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The Guardian | international

TheGuardian.com/international is a section of the Guardian news site that focuses on international news and events. It provides coverage on a wide range of topics from different corners of the globe, including politics, business, culture, and more.
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Aug 19, 2024

Thread Of Notes

England v Pakistan: first men’s cricket Test, day one – live

Updates from Headingley; play starts 11am BST Ali Martin on ‘El Dysfunctiono’ | The Spin | Mail Tanya Warm applause as Joe Root leads England out at the start of his second spell as permanent captain. Are there any precedents for this, an experienced former captain returning to the job on a permanent basis years later? Bob Simpson is the name sitting at the top of my head. I guess Mike Brearley qualifies, though his situation was unique. Last Friday was a glorious anniversary for Pakistani cricket, 10 years on from a 10-wicket win against England at the Oval. Younis Khan, their greatest run-scorer, hit a double hundred. Yasir Shah, a magical leggie and Lionel Messi lookalike, took a five-fer. Misbah-ul-Haq, their 42-year-old captain, led his men on a victory lap in south London and would have the ultimate reward a few days later. His side, unable to play at home since 2009 because of an attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus, moved up to No 1 in the Test rankings for the first time.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/aug/19/england-v-pakistan-first-mens-cricket-test-day-one-live theguardian.com
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‘You’ll be sorry you told me this!’: the 98-year-old composer who gets musicians – even bassoonists - on their feet

Scotland’s Thea Musgrave is still writing radical music with perambulatory soloists and a message of hopefulness. Her latest work, for bassoonist Amy Harman, comes to the Proms this weekend Thea Musgrave is a phenomenon. Born in Scotland in 1928, the composer has lived in the US since the early 70s, but has lost none of her accent, her infectious optimism, and her drive to keep writing. As she told me from her home in California, with a joyfully rolling laugh, “I’ve got to this age, and from now on I’m going to do what the fuck I want to do”. That includes her latest opera, on Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando – Orlando: An Escapade – which will premiere at the Buxton festival next year, and a new bassoon concerto for Amy Harman, Out of the Darkness, which you can hear at the Proms this weekend, on 23 August. The bassoon concerto develops one of the central innovations of Musgrave’s life and career, which she’s still intensifying and exploring in her 99th year: what she calls her “dramatic-abstract” approach to her orchestral compositions, in which the players aren’t a single collective told what to do by a conductor’s gestures, but instead are released as individual characters and identities.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/19/thea-musgrave-composer-proms-classical-music theguardian.com
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Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial

Arturo Béjar, former Meta safety engineer, tells jury tech company was aware of products’ potential harm to children Meta has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a whistleblower who testified during a landmark trial against the company on Tuesday. He is slated to continue his testimony on Wednesday. Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images. He said he repeatedly raised the issue to various Facebook and Instagram executives but that they did little to resolve it.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/19/meta-safety-trial-whistleblower-testimony theguardian.com
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Christian metal band sues Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters name

25-year-old band Demon Hunter says name of streamer’s hit movie creates ‘substantial confusion’ among consumers Christian metal band Demon Hunter is suing Netflix, accusing the entertainment giant of trademark infringement and unfair competition tied to the blockbuster “KPop Demon Hunters” name. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Hyde Lane, the company behind Demon Hunter, and alleges that Netflix Studios and concert promoter AEG Presents have created “substantial confusion” among consumers.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/kpop-demon-hunters-netflix-lawsuit theguardian.com
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Arsenal agree £51m deal to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa

Defender to provide cover for injured Saliba and Timber Villa braced for fresh bid from Al-Hilal for Ollie Watkins Arsenal have agreed a £51m deal to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa. The Premier League champions have been keen to find defensive cover for William Saliba and Jurriën Timber, who are out with injuries. They have tracked Konsa throughout the summer and have made a breakthrough in the negotiations. Mikel Arteta hopes Konsa, whose Villa contract has two years to run, can make light of Saliba’s absence in central defence. The timeframe for the Frenchman’s return is unclear but he is not expected to play before mid-October, having sustained a back injury in France’s World Cup semi-final defeat against Spain. Konsa’s appeal is bolstered by the fact he can also play at right-back, where Timber is battling to return from a groin injury which has affected him for months.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/19/aston-villa-al-hilal-ollie-watkins theguardian.com
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Reform says we need to choose between climate and economy. It's wrong | Larry Elliott

