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Microsoft is supposedly running in reverse for updates in 2021 Microsoft has begun work on the major Windows 10 update due to land in the second half of 2021 – and the first update of next year will be a minor one, according to the latest from the grapevine. This rumor comes courtesy of Windows Latest, which claims that internal testing has already begun on the H2 2021 update codenamed ‘Cobalt’, with build 21264 now being run through its paces by Microsoft staff. How to speed up Windows 10 We solve 100 common Windows 10 problems How to uninstall a Windows 10 update Obviously take that with a healthy helping of skepticism. The other assertion is that Microsoft is doing things the other way round in 2021 in terms of not having a major update (H1) followed by a minor update (H2), as has been the case for the last two years. Apparently the plan for 2021 is that the spring update (H1) will be a minor affair, not introducing much in the way of changes, whereas all the big features and juicy stuff will arrive with the second upgrade of the year. Two in a row? That does lead to a rather odd situation where we’ve just had a minor update in the form of Windows 10 October 2020 Update, and the next upgrade is going to be a minor one, meaning there will be two of these in a row. But this does make some sense given what we’ve seen with test builds in recent times. Effectively, progress on Windows 10 could be slowing for the moment, then, but there are some major changes expected for H2 to make up for this. That includes a big overhaul for the interface which we’ve been hearing a lot about in recent times, codenamed Sun Valley, which will bring an entirely fresh and more modern look to the Windows 10 desktop.

You could build a monster gaming PC around Intel's Core i9 10850K CPU, which is on sale for Cyber Monday. Intel these days finds itself facing much stiffer competition from AMD than it has in past years, and so it is not surprising that many of the best Cyber Monday CPU deals are almost all (though not entirely) discounted Intel chips. Competition will do that. One of the better bargains right now is Intel's Core i9 10850K processor, a beastly 10-core/20-thread Comet Lake CPU. It's marked down to $399.99 at Amazon (save $139.95), and could easily serve as the foundation of a high-end gaming PC. You need not stop at gaming, either—with all those cores and threads at your disposal, the 10850K is a stout multi-threaded chip that is ready to handle content creation and professional work chores. It runs fast too—up to 5.2GHz (max turbo clock) without any manual overclocking. So basically, it's armed with a whole bunch of cores and threads, none of which drag down its ability to accelerate to high clocks, when needed. Or looked at another way, it is a more affordable version of the Core i9 10900K, one of the best CPUs for gaming, with the only difference being a 100MHz reduction in base and boost clocks. That's not much when you're already above 5GHz. Intel Core i9 10850K | 10 cores | 5.2GHz | $539.94 $399.99 at Amazon (save $139.95) The Core i9 10850K slots in underneath Intel's flagship Core i9 10900K with the same number of cores and threads (10 and 20, respectively), but with slightly slower clocks—3.6GHz to 5.2GHz, compared to 3.7GHz to 5.3GHz. In other words, you get near best-in-class performance for a cheaper price, especially with this discount in play. The trickier decision to make if you have a fistful of Benjamins to throw at a CPU is whether to build an Intel rig around the 10850K with this Cyber Monday deal, or pick up an AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT for $359 at Amazon (save $40). The 3800XT is a last-gen CPU (Zen 2) and has fewer cores and threads (8C16T), but building around it would give you a drop-in upgrade path to a Ryzen 5000 series CPU. Plus its $40 cheaper. Ryzen 5000 CPUs are hard to come by right now, but things should settle down next year, if going that direction appeals to you. There is really no wrong decision to be made here—build around AMD and potentially upgrade one time next year (Zen 3 is the end of the road for AMD's socket AM4), or go with more cores and threads with an Intel setup and use it until you're ready to overhaul your platform. Either way, you'll end up with a screaming fast gaming PC right out of the gate.

Audi will end its Formula E campaign after the 2021 season to make its landmark return to the world of rallying with an entry into the 2022 Dakar Rally. Technical details of the new Dakar racer remain under wraps, as does most of its final design, but it will take its power from an electric motor mated to a high-voltage battery, with a turbocharged petrol engine serving as a "highly efficient energy converter". In essence, the combustion engine will act as a range-extender device, topping up the battery pack as required while the race is in progress. Audi claims it will be the first "viable alternative-drive concept" fielded in the 42-year-old competition. The 2022 rally will mark the first time that a factory Audi team has competed off-road since Walter Röhrl claimed victory at the 1987 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a Quattro S1 E2. In line with the German company's ambition for cross-country rallying to "spearhead" its factory motorsport efforts, it will wrap up its Formula E programme, having participated in the electric single-seater series since its inception in 2014 and won the championship in 2018. Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler is said to be "the most successful entry in the history of Formula E," having secured 43 podium finishes, 12 of them victories. The Dakar Rally represents "the next step in electrified motorsport," said chairman of the board of management Markus Duesmann, with the event's extreme terrain and weather conditions providing "a perfect test laboratory" for future drivetrain solutions. Last week, Audi revealed its 2021 Formula E racer, which features a new powertrain developed completely in-house for the first time, replacing a unit that had been developed with technology partner Schaeffler. Although Audi will shutter its factory team, the powertrain will continue to be available for use by other outfits. It has also been confirmed that Audi is "intensively preparing" an entry into the new top-flight Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMDh) hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship. No date for the company's first race has been given, but manufacturers including Toyota and Peugeot are signed up to enter the category for the 2022 race, with Lamborghini and Porsche also rumoured to be considering an entry. Audi Sport boss Julius Seebach said: "We have our customers’ wishes in mind as much as the company’s future strategy, which is clearly focused on electrification and carbon-neutral mobility. "The most important message for our fans is that motorsport will continue to play an important role at Audi.” News of Audi's renewed motorsport ambitions come just three weeks after Audi ended its participation in the DTM touring car series, having competed since the series began in 2000.

French politicians say they will totally rewrite part of a controversial security bill amid national outrage over a police assault on a black man. There were huge protests across France on Saturday against Article 24 of the bill, which aims to regulate how people share film or photos of police. There are fears the new law could stop people exposing police brutality. Four policemen are now under criminal investigation over the beating of black music producer Michel Zecler in Paris. The assault happened at his studio earlier this month and the video surfaced last week. Christophe Castaner, the head of President Emmanuel Macron's group of centrist MPs in parliament, said Article 24 "will be completely rewritten and a new version will be submitted". "We know that doubts persist about it," the ex-interior minister explained, "while we can never tolerate any reduction of press freedom or images. "Article 24 would not have affected in any way the spread of those images we've seen in recent days," he added. image captionProtesters in Paris hold slogans that read "Journalists under arrest" (left) and "Smile, you're being filmed" Advocates say the article - passed by the lower house last week - will protect police from harassment and targeting on social media. But critics say media freedom and citizens' right to film police action must not be impeded, as the French police are now under intense scrutiny for alleged racism. Anger over the bill escalated into clashes with police in Paris on Saturday. Article 24 makes it a criminal offence to publish images of on-duty police officers with the intent to harm their "physical or psychological integrity". It says offenders could face up to a year in prison and be fined €45,000 (£40,500; $54,000). What happened to Mr Zecler? The four police suspects in the Zecler case are facing charges of "intentional violence by a person holding authority", judicial sources told French media on Monday. Two have been remanded in custody. Macron 'shame' at police beating of black man Paris police in 'shocking' clash at migrant camp CCTV footage published by the news website Loopsider on Thursday shows Mr Zecler being kicked and punched for several minutes by three officers at his Paris studio on 21 November. A fourth is later seen throwing a tear gas canister into the building. The incident reportedly began with a dispute over whether the 41-year-old producer was wearing a face mask, as required during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Zecler, who needed stitches, says he was also racially abused during the attack. In addition to the "intentional violence" charge, all four officers are accused of forgery. That charge relates to the police report filed after the incident, which said "a strong smell of cannabis" had emanated from Mr Zecler and that he resisted a search. At the weekend, prosecutors said the officers had admitted that their violence against Mr Zecler was unjustified but said they acted out of panic after he resisted them in the cramped surroundings of the studio entrance. The prosecutors said three of the policemen should be remanded into custody to stop any attempt to co-ordinate their stories. But the judge said only two would remain in detention. Stars of France's victorious World Cup football team are among a number of public figures who have expressed anger over the footage. President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as "unacceptable" and "shameful", demanding quick government proposals on how to rebuild trust between police and citizens. President Macron is said to be furious at the way his government has handled the row over the security bill, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. This morning he summoned the prime minister, the interior and justice ministers as well as the heads of his parliamentary majority - and gave them, it's reported, a severe dressing-down.

