Image of the week: On yer printed bike
Yes, it just looks like a picture of a man on a motorcycle, but it's not just any man, and more importantly it's not just any motorcycle. This is Tom Enders, the chief executive of Airbus, and therefore a man with access to some interesting engines. He's in Ottobrunn, Germany, where he's taking a break from all the jets and drones by riding the world's first 3D-printed electric motorcycle, made of metal powder by using laser melting technology. The product of Airbus subsidiary APWorks weighs just 77lb and is named the "Light Rider". The company is taking orders for a limited run of 50 motorbikes, costing €50,000 each – plus tax. If Chris Evans doesn't get one on to his first season on Top Gear, what's the point? Photograph: Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP
In Numbers: Google raid
100
Number of tax officials reported to have entered Google’s offices in central Paris on Tuesday morning as part of a tax fraud investigation. Google said it was “co-operating fully”.
€1.6 billion
Size of the back taxes being sought by the French authorities, which even for Google is a little more than loose change. It’s also rather more than the £130 million settlement made with the UK authorities in January.
€5 million
Corporate tax payment that Google made in France in 2014 on revenue of €225 million. Ah, the old “double Irish” in action again.
The Lexicon: Ghost towers
Ireland has ghost estates and Spain has ghost airports, but in parts of the world with a fondness for the high rise there are ghost towers. Bangkok, for instance, has a long-abandoned, unfinished skyscraper called the Sathorn Unique that on stormy days sheds debris on to the streets below. Now London has its own “ghost tower”.
Unlike Bangkok’s one, it is not the uninhabitable victim of a construction bust. It is a completed 50-storey tower, the highest residential building in Britain, with a view of the Thames and Westminster, but it is barely occupied. According to an investigation by the Guardian, almost two-thirds of the homes within the complex are in foreign ownership, while a quarter are held through offshore companies based in tax havens. Because who would want to live in London, right?
Getting to know: Mrs M&S
"Mrs M&S" is aged 50-plus and shops in Marks & Spencer 18 times a year. She is the woman – or women, for there are an estimated seven million "Mrs M&S"s – that newish chief executive Steve Rowe would like to court. "Mrs M&S, we need to cherish and celebrate her and give her what she wants," he told the BBC. Of course, there's nothing wrong with catering to the needs of your core customer. That's always going to go down better than ignoring them. But talking about "Mrs M&S" out loud, on the radio, where everybody can hear it? Rowe was swiftly labelled "a seriously out-of-date male", and the term he used "gendered, old-fashioned, exclusionary", then the pondering moved on to whether Mrs M&S hailed from the 1960s or the 1970s, and if she had a place on the board.
The list: Personal transport options
Judging by the interest they’re winning from big car manufacturers, taxi and “ride” hailing app companies are beginning to look like the future of car transport, not just the future of taxis.
1 Uber The star of the "gig economy" has announced a partnership with Toyota, which will offer vehicles to Uber drivers through a new leasing scheme.
2 Gett Volkswagen has just pumped $300 million into Gett, which is an Israeli start-up. Gett drivers will be offered discounts on VW cars, so that’s nice.
3 Lyft Ahead of its peers, General Motors put $500 million into the US ride-hailing app a few months ago.
4 MyTaxi The German taxi app is owned by Daimler and has "ambitious plans" for expansion in 2016.
5 Hailo The company, which lobbies against the unlicensed driver Uber model, has more than 500 business accounts in Ireland, but has fared less well in the US. It is seeking new funders.