The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice says we should stop worrying about extreme heat and enjoy it. This dangerous nonsense will wreck our finances and the planet So now we know: the smart response to the UK’s summer of record temperatures is to do precisely nothing. According to Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, the climate crisis is just one of those things. Nothing can be done about it, so we should simply bask in the sunshine. It is reasonable to assume Tice would not have said anything quite as crass had he been addressing people in Stourbridge who have seen their homes burn to the ground. Or the farmers whose crops shrivel in parched fields. Or the firefighters exhausted from battling wildfires across Britain. Larry Elliott is a Guardian columnist
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/19/reform-says-we-need-to-choose-between-climate-and-economy-its-wrong theguardian.com
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‘We never apologised for our rage or revenge-seeking’: riot grrrl legends Heavens to Betsy reunite

Alongside Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer created a feminist punk vernacular that’s still inspiring the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. They recall the clarity and conviction of their historic teenage exploits Back in June, a cut-and-paste photocopied flyer began appearing on telegraph poles around Portland, Oregon, promoting a DIY show by an apparently defunct band at an intimate community space. The band hadn’t mentioned it online, but hopeful fans bought every ticket anyway. Their bet paid off: the gig really was the first in 32 years for Heavens to Betsy, the pioneering feminist punk duo of drummer Tracy Sawyer and singer-guitarist Corin Tucker – the latter’s band before Sleater-Kinney unleashed her visceral vibrato unto the world. Tucker proudly made the flyer herself. Heavens to Betsy were barely out of high school when they played their very first show, 35 years ago this week, in Olympia, Washington, a two-song set as part of a now-mythical indie fest dubbed the International Pop Underground Convention. The festival also featured the likes of Fugazi, Bikini Kill and Melvins; meanwhile Heavens to Betsy had practised only a couple times. Before an audience of about 100, Sawyer was so terrified that all she could think was, “This has to be over soon.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/19/we-never-apologised-for-our-rage-or-revenge-seeking-riot-grrrl-legends-heavens-to-betsy-reunite theguardian.com
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In Big Walk, players just walk and talk – and find joy along the way: ‘Some stories we’ve heard are punch-in-the-gut beautiful’

After their hit Untitled Goose Game, Australian studio House House is back with a new game where your only goal is to go exploring with friends – so we took them on a big walk inside Big Walk When I arrive to meet with the tiny team at Melbourne game developer House House, they’re sitting in a circle under a eucalyptus tree. After introductions, the five of us set off into the scrub. Over the course of our hike we take a train to the beach, huddle on deck chairs in the sand dunes and climb a mountain as the sun rises. All without ever leaving our desks. Welcome to the world of Big Walk: House House’s new game after the runaway global success Untitled Goose Game, which saw millions fall in love with being a naughty goose rampaging through a bucolic village. After Untitled Goose Game’s overwhelming success, House House wanted their next game to be very different and “unusual”. Despite this, Big Walk has been an immediate success, with more than 1m downloads in the first week of release.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/20/in-big-walk-players-just-walk-and-talk-and-find-joy-along-the-way-some-stories-weve-heard-are-punch-in-the-gut-beautiful theguardian.com
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Lewes derailment: images show track defect before incident on hottest day

Network Rail and Southern owner GTR apologise after investigators reveal picture of possible heat-buckled track Rail operators have apologised after a report into last Thursday’s derailment in East Sussex found a track defect on the approach to where the train derailed on the hottest day of the year so far. An interim report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said CCTV images showed the “track geometry irregularity” existed before the incident near Lewes injured 30 people.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/19/lewes-derailment-network-rail-gtr-images-track-defect-before-incident theguardian.com
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Spain to allow 500 children in Ceuta to go to mainland in immigration U-turn

Madrid government changes stance after previously saying anyone who entered territory illegally would be sent backEurope live – latest updates The Spanish government has U-turned and said it will allow 500 migrant children in Ceuta to relocate to the mainland. The majority of the estimated 70,000 people who crossed into Ceuta – a Spanish territory on the coast of north Africa – on 30 July have returned to Morocco. However, under Spanish law, the state has a duty of care to young, unaccompanied migrants until they reach the age of 18.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/19/spain-allows-500-migrant-minors-in-ceuta-to-relocate-to-the-mainland-in-u-turn theguardian.com
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Germany’s firewall was meant to hold the far right at bay. It may have done the reverse

An AfD win in ​next month’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt would shatter a decades-long political consensus and reverberate throughout the EU • Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIn just over two weeks’ time, Saxony-Anhalt – home to historic timber-framed houses, the dramatic Harz mountains and the birthplace of Martin Luther – will hold what could prove one of the most significant state elections in Germany’s postwar history. The vote, on 6 September, could see a far-right party whose local branch is officially classified by the country’s domestic intelligence service as “confirmed rightwing extremist” appoint a state premier and govern a state alone, for the first time.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/19/germanys-firewall-was-meant-to-hold-the-far-right-at-bay-it-may-have-done-the-reverse theguardian.com
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US justice department defends prosecution of James Comey over ‘8647’ seashell post