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A little configuration goes a long way with this reduced Alienware PC. Perhaps the quickest and easiest way to get your hands on an RTX 3080 graphics card this side of New Years Day is to buy a pre-built gaming PC that has one included in the bill. This Alienware R10 gaming desktop is just that: It comes with a Ryzen 7 3700X CPU, 16GB of DDR4, and the option to upgrade to an RTX 3080, if you so wish. That brings the total to $1,910.99—$429 off the original list price. Now there is a caveat, and potentially a big one, and that's the fact this Dell PC will arrive on December 23 if you select expedited delivery ($25 more) on the checkout page. That's what it told us when we just penned in our old New York office address, anyways. That may vary based on your location, but it's cutting it awfully close for Christmas Day. Otherwise you're looking at an early January delivery date with the free delivery option. That's still likely sooner than you'll be able to get your hands on one of these graphics cards as a discrete component (unless you're particularly lucky or already in a queue, such as EVGA's). NEXT-GEN GRAPHICS Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 | Ryzen 7 | RTX 3080 | $2,339.99 $1,910 at Dell (save $429) This gaming PC comes with a fantastic graphics in the RTX 3080, which is more than capable of high-fidelity 4K gaming and ray tracing. It also comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X CPU, a great eight-core chip, and 16GB of 2,933MHz memory. There's even a whopping 1TB of NVMe SSD space for all your games. What more could you need? With that RTX 3080 you also net yourself a digital copy of CoD: Cold War and one year of Nvidia's streaming service, GeForce Now. This Alienware build also features a liquid cooler to ensure your CPU stays chilly; a 1000W PSU, which will cover you for future upgrade; and a 1TB NVMe SSD, thus ensuring you have plenty of leftover capacity once your OS and favourite apps are installed. Check out our Cyber Monday gaming PC deals hub for more PCs on offer, just like this one.

Game Information What is it? A complex strategy card game with a birding theme. Expect to pay $16/£13.59 Release date Out now Developer Monster Couch Publisher Monster Couch Reviewed on AMD FX-8350, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, 32GB RAM Multiplayer? Local and online competitive. Link Official site If you're anywhere near board game culture then you've probably heard about Wingspan. This gently thematic strategy card game about running a wildlife preserve for birds has drawn near-universal acclaim from critics and a hype train that can't help but draw attention. Don't let the theme deceive you, Wingspan is a game of economic strategy that can get quite complex. None of that matters when a game makes the move to digital, however. Any game can go poorly if it's not well ported—but Wingspan is flying high as it arrives on the PC. It's visually stunning, with beautiful audio design, charming animations, stunning attention to detail, and a layout that serves the experience of playing on a PC over mimicking the tabletop game. Simply put, Wingspan is the new gold standard for a board game adaptation. A flock of possibilities Wingspan is a strategy card game where you build a strategy around the resources and cards available to you. Each turn you take a single action: Play a bird, get some food in the forest, lay eggs on birds in the field, or draw new (bird) cards at the water's edge. As you add birds to your preserve, they empower these base actions, building an engine of bird actions and card synergies. You might play a Great Crested Flycatcher into the forest, paying a berry and a bug. From then on whenever you take the forest's action—gaining food—you get to take an extra bug from the birdfeeder. Each round of the game you take multiple actions, but you take fewer actions in the later rounds. That means identifying a strategy is vital: You have to empower your actions early on to make sure you're still competitive by the end of the game. One of my favorite strategies involves cards like the Ruddy Duck and Common Yellowthroat, water birds which let you draw two extra cards, then discard one. Drawing as many cards as possible means I have to take the "Water" action to draw cards less often, saving those actions for more valuable bird playing and egg laying. Wingspan is a competitive game—there are lots of ways to score, but the player with the most points wins—but with little in the way of aggressive, direct competition. Players compete over resources and cards, and over who can meet point-giving objectives best, but don't play cards that directly affect others' boards in negative ways. In fact, the tradeoff for some high-value, low-cost cards is that you actually give resources to other players. Wingspan's play, for all its strategy, hinges on a few very random elements. That's the bit of the game design often cited by those who dislike it. Available food comes from a dice roll, and the birds from a huge deck. Neither choice of resources refreshes regularly without player interaction: You simply must build your strategy from what's available, not what's conceivable. If a bird that would fulfill one of your bonus cards never shows up you're out of luck, likewise if you need lots of, say, fish to play your birds but the dice just won't show little blue fishies. It's not as random and frustrating a system as something like to-hit dice in a wargame, but the tight balance of the point scoring in Wingspan can make you feel like you were prevented from victory by a bad roll of the dice. That said, I find that Wingspan's balance of random draws and random food against deliberate, potent, and reliable card powers is a mix of seeds in the feeder that draws me back for more over and over. There's just so much interesting potential strategy to pull off that I want to see what combos I can come up with on the next play. Colorful plumage A bad digital adaptation of a board game simply reproduces the graphical and visual aspects of the base game. A good digital adaptation knows which visual and game elements to change, cut or rearrange so that the play experience flows smoothly. Wingspan is neither of these. Wingspan is a great digital adaptation, one that fundamentally adds to the experience of playing this card game. I meant it when I said in the opening of this review that all adaptations of board games in the future will have to be measured up against this one—both where it excels and where it's lacking. Wingspan is a beautiful game to play. The carefully detailed scientific illustrations of the tabletop game are reproduced here in larger, more brilliantly colored form, and then enhanced with charming animations. There are a variety of varied playing backgrounds to pick from too, all themselves animated. You can even click your birds to hear their specific calls, and a narrator will read you trivia about the birds when you play them. All of it is wrapped in a lovely ambient soundscape of birdsong, nature sounds, and classical guitar. It's a soundtrack that's going directly into my permanent collection. The user experience has clearly been given careful thought as well. Bird and bonus goal cards are redesigned from their tabletop form to be more readable on a screen. So has the player view: Rather than a single broad playmat you have several different screens, one for each action. A whole-player overview is available as a separate, optional choice. That's not to say the UI is perfect. It can get crowded with a big hand of cards. It's also not always clear what element is active, or what precisely the game wants you to click on to proceed. It's also not as easy to track game length as on the tabletop, and the concept of "action cubes" to time your turn doesn't translate very well to digital. The tutorial does a thorough job of teaching you the game, though, and there are plenty of videos online that will teach you the rules since those are unchanged from the tabletop version. All of that said, Wingspan is a game that actually feels like it has gained playability from the move to digital. It's also gained other experience benefits, like a reduced play time, and the ability to play against proper AI. The game even includes the solitaire "Automa" variant from the tabletop, which feels great, and weekly Champ of the Birds challenges to optimize your score in a set scenario against a global leaderboard. With all these options, Wingspan excels as a couch multiplayer or Remote Play Together game. Online Multiplayer works well too, with up to five players in premade custom games. (Server issues from launch have mostly disappeared in the following weeks.) Matchmaking is available for both real-time games with a five-minute turn limit and asynchronous games with a 24-hour turn timer. The matchmaking is limited to three-player games, which might seem strange, but it's a widespread consensus in the tabletop community that three is the optimal player count—it didn't bother me at all.

