AU Brief — Saturday 12 September 2026
Saturday 12 September 2026
Good morning: Sweden votes in a tight election, renters call the housing hunt a lottery, and a global report warns migratory bird species are edging closer to extinction.
Sport
Michail Antonio returns to England with Watford move
Former West Ham forward Michail Antonio, 36, has signed a one-year deal with Championship side Watford after leaving Qatari club Al Sailiya SC. He had not played in England since a car accident in December 2024 and could be included on the bench for Watford's match against Stoke.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Politics
Sweden Braces for Tight Election Sunday
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said he hopes to win a second term in Sunday's parliamentary election, echoing Donald Trump's phrasing about making the country great again. Polls show a centre-left bloc led by Magdalena Andersson narrowly ahead with 50.8% support versus 47.6% for Kristersson's centre-right coalition, which relies on backing from the far-right Sweden Democrats. Analysts expect a close result and a potentially lengthy process to form the next government.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Economy
Renters describe rental applications as a lottery
A first-person account describes crowded rental inspections across Australian cities, with dozens of applicants competing for affordable homes and little feedback given on rejections. Property industry figures say demand for cheaper rentals far outstrips supply, and factors like in-person impressions can influence outcomes when applications are similar. Tenant advocate Leo Patterson Ross argues the system should assess applicants on individual merit rather than competition, and suggests alternatives such as blind selection.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
Rio favela food trail aims to challenge stereotypes
A month-long competitive food trail beginning 1 October features 16 restaurants and bars from the Maré favela complex in Rio de Janeiro, home to about 140,000 people. Organised by NGO Redes da Maré through its Casa das Mulheres da Maré centre, the event, called Comida de Favela, is in its fourth edition and is a finalist for Best Culinary Festival in Latin America at the 2026 World Culinary Awards. Participants, chosen from over 150 applicants, receive business training, with winners selected by customer vote receiving cash prizes.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
Céline Dion Returns To Stage In Paris Concerts
More than 30,000 fans attended Céline Dion's Paris concert on Saturday night, marking her return to performing four years after she disclosed a diagnosis of stiff person syndrome. Thousands more joined free outdoor karaoke events across France celebrating her health improving enough to perform again, including a 10,000-person gathering organised by Paris city hall. The 16-date residency, along with earlier May shows, is expected to add hundreds of millions of euros to the local economy.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
Ghanaian-British hairdresser Charlotte Mensah honoured with London exhibition
Charlotte Mensah, who grew up in Accra and moved to London aged 11, has become a leading figure in black hair styling over a 40-year career, working with clients including Janelle Monáe, Erykah Badu and Zadie Smith. Her career is now featured in an exhibition at V&A East, tracing her path from a junior hairdresser role in the 1980s to opening her own salon and product line, and being recognised in the British Hairdressing Awards' Hall of Fame. Mensah continues to advocate for wider training in afro hair care, noting that many UK colleges do not include it in their curriculum.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Science & Tech
Global Report Warns Migratory Bird Species Face Extinction
A BirdLife International report finds that one in nine migratory bird species risk extinction, with 45% in decline due to farming intensification, hunting, pollution, invasive species and climate change. The report was released at a Nairobi summit where governments and financial institutions pledged billions of dollars, including $6bn from development banks, to protect migratory bird flyways. Conservation successes cited include seabird recovery on Australia's Macquarie Island and wetland restoration in China and Britain.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
Gardening Guide Offers Tips For Growing Grapevines
A gardening column outlines advice for growing grapevines at home, noting the choice between hardier wine grapes and dessert grapes that typically need a greenhouse to ripen fully. It covers planting during dormancy in early spring, using free-draining soil, watering needs, and mulching in winter. The piece also touches on pruning, thinning bunches to aid ripening, and harvesting from late summer into autumn depending on variety.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
New opera blends rap and reggae on Black British life
Our Eyes Looking for God, created by TD Moyo and composer Renell Shaw in 2020, follows Liverpool cousins Adjani and Kamal through a night that mixes reminiscence, celebration and tragedy. The production draws on Moyo's personal experience of losing a brother to violence in south London and the wider reaction to George Floyd's death, using a score that moves between rap, reggae and operatic styles. A review notes strong performances, particularly from Gamba Cole as Adjani, but suggests the work functions more as theatre incorporating music than as opera itself.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Economy
Berlin supermarket sells lettuce grown on its own roof
A REWE supermarket in Lankwitz, Berlin, has opened Germany's largest rooftop farm at 2,760 square metres, growing loose-leaf lettuce varieties using hydroponic technology. The greenhouse, designed and managed by agricultural technology firm ECF, uses waste heat, rainwater and solar power, with lettuce grown in just over three weeks before being packaged and sold on site and in nearby stores. ECF's founder Nicolas Leschke plans to build at least 20 similar rooftop farms across Germany within the next decade.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
Venice festival's complaint wall mocks films, prices
At the Venice film festival, a chipboard wall called Ridateci i soldi invites visitors to write critical comments about films and festival costs, continuing a 30-year tradition. Director Alberto Barbera awards a prize, the Coppa Codacons, for the harshest comment, with this year's winner Cristian Poletti mocking Andrea Pallaoro's film The Echo Chamber. Organiser Gianni Ippoliti created the wall in the late 1990s to counter overly positive reviews of festival films.
Sources: Guardian Australia
Culture
Neil Young's new album mixes filler with standout tracks
Neil Young, 80, has released Second Song with his backing band the Chrome Hearts, his second new album of 2026. Reviewers note the seven-track record includes two re-recorded songs from his early 1960s band the Squires, alongside a title track and 'Soon I Might Be Going' praised as among his strongest recent work. The album is described as uneven overall, blending polished highlights with slighter material.
Sources: Guardian Australia
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