Osborne vows crackdown on tax-avoiding tech firms

British finance minister George Osborne said on Monday he was examining changes to clamp down on tax avoidance by multinationals which the government says are depriving Britain's public coffers of hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

"Some technology companies go to extraordinary lengths to pay little or no tax here," Osborne told an annual conference of his Conservative Party.

"If you abuse our tax system, you abuse the trust of the British people. And my message to those companies is clear: we will put a stop to it."

Osborne did not mention any companies by name in his speech, which focused on the importance of bringing down Britain's budget deficit and promoting his stewardship of the economy as May's national election approaches.

Corporate tax avoidance has become a hot political topic following critical media coverage and parliamentary investigations into the arrangements many big firms use to reduce tax bills.

Osborne was among Group of 20 finance ministers who pushed the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to re-examine international rules that allow technology companies to shift profits into tax havens.

Proposals unveiled by the OECD earlier this month could eliminate structures that have allowed companies such as Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc to shave billions of dollars off their global tax bills.

Britain's finance ministry said the planned new measures to stop the diversion of profits offshore would raise "hundreds of millions of pounds as part of an anti-avoidance package raising billions of pounds over the next parliament."

The new measures would "dramatically reduce" the benefits for companies of using complex arrangements, such as the so-called "double Irish" accounting arrangement deployed by multinationals, especially technology firms, in order to reduce declared profits, the ministry said in a news release.

Tax campaigners have said that some new legislation introduced by Osborne on international groups with a tax base in the United Kingdom has made it easier for companies to avoid tax and encouraged a raft of multinational companies to shift their tax residence to Britain.

Google overtakes Apple as world's most valuable listed company

Revenue spike sees tech firm’s parent company, Alphabet, valued at $568bn – surpassing Apple’s valuation of $535bn

Google has become the world’s most valuable listed company after announcing that its global revenues rose 13% to $75bn (£52bn) last year, and the group’s tax rate fell to just 17%.

The group took a record $1.9bn of revenues from its UK customers for the last three months of 2015, up 16% on 2014 – and all routed through its controversial tax structure in Ireland. But for the impact of the pound weakening against the dollar, UK revenues would have been up 20%.

Adding to the £3.7bn in British sales completed earlier in the year, Google’s fourth-quarter revenues from the UK, took 2015 turnover from British advertisers to £5bn.


In after-hours trading, the share price for Alphabet, Google’s parent company, immediately jumped 9%, implying a total stock market value for Alphabet of $568bn. That meant it eclipsed rival Californian tech firm Apple, which has a value of $535bn, making Alphabet the most valuable company in the world.

As chief financial officer, Ruth Porat, summarised the group’s tax position, there was no mention of the £130m 10-year tax settlement with HMRC that has led to widespread outrage.

Instead, Porat highlighted that a better-than-expected settlement with the US tax authorities – relating to separate multi-year dispute – had seen the group’s effective tax rate drop sharply during the last three months of the year.

Porat said that, as a result, the group’s effective tax rate had been 17% for 2015, down from 19.3% in 2014. This compares with a headline tax rate of 35% in the US, the group’s largest market, and a rate of 20% in the UK, its second biggest market.

Key to Google’s low tax rate is the controversial and complex arrangements it uses to shift non-US income from the UK and elsewhere to Bermuda, using aggressive tax strategies known as the double Irish and the Dutch sandwich.

Much of Google income from the UK arrives in Ireland and is then squeezed through another Google company in the Netherlands before bouncing back to Ireland and Bermuda, a UK overseas territory and tax haven.

George Osborne had promised to stop multinationals diverting UK sales and profits overseas, but Google this month announced it had struck a deal with HMRC to continue the controversial arrangement.

The episode as initially claimed as a “major success” by Osborne, who introduced a tax on diverted profits last year. Many critics have since labelled it a “sweetheart deal” and even business minister Sajid Javid said it was “not a glorious moment”.

The chancellor had said his diverted profits tax would force companies to unwind their complex tax structures which “abuse the trust of the British people”. As a consequence, the tax was dubbed “the Google tax”

Google’s UK business paid tax of just £21m for 2013. The British company’s soon-to-be-published latest accounts – for the 18 months to June 2015 – show it has agreed to pay back taxes and interest of £130m covering underpayments stretching back a decade.