Justice department claims there’s ‘no dispute’ over whether ex-FBI head’s post could be read as a threat against Trump The US Department of Justice has defended its prosecution of former FBI director James Comey, claiming in new court documents there is “no serious dispute” that his social media post last year featuring a photo of seashells arranged to read “8647” could be interpreted as a threat against Donald Trump. “There is no serious dispute that an objective viewer of Comey’s post could read it to mean ‘Kill President Trump’,” prosecutors wrote in a document filed on Tuesday in response to efforts by Comey’s efforts to have the case dismissed.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/justice-department-defends-james-comey-prosecution theguardian.com
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Not just big in Japan: Zion Suzuki has what it takes to follow Emiliano Martínez

He is replacing a World Cup winner and is his country’s first Premier League keeper, but Villa’s new signing has already dealt with harder challenges In November 2001, the first Japanese goalkeeper to play English league football conceded a goal within the first minute of his debut. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi may have struggled for second-tier Portsmouth, conceding 21 times in his 12 league games after being spotted by the then-director of football, Harry Redknapp, but he also produced some world-class saves and had glowing things to say about the Royal Mail. Replaced by a 42-year-old Dave Beasant, Kawaguchi nevertheless remains a cult hero on the south coast as a standing ovation in his final game demonstrated. Despite going on to play 116 times for Japan, he never made the jump to the Premier League. Now though, finally, Japan has a number one in the top flight.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/19/aston-villa-transfer-not-just-big-in-japan-zion-suzuki-has-what-it-takes-to-follow-emiliano-martinez theguardian.com
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Did someone wearing Meta Glasses film you today? Are you sure?

People say they’ve been secretly filmed in their own home, at concerts and at work. Are the wildly popular smartglasses the final nail in the coffin of personal privacy? “I’ve had one person who told me that their intentions were creepy,” a man tells me over a video call, on condition of anonymity. He’s based in Los Angeles, and while we speak, he eats what appears to be tuna directly out of the can. “He said: ‘I go to strip clubs, and I want to record the strippers … Normally I put my phone in my chest pocket, but the glasses are more convenient.’” The man I’m talking to runs a business called Ghost Metas. He’s one of hundreds of vendors, easily discoverable online, who specialise in disabling the flashing LED light embedded in Meta’s smartglasses that blinks when wearers capture photos, videos and audio. After Ghost Metas disables the LED, it’s impossible for someone to know they’re being filmed.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/aug/19/meta-glasses-privacy-surveillance theguardian.com
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Man who died with woman and girl off Sussex coast was Palestinian refugee

Palestinian embassy has named man as Hossam al-Khawas but unable to confirm names of other family members A father who died alongside a woman and a teenage girl off the Sussex coast on Tuesday was a Palestinian refugee, the Palestinian embassy has said. The embassy in London named him as Hossam al-Khawas from the Rashidieh camp in Lebanon. The embassy said it was unable to confirm the names of the other family members.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/19/andy-burnham-dangers-open-water-swimming-family-tragedy-sussex theguardian.com
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Calls for urgent law change as UK’s largest water reuse system cannot be switched on

Recycling system in Cambridgeshire that could save thousands of litres a day is deemed not in line with rules The largest water reuse system in the UK, which could save thousands of litres of water a day for people living in one of the driest regions of the country, is not allowed to be switched on because of drinking water regulations. As water supplies in England reach critical levels, the Guardian can reveal that a model water recycling system within an urban housing development in Cambridgeshire has not been switched on since it was made ready in 2021.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/19/water-reuse-recycling-law-cambridgeshire theguardian.com
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Firefighters sound alarm as US faces critical staffing shortage: ‘We don’t have enough people’

Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilled The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country. Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditions and the catastrophic fires fueled by them, according to nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, because they are barred from disclosing the information to the public.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/us-firefighters-staffing-shortage theguardian.com
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The fight to protect a trans landmark in California from ICE’s biggest contractor

Compton’s Cafe is one of the earliest examples of LGBTQ+ resistance. Today, a prison company occupies the site One of the earliest documented examples of LGBTQ+ resistance against police happened on a hot summer night 60 years ago this month. It started not with the throwing of a brick, as it did in New York City’s 1969 Stonewall riots, but with the throwing of a coffee cup inside Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco. When police attempted to raid Compton’s – a hub for the drag performers, trans people and sex workers in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood – hundreds of people in the community fought back. A drag queen threw a coffee mug at a police officer; others threw dishes and chairs outside. It was the culmination of years of police harassment, arrests and violence against the community and the beginning of the city’s trans movement.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/san-francisco-trans-landmark-ice theguardian.com
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Hogging weights, loud grunting and sweaty benches: 11 gym dos and don’ts from fitness experts

