Starbucks agrees to pay more tax

6 December 2012 Last updated at 13:49 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Starbucks UK’s Kris Engkov: “We are going to do what’s required beyond the law”Coffee chain Starbucks has agreed to pay more UK corporation tax, after a public outcry over how little it pays.Kris Engskov, managing director of Starbucks UK, announced that the company would pay “a significant amount...

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South Africa military plane crashes in mountains

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African military aircraft on an unknown mission to an area near the village where former President Nelson Mandela lives crashed in a mountain range, officials said Thursday. It was unclear whether there were any survivors.The Douglas DC-3 Dakota, a twin-propeller aircraft, had taken off from Pretoria’s Waterkloof Air Force Base on Wednesday night, said Brig. Gen. Xolani...

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Sean Bean replaces Brendan Fraser in TNT pilot “Legends”

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – TNT‘s upcoming pilot “Legends” is getting a Stark makeover.Sean Bean, who played ill-fated Lord of Winterfell Eddard Stark in HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” has signed on to replace Brendan Fraser in TNT’s upcoming pilot “Legends.”Fraser dropped out of the pilot last month; the show would have marked his first starring turn on a TV series.Bean will play Martin Odum, a deep-cover...

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FDA staff says Zogenix painkiller has abuse risks

(Reuters) – Drug reviewers said a painkiller developed by Zogenix Inc could possibly be abused more than currently available hydrocodone combination products.Zogenix’s painkiller Zohydro is a single-entity product containing hydrocodone — a narcotic painkiller. Hydrocodone and oxycodone are often-abused drugs.Combination hydrocodone drugs usually also contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in...

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Exclusive: HSBC might pay $1.8 billion money laundering fine – sources

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – HSBC Holdings Plc might pay a fine of $ 1.8 billion as part of a settlement with U.S. law-enforcement agencies over money-laundering lapses, according to several people familiar with the matter.The settlement with Europe’s biggest bank – which could be announced as soon as next week – will likely involve HSBC entering into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal...

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Sri Lanka see backlash from Aussie ‘wounded soldiers’

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has warned his team to be wary of a backlash from Australia in their three-test series after the hosts were stung by their series defeat to South Africa earlier this week.Australia’s hopes of snatching the Proteas’ top test ranking ended in a crushing 309-run defeat in the third and final test in Perth on Monday, but Jayawardene took little comfort...

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Hugh Hefner heads to altar again, with “runaway bride”

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is headed to the altar again – with the blonde Playmate who ditched him five days before their planned wedding in 2011.Hefner, 86, and his former “runaway bride” Crystal Harris, 26, obtained a marriage license in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Recorder spokeswoman Elizabeth Knox said.Celebrity website TMZ.com said the couple, who reunited...

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Casting Light on Astronaut Insomnia: ISS to Get Sleep-Promoting Lightbulbs

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The U.S.-China Cold War Over Accounting

U.S. regulators are cracking down on Chinese companies for issuing misleading financial reports. But the feds have been stymied so far by a wall of resistance to U.S. accounting rules—and not just from the companies.The Securities Exchange Commission on Dec. 3 formally accused the Chinese affiliates of the Big Four accounting firms of violating U.S. law. The issue at hand: failure to provide documents...

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Officials: NATO to decide on missiles for Turkey

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO foreign ministers are expected to approve Turkey‘s request for Patriot anti-missile systems to bolster its defense against possible strikes from neighboring Syria.NATO foreign ministers are meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels. Parliaments in both nations must approve the deployment, which would also involve several hundred soldiers.Ankara, which has been highly supportive...

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