As in previous years, 2015 after-tax profits from the UK and other non-US markets have further boost Google’s Bermudan coffers in 2015.

The search group is shortly expected to confirm in its annual report that its cash mountain, parked in a company in the North Atlantic island, increased by $4bn to $43bn by the end of December.

Defending its UK tax settlement, Google has previously said: “After a six-year audit by the tax authority we are paying the amount of tax that HMRC agrees we should pay. Governments make tax law, the tax authorities enforce the law and Google complies with the law.”

Japanese man cooks, serves own genitals

TOKYO(AFP) - A Japanese artist cooked his own genitals and served them to five paying diners in Tokyo to cover the medical costs, in a bizarre act to raise awareness about sexual minorities.

Mao Sugiyama had his penis and testicles surgically removed in March and kept them frozen for two months before dishing them out - seasoned and braised - to customers at an event hall on May 13, according to postings on his Twitter account and local police.

Diners paid 20,000 yen (S$320) for the plate with a portion of genitals. Pictures published on a website appeared to show the meal came complete with mushrooms and a parsley garnish.

The painter, who is reportedly 22, said on Twitter the organ had been removed by a physician and certified to be free of infections.

The meal was prepared under the supervision of a certified cook and diners were required to sign a waiver indemnifying Sugiyama and event organisers.

In May 18 tweets, the artist said steps were taken so the act met all relevant laws, including a ban on organ sales, processing of medical waste and even food sanitation requirements.

"I receive questions from some women and men... asking 'Will there be a next time? Please host it again.' But there is only one set of male organ," he tweeted on May 16.

"Unfortunately, I have no plan for the next time."

Sugiyama, who considers himself "asexual", that is without gender, initially thought about eating the genitals himself, but decided to solicit paying customers to help pay his hospital bills for the surgery.

In an email to AFP, he confirmed the event had taken place and said it was organised to raise awareness about "sexual minorities, x-gender, asexual people". He said he was readying to publish an official account of the day.

Police in Tokyo said they knew of the episode, but added that it had not broken the law as cannibalism was not illegal in Japan.

"We are aware of the case. There was nothing (criminal) to it. It does not violate any detailed rules. There is nothing to take action about," an officer at Suginami police station told AFP.
- See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/world/japanese-man-cooks-serves-own-genitals-2828#sthash.7ZKMd5IZ.dpuf

Super Bowl 50 puts tech in its starting lineup

Are you ready for some high-tech football?

Less than three weeks away, Super Bowl 50 will be the most technologically advanced game ever played. At least that's what Super Bowl organizers such as the National Football League, host team San Francisco 49ers and software giant SAP are planning, according to a panel discussion Wednesday night in the city.

Tech will be a focal point not only for the February 7 game itself at the $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, but also for the crowds expected to converge on downtown San Francisco to partake in weeklong pre-game festivities at Super Bowl City. A million football fans are expected to try out interactive games such as Amp It Up and Breakaway inside the Fan Energy Zone sponsored by SAP.

It's all a prelude to the golden anniversary of the NFL's marquee event. More than 72,000 fans are expected to attend the Super Bowl in the heart of Silicon Valley, with another 110 million watching on TV.

"Almost everybody at the Super Bowl will be using some sort of mobile device," said Al Guido, chief operating officer for the 49ers. "They're going to be looking at game statistics, their social networks, sharing photos and other content. We have the high-tech infrastructure to handle it."

How? The stadium, which opened in 2014, has 400 miles of fiber and copper cable to handle data and 1,200 Wi-Fi access points, Guido said. Simply put, the stadium has 10 times more bandwidth than the NFL mandates at other stadiums.

"We just feel that's the way the future of sports is headed," he said. "We want to our fans to watch any replay from any angle. That was our vision."

Guido also showed off a beta version of the Super Bowl 50 app, teasing that those must-see commercials could be shown on it. "Maybe," he said.

With tech's promise come potential tech fails, conceded Aidan Lyons, the NFL's vice president of fan-centric marketing. But Lyons said he's not too worried, noting that the league and the game's sponsors are putting in their best effort for the game and for Super Bowl City. For example, fans can use NFL Fan Mobile Pass and the Road to 50 app to help get around.

