Britain’s fashion awards makes nod to youth and internationalism

Renamed awards – the ‘British’ is no more – also inaugural fundraiser for scholarship for design students and apprentices

Chanel celebrates its place in French culture with spectacle at Paris Ritz

French culture minister joins music producer Pharrell Williams for show at newly reopened hotel marking fashion house’s French heritage

Savour Sri Lanka: sights, sunshine and beaches – away from the crowds

Sri Lanka is on the brink of a tourism boom with hotel chains rushing to open luxury resorts. But venture off the beaten track a little and you will find deserted shores, natural beauty and little-visited temples

Laura Cumming: best art of 2016

Portraits woke up, the tiny Goldfinch flew in, the Switch House switched on, and junk art triumphed

• Observer critics’ reviews of the year in full

Osteria Francescana: does the world’s best restaurant live up to the hype?

Tanya Gold goes very, very fine dining in Modena, Italy

Google’s satellite timelapses show the inconvenient truth about our planet

Google’s new Timelapse project allows you to see how anywhere in the world has changed in the last 32 years; from evaporating lakes to exploding cities, it’s a document of recklessness