2026/08/15 Daily Edition

An uninhabited Irish island fills up one day each summer for a treasured amateur horse race in which young jockeys ride across the shifting sands.

I was struggling to make ends meet as an unpaid intern when a sarcastic song from the hit comedy gave me the clarity to walk out It was 3am in the summer of 2017, and I was lying in a triple bunk bed in a hostel in London, listening to the sounds of the 14 other people in my dormitory snoring. I had been working unpaid internships in the fashion industry in London for the past 18 months and living in £12-a-night hostels. When I couldn’t sleep, I would watch TV on my beaten-up phone to drown out the snores. I was watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, an absurdist comedy about a woman who moves to New York after 15 years imprisoned in a doomsday cult’s underground bunker. Her relentless positivity often inspired me to keep going, but on that particular night, the opposite happened: Kimmy gave me the courage to give up...

CabVol @ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh A fringe fling is the backbone for a mischievous set with deft jokes and a fresh perspective but some of this material needs another draft Ayo Adenekan’s ascent has been swift. Last year, the rookie comic cracked a joke on stage about Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa. This year, he scripted jokes for Gatwa, as a writer on Sky’s Saturday Night Live UK. In this second fringe set, the Edinburgh man shows why TV producers spirited him away after last year’s debut: his perspective is fresh, he writes a deft joke, and he has the warmth to win over a room. But he’s not the finished article. He could vary the pace, which tends to the sonorous. Several of his ideas go underdeveloped. And the story Homeland Insecurity tells is unremarkable. It’s a love story, Adenekan tells us at the start, about a summer romance splashed across the canvas of the Edinburgh fringe. A meaningful but fly-by-night fling, it provides the backbone for an hour in which the 24-year-old ranges across his relationship with his dad, his “straight white man friends”, and his outrage when a namesake comedian comes up from London to steal his thunder at last year’s festival. “I’m not concerned about the boats, man. Stop the trains!” There’s a running visual gag too about product placement, which could be something, but Adenekan never really commits to the bit. At CabVol @ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh, until 30 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews..

The 1996 US women’s Olympic team enter the Hall of Fame on Saturday after giving momentum to the WNBA and re-launching an era of American dominance For the US women’s basketball team, the 1996 Olympics weren’t just about winning gold in front of their home crowd. It was about the future of women’s basketball in America. The US women were knocked out of the 1992 Olympics in the semi-finals by the Commonwealth of Independent States – a stunning and embarrassing defeat. Heading into the 1996 Games, which were held in Atlanta, turning around the program was a top priority not just for USA Basketball, but the NBA as well, which was looking to start a women’s league that would become the WNBA...

Puerto Rican suffered brain bleed in only defeat WBC blamed illegal blows to back of the head Colón had won his first 16 professional fights The boxing world was in mourning Friday following the death of Puerto Rican fighter Prichard Colón at the age of 33, 11 years after he sustained brain damage in the only defeat of his professional career. Colón’s death was confirmed in statements by the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Organization late Thursday...

Ukraine ⁠struck industrial infrastructure ​in Russia's ​Samara region on Saturday, local authorities said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attack, saying a rocket plant and air base were hit.

Through the Royal Photographic Society’s Eamonn McCabe bursary programme, Nathan McGill set out to explore women’s cricket across Bradford. What emerged was a close and extended engagement with one club: Bradford Park Avenue Ladies Cricket Club Interest in women’s cricket is expanding rapidly across the country. Attendance and viewing figures for this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup in England reached an all-time high, while the recent Test at Lord’s set a new attendance record for a women’s Test match. This month, the Hundred match between London Spirit and Southern Brave also set a new record for attendance at a women’s group game. Yet visual culture often struggles to keep pace. Historic archives remain sparse, although growing interest is creating a richer contemporary record – one to which this project, Wicket, contributes. Wicket is rooted in relationships and place. The project puts women and girls at the centre of the narrative, creating images that foreground not only participation but belonging, camaraderie and community. Bradford Park Avenue Ladies is a visibly diverse, intergenerational team shaped by a range of lived experiences – a reflection of Bradford’s social fabric, though still largely absent from mainstream images of cricket...

