The Turkish parliament has approved controversial legislation to ban the sale and advertising of alcohol. The Islamist-rooted ruling AK party says the law will protect the population, particularly young people, from the harmful effects of alcohol. Critics say it is a new move to impose an Islamic agenda on a secular, though predominantly Muslim, country. [...]
Christine Lagarde has arrived at a court in Paris for questioning over a payout to controversial tycoon Bernard Tapie during her time as finance minister. The IMF chief is being asked to explain her handling of a row in 2007 which resulted in some 400 million euros ($516 million) being paid to Bernard Tapie. She [...]
EU leaders at Brussels summit say they are committed to tackling tax evasion and will push for global action to curb banking secrecy. The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said there was a “strong political will” in Europe to make tax systems fairer. He said the EU would draft tougher rules this [...]
Tiger Woods and his new girlfriend Lindsey Vonn seem to be proving the doubters wrong. The acknowledged philanderer and his ski star girlfriend appear to be going from strength-to-strength as evidenced by the sight of them taking his children by Elin Nordegren to school together on Tuesday. Low-key and subtly loved up, Tiger Woods, 37, [...]
Carl Pistorius, brother of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, has been acquitted of culpable homicide over the death of a motorcyclist in South Africa. A magistrate ruled that Carl Pistorius, 28, had not been negligent in the death of Marietjie Barnard in March 2008. The prosecution admitted it had been unable to prove the charges and [...]
The head of the European Commission has told the European Parliament he wants EU-wide exchange of income data as part of the fight against tax evasion. Jose Manuel Barroso said he would urge Wednesday’s summit of EU leaders to support automatic exchange of people’s earnings data between tax authorities. Tax evasion costs EU states 1 [...]
Apple has been accused by US Senate of being “among America’s largest tax avoiders”. A Senate committee said Apple had used “a complex web of offshore entities” to avoid paying billions of dollars in US income taxes. But it said there was no indication the firm acted illegally. Apple chief Tim Cook will go before [...]
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius will not compete again this year as he awaits trial for murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius, 26, is on bail after being charged with the murder of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp but can compete before his court case is heard. His agent, Peet van Zyl, [...]
Obama administration knew since June 2012 about an investigation into complaints from conservative tea party groups that they were being harassed by IRS, and the probe was ongoing at the height of the presidential race, a Treasury inspector general revealed Friday. J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, testified alongside ousted IRS [...]
The 911 call legendary NASCAR Dick Trickle made to a hapless operator before he ended his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound was released today. In the recording, Dick Trickle matter-of-factly tells the female operator that he is at “the Forest Lawn Cemetery at 150” – where he was later found dead. When the [...]
Dick Trickle’s brother, Chuck, has said the legendary NASCAR driver suffered chronic and debilitating pain in his chest before his suicide. Richard “Dick” Trickle, 71, who died on Thursday from a self inflicted gunshot wound, was so distressed by his mystery ailment that he visited doctors twice a day. According to his brother, Dick Trickle [...]
Dell has reported a 79% slide in net profit, underlining a fall in personal computers sales as more consumers shift to smartphones and tablets. The PC maker’s net profit fell to $130 million in the three months to May 3, on revenue down 2% to $14 billion. Dell is in the middle of a dispute [...]
Retired race car driver Richard “Dick” Trickle died on Thursday at the age of 71 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say. The body of the NASCAR legend was found at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, North Carolina, 30 miles west of Charlotte. Dick Trickle’s body was discovered near his pickup truck. The [...]
David Beckham has announced he will retire from football at the end of this season at the age of 38 after an illustrious 20-year career. The former England captain made 115 appearances for his country and 394 for Manchester United, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League. David Beckham signed a five-month deal [...]
Three Indian cricketers have been arrested over allegations of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the country’s cricket board says. The players belong to the Rajasthan Royals team and have been identified as S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila by the team boss, Raghu Iyer. The team said it had “a zero-tolerance approach [...]
Acting head of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Steven T. Miller has quit after it emerged his staff singled out conservative groups for extra scrutiny, President Barack Obama has announced. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had asked for and accepted the resignation of IRS Acting Commissioner Steven Miller, he said. “I will do everything in my [...]