Suzuki gives the now Euro5- compliant SV650 and V-Strom 650 ranges an update for 2021 with fresh colours, trim levels and tweaked styling While Japanese contemporaries Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha prepare to ring in the new year with a host of fresh new models, Suzuki will by comparison stick with what it knows by giving the venerable SV650 and V-Strom 650 ranges a mild update for 2021. This isn’t an insignificant occasion for these two models though, which were threatened with an enforced axe because the 650 V-twin engine didn’t strictly meet Euro5 compliance required for 2021. 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050 XT REVIEW Perhaps understanding given the basic architecture can trace its roots right back to 1999 when ‘emissions’ rules barely existed, the 650 unit has been updated enough for Suzuki to name is ‘Euro5-compliant. In reality though it is thought to have required special dispensation from the EU to get the big tick as it reportedly just missed the cut-off. Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT To celebrate the stay of execution, both the SV650 and V-Strom 650 are getting some new wares for 2021 with some striking new colours and trims to contend against newer - but pricier - competition. The V-Strom 650 XT now comes in the yellow hues and gold wheels available on the equivalent 1050 XT, a nod to Suzuki’s off-road heritage, while the standard V-Strom 650 is available in red, gold and white, with the latter also getting the gold wheel treatment. Suzuki SV650 X The SV650, meanwhile, comes in a new ‘X’ trim level and sports cafe racer style dropped bars, headlight cowling and ribbed seat as standard, plus a gloss black and gold frame. The updates come as Suzuki seemingly prepares to launch a brand new parallel twin engine that will form the basis of a new generation SV650 and V-Strom 650.

Ethiopia's federal police are searching for the leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front after government soldiers entered the Tigray regional capital, the prime minster said. Abiy Ahmed added that Mekelle's capture marked the "last phase" of the three-week conflict - but details are hard to confirm as communications are blocked. The TPLF leader, meanwhile, vowed to fight on, in a statement to Reuters. Hundreds have reportedly been killed in the conflict and thousands displaced. It began earlier this month after Mr Abiy announced an operation against the TPLF, the regional party, accusing it of attacking the Ethiopian army's northern command HQ in Mekelle. Ethiopian soldiers accused of blocking border with Sudan Can Ethiopia ignore Africa's diplomats? Why Ethiopia may be marching into guerrilla war He has consistently described its leadership as a "criminal clique" and said that the police will "bring them to the court of law". The BBC managed to speak briefly to one contact in Mekelle who said that federal soldiers were in the city and he had heard sporadic gunshots on Sunday morning. Some residents had earlier fled to the city's outskirts, he added. Meanwhile, the US embassy in neighbouring Eritrea said six explosions were heard in the capital, Asmara, late on Saturday. Tigrayan forces have previously fired rockets at Eritrea, which they accuse of backing Ethiopian government forces in the weeks-long conflict. It is not clear if the latest incidents in Asmara are linked to the fighting in Tigray. What does the government say? In a statement on Twitter, Mr Abiy said the army was in full control of Mekelle and that this "marks the completion of the [military's] last phase". "I am pleased to share that we have completed and ceased the military operations in the Tigray region," he said. image captionHundreds of people have reportedly been killed and thousands have been displaced in the fighting The army had released thousands of soldiers taken by the TPLF and was in control of the airport and regional offices, Mr Abiy said, adding that the operation had been carried out with "due care for citizens". There have been fears for the safety of the 500,000 people living in the city. Confirming details from Tigray is very hard as telephone and internet lines have been down during the conflict. How has the TPLF responded? In a text message to Reuters, TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael did not directly comment on the situation on the ground, but said of the government forces: "Their brutality can only add [to] our resolve to fight these invaders to the last." He added: "This is about defending our right to self-determination." Mr Debretsion's whereabouts are unknown. A TPLF statement read out on regional Tigray TV said: "Fascistic bombings have caused civilian deaths and injuries. The Tigray government has vowed that it would take retaliatory actions against the barbaric bombings". It also accused the Eritrean government of involvement in the attack on Mekelle. Tigray TV and another station from the region are now off air. Analysts say the TPLF could now be preparing to return to the mountains to launch a guerrilla war against the federal government. What are the humanitarian concerns? The UN had warned of possible war crimes if the Ethiopian army attacked Mekelle. It has also expressed concerns about the lack of access for humanitarian workers. The Ethiopian authorities said on Thursday that "a humanitarian access route" overseen by the government would be opened, adding they were "committed to work with UN agencies... to protect civilians and those who need it". Also on Thursday, Ethiopian troops were deployed along Tigray's border with Sudan, preventing people fleeing the violence from leaving the country, according to refugees. In an update released on Saturday, the UN said that more than 40,000 Ethiopians had crossed over since the fighting began in early November. Reporting on a visit to western Tigray, Wilson Mondal from the International Committee of the Red Cross said that in Dansha he had met people "living in a makeshift camp without food, water, or medical care. "They told us they feared for their lives, and that they wanted safe passage out of the area," he said. Ethiopia's state-appointed Human Rights Commission has accused a Tigrayan youth group of being behind a massacre this month in which it says more than 600 non-Tigrayan civilians in the town of Mai-Kadra were killed. The TPLF denied involvement. In a meeting on Friday, Mr Abiy told African peace envoys that civilians would be protected. Who are the TPLF? The TPLF fighters, drawn mostly from a paramilitary unit and a well-drilled local militia, are thought to number about 250,000. The organisation was founded in the 1970s and spearheaded the uprising against Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, who was toppled in 1991. It then went on to be the dominant political force in the country until Mr Abiy became prime minister in 2018. Mr Debretsion has said the Tigray forces were "ready to die in defence of our right to administer our region". What is the fighting about? The conflict is rooted in longstanding tension between Ethiopia's government and the TPLF, sparked by Mr Abiy's moves to sideline the party. When Mr Abiy postponed a national election because of coronavirus in June, relations further deteriorated. The TPLF said the government's mandate to rule had expired, arguing that Mr Abiy had not been tested in a national election. In September the party held its own election, which the government said was "illegal". In early November, TPLF fighters entered a military base in Mekelle which led to the start of the federal army's operation in Tigray.