Here’s what professionals have to say about good workout etiquette, from using equipment to being on your phone I like to think of myself as a fairly laid-back person. Other people’s behavior is not my business. There is one notable exception: my gym nemesis. He brings his computer to the gym and takes work conference calls at full volume. He has four to six pairs of dumbbells around him at all times – then doesn’t put them away. Intellectually I understand he is a fragile, flawed human like the rest of us, but in my gut I sometimes wonder if he arrived here from another galaxy.
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/aug/19/fitness-experts-gym-workout-etiquette theguardian.com
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Post your questions for kd lang

As her supergroup with Neko Case and Laura Veirs celebrates the 10th anniversary of its sublime album, the Ingénue herself will answer your questions A decade ago, three of the finest voices in Americana got together to make a sublime supergroup record. Case/Lang/Veirs, in case the title didn’t make it plain, brought together Neko Case of the New Pornographers, stalwart Portland songwriter Laura Veirs and kd lang, the Grammy-winning Canadian country icon. Sadly, that glorious album has remained a one-off – though a new anniversary release includes a gorgeous never-before-heard song, Accidental Tattoo – but happily, lang is joining the Guardian for a very rare interview to answer your questions. Maybe you’d like to know secrets from behind the scenes of making this record in lang’s loft and Veirs’ dining room, or about lang’s relationship with the late, great Tony Bennett, her animal rights advocacy, what the Edmonton country-swing scene was like in the mid-80s before lang became a country star and later mainstream icon, or what she and Cindy Crawford talked about when they posed for quite possibly the greatest magazine photoshoot of all time. What was Roy Orbison like to work with, is new music on the horizon, or what her contemporary constant cravings are? Or anything else indeed.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/19/post-your-questions-for-kd-lang theguardian.com
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‘A critical crossroads’: who is the woman vying to become the first Caribbean head of the UN?

If elected, Guyanese politician, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett wants to prioritise climate issues and ensure the United Nations remains a force for goodDon’t already get The Long Wave in your inbox? Sign up here As the Guardian’s Caribbean correspondent, I sometimes encounter stories that everyone is talking about in the region, but are not on the radar of the international media. Today, I’m taking over the Long Wave to bring you one of those stories. This summer, Guyanese ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has made history as the first Caribbean candidate for the prestigious post of United Nations secretary general. If successful, she will be the first woman to hold the position too. I spoke to her about the value of the UN, and what a Caribbean leader could bring to the role. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett started life in the remote Indigenous village of Santa Rosa, in the interior of the Caribbean and South American nation of Guyana.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/aug/19/who-is-woman-vying-first-caribbean-head-un-carolyn-rodrigues-birkett theguardian.com
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Adviser to far-right Latin American leaders arrested for allegedly plotting to kill girlfriend

Fernando Cerimedo, 42, arrested on suspicion of ordering shooting of Bolivian lawyer Nadia Beller A senior adviser to many of Latin America’s new wave of far-right leaders has been arrested for allegedly masterminding the attempted murder of his girlfriend. The businessman and political consultant Fernando Cerimedo, 42, had been working as an adviser to the Bolivian president, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, and was one of the main strategists behind Javier Milei’s campaign in Argentina’s 2023 presidential election.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/19/fernando-cerimedo-adviser-far-right-latin-american-leaders-arrested-allegedly-plotting-kill-girlfriend theguardian.com
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‘He doubted’: Mourinho says Real Madrid did not want Rodri after hesitation over move

Mourinho: Madrid made midfielder ‘a very good offer’ Spain captain chose to join Barcelona instead for £65.4m José Mourinho has confirmed Real Madrid made Rodri an offer and that he spoke to him about joining the club, but claimed the player’s doubts about the transfer made him unsure about signing Spain’s World Cup-winning captain. On the same day Rodri was presented at Barcelona after the completion of a €75m (£65.4m) move from Manchester City that the midfielder said was “always my first choice”, Mourinho insisted he would not miss him at the Santiago Bernabéu. “I spoke to him a couple of times and Real Madrid made him a very good offer,” Mourinho said in an interview with El Chiringuito.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/19/jose-mourinho-real-madrid-rodri-barcelona-transfer-offer theguardian.com
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Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing review – like a horror movie … only this is real life

