Tag: pay

In legal setback, Trump ordered to pay $5 mn to woman in sex abuse case

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New York: In a legal setback, former US President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $5 million in damages to a woman who accused him of rape but he does not face prison time because it was a civil case.
A jury gave the verdict on Tuesday in a civil case hinging on an attack in a fitting room in a high-end store decades ago and Trump defaming her by calling her accusations a “hoax”.
The jury did not accept her claim of rape, but declared him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

E. Jean Carroll, 79, brought the case against the front-runner to be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate next year, Trump, who she said had raped her decades ago, but was not sure when it happened.
In a post on Truth Social media, Trump characteristically called the verdict a “continuing of the greatest witchhunt of all time” and said he would appeal.
There was a large crowd of demonstrators outside the courthouse denouncing his treatment of women when the verdict came down.
Carroll was a columnist for the Elle magazine at the time she said she was attacked around 1996.
Trump is facing a criminal case brought by a local prosecutor in New York accusing him of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to a woman who claimed to have had an affair with him.

If convicted in that case, he could be sentenced to prison time, although that would not bar him from running for election under the US Constitution.
The first former President to face criminal charges, Trump was arrested and produced in court last month but was released pending the trial that could take place early next year.
The latest opinion poll by ABC News and The Washington Post taken before the verdict showed him six percentage points ahead of President Joe Biden.
Trump, who is busy campaigning for his presidential run, did not take the witness stand to contest Carroll’s case.
Several women have accused him of rape and sex abuse, but the thrice-married Trump, who once revelled in the image of a playboy, has not faced criminal charges.
A damning piece of evidence introduced against him related to a video of him using an obscenity and saying, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, grab ’em by the (genitals).”
During a deposition – testimony and cross-examination outside a court to speed up the trial – he defended the statement saying that “historically that is true” when asked about it by Carroll’s lawyer.
A video of his statement made during the cross-examination was shown to the jury, a citizens’ panel made up of three women and six men, which gave the verdict in less than three hours of deliberations after eight days of the trial.
Carroll herself took the stand at the trial as did two other women who said that they had been abused by Trump, one of them while on a plane.
“I’m here because Donald Trump raped me,” Carroll told the jury and gave a graphic description of Trump abusing her with his fingers before raping her.
She said that the encounter took place in the lingerie department of the department store when he approached her on the pretext of trying to find a gift for a woman friend.
He banged her head on the wall of a fitting room before the attack, she said.
Carroll first made the accusations public while the presidential race was heating up in 2019 in a magazine excerpt ahead of the publication of her book, What do We Need Men For”? in which she wrote about the assault more than two decades after the attack.
He was unaffected by the disclosure and he contested the election next year, even as other women made accusations against him.
Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina questioned Carroll’s credibility, saying that she did not report the attack to the police, didn’t remember the day it took place and brought it up decades later.
Two friends of Carroll testified that she had told them about the assault around the time it took place.
Lisa Birnbach said that Carroll told her about the assault minutes after it happened but declined her offer to accompany her to make a police complaint.
Trump is caught in a web of legal issues.
New York State Attorney General Leitia James has filed a civil case over his and his adult children’s business practices.
A state prosecutor in Georgia is looking into allegations that Trump interfered in the election results and a federal special counsel is examining if he had a role in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress by his supoporters.
Federal prosecutors are also investigating his handling of classified documents that he took from the White House when he left office.
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#legal #setback #Trump #ordered #pay #woman #sex #abuse #case
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 10, 2023
Kashmir Hajj Pilgrims To Pay 50,000 More, Tarigami Says

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SRINAGAR: Kashmiris are once again facing exorbitant airfare prices ahead of the busy travel season, with some paying two to three times the usual fees to fly from Srinagar to Delhi. Typically, this flight would cost between Rs 3000 and Rs 5000, but the current prices range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.
Even Haj pilgrims are not immune to these high prices, with those departing from the Srinagar Embarkation Point (EP) having to pay Rs 50,000 more than those leaving from the Delhi EP. The price hike has prompted criticism from some quarters, who accuse the airlines of profiting unfairly at the expense of the public.
Senior CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami took to Twitter to denounce the increase in airfare prices. “Airlines are arbitrarily raising fares, leaving travellers in distress,” he tweeted. “Even Haj pilgrims are being forced to pay more. The tentative Haj amount payable by pilgrims at the Srinagar Embarkation Point (EP) is Rs 50,000 higher than that for pilgrims embarking from Delhi EP.”
During the 2023 Hajj conference, Smriti Zubin Irani, the Minister for Minority Affairs, announced that Indian citizens travelling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj would pay at least Rs 1 lakh less than the previous cost.