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We do write valedictory pieces at Autocar, but not many. Broadly speaking, our remit is to look forward, rather than back; but just occasionally, a car so important or beloved gets pensioned off that we would not be doing our job as the industry’s journal of record were we to fail to acknowledge the fact in some way. Now you may already be questioning whether or not the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T falls into that category, and I’d not blame you at all. But the truth is, it’s not the car per se that we’re saying goodbye to but the full-sized family Ferrari coupé. It’s a line that stretches back essentially unbroken through most of Ferrari’s history, fully 60 years. But now it’s over. For although the new Roma does indeed have rear seats, they’re for occasional use only by small people, while the Lusso will seat four average-sized adults in greater space and comfort than certain four-door coupés. In time, Ferrari hopes that Lusso customers can be migrated across to the new SUV, currently codenamed the Purosangue, but that’s a 2023-model-year car, so it’s likely to be a couple of years before we even see it, let alone customers take delivery. Of course, because they’re seen as practical, and there’s no more boring word in the automotive lexicon, four-seat Fandangos have never quite twanged the heartstrings like Ferrari’s lower-slung sports cars, with their abbreviated wheelbases, lesser seat count and more focused role. But that doesn’t make them poor relations or anything close. On occasion, it has been the more usable version that’s proven preferable, even if the automotive media tended not to say so at the time. For instance, I always preferred the early-1970s 365 GTC/4 to its headline-grabbing brother, known to most as the Daytona. And for a couple of years in the 1990s, before the 550 Maranello was introduced, the 456 GT was not only the most powerful production Ferrari, it was also the best. I’m not sure I’d put the current Lusso in that category, especially versions like this with the V8 engine, but as a nearly new, rather than brand new proposition, they can still make compelling cases for themselves. Take this car here, resplendent in its lovely special-request Rosso Fiorano paintwork and available from Stratstone in Manchester. It’s a one-year-old car, with fewer than 2000 miles on the clock, three of its standard four-year warranty to go and five of its six years of free servicing remaining. The asking price is £168,900, which can probably be bid down a chunk, against a new list price of £202,890. What these numbers don’t reflect is the simply enormous option count it carries, too; I counted 25 items from ceramic tailpipes at one end to a carbonfibre front splitter at the other. This is by no means uncommon for this kind of car. And as you will know, Ferrari options don’t come cheap. Indeed, in 2019, the combined options cost on this car appears to have been £63,821, which means this nearly new, scarcely used example is being offered by a Ferrari main dealer for all but £100,000 off its on-the-road list price last year, even before you’ve had a haggle. Which makes you think a bit. It’s a lovely thing in which to loaf around. Not in which to blast, teeth bared, knuckles whitened, mind, for it’s not that kind of Ferrari, but for rather rapid roaming, it’s entirely splendid. Indeed, it’s at times something of a relief to drive a Ferrari without feeling in any way that you’re wasting a valuable resource when not driving as fast as you possibly can. It makes you focus on the other things that Ferraris, and not just this one, do well. Its ride quality is uncommonly good, for instance, and almost regardless of which position you choose for the manettino switch, because you always have its ‘bumpy road’ mode button. It really ought to be rechristened ‘British road’, because I can’t imagine circumstances over here when you wouldn’t want it. So you waft from place to place, saturated in the sight, smell and feel of its exquisite leather, knowing there’s more than 600bhp a twitch of a toe away should some arse in a BMW 3 Series come sniffing at your (ceramic, let’s not forget) tailpipes. This to me is exactly what a GT should be. My time with the Lusso coincided with time spent in a McLaren GT, and while the British car is a world apart as a thing to get in and drive fast, when it comes to the ancient art of being a world-class GT, it’s the Ferrari that shows how it should be done. The Lusso has the space, the ride quality, the refinement, the luggage capacity and that intangible but no less important languid character that’s so essential to be convincing in that role. But it does do the other thing, too. Although it’s pretty portly, at 1865kg, the Lusso T lacks the four-wheel drive that was something of a mixed blessing in the V12 Lusso and has four-wheel steering as standard, which means it’s actually a sight more agile than you might imagine a car with a wheelbase 300mm longer than an entire Smart Fortwo. It’s a car that you can hustle and one you can balance on the throttle. Turn in to a tight corner and you’ll be impressed by how keenly the nose bites into the apex, how little understeer is presented yet how strong remains the traction even without front driveshafts. However, its greatest appeal, and its unique role in the brand’s portfolio, is that this is a Ferrari you can take entirely for granted. It’s not a car you’d choose to spend as much time cleaning as driving. You don’t need to look at the weather forecast before heading out. If you kerbed one of those exquisite forged rims, you’d probably just leave it dinged, because if you cared that much about how your Lusso looked, you’d probably not be minded to buy a Lusso. On the contrary, this isn’t a Ferrari for the fastidious but one for people who have more important things to think about. It’s a Ferrari to use and abuse all the time and for every reason. And that’s an important and legitimate role for it to play. As a thing to drive, it’s not extraordinary enough to merit the high days and holidays special-occasion treatment; but as a thing to own, out there in the real world, where every road isn’t a deserted mountain pass and every day isn’t a stress-free day of leisure, it makes a strong case for itself, especially if someone else has already kindly borne the brunt of the depreciation for you. The secret to these cars, so far as I can tell through the generations I’ve driven while doing this job (456 GT, 612 Scaglietti, FF and Lusso), is to blend that everyday ease of use with just enough stardust to ensure you never forget that, above all else, you’re driving a Ferrari. And while the GTC4 Lusso T is not one of Maranello’s all-time greats, it understands and executes its mission flawlessly. Whether we will be able to say the same about a Ferrari SUV, only time will tell. The original Lusso Oddly enough, the first Ferrari to be known as the Lusso, and first shown at the Paris show in 1962, wasn’t a 2+2 at all. It was a strict two-seater using the chassis dimensions of the 250 SWB racing car but with its 3.0-litre V12 detuned from 280bhp to a more manageable 240bhp and mounted further forward in the car to liberate some much-needed additional cabin space. It doesn’t even appear as if ‘Lusso’ was ever an official factory title but more the name by which the car became known over time thanks to its decidedly luxuriously appointed cabin. Production ceased in 1964 after 350 units had been built. The direct antecedent of today’s Lusso was the 250GT 2+2, also known as the 250 GTE or even 250 GT/E, a car launched in 1960 and which, because of its somewhat dowdy appearance, has never enjoyed the acclaim it deserves. It was in fact the first Ferrari ever to be built in significant volume, transforming the company from cottage industry to major manufacturer and spawning a brand-new model line that would survive fully six decades. Production ceased in 1963 after nearly 1000 cars had been built, a runaway record for any Ferrari model of any kind up until that time. The Ferrari SUV The future of the family Ferrari lies in the hands of the forthcoming SUV, to be shown in 2022 for the 2023 model year. Ferrari has been remarkably good at keeping details under wraps given the car’s existence has been rumoured for years, but expect it not to confirm to standard super-luxury SUV norms. It’s likely to be more of a crossover between a GT and an SUV, lower and much more dynamic in appearance. Powertrain options will certainly include a V12 to rival those of the Bentley and Rolls-Royce opposition, but don’t be surprised to see a V8 and especially a hybridised V6, too. Ferrari GTs in the classifieds Ferrari 365 GTB/4, £625,000: Rosso Red, early-style pop-up headlights and three owners from new – this Daytona has it all. Plus, it’s one of just 158 right-hand-drive cars built. Ferrari 412i, £72,665: Not the best-loved classic Ferrari but one of the most comfortable and accessible. This late example is original right down to its radio manual. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, £65,500: Here’s a modern Ferrari for new BMW M3 money, but the 5.7-litre V12’s thirst for fuel may very well dampen your enthusiasm. Great noise, though.

Opposition MPs in Denmark have urged the government to dig up millions of mink that were buried in mass graves amid Covid-19 fears. The two burial sites in Jutland are highly controversial - one is near a bathing lake and the other not far from a source of drinking water. The discovery of a mutated form of the virus prompted a cull of nearly 17 million mink, devastating the Danish fur industry - the largest in the EU. The burial decision was judged illegal. The new Agriculture Minister, Rasmus Prehn, said on Friday he supported the idea of exhuming the mink and incinerating them. But that would require the environmental protection agency's approval, he added. His predecessor Mogens Jensen resigned last week in the furore over the government's legal basis for the cull, as more than 10,000 tonnes of dead mink were hastily buried. Denmark's DR news reports that about 11 million mink have been culled so far. Warning: you may find a picture below showing a burial site disturbing The government has admitted that the cull was mishandled. The grisly mass burial got even more macabre when there were reports of buried mink resurfacing because of the nitrogen and phosphorus gases produced by their decay. The two mass graves are near Karup and Holstebro. image captionDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen became tearful when discussing the plight of mink farmers Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wept on Danish TV while visiting a mink farm on Thursday. "We have two generations of really skilled mink farmers, father and son, who in a very, very short time have had their life's work shattered, and that… It's been emotional for them. Sorry. For me as well," she said, wiping away tears. Fur industry faces uncertain future due to Covid Denmark shaken by cull of millions of mink What's the science behind mink and coronavirus? Law experts quoted by Danish TV2 say the government went ahead with mass burial without getting an environmental impact assessment. The opposition Liberal Party (Venstre) says the mink should be dug up and loaded into containers of manure, which would allegedly be a safer disposal method. image captionThe cull of 17 million mink is still going on Environment Minister Lea Wermelin spoke to parliament - the Folketing - on Friday, in a crisis session called to deal with the mink problem. She admitted that mass burial had not been the best method - incineration would have been preferable - but the spread of Covid-19 on mink farms had made the disposal urgent and there had been no other quick way to handle such a quantity of dead animals. On Danish TV, the Liberals' environment spokesman Thomas Danielsen said "this is a case full of errors and illegalities". A Socialist People's Party (SF) MP for West Jutland, Signe Munk, called the buried mink "a ticking environmental bomb" and said "the mink must be removed". The head of the mink breeders' association, Tage Pedersen, said the cull spelt doom for Danish fur producers - a sector employing about 6,000 people and worth $800m (£600m) annually in exported pelts, Reuters news agency reported. Denmark has about 1,100 mink farms - and so far no compensation deal has been decided.

