Julie Rains's Trender Post (1)

Ireland says not to blame for Apple's low tax rate

By Conor Humphries and Padraic Halpin CORK/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc's low global tax payments and had no special rate deal with the company after the U.S. Senate said it paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries. The Irish government, which has seen the luring of U.S. multinationals with low taxes as a key part of its economic policy since the 1960s, said its system was transparent and other countries were responsible if the tax rate paid by Apple was too low. ...

Microsoft expected to reveal next-generation Xbox

REMOND, Wash. (AP) — Will Xbox mark the spot once again for Microsoft?

Sprint boosts buyout offer for Clearwire

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Sprint says it has raised its buyout offer for the stake in Clearwire it does not already own by 14 percent.

Ericsson closes telecom cable manufacturing facility

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ericsson announced on Tuesday plans to shut its telecom cable manufacturing facility in Sweden and would take a 500 million Swedish crown ($75 million) charge as a result. The company said it had given notice of a reduction of 354 positions. It said the market for copper cable had declined while fiber cable demand had grown over the last years, with production shifting towards Asia. "There is overproduction on the cable market in Europe," Tomas Qvist, head of Special Products in business unit Networks, said in a statement. ...

Video: Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active leaks again

After being revealed on camera for the first time on Monday in a series of leaked photos, Samsung’s unannounced Galaxy S4 Active has leaked once again. This time the upcoming smartphone has been given a quick preview in a video published by a MobileTechReview forum user. The S4 Active is a ruggedized version of Samsung’s popular Galaxy S4, featuring shock-proofing, dust-proofing and slightly less impressive specs; it looks like the phone will forego the global S4′s eight-core processor and will also include an 8-megapixel camera instead of the original model’s 13-megapixel unit. The video of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active follows below.

Ireland says has no special tax deal with Apple

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland does not have a deal with Apple Inc or any other company to tax their profits at a special 2 percent rate instead of the normal 12.5 percent, Ireland's European Affairs minister told Reuters on Tuesday. Ireland has been defending its corporate tax rate after the U.S. Senate said on Monday that Apple paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits in Irish subsidiaries and that Dublin had handed the company a favorable rate. ...

Apple accused of seeking ‘the Holy Grail of tax avoidance’

It’s safe to say that Apple CEO Tim Cook won’t be having much fun on Tuesday when he testifies before the Senate about his company’s alleged tax dodging practices. The Hill reports that a new report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has found that Apple has allegedly “funneled money through three offshore companies to dodge billions in taxes,” which some senators say highlights major holes in U.S. tax law. Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), for one, said that Apple “sought the Holy Grail of tax avoidance” as it “created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars, while claiming that it was a tax resident nowhere.” Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), meanwhile, said that “a company that found remarkable success by

Spotify's Top 10 most viral tracks

The following list represents the most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, May 13, to Sunday, May 19, via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

Spotify's Top 10 most streamed tracks

The following list represents the top streamed tracks on Spotify from Monday, May 13, to Sunday, May 19:

Iranians face new Internet curbs before presidential election

By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranians are struggling with slower Internet speeds and limited access ahead of an unpredictable presidential election that has put hardline Islamist authorities on alert for possible unrest. Experts and web users say they believe the Internet obstacles are related to the June 14 presidential vote, the first since 2009 polls in which accusations of fraud - denied by the government - kindled months of protests organised in part via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. ...