2026/08/20 Daily Edition

The music festival begins on Thursday 27 August and runs until Sunday 30 August.

One newspaper calls Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth? "the most controversial show of the year".

Every year, hundreds of standups from across the world descend on the venerable festival. Here are some of their finest one-liners 10 of the funniest jokes from the 2025 fringe Olaf Falafel: I remember thinking, as I taped a piranha to my boomerang, this could come back to bite me. Richard Stott: To the person who stole my bank card and spent all my money on ancestry.com – you know who you are...

A look at six of the best and worst of the new season’s strips gives us Pro Evo chic, throwbacks done right, and how – and how not – to use stripes The Premier League season kicks off on Friday and league debutants such as Christos Tzolis and Victor Muñoz, along with masses of fans, will be pulling on their teams’ shiny new strips. There were some lovely efforts at the World Cup (not least by the co-hosts the USA), and others more tedious than a 0-0 draw. It’s a mixed bag once again. Manchester City have gone with an ombre design, which feels – apposite for a gradient fading of colour – exhausted as a look in 2026. In the most surprising but successful collaboration since Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith,Sunderland have teamed up with Elvis Presley, or his estate, anyway, for a pink away shirt that nods to the supporters’ longstanding unofficial anthem Can’t Help Falling in Love...

Merck and Moderna announced a successful late-stage trial for a melanoma vaccine. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Dr. Robert Vonderheide of Penn Medicine and the American Association for Cancer Research.

An Australian woman who murdered three of her estranged husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms should never be released from prison, a prosecutor told an appeals court.

A steam tugboat wreck over 100 years old and an ancient Roman bridge have emerged from shrinking waters as Europe suffers its worse drought in 70 years.

Most ships are trying to mask identities while trying to cross the strait. But more seem scared of Iran than of the US.

The organisers of the Edmonton Marathon admit the course for the 2026 edition was measured more than half a kilometre too long.

The Iran war has slashed transit traffic at Middle Eastern airports, creating opportunities for hubs in Asia and beyond — at least for now.

After a summer that has seen England and Wales experience the driest July since records began, rain is finally on the horizon. But with reservoirs at ‘exceptionally low’ levels, will there be enough rain to replenish stocks? Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Anna Murgatroyd, a lecturer in hydrology at Newcastle University, about how much rain we need to see us through next summer, why we’re now at increased risk of floods, and what we can all be doing to take better care of our water supplies Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod..

For most of modern history, technology sought to imitate humans. Humans increasingly seek to imitate technology Two faces that appeared on my Instagram feed in recent months gave me pause. One belonged to John Travolta at Cannes. The other to Carla Bruni on a date night with her husband, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Both looked recognisably themselves, yet, they both also looked oddly unfamiliar. Their looks have provoked speculation about cosmetic enhancement, though never acknowledged by them. Bruni has previously denied having had work done. In any case the feeling lasted only a second: a flicker of unease, as though I were looking at people who had become approximations of themselves. Joseph de Weck is an associate fellow with the German Council on Foreign Relations and writes for Guardian Europe from Zürich and Paris..

Four-time F1 World Drivers' Champion's new deal puts to rest rumours that he would exit the team at the end of 2028.

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has praised the destruction of 10,000 Palestinian homes in Israel.

Heatwaves are squeezing growth and productivity while the Iran war drives up Europe's energy costs.

Ukrainian officials say at least 12 people were killed and dozens injured after Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv.

For property giant Evergrande, the face of China's real estate woes, an excruciating saga that has dragged on for years culminated on Thursday with court rulings ordering fines and jail terms.

Detailed accounts highlight the growing financial might of the elite, and the challenges the rest of the division face The financial figures for 2024-25, the most recent season available, for the eight Women’s Super League clubs who published detailed accounts illustrate a growing gulf between the rich and the poor. The Guardian breaks down the key numbers. Note, any figures exceeding £1m have been rounded to the nearest £10,000...

Newcastle, Arsenal, Brentford, Everton, Leeds, Coventry, Aston Villa, Hull and Ipswich have all brought in exciting players By Opta Analyst Anthony Gordon will be a difficult act to follow at Newcastle, but Touré could be a shrewd replacement. Blessed with electric pace, the 20-year-old is a bit more of an old-fashioned winger in that he predominantly plays from the left and is left-footed. As a result, he was more of a creator than a goalscorer for Hoffenheim last season...

