
Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice
Too costly for most, too large for UK car parks, and wheels bigger than a warlord’s pickup truck. But it does come in ‘London red’
The cutting-edge car du jour, even while very few will ever buy one, is a good index of what the world’s coming to. It’s a dress-for-the-job-you-want principle, on wheels: drive for the world you want to inhabit.
That’s why when Tesla launched the Model X with a bioweapon defence mode (2016!), we should have been much more worried than we were, and it’s why the Jaguar Type 01 Grand Tourer EV has a lot to say.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:29:24 GMT
Jeremy Strong’s slow-talking Facebook founder turns into a cameo, background to a thriller about a whistleblower that somehow never mentions Trump
Here is a film for all those people who solemnly deplore social media in conversation but haven’t quite got round to deleting their accounts. Sixteen years have gone by since The Social Network, written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher; this was the addictive, obsessive-compulsive movie about the birth of Facebook in Harvard’s macho-competitive cauldron of student sexism and nerdy self-pity, starring Jesse Eisenberg as the fast-talking, arrogant, not-necessarily-evil genius Mark Zuckerberg. Now Sorkin is back with a sequel of sorts, directing his own script – and now Zuckerberg is basically evil, but also weirdly slow talking, as if all the zinging, smart-alecky Sorkinesque dialogue energy of the first film has been siphoned away in early middle age and dispersed among the insurgents in the new cast.
Sorkin’s jittery, funny, syncopated style is unmistakable, as distinctive in its way as David Mamet, although he has one joke about “spatula” being a Yiddish word that he has borrowed from Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint. It is the story of how in 2021, Zuckerberg’s Facebook empire was challenged by courageous whistleblower-employee Frances Haugen and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz, who were on a mission to tell the world how Zuckerberg, scared by falling revenue, changed the algorithm so that engagement was supercharged by rage bait and hate speech, malice and envy. Facebook, moreover, didn’t factcheck political ads, thus driving a huge, nationwide surge in extremist groups and teen bullying and becoming a major player in the Capitol riots. (Having said that, this film does not say aloud the word “Trump” and rather cravenly declines to specify Maga activity.)
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:00:04 GMT
The Tory leader is now too big for the party to allow her to fail, so everything she does is acclaimed a work of genius
Where’s AI slop when you need it? It could all have been so much simpler. Just ask ChatGPT to write me a leader’s speech in the style of Kemi Badenoch. Make it an hour and 10 minutes long, so plenty of room for padding. Go heavy on the slogans, cliches and the obligatory crap politician jokes. Ones we’ve all heard many times before. Not least at this conference.
Make the usual digs at Labour and put the boot in to Reform. The main aim of the speech is to try to reposition a party that is tanking in third place on 20% in the polls as the main opposition to the government.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:26:06 GMT
From a breathless tango to a kiss that sent fans wild, the pair crafted a sensational seven-year TV crush. The real-life best friends talk first impressions, Casablanca moments – and having hot husbands
“Dr Crane, your glockenspiel has sprung to life!”
It was a crush. An unexpected one. The psychiatrist Niles Crane (snooty, conflict-avoidant, married to a high-society wife with a fear of buffets) fell for his father’s physio, Daphne Moon (working class, Mancunian, reckons she’s a bit psychic) the moment he met her in his brother’s Seattle apartment.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:53:33 GMT
Christa Pike, a death row inmate who survived the state of Tennessee’s attempt to execute her last week, is conscious and speaking. The 50-year-old is recovering in hospital after surviving two lethal injections in a case that has shocked many in the US and prompted a debate about the death penalty. She was due to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Michael Safi speaks to the chief reporter for Guardian US, Ed Pilkington – watch on YouTube
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:20:53 GMT
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
With a WWE-style wrestling match, playful eroticism and a fine cast including Hamilton’s Jonathan Groff, this is an exquisite production
‘To liberty, and not to banishment,” exclaims Celia to Rosalind, the exile who finds freedom in her disguise as a man. It is a key statement in Shakespeare’s transformative, gender-bending pastoral comedy, just before the usurping Duke Frederick’s court is replaced by the romance of the Forest of Arden. That big reveal brought a prolonged technical difficulty on the opening night of director Daniel Evans’ all-male production, which was paused for well over an hour so it could be fixed. The technical hitch aside, it is a ravishing staging, with stunning visual effects.
There is little comedy or light in the severe court, which contains an intimidating physicality to reflect Duke Frederick’s thuggery, with slaps, shoves and a magnificently constructed WWE-style wrestling match, complete with bunny girls keeping score. It is replaced by Arden’s verdant hills on Anisha Fields’ exquisite set, so beautiful they verge on the voluptuous. The black Elizabethan gowns of the court, Puritan-like but flecked with ornament, and designed by Colin Richmond, are stunning too, as is the chequered shadow-play of the early scenes, in Ryan Day’s lighting design. The breathtaking contrast of the switch between worlds is inevitably lost, following the long wait of the technical problem, but is nonetheless beautifully envisioned.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:00:52 GMT
Overhaul of special education in England could unravel, thinktank finds, because of ‘use it before you lose it’ dynamic
Labour’s flagship changes to special education in England are at risk of unravelling because parents are rushing to secure support for their children before the system changes, new analysis has found.
The Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank says the government’s plans to largely replace education, health and care plans (EHCPs) in England with more widespread support in mainstream schools may be too optimistic and take longer to complete than its 2030 timeline.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:00:00 GMT
TaxWatch contradicts claims about David Reuben’s departure and questions stories of super-rich exodus
When the Sunday Times broke the news that David Reuben, one of the richest men in the UK, had apparently fled to the tax haven of Monaco, there was much pearl clutching. Reuben had moved from his Holland Park house in London to live full-time in the principality.
Labour’s tax regime was blamed and there were said to be fears there would be a cascading effect across the economy, with wealth draining from the UK. It was reported that he had probably left because of potential taxes on wealth in the upcoming budget.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT
‘Transparent information sharing’ from Moscow is required to conduct full risk assessment, UN agency says
The World Health Organization has said it does not have the “full picture” from Russia following the suspected death from plague last week of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia.
Darya Shipilova died two days after falling ill with cold-like symptoms. She was an employee at the anti-plague research institute in the eastern city of Irkutsk, with some reports suggesting she was infected after a workplace accident.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:46:07 GMT
Optogenetic therapy, based on Nobel prize-winning science, involves turning nerve cells on and off using light
A type of gene therapy based on Nobel prize-winning science is safe and can partly restore sight in blind people, researchers have revealed.
The approach, known as optogenetic therapy, harnesses the technique for turning nerve cells on and off using light that scooped the 2026 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine.
Continue reading...Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:00:01 GMT
Offers and services for you
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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.
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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.
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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.