Could this humble sea sponge clean up the world’s ports?

1 September 2026 at 11:00

The chicken liver sponge has sailed through a test of its ability to filter pollutants in a harbour in Spain’s Costa Brava

In the polluted waters of Marina Palamós on Spain’s Costa Brava, Manuel Maldonado, a sponge biologist, noticed something unusual last month: red starfish had started settling in the area.

Nearly two years earlier, the Spanish National Research Council scientist and his colleagues had begun transplanting sea sponges into the port to study whether they could survive in its polluted waters.

Madrid residents brace for noise and disruption from new F1 circuit

The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid

1 September 2026 at 07:00

City council emphasises economic case for Madring amid local outrage over disruption and environmental impact

Opponents of Madrid’s newly constructed Formula One circuit have accused the regional authorities of putting profit before people’s wellbeing after tests for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the track later this month yielded noise levels that were many times the legal decibel limit.

The regional government of Madrid and the city council are hoping that the 5.4km-long (3.3 miles) Madring circuit – which has been built in the north-east of the Spanish capital at a cost of €83m (£71m) – will attract visitors, boost the local economy and put the city firmly on the motor racing map. The Madring bills itself as “a perfectly connected circuit: just 20 minutes from the city centre”.

Madrid residents brace for noise and disruption from new F1 circuit

World news | The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid

1 September 2026 at 07:00

City council emphasises economic case for Madring amid local outrage over disruption and environmental impact

Opponents of Madrid’s newly constructed Formula One circuit have accused the regional authorities of putting profit before people’s wellbeing after tests for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the track later this month yielded noise levels that were many times the legal decibel limit.

The regional government of Madrid and the city council are hoping that the 5.4km-long (3.3 miles) Madring circuit – which has been built in the north-east of the Spanish capital at a cost of €83m (£71m) – will attract visitors, boost the local economy and put the city firmly on the motor racing map. The Madring bills itself as “a perfectly connected circuit: just 20 minutes from the city centre”.

Morocco not to blame for Ceuta border breach, says Spanish PM

World news | The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid

31 August 2026 at 13:21

Pedro Sánchez says two countries cooperating and accuses Israel and Russia of spreading fake news about migration

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said there is no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month’s massive border crossing into Ceuta but accused Israel and Russia of spreading disinformation.

As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions within the EU over immigration.

Morocco not to blame for Ceuta border breach, says Spanish PM

The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid

31 August 2026 at 13:21

Pedro Sánchez says two countries cooperating and accuses Israel and Russia of spreading fake news about migration

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has said there is no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month’s massive border crossing into Ceuta but accused Israel and Russia of spreading disinformation.

As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions within the EU over immigration.

Sílvia Orriols’s Movement Used to Fight Fascism. Now Catalan Nationalism Fights Globalism.

NYT > Top Stories

By: Christopher Caldwell

29 August 2026 at 14:00

Sílvia Orriols is transforming Catalan nationalism.

The president and the penthouse: how Madrid’s government spent €6.3m on a temporary ‘office’

The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid

30 August 2026 at 08:00

Saga surrounding purchase for outspoken rightwing regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso refuses to go away

The outspoken rightwing leader of the Madrid region is under growing pressure to explain why her government spent €6.3m (£5.4m) on a residential penthouse purportedly to serve as a temporary workspace while her offices were being renovated.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a prominent member of Spain’s opposition conservative People’s party (PP), has been the president of the Madrid region since 2019.

The president and the penthouse: how Madrid’s government spent €6.3m on a temporary ‘office’

World news | The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid

30 August 2026 at 08:00

Saga surrounding purchase for outspoken rightwing regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso refuses to go away

The outspoken rightwing leader of the Madrid region is under growing pressure to explain why her government spent €6.3m (£5.4m) on a residential penthouse purportedly to serve as a temporary workspace while her offices were being renovated.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a prominent member of Spain’s opposition conservative People’s party (PP), has been the president of the Madrid region since 2019.

Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Deal Relies on a Powerful and Divisive Partner

NYT > Top Stories

By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Anatoly Kurmanaev and Edward Wong

30 August 2026 at 01:47

The administration will work with a private Venezuelan oil company that has close ties to the country’s government.

Venezuela is believed to have one of the world’s largest reserves of oil but it produces very little oil because of mismanagement, corruption and U.S. sanctions.

This Is Looting by Another Name

NYT > Top Stories

By: Francisco Berzunza

28 August 2026 at 21:55

Our cultural heritage is being sold off for parts.

Egyptian queen’s 673-diamond necklace stolen in Vienna smash-and-grab raid

The Guardian

By: Deborah Cole in Berlin

28 August 2026 at 17:46

Police hunt two suspects after historic 200-carat piece is snatched from Austrian museum during opening hours

Austrian police are hunting two men alleged to have stolen a 200-carat platinum necklace encrusted with 673 diamonds that was on loan to a museum in Vienna and once belonged to Egyptian royalty.

Authorities in the capital released pictures of the suspects captured by security cameras during the heist at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), amid a rash of spectacular smash-and-grab thefts from European cultural institutions.

Egyptian queen’s 673-diamond necklace stolen in Vienna smash-and-grab raid

World news | The Guardian

By: Deborah Cole in Berlin

28 August 2026 at 17:25

Police hunt two suspects after historic 200-carat piece is snatched from Austrian museum during opening hours

Austrian police are hunting two men alleged to have stolen a 200-carat platinum necklace encrusted with 673 diamonds that was on loan to a museum in Vienna and once belonged to Egyptian royalty.

Authorities in the capital released pictures of the suspects captured by security cameras during the heist at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), amid a rash of spectacular smash-and-grab thefts from European cultural institutions.

Weather tracker: More extreme rain in Japan and a tornado in France

The Guardian

By: Brendan Wood and Faye Hulton for MetDesk

28 August 2026 at 11:02

Flash flooding and mudslides in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, while convective storms hit western Europe

After an “unprecedented” deluge in Chiba in mid-August, Japan has experienced further extreme rainfall in recent days. Moisture from the Sea of Japan brought relentless heavy rain to the prefectures of Ishikawa and Toyama on Thursday.

In Himi, Toyama, 361.5mm of rain fell in 24 hours, equivalent to half the average annual rainfall in London and Paris. Several rivers burst their banks, triggering flash floods and mudslides, felling and damaging buildings.