If Islamic State can prove a “true caliphate”, Taliban fighters will join September 2, 2014 Fighters from a militant Islamic group in Afghanistan have said they would consider joining forces with the Islamic State (IS). The Hezb-e-Islami group is allied to the Taliban, and its commander Mirwais told the BBC that if IS can prove a true Islamic caliphate, they would link up with it. Referring to IS [...]
Saudi Arabia arrests 88 men in al-Qaeda cell for planning attacks abroad September 2, 2014 A Saudi security official confirmed today that police have arrested 88 men suspected of plotting to carry out attacks both inside and outside the kingdom. They are thought to be part of an al-Qaeda ring “on the verge of carrying out operations” according to the country's interior ministry. Three of the men are [...]
China to replace Europe as world’s biggest carbon market September 2, 2014 The world's second largest economy is planning to roll out a national market for carbon permit trading in 2016, according to officials. The rules for the market are currently being finalised and, if all goes to plan, within a few years China will replace Europe as the world's biggest trader in emissions. China [...]
NHS could still be opened to American corporations under TTIP September 1, 2014 The NHS is not safe from the effects of the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal, ministers have admitted. The US-EU trade deal could result in the health service being opened up to American corporations, and today it was confirmed that it is still a possibility. UK trade minister Lord Livingston [...]
Scottish independence: UK government has no back-up plan September 1, 2014 The UK government has no contingency plan to deal with a “yes” vote on 18 September, according a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron. The FT reports that the spokesman said UK officials have no precise plan for what they would do if Scotland chose independence on 18 September. “No such work (is being) [...]
How to stop climate change: Drop the hamburger September 1, 2014 Bad news, hamburger fans. New research shows that if we are going to have any chance of slowing down climate change, we must eat less meat. We tend to concentrate on practices such as fracking and emissions from coal-based power stations when we consider the prevention of climate change, but a paper published today [...]
Why Facebook makes us lose trust in society September 1, 2014 Facebook exposes us to “offensive behaviour and hate speech”, giving rise to feelings of depression and distrust, according to a new study. Researchers at the Sapienza University of Rome looked at the way in which 50,000 Italian people use social networks, and compared the results with the individuals' reported levels of happiness and self-esteem. [...]
Wine can be healthy – but only if you exercise September 1, 2014 We've all heard drinking a glass of wine a day can improve health by warding off heart attacks, but is this just wishful thinking? If you do no exercise, the answer is probably yes. Researchers from the European Society of Cardiology have shown wine does have the potential to protect against cardiovascular disease, but [...]
Scotland will lose its brightest brains if it becomes independent, scientists say August 31, 2014 If Scotland votes for independence on 18 September an exodus of the country's best scientists will follow, according to senior academics. They told The Guardian that a number of scientists at Scotland's top universities had already expressed willingness to relocate in the event of a “yes” vote. Some of them have been approached [...]
Amazon hires Visa credit card’s Nick Talwar to expand lending business August 31, 2014 Amazon has hired Visa North America credit card boss Nick Talwar to expand Amazon Lending. When the e-commerce giant first set up the lending business three years ago, very little was said about it. There were no press releases or public announcements, and knowledge of it was limited to private invitations sent to a [...]
