World

‘I don’t actually feel attracted to robots.’ Presidential candidates have to deny all kinds of things, but only Zoltan Istvan would be compelled to clarify that he’s not interested in sleeping with robots. As the Transhumanist Party’s contender, he’s unsurprisingly enthusiastic about some pretty far-out ideas involving the crossover between people and machines. He even recently injected a rice-sized microchip into his hand, which can literally open doors. That said, with the speed of tech, his chip is almost obsolete: he knows guys working on ones that will ‘allow you to pay at Starbucks’. But it’s useful for when he’s been out running, as he has when we meet at

Forget your state-by-state polling; your analysis of the voting preferences of suburban mothers in Pennsylvania; never mind your understanding of America’s shifting demographics; your breakdowns of the Latino vote in swing states, or your perception of America’s anger issues. This election, like most elections, will be decided by personality. We all know that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton score very low on the likeability front. Trump is more reviled than Clinton, but in one important way he has the edge on her: he is funny and she is not. Look at this clip of him addressing the crowd in Florida: Now that, no matter how much you loathe him, is

Polite, well-heeled New Hampshire is the last place you’d expect to see a voodoo doll. But there it was, pointed out by my producer, clutched by a woman called Mavis. This being a Trump rally, it was of course a Clinton likeness, complete with pins. Residents of the granite state pride themselves on being a sophisticated lot, but the doll sent a certain shiver up the spine.  Come to think of it, I was already shivering. It was the end of a long week traipsing through four states following the Trump campaign. The Secret Service kept us waiting outside for three quarters of an hour in the pelting New England

In the final week of the US Presidential campaign, City Index explore how financial markets might react to Trump and Clinton in the White House. There is potential for significant market activity, especially if Trump secures a victory, as investors worry about an unpredictable president at the helm. We may see equity markets and the US dollar drop as investors put their investments into safe havens such as yen and gold. Over the longer term, Trump may lean towards a more hawkish FED and higher interest rates, which could lead to a stronger US dollar. This in turn may weigh on the price of gold. Clinton, on the other hand, is seen by Wall St as

‘I am a big fan of Hindu… Big, big fan’ yelled Donald Trump during a brief appearance at a bizarre charity event in October, blending Bollywood and Americana patriotism. The ‘Humanity United Against Terror’ concert, organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition, was raising money to combat ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ that specifically targeted Hindus from Kashmir and Bangladesh. A new campaign video celebrating Diwali, in which Trump speaks several words in Hindi, echoes this same sentiment. At first glance this might seem another attempt by the Presidential candidate to rustle up support from minority groups; akin to comments such as, ‘I love Hispanics!’ while posing with a Cinco de Mayo taco bowl, or

If Hillary Clinton does somehow lose the 2016 US presidential election, FBI director James Comey might turn into one of the most hated people on earth — hated even more, perhaps, than the incoming Commander-in-Chief, Donald J Trump. Comey’s curious intervention against Mrs Clinton – in case you missed it, the FBI has announced that it is reviewing newly discovered emails that might be related to her notorious private server – will be seen as ‘the October surprise’ which rattled the Clinton campaign and handed momentum back to the Trump Train. Comey has already enraged senior Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has said that he thinks Comey has violated the Hatch Act,

Last night I sat at a dinner gala in New York and listened as Andrew Roberts—not only a distinguished historian but also a faithful friend of the US—asked the audience if 1776 wasn’t starting to look like a mistake. Politely as he could, he pointed out that our vaunted system had produced a corrupt, amoral drone queen to run against a bully and buffoon. Not having a musket ready to hand, I reached for my butter knife. As a red-blooded American, I would defend Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, any Yankee Doodle scoundrel you can name against a critic with a posh accent and a Savile suit. Today, though, it looks

Shakeel Begg is an influential extremist who is also chief Imam of the Lewisham Islamic Centre.  His radical views are readily available and well-known.  But despite these downsides a chap like him also possesses certain considerable advantages.  Not least is the fact that he lives in a society which is only very slowly waking up to the threat that people like him pose. If Begg were a Protestant preacher from Northern Ireland then he would not have been able to make any public appearance for years without being forced to bake the biggest, gayest cake possible right there and then.  If he refused, the whole of civilised society would round on him to explain

I have never met Donald Trump, but I knew his parents. A fact that makes me feel about 100 years old. Which was actually nearer the age Fred and Mary Anne Trump were when, as a teenager, I made my first trip to New York. I remember riding backwards in their limousine on the way to lunch with the extended Trump clan and the lovely Mary Anne apologising that her son Donald would not be joining us. ‘You know about Donald?’ she inquired. I nodded, and recall her adding rather wistfully, ‘He’s always been the outgoing one.’ One of the great pleasures of life, I now realise — and a