Another left-back has been a priority all summer, but there seems to be no sign of one coming to Old Trafford After signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka in 2019, Manchester United’s PR machine boasted they had scouted 804 right-backs before landing on the Crystal Palace player. At the time it felt like an unnecessary brag, designed to convince fans and journalists the club were doing their due diligence when it came to scouting and data. Now, as the search for a left-back to challenge Luke Shaw drags on with less than two weeks of the summer transfer window remaining, there seems to be a lack of credible targets...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not tolerate a Turkish military presence in Syria.

Some 374 million barrels of oil exited the Gulf during 60-day window covered by MoU, Kpler data shows.

It’s simple, says the SpaceX boss – according to something called the ‘Kardashev scale’, we just have to move energy production ‘off-planet’ Next time the weather gives the UK 61 days without rain and we wonder idly if this is the end, there is a term we may whistle up to soothe us. Like murmuring the rosary, or putting our fingers in our ears and humming, this phrase is to be mumbled on repeat – “the Kardashev scale, the Kardashev scale” – a buzzy concept in tech, much favoured by Elon Musk, and precisely the thing we’ve been waiting for. The Kardashev scale is the answer both to our impending doom and our anxiety around it – and if we decide to believe in it, we won’t have to give the climate crisis a single thought until the last drip falls from the tap. This is the idea and it’s a familiar one to anyone who has watched tech billionaires take intractable, commonplace crises and decide that, among the measures and proposals in play, the vital missing ingredient so far has been them. Do you remember when Jeff Bezos, rather than doing something quotidian and loserish like funding public education by ensuring Amazon pays the same tax rate as regular Americans, decided instead to reinvent preschools? Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist..

Messi's 26th-minute goal in the MLS fixture comes just 11 days after the passing of his father Jorge on August 8.

UN warns of surging displacement in Kordofan as power and water infrastructure come under attack in El Obeid.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka stunned by Sara Bejlek, while French Open champion Alexander Zverev exits after fourth round.

The train collided with the four men at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo, authorities say.

Prosecutors say Erin Patterson's sentence was "manifestly inadequate" as it allows for the possibility of parole.

The BBC revealed in March how a woman staying at a Maidenhead hotel was sexually assaulted after a man lied to get a key card to her room.

BNP's Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is pitted against ex-army officer Oli Ahmed, nominee of Jamaat-led 11-party alliance.

BRC says confidence in economy hits highest level since the lows reached at start of Iran war In Germany, factory gate inflation hit a three-year high in July, adding to signs of fresh inflationary pressures in Europe’s largest economy. Prices charged by manufacturers for their goods, ranging from food to cars and tools, climbed 3% year on year last month following June’s 1.8% rise, Germany’s statistics office said. Economists had expected an increase to 2.7%. Conditions at the early stages of the inflationary surge have suddenly become uncomfortable. The war involving Iran is leaving its mark, as it the heat...

Dwindling donations and stiff competition from secondhand sellers online prompt review but ‘no plans for closures yet’ Oxfam is reviewing the operations of its three warehouses in Batley, Bicester and Milton Keynes and says it “cannot give guarantees” on the future of its high street shops in a “difficult economic climate”. The charity said it had no plans to close warehouses or shops but insiders fear that Batley, which houses Oxfam’s main textile recycling centre, will shut as part of a cost-cutting drive because the West Yorkshire site’s lease is up for renewal...

Australia has summoned the Israeli ambassador in anger over the country’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings.

The Israeli military on Wednesday admitted its troops fired on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza in 2024, saying it had ordered a criminal investigation into the killing which drew international outrage. The military also published reviews into four other high-profile incidents in Gaza, saying it was launching a criminal probe into the 2025 killing of 15 Palestinian medics and humanitarian personnel. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell brings us more with this report.

The investigation into the killing of Hind Rajab and paramedics in Gaza launched by the Israeli army came as a “surprise” in the country, “because so much time has passed” since the events took place, FRANCE 24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky said. “The timing is extremely late.” But Tarnopolsky said “the fact that these two very renown cases are being referred to criminal investigation is already an admission on the part of the Israeli army that something here went deeply wrong.”

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would meet Kim Jong Un later this year, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea in his first term. FRANCE 24’s Monte Francis brings us more with this report.

With its pixelated visuals, “The Bull is Coming” is being celebrated for its authenticity in the age of A.I. and is shaping up to be a Gen Z cult classic.

The couple will remain non-working royals. It is unclear where they will live.

Werner Kalecinski is a social media sensation among young Germans. How did he go from heartbroken widower to partying on a yacht?

Paul Pogba and AS Monaco have officially parted ways after just one season. The 2018 World Cup winner joined in June 2025 after nearly two years out of the game, but injuries limited him to just six appearances and 115 minutes last season.

