WEINSTEIN CO. UNDER CIVIL INVESTIGATION
N.Y.» State Attorney ALBANY,
General Eric Schneiderman announced a civil rights investigation Monday into The Weinstein Co. following sexual harassment and assault allegations against its co-founder, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
As part of the investigation, the prosecutor’s office issued a subpoena seeking company records on harassment complaints and legal settlements to determine whether any civil rights and anti-discrimination laws were broken.
“No New Yorker should be forced to walk into a workplace ruled by sexual intimidation, harassment or fear,” said Schneiderman, a Democrat. “If sexual harassment or discrimination is pervasive at a company, we want to know.”
The New York City-based company fired Weinstein on Oct. 8 after The New York Times and The New Yorker exposed allegations of sexual assault and harassment spanning decades.
Cisco paying $1.9 billion for BroadSoft.
YORK» Cisco NEW
Systems will pay about $1.9 billion to buy BroadSoft Inc. in a move aimed at expanding its communications software offerings. The networking technology giant is paying $55 per share, marking a 2 percent premium to Broadsoft’s closing price on Friday.
Gaithersburg, Marylandbased BroadSoft provides telecommunications technology for businesses, including phone services, audio and video conferencing and virtual meetings.
BroadSoft’s focus on smalland medium-sized businesses will help bolster Cisco’s offerings, the San Jose, Californiabased company said.
The deal is expected to close during the first quarter of 2018.
May says Brexit talks are on target.
LONDON» Giving an upbeat verdict on an inconclusive European Union summit, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday she has “a degree of confidence” that Brexit talks will be able to move to their decisive second phase by December.
She told lawmakers that the talks on Britain’s divorce from the EU had made “important progress,” despite a judgment by the 27 other EU leaders that more needs to be done before the two sides can discuss trade and their future relations.
With Britain’s March 2019 departure from the EU moving closer, Britain is eager to start discussing trade and future relations with the bloc. But EU leaders say there has not yet been “sufficient progress” on divorce terms.
China defends trade with North Korea.
BEIJING» China on Monday defended its growing trade with North Korea as permitted by U.N. Security Council sanctions that say they should avoid hurting “humanitarian needs.”
China, the North’s main trading partner, “strictly implements” sanctions aimed at stopping the North’s pursuit of nuclear and missile technology, said a foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang.
Customs data show Chinese exports to North Korea rose 31.4 percent in August from a year earlier, while imports fell 9.5 percent.
Beijing has pointed out the sanctions don’t prohibit food sales and argued against measures that might harm the North Korean public.
The Security Council barred member governments on Aug. 5 from buying North Korean coal and seafood.
Those penalties were expanded Sept. 11 to ban supplying it with natural gas or buying its textiles.
Concerns raised over mining company president.
BILLINGS ,
MONT.» Environmentalists have asked Montana regulators to suspend permits for two silver mines citing concerns over the track record of the president of the company behind the proposals.
Attorneys for Earthworks, the Clark Fork Coalition and three other groups on Monday pressed officials to enforce a state law that blocks individuals who fail to reclaim old mines from starting new ones.
Hecla Mining Company of Idaho is proposing the Rock Creek and Montanore mines in northwest Montana.
Its president, Phillips Baker, was formerly an executive with Pegasus Gold Inc., which operated three mines that environmentalists say left surrounding waterways polluted.