In 2022, Rory Kennedy exposed the aviation safety scandal in which 346 people died – but since then, a plane door has blown out mid-flight and more whistleblowers have come to the fore. Will anyone pay for this? It is unfortunate that a sequel was required to Rory Kennedy’s 2022 documentary feature, which alleged that the profit-driven culture at a US aeronautics firm led to two plane crashes and the deaths of 346 people. But given the lack of corporate accountability evident at the end of Downfall: The Case Against Boeing – and the apparent complicity of regulatory body the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – it was inevitable. Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing opens with a rundown of a significant development in the story: the mysterious death in March 2024 of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee turned whistleblower. Barnett, a contributor in the first film, was in the middle of a deposition when he was found dead at his hotel, which investigators ruled a suicide. Is this another casualty to add to Boeing’s mounting death toll? And is the alarming aviation safety scandal – supposedly resolved in November 2020, when the FAA lifted its grounding order on the Boeing 737 Max – in fact still ongoing?
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/19/freefall-a-reckoning-for-boeing-review-like-a-horror-movie-movie theguardian.com
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Jah Wobble on covering the Beatles, London buses and why punk went wrong: ‘Being kind is seen as square’

The maverick former Public Image Ltd bassist takes us on a typically picaresque journey through his ‘Kafka-esque’ days at Transport for London, being named by Sid Vicious and his spiritual learnings Sometimes, on the top deck of a London bus, pension-age punks will politely disturb the concentration of a man on his iPad. “They’ll say: ‘Are you Jah Wobble?’” recounts the musician born John Wardle, his upbeat cockney accent ringing with delight. They will ask if he’s working on anything. “And I like to say: ‘Yes, I’m recording an album. I’m doing it right now.’” In the 2020s, the 68-year-old bassist and bandleader has been revisiting the city of his birth and youth, composing and producing albums including the cosmic dub of The Bus Routes of South London, or the celestial electronica of Thames Symphony, while traversing London on public transport.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/19/jah-wobble-interview-beatles-bassist-public-image-ltd theguardian.com
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Hawaii crews work to restore power to thousands after Lala outages

Storm also caused destructive flooding and damage to homes and infrastructure with one woman deadTropical storm Lala wreaks ‘devastation’ to some areas of Hawaii’s Big Island Crews in Hawaii are working to restore power to thousands of residents after the outer bands of Hurricane Lala battered the islands over the weekend, causing destructive flooding and killing one person. On the hard-hit Big Island, crews were working to clear and restore roads, but some communities on the southern end of the island remained isolated as they were cut off from communication.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/hawaii-power-outages-storm-lala-damage theguardian.com
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Trump is full speed ahead in making money off being the US president | Margaret Sullivan

Some restraint on Trump’s excesses might be accomplished if November’s midterm elections give Democrats more power Donald Trump is essentially unrestrained when it comes to enriching himself during his second term, with no sign of stopping. If anything, he’s ramping things up. The numbers so far are astonishing. He amassed $2.2bn in 2025 revenues, the Guardian and other news outlets have reported.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/19/trump-money-democrats-midterms theguardian.com
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Stephen Libby on fashion: a summer wedding is no time for your funeral suit – have fun with colour

The Traitors star gives his tips on how to shine at a wedding – from mismatching jacket and trousers to rocking a man bag For a long time, I didn’t enjoy going to weddings. It wasn’t the celebration or the party that put me off – it was the clothes. I felt I had to conform and wear a suit, and yet the shape and style of what was on offer were the antithesis of what I would normally wear. Wedding guest attire for women is a whole micro-industry these days. But men are still stuck in the dark ages. It’s all grey, navy and black suits. I often see men wearing the same sort of suit they might wear to a funeral. What kind of message is that sending? It’s high time we got to experiment because a wedding is a celebration of love. You don’t want to look like you’re in mourning.
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026/aug/19/stephen-libby-on-fashion-summer-wedding-suit-have-fun-with-colour theguardian.com
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Former Fauci adviser pleads guilty to conspiracy to conceal Covid-19 records

David Morens confessed to concealing government documents linked to grant research funding A former adviser to infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring to evade public records laws and conceal government documents related to ​grant research funding and the Covid-19 pandemic. David Morens, who had worked under Fauci ‌as a senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the pandemic, entered his plea, to a conspiracy charge during a hearing in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/former-fauci-covid-adviser-pleads-guilty theguardian.com
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Tom Holland set to earn $100m from Spider-Man: Brand New Day

In a year that’s seen the British actor star in the season’s two biggest blockbusters – and marry his co-star from both – he is reportedly earning a huge pay packet thanks to box-office bonuses The British actor Tom Holland is expected to “make at least $100m” for starring in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, according to the Wrap. Unnamed sources “with knowledge of Holland’s deal” say he was paid $20m (£15m) upfront, about double what he reportedly received for his previous Spider-Man film No Way Home in 2021. But the extraordinary success of Brand New Day at the global box office means the 30-year-old is expected to earn another $80m or more in backend bonuses.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/tom-holland-pay-100m-spider-man-brand-new-day theguardian.com
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ICC decries latest US sanctions as ‘flagrant attack’ on court’s independence

