Abdul El Sayed has secured the Democratic nomination in Michigan and will seek to become the first Muslim senator in United States history. The 41-year-old former public health official confirmed the nomination in early August and is due to face Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate contest during the November midterm election. In his victory speech, El Sayed described how his Egyptian immigrant father came to Detroit, allowing him to identify as American.

His campaign has focused on removing money from politics, putting money back in people's pockets and expanding access to healthcare. El Sayed has criticized President Trump's policies and opposed US funding for the militaries of any country, including Israel. He called assistance to Israel's military the worst use of US tax dollars. Analysts cited his political commitments, anti-Israel stance and demand to end American military funding abroad as important to his rise.

Although he did not receive support from Democratic Party central leaders, El Sayed has been backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He previously won more than 30 percent of the vote in Michigan's 2018 gubernatorial election. As Detroit's public health director from 2015, he pursued measures including reducing child mortality, providing free eyeglasses to students and testing lead levels at more than 100 schools.

US President Donald Trump is seeking to revive relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid a complicated US situation over Iran, according to a report published on August 18. Citing his “very good relationship” with Kim, Trump ordered a significant reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea. The move raises new questions over Washington’s long-standing military relationship with Seoul.

On Sunday, Trump said Kim had responded to his outreach, but he gave no details about the message or whether a new meeting between the two leaders could occur. Trump described the joint drills as costly and as a “sign of hostility” toward North Korea. He also expressed dissatisfaction that South Korea had not supported the US initiative to address Iran’s nuclear programme.

During Trump’s first term, he and Kim held several meetings, but they did not reach a lasting agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear programme. North Korea has since strengthened ties with Russia and China while continuing to expand its military capabilities. Analysts said the renewed diplomatic effort signals a potentially important shift in US foreign policy, though they questioned whether it would succeed while unsettling a close ally such as South Korea.

A Reuters-Ipsos opinion poll found US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33 percent, the lowest level of his current term. The report, published on August 18, 2026, said 64 percent of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with his performance. The online survey was conducted over four days among 1,166 US adults and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

The report linked falling support to US involvement in the ongoing war with Iran and higher energy prices. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they believed the war with Iran could be prolonged, while only about 20 percent said US participation was the right decision. Support for involvement was not complete even among Republican voters, according to the report.

Trump’s approval was 35 percent in an earlier Reuters-Ipsos poll at the beginning of August, meaning it dropped another 2 percentage points in a short period. Pressure on international energy trade and rising US petrol prices have increased concern about living costs. With midterm elections due in November, the report said the decline in support is a concern for Republicans.

Russian citizens who left the country over opposition to the war and President Vladimir Putin are facing pressure from both Moscow and European states, according to a report published on August 18, 2026. Russia is moving to restrict the civil rights of government opponents abroad, while countries in Europe are making asylum and residence options more difficult.

Earlier this month, Putin enacted a law limiting passport renewals and other consular services for people convicted in absentia in political cases. The measures can also apply to accusations of violating the “foreign agent” law or “discrediting” the Russian army. Since Russia’s 2023 citizenship law, more than 4,500 people have had their citizenship revoked, raising concerns that exiled opponents could retain formal citizenship while losing practical access to passports and state protection.

Germany has narrowed access to humanitarian visas, while Finland has expelled more than 1,000 Russian citizens and rejected over 1,100 asylum applications since the Ukraine war began. Russian-Armenian activist Arshak Makichyan said anti-war Russians face obstacles abroad as well as from Russian authorities. The report says fears of another military mobilization may prompt more people to leave, despite the lack of secure asylum routes.

US Air Force Major Jason Watson has faced disciplinary action after posting on social media that President Donald Trump should be impeached, according to the report published on August 18, 2026. Watson made the call after US military strikes in Iran and publicly criticized Trump’s Iran policy. He questioned the president’s decision to take military action against Iran and said it warranted impeachment.

The report says US military personnel face strict restrictions on political activity and public political statements. Service members on duty cannot take part in activities that could call the military’s political neutrality into question. The action against Watson has prompted renewed debate over the need to uphold military discipline and political neutrality.