Women’s football has much to gain from the kind of reforms that threats to snub upcoming tournaments might prompt. Infantino should be taken on “And I say to all the women … Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. You do it. Just do it. With men, with Fifa, you will find open doors. Just push the doors. They are open.” Those were the condescending words of Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, three years ago during a tone-deaf speech in Sydney, which left his audience, including some of the most senior women in the game, exasperated. It is a damning indictment of Infantino’s tenure that his patronising monologue on the eve of the Women’s World Cup final now barely even creeps into the top 10 of the most controversial moments since his latest re-election, in March 2023...

Israeli airstrikes on two villages in southern Lebanon have killed nine people, including three children.

Taiwan has long prepared for a Chinese military invasion but wars in Iran and Ukraine expose new potential threats.

The Indian PM said Maoist-influenced Naxalite rebellion is largely gone, but its ideological backers still pose threat.

Defence Minister Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine comes on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in WWII.

Dozens of people have been killed after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s Flores Island.

Among those killed in the strike on Ansar included three children and two women, state media reports.

Prosecutors pointed to internet searches made on the family computer in the months before the killings to make their case Prosecutors revived a theory in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial case this week, suggesting she had faked a suicide attempt after allegedly strangling her three children. While prosecutors have been arguing that Clancy acted intentionally and should be held criminally responsible, her defense has said she suffered from postpartum psychosis...

Chinese-owned AESC has pushed back plans in sign of slowing transition from petrol and diesel to electric cars Andy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targets The UK’s biggest gigafactory has shelved plans to expand production in Sunderland because of stalled talks on a deal to supply electric car batteries to Jaguar Land Rover. Chinese-owned AESC produces batteries for Nissan at its gigafactory next door to the Japanese carmaker’s Sunderland plant. However, AESC has had to push back its ramp-up plans because of lower-than-expected demand from Nissan and the lack of a deal with JLR, according to people with knowledge of the situation...

The Taliban government brought security and stability but is facing increasing alienation of the general population.

The Lebanese health ministry said several children were killed in a strike overnight, one of the deadliest attacks in months. Israel’s military said it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

Vintage classics from WH Smith, M&S and Tesco are being bought online, perhaps as part of a nostalgic return to owning tangible items When it comes to everyday objects, a supermarket carrier bag could be the ultimate one – a thing we’re more accustomed to squeezing into a drawer or using until it falls apart than giving any special treatment. But these most mundane items are now enjoying something of a new life...

Airport advises passengers travelling from terminals 2 and 3 to use rail and tube as pipe leak prevents closes road Heathrow airport has warned of disruption after flooding caused by a pipe leak has restricted access to terminals 2 and 3. Water in the central terminal area means anyone trying to travel to or from either terminal is unable enter by road. Passengers are being advised to travel by rail and tube instead. Access to the terminal car parks is also impeded, leaving passengers with parked cars unable to access them...

The 26-year-old striker cost the Ligue 1 champions a reported 50 million euros ($58m) and has signed a five year deal.

A father and his two young sons spent a night adrift before being rescued off the coast of the island of Koh Samui.

Overnight Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least seven people in one village, in the deadliest escalation since the lull in fighting began two months ago. FRANCE 24 correspondent Renée Davis, reporting from Beirut, says the strikes mark a significant escalation despite the so-called truce, and also gives us an update on ongoing negotiations with Israel.

An overnight Israeli strike on a family home in Ansar, southern Lebanon, killed at least seven people.

They rule the roads and, in their wake, even old-style saloons have been supersized. It’s an illusion of consumer choice Recently, while traipsing from showroom to showroom in search of a used car for my growing clan, the iconic line from Christopher Nolan’s seminal Batman movie The Dark Knight came to mind: “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” And by villain, of course, I mean an SUV driver. Because, if you haven’t shopped for a secondhand family car recently, I’ll save you the shock: wherever you look, it’s SUVs...

