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Game of Thrones: The Mad King review – an action-packed saga of dry ice and fire

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
This prequel to the TV series has one joust after another, spectacular stagecraft and plenty of modern resonance

During the RSC’s 65 years, numerous Lears have lost their minds and frequent Caesars been slaughtered by their courts. Now, though, a tyrant new to its stages faces both fates. He is King Aerys II Targaryen, ancestor of one warring bloodline in Game of Thrones, the dramatisation of George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels that helped TV streamers’ rise to global domination during eight HBO seasons from 2011 to 2019.

Some may balk at an institution named for England’s greatest dramatist staging an American drama franchise. There is, though, a compelling economic imperative: rising costs due to current wars (a frequent problem for Martin’s ancient oligarchs too) and Covid-era debts now exacerbated by paying back government loans means that the RSC could use another big commercial transfer – as its musical Matilda may not be immortal.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 20:00:24 GMT
This is how we do it: ‘Since I started HRT, we’ve switched roles – he jokes that I want to do it every day’

After being on the brink of divorce, Antonia and Rob have experienced a radical revival of their sex life

How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

The perfect storm of work stress, menopause and raising kids meant our sex life slowly slipped out of view

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:00:13 GMT
‘It’s rare to hear: I’m black and middle class’ – Symeon Brown on black Britain’s enduring ‘taboo’

Black people are more prominent than ever in the UK’s politics and culture. But are they overwhelmingly from the middle class, as Brown argues in his new book? And if so, why isn’t anyone talking about it?

Symeon Brown and David Lammy went to the same primary school in Tottenham, north London. One went on to a selective secondary school, and became the second black person to hold one of Britain’s great offices of state. The other became a journalist who would go on to survey the country’s black professional class more thoroughly than anyone ever had – and who remembers being told by Lammy that he could “never become prime minister, because you sound like where you come from”.

It was 2010, and Brown, interested in politics, was interning for the then Labour backbencher. “And he was right, certainly at the time,” Brown says now.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:00:13 GMT
As AI guzzles water and energy, we are already facing a choice: datacentres or homes? | John Harris

Whitehall wants to triple their number in the UK. Yet in Slough, I saw the impact they’re having on communities

Amid headlines about the UK’s drought, Europe’s wildfires and impossible global temperatures, it was 28C when I arrived in Slough last Monday. I was there to look around Slough Trading Estate, a place that might once have conjured up images of the TV comedy The Office, many of whose laughs came at the expense of this overgrown patch of suburbia, 20-odd miles west of London.

But these days, this area of town – an incongruous mixture of old-school businesses such as Mr Clutch and Angling Direct, and vast, metal-clad leviathans that look like something pulled from JG Ballard – has become a byword for the constant expansion of datacentres, those hulking symbols of the vast computing power that big tech now requires, not least because of the ever-more complex workings of artificial intelligence.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:03:18 GMT
‘Panda of the insect world’: the moscardón bumblebee creates buzz for invertebrate of the year

Bombus dahlbomii, a giant ginger bumblebee fondly known as the flying mouse, is in decline in its native Patagonia due to commercial farming

We all love bumblebees. Not only are they beautiful, busy and social, they perform pollination services that are crucial for plants, crops and human civilisation.

Any bumblebee would be a worthy winner of invertebrate of the year but a gorgeous giant ginger bumblebee fondly known as the flying mouse? Come on!

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:00:14 GMT
‘Like being in prison’: the ship crews stuck in Gulf since February

US-Iran war has stranded up to 20,000 seafarers, mostly Indian and Filipino crews, with none knowing when the nightmare will end

The panicked crew of a cargo ship broadcast a distress signal late on Monday night from their location in the strait of Hormuz. About 20 nautical miles north of the coast of Oman, the Minoan Pioneer bulk carrier was hit by an unknown projectile, causing a blackout in the engine room and a fire in the accommodation area.

The crew scrambled to put out the blaze and called for help from nearby vessels. When they managed to disembark from the Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged ship on Tuesday morning, they realised the third engineer was missing. Days later, he is yet to be found.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:00:10 GMT
Labour seeking ‘deeper relationship’ with EU under Burnham, new minister says

Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants ‘sense of renewed pace’ in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour’s red lines

The UK will move faster and be more ambitious on achieving closer ties with Europe under Andy Burnham’s government, his new chief post-Brexit negotiator has said.

Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 18:00:21 GMT
Netanyahu rejects US-led 15-point Gaza peace plan in rare public break with Trump

Israeli PM says IDF will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed and rebukes US pressure to end wars without his country’s buy-in

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza in a rare public break with Donald Trump.

In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu said that he was confronting a “wave of rumours about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts” and rebuked US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran without Israel’s buy-in.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 20:00:48 GMT
Andy Burnham to tour Britain in effort to reconnect government with public

PM expected to announce policies to tackle cost of living and indicate intent to help improve country’s high streets

Andy Burnham is to undertake a national tour this coming week as he aims to improve the government’s connection with the British public during his premiership.

The prime minister is expected to announce a set of policies that will help people financially as many struggle with the cost of living, as well as indicate his intent to improve high streets across the country.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 10:10:06 GMT
Alleged crime boss Daniel Kinahan’s return to Ireland ends global game of cat-and-mouse

Kinahan built boxing empire while in exile in Dubai but now faces trial in Dublin charged with directing organised crime

A decade after escaping assassination and fleeing into exile, Daniel Kinahan is back in Ireland – but it is not the homecoming he wanted.

The alleged leader of the Kinahan organised crime group was extradited from Dubai in an Irish government jet on Sunday and headed to a huge security operation in Dublin, marking the end of a global game of cat-and-mouse with European, US and Gulf authorities.

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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 18:18:25 GMT

Offers and services for you

  • LE MASSIF SPA

    Envelop yourself in the energy and essences of the alpine woodland and succumb to true wellness with our exclusive selection of rituals and treatments.

    The BIOAQUAM CIRCUIT includes indoor and outdoor jacuzzi (30 sqm), indoor and outdoor sauna, steam room, relaxation areas and spa buffet with infusions and detox snacks.

    PRIVATE SPA. A spa within a spa: rituals and relaxation in an exclusive setting, just for you. Experience unique wellbeing, alone or with a partner.  

    The SECRETS OF THE FOREST, enchanting itineraries, with treatments inspired by thousands of years of Alpine wisdom and therapeutic, precious products sourced from mountain meadows and woods.

  • CHÉTIF RESTAURANT

    Our restaurant is a journey through the authentic flavours of our mountain cuisine and traditional Mediterranean cooking.
    Every day our chefs carefully prepare the best raw ingredients and proudly present the fresh pasta and desserts they have made in our kitchen with infinite passion and devotion. The carefully curated wine list, the splendour of the surroundings and the distinctive service will engage your senses and fill your holidays with memorable experiences at table too.

  • DEL GIGANTE BAR

    Our hotel bar is named after the “Dente del Gigante”, or Giant’s Tooth, a mountain peak more than 4,000 metres tall in the northern section of the Mont Blanc massif. After a day out on the slopes or exploring the mountains, treat yourself to a delicious afternoon tea, Italian aperitivo or glass of wine. Berni, our Bar Manager, is a real icon of Courmayeur Dolce Vita, don’t it miss it out.

  • LA LOGE DU MASSIF SKI LODGE


    Is your private ski lodge on the slopes of Plan Checrouit
    • Restaurant with indoor and outdoor areas
    • Bar and après-ski
    • 3 Terraces with 360° panoramic views on Mont Blanc glaciers
    • Kids club (3-12 years)
    • Ski concierge service and private ski-in/ski-out room with
    heated lockers and direct access to the slopes.



  • GIFT VOUCHERS

    The most beautiful gifts are made up of happiness, splendour and relaxation.
    Exactly what we offer at Le Massif, where every moment is created from the spirit of Italian hospitality.

    HOLIDAY GIFT VOUCHER
    Give the gift of a holiday in search of the most prestigious wellnes.

    CUSTOM GIFT VOUCHER
    Choose the value of your gift voucher and give the present of cherished relaxation and pampering.

    SPA GIFT VOUCHER
    A relaxing day at the natural spa.

    Info and reservations at reception.

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