UK water regulator Ofwat has advised Muslims to use less water during wudu, the ritual ablution, as part of a wider water-saving initiative. The advice was issued through the Ofwat-funded Water Efficiency in Faith and Diverse Communities programme. A pilot project in Cambridge encouraged worshippers to use one litre of water rather than leaving taps running, and recommended wider promotion through Islamic television channels.

Ofwat said some people use up to about 12 litres of water across five daily ablutions. It estimated that using a one-litre bottle could save up to 55 litres per person each day. The Cambridge pilot reportedly saved around 5,900 litres of water daily. Water companies were also told to communicate the campaign carefully so that Muslims would not be portrayed as responsible for water waste.

The initiative has drawn criticism from some UK Muslims, who questioned whether religious practice should be singled out for conservation measures. They argued that leaks and infrastructure problems should receive priority. Citing Greenpeace UK research published in July, the report said leaking pipes waste about 2.87 billion litres daily in England and Wales. Ofwat said the project was not intended to change religious practices and ended in April 2025.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said discussions over a security agreement with Israel are currently suspended, with no date set for their resumption. Speaking to Reuters on August 23, 2026, he said Syria does not trust Israel at this time. He said communication between the two countries stopped after Israel struck Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase earlier in the week.

Al-Shaibani said Damascus hopes talks with Israel will resume soon. He said the United States has continued pressuring Israel to return to the negotiating table. According to the minister, Washington has been applying sustained pressure on Israel to bring it back into discussions.

The Syrian foreign minister also criticized Israel’s military approach to ensuring its security. He said Israel had tried to maintain its security through the use of force but had not succeeded. In contrast, he said Syria has extended its hand for understanding, peace and diplomacy.

Jamaat-e-Islami amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman condemned the killing of four members of a family in Rangpur and called for accountability from the home minister. The bodies of former Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, son Priyam Chakraborty and daughter Agami Chakraborty were recovered from a house in the city’s Machhuapara area on Saturday night. Initial information indicated they were killed by strangulation.

Describing the elimination of an entire family as deeply painful and horrific, Shafiqur said social crimes, killings and terrorist activities had reached serious levels in recent times. He referred to reported extortion demands in dollars and attacks involving a doctor in Dhaka and a veterinary doctor in Mymensingh, saying these incidents showed a serious deterioration in law and order.

He said the perceived indifference of law-enforcement agencies had alarmed people and urged authorities to quickly identify those involved in the Rangpur killings and ensure exemplary punishment. He also said victims were not receiving proper justice and court delays were causing public frustration. Shafiqur called for greater social awareness to protect people from such crimes.

Three people described as an Islami Chhatra Shibir worker and two supporters were shot by masked attackers in Baraital village of Jirtali ইউনিয়ন, Begumganj upazila, Noakhali, at about 9:30pm on Saturday. The injured were identified as Sakibul Hasan, 17, Md Nadim, 17, and Md Saher. They were admitted to Noakhali 250-bed General Hospital after local residents rescued them.

Local sources said the three were returning home from Bangla Bazar on a motorcycle when several masked people travelling in a CNG-run autorickshaw tried to stop them. After failing to block the motorcycle, the attackers allegedly fired indiscriminately, leaving all three injured. Residents approached the scene, after which the attackers fled. A shooting at a wedding in Alaiarpur union of Begumganj had injured at least five people the previous Monday.

Begumganj Jamaat emir Md Abu Zayed alleged that a Jubo Dal leader named Harun led the attack, an allegation rejected by Jubo Dal member secretary Mohi Uddin Raju. Police said two injured people had shrapnel wounds, while their political identities remained unconfirmed. No written complaint had been filed, and police said legal action would follow if one is submitted.

Ethel Caterham, described as the world’s oldest British woman, has reached the age of 117. She lives in a care home in Surrey, about 25 miles from London. João Marinho Neto of Brazil, described as the oldest man, sent her congratulations. Caterham was born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, in southern England.

Caterham was the second youngest of eight siblings. In 1931, she met British Army Major Norman Caterham at a dinner event, and they married two years later. Her husband died in 1976. She has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.

