Amazon: Luxembourg tax deal probably 'state aid' EC says

The European Commission has disclosed a preliminary finding that Amazon's tax arrangements in Luxembourg probably constitute "state aid". The EC's doubts about the arrangement were detailed in a document on Friday. The EC said that its "preliminary view is that the tax ruling... by Luxembourg in favour of Amazon constitutes state aid." However, Amazon said it "has received no special tax treatment from Luxembourg". "We are subject to the same tax laws as other companies operating here [in Luxembourg]," it said. The Luxembourg finance ministry said: "Luxembourg is confident that the state aid allegations in this case are without merit and will be able to convince the Commission of the legitimacy of the anticipatory decision in question and that no competitive advantage was granted," it said. Doubts The European Commission began a probe of the tax arrangement last year, saying that it had suspicions it broke EU rules . The Commission document, which was sent to the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October, gives its rationale for launching the investigation. The Commission said it had "no indication" that the tax arrangement was "compatible with the internal market". The current European Commission chief, Jean- Claude Juncker, was prime minister of Luxembourg when the deal was struck. Mr Juncker has come under pressure over claims that around 340 global companies were granted tax avoidance deals during his 18 year tenure in Luxembourg. Commission doubts over the Amazon deal included whether Luxembourg had properly looked into Amazon's "transfer pricing" proposals about how money would be moved between different Amazon subsidiaries. Doubts also existed about whether the country had assessed that the proposed tax regime was in line with market conditions before agreeing the deal in 2003, the European Commission document said. Payment calculations The Commission also had questions about how royalty payments between certain Amazon companies were calculated, and whether "Amazon has a financial incentive to exaggerate the amount of the royalty" between its Luxembourg head office company and an Amazon firm that holds shares in the head office company. "If the royalty is exaggerated, it would unduly reduce the tax paid by Amazon in Luxembourg by shifting profits to an untaxed entity from the perspective of corporate taxation," the EC said. It added that Luxembourg might have been too hasty in assessing Amazon's requested arrangement before striking the deal. Luxembourg's finance ministry said it "has provided all the information required by the Commission and cooperated fully with the Commission in its investigation." "Among other things, detailed reports on the transfer price requested by the Commission were disclosed," it added. Luxembourg is also being investigated by the Commission over suspected "sweetheart" tax deals with the financing arm of carmaker Fiat. In addition, Ireland's tax deal with Apple and the Netherlands' arrangement with Starbucks are being scrutinised as part of a crackdown on multinationals' tax avoidance schemes.
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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through community service

This Monday, January 19, we’re celebrating the life and legacy of Dr.Martin Luther King and marking the national MLK Day of Service. It’s a holiday that’s especially meaningful this year: 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March, and it’s a time when civil rights is at the forefront of our national conversation. Next Monday, Googlers across the country are heeding the call to give back to their communities, and we hope you’ll join us. Take some time to honor Dr. King by volunteering in your community—you can find opportunities at All for Good.In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the projects Googlers will be participating in, and the reasons why they’ve made the commitment to serve this MLK Day. Dona Bellow, a legal assistant, will be helping middle school students in New York with computer science and STEM activities. She says, "doing something to help further the goals of someone else is reclaiming power: power to choose love over conflict, power to recognize and celebrate our differences, power to achieve an equitable outcome for all.” In California, Googlers will be volunteering with the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation as it hosts a a full day of festivitiesincluding the annual parade/march in San Francisco. Eliana Murillo, who is head of multicultural marketing and will be participating in Monday’s event, told us that “giving a hand to those in need helps build compassion and understanding of the diversity of life experiences.” Leadership coordinator Aerica Banks says that she serves to ”break down barriers and build community. We are all able to serve, and we all stand to benefit.” She helped organize volunteers in our Atlanta office for the Atlanta Food Bank Kids In Need program event, which provides school supplies free of charge to teachers in low-income schools. And Fabian Elliott, from our ads team in Chicago, helped organize Google volunteers in the Windy City to help middle school students practice compassion by writing letters to children struggling with terminal illnesses. He says, “Even the most obscure challenges of the world impact each of us at varying levels...It’s as simple as doing something that you love that supports a cause you believe in. What are you waiting for?” Dr. King said: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" Googler volunteers are joining in the national efforts to honor the legacy of Dr. King—and we know that a commitment to service goes well beyond Monday. So we also support projectsthroughout the year to help to deepen our connections with local communities. Together, let’s make Martin Luther King Jr. Day “ a day on, not a day off!”
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Hallo, hola, oláto the new, more powerful Google Translate app

Often the hardest part of traveling is navigating the local language. If you've ever asked for "pain" in Paris and gotten funny looks, confused "embarazada" with "embarrassed" in Mexico, or stumbled over pronunciation pretty much anywhere, you know the feeling. Now Google Translatecan be your guide in new ways. We’ve updated the Translate app on Android and iOS to transform your mobile device into an even more powerful translation tool.Instant translation with Word LensThe Translate app already lets you use camera mode to snap a photo of text and get a translation for it in 36 languages. Now, we’re taking it to the next level and letting you instantly translate text using your camera—so it’s way easier to navigate street signs in the Italian countryside or decide what to order off a Barcelona menu. While using the Translate app, just point your camera at a sign or text and you’ll see the translated text overlaid on your screen—even if you don't have an Internet or data connection. This instant translation currently works for translation from English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and we’re working to expand to more languages.