Trump administration put sanctions on the international criminal court’s president and a senior trial lawyer The international criminal court on Wednesday condemned the latest US sanctions targeting senior ICC staff, including its president, as a “flagrant attack” on the global tribunal’s independence and vowed to continue seeking justice for atrocities around the world. The state department announced on Tuesday that it had hit the ICC president, Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in US jurisdictions or come into contact with the US financial system.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/aug/19/icc-decries-us-sanctions-president-prosecutor theguardian.com
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How to turn excess green vegetables into a vibrant Spanish soup – recipe | Waste not

A gazpacho is not only a great way to use up odds and ends in the crisper drawer, it will also surprise you with its flavour and versatility Since reading How Not to Die, by Michael Greger, I’m always looking for ways to include greens in every meal. He regularly pops into my mind when I’m cooking, whispering in my ear: “Add some spinach to that risotto,” say, or “Moringa powder will make your porridge much more nutritious.” So I’m sure today’s green gazpacho would make him proud. It’s a great way to clear out your crisper drawer and pack a meal with all sorts of greens. Anything goes, but if any of your chosen ingredients (eg, basil or mint) has a particularly potent flavour, just add it in moderation or to taste. Incidentally, the key to a great gazpacho is the quality of the olive oil, as is a nice, bold-but-balanced acidity, which is easily achieved with a squeeze of lemon or your best vinegar.
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/19/how-to-turn-excess-green-vegetables-into-a-vibrant-spanish-soup-recipe-zero-waste-cooking theguardian.com
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Coyote Vs Acme review – quirky comedy returns from the dead to flip Wile E Coyote’s slapstick-violent world

After being shelved as a tax-writeoff, this Looney Tunes reboot redraws the hapless hunter as the Erin Brockovich of the cartoon world Here is a quirky, peculiar, yet strangely diverting live-action-toon hybrid of the kind that hasn’t been popular at the movies for many a day; it gives us a new twist on the surreal forever war between Wile E Coyote and the speedy Road Runner (catchphrase “beep beep”, pronounced “meep, meep”). The music over the closing credits will incidentally disappoint fans of this animated franchise; they’ve gone with the Clash’s I Fought the Law, but surely it should be Roadrunner from Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers? Coyote Vs Acme is a comedy whose obsessive and hyperactive pedantry is exhausting, but arguably part of the point, aimed at America’s litigious culture, corporate arrogance and monopoly capitalism. So when producers Warner Bros initially decided to shelve the whole thing as a tax writeoff, that must have felt to director Dave Green like an ironic cartoon anvil to the head. Well, the film was rescued and it would be great therefore to discover that this is a masterpiece. Sadly it’s not, but there are some laughs and the pure fanatical oddity makes this watchable.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/coyote-vs-acme-review-wile-e-coyote-roadrunner theguardian.com
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Will the future of gaming be powered by upstart indie developers?

As gaming’s biggest publishers retreat into safer bets, a new generation of independents are building an alternative from the ground up • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here During the 1990s, a new strata of independent film studios and distributors revitalised the Hollywood movie machine. The likes of Miramax, New Line Cinema and October Films challenged the ageing behemoths of the industry and pushed forward offbeat directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Darren Aronofsky and Jane Campion. The decade is widely considered an artistic high point for western cinema after the bloated mainstream excesses of the 1980s. Could something similar now be happening in games? Certainly, we have a comparable setup. The big players of the games business are in various states of creative disarray: Electronic Arts (EA) has been bought out by a Saudi-led consortium, which is likely to lead to more cautious, hit-driven decisions; Microsoft bought Activision and Bethesda and then ordered waves of redundancies; Ubisoft has cancelled several titles and is posting big losses. Those companies are also facing rising development costs, so they’re circling the wagons, focusing on legacy brands and freezing recruitment. It’s hard to imagine any left-field works of genius emerging from this imaginative quagmire.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/19/will-the-future-of-gaming-be-powered-by-upstart-developers theguardian.com
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France’s ‘aid in dying’ law comes into effect after constitutional approval

Right to assisted dying established for patients with conditions assessed as incurable and causing unbearable pain Legislation granting incurably ill adults the right to assisted dying has been formally adopted in France after the text was approved by the country’s highest constitutional authority and published in the official journal. The law, known as a law on “end of life” or “aid in dying” rather than “assisted dying” or “euthanasia”, means France joins the small group of countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada to have legalised the practice.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/19/france-assisted-dying-law-comes-into-effect theguardian.com
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Dog food recalled in UK after reports of pets losing their sight