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The Windows 10 variant is on track for a release in early 2021 Windows 10X, the modular, lightweight version of the Windows 10 operating system, could launch early next year, according to reports. The new Window variant is on course to achieve RTM status in the coming weeks before devices running the OS will start appearing on production lines. Among the biggest changes to Windows 10X, the Start Menu is set to be dropped, replaced by a static app launcher. It will be optimized for devices with limited memory – those with 4GB of RAM or less – but will ship on more powerful products too. The OS will also be bringing back rounded corners for top-level windows in a nice little design nod to earlier Windows iterations. Windows 10X is based on the Windows core OS but delivers a more modular, simpler interface. Initially, it was expected to target dual-screen devices and foldable PCs, but now it appears as though it will launch on single-screen products first. Single screen for now “Between work and family, our time is precious,” a Windows blog read last year. “With a dual-screen PC and Windows 10X, people can get things done on-the-go faster than ever: take notes on one screen while reviewing the full project proposal on the other while in transit; sit down at a table to write a thoughtful email on a hardware keyboard while waiting for lunch; and then watch a video, browse the web or read a book as you get back to your life.” While Microsoft has not dropped its dual-screen dreams, Windows 10X will initially only offer single-screen experiences, with mid-range devices shipping in Spring 2021. In further disappointing news, the new Windows 10 variant will not offer Win32 app support from launch, meaning users will have to get used to Universal Windows Platform and web apps, initially at least. Rumors indicate that support for running Win32 app in Windows 10X containers might not be available until 2022 at the earliest.

Newegg cuts the price of this curved Westinghouse screen. Wide is wonderful, which must make ultrawide ultrawonderful. What’s even better than that—we’re going for superultrawonderful—is saving a decent wedge of cash on an ultrawide screen, and there’s $120 off this Westinghouse WC34DX9019 UWQHD (that’s 3440 x 1440) 34-inch monitor at Newegg. Along with that fearsome resolution, you also get a decent, if not earth-shattering, 100Hz refresh rate, a 3000:1 contrast ratio, Freesync, 2xHDMI and a Displayport, plus a couple USB ports. It’s curved too, all the better to show off the customizable back panel RGB lights. It’ll even project the Westinghouse logo onto your desktop but, y’know, you can turn that off. The whole thing can be put on a VESA mount if you don’t want to use the supplied stand, and thanks to being a VA panel the viewing angle is good and wide at 178°. The whole thing measures 32.2in across, and weighs almost 20lbs with the stand attached. These kinds of room-dominating screens are increasingly po[CENSORED]r, and while it’s possible to pick up even larger models with better refresh rates, this combination of resolution and 100Hz makes for a very attractive price point.

Seatbelts fastened, tray tables in the upright position. Introduced in the battle royale's seventh season, Apex Legends' new Trident hovercraft isn't exactly known for its altitude. But with the careful placement of a trampoline, players have figured out how to give the nippy little buggies some impressive airtime—temporarily, at least. Now, I'm not entirely sure what's going on with games journalists flinging themselves into the stratosphere. Just today, Eurogamer was off catapulting cowboys in Red Dead Redemption 2. Now, Rock Paper Shotgun's Imogen Beckhelling has demonstrated how to launch the Trident skyward with a little help from Octane's ultimate bounce-pad. The trick is to set the pad down directly under a respawn beacon (or supply bin, though Beckhelling notes the beacon works best). Drive the Trident straight into it, and you should be catapulted off in the opposite direction. Given it's technically meant to be airborne anyway, you do have some degree of air control while soaring across Olympus. Even so, there's a good chance you'll end up soaring way off the map. Play it right, though, and you can pull off the kind of incredible aerial acrobatics demonstrated by these skilled pilots. The Trident itself is a delight to drive, even if I've rarely found good use for it in matches. The promise of being able to stick a turret on it or load it down with gas traps has unfortunately never beaten out the tried-and-tested tactic of just sliding around on foot. Now, the Trident offers an exciting, unreliable shortcut across the map—at least, until Respawn gets around to fixing it.

The Harley-Davidson 'Future Custom Model' joins the Pan America on the 'spared' list as the company appears to confirm a 'planned 2021' arrival It’s fitting that on the day the White House celebrates Thanksgiving by having the President pardon a turkey previously condemned for slaughter (though Donald Trump may not be feeling quite so benevolent this year…), that great American brand Harley-Davidson has (sort of) confirmed the striking Harley-Davidson Custom sportster revealed in 2018 has also survived the chop. One of three models revealed so far that will come equipped with Harley-’s all-new (and vital) Revolution Max engine, the Custom’s future has been uncertain in recent months as the the company warned it would be swinging the axe and making some tough decisions as part of a major ‘Hardwire’ re-strategy to reverse flagging fortunes. Harley-Davidson Pan America and Bronx revealed Previously only the Harley-Davidson Pan America was confirmed to be destined for production - albeit more than two years after it was first revealed - but the Bronx streetfighter, which would have used a downsized 975cc version of the original 1250cc ‘Max’ engine, has been put on hold, which many take to mean as shelved altogether. However, the ‘Custom’ model has popped back up on H-D’s ‘future vehicles’ landing page and now says it is ‘planned for 2021’ (so expect 2022…). Information is scant except for a small blurb that says ‘the all-new custom motorcycle with a muscular stance, aggressive, stripped down styling and 1250cc of pure performance’. Harley-Davidson Future Custom Model It marks good news for those partial to a Harley-Davidson sportster after it was revealed in October that the current range would to be axed from European line-ups in lieu of going to the expense of updating them to meet Euro5 standards. At the heart of the as-yet-unnamed model will be the full fat Revolution Max engine which, if nothing else, is certainly one of the more visually arresting engines that looks pure torque even before you fire it up. The meaty 1250cc engine certainly promises some low down grunt but proof will be in the pudding next year at some stage when the first model to use it - the Pan America - finally makes its way into our hands.

