The ripple effects of western imperialism are laid bare in this affecting doc about Creole people ejected from their homeland Fifty years ago, the entire Creole population of the Chagos Islands were forcibly removed from their own homes by British forces in order to make way for a US military base. Families were torn apart, […]
Covid news live: minister says ‘nothing in the data’ to suggest more restrictions needed in England; South Korea reports first Omicron deaths
Follow all the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and around the world Fauci says hospitalisation rate a better guide to Omicron than case Can you capture the complex reality of the pandemic with numbers? France reports record seven-day average for new Covid cases See all our coronavirus coverage Québec, Canada proceeded […]
Cyber-attack on UK’s Defence Academy caused ‘significant’ damage
Former senior officer says unsolved hack of MoD training school systems did not succeed but still had costs A cyber-attack on the UK’s Defence Academy caused “significant” damage, a retired high-ranking officer has revealed. Air Marshal Edward Stringer, who left the armed forces in August, told Sky News the attack, which was discovered in March […]
‘I’m back’: Australia’s Alex de Minaur defeats Matteo Berrettini in ATP Cup
Australia next face Russia with unlikely finals berth in sight De Minaur must tackle US Open champion Daniil Medvedev Australia are eyeing an unlikely semi-final berth at the ATP Cup after Alex de Minaur downed Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini to spark a 2-1 comeback win. De Minaur bounced back from a 2021 season interrupted by […]
Twitter permanently suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account
Georgia Republican’s Covid misinformation violation prompts move, after being issued a ‘fourth strike’ in August The personal Twitter account of the Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been permanently suspended, for violating policies on Covid misinformation. The action against Greene on Sunday came under the “strike” system Twitter launched last March, which uses artificial […]
The Italian hamlet that gives a glimpse of life before the web
Galliano di Mugello’s poor signal has endeared it to Italians, but the mayor hopes to use recent publicity to close the digital divide At the cafe that doubles-up as a newsagent in Galliano di Mugello, a medieval hamlet in Tuscany, there are no pings from mobile phones, people aimlessly browsing the internet or uploading pictures […]
There’s a new tax rule for US small business owners. What to make of it? | Gene Mark
The IRS will look into the digital payment service accounts of small businesses, freelancers and independent contractors A new tax rule will impact millions of small businesses in 2022. You can thank one small change buried in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Let’s suppose you’re a small business owner or freelancer, and you […]
From stand-in stars to tech titans: The Observer’s faces to watch in 2022
We look at who will be making headlines this year, in both a positive and negative light Toby Helm
Is that really me? The ugly truth about beauty filters
Smoother skin, slimmer faces, plumper lips … how unattainable ideals are harming young users Popping a beautifying filter on the TikTok video she was filming seemed harmless to Mia. It made it look as though she had done her makeup, took away the hint of a double chin that always bothered her, and gently altered […]
As a new year dawns expect a fresh assault on big tech | John Naughton
Democracies have finally begun to confront the internet giants and their unrivalled and untrammelled power The thing about history is that it sometimes repeats itself. As far as the tech industry is concerned, we saw that in the year just ended and it looks as though we’re about to see it again in the year […]