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#Kashmir #Hajj #Pilgrims #Pay #Tarigami
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 9, 2023
Consumer court orders Guwahati cinema hall to pay Rs 60,000 to woman who was bitten by rat

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Guwahati: A cinema hall in Guwahati was asked by a consumer court to pay Rs 60,000 to a 50-year-old woman, who was bitten by a rat during a movie show.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Kamrup directed Galleria Cinema in Bhangagarh to pay the woman Rs 40,000 as compensation for mental agony, and Rs 20,000 for pain and suffering, besides reimbursement of medical bill of Rs 2,282 and another Rs 5,000 towards covering the cost of proceedings.
The woman had gone to the hall with her family for the 9 pm show of a movie on October 20, 2018. During the interval, she felt something had bitten her on the foot, and she immediately rushed out after starting to bleed, her lawyer Anita Verma told PTI on Friday.

The cinema hall authorities failed to provide her with any first aid and none of its staff accompanied her to the hospital, she maintained.
“At the hospital, she was kept under observation for two hours as the doctors were initially not sure what had bitten her. She was later treated for rat bite,” Verma added.
She moved the court, seeking compensation of Rs 6 lakh for mental agony, pain and suffering, besides the amount incurred towards her medical treatment and other expenses.
Contesting the allegations, Galleria Cinema said that proper hygiene is maintained within its premise and that they had offered first aid to the woman, which she had refused.
Galleria Cinema urged the court to reject the complaint, and sought a compensatory cost of Rs 15,000.

After hearing the arguments, and taking into consideration the documents submitted by woman and that no evidence could be produced in support of the claims made by the cinema hall, the court ordered the payment of the compensation on April 25.
The cinema hall was negligent in maintaining hygiene for giving proper service to the viewers as required under the Cinematography Act and other obligations, the court said.
The amount is to be paid within 45 days, failing which an interest of 12 per cent per annum will be levied from the date of judgement, it said.
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#Consumer #court #orders #Guwahati #cinema #hall #pay #woman #bitten #rat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 5, 2023
JK Government Increases DA For Employees Under Seventh Pay Commission

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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday issued a new order regarding the payment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to its employees. According to the government order, all regular government employees under the 7th Pay Commission will now be eligible for an increased DA of 42% of their basic pay, effective from January 1, 2023. This revised rate is a 4% increase from the previous rate of 38% of the basic pay.
First, let’s understand what Dearness Allowance is. It is an allowance given by the government to its employees to offset the impact of inflation and rising prices of goods and services. Essentially, it’s a way to help employees keep up with the cost of living. The amount of DA varies from state to state and is calculated as a percentage of the employee’s basic pay.
So, what does this mean for the employees? Suppose an employee’s basic pay is Rs. 20,000. Under the old rate of 38%, they would receive a DA of Rs. 7,600 (38% of Rs. 20,000). But with the new rate of 42%, they will receive a DA of Rs. 8,400 (42% of Rs. 20,000). This extra money will help the employees cope with the increased expenses due to inflation and rising costs of living.
The order also specifies that the term ‘Basic Pay’ in the revised pay structure means the pay drawn in the prescribed level in the Pay Matrix as per the 7th Pay Commission recommendations, excluding any other type of pay like special pay. This means that only the regular salary of the employees will be taken into consideration while calculating the DA.
Additionally, the order mentions that the arrears on account of the additional instalment of DA with effect from January 2023 shall be paid in cash in the month of May 2023 and shall form a part of salary from May 2023 onwards. This means that the employees will receive the extra money they were supposed to get from January 2023 in May 2023, along with their regular salary.
The order also states that the payment on account of Dearness Allowance involving fractions of 50 paisa and above may be rounded to the next higher rupee, while the fractions of less than 50 paisa shall be ignored. This means that if the extra money the employees are supposed to receive is more than 50 paisa, it will be rounded up to the nearest rupee, and if it’s less than 50 paisa, it will be ignored.
The order was issued by the General Administration Department under the file number GAD-CORD/113/2021-09-GAD, and the Government Order No: 93-F of 2023.

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#Government #Increases #Employees #Seventh #Pay #Commission
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

May 4, 2023
Top CEOs received 9% pay rise in 2022, employees took 3% pay cut

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New Delhi: Leading CEOs globally, including India, received a real-term 9 per cent pay rise in 2022, while workers worldwide took a 3 per cent pay cut during the same period, a report showed on Monday.
Around 150 of the top-paid executives in India received $1 million on average last year, a real-term pay rise of 2 per cent since 2021.
A single Indian executive makes just four hours more than an average worker earns in a year.