Critics have raised questions about how much freedom a service member has to personally criticize government policy or express opinions. The case emerged amid intensified political debate in the United States over the Trump administration’s military and foreign policy toward Iran. It has also renewed questions about the boundaries of free expression, political neutrality and military discipline within the armed forces.

The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s request for reconsideration in the civil case brought by writer and former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll over sexual abuse and defamation. The decision appeared on the court’s August order list released Monday. It was the second rejection after the court declined in June to hear Trump’s appeal of the 2023 verdict.

In the 2023 case, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996 and later defaming her. It ordered him to pay roughly $5 million in damages. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said they were pleased that the Supreme Court again declined to hear the case, adding that the jury’s unanimous decision was now final and could not be challenged in any court.

The Supreme Court gave no explanation for denying Trump’s request, one of 33 reconsideration requests rejected that day. After the June denial, Carroll received about $5.8 million in damages and interest. Trump is also appealing to the Supreme Court a separate 2024 jury award of $83.3 million to Carroll in a defamation case.

Meta is set to face a jury trial over allegations brought by 30 US states that it harmed children’s mental health and violated their privacy. Proceedings are due to begin in a California federal court before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The lawsuit alleges that the technology company violated federal and state child-protection laws through its Facebook and Instagram operations.

The plaintiffs are seeking more than $1 trillion in damages and major changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate. The states allege that Meta’s algorithms and platform design keep children and teenagers on its apps for long periods and foster addiction. Their proposed changes include ending like counts, disabling infinite scrolling and automatic video playback, and removing filters that create unrealistic images.

Other demands include preventing minors from opening multiple accounts, eliminating features that disappear after a set time such as Instagram Stories, and requiring parental verification for children’s accounts. Meta has denied the allegations, saying it has long worked on safety and support for younger users and will present its position in court. A New Mexico court has already fined Meta $942 million in a child-safety case.

All first-day tickets for Bangladesh’s second and final Test against Australia in Mackay, Queensland, have sold out, Cricket Australia announced on social media. The match is scheduled to begin on August 22, following Bangladesh’s historic victory in the opening Test of the two-match series.

Bangladesh won the Darwin Test by nine wickets, a result described as a major and memorable achievement in the team’s Test history. Hasan Mahmud led the victory with nine wickets across the two innings, while Tanzid Hasan Tamim made a century and played an important role in the emphatic win.

The report says Bangladesh had entered the Australia tour after an innings defeat to Zimbabwe, prompting questions about whether the side could compete in the Test series. Their performance in Australia has since drawn praise across the cricket world. Interest among Bangladeshi expatriates in Australia has also increased ahead of the Mackay Test, reflected in ticket sales. Bangladesh now have an opportunity to win the series with another strong result in Mackay.

The Pentagon has signed a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon to increase production of Tomahawk cruise missiles amid the ongoing war with Iran, according to a report published on August 17, 2026. The seven-year agreement plans to raise Tomahawk output to more than 1,000 missiles annually as reports emerge of declining US missile stocks. The contract follows extensive US use of long-range weapons during the conflict.

On Monday, acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the agreement would accelerate deliveries at an “unprecedented pace” to meet current operational needs. A Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis estimated that US stocks of Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles had fallen by about half or more since the conflict began. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously denied reports that US missile inventories were running low.

The report said a Tomahawk strike near Shajareh Tayebah Primary School in Minab, southern Iran, on February 28, 2026, killed more than 170 people, including students, most of them children. It said preliminary investigations and video analysis confirmed the strike resulted from a US military targeting error. Tomahawks are launched mainly from warships and submarines and can strike targets more than 1,600 kilometers away.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced 2,000 free Broadway tickets for high school students in a video message delivered in clear Bengali. The report, published on August 17, 2026, said the video has become a major topic of discussion on social media. The initiative will offer students a chance to attend renowned Broadway productions without charge.

The tickets will be distributed through a lottery in partnership with the Theatre Development Fund. Students selected through the lottery will be able to watch seven Broadway shows for free. The report said the programme aims to introduce students to New York’s own culture, as Broadway ticket prices can be difficult for ordinary people to afford.

Special discounts will also be available for tickets to other shows. The report linked Mamdani’s Bengali-language message to New York’s sizeable Bangladeshi and Bengali-speaking immigrant population, particularly in Parkchester and Westchester Square in the Bronx. It added that he had received substantial votes from those areas in the mayoral election and has previously spoken in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu.

