Dolce & Gabbana accused of €840m tax evasion in Italy

A good economic essay example!!!
Cracking down tax evasion can compliment the use of the austerity measures.

Dolce & Gabbana, an Italian fashion house giant had been put litigation on its tax evasion act by failing to declare revenues of around €840 million in Italy currency.

Investigators closed their inquiry against founders Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, as well as five other people, but no formal charges were yet presented, Il Sole 24 Ore said, citing prosecutors in Milan.

Dolce & Gabbana was accused of creating a company in Luxembourg in 2004 and 2005 that was given control of the group's brands, thereby avoiding Italian taxes. The Luxembourg company, Gado, was in fact run from Italy.

The unpaid taxes amount to €420 million, Il Messaggero daily reported.

Italy has been cracking down on widespread tax evasion in recent months in an effort to raise government revenues following the global economic crisis.
Dolce & Gabbana was set up in 1985 and employs more than 3000 people, with a network of 116 shops and 17 factory outlets in 2009, the group's website said.

News; Money can buy happiness, it costs $75,000

RICH people are happier than low-income earners but the benefits of wealth appear to taper off after US$75,000 a year, according to a Princeton University study.
The new study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) asked about 1,000 randomly selected US residents to assess their emotional well-being each day and also asked them to rate how they felt their life was going in general, according to a statement from Princeton University.
Participants assessed their emotional well-being by determining how much time they spent in positive or negative states the previous day.
They determined their life evaluation by rating their life on a scale of zero to 10.
Based on more than 450,000 responses, the study found as income decreased from US$75,000 ($82,000), respondents reported decreasing happiness and increasing sadness and stress.The pain of life's misfortunes including disease, divorce and being alone, were also made worse by poverty, according to the study's authors, psychologists Professor Angus Deaton and Professor Daniel Kahneman.
“We conclude that lack of money brings both emotional misery and low life evaluation; similar results were found for anger,” write the authors in the report.
“Beyond US$75,000 ($82,000) in the contemporary United States, however, higher income is neither the road to experienced happiness nor the road to the relief of unhappiness or stress, although higher income continues to improve individuals’ life evaluations.”
Although the study does not suggest that quality of life will improve with higher incomes, it does indicate that above a certain salary, people's emotional wellbeing was impacted by other factors such as temperament and life circumstances.
Those earning more than US$75,000 ($82,000) would not be able to buy happiness but the money would bring a life they people thought was better, the study concluded.


Opinion: It is indubitable that money can't buy any happiness in life, but it is a necessary and essential key to a better life and better standard of living. Every single thing we consume or enjoy today carry a cost and without money, nothing can be done. Fundamental component to stay in life such as food, water, electricity, education, health care and etc. do involve a cost and the way to pay for those is money!!! However, money dosen't determine everything. It cannot guarantee that misfortune will not happen on someone rich, ensure a healthy life, promote good reputation with noble quality, buy proximity, trust, believe and the list goes on. It's up to someone to decide on the balance between money and life. The most significant factor that decide on quality of life is the greediness of the person, but not money. People should feel contented as long as the money they have earned are able to provide them with the fundamental need and occasionally some entertainment to relax themselves.

News: Cholera outbreak 'covered up' in eastern China

Talking about food safety, China had been well known for its notorious lax food regime and food hazards. The callous and malign profit-oriented businessmen there will try any possible ways to maximise their profit, even it is on the cost of lives of million population in the China. The most recent world astonishing case was the incident that industrial chemical melamine were found to have been illegally added to dairy products to give the appearance of higher protein content. The scandal was blamed for the deaths of at least six infants and for making 300,000 others ill in China.Despite the transgressors had been put to capital punishment, it seemed that this aggressive punishment had met its futility in curbing this outrage callous activities. Here the news:

AUTHORITIES in eastern China covered up an outbreak of cholera for 12 days out of fears that publicising the often fatal disease would shock the local population, state press reported.

According to the website of the Anhui province health department, 38 people have contracted cholera since August 16 and the outbreak was under preliminary control with the numbers of cases diminishing. Five patients remain hospitalised, it said.
Cholera causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to dehydration, and can be fatal if not treated quickly. It normally breaks out in impoverished regions with poor sanitation.
Although health authorities have not reported any deaths, internet chatrooms were abuzz with rumours that several people have died from the disease.
At the same time state media criticised the government for covering up the epidemic and refusing to alert the local population.
"On August 16, the Anhui centre for disease control had confirmed the outbreak of cholera, but it was not until August 28 that it was publicised," the Beijing News said in an editorial.
"The government covered up the outbreak for 12 days."
The paper quoted Wang Jianjun, the vice director of the Anhui centre for disease control as saying that local officials were powerless to publicise disease outbreaks and had to wait for approval from more senior officials.
"Besides, if every outbreak of disease is publicised every time, this will easily lead the public to become paralysed in their thinking," the report cited him as saying without elaboration.