Employees on average worked six days “for free” last year because their wages lagged behind inflation — while real pay for top executives in India, the UK, the US and South Africa jumped 9 per cent (16 per cent if not adjusted for inflation), reveals new analysis from Oxfam released on the International Workers’ Day.
One billion workers in 50 countries took an average pay cut of $685 in 2022, a collective loss of $746 billion in real wages, compared to if wages had kept up with inflation.
According to the report, women and girls are putting in at least 380 billion hours of unpaid care work every month.
Women workers often have to work reduced-paid hours or drop out of the workforce altogether because of their unpaid care workload. They also continue to face gender-based discrimination, harassment, and less pay for work of equal value as men, the findings showed.
“While corporate bosses are telling us we need to keep wages down, they’re giving themselves and their shareholders massive payouts. Most people are working longer for less and can’t keep up with the cost of living,” said Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International’s interim Executive Director.

Years of austerity and attacks on trade unions have widened the gap between the richest and the rest of the people.
“The only rise workers have seen is that of unpaid care work, with women shouldering the responsibility,” Behar said. “This incredibly hard and valuable work is done for free at home and in the community.”
Shareholder dividends meanwhile hit a record $1.56 trillion in 2022, a 10 per cent real-term growth compared to 2021.
“Workers are tired of being treated like sacrificial lambs every time a crisis hits. Neoliberal logic blames inflation on everyone except profiteering corporations,” said Behar.
Governments should stop relying only on interest rate hikes and austerity that we know hurts ordinary people, particularly those living in poverty.
Instead, they should introduce top rates of tax of at least 75 per cent on super-rich corporate bosses to discourage sky-high executive pay, and windfall taxes on excessive corporate profits, he mentioned.
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#Top #CEOs #received #pay #rise #employees #pay #cut
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 1, 2023
Federal workers tell Trudeau to step in to pay and work-from-home dispute

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Striking federal workers in Canada are calling for the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to get involved in stalled negotiations, as the largest job action in decades enters its 10th day and key government services grind to a halt.
More than 100,000 employees with Canada’s largest public sector union have been on strike since last week in a battle over wages and the ability to work remotely.
The strike has disrupted the federal government’s ability to process income tax returns and to issue quarterly payments to low-income Canadians. With taxes due in the coming days, the country’s revenue agency has said it will not delay filing deadlines. Passport and visa processing have also slowed significantly.
The union and the federal government agree workers should get a raise – but the two sides are divided over how much is fair. The union initially called for 13.5% over three years, as well as contract language that formalizes a universal work-from-home policy. The treasury board has offered a 9% raise over a similar time period, which they say equates to an additional C$6,500 (US$4,800) annually for workers.
“This government says it cares about restoring services for Canadians, but they seem content to shrug it off and prolong this strike and its impact on Canadians everywhere,” the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union, said in a recent internal email sent to workers.
Despite the protracted nature of the strike, 55% of Canadians support federal employees’ right to work from home, according to polling from the Angus Reid Institute, a non-profit public opinion firm.
In recent days, the union escalated its picket lines by targeting Toronto’s Pearson airport, the country’s busiest travel hub, as well as attempting to block shipping ports in Vancouver, Montreal and St John’s. Thousands of workers have also picketed on Parliament Hill.
Despite mounting pressure to end the strike, the treasury board, which oversees public administration, said in a statement it would “not sign agreements that the country cannot afford, nor ones that severely impact our ability to deliver services to Canadians”.

With talks stalled, union leaders say they have lost confidence in the treasury secretary, Mona Fortier, to break the impasse. Instead, they want Trudeau to take a more hands-on approach.
“He can either get involved personally and help settle this dispute or he can turn his back on the workers who are striking,” the union president, Chris Aylward, said while visiting striking workers on Parliament Hill. “We’ll be out here for as long as it takes.”
Trudeau has said he supports the right to collective bargaining.
“Yes, it’s frustrating to know that Canadians may, as the days come, have more difficulty accessing services, but that’s a motivator for everyone to try and resolve this,” said Trudeau.
As the strike drags on, the standoff has become increasingly used as prop, with leaders looking to score political points.
Earlier in the week, the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, sang Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, criticizing Trudeau’s trip to New York city for meetings. Poilievre was reminded by parliament’s speaker that singing is not permitted in the House of Commons.
The New Democratic party leader, Jagmeet Singh, who has a deal to support the governing Liberals until 2025, warned his party would not support any legislation that forced workers to abandon their strike.
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#Federal #workers #Trudeau #step #pay #workfromhome #dispute
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 29, 2023
Shah Rukh Khan, Byju’s staffer ordered to pay compensation, return fees