These are the best gaming monitors that will fully immerse you within your favorite videogame worlds. Buying one of the best gaming monitors is a lot like entering into a long-term relationship. And this is one which will likely last throughout many different iterations of your gaming PC, gear, and peripherals—perhaps even new versions of Windows. Is that even a thing anymore? Anyway, it's always worth spending all you can afford on the best gaming monitor, because it's going to be around a good while, and you're going to be staring at it a whole lot. But that doesn't have to mean spending over the odds, because we've been keeping tabs on the best Black Friday gaming monitor deals to make sure you can find a great screen for a decent price. There's also the fact that a fancy graphics card means nothing if you're using it with a crappy display. You don't want to buy a new 1080p screen if you plan on upgrading to one of the best graphics cards in a couple of months time. Something like an Nvidia RTX 3080 will deliver fantastic 4K gaming performance. With AMD's RX 6000-series launching soon that 4K dream is only going to become more attainable as we head into 2021, too. But the flip side of that is there's little point in picking up a brand spanking new 4K gaming monitor today if you've only got an AMD RX 5500 XT humming away inside your rig and aren't likely to find the cash for a 4K-capable GPU anytime soon. Sure, you can knock back the resolution in games, but modern panels look pretty unpleasant when they're not run at their native res. There are other things to consider too. Do you want to go for an ultrawide aspect ratio to give that real wrap-around aesthetic? Do you need a high refresh rate, and do you really need a IPS panel over a humble TN? The answer to all those questions should be a resounding: yes. Ultrawide monitors give an extra level of immersion to your games, though are sadly an unconscionably expensive luxury compared to a good 16:9 display. High refresh rates are almost a given nowadays, however, and should definitely be on your new gaming monitor checklist. We would also always recommend an IPS panel over TN, too. The clarity of image, viewing angle, and color reproduction are all far superior to the cheaper technology. The other alternative, less expensive than IPS and better than TN, is the VA panel tech. Colors aren't quite so hot, but the contrast performance is still impressive. Despite its age, the Asus ROG Swift PG279Q is still the best gaming monitor you can buy right now. It is a 27-inch monitor with a 2560x1440 resolution, which we currently consider the sweet spot for high-end gaming. It offers substantially more pixels than 1080p without being as demanding on your PC hardware as a 4K panel. That means games look sharp at 27 inches but it won't bring a good GPU to its knees. Plus, you can still get higher than 60Hz refresh rates, which isn't possible on a lot of 4K displays. You can also comfortably run at 100 percent scaling in Windows, something that isn't always desirable with 4K panels. Like its primary competitor, the Acer Predator XB271HU, the PG279Q is an IPS panel with a refresh rate that can overclock up to 165Hz—the difference between 144Hz and 165Hz is mostly negligible, though. Inputs include DisplayPort 1.2a as well as HDMI 1.4 (one of each). Both displays also feature Nvidia's G-Sync technology for variable refresh rates, assuming you're using an Nvidia GPU. The biggest drawback to such an excellent monitor, of course, is the price. The PG279Q will set you back a healthy $650, but we really do consider a monitor an investment. Don't buy something cheap; you'll want to replace it in two years. Buy a great monitor that will still be going strong half a decade from now, which is exactly what this 2015 screen proves. There are 144Hz IPS monitors similar to Asus's offering, only with FreeSync instead of G-Sync, but the Asus ROG Swift PG279Q is the best choice and worth every dollar. 4K gaming is a premium endeavor. You need a colossal amount of rendering power to hit decent frame rates at such a high resolution. But if you're rocking a top-shelf graphics card, like the new RTX 3080. This LG UltraGear is the first 4K Nano IPS 1ms gaming monitor that'll properly show off your next-gen GPU. This 4K 27-inch HDR monitor has a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time which is kind of wild for a 4K monitor. What is most impressive about this LG is the Nano IPS tech that offers a wider color gamut and stellar viewing angles. The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B bags you a terrific panel with exquisite IPS image quality and, despite the lesser HDR capabilities, beautiful colors, contrasts, and depths to games too. G-Sync is present to offer stable pictures and smoothness in games, and the speedy refresh rate and response times back this up too. The Pixio PX277 Prime is about as barebones as they come in regards to gaming monitors. This 27-inch 1440p panel provides frames at a stable 165Hz and is also FreeSync certified for a tear-free gaming experience with compatible graphics cards. The screen itself is advertised as being anti-glare and holds up in most brightly lit environments, and the thin bezel is always a plus in our book. The biggest draw to the PX277 Prime is its low price point. A great entry-level option for those looking for a larger screen with a high refresh rate and don't want to be left totally broke. While the build quality isn't as robust as a higher-spec screen, the Pixio panel is perfect for the budget gamer who doesn't mind missing out on some of the bells and whistles of a higher-end monitor, but is keen for top performance. When you're building a PC, it's tempting to invest all your resources into the guts of the machine. You want a system that can handle 4K graphics, with all the in-game settings ticked up. But equally important is the monitor needed to display your favorite games in 4K HDR glory. The BenQ EL2870U is a 28-inch gaming monitor that won't break the bank. Although it is constrained to the limited viewing angles of its TN panel, it more than makes up for this concession in other areas. Its native response time is a blistering 1ms, and the 4K TN panels are far better than the dodgy old 1080p TN fare. Meanwhile, unlike other monitors in its class, it touts a pair of integrated 2W speakers, perfect for late nights spent watching dumb videos on YouTube with your IRL best buds. Hey, monitors aren't just for gaming! Perhaps best of all, the BenQ EL2870U is graced with its 3.5mm headphone jack, so you don't have to waste time scouring the area for a cable long enough to reach all the way from the back of your motherboard. Lastly, the BenQ EL2870U features a hard-wired HDR button for toggling on and off the high-dynamic range. Because sometimes, we'll admit, it's more trouble than it's worth taking a screenshot in Windows with HDR enabled. And since it regularly goes on sale for less than $500, we're not too bothered by the fact that it foregoes Nvidia G-Sync in favor of AMD FreeSync. If you've got a little extra scratch, the 32-inch EW2780U is an excellent choice if you need something with a larger screen and 2.1 channel Sound. If your mantra for displays is 'go big or go home', Acer hears you, and its XR382CQK is a massive 38-inch curved screen that looks stunning. It features a not-quite-4K QHD ultrawide panel with a 3840x1600 resolution. With an aspect ratio of 24:10 it's slightly wider than the 'standard' 21:9 ratio seen on other ultrawide displays. The IPS panel looks great, and the size means gaming from the comfort of your couch is a viable option too. Not content to end there, the display also features FreeSync technology with up to 75Hz variable refresh rates. That's not a huge bump from a 60Hz panel, but it is genuinely noticeable. It's a big, bold, and beautiful looking display, and the zero-frame bezel-less approach is another welcome addition. If you're looking for something to turn heads, this is one of the best widescreen gaming monitors. And boy, is it broad. It's taller than the 27-inch 16:9 displays we've already mentioned, and nearly half again as wide, but the higher resolution means the dot pitch is slightly lower than that of the lesser panels. And for games that properly support ultrawide resolutions, the surround effect of the XR382CQK is incredibly immersive—sitting at your desk, the 38-inch panel will fill your field of view. Portable monitors have always existed as a novelty. Whenever you see one out in the wild, it's usually attached to someone's boring work laptop tasked with displaying mind-numbing spreadsheets. Portable monitors give you a second screen during travel without the fuss. The ROG Strix XG17AHPE takes that same portability but also adds in the performance of a premium gaming monitor. This thin and lightweight 17-inch IPS display has a 240Hz refresh rate, along with a 3ms response time, making it the perfect gaming monitor for a LAN party. Shooters like CS:GO and Apex Legends benefit from buttery smooth refresh rate. The built-in 7800mAh battery will give you a couple of hours of gameplay. The XG17 is the ideal companion screen for work and play... assuming you've got $500 lying around. 240Hz gaming is becoming all the rage these days, Alienware has set itself ahead of the pack with the gorgeous AW2521HF gaming monitor. While not the cheapest on the market, it has got the style and performance to make you want it on your desk. Gamers will dig the Alienware 25's lightning-fast response time in games like Valorent or Destiny with little to no ghosting or artifacting. This 1080p IPS panel is bright and vivid too. If you work or game in a bright room, the Alienware 25 handles even the most obnoxious of glares. More importantly, the AW252HF has some impressive viewing angles regardless if you have it set in the middle of your desk for gaming or off to the side in as a second monitor in portrait mode while you work. Our only real complaints are the lack of HDR support, along with having not the best contrast. How we test gaming monitors There are two main ways to test out our screens to determine the best gaming monitor. The first is by playing games on it. Subjectively testing the gaming performance of each panel isn't necessarily going to give you the lowdown on the specifics of a particular screen. Still, it will let you test the functioning aspect ratio, native resolution, and any specific gamer-centric technologies they're sporting. Side-by-side comparative testing in this manner is also incredibly valuable for keying into the sometimes subtle differences between each panel. When you use a screen in isolation, it's easy to become blind to its comparative faults as you simply get used to them. Testing screens back-to-back allows us to discover and highlight specific issues between them. We also use a heap of standardised tests produced by Lagom in order to ensure levels and saturation are visually up to our standards.

