Big Tech's big problem – its role in rising inequality
More profits need to be redirected away from shareholders and reinvested in plant, process and people if technology is not to exacerbate inequality Look around and it seems pretty obvious that technology has made daily life easier. We can watch almost any film or listen to any song at the press of a button. People […]
GDP surge should not blind us to the dangers of an interest rate rise
Some on the monetary policy committee at the Bank of England are likely to press for increases, but the recovery remains weak George Osborne has repeatedly promised to fix the roof while the sun is shining, and after official figures last week showed GDP growth picking up sharply in the second quarter, it seemed that […]
The innovators: the personal rape alarm with a fast track to the police
Personal Guardian device fixes to clothing and alerts police to exact location of attack via monitoring station When a woman was raped in the apartment complex where Rebecca Pick lived, the Strathclyde University student felt scared – and angry. The victim had screamed for help but failed to attract the attention of passers-by. “It was […]
Barnaby Joyce says Trans Pacific Partnership agreement not dead yet
The agriculture minister has not given up on Australia signing the TPP and says the trade minister, Andrew Robb, is still ‘at the table’ The agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, has not given up on Australia signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, potentially the world’s biggest regional trade agreement. Week-long negotiations over the TPP ended in Hawaii on […]
The Observer view on global mining regulation
The suffering of communities in Zambia’s copper mining region highlights the need to create a global regulatory regime The appalling suffering of villagers living close to the mining town of Chingola, in Zambia’s copperbelt region, whose water supplies have been dangerously polluted by leaks of sulphuric acid and other toxic chemicals, is both avoidable and […]
Yes, Microsoft is uncool but don’t write it off just yet
Microsoft may look left behind as technology favours smartphones, but it is still PCs that run the world One of my favourite cartoons shows a team of scientists in a Nasa control room clustered around a big screen. Their spacecraft has just landed on a very distant planet and has begun transmitting data back to […]
Verizon workers poised to strike if company fails to reach deal with unions
Contract covering 39,000 workers across nine states expires at end of Saturday Most Verizon workers have reportedly agreed to a possible strike Verizon workers in nine states could walk off the job as soon as early as Sunday, if union negotiators do not reach an agreement over benefits with the wireless carrier. A contract covering […]
Puerto Rico says it will not make $58m bond payment due Saturday
Economists see first default in territory’s history but officials disagree Government fears key fund could run out of liquidity by November Puerto Rico’s government said on Friday it would not make a $58m bond payment due on the weekend and warned that the general fund would run out of liquidity by November if no action […]
It’s fast, global, engaged and influential – so why isn’t Twitter flying?
While Facebook and Snapchat soar, the most immediate social media channel in the world has many experts worried How many tech companies are saddled with the problem of enjoying global fame but struggling with lacklustre performance? Not Facebook, which revealed in its results that it has nearly 1.5 billion users logging in each month around […]
Shanghai in slow lane as market crash accelerates slump in luxury car sales
Little interest in showrooms as deep discounts fail to drive in customers Business appears to be slow at the Mercedes-Benz showroom in the Jing’an district of Shanghai. There are no customers and the staff look bored. A family comes in to look at the cars but appears to have no intention of buying. A salesperson […]