UK Queen's private estate invested in offshore funds: leaks

LONDON - Millions of pounds from the private estate of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II have been invested in offshore tax haven funds, a huge new leak of financial documents revealed on Sunday.

Around £10 million ($13 million, P670.7 million) of the Queen's private money was placed in funds held in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, according to the leaked papers, which were first reported in Britain by the BBC and the Guardian newspaper.

They said the funds reinvested the money in an array of businesses, including controversial rent-to-own retailer, BrightHouse, which has been accused of exploiting the poor, and a chain of alcohol stores which later went bankrupt.

The investments, which were entirely legal, were made through the Duchy of Lancaster, which provides the monarch with an income and handles investments of her vast estate and remain current, the media outlets said.

There is no suggestion that the Queen's private estate acted illegally or failed to pay any taxes due.

But the leaks may raise questions over whether it is appropriate for the British head of state to invest in offshore tax havens.

ONE RULE FOR THE SUPER RICH

A spokeswoman for the Duchy of Lancaster said: "All of our investments are fully audited and legitimate."

"We operate a number of investments and a few of these are with overseas funds."

She added: "the Queen voluntarily pays tax on any income she receives from the Duchy."

The spokeswoman noted that one of the fund investments represents only 0.3 percent of the total value of the Duchy.

Meanwhile the money put into BrightHouse "is through a third party", and equates to just 0.0006 percent of the Duchy's value, she added.

The investments emerged as part of a new mass leak -- dubbed the Paradise Papers -- by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which was behind the 2016 Panama Papers release.

The latest haul contains 13.4 million documents mainly from Appleby, an offshore law firm with offices in Bermuda and beyond, which were first obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, and shared with the ICIJ and partner media outlets.

A spokesman for the British government's taxation department on Sunday defended its efforts to tackle avoidance, noting it had secured an additional £160 billion ($209 billion, P10.7 trillion) in taxes since 2010.

"This includes more than £2.8 billion from those trying to hide money abroad to avoid paying what they owe," he said in a statement.

The spokesman added the department has 26,000 staff working on tax avoidance and evasion, while the government has provided an extra £800 million ($1 billion, P53.6 billion) to fund their efforts.

Jeremy Corbyn, the left-leaning leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, reacted to the leaks on Twitter, linking to a video in which he had challenged the government on the issue in Parliament.

"There's one rule for the super-rich and another for the rest when it comes to paying tax," he wrote.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Church of England welcomes first openly gay bishop

A British bishop has become the first in the Church of England -- the mother church of the worldwide Anglican faith -- to announce he is homosexual, in an interview published Saturday.

Nicholas Chamberlain, the Bishop of Grantham in central England, told the Guardian newspaper he was in a long-term relationship with his male partner, after a Sunday paper reportedly said it was about to publish a story on his private life.

"It was not my decision to make a big thing about coming out," he said, adding that he adhered to church guidelines which stipulate that gay clergy must be celibate.

"People know I'm gay, but it's not the first thing I'd say to anyone. Sexuality is part of who I am, but it's my ministry that I want to focus on."

The church knew he was gay when he became a bishop last year, he revealed.

"I was myself. Those making the appointment knew about my sexual identity."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the world's Anglican faith, said Chamberlain's sexuality was "completely irrelevant".

"His appointment as Bishop of Grantham was made on the basis of his skills and calling to serve the church in the diocese of Lincoln," he said.

"He lives within the bishops' guidelines and his sexuality is completely irrelevant to his office."

Chamberlain said of his relationship: "It is faithful, loving, we are like-minded, we enjoy each other’s company and we share each other’s life."

A Church of England spokesman said it would have been "unjust" not to appoint him based due to his sexuality.

The Church of England dropped its opposition to gay clergymen in civil partnerships becoming bishops in 2013, although many of the Anglican faith worldwide -- who number 80 million -- were opposed.

The Anglican Church of Uganda in 2014 said it may consider breaking away from their mother church in England if it put Uganda under pressure over its tough anti-homosexuality law.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

FHM to cease publication

MANILA - The publisher of FHM is suspending the magazine's publication after more than 30 years in circulation, it was announced on Tuesday.