Update 1.04 fixes many gameplay issues and graphical bugs. Ubisoft rolled out an update for Assassin's Creed Valhalla today, which promises to fix some of the more peculiar bugs you can run into on your journey through Mercia. It also improves many other areas of the game, notably the UI and in-game guard behaviour. One particular bug caused dogs to levitate when you gave them a good pet, and that's clearly an example of "feature, not a bug". The patch notes are quite long, and cover only "the most notable changes", according to Ubisoft, so expect to feel the difference next time you play. Have some highlights: Addressed an issue where dogs would start levitating when Eivor starts to pet them. Crows will no longer randomly fall from the sky in Asgard. The crowd will now cheer during drinking games. Guards who clearly saw Eivor shoot their ally will now turn hostile. Guards will now hear the impact of dead bodies dropping to the ground. Addressed various issues with quests or world events that prevented players from completing them. The Codex will no longer foreshadow or spoil some events. Addressed an issue where allies would not help Eivor to open a door during Raids. On the technical side of things, the most important change is likely that an issue was fixed that caused RAM/VRAM leakage when players would alt tab out of the game. Graphical fixes include clipping issues, animations and lighting.

Electrified vehicle (EV) sales across Europe surged 153% year on year in October, bucking an industry-wide downward trend as a result of the coronavirus pandemic Of last month’s 1,127,624 registrations - 7% fewer than in October 2019 - 26.8% had some form of electrified powertrain, according to industry analytics firm Jato Dynamics. The biggest-selling electrified cars were mild hybrids, which made up 32% of electrified car registrations last month, compared with 16% for the same period in 2019. While demand for 'traditional' hybrid cars shrank, the market share of plug-in hybrids increased from 21% to 24% and registrations of pure-electric vehicles rose from 21% to 25%. The Volkswagen ID 3 enjoyed a particularly strong showing and was the top-selling pure-electric car in Europe, with 10,475 units sold throughout the month. The top spot was previously held by the Tesla Model 3 but the US brand tumbled down the rankings last month, due partly to the timing of Tesla’s deliveries, which are due to arrive in November, missing the boat for October. October was the second consecutive month in which EVs outsold diesel cars, whose share of the market fell to 26.3%. Jato analyst Felipe Munoz said: “Similarly to the demand seen for the Tesla Model 3, the Volkswagen ID 3 is another example of how appetite for competitive and stylish electric cars continues to grow day by day.” The Renault Zoe was the second best-selling pure-electric car, moving 9778 units, while Hyundai’s Kona Electric came third, with 5261 registrations for the month. The top-selling mild hybrids in October were Toyota’s Yaris and Corolla, of which 13,338 and 9728 units were sold respectively. The Mercedes-Benz A250e led the pack among the plug-in hybrids, with 4209 examples registered. As for conventionally fuelled cars, last month brought strong results for Opel/Vauxhall. The brand’s Corsa hatchback became the third best-selling car in Europe for both October and the year to date, selling 21,220 units last month, 59% more than the previous-generation car achieved in October 2019. Additional strong performers included the Renault Clio, Fiat Panda, Peugeot 2008, Hyundai Kona and Volvo XC40.

Thousands of fans are paying their final respects to Argentine football legend Diego Maradona at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires. Three days of national mourning have begun in Argentina after the national hero died following a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60. Some wept, others blew kisses and said prayers as they filed past the coffin being displayed at the Casa Rosada. A million people are expected to visit his casket. Maradona's coffin - draped in Argentina's national flag and football shirt, bearing his trademark number 10 on the back - is expected to be on public display until Thursday afternoon. There were tense scenes when the Casa Rosada opened its doors, as some fans pushed and shoved against the barriers, which were lined with security forces. His family and former teammates took part in a private ceremony earlier in the day. Maradona dies aged 60 - tributes and reaction Obituary - Argentina's flawed football icon Maradona: A flawed hero on (and off) the pitch An extraordinary life in pictures One of the greatest football players of all time, Maradona had a troubled personal life marked by cocaine and alcohol addiction. He had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. Local media said the preliminary results of an autopsy showed Maradona had suffered "acute heart failure". A spokesman told AFP news agency he would be laid to rest in a cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where his parents were also buried. image captionSome fans clapped, others wept, as they filed past Maradona's coffin image captionSome fans clashed with police outside the Casa Rosada as they queued to see Maradona's coffin The former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager died at his home in Tigre, near Buenos Aires. The last person to see Maradona alive was his nephew Johnny Esposito, according to statements gathered by officials. Maradona is survived by five children and his former wife, 58-year-old Claudia Villafane, who he split with in 2004 after 20 years of marriage. Maradona, who played for clubs including Barcelona and Napoli, was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous "Hand of God" goal against England in the quarter-finals. To score the goal, Maradona used his hand to deflect the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, but the referee did not see it. It was one of the most controversial World Cup moments ever. Former Tottenham midfielder Ossie Ardiles, who played alongside Maradona at the 1982 World Cup, said he was "a god" in Argentina, in Naples and all around the world. Fans mourn 'eternal' giant The death has triggered an outpouring of grief in Argentina and across the world. At 22:00 on Wednesday (01:00 GMT) - an hour chosen to match the number on his shirt - stadiums across Argentina switched on their floodlights to honour his memory. Fans flocked to La Bombonera, Boca Juniors' stadium in Buenos Aires, where many were in tears. One fan of the star's former club had tears in his eyes as he explained how much Maradona meant to him. World mourns Argentine football legend Maradona "Maradona for me is the greatest thing that happened to me in life. I love him as much as my father and it's like my old man died," Cristian Montelli, 22, told Reuters news agency. "If I die young, hopefully upstairs I can play ball and watch a Boca game with him." image captionMaradona was venerated in Napoli, where he had a successful career On Wednesday, officials rushed to install cordons and other measures to try to limit the spread of coronavirus, as big crowds gathered on the Argentine capital's Plaza de Mayo after news of the death emerged. Late into the night, a sea of people in Argentina shirts thronged the streets across the country to mourn Maradona's death, and celebrate his life. Thousands of miles away in Italy, fans also gathered outside Napoli's San Paolo stadium, which was lit up in tribute to the man who scored 81 goals in 188 appearances for the club. Fireworks erupted in the sky as those below, clad in Maradona shirts and even Maradona face masks, chanted and wept. A minute's silence took place before Wednesday's Champions League matches and the same will happen before all other European fixtures this week. Maradona was not just a sportsman for Argentines, he was an icon, a political player and of course, a loveable rogue. There is deep sadness as people pay their respects to their superstar footballer. But his influence goes beyond Argentina - South Americans are proud of their footballing heritage so this news has resonated across the region. In neighbouring Brazil, where their man Pelé vied for the title of world's best footballer, Maradona's death was headline news - much of the rivalry between the two countries can be put down to the two players, such is the passion for the beautiful game here. But rivalry was put aside with Pelé paying tribute to Maradona as a dear friend. "One day, I hope, we will have a kick about together in heaven," he said. The footballing world pays tribute His former Argentina teammate Ardiles said today's football superstars "could not even dream" of being admired as much as Maradona was. "He will be remembered as a genius in football," he told the BBC. "You can see the extraordinary amount of interest that he generates." When the news of Maradona's death broke, Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi led tributes, writing on social media: "He has left us but he will never leave us because Diego is eternal." image captionThe government says it expects a million people to visit Maradona's body at the presidential palace Former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who was part of the England team beaten by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup, said Maradona was "by some distance, the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time". In a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association expressed "its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend", adding: "You will always be in our hearts."