Move by Years, which provides personalised meals in subscription-based service, follows recipe change A dog food brand has recalled all of its fresh meals after reports that a recipe change may have caused some animals to develop an eye condition that, if left untreated, can lead to sight loss. The brand Years said owners should stop feeding its fresh meals to their dogs “immediately” and also told them not to feed them to any other animal, or to donate or sell them.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/aug/19/dog-food-recalled-after-reports-of-pets-losing-their-sight-years theguardian.com
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Will AI give you the job? Automated hiring tools spark discrimination and secrecy lawsuits

A rise in lawsuits over AI use in employment decisions is raising questions about how companies hire and fire For the last four years, Erin Kistler has applied for thousands of jobs at companies like Paypal, Microsoft and Netflix, only to find her résumé disappear into a black hole. A product manager with nearly 20 years of experience, Kistler believes she was qualified for every role, yet she never received a single interview. Now, Kistler is suing Eightfold AI, the Silicon Valley maker of hiring software used by hundreds of companies, including those where she applied, in a class-action lawsuit. The case, filed in January in California court, is one of the first to argue that automated screening functions as an undisclosed consumer report or applicant dossier, ranking job applicants on their likelihood of success without giving them the chance to see or challenge the results, according to Kistler’s legal team.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/19/ai-hiring-tools-discrimination theguardian.com
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Tennis grand slams unite to establish player council in attempt to defuse prize money row

Move could be confirmed along with $100m US Open pot Slams have been in dispute with players for 18 months The grand slam tennis tournaments have agreed to establish a formal Player Advisory Council in a move aimed at defusing the row over prize money. The joint venture could be confirmed on Wednesday as part of US Tennis Association’s announcement of this year’s US Open prize money, which is expected to top $100m (£74m) for the first time. The four slams have been in dispute for almost 18 months, with with leading players, including Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, demanding a greater share of tournament revenues as part of a wider overhaul of the sport’s finances and operations that would also lead to the major tournaments making contributions to player welfare and offer meaningful player representation.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/19/tennis-grand-slams-player-advisory-council-prize-money-row-us-open theguardian.com
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Ihsane review – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui leads us from brutal tragedy to euphoric harmony

Festival theatre, Edinburgh The choreographer combines a homophobic killing from 2012 with a remembrance for his father in an often rapturous show about healing In 2019 at the Edinburgh international festival, the Swiss director Milo Rau staged an intense theatrical investigation, La Reprise: Histoire(s) du Theatre (I), recreating a homophobic killing in Belgium. The murder of Ihsane Jarfi, seven years earlier, had made headlines and the news disturbed choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui who was just a little older, also gay and had a Belgian mother and Moroccan father like Jarfi. Cherkaoui now arrives at the same festival with his own act of remembrance, every bit as engrossing as Rau’s, yet more expansive. It pays tribute, too, to the choreographer’s father who died 30 years ago and whose past is interwoven with Jarfi’s death. If that raises any qualms, Cherkaoui’s larger point is about the interconnectedness of all lives and his characters morph into each other. He takes his cue from the victim’s first name, which essentially means “benevolence”, and counters the production’s disturbing flashes of violence with a floating lightness, whether in breakdance or traditional forms, and by presenting ideals of harmonious joy and kindness.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/19/ihsane-review-sidi-larbi-cherkaoui-leads-us-from-brutal-tragedy-to-euphoric-harmony theguardian.com
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Over/Under review – beautiful coming of age story of female best friends set across five summers

There’s an astonishing naturalism about the two leads, navigating the ups and downs of adolescence, bodily changes and learning to use tampons Practically any woman who had a best female friend in early adolescence will be able to relate to this fragile, thoughtful drama about two American children, Violet (Emajean Bullock) and Stella (Anastasia Veronica Lee), living through the ages of nine to 13, a time as packed with incident as it is simultaneously uneventful and reassuringly dull. Unlike Richard Linklater’s justly acclaimed Boyhood, which had the resources to film for over a decade and thus observe its central character grow up, this was clearly made over a more compact schedule. Violet and Stella age much more subtly here, gradually growing breasts and getting a little bit taller, but those tiny incremental changes mean so much to them. Just as in real life with girls this age, a little bit of makeup, different clothes and some flat-ironing on the hair can alter a kid’s whole presentation. As the film starts, the two are nine-year-old besties, spending their summers together in New England where they go to camp, frolic in the surf (the title refers to a game they play with waves) and try to sleep over at each other’s houses. Unfortunately, Stella can’t yet cope with sleeping through the night at someone else’s place, and every time they try she must be collected by her parents after waking up frightened in the night. But it’s still something the girls yearn for. They even wish for it when they trap morning moths in jars, hoping fairies will grant them their hearts’ desires.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/over-under-review-beautiful-coming-of-age-story-set-across-five-summers theguardian.com
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Wafcon 2026 review: Glory for Cameroon, Nigeria flop and Malawi cause a stir

