World

Fat tax introduced by Samoa Airlines

April 3, 2013 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered if that fat person sitting in the aircraft has possibly left you with less luggage allowance.

Well Samoa airlines have taken steps so that everyone gets charged fairly. Samoa Air has become the world’s first pacific airline to introduce the ‘fat tax’, which will see overweight passengers paying more for their seats.

The Pacific island nations have some of the “world’s highest rates of obesity”, with Samoa usually included in the top ten countries for obesity levels.

The airline’s chief executive Chris Langton, has said that the fee is the “fairest way of travelling” with the added benefits to promote health and obesity awareness to locals.

How the fat tax works

Passengers will be required to type their weight and the weight of their baggage into the online booking section of the airline’s website.

Passengers will also be weighed on scales at the airport

The rates will then vary depending on the length of the trip and will see travellers paying $1 per kilogram on short haul flights to about $4.16 per kilogram on flights between Samoa and American Samoa.

The Samoa Air homepage reads "We at Samoa Air are keeping airfares fair, by charging our passengers only for what they weigh. You are the master of your Air’fair

According o Fiji times.com “The world’s first airline to charge passengers by their weight rather than per seat says the policy has helped to raise obesity awareness and improve public health”

Samoa Air flies from Samoa to American Samoa, North Tonga, Niue, North Cook Islands and French Polynesia. The airline does not fly large commercial aircraft, but rather small planes that are more susceptible to weight variances.

Do you find this Fair or just plain rude?

Let us know !!

Britons Served horsemeat instead of beef

February 19, 2013 by Reporter Leave a Comment

A food scandal has erupted in UK and France where horsemeat was used instead of beef in popular ready top eat quick food like lasagne and pasta dishes.

In more recent update the food scandal is still unfolding with Nestle, the world’s biggest food company now having to remove beef pasta meals from shelves in Italy and Spain after tests revealed traces of horse DNA.

In the quick food packed products , the meat in some cases was found to be more than 60 percent horsemeat.

This seemed to be the biggest meat scandal after the “mad cow disease” incident In the United Kingdom, the country worst affected, more than 180,000 cattle have been infected and 4.4 million slaughtered during the eradication program

The ready to bake quick meals widely available in France and UK and also Europe Deli and stores were made in Luxembourg for the Swedish firm Findus.

Up to 16 countries have now been implicated in a European horsemeat scandal

Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that its horse meat with Packets of lasagne being withdrawn in Sweden as well as in the UK..

Findus and its French supplier, Comigel have been the parties involved in getting this products to the shelves of stores

Australias’s biggest supermarket chain will DNA test its home-brand meals in the wake of Europe’s horse meat scandal .Supermarket chains in Britain, France and Sweden have pulled millions of packs of lasagne, other pasta dishes, shepherd’s pies and moussaka on fears of it containing horsemeat

Nestle withdrew two chilled pasta products, Buitoni Beef Ravioli and Beef Tortellini, in Italy and Spain.

Lasagnes a la Bolognaise Gourmandes, a frozen product for catering businesses produced in France, will also be withdrawn.

About horse meat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Horse meat is the culinary name for meat cut from a horse. It is a major meat in only a few countries, notably in Central Asia, but it forms a significant part of the culinary traditions of many others, from Europe to South America to Asia.

The top eight countries consume about 4.7 million horses a year. For the majority of mankind’s early existence, wild horses were hunted as a source of protein. It is slightly sweet, tender, and slightly higher in fat content than beef”

The UK and Germany have both pledged to step up testing of frozen food products on the wake of this “meat scandal”.

Significant investor visa 888 Opens doors for Chinese Immigrants

February 14, 2013 by Reporter Leave a Comment

The government has launched a new significant investor visa. The New Permanent) (Subclass 888) visa will enable Wealthy chines to jump the queue and get permanent residency in Australia.

The Australian 888 Investor visa

The number of the subclass of the visa 888 which is a lucky number in china, indicates who the visa is targeting.

The visa requirements are a bit relaxed except for the investing part, where the applicant would need to invest $5 million or more to be eligible to get this visa.

The usual age , language and residency requirement for other visas does not apply to this visa making it easier to the investor to gain residency irrespective of these factors.