Red Dead Online will launch as a standalone title on Steam and the Epic store December 1, and until February 15, 2021 will be priced at $4.99. The game will require "up to" 123GB of disk space and will include the option to purchase Red Dead Redemption 2: Story Mode separately. This isn't the biggest surprise in the world, with both GTA Online and Red Dead Online having a much longer tail than the traditional singleplayer campaigns. The price however, for a Rockstar game, is pretty eyebrow raising. After February 15, the price for Red Dead Online standalone will be $20. The standalone game will arrive alongside a new Bounty Hunters expansion, bringing "an influx of fugitives to deal with" as well as re-jigging the bounty hunter role with new equipment and skills. There will also be new Legendary Bounties and a 100 Rank Outlaw Pass.

KAWASAKI Z H2 SE ADDS ‘BLING’, SKYHOOK INNOVATIONS TO SUPERCHARGED NAKED Twelve months after Kawasaki ramped up the so-called ‘supernaked’ category with the launch of its Sugomi-styled, supercharged Z H2, it it expanding the range with two new variants; Z H2 SE and SE Performance. Describing the new flagship as adding ‘yet more bling’ to a machine that you wouldn’t necessarily describe as subtle, the Kawasaki Z H2 SE features its own unique paint and graphic look - in short, a sharper shade of green - and a number of new features both on the skin and under it. At its core remains the 998cc inline four cylinder engine boasting 200hp with electronic riding aides - cruise control, integrated traditional control, launch control and Corner Management Function helping you keep all of that supercharged power on the tarmac. Kawasaki Z H2 REVIEW Some fettling under the skin has seen Kawasaki integrate its new Skyhook suspension technology courtesy of partners Showa. With a 1 millisecond reaction time, Skyhook adjusts the damping electronically to suit vehicle speed and suspension stroke speed with the intention of keeping the body of the vehicle in a constant attitude while the wheels and suspension follow the dips and deviations in the road surface. Deceleration is also considered, allowing the pitching that occurs under braking to be managed. Kawasaki Z H2 SE Kawasaki has also upgraded the ergonomics with smartphone connectivity to the firm’s Rideology app, allowing you to monitor your journeys and mileage more easily. The Kawasaki Z H2 SE is priced at £18,349 - up from the standard Z H2’s £15,149.

The United Nations has expressed concern about possible war crimes ahead of a threat by the Ethiopian army to start an assault on the northern Tigray region's capital. Fighting between Ethiopia's central government and forces in Tigray has been going on for almost three weeks. Hundreds have reportedly been killed and tens of thousands have fled. Aid groups fear the conflict could trigger a humanitarian crisis and destabilise East Africa. The UN said it was alarmed by the threat of major hostilities a day before the Ethiopian army said it would advance on Tigray's capital Mekelle, home to about 500,000 people. On Sunday, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Tigray's forces, telling them to surrender as they were "at a point of no return". Africa Live: More on this and other stories Crisis has engulfed Ethiopia. Here’s what it means Fact-checking misleading images in Ethiopia conflict Debretsion Gebremichael, the man at the heart of the conflict But Tigray's forces have vowed to keep fighting, with their leader Debretsion Gebremichael saying they were "ready to die in defence of our right to administer our region". The conflict started after Ethiopia's central government accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party which controls Tigray, of holding an illegal election and attacking a military base to steal weapons. In response, Mr Abiy - a former Nobel Peace Prize winner - ordered a military offensive against forces in Tigray, accusing them of treason. The TPLF sees the central government as illegitimate, arguing Mr Abiy does not have a mandate to lead the country after postponing national elections because of coronavirus. What did the UN say? Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed "alarm at reports of a heavy build-up of tanks and artillery around Mekelle". She called on all sides to give "clear and unambiguous orders to their forces" to spare civilians. "The highly aggressive rhetoric on both sides regarding the fight for Mekelle is dangerously provocative and risks placing already vulnerable and frightened civilians in grave danger," Ms Bachelet said. "I fear such rhetoric will lead to further violations of international humanitarian law." image captionMore than 40,000 people are estimated to have fled Tigray to neighbouring Sudan The rhetoric has been ramped up in recent days. On Sunday, the Ethiopian army said "there will be no mercy" for Mekelle's residents when its soldiers "encircle" the city. Such talk could constitute a war crime, Ms Bachelet said. Mr Abiy has repeatedly said the Ethiopian army would protect civilians in its campaign against forces in Tigray. But Ms Bachelet said a virtual communications blackout in Tigray is making it difficult for the UN to monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation. "Reports continue to emerge of arbitrary arrests and detentions, killings, as well as discrimination and stigmatisation of ethnic Tigrays," the UN said. The UN Security Council is due to hold its first meeting on Tuesday to discuss the fighting in Tigray. What is the fighting about? The conflict is rooted in longstanding tension between the TPLF, the powerful regional party, and Ethiopia's central government. When Mr Abiy postponed a national election because of coronavirus in June, relations deteriorated. The TPLF said the central government's mandate to rule had expired, arguing that Mr Abiy had not been tested in a national election. In September the party held its own election, which the central government said was "illegal". Then, on 4 November, the Ethiopian prime minister announced an operation against the TPLF, accusing its forces of attacking the army's northern command headquarters in Mekelle. The TPLF has rejected the allegations. Its fighters, drawn mostly from a paramilitary unit and a well-drilled local militia, are thought to number about 250,000. Analysts believe the conflict could be long and bloody given the strength of Tigray's forces. How bad is the situation? Aid agencies have no access to the conflict zone, but they fear that thousands of civilians may have been killed since fighting erupted at the beginning of November. At least 40,000 refugees have already crossed into neighbouring Sudan. The UN refugee agency has said it is preparing for up to 200,000 people to arrive over the next six months if the fighting continues. With reports of rocket fire on Ethiopia's border with neighbouring countries, there are concerns that the conflict could extend into a wider war. Tigray crisis: Why there are fears of civil war in Ethiopia Marooned by conflict: 'My little brother needs medicine' Meanwhile, the UN has raised concerns about the influx of refugees into Sudan, which it says could destabilise a nation already supporting about a million people displaced from other African countries. Many of the refugees arriving in Sudan are believed to be children. Aid agencies say an immediate ceasefire would allow them to help thousands of civilians still trapped inside Ethiopia. Aid agencies are appealing for $50m (£38m) for food and shelter for the new arrivals.

Chrome extensions will need to be more transparent Extensions for Google’s Chrome web browser will soon be forced to show a bit more transparency concerning user data. From early next year, Google is introducing a policy that will require developers to disclose what data they are collecting and why. “Starting January 2021, each extension’s detail page in the Chrome Web Store will show developer-provided information about the data collected by the extension, in clear and easy to understand language,” Alexandre Blondin and Mark M. Jaycox of Chrome’s Product & Policy, explained. “Data disclosure collection is available to developers today.” Developers will also have to pledge to comply with the new policy in order to publish or update an extension. If a developer has not provided privacy disclosures by January 18, 2021, a notice will be displayed on their Chrome Web Store listing informing users that the developer has not certified its compliance with the policy. Our list of the best business VPNs And here's our roundup of the best proxy service providers Also, check out our list of best anonymous browsers A new privacy policy Extension developers will also be given additional policies to follow explaining what type of data they are allowed to gather. Specifically, the data must be for the primary benefit of the user and be in accordance with the extension’s stated purpose. In addition, selling data, using it for personalized advertising, or using to gauge creditworthiness is prohibited. Google is keen to show users that it can be trusted with their data – and it’s a lot of data to be held responsible for. In addition to its web browser, Google also processes data relating to its search engine, its Android operating system, smart home devices and a host of other technologies. Last year, the firm concluded its review of third-party developer access to Google accounts and Android device data, Project Strobe. That resulted in a number of policy changes, which have been beefed up further by the strengthening of extension rules coming next year.