rights

Mosley’s lawyers at the time hailed the verdict as a “milestone for the protection of privacy rights on the Internet”, saying it brought “legal certainty in a blatant case of privacy rights violations”.

Days after the ruling Mosley told news weekly Spiegel that, while Google was “technically… brilliant, sensational”, the multinational was also “arrogant” and “doing whatever it wants”.

Google, based in Mountain View, California, at the time said it would appeal the German court’s decision, saying it sent a “disturbing message”.

The US company had argued that such rulings raised fears over costly and heavy-handed censorship of the Internet.

The Hamburg court had been due to rule on Google’s appeal on Tuesday next week.

The case was one of a string of legal battles waged by Mosley related to the publication of a video, pictures and a 2008 article published by the Rupert Murdoch-owned British newspaper alleging it was a Nazi-themed orgy.

Mosley successfully took the publisher to court over the Nazi claim, winning £60,000 (73,000 euros, $99,500) in damages when the judge ruled there was no Nazi element.

The plaintiff has always insisted the party involving sexual roleplay with prostitutes in a rented London apartment was consensual, harmless and private.

In 2011, a French court fined Murdoch’s News Corp. 10,000 euros after ruling that Mosley’s right to privacy had been infringed by the publication of the images in editions of the newspaper sold in France, which has one of the world’s toughest privacy laws.

Mosley, whose father Oswald Mosley led a British fascist party in the 1930s, headed the FIA for 16 years until 2009.

source: interaksyon.com

Rockets fend off elimination with Game 5 rout of Clippers

HOUSTON — Guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard delivered under the most dire circumstances for the Houston Rockets, who averted elimination with a 124-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night at Toyota Center.

Harden posted 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Rockets forced a return trip to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday night at Staples Center by thriving in the paint and playing with defensive vigor.

Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series three games to two. If the Rockets can even the series Thursday, Game 7 would be Sunday back in Houston.

The Rockets matched their Game 3 total for points in the paint (36) by halftime and finished with 64. Houston took full advantage of the foul difficulties plaguing Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who had three by the break while logging just nine first-half minutes.

Jordan finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds but was largely neutralized as a rim protector. Forward Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 30 points and 16 rebounds, while guard Chris Paul added 22 points and 10 assists. The guard trio of J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, instrumental in two blowout wins in Los Angeles, shot a combined 8-for-33.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale tweaked his lineup, starting forward Josh Smith in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Jones added 12 points and five boards.

Houston forward Trevor Ariza paired 22 points with eight assists.

The Rockets closed the first half with an 18-5 surge, limiting the Clippers to just one basket over the final three-plus minutes of the second quarter. Guard Jason Terry drilled a pair of 3-pointers during that run, and Harden scored six points, hitting a shot with 0.3 seconds left in the half for a 63-48 advantage.

The Rockets led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter before Griffin paced a Clippers rally with nine points during a surge that cut the deficit to 83-70. The Houston bench prevented any further slippage in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles failed the mount a serious late run.

NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers was surprised by the news that the New Orleans Pelicans fired coach Monty Williams after Williams guided them through a series of debilitating injuries and into the postseason for the second time in his five seasons. “That was a shocker to me,” said Rivers of the dismissal of Williams, who played for Rivers in Orlando (1999-2002). “I was surprised (because of) all the injuries they had.” … Clippers F Glen Davis continues to be slowed by the left ankle sprain he sustained in the opening playoff round against the San Antonio Spurs. Davis played just six minutes Tuesday after appearing for 15 minutes total during Games 3 and 4.

source: interaksyon.com

On top of minimum wage, regional wage board mulls productivity base pay for Boracay workers

ILOILO CITY - The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) is thinking of issuing an advisory on the productivity base pay for workers in Boracay Island.

RTWPB Secretary Nesa S. Nolido said it will be done through the Industry Tripartite Council of Boracay in response to the request of labor seeking additional support based on productivity.

Nolido explained that the productivity standards that fall under the two-tier wage system will provide bases for increases on top of the minimum wage.

The productivity standard can be implemented per industry or establishment through a request for a time and motion study.

“The board will issue a job order for specific establishment or industry,” she added.

Currently, only the sugar industry has its own productivity base pay for its workers.

To recall, business groups in Western Visayas called on the labor department and the RTWPB to come up with a productivity standard for every sector prior to the implementation of the Minimum Wage Order 21.

The order, however, already took effect May 2 following its publication in major publications.