US tax policy deprives the government of revenue and overwhelmingly serves the interests of the rich After the House passed its version of Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last year – the one that paired a $5tn-plus tax cut with $1tn-plus of cuts from food stamps and Medicaid – the House speaker, Mike Johnson, explained that “this is not giving tax cuts to the millionaires”. The beneficiaries, he said, were “small business owners” that “provide the jobs in every community in America”. Johnson was playing to the myth of the modest, sturdy Main Street job creator. It is an appealing story. It’s also the most consequential piece of BS distorting American policy that deprives the government of tax revenue, stunts American capitalism, twists regulations, thwarts competition and overwhelmingly serves millionaires’ interests...

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Daniel McVey merrily recruits the audience for a fun hour of cosy crime that bleeds into cosmic horror With a title like that, perhaps it’s no surprise that this afternoon’s show is sold out. Who wouldn’t want to find out how a stray limb ended up in a village fete’s raffle? Writer, performer and director Daniel McVey greets us as his drag character Lydia, a woman who rules over local festivities with a strict schedule – and a firm grip on the tombola. Audience members are encouraged to get up and have a go, and not just that: they’re also cast in McVey’s play as glove puppeteers, actors and – gasp! – suspects in a terrible murder. At Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 31 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews..

Long a tradition for many kids and teenagers across the country, overnight camps are facing financial and cultural hurdles as inflation bites and parenting trends shift.

Five years after the Taliban seized power, thousands of Afghans who fled to France are rebuilding their lives while facing challenges including language, housing and employment. For women like refugee doctor Fardina Samadi, France offers freedoms denied under Taliban rule, but rebuilding a career and integrating into French society remain difficult.

Summerhall, Edinburgh Every comment sparks suspicion in Oisín Kearney’s bold play about a meeting between a mother and a social worker If you book a seat for Good With Faces you might only use the edge of it. This is a hugely assured psychological thriller, performed with just the right precision and edge. It is written and directed by Oisín Kearney, whose collaborations with Michael Patrick included the 2018 fringe hit My Left Nut, which transferred to TV – this could easily do the same. I’d advise watching it without knowing anything else first. The two-hander opens with social worker Hegarty (Patrick McBrearty) training his video camera on newly single mother Garrick (Clodagh Mooney Duggan) in her hastily tidied living room, with children’s toys swept under the sofa. Garrick’s son has a bruise, which has led to this referral. It’s a matter of procedure, a discussion “for internal use”, Hegarty assures her, in an opening exchange where every comment sparks suspicion and even the correct pronunciation of bourbon biscuit is scrutinised. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 31 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews..

The British actor delivers his strongest performance to date in indie film Union County as a person struggling with substance abuse trying to turn his life around Every week, Annette Deao, a drug dependency counselor, sits in the county jail and offers incarcerated people in rural Ohio a chance at recovery. One bright day she meets Cody, a young man who shuffles towards the lectern and quietly says that he’s ready to give it a shot. “His self-respect is in the basement,” said Will Poulter, the British actor who plays the character. “He doesn’t like or accept himself enough to embark on helping himself.” Directed by Adam Meeks, an Ohio native, Union County is a bruising yet poetic depiction of a real life drug recovery court in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where individuals join long-term treatment programs with daily sobriety testing. Though the film is led by Poulter and Noah Centineo as foster brothers taking steps to get clean, much of the supporting cast is made up of first-time actors who share their real – and often painful and non-linear – stories of recovery. The hybrid of narrative feature and documentary-esque elements combine in a deeply affecting watch that is anchored by Poulter’s natural-feeling approach to the role...

First Test, day three: Australia 198 and 161-4; Bangladesh 426 Cameron Green rides luck to remain unbeaten on 43 at stumps Australia will have to dig themselves out of a huge hole without their best batsman Steve Smith after Bangladesh kept their foot on the hosts’ throat in pursuit of an upset Test win in Darwin. Under-pressure all-rounder Cameron Green, who was bailed out by a stroke of luck, was looking composed on an unbeaten 43 at stumps on day three, along with wicketkeeper Alex Carey (19 no), as Australia reached 161 for 4 in their second innings...

When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan five years ago, thousands of Afghans who helped U.S. troops were brought here to rebuild their lives. But now, some fear the U.S. may want to send them back.

The Trump administration delayed a rule last year that could have sped up the effort to pinpoint the source of the contamination. Critics charge that food safety oversight has eroded overall.

