Apple Ordered to pay €13billion taxes to Ireland

                           

US technology company Apple has  been ordered to pay up to €13billion in back taxes to Ireland.

Apple faces the record bill after the European Commission (EC) ruled that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid.

The tech giant's tax arrangements enabled it to pay a tax rate of as little as 0.005% on its European profits in 2014, according to the probe.
That is just €50 (£43) in taxes on every €1m (£850m) of profit.
Ireland's finance minister Michael Noonan said he disagreed "profoundly" with the decision and would seek Cabinet approval for an appeal.
The sum to be paid by Apple is 40 times bigger than any previous demand by the EC in such a case.

  

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: "Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies, this is illegal under EU state aid rules."

"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."

Apple also said it was confident of winning an appeal and that the ruling would have a "profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe".

Online retailer Amazon and fast food giant McDonald's face probes over their tax arrangements in Luxembourg while coffee chain Starbucks has been ordered to pay up to €30m (£26m) in the Netherlands.According to Swiss report.

SEE PHOTOS: Over 6,500 migrants were rescued on the Mediterranean Sea.

                           


Doctors Without Borders, Proactive Open Arms NGO, Italian Guard personnel and other agencies rescued more than 6,500 migrants on the Mediterranean Sea, about 13 miles north of Libya coast.
They were on about 40 fishing boats, before the rescue workers came to their rescue.

According to AP, most of these migrants are from Eritrea and Somalia, jumping into the water from a crowded wooden boat to swim to the coast vessels and other cheering children are carried on the rescue ships.
These migrants were desperate to enter Italy. See more photos below.

                        
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
Photo credit: Emilio Morenatti for AP, MSF SEA, Proactiva Open Arms.

Photos: Mark Zuckerberg and his wife met Pope in Rome

                                  

Facebook owner/founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla had a night time walk of the Colosseum in Rome earlier the day after meeting with the Pope.
See more photos below.

                           
                                   
                                

Germany, Poland and France call for more efforts to end the crisis in Eastern Ukraine

                              

Three Foreign Ministers, Germany, France and Poland gathered and agreed on Sunday that there should be greater international efforts to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier told reporters.

He said there had not been sufficient progress in implementing the Minsk ceasefire agreement. Western officials were talking with Russia and Ukraine to encourage them to implement measures already agreed in the Minsk process, including communal elections, Frank Walter said.

"We have to work for a de-escalation of the situation." The Foreign Minister told reporters after a meeting with his counterparts aimed at reinvigorating the Weimar Triangle trilateral group.

"The Weimar Triangle can plan an important role ... It is a format where we can discuss progress or the lack of progress on issues such as the Normandy format aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict." Steinmeier said.

The Normandy group comprises Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

Steinmeier said fresh efforts began in recent days to revive talks between Russia and Ukraine and pressure both sides to honor agreements they had already made.

The leaders of Russia, Germany and France have agreed to meet to discuss the situation in Ukraine on Sept. 4-5 in China on the sidelines of the G20 summit, the Kremlin said last week.

Madonna celebrates late Michael Jackson on Instagram with throwback pictures

                                             

Madonna believes that Michael is gone, but his legacy lives forever. She remembers the Pop king by uploading throwback pictures of her with the king.
"Happy Birthday to this wonderful and glorious creature. The King Gone too soon." She wrote a caption for the picture.

Happy Birthday to this wonderful and glorious creature!! 👑 The King! Gone too soon! ❤️ ❣❤️❣❤️❣❤️❣❤️❣❤️❣

Фото опубликовано Madonna (@madonna) Авг 29 2016 в 10:11 PDT

Happy Birthday to you  Michael Jackson, world music misses you.  We love you, but God loves you most. We miss you.

VIDEO: Kanye West gives shout out to ex Amber Rose, Taylor Swift and Ray J at VMA's award

                                                 

Kanye West last night at the MTV Video Music Awards showed just why he is Kanye as he gave a speech to premier his new video.

He gave shout outs to his wife Kim K, his ex girlfriend Amber Rose, Ray J- who starred in a popular sex tape with his wife years ago and then called out Taylor Swift- who smartly avoided turning up at the star studded event despite being nominated.

He gave shout outs to his wife Kim K, his ex girlfriend Amber Rose, Ray J- who starred in a popular sex tape with his wife years ago and then called out Taylor Swift- who smartly avoided turning up at the star studded event despite being nominated.
Watch video below.
                             

                               
                               
                               
                               

Gov. Ayo Fayose signed Ekiti State Open Grazing Prohibition Bill into law

                    
Governor Ayodele Fayose has signed the Ekiti state Open Grazing  Prohibition Bill into Law. More than 3,000 traditional Chiefs present when he signed the law. The law says, herdsmen are forbidden from carrying arms.

They are prohibited from grazing their cattle in areas that are not designated for grazing.
Six months imprisonment without option of fine for any herdsman who violate  the grazing prohibition, any herdsman found with arms will be charged with terrorism. According to the law prescription.