Requirement of the VISA

Complying investments for the Significant Investor visa include:

• Applicants should submit an expression of interest in Skill Select
•applicants should be nominated by a State or Territory government
• Applicants should make investments of at least five million Australian dollars into complying
investments as below.

• Commonwealth, State or Territory government bonds
• Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) regulated managed funds
with a mandate for investing in Australia; and
• direct investment into Australian proprietary companies.

For more details and requirements click here

Visa applicants may hold investments in each of the above investment options and may also
change between complying investments, provided they meet specified reinvestment
requirements

Similar Investor visa schemes have also been introduced in other countries like UK , New Zealand , United states, Singapore and Canada.

The previous “Investor (Provisional) (Subclass 162) visa” is closed to new applications from 1 July 2012. Only eligible dependent applicants can be added to an existing application that was lodged on or before 30 June 2012.

Australian Business Investor Stream Visa

The Australian Business Investor Stream (Provisional) visa is a temporary business skills visa that allows successful business people to invest in a new or existing business in Australia.

The Australian Business Investor Stream (Provisional) is valid for four (4) years and visa holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residence after meeting the obligations of their visa.

UK investor visa

The Tier 1 (Investor) category is for high-net-worth individuals who want to make a substantial financial investment in the UK.

Other UK VISAS

US INVESTOR VISA

EB-5 Immigrant Investor

Under the government’s EB-5 Immigrant Investor program, foreign investors can get conditional visas that allow them and their families to live, work and attend school in the U.S.

To qualify for the visa, they must invest at least $1 million in a new or recently created business, or $500,000 for businesses in rural or high-unemployment areas

New Zealand Investor and Investor Plus

The Investor Visa (Investor 2 Category) is an option if you plan to invest a minimum of NZ$1.5 million over a four year period.

If you’re looking to invest $NZ10 million or more then the Investor Plus Visa (Investor 1 Category)is more suitable. Click here to see the difference of these two visas

Links for Australian Visas:

Significant Investor Visa ( 68KB PDF file)
Significant Investor Visa – Frequently Asked Questions ( 90KB PDF file)

Other business Investment visas

US gun laws Now arms teachers

January 3, 2013 by Reporter Leave a Comment

The shooting massacre in the US town of Newtown – in which 27 people died, mostly little children aged just six and seven years old – has left America in mourning and has stressed the need for a national debate on gun control.

(Credit: gabriel12 via Shutterstock)

This horrible massacrehas brought the nation to a tipping point? Does the US government have the political courage to take a stand?

But what has happened since then, Alarmingly quite the opposite and instead of stricter gun laws the teachers are now arming themselves. The political powers in the US are controlled by the rich backing the NRA and the politicians , putting the powers in a weak situation with no power.

The NRA and the ISRA and Guns Save Life and the Second Amendment Sisters and CORE and the new kid, Illinoiscarry.com, began to work together and coordinate their efforts more and more, but alas its all falling apart.

The New York Times has referred to Australia’s gun laws as a "road map" for the US, saying that "in the 18 years before the law, Australia suffered 13 mass shootings – but not one in the 14 years after the law took full effect."

Philip Alpers from the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney looks back at how Australia tightened its gun control laws in 1996, on the CNN website.

On the ABC’s Religion and Ethics portal, Michael Stafford says America seems to love its guns more than the lives of its citizens.

We must re-establish a clear link between gun violence in our society and public policy. Passing an updated, and stricter, version of the old Assault Weapons Ban (which also prohibited high capacity magazines), coupled with a vigorous voluntary buy-back program targeting existing lawfully-purchased assault weapons already in private hands, as well as legislation closing the Brady Act’s gun show loophole, are critical first steps.

At the same time, we should also enact legislation applying strict limitations on the number of guns that people are permitted to purchase at one time – no more than one gun every three months sounds like a reasonable limit to me – coupled with mandatory waiting periods of a meaningful duration after any purchase is made before an individual can actually pick up their new weapon.

Read more

A former head of Australia’s anti-gun coalition says US president Barack Obama should use his status as a two-term president to push gun reforms through Congress.

CBS News reports:

The Utah Shooting Sports Council said it would waive its $50 fee for concealed-weapons training for the teachers. Instruction featuring plastic guns was to start Thursday inside a conference room at Maverick Center, a hockey arena in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley.

In Ohio, the Buckeye Firearms Association said it was launching a test program in tactical firearms training for 24 teachers initially.