The cholera outbreak has been traced to soybean milk shop in Anhui's Mengcheng city.
Poor sanitation and a lax food safety regime have repeatedly led to health scares in China. Last week, 87 children were taken to hospital after eating tainted yoghurt at a kindergarten in northwest China's Gansu, state media reported yesterday.
Also last week, a cooking oil company in central China acknowledged it had waited five months before notifying the public that one of its products had been found to contain excessive carcinogens.

Aussie news: Re-offending rates up - prison study

A STUDY of Australia's prison populations has found young men and those from indigenous backgrounds are most likely to have more than one spell in jail.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics study, covering prison census data from 1994 to 2007, found the rate of recidivism leading to added jail time was roughly steady, with about 56 per cent of prisoners having done a period in prison by 2007.

Over the period of the study, prison populations increased by an average of 3.7 per cent a year.

The proportion of men in the jail system varied from 92 to 94 per cent over the 13 years of the study, while the number of indigenous prisoners varied between 18 and 21 per cent.

But the number of prisoners being jailed after previously serving a prison sentence rose by 3.2 per cent over the same period.

"Re-imprisonment was strongly associated with being young, being indigenous or having been previously imprisoned," the ABS report said.



"To a lesser extent, re-imprisonment was also associated with being male."

The re-imprisonment rate was highest in the Northern Territory, where about 68 per cent of prisoners had been jailed before.

This was blamed on the demographics of its prisoners, many of whom were young men, the report said.

"In all jurisdictions except Queensland, prisoners released in recent years were more likely to be re-imprisoned than prisoners released in the mid-1990s," it said.

Almost 60 per cent of all prisoners released in the three years to June 1997 had not been sent to jail again before June 30, 2007, the report found.

Those jailed for serious offences, including those involving illicit drugs, sex offences and road traffic offences, were much more likely to return to jail for similar offences.

Opinion: Indeed it is a worrisome sign, implicates that the crime rate in the jailing and jurisdictions system in Australia had failed in nurturing the transgressors to turn over a new leaf particularly in young indigenous men. Why men? Why crime and men are always closely associated with higher number of men put in jail. Why the men don't even have a sense of remorsefulness after what bad deed they had did before? Well, it is a crucial issue to think about. Indubitable the young men tend to like to solve problems and overcome their stress in an aggressive way. However, it is also up to one EQ to control their own emotion and behaviour. This biological culprit can't be blamed solely though. May be it is the time for Australian government to revise their litigation and education system to halt this problem from further protracting.

News (continued): Woman who binned cat fears losing her job

THE British woman caught on CCTV throwing a cat into a rubbish bin fears for her job as a bank teller because she thinks no one will want to be served by her. Mary Bale, 45, who is now being investigated by police and the Royal Sociey for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Just who wants to be served by the woman who dumped the cat in a bin?

Ms Bale, from Coventry, England, said she wanted to apologise in person to the cat's owners, Darryl and Stephanie Andrews-Mann, but was told by the RSPCA it would be "inappropriate," as an investigation was underway.

While Ms Bale had given an profuse apologised and only drew a cool response from the owner of the pet.

"I wouldn't let that woman within a mile of (our cat) Lola," they said. "She might recognise her and have a fit. Why fling a living creature into a wheelie bin if you don't mean to harm it? There's something wrong with the woman."

Ms Bale denied claims that she threw the cat in the bin because of a ongoing dispute with the couple.


Newspapers from China to Sweden covered the case of the mysterious cat trasher, and Ms Bale received numerous death threats and remains under police protection.



Opinion: This callous action is reprehensible and now the woman will have to face the Nemesis for what she had done.

Malaysian News: Malaysian government workers evicted for having sex outside marriage

MUSLIM civil servants caught having sex outside marriage have been evicted from government housing in Malaysia's administrative capital, authorities confirmed.
Islamic officials launched a campaign to stamp out immoral activities in Putrajaya, a grandiose collection of ministries, wide avenues and subsidised housing that lies south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Sex between unmarried Muslim couples is a violation of Islamic laws.
Che Mat Che Ali, head of the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department, confirmed reports that civil servants were ordered to vacate their homes by the Shariah religious court but would not say how many people were affected.