Have an easier conversation using the Translate app

When talking with someone in an unfamiliar language, conversations can... get... realllllllly... sloowwww. While we’ve had real-time conversation mode on Android since 2013, our new update makes the conversation flow faster and more naturally. Starting today, simply tap the mic to start speaking in a selected language, then tap the mic again, and the Google Translate app will automatically recognize which of the two languages are being spoken, letting you have a more fluid conversation. For the rest of the conversation, you won’t need to tap the mic again—it'll be ready as you need it. Asking for directions to the Rive Gauche, orderingbacalhauin Lisbon, or chatting with your grandmother in her native Spanish just got a lot faster. These updates will be coming to both Android and iOS, rolling out over the next few days. This is the first time some of these advanced features, like camera translations and conversation mode, will be available for iOS users. More than 500 million people use Google Translate every month, making more than 1 billion translations a day to more easily communicate and access information across languages. Today’s updates take us one step closer to turning your phone into a universal translator and to a world where language is no longer a barrier to discovering information or connecting with each other. source:googleblog.blogspot.com

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Google Glass Company pulls Glass out of the limelight to rework it

Is it too late for Google Glass to become the big hit that people are excited to be seen wearing and will use in their everyday lives, taking video of their work projects and vacation adventures? Pulling Glass out of the limelight and rethinking

Democrats defend naming Muslim to House Intelligence panel

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats are defending their appointment of a Muslim congressman to the House Intelligence Committee after protests erupted on social media, warning the move is dangerous. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi this week appointed Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana to the panel, which oversees the government's intelligence departments and activities. Much of the business that comes before the committee is classified. Anti-Muslim protests erupted on Twitter and other social media with complaints that exposing American secrets to Carson could be dangerous. Democrats widely rejected that view. Pelosi said Carson is the only member of Congress to have served in a Department of Homeland Security Fusion Center, which provides intelligence sharing and training across levels of government. Carson also serves on the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the panel, called the protests un- American. He said including Muslim Americans in public policy issues is "an essential element in preventing the kind of alienation that has made too many young European Muslims vulnerable to extremism." Rep. Joseph Crowley of New York, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, called on his colleagues to renounce the attacks. "We will never be able to grow as a society if we allow this kind of hatred and division to go unchecked," Crowley wrote in a letter to his colleagues.
Source:yahoonews

Pope's Charlie Hebdo comments do not justify attack

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Pope Francis said there are limits to freedom of speech, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith, in comments that the Vatican later said Friday did not mean justifying the attack on the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo. Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks while en route to the Philippines on Thursday, defending free speech as not only a fundamental human right but a duty to speak one's mind for the sake of the common good. But he said there were limits. By way of example, he referred to Alberto Gasbarri, who organizes papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane. "If my good friend Dr. Gasbarri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch," Francis said half-jokingly, throwing a mock punch his way. "It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others." His pretend punch aside, Francis by no means said the violent attack on Charlie Hebdo was justified. Quite the opposite: He said such horrific violence in God's name couldn't be justified and was an "aberration." But he said a reaction of some sort was to be expected. The Rev. Thomas Rosica, who collaborates with the Vatican press office, issued a statement early Friday stressing that the pope was by no means justifying the attack on Charlie Hebdo. "Pope Francis has not advocated violence with his words on the flight," he said in a statement. He said Francis' words were "spoken colloquially and in a friendly, intimate manner among colleagues and friends on the journey." He noted that Francis has spoken out clearly against the Paris attacks and that violence in God's name can never be justified. Many people around the world have defended the right of Charlie Hebdo to publish inflammatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed in the wake of the massacre by Islamic extremists at its Paris offices and subsequent attack on a kosher supermarket in which three gunmen killed 17 people. Others, though, have noted that in virtually all societies, freedom of speech has its limits, from laws against Holocaust denial to racially motivated hate speech. Recently the Vatican and four prominent French imams issued a joint declaration that, while denouncing the Paris attacks, urged the media to treat religions with respect. Francis, who has called on Muslim leaders in particular to speak out against Islamic extremism, went a step further Thursday when asked by a French journalist about whether there were limits when freedom of expression meets freedom of religion. "There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others," he said. "They are provocateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr. Gasbarri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit." In the wake of the Paris attacks, the Vatican has sought to downplay reports that it is a potential target for Islamic extremists, saying it is being vigilant but has received no specific threat. Francis said he was concerned primarily for the safety of the faithful who come to see him in droves, and said he had spoken to Vatican security officials who are taking "prudent and secure measures." "I am worried, but you know I have a defect: a good dose of carelessness. I'm careless about these things," he said. But he admitted that in his prayers, he had asked that if something were to happen to him that "it doesn't hurt, because I'm not very courageous when it comes to pain. I'm very timid." He added, "I'm in God's hands."

Why I Embraced Islam?-Mauric Bucaille