In a statement posted on its website, Bauer Media explained that "over time young men's media habits have continually moved towards mobile and social."

A report from The Guardian revealed that FHM's circulation fell to less than 67,000 for the first six months of 2015, or 20 percent less than that of the year before.

The Facebook page of FHM issued its own statement, saying: "Unfortunately it's true: it has been announced today the intention to suspend publication of FHM."

"It's been an absolute joy producing the magazine over the years. Thank you for all your support - we will keep you updated with developments over the coming weeks," it added.

Bauer Media also announced that it is suspending publication of a similar magazine called Zoo, which was launched back in 2004.

First published as "For Him Magazine" in 1985, FHM dominated the men's market during the 1990s and went on to launch a series of international editions. It is perhaps best known for its "100 Sexiest Women in the World" list.

FHM Philippines has yet to release a statement on the matter.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Tips for taking that 'perfect' selfie

MANILA - Taking "selfies" using your smartphone can be easy and at the same time, difficult because the photographer will have to take into consideration various factors.

In an article titled "Why We Hate Selfies" published on the British website The Guardian, writer S.E. Smith noted that the "artist" will have to consider "the setting, the lighting, and the framing to create an image that expresses a mood, experience or feeling."

Smith, in the write-up that tackles the relationship of selfies being dismissed as a low form of art and the women's penchant for such, also noted that those taking selfies may also find the need to include other elements, such as "animals, peoples, or landscapes."

Having said that, the mobile arm of ABS-CBN has taken the time to compile a list of tips for those wanting to better their selfies, using a simple 13-megapixel smartphone camera found in the latest O+ USA 360 Extreme.

According to the list, one important factor is to always keep a smile. "Show off your pearly whites and charm everyone with your eyes," it wrote.

The list also suggested to take advantage of the technology available, nowadays, that allows anyone with a smartphone to easily snap a photo: "Shoot multiple selfies to capture that perfect angle."

Also, the list noted a technique called "Fresh Eyes," wherein one closes their eyes and opens them before snapping the photo. "You'll be surprised at how fresh you look in the photo," it said.

To learn more about the ABS-CBNmobile and O+ 360 Extreme partnership and how to avail of the smartphone bundle, visit www.abs-cbnmobile.com.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

What Liam Neeson thinks of Pacquiao's boxing, acting skills

MANILA - Hollywood actor Liam Neeson is all praises for People's Champ Manny Pacquiao's boxing skills but kept mum when asked what he thought of the Pacman's acting.

In an interview on the Guardian website, Neeson, best known for his work in movies like "Schindler's List" and "Taken, said that like Manny, he also started boxing at a young age.

"I was a boxer as a kid, from the age of nine to about 17. But Manny was brought up in a f*cking shack with rebels firing guns and stuff. He was facing death on a daily basis. And not having food to eat! That’s rock, rock bottom. What a foundation to build your future on; there's nowhere to go but up. So, when he fights, beside his natural talent – which is phenomenal – you’ve got this f*cking anger. But it’s a very controlled anger. He's fighting not just for himself, but for all of the Philippines," he said.

On the other hand, Neeson said he has not seen any of Pacquiao's movies except for a few clips. Pacquiao has acted in eight movies included Wapakman in 2009.

"I saw a sample of them on the documentary and it threw me a little bit. I thought, OK … maybe let’s save those for another day," Neeson said.

Aside from acting, Pacquiao has also dabbled in TV hosting, recording and even coaching a professional basketball team. He is the current congressman of Sarangani.

Neeson is the narrator in the Pacquiao documentary "Manny." He told the Guardian that he won a few titles when he was still an amateur boxer.

Co-director Ryan Moore earlier said he chose Neeson to narrate the documentary because he wanted an actor who understood the boxing struggle.

"There were a few celebrities, a few Hollywood actors I wanted to use and one of them was Liam Neeson. Because growing up in Ireland, he was a boxer. He had something like 40 amateur fights. In fact, that signature broken nose he has is actually from boxing," explained Moore.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com