Donald Trump u-turns on Russia meddling: “I believe our intelligence agencies” after Vladimir Putin comments November 12, 2017 US President Donald Trump has been forced to clarify that he supports the conclusions of intelligence agencies in the country that there was meddling in last year’s election by Russia. Trump had drawn criticism after saying he believed a denial of any involvement made by Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday. Read more: One year [...]
Donald Trump will not meet with Vladimir Putin in Vietnam, says Sarah Huckabee Sanders November 10, 2017 After much speculation, it turns out Donald Trump will not have a formal meeting with Vladimir Putin while he is in Vietnam, despite both leaders being in the same place at the same time. The Washington Post reported that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, had told reporters the meeting will not happen [...]
Paradise Papers reveal very little we didn’t already know November 8, 2017 How much impact are the Paradise Papers likely to have? Not much, is the answer — at least if the Panama Papers are anything to go by. Leaked in 2015, the Panama Papers, which also revealed the super-rich used offshore tax havens, caused some mild embarrassment but led to very little change. Then British Prime [...]
DEBATE: Can we blame tech companies for helping Russia spread fake news during the referendum campaign? November 6, 2017 Can we blame tech companies for helping Russia spread fake news during the referendum campaign? Olivia Utley, news editor at Reaction, says YES. The argument, which was widely accepted before the UK referendum, is that a split in Europe and a revival of European nationalism was in Vladimir Putin’s interests. It was widely believed – [...]
Billionaire Hollywood bad boy Alki David is resurrecting the dead with holograms | City A.M. November 6, 2017 There’s a rather bonkers Russian chap named Dmitry Itskov who claims that by the year 2045 his team of scientists will have achieved human immortality by uploading brains onto a computer. That’s a little way off, though. In the meantime, if Frankenstein’s monster meeting Blade Runner doesn’t tickle your fancy, one can achieve a rather [...]
Queen and US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross among prominent figures featured in Paradise Papers November 5, 2017 A massive trove of leaked legal documents from an offshore law firm has exposed financial arrangements of well known public figures ranging from the Queen to a key member of Donald Trump’s cabinet. The documents, which were obtained by German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), reportedly contain [...]
Editor’s Notes: The Russians swung the Brexit vote? Pull the other one, Legatum Institute experts on the theory of change and City A.M.’s 3,000th edition is coming soon November 3, 2017 We have a problem with the Russian state. Senior spooks say the Kremlin’s agents are more active in this country now than at any point since the height of the Cold War. Out of the shadows, Putin’s interference is brazen – including the Kremlin-funded ‘news’ outlets RT and Sputnik – home of conspiracy theorists, pro-Russia [...]
Ada Health lands €40m from Len Blavatnik, Amazon Alexa creator William Tunstall-Pedoe and Google business chief Philip Schindler’s June Fund October 31, 2017 The company behind a healthcare app which can help diagnose symptoms has landed a multi-million pound round of funding from investors, who include a top Google executive, the man who created Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and one of Britain's richest billionaires. London and Berlin based Ada Health has raised €40m (£35.2m) to grow the business [...]
Owner of book shop Waterstones drafts in Rothschild to consider sale and new loans October 29, 2017 Book retailer Waterstones could be put up for sale next year as its owner, the Russian tycoon Alexander Mamut, explores options with bankers from Rothschild. Waterstones, which Mamut bought from HMV in 2011, has weathered the rise of e-readers to return to profits in the past year. It is understood that Mamut brought in NM [...]
Read: UK MPs letter demands info on Russia election and Brexit meddling from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg October 24, 2017 MPs have demanded answers from Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on the extent of Russian-linked adverts on the social media site during UK elections and the Brexit vote and their influence. The chair of the digital, culture, media and sport committee Damian Collins has asked the billionaire tech entrepreneur to provide examples of adverts purchased [...]