A gun store in Texas also announced last week that it would offer teachers a 10 percent discount for a concealed carry class.

It takes just one armed teacher to lose his or her cool and pull the trigger on a defiant student to open another unfortunate chapter

The car that can fly over roads

December 25, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

From Volkswagen, and a young gaming design student from Chengdu city in china , we get a flying car concept that fits not only our own desires for futurism but could become a daily travel habit.

Have you ever daydreamed about your car taking off and flying over the road? This can happen now

Volkswagen concept car in China

The Volkswagen Hover Car is a pod-like zero-emissions vehicle that uses electromagnetic road networks to float above the road.

The small Volkswagen has two seats and a joystick and, to demonstrate how the car would work, a Chinese couple appears to put the flying car to the test around the bustling streets of Chengdu ( though honestly is all looks like Photoshop)

Other flying cars – Maybe not so distant, when pigs, er, cars fly.( from http://futek-rna.blogspot.com.au)

A flying car or roadable aircraft is a vehicle that can travel on roads and in the air.

Article posted for www.gadgetaustralia.com by guest author babyhifi.

Brazen Gang rape in India sparks outrage and shocks the world

December 20, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

The 23-year-old medical student has been left fighting for her life after a attack by upto four men on a bus. She was gang-raped by at least four men, brutally bashed, and then thrown out of the bus while it was still moving. Her male companion was also seriously injured by the same group of attackers.

Her male companion who tried to intervene also got beaten up brutally with an iron rod.

According to police and reports, the rape took place over a period of more than 40 minutes. The victim was dragged to the rear of the bus and brutally beaten and raped.”

Rape cases in India more than doubled between 1990 and 2008 according to official data

Four people including the bus driver have so far been arrested and the police are on the hunt for two other suspects

Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh joined his ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi in condemning Sunday night’s “heinous” assault.

The brutal gang-rape of a student on a bus has sparked outrage and protest on the streets of New Delhi, India. Demonstrators say violence against women is skyrocketing across the city.

During the protest screened live on television, police could be seen hosing down demonstrators after a group of them tried to tear down steel barricades outside the official residence of New Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan weighed in by calling on his Facebook page for “every Indian (to) become a vigilante, a soldier, a commander” to “fight such heinous crimes with strength and conviction”.

In a more recent incident

After gang rape of a girl in a moving bus in Delhi, which shocked the entire country, a 38-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by three persons at a roadways bus stand in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh. According to this report the police refused to lodge a rape complaint and registered a case of molestation, eve-teasing and theft

After public anger and outrage rocking India , New Delhi’s police chief on Tuesday demanded the death penalty for people convicted of rape, a crime that currently carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.

Europe, Australia , India want their fair share of tax

December 14, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

The big American corporates are not safe anymore with their complicated tax structures that let them pay minimum tax . France and India ( vodafone case) have already started taking steps to amend their country legislation to make it harder for big corporates to profit in their country without paying full tax.make money in their country while small business and other countries doe not get their fair share of profits taken from their country.

UK and Australia are currently are looking into the tax strategy known as the Double Irish Dutch Sandwich ( The manoeuvre allows multinationals to move large amounts of money to other subsidiaries in the form of royalty payments )

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has defended the company’s tax policies, saying of the internet giant’s moves to get out of paying billions of dollars: “It’s called capitalism”.

Amazon, Google and Starbucks have been accused of an “immoral” use of secretive jurisdictions and complex company tax structures to avoid paying tax on British profits by a committee of MPs.-http://www.guardian.co.uk

Europe and UK hit hard with the recession have also amended tax laws and intend taking legal action and more scrutiny of tax legislation to claw back more tax from these big American company’s. The US itself is hurting with it not getting much of the tax share even though many of these top Tech companies are originally from the US , but have their head offices in tax saving accounting havens with the result of US also not benefitting much from the profits of these companies.

Apple Inc the tech company everyone knows paid an income tax rate of only 1.9 per cent on its earnings outside the US in its latest fiscal year reports Sbs.com.au

AMAZON

FRANCE has demanded $US252 million ($A242.72 million) in back taxes from Amazon, bringing into spotlight the online retailer over its controversial corporate structure in Europe.