In a questionnaire, the Pentagon presented a list of questions to 31 NATO allies to determine ‘loyalty’ to the US.

A Russian missile barrage overnight on Thursday killed at least nine people in Kyiv as explosions echoed across the capital throughout the night, local authorities said. At least 33 people were wounded.

Most allotment holders say the heat has meant more work for smaller crops, although some have found a silver lining After a summer of repeated heatwaves and exceptionally dry weather in the UK, rain has brought some relief this week, but drought remains widespread and experts warn it will take weeks of sustained rainfall for water supplies to recover. For people growing their own fruit and vegetables, it has been a challenging and sometimes surprising season. The Guardian spoke to growers across England about how they are adapting to a hotter, drier climate...

Many species under threat use the African-Eurasian flyway, one of the planet’s largest mass-migration systems It may still feel like summer, but in the world of birds, autumn migration is already well under way. Cuckoos and swifts have already left us, and while swallows and many species of warbler will not depart our shores until September, many species of Arctic-breeding waders have begun to stop off at our coastal marshes to refuel for their long journey south. This year, however, there could be fewer than usual. A review by the British Trust for Ornithology, working with other international conservation organisations, has found that more than half of these global travellers are suffering major declines in numbers – a worrying downward trend. Many of those under threat use the African-Eurasian flyway, one of the largest mass-migration systems on the planet...

This punishingly hot and dry summer will probably be followed by another wet winter. But it’s nothing compared with what Britain will endure in years to come This summer could be the hottest, driest and deadliest in English history. Successive heatwaves have so far claimed almost 3,000 lives. Nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales is in drought, while key reservoirs are parched. Across this brown and stickily unpleasant land, from Grimsby down to St Ives, hosepipe bans are in force, while music festivals are staged not on green fields but in giant dust bowls. Just how bad is it? I asked a leading climate scientist. Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist..

Russian ballistic missiles killed at least six people and ⁠injured over two dozen more in Kyiv early on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump has threatened ‘economic D-Day’ on any countries that help or do business with Iran.

Apartment blocks and warehouses were targeted in the "massive attack" on Thursday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

Hui's sentencing marks a pivotal moment in the fallout from Evergrande's collapse, which shook China's property sector.

Clary’s back with Fully Dilated, a burlesque star called Entendre Entendre is doing lewd singalongs and there’s an A-Z of very dirty words. Our writer investigates Edinburgh’s smut outbreak – and ends up getting his own fantasies turned into erotica On a street in Edinburgh, a woman I’ve only just met is quizzing me on my sexual fantasies. “Do you want softcore or hardcore? What positions do you prefer?” asks Cameryn Moore, a former phone sex operator turned playwright from the US, along with other, less printable, questions. Her business plan is simple: for £20, punters can tell Moore what turns them on. She will then bash out a piece of bespoke erotic fiction for them on her typewriter. “I listen to their content then spit it out on paper – no punctuation, very stream of consciousness,” she says. “I also offer to read it out loud to them – and they walk away grinning from ear to ear because nobody’s ever asked them what they like when it comes to sex. So that’s what I do every day at the fringe: sit down for four or five hours a day and crank out dirty shit.” She calls the service Sidewalk Smut...

NASA said on Wednesday a $30 million mission to save its Swift space telescope had failed after the rescue spacecraft could not be controlled. The unprecedented effort aimed to use a robot to move Swift into a higher orbit. The satellite is now expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year.

Lily Hooper was reported missing on 12 August after failing to return from a hike in a Sydney national park.

Jewel Howard-Taylor faces charges of illegally facilitating, importing and selling drugs, alongside money laundering.

At least 14 of the 20 people wounded in the strike on Kyiv have been hospitalised, officials say.

Fears are growing in a remote Bolivian village as Brazilian drug gangs fight for control of trafficking routes.

Melting sea ice from climate change has opened up the region for giant whales to undertake 'feeding frenzies'.

Trump's order to scale back military drills rattles Seoul, reviving doubts over US security guarantees.

Recently released body camera footage shows a deck collapsing during a warrant operation in Huntsville, Missouri.

A landslide triggered by the quake had blocked access to the village where Paulina Pobi had lived, leaving her buried under the collapsed remains An 84-year-old woman has been discovered alive in the flattened remains of her home three days after a powerful earthquake hit eastern Indonesia, authorities have confirmed. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia’s Flores island on Saturday morning, killing at least 73 people, injuring more than 900 people and displacing nearly 60,000 others...

Retirement of longtime Stars and Stripes publisher comes amid the Trump administration's push for editorial control.