Six civilians were killed and four others, including a child, were injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on the village of Koloskovo in Russia’s Belgorod region, regional officials said Monday. Acting Belgorod Governor Alexander Shubayev said Ukrainian forces shelled the village. The report was published on August 17, 2026.

Shubayev said two of the injured received medical assistance but declined hospital admission. The remaining injured people, including the child, were taken to a local hospital. The source did not provide further details on the timing of the attack or the weapon used.

In Ukraine, two people were killed and three injured in overnight Russian attacks in the Zaporizhzhia district, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. In a Telegram post, Fedorov said Russian forces carried out 1,217 attacks on 60 settlements in the region over a 24-hour period. The report did not identify the victims or provide further details about damage from the attacks.

US President Donald Trump has decided to scale back planned military exercises with South Korea, a move Robert Kelly, an international relations professor at Pusan National University, linked to Trump’s failure in the war against Iran. In comments to Al Jazeera cited in a report published on August 17, 2026, Kelly said Trump had expected the conflict to end quickly.

Kelly said Trump appeared to have anticipated a sudden campaign similar to the rapid operation he conducted in Venezuela in January. Instead, the situation grew beyond control into a major conflict and evolved into an unusual cycle of reciprocal attacks. He said the conflict was beginning to resemble what Americans call an “endless war.”

According to Kelly, Trump now sees himself as trapped and is looking for someone to blame. He said US allies have become convenient targets, noting that Trump had previously criticized NATO for the same reason. Kelly added that South Korea has not directly participated in the war and was not consulted, while Trump is trying to conceal or shield himself from responsibility for the crisis in the Gulf region.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen sharply criticized President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war, calling for the conflict to end. In an X post cited in a report published on August 17, 2026, the Democratic senator said their indifference toward US military personnel was shameful.

Van Hollen said the war was not making the United States safer. He also criticized Trump’s role in addressing concerns about the mental health of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The senator said male and female members of the armed forces, along with their families, deserved better.

He said the best way to protect them was to end the war. The report also said the USS George Washington was set to assume the USS Abraham Lincoln’s responsibilities, and that it had already departed Da Nang port in Vietnam.

Bangladesh defeated host Australia by nine wickets in Darwin to secure their first Test victory on Australian soil, prompting widespread praise across the cricket world. The landmark win by Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team was reported on August 16, 2026, with former and current cricketers reacting on social media to Bangladesh’s commanding performance.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen expressed surprise, while former Sri Lanka cricketer and commentator Russell Arnold called the achievement remarkable and unbelievable against a leading team at home. Former India opener Wasim Jaffer described it as a historic achievement and a major moment for Bangladesh cricket. Former Australia fast bowler Damien Fleming said Darwin had become an inseparable chapter in Bangladesh’s cricket history.

Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews cited the result while questioning the ICC’s proposed two-tier Test system. Ian Bishop said Bangladesh deserved respect and recognition, highlighting contributions from Mehedi, Tanzid, Hasan Mahmud, coach Phil Simmons and the wider team. A former Indian cricketer also said the victory underlined the importance of designated Test venues, noting that Darwin’s conditions had surprised Australia.

Australian media outlets have sharply criticized the national cricket team after Bangladesh secured a historic nine-wicket victory in Darwin. The defeat of Australia, described in the source as the top team in the World Test Championship, has put batting failures and team selection under scrutiny. Several reports characterized the result as one of the biggest setbacks in Australia’s home cricket history.

News.com.au highlighted Bangladesh’s dominance and Australia’s fragile batting in its match analysis. The Australian used stronger language, calling the loss embarrassing and saying Bangladesh had dismantled Australia in the Darwin Test. ABC said the unexpected defeat had raised long-term questions for Australian cricket, while noting that Bangladesh’s strong bowling exposed weaknesses in Australia’s batting lineup.

Fox Cricket said selectors must make difficult decisions after what it called one of Australia’s biggest Test upsets. Its analysis called for changes to both batting and bowling, and said several Australian players faced a final opportunity to retain their places. Media criticism focused particularly on the top order, whose failures across both innings, inability to stay at the crease, and lack of resistance against Bangladesh’s bowlers were cited as major reasons for the defeat.