Google’s Paris office raided by police in tax probe

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Google’s Paris offices have been raided by hundreds of French investigators—the search giant is suspected of avoiding tax in the country to the tune of €1.6 billion (~$1.78 billion, £1.22 billion).

The French financial prosecutor’s office (Le parquet national financier, PNF) which carried out the raid in the early hours of Tuesday morning, confirmed that the searches were the result of a preliminary investigation opened in June last year into possible “aggravated tax fraud and organised money laundering.”

Google’s European headquarters are based in Ireland, which boasts a tiny 12.5 percent corporation tax—the lowest in the European Union.

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Google’s Paris office raided by police in tax probe

This Bluetooth Speaker Floats Like a Death Star, and You Can Save $45 On Yours Today

This little Bluetooth speaker floats—literally floats—and spins above your desk like a tiny Death Star, and…

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This Bluetooth Speaker Floats Like a Death Star, and You Can Save $45 On Yours Today

Taipei-based startup Woomoo acqui-hired by Priceline

Woomoo, the startup behind app prototyping tool POP, has been acqui-hired by Priceline. All six of the company’s employees have relocated from Taipei, where Woomoo was based, to Bangkok to work on app development for Agoda, the hotel booking website owned by Priceline. The deal’s terms were undisclosed. Read More

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Taipei-based startup Woomoo acqui-hired by Priceline

LeEco India sends out media invites for June 8 event; Le 2 and Le Max 2 expected

LeEco (formerly LeTV) has started sending out media invites for a product launch event set for June 8 in India. While the invite doesn’t say anything about the product(s) that’ll be launched, it’d be reasonable to expect that the Le 2 along with its Pro variant as well as the Le Max 2 are coming.

The phones were unveiled in China last month, and went on sale a week later. A total of one million units were up for grabs, and reportedly, the complete inventory was sold in just two hours.

The Le Max 2 is the leader of the pack. It is powered by Snapdragon 820 chipset, and sports a…

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LeEco India sends out media invites for June 8 event; Le 2 and Le Max 2 expected

Spotify revenue and losses on the rise

Streaming music platform Spotify sees revenue top 1.95bn euros ($2.2bn;£1.5bn) over the past year, but has yet to make a profit. – Source

Spotify revenue and losses on the rise

Non-profit RideAustin looks to fill void left by Uber and Lyft

Charity or opportunism? It’s so hard to tell, sometimes. In RideAustin’s case, it looks to be a bit of both. It’s a non-profit car-for-hire service that’s happy to abide by the city’s rules — and adds a layer of budget- and conscience-friendly features that may help it stay differentiated (and alive). Read More

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Non-profit RideAustin looks to fill void left by Uber and Lyft

Sources: Snapchat is raising more money at about a $20 billion valuation

Snapchat may have first made its name in the crowded world of mobile apps with an ephemeral messaging service, but the startup and its wildly popular app are not disappearing anywhere soon. TechCrunch has learned from multiple sources that Snapchat is raising yet more financing at around a $20 billion valuation. Sources with knowledge of the deal say the social media giant is in the… Read More

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Sources: Snapchat is raising more money at about a $20 billion valuation

We're looking for the best YA series of all time. What's your pick?

Everyone loves a good love triangle, or even a love polygon. But at the end of the day, there can only be one winner.

That also goes for best YA series.

SEE ALSO: What’s the best Shakespeare play ever written? Introducing our ‘This Be Madness’ bracket

We here at MashReads are known lovers of YA, reading the full YA spectrum, from Twilight to Rainbow Rowell and “everything everything” in between. And we’re not alone. Everybody has their favorite YA book that they’d drop everything for. That’s why we we decided to bring this question to the people: What is the greatest YA series of all time?

Inspired by the success of our ‘This Be Madness’ …

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We're looking for the best YA series of all time. What's your pick?

Jessica Williams reminds famous dudes they need permission to touch her

Being a famous man — or a man at all — already gets you plenty in this world. Touching a woman without her permission is not one of those things.

The Daily Show’s Jessica Williams got real about the entitlement to women’s bodies people feel during a Vulture Festival panel discussing her podcast, 2 Dope Queens. Just the night before at the Peabody Awards, a famous actor decided it was within his right to put his hands on her.

SEE ALSO: Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson’s unfiltered comedy podcast will be your new favorite

“All of the sudden, this guy, this popular actor comes up behind me and just grabs me and just pulls me in towards him,” she recalls. “I was literally talking to somebody, and was like, ‘What? What is happening? ‘And he was like, ‘Yeah, girl. You fine.'” …

More about 2 Dope Queens, Jessica Williams, Watercooler, Creeps, and Celebrities – Source

Jessica Williams reminds famous dudes they need permission to touch her

Penny raises $1.2M in seed funding for its personal finance bot

Penny, a personal finance bot we reviewed last fall, has raised $1.2M in seed funding from Social Capital. As a refresher, the app offers a chat-based interface that offers advice tailored to your personal finances. This advice includes things like how much you spend on food each week, how this month’s spending compares to last month’s, and even income graphs. One unique thing… Read More

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Penny raises $1.2M in seed funding for its personal finance bot