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GOOGLE is fighting a battle on multiple fronts over its tax optimisation techniques, with both France and Britain pursuing the tech giant.

Undated file photo of the Google logo on a mobile phone screen. Cabinet minister Patrick McLoughlin has said he would like to see Google pay more tax in future as Brussels considered demands to investigate the agreement reached by the internet giant with the UK authorities.. Issue date: Friday January 29, 2016. Chancellor George Osborne has insisted the deal is a "major success" but his Cabinet colleague McLoughlin said he would "like to see Google making more payments to the country" and suggested Whitehall's financial watchdog could examine it. The controversial £130 million 10-year deal with HM Revenue and Customs on back taxes could be investigated by the European Commission following complaints from the SNP and Labour. See PA story POLITICS Google. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire

1. SYDNEY — The Australian dollar has softened, following the fortunes of global shares. At 7am on Thursday, the local unit was trading at 72.02 US cents, down from 72.85 cents on Wednesday.

2. SYDNEY — The Australian share market looks set to open slightly higher after mixed performance on Wall Street as plunging oil prices, low interest rates and turbulent global markets take a toll on banks. At 6.45am on Thursday, the share price index was up eight points at 4,863.

3. LONDON — The British pound has traded near $US1.39 ($A1.93) for the first time in seven years, as concerns that Britons could leave the European Union deepened.

4. LONDON — Britain’s departure from the European Union would threaten scientific research and jeopardise the 28-nation bloc’s system of drug regulation, the European pharmaceutical industry says.

5. LONDON — Airbus Group expects the competitiveness of its British operations to fall if Britons vote to leave the European Union in a referendum, potentially threatening the scale of the aeroplane maker’s operations in the country.

6. RIO DE JANEIRO — The credit ratings agency Moody’s has stripped Brazil of its investment grade status.

7. PARIS — France is seeking 1.6 billion euros ($1.76 billion) in back taxes from US internet giant Google, criticised for its use of aggressive tax optimisation techniques, a source at the finance ministry says.

8. LONDON — Britain’s Committee of Public Accounts says the amount Google agreed to pay in a tax settlement with the government is “disproportionately small” when compared with the size of the company’s business in the country.

9. GENEVA — The United States has won a ruling against India at the World Trade Organisation after challenging the rules on the origin of solar cells and solar modules used in India’s national solar power program.

10. LOS ANGELES — News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson says the global media company will continue to look to cut costs, but emphasised the importance of having “an editorial engine” strong enough to generate quality content.