France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2013, according to official figures. The country’s economy shrank by the same amount in the last quarter of 2012. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. France has record unemployment and [...]
Japan’s shares have climbed past the 15,000 mark for the first time since January 2008, as the yen continues to weaken – boosting the earnings potential for exporters. The benchmark Nikkei index rose 2% to 15,096, with carmaker Toyota and consumer electronics giant Sony leading the gains. The Nikkei is up 46% since the start [...]
The French government is considering introducing a 1% tax on the sale of smartphones and tablets to help fund local film, music and images. The proposal estimates some 86 million euros ($112 million) could be raised per year. The bid is based on France’s so-called “cultural exception” policy, which aims to protect culture from market [...]
Cyprus has received the first installment of a 10 billion-euro bailout package from international creditors, which was agreed earlier this year. Cyprus received 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion) in loans, said a statement by the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Another 1 billion euros will be transferred before June 30, the ESM said. Eurozone finance ministers [...]
OJ Simpson is asking a Nevada judge to grant him a new trial in the 2008 armed robbery case that left him serving a 33-year prison sentence. In his long-shot appeal, football legend OJ Simpson argues his defense lawyer was ineffective. OJ Simpson was convicted of the robbery of what he said were stolen articles [...]
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report has revealed today that debt-laden Greece has made progress in improving its finances, but the country must do more to fight tax evasion. In a report, the IMF said Greece had made “exceptional” progress on reducing its budget deficit since 2010. But the IMF, one of the lenders that [...]
Portugal plans to cut 30,000 civil service jobs and to raise the retirement age by one year to 66 as it tries to meet the terms of a bailout. PM Pedro Passos Coelho said civil servants would also be required to work 40 hours a week instead of 35. The proposals, which would be applied [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to cut its benchmark interest rate to a new record low amid ongoing worries about the eurozone’s economy. The widely-expected cut to 0.50% from 0.75% is the first in 10 months. Worries about eurozone economies were underlined on Thursday with data showing manufacturing activity across the 17-nation bloc [...]
British presenter Stuart Hall has admitted 14 charges of indecent assault involving 13 victims including one as young as nine. James Stuart Hall, 83, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to the offences, involving 13 victims, which occurred between 1967 and 1985. A further three charges of indecent assault and one of [...]
Emmanuelle Seigner: Roman Polanski’s wife on the red carpet at Cannes 2013
Mally: Justin Bieber’s monkey given to a zoo in Germany
Kardashian portrait: Lamar Odom added with Photoshop while Rob Kardashian appears significantly slimmer
Snooki and Chris Christie clash at reopening of storm-hit Jersey Shore
Khloe Kardashian flaunting 25-lb weight loss
Amanda Bynes in leg shackles following her arrest for public endangermentRoman Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner stole the show on the red carpet in Cannes in her plunging red dress. All eyes were on Emmanuelle Seigner, 46, as she waltzed along…
Mally: Justin Bieber's monkey given to a zoo in GermanyMally, Justin Bieber's pet monkey, has reportedly been handed over to a zoo to keep after the singer failed to collect him in time. The capuchin monkey was seized by German…
Kardashian portrait: Lamar Odom added with Photoshop while Rob Kardashian appears significantly slimmerIn a new portrait of the Kardashian clan to promote season 8ht of their hit reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe’s husband, Lamar Odom, magically appears…
Snooki and Chris Christie clash at reopening of storm-hit Jersey ShoreMTV’s The Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi went head to head with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday at the reopening of the Seaside Heights'…
Khloe Kardashian flaunting 25-lb weight lossWhile Kim Kardashian has gained over 60 pounds during her seven-month pregnancy, Khloe is flaunting her own 25-pound weight loss. Five-foot-10 Khloe Kardashian, who turns 29…
Amanda Bynes in leg shackles following her arrest for public endangermentAmanda Bynes is facing public disgrace after appearing in court charged with public endangerment for allegedly throwing a pot b**g from her New York apartment’s…