King Charles III visited Caterham shortly after her 116th birthday in September 2025. She is also among the oldest people to have recovered after contracting coronavirus at the age of 110 in 2020. The report cited CNN, PA Media and Guinness World Records as sources.

Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir will visit Tehran, the Iranian capital, on Monday, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei. The report, published on August 23, 2026, cited Iran’s Fars news agency for the announcement. No further schedule or meetings for the visit were specified in the source.

Baghaei said strengthening bilateral cooperation is among the main objectives of Munir’s visit. He also linked the trip to continuing Pakistan’s “sincere efforts” to establish regional peace and security. The source did not provide details about specific cooperation areas or any planned agreements.

The Tehran visit is described as part of efforts by Pakistan and Iran to further strengthen their bilateral relationship. The two countries are also continuing cooperation on regional peace and security, according to the report. The source did not state how long Munir’s visit would last or identify other officials expected to take part in discussions.

A Lalmonirhat court on Sunday sentenced Bidhan Chandra to death for the murder of seven-year-old schoolgirl Nandini Roy of Falimari village in Aditmari upazila. District and Sessions Judge Md Haidar Ali delivered the verdict on August 23, 2026, within six working days after the case was transferred for trial. Two other accused, Ranjit Kumar Roy and Mamata Rani, received five years’ rigorous imprisonment each.

Nandini’s father, Nalani Mohan Barman, filed the murder case at Aditmari police station on June 16 against three accused. The complaint alleged that Nandini was killed between 3pm on June 15 and 6am on June 16, and her body was buried in a maize field belonging to Javed Ali to conceal it. Police said Bidhan gave a confession under Section 164, leading to the recovery of the body and seizure of a spade and other evidence.

Bidhan was convicted under Section 302 and fined Tk20,000, with additional penalties under Section 404. The death sentence requires High Court Division approval, and he may appeal within seven days. All three convicts were ordered sent to Lalmonirhat District Jail.

Prime Minister Tareque Rahman instructed naval and air force selection board members to base officers’ promotions on integrity and merit, above political ideology and personal preferences. He gave the directive on Sunday morning while inaugurating the Navy and Air Force Selection Board 2026 at Air Force Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment.

He said assessments should emphasize professional competence, leadership, discipline, integrity, reliability, loyalty and, above all, suitability for appointment. The prime minister said the Bangladesh Navy and Air Force have contributed not only to protecting national independence and sovereignty but also to supporting civilian authorities in maintaining internal peace, stability and disaster response.

Rahman later visited several key Air Force operational facilities, including the Air Defence System Integration site, the Air Command Operation Centre and the Aerospace Research and Development Complex. He observed Air Force-produced unmanned aerial vehicles, including drones, kamikaze drones, interceptor drones and VTOL systems, as well as a quadcopter flight. He expressed hope that such domestic capabilities would advance research, innovation and technological self-reliance.

Gaza is facing an acute shortage of burial space after Israel’s ongoing attacks destroyed more than 40 cemeteries across the enclave, according to the report published on August 23, 2026. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed over more than two years, while families are increasingly burying relatives in gardens, schools, tents and displacement camps because established cemeteries lack capacity.

Omar al-Sawhi, 20, said his father Mohammed was shot dead on June 10 while working at a tea shop near the Israeli-designated “Yellow Line” in Gaza City’s Zeitoun area. With no space in Zeitoun cemetery and burial costs beyond the family’s means, Mohammed was buried in his grandfather’s grave. Since the war began, bodies have also been temporarily buried at hospitals and shelters.

After an October 2025 ceasefire, relatives began recovering bodies from rubble and temporary graves for reburial in cemeteries. Gaza authorities said 529 bodies were recovered from seven mass graves at hospitals. Burial costs have risen to 700–1,000 shekels amid shortages of construction materials and grave markers, prompting families to use stones, paper, mud and building debris as grave identifiers.

Bangladesh’s government is targeting a soft opening of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on December 16, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said. Speaking to journalists at the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said work on the terminal remains under way. He added that full operations could begin within a maximum of three months after the soft opening.

Millat said the Japanese side is expected to submit its bid by the 25th of this month. The bid will be evaluated in detail, and the government hopes to sign a contract by September. After that, he said, about three and a half months would remain to prepare for a possible soft opening.