Australia close Day Three of the first Test against Bangladesh on 161-4, trailing the record-chasing tourists by 67.

More direct flights from North America and, say tourism chiefs, Highland warriors and Tartan Army have helped For the tourist industry, 2026 has been a rocky year, with war, EU border delays, climate and economic woes gnawing away at holiday plans. But while much of Britain is feeling the loss of visitors from the Middle East and beyond, one part is thriving. Scotland is reeling in ever more visitors, with strong annual growth and a 15% rise in flight bookings to Scottish airports in June and July, compared with a drop in bookings to London and the rest of England in recent months, according to VisitBritain figures...

The United States is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn Israeli settlers who have besieged Palestinian homes in Qusra, while France is calling for their arrest and prosecution. As residents remain cut off from food and other supplies, settler violence is putting further political pressure on Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s election.

Mr. Hoekstra has been President Trump’s faithful messenger in Canada amid a historic low in relations. More than 160,000 Canadians want him gone.

Azad, a popular online debate program, has tackled topics that push the limits of Iran’s authoritarian system. Some wonder how it has remained on air.

Asian allies are beginning to wonder whether the United States would or could defend them in a war.

As the Ken-Betwa dam displaces thousands, legal protections on compensation are being ignored.

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango in the first round of Cincinnati Open.

World Athletics' president says political influence in sport must be kept in check with LA Olympics on horizon.

Jason Arday, the school’s youngest Black professor, was found dead on Friday. The school ignored a series of warnings about his life story and his work.

Development comes after Anthropic was found to have spent millions on books to scan for ‘data acquisition’ Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a flurry of bulk orders from mystery buyers, amid speculation AI companies are acquiring the tomes for their data. Bookshops contacted by the Guardian say they have been receiving orders from buyers in the US, Canada, continental Europe and the UK. The increase has been replicated around the world, with booksellers in the US, Australia and Europe also reporting unusual orders...

Mikel Arteta, who ended Arsenal's 22-year wait for a Premier League title, says contract negotiations will be resolved.

A search and rescue operation is under way to find survivors in Flores, an island in eastern Indonesia.

Australia 56-17 Japan in Nations Championship Test in Townsville No 10 shows why he could be solution to coach Les Kiss’s problem Les is proving more for the Wallabies, with new coach Les Kiss leading the side to a second consecutive victory in an eight-try 56-17 triumph over Japan in Townsville. The impressive victory gives the Australian men their first three-match winning streak since 2024 and fires the hearts and hopes of fans in the 14-month run-up to the 2027 World Cup. In eight attempts, Japan had never beaten Australia at home. But after a scratchy, scary three-point win in Osaka last week, the Wallabies had to be far more ruthless on Saturday. Kiss’s strategy to swap his starters and finishers again paid off, with several of the Wallabies exciting young stars seizing their chance to shine on the big stage...

Spain defender on swapping Barcelona for Bromley, embracing the contrasting style of the WSL – and her newfound love for beans and crumpets ‘No, I can’t, I’m sorry, it’s a secret!” Mapi León roars with laughter, in response to being asked what persuaded her to join London City Lionesses. Does this bode badly for our interview? Fear not, the Spain centre-back is in as banterous and jovial a mood as you could imagine any new signing to be, as she embarks on her first major interview since signing for the Women’s Super League club. Across the course of our conversation, in bright sunshine outside a quiet hotel near Maidstone, it is evident that the 31-year-old could scarcely be happier about her decision to swap Barcelona for south-east England. She is sorely missing her cat, Bagheera (“Here, you ask for so many things for pets, you can’t [really] fly with them, it’s so many documents, so many things”) but, that aside, she is buoyant, relaxed and clearly embracing English life. She says she likes the “little bread” in the morning, and we eventually establish she is referring to crumpets, and reveals: “I like the beans in the morning. It’s really interesting. My Spanish teammates like Alexia [Putellas] and Jana [Fernández] are like: ‘What are you doing eating beans in the morning? You need to train.’ I go: ‘No, it’s fine I like it.’”..