"I can confirm that this is happening," he said of the Towards Zero Immoral Activities in Putrajaya 2010 campaign, which already caught government employees in "khalwat" - close proximity between an unmarried couple.


"It may seem harsh, but we want the people of Putrajaya to know that we take this matter seriously," he told the country's New Straits Times newspaper over the weekend, adding that the department "used to receive a lot of complaints from the public about Shariah offenses.

Among them was that we did not monitor immoral activities around the Putrajaya mosque," he was quoted as saying. "We are not going to be lenient with [suspected offenders] anymore."


Opinion: Indeed what the Malaysian government did was true and appropriate. Regardless of religion, pre-marital sex is strictly prohibited as it will deteriorate the noble value, self-esteem, integrity and image of someone. For free thinker, it's more on the concern about morality. Thus, it should be seen as the greatest sin that can be atoned once being committed. It is against the humanity and transgressors should be punished without leniency. Be faithful and loyal to the future husband and wife!

News: Siberian tiger kills keeper

Time for brief news. A tragedy had happened in China where a siberian tiger had killed a keeper. The keeper had been mauled to death in eastern China after being left to roam the cage as it was being cleaned. According to the person in charge, The tiger bit Zhan's neck, inflicting fatal injuries. He was attacked by the tiger while cleaning the cage at a wildlife rescue centre in Anhui province.

News: China landslides kill at least 96, thousands missing

Landslide happened had caused the loss of 96 and now there are still 2000 reported missing. This mudslides swept away homes and destroyed roads in northwestern China as the nation battled its worst flooding in a decade. Authorities have sent nearly 3000 soldiers and about 100 medics to help in search and rescue efforts after the landslides in the mainly Tibetan region began late on Saturday. At least 50,000 people have been affected by floods which have submerged half of Zhouqu county. The root cause was that the landslides swept mud, houses and other debris into a river flowing through the county, blocking the waterway and hence triggering flooding. According to the agency, the torrential deluges happened in the swathes of China had at least cause 1454 death and 12 million to suffer the plight if homeless. Yet, the meteorologist warned that another round of torrential rain may strike the China again.


Opinion: Life is just fragile. One may say that we human can control our path, our future ourselves. I can't deny this stance. As the more effort you put on, the more the fruits of delicacy you can have. But still, there are many things beyond our control happening. Anything can just happen at any time making our plans go into an awry way or taking something precious from you. Is it a faith set the God or is it a coincidence? Well, no one can give an exact answer. But what I do know is that we should grateful on what we have now and always feel contented on what we manage to have.

News: Cop accidentally Tasers 14-year-old girl

In England, a police officer is being investigated after he accidentally Tasered a 14-year-old girl. The officer shot Jodie Gallagher in Stapleford, central England, during a stand-off with a 20-year-old man who was resisting arrest. A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. According to wikipedia, Tasers were introduced as less-lethal weapons to be used by police to subdue fleeing, belligerent, or potentially dangerous subjects, often when what they consider to be a more lethal weapon would have otherwise been used. However, the police using this weapon had missed the target and shot a 14-year-old girl who was standing nearby. Luckily, no treatment is needed and the girls only suffered the muscle cramp on the spot.

However, it is quite controversial on the usage of Tesar gun. The reason is that it may also cause dire injury and death. It is also subjected to abuse and this can be very torturous.

News: Having a sister makes you happier - study

Again tonight is a news telling night. Here is the news that I found interesting and worth to give a glance at it, haha. It is about a study done by a new study under the lead of Dr Laura Padilla-Walker. The study claims that having a sister whether younger or older can make you happy and away from a range of depression. Moreover, researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah found that people growing up with at least one girl in the family were protected from feeling lonely, unloved, guilty and self-conscious. The only reason being is that because girls are better at talking about problems and are more likely to take on a role of carer. In other words, every girls do have the mother nature in their characters, especially during the mature age.

Meanwhile another another study done also have the contention that siblings having family can nurture a child with good EQ. The endless fighting between siblings, this was good because through arguments and hostility children learn how to make up and regain control of their emotions and this are the skills that equip them well for life.