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Indore: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Indore in Madhya Pradesh has issued an order against a staffer of ed-tech firm Byju’s and film superstar Shah Rukh Khan for alleged “fraudulent behaviour” and “unfair trade practice” on the complaint of a woman who enrolled for coaching to become an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
In its order passed on Wednesday, the commission said Rs 1.08 lakh in fees deposited by complainant Priyanka Dixit at the time of admission in 2021 must be returned along with 12 per cent annual interest, while Rs 5,000 must be given to her as litigation cost and Rs 50,000 as compensation for financial and mental agony.
The commission said the local manager of Byju’s and actor Khan must pay the amount “jointly or severally” to Dixit. The term ‘jointly and severally’ refers to a partnership in which each party involved is equally liable with respect to liability.

“Since the respondents (Byju’s manager and actor Shah Rukh Khan) remained absent even after notices were served in the case and no reply was submitted on their behalf, unilateral action was taken against them,” the commission said in the order.
“The woman complainant was encouraged to take admission in Byju’s coaching (course) by placing false and misleading online advertisements on behalf of the opposition parties. No coaching facility was provided after receiving the fee and despite assurance of refund of the amount, the fee was not refunded, which in itself is fraudulent behaviour and shows unfair trade practice,” the commission’s order said.
Dixit had named Shah Rukh Khan as one of the respondents after claiming she had enrolled for the firm’s coaching course in order to prepare for the Union Public Service Commission’s civic exams after being influenced by its advertisement issued on January 13, 2021.
In her complaint, Dixit alleged the firm had assured her of coaching by good teachers and that her classes would start from January 14, 2021, which did not happen.
She said in her complaint she had asked the firm to refund her fees and cancel her admission on January 27, 2021.

Despite repeated requests, the firm did not refund her fees, Dixit’s complaint alleged.
As per provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, a person can file a complaint against a company for errors in services as well as against those advertising it, Dixit’s lawyer Suresh Kanga told PTI.
“We filed a complaint against Byju’s and Khan under these provisions as Khan featured in the advertisement of the company, which prompted my client to take admission in the said coach course,” Kanga said.
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#Shah #Rukh #Khan #Byjus #staffer #ordered #pay #compensation #return #fees
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 28, 2023
Iran court orders Obama, Bush to pay $313m for 2017 ‘terrorist’ attacks

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Tehran: The Iranian court has ordered the United States government and nine individuals and entities, including former Presidents Barack Obama, and George Bush to pay 313 million dollars (Rs 25,60,26,33,150) in compensation for the 2017 attacks carried out by the Islamic State militant group.
On Wednesday, an Iranian court issued the verdict based on complaints from the families of three people killed and six injured during the June 2017 attacks in Tehran, according to the judiciary’s official news website, Al Jazeera reported.
Those convicted in this case include the US government, former Presidents Barack Obama, George Walker Bush, Central Command and its former commander Tommy Franks, the CIA, the Treasury Department, arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin and American Airlines.

The court ruled that 9.95 million dollars (Rs 81,37,95,575) should be paid in compensation for financial damages, while 104 million dollars (Rs 8,50,74,13,200) and 199 million dollars (Rs 16,27,86,07,950) in moral and punitive damages, respectively, for a total of 313 million dollars (Rs 25,60,26,33,150).
On June 7, 2017, the Iranian parliament and the shrine of Imam Khomeini in the capital, Tehran, were subjected to terrorist attacks.
Four gunmen disguised as women entered the parliament and opened fire on the security guards, and gunmen separately attacked the shrine of Imam Khomeini and opened fire on the people inside the compound.
At least 17 people were killed and nearly 50 injured in these attacks, for which the terrorist organization ISIS later claimed responsibility.
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#Iran #court #orders #Obama #Bush #pay #313m #terrorist #attacks

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 27, 2023
Ayurveda practitioners not entitled to same pay as doctors with MBBS degrees, says SC

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that practitioners of alternative systems of medicine such as Ayurveda are not entitled to equal pay with allopathic doctors as they not are involved in performing emergency duties and complicated surgeries.
Setting aside a Gujarat High Court order, the top court said the emergency duty that allopathy doctors are capable of performing and the trauma care that they are able to provide cannot be performed by Ayurveda practitioners.
It noted that even post-mortem or autopsy is not carried out by Ayurveda practitioners.