⚽ News and buildup to the first Saturday of the EFL season ⚽ This weekend’s fixtures | Wolves 2-2 Blackburn | Mail us As always, be sure to message in today with any thoughts, feelings, predictions or observations. What are your thoughts on Romero’s move from Tottenham? Where does that leave Spurs? Who will be the club’s new captain? Let me know!..

Figures disclosed by 33 NHS trusts show temperatures on wards during July rose above 28C limit set by NHS England Hospitals in England have recorded temperatures of almost 42C this summer, with surgeries being cancelled because operating theatres’ cooling units stopped working in the intense heat. The Northern Care Alliance NHS foundation trust, which runs four hospitals in Greater Manchester, recorded a temperature of 41.8C during last month’s heatwave – 14C above the recommended safe maximum. Some patients are also cancelling their own surgery because it is too hot for them to travel. Hospitals and GP surgeries are offering frail elderly patients appointments at the start and end of the day, when it is less hot, to make it easier for them to attend. Ambulance services are struggling to keep some medications at the right temperature because it gets so hot in the back of their vehicles. NHS ambulance trusts have relaxed their usual dress code rules to help crews stay cooler, for example by wearing shorts rather than trousers..

Israeli forces stormed a wedding hall in al-Eizariya town in the occupied West Bank and assaulted Palestinian attendees.

His family said they were "in shock" to have lost him, adding a "campaign of misinformation" had been too much.

Andrew Giuliani, son of ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, tells critics of FIFA's Gianni Infantino 'it's just politics'.

Deadliest Israeli attack in Lebanon since June agreements significantly reduced hostilities.

Despite pressure from the US to intervene against Hezbollah, the Syrian government is unlikely to do so.

Five years after seizing Kabul and returning to power, the Taliban is celebrating what it calls a more secure and "free" Afghanistan. But its anniversary comes amid mounting criticism over sweeping restrictions on women and girls, economic hardship and continued international isolation.

Florentino Pérez pressed the Special One button again after two straight trophyless seasons at Real, but Lamine Yamal and co remain title favourites A lot has changed since José Mourinho was last appointed Real Madrid manager, but a lot has also not changed. Before his first game in charge in 2010, Spain had just become world champions, their extra-time winner in the final scored by a Barcelona player after their opponents, who had been reduced to 10 men, had tried to kick them off the park. Like then, Mourinho’s task is to take down a Barcelona team that have won two La Liga titles in succession. And like then, he has a host of world-class talent at his disposal. Florentino Pérez is also still around – and he is largely the reason why Mourinho is back. After the chief executive, José Ángel Sánchez, was said to have led the charge to appoint Xabi Alonso last summer, the 79-year-old club president has made the decision his own this time. He promised Mourinho, who won La Liga with 100 points in his first spell, would return if he was re-elected in snap elections in June and the announcement came, in true Pérez style, on the opening day of the World Cup...

You can’t help but feel the Argentinian with a penchant for red cards will arrive at his spiritual home when he completes his move to Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid ‘He’s not that kind of player” is perhaps the greatest of the co-commentators’ meaningless banalities. Used shortly after a “nice guy” has scythed someone in half about a day after the ball has gone, it is by definition nonsense because if you have scythed someone in half about a day after the ball has gone, then you are indeed that kind of player. But I don’t recall ever hearing anyone saying “the thing is Clive/Brian, he is that kind of player”. I haven’t analysed every foul in Premier League history to tell if you those kinds of challenges are carried out by players all of us would consider to be “that kind of player” as opposed to the opposite – but the list of players with the most red cards suggests a pattern – Richard Dunne, Duncan Ferguson, Patrick Vieira with eight reds, Lee Cattermole and Roy Keane on seven, Vinnie Jones, Joey Barton and Alan Smith (obviously not that one) among those on six...

The former Australia player says England Test coach Stephen Fleming brings the perfect blend of tradition and innovation, and doesn’t rule out joining his staff “He’d probably tell you the same thing now if you asked him. In that first year he often said to me, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing!’” If there is one man who can lift the lid on England’s inscrutable new Test coach, it is Mike Hussey. The former Australia Test star has worked closely with Stephen Fleming for the best part of the past 20 years – playing alongside, underneath and as part of the same coaching staff at Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League...