The back taxes that the French are seeking from Amazon relate to earnings in France for the years 2006-10 and “the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions”

Small, brick-and-mortar retailers have a legitimate gripe that Amazon’s avoidance of the sales tax gives it a competitive advantages

The guardian reports “ Amazon avoids UK taxes by reporting European sales through a Luxembourg-based unit. This structure allowed it to pay a rate of less than 12% on foreign profits last year – less than half the average corporate income tax rate in its major markets.”

Google.

Img from : http://www.watoday.com.au/business/how-savvy-multinationals-curb-their-tax-bills-20121116-29hhm.html

Starbucks

The Seattle-based coffee STARBUCKS company has 700 British outlets in UK , but has paid just STG8.6 million in corporation tax in 14 years. Starbucks Corp says this is due to a process involving paying royalties to its European headquarters in The Netherlands – perthnow.com

Amazon and Google confirmed that the companies both use favourable tax jurisdictions – Luxembourg and Ireland, respectively – due to their low taxation levels.

Google

The soul of Google’s (GOOG) international operations is a plush looking office building in Dublin. In 2009 the office, which houses roughly 2,000 Google employees, was credited with 88 percent of the search Company’s $12.5 billion in sales outside the U.S. Most of the profits from various countries surprisingly went to the tax haven of Bermuda and not even the USA.

The Australian government using a combination of beefed up transfer pricing rules and a commitment to setting up a think tank that will review the elaborate tax structures, is making it clear that Google, Apple, Amazon and any other e-commerce giants will need to pay more tax in the future if its doing business on its shores.

2day fm in trouble over prank call Linked to suicide

December 13, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

A prank call initiated DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig has been linked to the death of the British nurse Jacintha Saldanha. Greig and Christian posed as the Queen and Prince Charles when they prank-called the hospital for details about Catherine, who was being treated for severe pregnancy-related nausea.

The nurse Mrs saldanah transferred the phone call to another nurse who divulged details about the duchess

Mrs Saldanha, a nurse at the Duchess of Cambridge’s hospital where the royals were taking treatment, killed herself after falling victim to the hoax or prank call by 2 day fm radio jockeys, and she has written a apparent suicide note to her family.

Statements made by DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig that they were unaware of the approval process for prank calls. Rhys Holleran, the chief executive of Southern Cross Austereo, which owns 2Day FM, told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell the station tried ”at least five times” to contact the hospital
He has not explained why his employees then broadcast the call despite failing to obtain consent.
King Edward VII’s Hospital has denied being contacted by 2Day FM and the radio station has not released any phone records to prove that the calls were made.

Training sessions were introduced for radio personnel after the Kyle sandilands scandal in which a 14-year-old girl revealed on air that she had been raped and insensitive comments were passed by the radio jockey Sandilands. Facebook hate pages have also sprung up on him on Facebook. He has been re-instated to do radio programs since then

This is not the first time that radio personnel broadcasting over air has run into trouble , but this time with serious consequences. It is not know at this time if any criminal charges will be laid.

THE broadcast regulator will investigate the role of 2Day FM management and its Sydney DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian in this prank call that has resulted in a death.

Section 6.1 of the code of practice states: “A licensee must not broadcast the words of an identifiable person unless: a) that person has been informed in advance or a reasonable person would be aware that the words may be broadcast; or b) in the case of words which have been recorded without the knowledge of the person, that person has subsequently, but prior to the broadcast, expressed consent to the broadcast of the word.”

During an address to parliament overnight British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to Ms Saldanha and indicated that investigations into her death would continue.

Trademark Registration Faq & Essentials

October 31, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Calling All Entrepreneurs: Everything You Need to Know About Registering Your Australian Trade Mark in the United States

As a U.S.-based trade mark attorney at Gerben Law Firm PLLC, I frequently receive inquiries from our Australian clients seeking to register their trade marks in the United States. Here are some answers to our most commonly asked questions.

Registering Australian trademarks in US

1. My trade mark is already registered in Australia. Does this registration protect my trade mark in the U.S.?

It is important to note that your Australian trade mark rights do not apply in the United States. Therefore, if you plan to expand your sales into the U.S. in the future, you should file for a trade mark registration in the U.S. to make sure your rights are protected.

2. What are the benefits of applying for a U.S. trade mark?

In today’s expanding global marketplace, it may be foreseeable for you to expand your market to sell in the U.S. in the future. It is vital to protect your trade mark in the U.S. if you intend to sell your goods or services in the U.S. By registering your trademark in the U.S., you will have legally enforceable rights in the event that someone else starts using your trade mark in the United States.