The apex court was hearing a batch of appeals challenging a 2012 Gujarat High Court order which had held that Ayurveda practitioners are entitled to be treated at par with doctors with MBBS degrees.
While recognising the importance of Ayurveda practitioners and the need to promote alternative or indigenous systems of medicine, the top court said that it cannot be oblivious of the fact that both categories of doctors are certainly not performing equal work to be entitled to equal pay.
A bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice Pankaj Mithal said allopathy doctors are required to perform emergency duties and provide trauma care.
“By the very nature of the science that they practise and with the advancement of science and modern medical technology, the emergency duty that allopathy doctors are capable of performing and the trauma care that they are capable of providing cannot be performed by Ayurveda doctors,” it said.
The apex court said it is also not possible for Ayurveda practitioners to assist surgeons performing complicated surgeries while doctors with MBBS degrees can perform the task.

“We shall not be understood to mean as though one system of medicine is superior to the other. It is not our mandate nor within our competence to assess the relative merits of these two systems of medical sciences. As a matter of fact, we are conscious that the history of Ayurveda dates back to several centuries.
“We have no doubt that every alternative system of medicine may have its pride of place in history. But today, the practitioners of indigenous systems of medicine do not perform complicated surgical operations. A study of Ayurveda does not authorise them to perform these surgeries. Similarly, a post-mortem or autopsy is not carried out by/in the presence of Ayurveda doctors,” it said.
The apex court said it is common knowledge that during out-patient days in general hospitals in cities or towns, doctors with MBBS degrees are made to attend to hundreds of patients, which is not the case for Ayurveda practitioners.
“Therefore, even while recognising the importance of Ayurveda doctors and the need to promote alternative/indigenous systems of medicine, we cannot be oblivious of the fact that both categories of doctors are certainly not performing equal work to be entitled to equal pay,” it said.
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#Ayurveda #practitioners #entitled #pay #doctors #MBBS #degrees
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
British American Tobacco to pay $635m over North Korea sanctions breaches

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British American Tobacco (BAT) has agreed to pay more than $635m (£511m) to US authorities after a subsidiary pleaded guilty to charges that it conspired to violate US sanctions by selling tobacco products to North Korea and commit bank fraud.
The tobacco sales at the heart of Tuesday’s settlement took place from 2007 to 2017 to the isolated Communist nation, according to both the company and the Justice Department. North Korea faces an array of US sanctions to choke off funding for its nuclear and ballistic missile program.
“This case and others like it do serve as a warning shot to companies,” Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general of the Justice department’s National Security Division, told a news conference.
The case represents the “single largest North Korea sanctions penalty” in Justice department history, he said.
BAT, the world’s second-biggest tobacco group, makes Lucky Strike and Dunhill cigarettes.
Its annual report for 2019 said the group has operations in a number of nations that are subject to various sanctions, including Iran and Cuba, and that operations in these countries expose the company to the risk of “significant financial costs.”
In a statement, BAT said it has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice department, while one of its indirect subsidiaries in Singapore – BAT Marketing Singapore – pleaded guilty.
It also separately entered a civil settlement with the US Treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The $635.2m payment to US authorities is the total to cover the three cases, the company said.
“We deeply regret the misconduct arising from historical business activities that led to these settlements, and acknowledge that we fell short of the highest standards rightly expected of us,” the company’s CEO Jack Bowles said in a statement.
In a court filing, the Justice Department said the company also conspired to defraud financial institutions in order to get them to process transactions on behalf of North Korean entities.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is known as a chain smoker – frequently seen with a cigarette in hand in photographs in state media. A US-push for the UN security council to ban exports to North Korea of tobacco and manufactured tobacco was vetoed by Russia and China in May last year.
In addition to the settlement with British American Tobacco, the Justice Department on Tuesday also disclosed criminal charges against North Korean banker Sim Hyon-Sop, 39, and Chinese facilitators Qin Guoming, 60, and Han Linlin, 41, as part of a “multi-year scheme to facilitate the sale of tobacco to North Korea.”
From 2009 through 2019, the Justice department said they bought leaf tobacco for North Korean state-owned cigarette manufacturers and falsified documents to trick US banks into processing at least 310 transactions worth $74m that would have otherwise been blocked due to sanctions.
The government said North Korean manufacturers, including one owned by the North Korean military, were able to reap about $700m in revenue thanks to those illicit transactions.
The three defendants remain at large. The state department is offering rewards for information leading to their capture.
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#British #American #Tobacco #pay #635m #North #Korea #sanctions #breaches
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 26, 2023