Image source: AFP via Getty Images
In Saturday's newspapers, we review an article that explains how to deal with malfunctions in communication tools and electronic correspondence during work, in light of the malfunction that struck Microsoft recently. We read another article that warns against trying to exploit the espionage case linked to Nvidia to put pressure on Beijing. Finally, you should not be fooled by the glamor of fame of stars of art and society.
We begin our tour with the European newspaper Euronews, which highlighted the electronic malfunction that occurred last Thursday, which led to the interruption of the Outlook service, and affected the Teams platform, the Copilot tool, and the rest of the Microsoft 365 tools.
Microsoft apologizes for the malfunction in its services and denies its connection to a cyber attack
The article, written by Jesús Maturana, explains the steps that may help you continue your work if such a problem occurs, starting with following up on the problem via your Microsoft account on the “X” platform (@MSFT365Status), and at the link: status.cloud.microsoft.
If you use the Outlook program installed on your computer, there is a cached mode feature in Microsoft that allows you to handle mailbox items even if the network connection is slow or unavailable. But this feature is not available with POP or IMAP.
On the Send/Receive tab, there's a Work Offline button, available in Outlook in Microsoft 365 as well as 2021, 2019, and 2016, allowing you to continue reading messages and writing new drafts using content already stored on your computer.
As for the rest of your work tasks, it is recommended to move to communication channels that do not depend on Microsoft. Internal messaging tools - such as Slack or Google Chat - can be used to coordinate work among team members.
Large files can be uploaded via services such as "WeTransfer" or "Google Drive" and the link shared through another means.
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The article indicates that “Gmail” provides accounts with the “gmail.com” domain, applications for Android and iOS systems, in addition to integration with “Drive,” “Google Calendar,” and “Google Meet.”
It should be noted here that the storage space is shared with other Google services, and using your own domain requires subscribing to Google Workspace, which is a paid service.
There's also the Kinsta cloud platform, which includes Proton Mail, an open source service based in Switzerland, that offers end-to-end encryption (encrypting data on the sender's device so that only the sender and intended recipient can read it), web access, and dedicated apps for Android and iOS.
Nvidia and "miscalculations"
Image source: Reuters
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We turn to the "South China Morning Post" newspaper from Hong Kong, and an article by journalists Sheny Wu and Mia Normamat, in which they warn that Beijing may impose stricter restrictions on exports of rare earth elements, if Washington decides to tighten restrictions on electronic chip sales.
This comes in the wake of Jensen Huang's resignation from the presidency of one of the largest American technology companies, Nvidia, on Thursday, amid reports about his relationship with Alice Huang, who was said to be a Chinese spy.
The article sought help from Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing, who said that the attempt by some American politicians to exploit the Nvidia issue during trade talks to pressure Beijing is “completely miscalculated.”
China was a major market for Nvidia before the technological competition with Beijing led Washington to take a decision in 2022 to prevent the company from selling its advanced chips there, which led to the disruption of the long-term business relations that linked Nvidia with China.
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Gao added that imposing stricter restrictions may push China towards achieving self-sufficiency in the field of semiconductors over the next few years, and it may even become a major exporter of chips.
Wang Yingliang, a political economist in Shanghai, believes that Beijing may respond by imposing sanctions on American companies, or seek to negotiate concessions related to electronic chip exports, through broader trade talks, or through cooperation in other files such as rare earth metals, combating drug smuggling, and confronting fraud in the communications sector.
Wang does not believe the chip issue will have a material impact on trade negotiations, adding that China's large stockpile of chips, coupled with its growing domestic technological capabilities, may help mitigate the short-term impact of any additional restrictions.
On the other hand, Xu Tianchen, an economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, believes that relations between China and the United States may become more fragile, especially after the defeat of the Republican Party in the recent US midterm elections, especially since “constructive strategic stability” existed at its core between China and Trump, but Trump’s position has now become weaker.
The dark side of fame
We conclude our tour with the British newspaper The Guardian, and an article by Sophie Heywood, who attended the trial of the famous British star Russell Brand, who was recently convicted of sexual crimes. She says that “fame” was the focus of conversation in court, “to the point that it seemed to me that fame itself was the one being put on trial.”
Heywood heard victims' testimonies about the impact his attacks had on them. Each of them confirmed that recovering from these attacks has become almost impossible. They constantly encountered him joking about his sexual desires every time they turned on the television or read a newspaper.
The British comedian was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison, after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Heywood says that as a journalist who had spent more than 20 years covering celebrities, she felt “complicit” in how media culture helped empower Russell Brand, and had no idea “how much darkness this man was capable of.”
However, he is not the only one the journalist met whose “dark side” was before her, hidden behind the curtain of fame; In 2007, she met Jared Leto, an actor who played in his band (Seconds to Mars30), and who later won an Oscar.
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The journalist mentioned that she saw girls who were so excited that they almost fainted in his presence, and she could not have imagined 20 years ago that he would show any interest in these teenage girls. In 2026, four women accused him of criminal sexual conduct that occurred when they were teenagers, which Leto vehemently denies.
The spotlight is also on writer and actor David Walliams after testimonies from women who had relationships with him when they were teenagers, and who now describe what happened as “grooming,” an accusation that Walliams denies.
Walliams' book sales have reached £156 million in the UK alone; “Perhaps this is the reason why the community to which he belonged provided him with protection throughout that period,” according to the article.
Heywood explains that the secret lies in the “multiple layers in which celebrities are surrounded,” which keeps their phone numbers secret even to a journalist who wants to arrange a meeting with one of them. So it's no wonder teenage girls feel special when stars like Williams reach out to them directly from their personal phone numbers.
The article points out that "the star is never your friend; for him, you are just a means of communication, and sometimes you are just a cover for his own purposes."
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