Monthly Archives: January 2017

Back then I wrote that Donald Trump becoming US president would be seen as a bad joke. Yet its about to come true At war with the US intelligence agencies he Donald Trumps bizarre press conference left the world agog. What if the Russians have so well destabilised America that no sooner inaugurated, their chosen […]

Proposed rules for robots and AI in Europe include a push for a general basic income for humans, and human rights for robots The European parliament has urged the drafting of a set of regulations to govern the use and creation of robots and artificial intelligence, including a form of electronic personhood to ensure rights […]

Military says US troops were acting in self-defense amid clash with Taliban as Kunduz province official says civilian death toll was higher The US military in Afghanistan has confirmed that dozens of civilians were killed during a special forces raid near the northern city of Kunduz last year, but ruled that the US troops had […]

Paisley Sheriff Court heard that neither McHugh or Maher had gone to the aid of Ms Baillie after the attack at their flat. The pair had other dangerous dog charges dropped for agreeing to admit guilt in relation to the attacks on Ms Baillie and Ms Darroch.

Antnio Guterres says enormous progress made on day four of reunification talks, but that security guarantees still needed Talks to resolve the division of Cyprus are close to a settlement, the UN secretary general, Antnio Guterres, has said, but he cautioned against expectations of a miracle. Progress has been described as fast, but not so […]

The house reportedly sold for $23 million.Image: Flickr From Graceland to the home of Mark Twain, old storied mansions are often transformed into museums. But when you’re a billionaire tech exec, life can work the other way round. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently paid $23 million in cash for a 27,000-square foot property in Washington […]

That is the highest level since the start of the financial crisis in 2007, and 75% higher than the all-time low of 192,300 first-time purchases seen in 2008. However, it still has some way to go to match the peak of 402,800 in 2006. Longer mortgage terms The average first-time deposit across the UK as […]

Country helped multinationals avoid paying more than 12bn in taxes from 2012 to 2015, says report from Green MEPs Malta has been accused of being a tax haven, just as it takes the helm of the European Union in a critical year for the blocs crackdown on tax avoidance. The EUs smallest member state helped […]

The LA-set musical is well set for Oscars glory after a record-breaking Golden Globes sweep but is it really proof that the film industry is self-obsessed? To be an Oscar frontrunner these days is to exist in two disparate worlds of opposing consensus: the nominally real one, where paying audiences and industry folk are united […]

Talks to reunite island reaches critical juncture in Geneva as leaders tackle question of territorial realignment One of the wests most intractable disputes has edged closer to resolution with the leaders of Cypruss Greek and Turkish communities discussing the critical issue of territorial realignment on the third day of peace talks in Geneva. As the […]