3. Do I need to have a business in the U.S. in order to register my trade mark in the United States?

No, you do not need to have a registered business entity in the United States to apply for a trade mark registration in the United States. An Australian citizen, or an Australian company, can own a United States trademark.

4. Why is conducting a US trademark search important?

A trademark attorney should always be hired to conduct a complete federal, state and common law trademark search in the United States before a trademark filing is made. An attorney’s search (with specialized software) can spot potential conflicts with your trademark before you file it. Using software available on-line to conduct a trademark search is often misleading and the results should not be trusted. In addition, a US trademark attorney should conduct a state and common law trademark search. These searches can spot a problem that could lead to a lawsuit for you in the future (these are unique rights that are possible outside the federal system under U.S. trademark law).

5. How long does it take to register a trademark in the United States.

After your attorney has conducted a search for you, he or she can assist you in filing your trade mark application with the U.S. government. Once the U.S. government receives your trademark application an attorney for United States Patent and Trademark Office will review your mark to ensure that it does not conflict with a pre-existing trademark and complies with all applicable rules and statutes. It typically takes 6-8 months for the U.S. government to review your trade mark and issue a registration certificate.

10 Reason Why Internships In China Is Good For Your Career

October 30, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

China’s nominal GDP puts it at the position of the world’s second largest economy. What’s more, it’s also the world’s largest exporter of goods and the world’s fastest growing major economy. A Chinese internship can put the shine on your career, and here are 10 reasons why that is so.

The Chinese Economy Is Booming

Countries such as the UK and the US are just recovering from depressed economies. People are looking for jobs elsewhere in the world. With its burgeoning economy and technological superiority, China is now poised to offer employment to people from other countries.

China Welcomes Foreign Interns

Due to major industrial expansion, China has plenty of jobs that need people to fill them. Interns work very well for this purpose, from an economic perspective. As a result, China welcomes foreign interns and offers them great training and job opportunities while ensuring economic manpower for its own industries.

China Offers Both Business Opportunity And Chilled Lifestyle

Chinese companies are willing to share their knowledge and skills with interns, and act as stepping stones to further their careers. As a country, China is fascinating, from a cultural, linguistic and social perspective. Even though the country is steeped in eastern wisdom, it is modern, western and open to other cultures.

A China Internship Opens The Doors To Global Employment

China offers overseas experience that’s welcome in most countries, and also a healthy job market for interns who opt for a career in China. An intern’s future employability increases due to the job skills, knowledge and linguistic flexibility that a Chinese internship program offers.

Chinese-Interned Students Obtain Several Additional Advantages

Foreign students who intern in China have to learn how to live and survive in an alien culture. This makes them more flexible, more resilient, more innovative, adaptable, courageous and outgoing. This also increases their confidence and self-esteem. All these qualities are highly prized by employers worldwide.

Several Companies Facilitate Internship Opportunities

In the recent past, Chinese internship has taken off like a rocket. You’ll find several companies facilitating internship opportunities in top Chinese businesses for a fee. Shanghai and Beijing are two top locations where interns can find suitable internships and even jobs through internship-facilitating organizations.

Many Internship Companies Offer Total Orientation Training

Internship facilitators provide orientation programs for interns to learn about Chinese culture and learn the language. These companies are aware of the extra effort that interns have to put in, in order to survive in China. As a result, they go out of their way to help with orientation programs that help interns settle down.

An Internship In China Helps Build Character

For interns, this is a great opportunity to learn about a new culture and add to their world knowledge. A Chinese internship opens their minds and helps them process information differently. A Chinese internship offers an once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience overseas travel and see a whole different world.

US Colleges Offer Academic Credit For Chinese Internship

US colleges used to offer academic credit for student internships in UK, Canada, Israel and Australia. Now they offer academic credit for Chinese internships as well. What’s more, business schools and colleges encourage Chinese internship, given that China is the world’s second biggest economy.

A Number Of Global Companies Operate In China

Some of the top US companies operate in China and even have offices there. Examples include Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, KPMG and others. Several corporate biggies have tie-ups with China as well. This means interns have the opportunity to find employment in the Chinese establishments of top global corporates as well.