News: Russian fires spread as toll rises to 30

A catastrophic bushfire had happen in Russia and toll had raised to 30. This monstrous fire had engulf more than 14,000 hectares across Russia. To halt the spreading, almost 240,000 emergency workers had been mobilised to fight the blazes, along with 2000 members of the armed forces. In this accident, 1257 houses had burned down across Russia and 600 people on the vicinity had been evacuated. They condemn the authorities for being incapable to lend help on time that caused them to lose their house and loved one.

This fires were unleashed by one of Russia's worst heatwaves have devastated the regions in the centre and the Volga river basin, to the east and southeast of Moscow. Temperatures were forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius over the next few days in affected regions, with the emergency ministry warning of an "extreme risk" of more forest fires.

Opinion: Albeit remarkable advancement in technology and civilisation have been achieved throughout the human history, there are still many unpredictable misfortune that can easily drags life of many in a blink of eye happened. Yet, this statement is undeniable true. But don't it is oblivious that some of the misfortunes are the consequent incident of what human had done to the earth. Bushfire, was it merely a natural disaster? Well, personally I don't think so. What could have caused this heatwave on Russia? 40 degree Celsius which is rarely happened in Russia. To be more sarcastic, it may be caused by global warming which is anthropogenic. Hence, a moderate development and advancement are needed to preserve the earth from destruction.

Baby 'killed by addict mother's breastmilk'

Drug abuse can be fatal. This is not exaggeration and is proven true with the misfortune happened on a baby in Australia. The murderer, the baby himself? Of course not! No doubt, the murderer was an addict mother allegedly addicted to drug. The baby was a two-month old boy, Georgia. He was lethally poisoned by the drug through the breast feeding that contained harmful substances. The mother Kaisha Poulson, 25 was put into custody after the autopsy revealed that the death was caused by methamphetamine poisoning, a chemical substance in drug. Moreover, the mother was also charged on possessing gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and morphine.


Opinion: Albeit many analogous incidents had happen although not on the baby, still there are many obstinate people refuse to turn over the new leaf to make a brighter future for themselves. May be that's the reason why drugs proliferation can be halted effectively and protracts for a long time. The only admonition is that for those who are curious on drugs or addicted to drug, think twice about the love one before doing anything that will cost the whole life. One step in and there will no way out!!!

Aussie news: Sewage leak fears as two dolphins die at Monkey Mia

Prompt action had been taken to investigate the possible leakage t which allegedly blamed to be the main culprit over the death of two dolphins at the popular West Australian beach resort of Monkey Mia. Tourists found a dead adult male dolphin in front of the world-renowned resort yesterday and found a dead juvenile later in the day 22km south of Monkey Mia. One the dolphin had been sent for autopsy for furher information while the another had been washed back to the sea. The leakage on the sewage system in the past three month was suspected to be the cause of this appalling mess. Further investigation will be carried out since the test that had been carried out albeit showed some continuing groundwater, the result was negligible. Because of this incident, the dolphin feeding time at Monkey Mia will continue in a shortened format.

Aussie News: Four teens in jail after police car chase

Young age criminal has now become a prevailing epidermis that strike the Australia. This statement was further supported with the incident happened on in Maroubra, Sydney East. Four teenagers had been put in custody for stealing luxury car and evading police chase. According to the news, they had escaped police pursuit for two times and only manage to be caught by police during the third pursuit. The third pursuit ended when the vehicle failed to negotiate a right hand turn and struck a concrete barrier. The 17 years old driver allegedly attempt to ran away before being arrested. Two male passengers, aged 18 and 17, and a 14-year-old female passenger were arrested at the scene. The driver was charged with driving a stolen car, reckless driving, evading police during a pursuit, driving without a license and drug possession. The passengers were all charged with riding in a stolen vehicle.

Opinion: Has Australia education policy gone wrong to prevent young age criminal or this all is parents' fault. Well I do not have the right to condemn any side. But don't it is a responsibility for parents to nurture a noble future generation filled with integrity. I'm certainly sure no parents will hope that their will appear on the headline of news because of bad deed they done. Nonetheless, Australian government should also reconsider their education policy to halt the spreading of this epidermis. Prevention is better than cure after all.

Aussie news: Cattle safe after 48 hours, farmers near Cougar Energy plant told.