"We're going to put the technology in the fan's hands," Lyons said. "I've experienced Super Bowls where I've heard fans say, 'Where do I go for this?' 'How do I get that?' If you give them the technology, whether it's information [or] scheduling, it will enhance their experience, whether they are from San Francisco or from New Jersey."

With major issues such as homelessness and its lack of affordable housing, San Francisco has been getting heat for spending an estimated $4 million from city coffers for Super Bowl-related events -- mostly for additional police and extra public transportation -- without any reimbursement from the NFL or the local Super Bowl 50 Host Committee.

The city predicts a major windfall nonetheless. "We fully expect a financial win for San Francisco," Mayor Ed Lee's office said in a statement. The mayor also thanked the host committee for offering free "family-friendly" events, such as Super Bowl City.

Sam Yen, chief design officer for Germany-based SAP, said both children and adults will get a kick out of the Quarterback Challenge, another interactive game in which a fan wearing a virtual reality headset becomes a quarterback in simulated game situations such as avoiding getting sacked or throwing a game-winning touchdown pass. Fans can see how they fare against other competitors on a scoreboard.

"We hope this adds a new level of excitement. Technology has the opportunity to amplify the human experience," he said. "This gives an opportunity for the community to experience a part of the Super Bowl, whether you're going to the game or not."

Asked what they are most concerned about on Super Bowl Sunday, the panelists said almost in unison: "the weather."

Techiest Super Bowl ever: Silicon Valley's stadium girds for the big game

Levi's Stadium has been in beta since it opened a year and a half ago.

After all, the National Football League's newest venue has so far hosted only a couple of subpar seasons of San Francisco 49ers football.

But the Santa Clara, California, stadium is gearing up for prime time. Next Sunday it hosts Super Bowl 50.

At its disposal are 400 miles of fiber and copper cable and 1,200 Wi-Fi access points capable of handling a torrent of data, all so fans at the game can use the Super Bowl app to seamlessly order food by phone.

Levi's Stadium is one of the most technologically advanced sporting sites ever built, and it's a testament to the shift in how we view sports. The action on the field isn't enough to keep our attention; we're also using phones to post photos of the latest play on Snapchat or brag to our Facebook friends that we're at the big game. Given that the venue is in the heart of Silicon Valley, it's only appropriate that it deliver the techiest Super Bowl ever.

"We've been looking forward to the Super Bowl, because we know it comes with a lot more demands," said Lloyd Carney, CEO of Brocade Communications Systems, one of nearly a dozen technology outfits that have partnered with the venue. "This stadium has all the latest features to really enhance the user experience."

With a lot more demands, though, there's the threat of an overload. For instance, CNET parent CBS is using 5K ultra-high-definition video cameras to shoot the game, including EyeVision 360, which will show replays reminiscent of the trippy effects in "The Matrix." What if the cameras went blank?

Before you dismiss the idea, think back to Super Bowl 47. After the Superdome in New Orleans went dark for more than half an hour, the championship contest went from big game to "Blackout Bowl." Then there was last week's AFC title game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, when Microsoft's sideline Surface tablets failed. (Microsoft blamed the venue's wireless network. Questions remain as to just who was responsible for on-field connectivity.)

That's partly why I was invited to go behind the scenes at Levi's Stadium as the organizers showed off their preparations for the golden anniversary of the NFL's signature game.

In a suite overlooking the 50-yard line Al Guido, the 49ers' chief operating officer, told me that tech has been an integral part of the stadium's design since the get-go. "We built this stadium based on three pillars," he said, "technology, sustainability and the fan experience."

In fact, Levi's Stadium boasts 10 times the bandwidth the NFL mandates at other stadiums. That's even more than the monstrous AT&T Stadium near Dallas.

The new system at Levi's was tested last March when the stadium played host to WrestleMania 31. The extravaganza saw more than 76,000 fans tweeting, texting, sending selfies, uploading photos and video to social networks, and other such digital age pursuits. That tapped the stadium's wireless network to the tune of 4.3 terabytes of data, a stadium record, said 49ers spokesman Roger Hacker. That's the equivalent of more than 68,000 hours of music, and it makes stadium officials think that this year's NFL title game could top the Super Bowl record of 6.4 terabytes, set last year in Arizona.

Down in the bowels of the stadium sits a massive data control center with rows of routers and switches to handle every single byte of data the stadium produces. It's really noisy -- think of a parking lot full of revving Harleys. That's because the center can handle up to 500 terabytes of data in about a five-hour span on game days, 49ers IT director Jim Bartholomew shouted to me above the racket.