The new minimum wage for workers in non-agriculture/industrial and commercial with more than 10 workers is now P298.50, and P256.50 for those with less than 10 employees.

For the agriculture industry, those working in plantation earn P266.50 a day and P256.50 for those working in non-plantation.

“The minimum wage is for the protection of skilled and new entrants to the labor force,” Nolido emphasized.

Meanwhile, a series of seminars and trainings is being conducted in Boracay Island for the proposed productivity base pay.

source: interaksyon.com

World's largest oil trade show sees more Chinese presence

HOUSTON -- The world's largest oil and natural gas trade show, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), kicked off in the US energy hub of Houston on Monday with a visible presence of emerging Chinese companies.

The annual event, a conference and exhibition, was unveiled Monday morning in the cavernous complex of NRG Park near downtown Houston. Thousands of professionals from around the world braved the Texas heat to attend the industry gala.

The show has apparently felt the pinch from the plunging oil prices as quite a few OTC veterans told Xinhua they saw less visitors and exhibitors coming this year.

OTC Chairman Ed Stokes, however, remained optimistic, saying though he did not have the attendance number right now but this year's exhibition floors are the largest ever -- enough to cover around 12 American football fields.

"The drop in oil price may have some impact (on OTC), but it doesn't affect the quality of the programs we have. The people here to speak are top class and the equipment and technologies on display are top notch," Stokes said.

Stokes noticed the increasing number of Chinese companies coming to the show. Among some 2,700 exhibitors, about one tenth are from China.

"We have more than 130 countries represented here. China is the second largest economy in the world and also a big player in oil industry," said Stokes. "So it's very important for Chinese companies to be here to advertise themselves and network with others."

Cao Minghui, an operation director with Sinopec Oilfield Services Corporation, admitted to Xinhua that as a latecomer in the industry, China still lags behind in many areas, especially in core technologies, but "we boast some leading stuff too."

"We are here to show our strength," Cao said while pointing to several simulated models of rig platforms, "we are eager to expand our overseas market."

Yang Yun, executive vice president of China Offshore Oil Engineering Co., was more ambitious. "During previous years, we were here more to learn from others, but this year we are more focused on marketing our own products and landing overseas clients," he said.

The four-day-long show includes exhibitions, panel discussions by high-profile speakers, and technical sessions. Started in 1969, it showcases leading-edge technology for offshore drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection.

source: interaksyon.com

Oculus virtual reality headsets set to ship in 2016

SAN FRANCISCO — Oculus, the virtual reality firm acquired by Facebook last year, said Wednesday it would begin shipping its Oculus Rift headset to consumers early next year after years of development.

“Today, we’re incredibly excited to announce that the Oculus Rift will be shipping to consumers in Q1 2016, with pre-orders later this year,” the company said in a statement.

The headset, designed for immersive gaming and other applications, has built a strong following among developers and has won praise from analysts for limiting the motion sickness which affects users of virtual reality (VR) gear.

“The Rift delivers on the dream of consumer VR with compelling content, a full ecosystem, and a fully-integrated hardware/software tech stack designed specifically for virtual reality,” the statement said.

“It’s a system designed by a team of extremely passionate gamers, developers, and engineers to reimagine what gaming can be.”

The statement said more details are forthcoming on hardware, software, and other technical specifications.

“Virtual reality is going to transform gaming, film, entertainment, communication, and much more,” the statement said.

Facebook last year bought the company for some $2 billion.

Facebook co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year that the acquisition of Oculus was a long-term bet that making the social network’s offerings more immersive would pay off in the future.

He suggested that the virtual reality technology could be applied to various offerings of the world’s biggest social network.

“People will build a model of a place far away and you will just go see it; it is just like teleporting,” Zuckerberg said.

source: interaksyon.com

oDesk-Elance rebrands as Upwork

MANILA, Philippines — The online platform oDesk, which has provided an avenue for home-based freelancers to contract work, has now rebranded into Upwork a year after merging with its competitor Elance.

“Upwork is a new name, and also a new platform for connecting businesses with talented professionals, faster and more easily than ever before,” Stephane Kasriel, Upwork CEO, said in a post on the company’s official blog.

According to company data released last year, there are about a million Filipino users using the oDesk-Elance platform, with total earnings of P3.3 billion in 2013 generated by Filipino freelancers.

Kasriel said they will focus on four areas of innovation with the new branding, namely faster hiring, better collaboration, larger teams, and professional growth.

