iRobot Roomba Avoiding Obstacles

Ireland feels the heat from Apple tax row

By Carmel Crimmins and Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland called on Wednesday for an international clampdown on multinationals shifting profits around the world to avoid tax, after criticism that Irish loopholes helped technology giant Apple to shrink its tax bill. A U.S. Senate investigation into the tax affairs of the maker of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers has shone an uncomfortable spotlight on Ireland's tax regime and forced the government to defend itself against accusations of being Europe's onshore tax haven. ...

The Irish loophole behind Apple's low tax bill

By Tom Bergin LONDON (Reuters) - Apple's ability to shelter billions of dollars of income from tax has depended on an unusual loophole in the Irish tax code that helps the country compete with other countries for investment and jobs. A U.S. Senate investigation revealed Tuesday that Apple, maker of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, channeled profits into Irish-incorporated subsidiaries that had "no declared tax residency anywhere in the world. ...

UK opposition party leader says Google tax behavior "wrong"

By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Google Inc's tax affairs came under renewed scrutiny in Britain on Wednesday when the leader of the opposition Labour party accused the Internet company of wrongly going to "extraordinary lengths" to avoid paying tax. In comments designed to politically outflank Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of next month's G8 summit on what has become a high-profile issue, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said he was disappointed that Google paid so little tax. "I can't be the only person here who feels disappointed that such a great company as Google ... ...

New Android apps worth downloading: Flickr update, GPS Navigation & Maps, Turbo Racing League

Today's first app worth downloading is great for smartphone photographers. Flickr's official Android app now comes with a terabyte of free space to use for uploading mobile images. GPS Navigation & Maps is up next and offers turn-by-turn directions and maps of the whole world. Finally, Turbo Racing League puts you in control of a high-speed snail in a 3-D racing game, and you can compete to win $1 million in a tournament hosted by Verizon.

Europe closes in on tax havens; Austria agrees to swap bank data

By John O'Donnell BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe moved closer to ending banking secrecy on Wednesday after Austria dropped objections to sharing data on foreign depositors and the EU focused on negotiating a similar agreement with Switzerland. "It's a bad day for tax cheats," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told reporters at a meeting of EU leaders to discuss fighting tax fraud. "We will act jointly and I believe we will manage the exchange of data by the end of the year. ...

Miliband says Google tax behaviour 'wrong'

By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Google Inc's tax affairs came under renewed scrutiny in Britain on Wednesday when the leader of the opposition Labour party accused the Internet company of wrongly going to "extraordinary lengths" to avoid paying tax. In comments designed to politically outflank Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of next month's G8 summit on what has become a high-profile issue, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said he was disappointed that Google paid so little tax. "I can't be the only person here who feels disappointed that such a great company as Google ... ...

Google CEO s Condition Spotlights Vocal Cord Paralysis and Its Treatment

Google CEO s Condition Spotlights Vocal Cord Paralysis and Its Treatment

EU leaders shine spotlight on Amazon, Google over tax policy

By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European leaders will discuss how to combat aggressive tax avoidance by major companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple at a summit on Wednesday, and cut the estimated 1 trillion euros a year the EU loses to tax evasion or avoidance. The four-hour summit was originally called to discuss energy policy, but investigations in Britain, France and the United States exposing how little tax major international companies have been paying by carefully structuring their European operations has forced the issue to the top of the agenda. ...

Ahead of the Bell: HP's 2Q results likely to sag

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hewlett-Packard will provide an update on its efforts to rise above the sinking PC market when it releases quarterly earnings Wednesday after the closing bell.

Sony mulls hedge fund's entertainment sale idea

TOKYO (AP) — Sony's CEO Kazuo Hirai says the electronics giant's board will discuss a proposal by U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to 20 percent of its movie, TV and music division.