CATTLE farmers surrounding the Cougar Energy underground coal gasification (UCG) plant near Kingaroy in Queensland have been told they can market their cattle again after the positive test on the water of the vicinity. Initially, the water was found to be contaminated by the chemical substances, benzene and toluene emitted from the UCG. As a result, the Cougar Energy was urged to shut down it. All stocks on the vicinity of the site must be kept away from the contaminated water for at least two before going into slaughter because it took at least 24 hours for the chemical substances to evaporate from the water. Although the sample test had shown a positive test, Department of Environment and Resource Management and Queensland Health will still carry on review prior to changing the advise on the local community not to consume the underground water. Meanwhile, Biosecurity Queensland has taken blood and fat samples from cattle on some of the potentially affected properties and the samples to be test for benzene. Further up coming result may need some time for the test being done.

News: US to impose new sanctions on N. Korea

Another round had now been imposed on to North Korea as a reprisal of UN to provocative activities done by the North Korea. Those include sinking of Cheonan, a Korean warship on the disputed Yellow Sea and nuclear proliferation. New round of sanction aimed to halt the procurement of nuclear related material and fund. Many enforcements had been done including identifying, pressuring and putting out of business North Korean entities involved in proliferation and other illicit practices overseas. Moreover, efforts on designating individual involved in nuclear proliferation and bank dealing with related transactions with be strengthen. Senator Clinton hoped that by doing so, the North Korea will not get the necessary supply and provision to continue its proliferation. She also stated that those policies were done directly on the communist government with malign priorities but not the people suffering from such military oriented policy.

News: Death toll rises after Indian train crash

A deadly incident happened in India where a SPEEDING express train had ploughed violently into the stationary passenger train, causing 61 death. The impact was so strong it sent the root of one car flying onto overpass.

According to the allegation, the crowd had scrambled to save the survivors for 3 hours before the rescue team arrived. It was a horrible incident and the death toll may rise.

The police suspected that it was the reprisal done by the local Maoist rebels who were also blamed blamed for a derailment that killed 145 people two month ago.

The disaster had become the second major train crash in the state of West Bengal, India in the past two month. India's sprawling rail network was deplored for its poor maintenance and frequent accidents.

Aussie news: Three die of heroin overdoses in Perth

Since Thursday, three men had found death with their life grabbed by drugs, heroin. One was a 35-years-old business, died on his office. A 40-year-old was found dead on a freeway overpass in the Perth CBD at about 9pm, while a 31-year-old overdosed in his home at about 10am local time on Friday in the northeast Perth suburb of Ashfield. In this incident, the police have expressed concern that the fatal batch of heroin may now flowing in the black market. Police suspect that this misfortune was caused by the bad batch of heroin cut with other substances to bulk up the quantity or higher purity than usual.

Police advises that people should not play Russian roulette consuming the drugs as people will have no idea whatthey will get buying the drug from the illegal agent.

Australian news: 9-year-old girl just missed lab death

A clandestine drug laboratory lab exploded at Perth. Fortunately, a nine-year-old girl who having bath in her home 2 metres away miraculously avoided death or serious injury.
According to the allegation, the girl was among five people at a Maddington house in Perth's east raided by police last night after neighbours heard a blast and smelt ammonia.

A 39-years-old man has been charge for attempting to manufacture methylamphetamine and a 33-year-old-woman has also been charged with allowing premises to be used for making illegal drugs.

After the discovery of six labs in two days, the police concerned about the safety over a number of children living in the houses where the operation of manufacturing drugs were carried out.

Detective-Inspector Alan Morton said children were found at two of those sites and police were seriously concerned they were sometimes living in rooms where potentially explosive chemicals were stored.

More than 60 clandestine labs have been found in WA so far this year.

American teenager killed in lightning strike

Again time for short news. A teenager, Chiquille Hunter, 16 was killed and her 15-years-old was seriously injured after they were struck by lightning during a violent storm. This happened when they were standing under a tree near thier apartment in Cobb Country, Georgia.The bolt had split the tree in half, sending the electricity outwards though the ground where the cousins were standing.

According to police, the girls left their apartment when the power went out.
Family members said the girls were heading to a friend’s house when they became caught in the storm, which shook buildings and knocked out power. The family gathered at Grady Memorial Hospital, where the 15-year-old girl remained in critical condition.

The teenager’s death was the second deadly lightning strike in metro Atlanta in just over two weeks. Two teenagers in Henry County were struck by lightning June 29. One of them died.

Life is just frail don't. In any time and any where we may loss our life due to misfortune. It is all the will of God. We as a human to be given life should grateful for God blessing and divine grace. Hence, we must value our life and avoid doing anything that bring hazard to our life.