The minister said the government would try to hold the soft opening within that period. However, if additional time is needed to complete the work properly, the deadline could be extended by one or two months. Despite that possibility, he said the government is still sticking to its December 16 target for the soft opening.

Operations at Ferdous Shipyard in Bhatiari, Sitakunda, Chattogram, have been halted across the entire yard following a worker’s death from toxic gas, raising fresh concerns about a severe crisis in the shipbreaking industry. The report, published on August 23, 2026, said business owners and entrepreneurs were concerned that investigations after the accident had brought all yard activities to a standstill.

Owners said several government investigation agencies had verbally instructed them to stop work throughout the yard, although it was unclear which authority had issued the instruction in writing. They said permits from agencies including the Department of Environment and the Department of Explosives for other vessels in the yard were nearing expiry, while renewal was not easy despite the shutdown.

Former Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recycling Association president Amjad Hossain Chowdhury said work on the vessel involved in the accident could remain suspended during the investigation, but questioned stopping work on other ships. He said active yards in Sitakunda had declined from 124 to 35-38 amid losses, bank debt and administrative complications. Owners also cited ongoing salary payments and accumulating bank interest as major financial pressures.

Newly appointed Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan said several national elections under the previous Hasina government failed to reflect the people’s true will. Speaking to journalists after an exchange meeting with ministry officials at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said representation of the people had been established through the 2026 election after a long period.

Moin Khan said the BNP does not believe in retaliatory politics and instead supports the politics of law. He said the government would rely on legal and judicial processes rather than take retaliatory action against political opponents. He also alleged that the judiciary was damaged during the previous government’s tenure and that there had been political interference involving court verdicts.

On local government polls, the minister said elections would be held by following the constitutional process and existing laws strictly. He declined to announce a date, saying there is a constitutional procedure for holding elections and that the BNP government would make an announcement at the appropriate time. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam, Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan and senior ministry officials attended the meeting.

TikTok is preparing a new payment feature that could allow users to send money to one another through direct messages. TechCrunch, citing Bloomberg, reported that evidence of the feature was found through an analysis of code in the latest iPhone version of the TikTok app. The feature has not been officially launched, and TikTok has not provided a timeline for its wider release.

Under the proposed system, recipients could accept a transfer by pressing a designated button. Users may also be able to attach short messages to payments. The service could use TikTok’s own payment system, which is already used for TikTok Shop purchases in several Southeast Asian countries.

TikTok has previously shown interest in financial services. A Reuters report in March said the company had sought permission to operate as a financial technology company in Brazil to offer lending and money-transfer services. The payment feature remains in experimental development, leaving its global rollout and initial availability by country uncertain.

Kuwait has condemned an Israeli drone strike on a civilian vehicle in a village southwest of Syria’s capital, Damascus, according to a Foreign Ministry statement posted on social media. Several civilians were injured in the attack. The report was published on August 23, 2026.

Kuwait called on the international community and the UN Security Council to fulfil their responsibilities in stopping what it described as repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory. Its Foreign Ministry said recurring aggression by Israeli occupying forces in Syria must be halted.

Israel defended the strike, saying it targeted “terrorists” and was carried out in response to an “immediate threat” to its forces. The incident was Israel’s second reported strike in Syria within a week. Earlier, Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province on Tuesday, saying Turkish troops were being deployed there and that the allegation was the basis for the attack.

Inter Miami failed to return to winning ways despite Lionel Messi scoring his 14th goal of the season, losing 2-1 to Toronto FC at home on August 23, 2026. The Florida club, playing at Nu Stadium, suffered its fourth defeat in its last five matches. Toronto secured only its fifth win after 21 MLS matches.

Miami controlled possession and attacked more often throughout the match, but neither side scored in the first half. The home side’s defence faltered after the interval as American striker Josh Sargent and Derrick Etienne Jr. scored two goals within three minutes to put Toronto firmly ahead.

Miami pressed to get back into the contest, and captain Messi scored in the 82nd minute with a first-time finish from Rodrigo De Paul’s through pass. However, the hosts could not find an equaliser. Last season’s MLS Cup winners remain second in the Eastern Conference, but are now 10 points behind leaders Nashville SC and must monitor teams behind them to retain home-field advantage in the first playoff round.