uk

U.K. watchdog demands probe into Google tax affairs

Google should be investigated by the U.K. tax authority HM Revenue and Customes over its tax affairs, according to a parliamentary watchdog.

The search giant came under heavy criticism from the U.K. Public Accounts Committee today for only paying $16 million in tax to HMRC on turnover of $18 billion between 2006 and 2011.

Google achieved this by basing its operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in Ireland, which has a corporation tax rate of 12.5 percent, less than half the 28 percent rate in the U.K. It then reduced its Irish tax liabilities … Read more

Pie in the sky: Domino's delivers pizzas via octocopter

I dream of a better world, one in which tasty food and beverages drop from the sky, right onto my plate and into my glass, ready to enjoy. I'm not the only one with this vision. First came the Tacocopter concept. Next, it was the Burrito Bomber and the beer drone. Now, Domino's Pizza UK has introduced the DomiCopter, a flying pizza-delivery system.

The system consists of an octocopter with an insulated Domino's delivery bag underneath in a cage. The bag can easily hold a couple of pizzas and keep them warm during their flight.… Read more

Fugitive to police on Facebook: Catch me if you can. They do

Thin is the line between the brave and the foolhardy.

Thinner is the brain that thinks it's brave to taunt the police on Facebook.

Perhaps it comes from watching too many movies or too few, but those who are wanted by the police sometimes turn to Facebook to offer a "na, na, na-na, na."

A couple of years ago, a man in Utica, N.Y., allegedly tried to dare the police to catch him, with troubling results (for him).

The world learns as slowly as it turns. For today I have news that an English teen, wanted … Read more

Google back in U.K. crosshairs over tax issues

Google could be called back into questioning over its U.K. tax payments, according to a new report.

Speaking to Margaret Hodge, head of the U.K.'s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which examines government financial affairs, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Google representatives will be brought back to the U.K. for questioning on whether the company derives any of its income through the U.K., thus requiring it to pay more in taxes to that country.

Last year, Google vice president for Northern and Central Europe, Matt Brittin, said before the PAC that no one in his company … Read more

Apple's former retail chief ends lands at U.K. chain

Apple's unceremoniously departed retail chief John Browett has a new gig.

The former executive, who Apple said no longer worked for the company as of last October, has landed at U.K.-based retail chain Monsoon Accessorize.

In his new role as the chief executive, Browett will oversee more than 1,000 stores, The Financial Times reports (subscription required). That's more than twice the size of Apple's retail empire, which is currently at 400 stores.

In a statement Monsoon Accessorize founder Peter Simon said the company went through "an extensive search" to find a new … Read more

Early BlackBerry Z10 sales may not have been so hot after all

BlackBerry may not want to wave that victory flag just yet.

The early word is that sales of the new BlackBerry Z10 in the U.K. have been impressive, with some stores reporting sellouts. But Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said that initial sales may be more mixed than they first appeared.

"Limited initial supply was cited as the reason for early post-launch stock-outs at some carrier stores versus overwhelming demand," Walkley said in a research note issued today.

With the success or failure of the BlackBerry Z10 weighing heavily on the fate of the company, … Read more

Kickstarter makes its way to the U.K.

Kickstarter, the site that lets budding entrepreneurs throw their ideas into the ring and raise money via crowdsourcing, is now available in the U.K.

Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler announced the launch yesterday to the BBC, saying that the U.S.-based service had raised over $340 million for projects. So far, there are about 200 projects specifically designed for U.K. audiences on the site. If the U.S. success is the guide, that number will increase quickly.

Kickstarter launched in 2009 and has grown rapidly in popularity. Over 70,000 projects have been pitched on Kickstarter. One of … Read more

From Cupertino with love: British prime minister declares iPad gift

The British prime minister has received a free iPad from Apple, the U.K. government disclosed today.

According to the "ministerial gifts list," a requirement by government to disclose items and gifts presented by foreign states and other friends of the United Kingdom, David Cameron was gifted an iPad by no less than Apple itself.

The device model is not known, but it was gifted to Cameron only a couple of weeks after the third-generation iPad with Retina display was announced by the technology giant in March.

While it is no secret that the British PM is a "huge" Angry Birds fan, … Read more

U.K. aims for the fastest broadband in Europe by 2015

The U.K.'s culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, wants Britain to have the fastest broadband in Europe by 2015.

Hunt reaffirmed the government's ambition for the U.K. to top the broadband league tables in a matter of years at an event yesterday in Google's London offices, the Guardian reports. The offices are close to Silicon Roundabout -- an area of the city home to a number of technology startups.

The culture secretary told attendees at the event:

"To really be the best you need to be the fastest. I am today announcing an ambition to be … Read more