Was Trump wrong to hire son-in-law Jared Kushner? June 1, 2017 With recent allegations about a ‘backchannel’ with Russia, was Trump wrong to hire son-in-law Jared Kushner? Sarah Kendzior, journalist and scholar of authoritarian states, says YES. Donald Trump is attempting to build a dynastic kleptocracy through abuse of executive power. Autocrats are typically paranoid and insular, relying on family and installing them in the government, [...]
The new space race: Private companies are getting into the business of space travel – and it could produce the world’s first trillionaire May 30, 2017 Five-minutes’ drive from Kennedy Space Center, among the marshes and pine trees of Merritt Island Wildlife Reserve, lies Shuttles Restaurant & Bar. On the back wall is a massive photograph of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, soaring into space on the back of an orange fuel tank. Bolted to its side are two white rockets, spouting [...]
WannaCry ransomware NHS cyber attack: A final warning for banks and fintech May 15, 2017 It was the most high profile cyber attack in some time, and one of the largest ever carried out. Governments, hospitals, companies and universities in over 150 countries were affected by the recent ‘WannaCry’ cyber attack, which affected more than 230,000 computers with ransomware and demanded bitcoin payments. Media coverage in the UK focused on [...]
FBI director confirms agency is investigating links between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign March 20, 2017 FBI director James Comey has confirmed the security agency is investigating allegations that Russia had an influence over President Trump's campaign ahead of last year's election, and revealed the probe began last July. Comey was testifying to the US House of Representatives intelligence committee, along with National Security Agency director Admiral Mike Rogers. It is unusual [...]
Financier Bill Browder, thorn in Putin’s side, is on the verge of securing a UK Magnitsky law after a five-year push March 20, 2017 Since Sergei Magnitsky was killed in a Russian jail in 2009, financier Bill Browder has campaigned vociferously to bring those responsible for his former lawyer’s death to justice. This high-profile activity has set him on a collision course with the Russian authorities and specifically Vladimir Putin. In apparent retaliation against his justice campaign, the Russian [...]
73 candid Hitler photos have been sold for £34,000 at an auction in Kent March 17, 2017 A series of candid photos of Adolf Hitler sold for £34,000 to an unidentified bidder in an auction held this week in Royal Tunbridge Wells. The photos belonged to Eva Braun, the dictator's long-time companion and briefly his wife. They were discovered in April 1945 in Hitler’s Berlin bunker among Braun’s other possessions. Read more: Ken [...]
Yahoo hack: US Justice Department files charges against Russian spies in connection with cyber breach March 15, 2017 US authorities have filed charges against Russian intelligence officials in connection with a massive hack of data from Yahoo in 2014. The US Justice Department (DOJ) has indicted four defendants, including two officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), for "computer hacking, economic espionage and other criminal offenses in connection with a conspiracy, beginning in January [...]
These are the FTSE companies with the highest and lowest chief executive pay ratios March 15, 2017 With AGM season around the corner, and remuneration set to be a top issue for investors, chief executive pay ratios could again be about to come under the microscope. And while the certain retailers could feel the heat, a number of City firms should be able to rest easy. Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) has drawn [...]
Holiday Homes: Finding a property investment at Courchevel 1850 on the slopes in the Rhone-Alpes that will pay off March 14, 2017 In the rarefied air of Courchevel 1850, known as France’s ski playground for the wealthy, the word “only” quickly takes on a new meaning. A burger, for example, is “only” €30 on the slopes, and a duplex apartment is “only” €9.65m. But in the Rhone-Alpes prime real estate hotspot, where high-end chalets up to 3000sqm [...]
Boris Johnson warns Russia is “up to all sorts of dirty tricks” and could undermine the UK’s democratic process March 12, 2017 Boris Johnson has warned Russia is "up to all sorts of dirty tricks" following an intelligence report that told political parties to protect themselves against potential cyber attacks. The foreign secretary said there's "plenty of evidence" Vladimir Putin's government is capable of undermining Britain's democratic process, and he accused the Kremlin of bringing down French TV stations, [...]