Monique Ngock starred as Cameroon triumphed for the first time in a tournament of compelling surprises, even if crowd figures disappointed Cameroon became only the fourth country to lift the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title following Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, and only the third to have both a men’s and women’s continental champion, after a 3-0 win over Malawi in Rabat last weekend. The result was significant for several reasons, not least because it gave the competition a new winner after the former champions Nigeria and South Africa were eliminated in the quarter-finals to mark a changing of the guard in the African women’s game. It is worth remembering that Cameroon did not directly qualify for this edition of the Wafcon and were only added when the tournament was expanded to 16 teams last November. That gave them the opportunity to compete, but almost no one would have picked them as champions based on reputation and results. Cameroon had not reached a Wafcon final in a decade and had never even scored a goal in the final, but had three before half-time against a Malawi side that seemed destined to complete a fairytale.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/19/wafcon-2026-review-glory-for-cameroon-nigeria-flop-and-malawi-cause-a-stir theguardian.com
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At 43, I was fit and happy. Then I developed a nasty – and very expensive - case of shingles | Arwa Mahdawi

The author, a healthy woman under 50, contracted ocular shingles at the age of 43. Initially, medical professionals expressed surprise due to her age, as shingles is conventionally considered a disease of the elderly or immunocompromised. The author was informed about the potential cost of the condition. She discovered that intense exercise could be a contributing factor to developing shingles. She experienced symptoms including a red spot on her nose, a swollen eye, and a severe headache. Urgent care initially suspected shingles, with the nurse also commenting on her youth for the condition. Following instructions, she went to the ER due to the emergency nature of shingles near the eye. An ophthalmologist at the ER also remarked on her age in relation to the diagnosis. This experience challenges the common medical understanding of who is susceptible to shingles. The author highlights that healthy women under 50 are now facing increased risk.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/19/43-fit-happy-then-nasty-expensive-case-of-shingles theguardian.com
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Why are progressives winning across the United States? It’s not complicated | Bernie Sanders

Poll after poll shows the same thing. The American people know that the current economic system is rigged The media pundits have written article after article desperately trying to understand why progressive candidates, despite being heavily outspent, keep defeating establishment Democrats in primaries around the country. Well, the answer is not complicated. Whether it is a corrupt campaign finance system, unprecedented income and wealth inequality, a broken and wildly expensive healthcare system, the enormous threats posed by AI or an immoral and destructive foreign policy, progressives are talking about the real issues facing working families. And they are providing real solutions. Establishment Democrats are not.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/19/poll-progressive-candidates-election-economy theguardian.com
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Five Sydney Swans players suspended for rest of AFL season say they are ‘deeply sorry’

Bice, Blakey, Heeney, Jordon and Warner hit by suspensions None of the five players have been arrested or charged Five Sydney Swans players have said they are “deeply sorry” after they were suspended for the rest of the AFL season. The club stood down players Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner on Wednesday morning. None of the men have been arrested or charged, but police are investigating an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/19/sydney-swans-players-sanctions-stood-down-rest-of-afl-season-ntwnfb theguardian.com
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Who is Natalie Harp? Trump’s closest and most devoted aide is in the spotlight

Speculation about US president’s executive assistant sparks furious backlash from White House Wearing shoulder-length blond hair, gold earrings and a red dress, cancer survivor Natalie Harp introduced herself to the 2020 Republican national convention as “a formerly forgotten American from California” and compared Donald Trump to George Bailey, the everyman hero played by James Stewart in the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life. “George Bailey’s father was right,” smiled Harp, her voice echoing in the Andrew W Mellon auditorium in pandemic-hit Washington. “All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away. Mr President, that makes you the richest man in the world.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/natalie-harp-trump-aide theguardian.com
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The Blood of Dawnwalker – save your family while becoming what you hate

Human by day, vampire by night, Coen has difficult choices to make – beginning here in the 1300s, his adventure could span centuries in upcoming sequels The Blood of Dawnwalker could be the start of an epic saga. Created by some of the talent behind The Witcher 3, this dark fantasy role-playing game takes place in the 14th century in the fictional land of Vale Sangora, a Carpathian valley of wetlands, mountains and forests cut off from the rest of the world and under the rule of a vicious vampire clan. The developers envisage Dawnwalker as a trilogy. And because protagonist Coen is half vampire himself, that trilogy can skip across time, culminating in the modern day.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/19/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-save-your-family-while-becoming-what-you-hate theguardian.com
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