Weebly Vs. Web.com – Top Site Builders Duke It Out

Want to get the best website builder for your time and money? See how Web.com weighs in versus Weebly in this head to head feature comparison. We make it easy for you to decide which builder is the best option for you, so you can get your site up and running fast.
November 2015

1. Templates
With over 2500 stunning designs, Web.com takes the cake here. The templates are easily searchable to find the ideal theme for your industry and style. Weebly’s template variety isn’t as strong as most, but switching templates is a breeze. You can play around with the code to get the design you want, ideal for people with coding background or design skills. Winner: Web.com

2. Ease of Use

Weebly’s whole experience is super smooth. It’s extremely clear and easy to use, changes are simple to implement, and they offer possibly the most intuitive drag and drop tool in the industry. Web.com, is not as simple to use on your own, emphasizing on custom-built sites rather than DIY option. Winner: Weebly

3. e-Commerce
Web.com has fabulous e-Commerce solutions that can help you manage and track your sites easily. Features include full payment processors (even PayPal), simple add products functionality, order management tools, customer tracking, reports, coupon code-maker, and tracking codes to name a few. Weebly has good e-Commerce solutions, but it’s got a long way to go. They offer a basic shopping cart and it’s easy to add products, but the features and apps need to include more email, analytics, management and responsiveness to compete. Winner: Web.com

4. Features
Both sites offer analytics, custom domain, hosting, social features, and some form of SEO tools. Weebly recently launched their Carbon version, though, which tips the scales. This feature-rich platform includes a real-time dashboard loaded with stats of traffic and e-commerce, a comprehensive site editor, mobile apps for on the go tweaks, and an app center that allows you to integrate with third-party services. Winner: Weebly

5. Mobile Responsive

Weebly offers fully mobile responsive themes that look great, function smoothly and respond well to the touch. As mentioned, they provide a mobile app that lets you monitor and edit while using a mobile device. Web.com doesn’t actually have mobile dedicated themes. Rather, their themes will adjust to the mobile device, but this can be choppy at times. Also, there’s no mobile app for editing, and all maintenance is done on a separate account from the desktop site, which is rather cumbersome. Winner: Weebly


6. Customer Support

Weebly has decent support include a support page, live chat and email, and dedicated phone support for Pro or Business plan members.Web.com has all that, but they’ve got something even better. Personalized website coaches will walk you through every step of the design process, even critiquing your site for optimal performance and style. Winner: Web.com

7. Bottom Line

Both options deliver quality service and a top-notch website. Web.com is the preferred choice, though, if you don’t have the time or design skills to really craft the kind of winning website design that makes you stand out.

Dutch police puzzling

Dutch police puzzling over how to remove drones that pose a public safety threat are testing a way to get the job done in one fell swoop - with trained eagles.

"It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem," spokesman Dennis Janus of the country's national police said.

The idea arose because amateur use of drones has boomed and police have begun to worry about unlicensed drones flying into off-limit spaces around airports or above public events such as politician's appearances.

Possible solutions the Dutch police have studied include shooting nets at the offending drones, remotely hacking them to seize their controls - or taking them out with birds of prey.

"People sometimes think it's a hoax, but it's proving very effective so far," Janus said.

Showing off the technique in a video released by police, a four-propeller drone hovers in the middle of a warehouse, colored lights flashing.

Released by her keeper, a white-tailed eagle glides straight toward the drone, clutches it easily in her talons - clack! - and drags it to the ground.

Sjoerd Hoogendoorn of "Guard from Above", the company working with police to develop the concept, said the birds must be trained to recognize the drones as prey.

They are rewarded with a piece of meat after each successful foray.

Their scaly talons are strong and tough enough to seize most consumer-grade drones without injury from the blades, he said.

"These birds are used to meeting resistance from animals they hunt in the wild, and they don't seem to have much trouble with the drones," he said.

The potential impact on the animals' welfare is subject of testing by an external scientific research institute.

"The real problem we have is that they destroy a lot of drones," Hoogendoorn said. "It's a major cost of testing."

Another unknown is how the birds will fare in a crowd situation, he said.

A decision by police on whether to move ahead with using the eagles is expected by the end of the year.