A Filipino housekeeper who applied to work in the Upper East Side home of billionaire industrialist Leonard Blavatnik was allegedly turned down for the job because of her nationality. After spending a trial day working in the house cleaning the fireplace and vacuuming the floors, the woman, 55-year-old Esther Winkley, never heard back about the position. After a few weeks the headhunter who set her up with the job inquired with the Blavatnik's bulter, the magnificently named Wilfredo Balmaceda, who tersely replied, "No Philippines, thanks," in an email obtained by the Daily News. more ›

Sure Mongolia is a sparsely populated nation with a GDP just over 25% of what Wall St. alone pays out in bonuses, but this is New York City; and you gotta pay what you owe. So said a U.S. District Court judge Friday, when he ruled that India, Mongolia, and the Phillipines owed New York City tens of millions of dollars in back taxes. more ›