The week in photos: August 29 to September 4, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — On September 2, US actor, filmmaker and political activist George Clooney warned that advances in artificial intelligence were making it increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from fiction, posing a challenge for journalists, governments and the public.

Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, the two-time Oscar winner said deepfake technology and AI-generated content were undermining trust in information. Clooney linked the AI challenge to wider concerns about journalism, saying media ownership had become concentrated in the hands of a small number of wealthy individuals.

On September 3, Filipina tennis star rolled into the third round of the US Open following a masterful 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Eala faces gal pal Iva Jovic in the round of 32 — tentatively set on September 5, at 11 pm, Manila time — hoping victory will finally go her way this time after she lost to the 18-year-old American in their first two WTA Tour encounters.

Meanwhile, on September 2, former Department of Education chief of staff Michael Poa confirmed during the impeachment trial that while he prepared the DepEd’s response to the 2024 findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the agency’s confidential funds use, he was unaware that it was the security officer of Vice President and then-education secretary Sara Duterte who handled the funds.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

American rapper Doechii performs during the Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival at Great Park in Irvine, California, on August 29, 2026. PHOTO BY MARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS

A newly graduated student prepares to pose for a photograph in front of the ruins of the Roman Temple of Bacchus in the historic town of Baalbek, Lebanon, on August 29, 2026. PHOTO BY ZOHRA BENSERMA/REUTERS

Devotees with their faces covered in gold leaves pose for a picture in front of a statue of Por Kae during a ‘Na Na Thong’, or Gold Leaf Face-Blessing ritual, a sacred ritual believed to enhance wealth and fortune, at a shrine in Ayutthaya province, Thailand, on August 30, 2026. PHOTO BY CHALINEE THIRASUPA/REUTERS

Performers wave Malaysian flags during the 69th National Day celebration in Putrajaya, Malaysia on August 31, 2026. PHOTO BY HASNOOR HUSSAIN/REUTERS

Projectiles streak across the sky in this screengrab taken from footage published by Iranian authorities purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets in Jordan from an unknown location, released on August 31, 2026. WANA NEWS AGENCY VIA REUTERS

Norway’s King Harald’s coffin is carried at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway, on August 31, 2026. PHOTO BY JAVAD PARSA/NTB VIA REUTERS

Japan’s Naomi Osaka arrives on court ahead of her first round match against Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova in the US Open, at Flushing Meadows, New York, on August 31, 2026. PHOTO BY ROBERT DEUTSCH/IMAGN IMAGES VIA REUTERS

Students carry their belongings in transparent plastic bags as they enter Debsirin Nonthaburi School following its temporary closure after a deadly shooting in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, Bangkok, Thailand, on September 1, 2026. PHOTO BY VALERIA MONGELLI/REUTERS

Metro Manila experienced hazy air conditions due to smoke from forest fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, blanketing the sky, on September 1, 2026. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

A boy helps people to paste photographs of their missing relatives on windows outside Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, following flash floods and mudslides, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 1, 2026. PHOTO BY MONIKA MALLA/REUTERS

Private prosecutor Jay Tolosa questions hostile witness, Atty. Michael Poa, during Day 21 of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on September 2, 2026. PHOTO FROM SENATE SOCIAL MEDIA UNIT

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk speaks via video conference to delegates at the G20 Innovation Ministerial summit, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on September 1, 2026. PHOTO BY JONATHAN DRAKE/REUTERS

A prison van, believed to be carrying jailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, arrives at the High Court for a national security plea and sentencing hearing, in Hong Kong, China, on September 2, 2026. PHOTO BY TYRONNE SIU/REUTERS

US Navy personnel and aircraft are seen on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln as it sails toward Laem Chabang Port before docking for a rest stop following a long deployment in the Middle East, in Chonburi province, Thailand, on September 2, 2026. PHOTO BY CHALINEE THIRASUPA/REUTERS

Palestinian children watch a cartoon film projected on a screen during a mobile cinema screening organized by the Masharawi Foundation for Cinema and Filmmakers at a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, on September 2, 2026. PHOTO BY DAWOUD ABU ALKAS/REUTERS

Students take cover during an active-shooter drill at Carlos F. Gonzales High School in San Rafael, Bulacan, on September 3, 2026. PHOTO BY ELOISA LOPEZ/REUTERS

The wife of Bishi Pandey, who lost his life in the deadly flash floods and a mudslide, mourns during his cremation ritual using an effigy as his body remains missing, on the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 3, 2026. PHOTO BY ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS

A man with a child points at a makeshift memorial during a vigil for Haitian immigrant Pierre Damas Bel, who died by suicide following the removal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants by the Trump administration, in Brooklyn, New York, on September 4, 2026. PHOTO BY DAVID DEE DELGADO/REUTERS

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala hits a return to Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova during their second round match in the US Open at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York, on September 4, 2026 (Manila time). PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON/REUTERS

Actor George Clooney takes a picture on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the movie ‘Furies’ from the Venice Spotlight section, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2026. PHOTO BY YARA NARDI/REUTERS