Events in the Middle East were moving so rapidly this week that the stunning assassination of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last Friday, killed by an Israeli heavy bombing raid, already feels quite distant. By Tuesday morning Israeli forces had launched what was called a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hours later, Iran responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at targets across Israel.
To put things in some kind of perspective, the coming week also marks the first anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel, setting in motion the brutal chain of events leading to the deaths of more than 41,000 Gazans by Israeli bombing, last week’s dramatic events in Lebanon and Iran’s military response which many now fear leaves the region close to full-blown war.
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
1
Spotlight | The ‘marriage competition’ that divided South Sudan Underage marriage is illegal in South Sudan yet so commonplace it rarely attracts attention. But the case of Athiak Dau Riak, who her mother says is only 14, has gone viral, polarising her family and the country. From Juba, Florence Miettaux reports
2
Science | Telescopes that could save us from death by asteroids The existential threat from a large meteor is real, but two next-generation telescopes are about to make us safer, writes Robin George Andrews
3
Feature | The shapeshifter: who is the real Giorgia Meloni? She’s been called a neo-fascist and a danger to her country. But the Italian prime minister has won over many heads of Europe. Should we be worried? By Alexander Stille
4
Opinion | Trump v Harris and a battle between the sexes There are clear reasons why women are running from Trump, but men are flocking to him – and it’s vital to understand why, argues Jonathan Freedland
5
Culture | Will Ferrell’s road trip of trans discovery Saturday Night Live writer Harper Steele came out as a trans woman in 2022 at the age of 61. Her friend of 30 years Will Ferrell had questions. So what else to do but jump in a van, cross the US, and make a documentary about it? Guy Lodge reports
CNBC (October 2, 2024): For a decade, Elon Musk has championed the idea that one day Tesla cars will drive themselves as robotaxis. On October 10, the company plans to reveal a “dedicated robotaxi” design at an invitation-only event in Los Angeles.
Chapters: 3:18 Ch 1 – Tesla’s vision for autonomy 6:33 Ch 2 – Full self-driving 10:13 Ch 3 – Realizing the robotaxi 15:34 Ch 4 – Sizing up the robotaxi competition
Despite years of bold predictions and missed deadlines, fans of the company are holding out hope that Musk will finally deliver. Regardless of what the company showcases at its robotaxi day, experts are skeptical of the company’s strategy, citing its Auotpilot and Full Self-Driving technology as a barometer for Tesla’s progress, or lack thereof.
While Tesla has been developing its autonomous vehicles, competitors like Google-owned Waymo and Chinese companies like Pony.ai and Baidu have already launched commercial robotaxi services. With U.S. EV sales growth slowing, there’s a lot riding on Tesla’s potential pivot to autonomy. CNBC explores whether the company is ready for robotaxis and if Musk’s vision for driverless Teslas will become a reality anytime soon.
Times Literary Supplement (October 2, 2024): The latest issue features‘Canon Fire’ – Emma Smith and Brian Vickers on authorship in the golden age of theatre…
In the first of a new series exploring England’s varied landscapes, John Lewis-Stempel discovers a paradise for wildlife amid the bleak desolation of the estuary
Pretty Chitty-Bang-Bang, we love you
Mary Miers reveals the origins of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, as Ian Fleming’s beloved magical flying car prepares to turn 60
Travel
Rosie Paterson digs out some private hideaways
Steven King experiences how the other half lived as he stays in the homes of some illustrious names
A trip to Tuscany is the perfect tonic for Pamela Goodman
The rest is history
Michael Hall examines the noble art of history painting through the output of such masters as van Dyck, Rubens and Fuseli
Inigo Lambertini’s favourite painting
The Italian ambassador picks a profound classical work of art
Homesick for the olden days
Carla Carlisle takes a wistful look at history and admits we didn’t realise we had it so good
A Georgian triumph
John Goodall reveals the eight winners in this year’s Georgian Group Architectural Awards
Handsome and genteel
In the second of two articles, Jeremy Musson charts the revival of George Washington’s Mount Vernon mansion in Virginia
The legacy
Carla Passino hails the founders of the peerless Wallace Collection
Our last hurrah
October is the time for filling up winter stores, says Lia Leendertz
Bury me in a willow-shaped coffin
English osier beds are enjoying a revival, finds Jane Wheatley
Another string to the bow
Harry Pearson meets Britain’s master luthier Roger Hansell
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell goes wild for jewellery
Interiors
Bright and beautiful paint and wallpaper, with Amelia Thorpe
London Life
Rosie Paterson follows the V&A’s precious cargo
Samantha Cameron is in the hot seat
Jack Watkins relives Primrose Hill’s Death Pyramid plan
John Goodall asks whether enough is enough for the capital’s skyline
The world on the doorstep
Caroline Donald visits the gardens of China, Italy and Africa without leaving Seend Manor in Wiltshire
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson on quince
Foraging
John Wright gets imaginative in the kitchen with sweet chestnuts
The show must go on
James Fisher can’t see beyond an England cricket win in Pakistan
BBC (September 30, 2024): Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music documents the extent of the historic injustice suffered by the music industry’s Black artists, including the disparity of profits received by them, despite having created the records that have driven the fabric and culture of popular music – from jazz and rock and roll to soul and rap.
Features interviews with Black titans of the music industry Cadence Weapon, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Monie Love, Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Ice T, Master P, and Smokey Robinson.
Boomers Daily 