The new platform carries similar oDesk functionality with a more simplified and mobile-friendly platform, and a new app for Android and iPhone.

“With an exciting and limitless future in mind, we choose Upwork to better convey our vision and represent our current and future community,” Kasriel said. “It’s a name that inspires us and we hope it will inspire you as well.”

The merger of Elance and oDesk, which was announced December 2013 was finalized April 2014. Together, the two entities have 9.3 million freelancers all over the world.

The Department of Science and Technology — ICT Office is also amplifying the budding popularity of home-based freelancing through the Internet by promoting it as a career option through its rural impact sourcing campaign in the provinces.

source: interaksyon.com

Mayweather lives up to 'Money' moniker

LOS ANGELES - As he finished speaking at the post-fight conference of his showdown with Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. approached some reporters in their seats dangling a check he just claimed after a night's work.

It was a check issued by Bank of America indicating a staggering $100 million (about Php4.46 billion).

"No pictures, though," Mayweather, sliding the check out of an envelope. "Don't want any pictures of it."

On Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Mayweather reminded everyone why he proudly calls himself "Money".

He just outpointed Pacquiao in boxing's richest fight ever, fashioning out a unanimous decision victory in front of over 16,000 fans. And he was paid handsomely for it.

Since the fight went the full 12 rounds, Mayweather has made around $55,000 per second. He did it by side-stepping his way out each time Pacquiao cornered him on the ropes and countering the gritty Filipino with jabs and short rights.

The $100 million check was just the first of other possible paychecks Mayweather will receive, when income from the live gate receipts, pay-per-view buys and other revenue sources comes in. He walked away from the ring a big winner - unifying the WBC, WBA and WBO welterweight titles - and will even be a bigger winner when he walks into the bank.

His boxing brilliance has made him the world's highest paid athlete for several years now.

"The ultimate goal is to make nine figures in a night. And that's what I did," he said at the dais.

Mayweather has been a staple in Forbes' list of world's highest-paid athletes, ranking first in 2014 with total earnings of $105 million. Pacquiao, for his part, is at 11th with total winnings of $41 million.

Pacquiao, for his part, was handsomely rewarded as well, taking home around $80 million, or roughly P3.5 billion. He is also entitled to a share of other revenues generated by the fight.

But unlike the unbeaten Mayweather, Pacquiao isn't someone who loves to brag about it. - With report from AP

source: philstar.com

David Goldberg, husband of Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg dies suddenly

LOS ANGELES - David Goldberg, the husband of Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, has died suddenly, his brother said Saturday.

Robert Goldberg said his brother, the chief executive of online polling firm SurveyMonkey, had died late Friday.

"It's with incredible shock and sadness that I'm letting our friends and family know that my amazing brother, Dave Goldberg, beloved husband of Sheryl Sandberg, father of two wonderful children, and son of Paula Goldberg, passed away suddenly last night," he wrote on Facebook.

David Goldberg was the chief executive of online survey firm SurveyMonkey, which is based in Palo Alto, California.

"Dave's genius, courage, and leadership were overshadowed only by his compassion, friendship, and heart," Palo Alto, California-based SurveyMonkey said in a statement.

US media outlets said he was 47, and the cause of death had not been immediately determined.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a posting that Goldberg was "an amazing person."

"I am glad I got to know him. My thoughts and prayers are with Sheryl and her family," Zuckerberg wrote.

Aside from her work at tech firms, Sandberg has drawn recognition for her bestselling book "Lean In," a memoir presented as a modern feminist manifesto in which she urged women to work to succeed in juggling their careers and family life.

source: interaksyon.com

After win over Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather plans one more fight before retiring

After beating Manny Pacquiao to maintain his unbeaten record, Floyd Mayweather reiterated that he plans to fight just one more time.

With one more fight, the 38-year-old Mayweather will fulfill his rich six-fight deal with telecaster Showtime.

And with one more victory he would match the iconic 49-0 ring record of Rocky Marciano.

“My last fight is in September, and then it’s time for me to hang it up,” the 38-year-old Mayweather said.

Mayweather has insisted throughout the build up to the Pacquiao fight that 49-0 would be enough for him — although skeptics think that should he get there he won’t be able to resist trying for a 50th win.

“I’m almost 40 years old now. I’ve been in this sport for 19 years and have been a champion for 18 years. I’m truly blessed.”

source: interaksyon.com