Netrebko returns to Covent Garden at the wish of the new music director, Jakub Hrusa, not the ROH leadership. The row over Kremlin ties and the Ukraine war grows. Boycotts spread; the debate on art and accountability sharpens.

Australia bars "far right" Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman from visiting for three years, saying he would spread division at Jewish schools and synagogues. Rothman calls the move surrender to antisemitism; Canberra cites safety amid antisemitic attacks. In recent months, Ayelet Shaked and Kanye West have also been barred.

Tower Hamlets vows to pull down St George’s and other UK flags fixed to lampposts on council property without permission, with removal possible. The move follows clashes over Palestinian flags and a push for unity under the Union flag.

Mercury’s westward elongation on Aug. 19 arrives with a 16% crescent Moon near Venus and Jupiter before sunrise, as a pre-dawn planet parade—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn—plays out through Aug. 21; Uranus and Neptune require a telescope.

The Digest, 8/18/2025 @400AM, CDT

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