Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran does not seek or welcome war but will firmly resist any aggressor. He said no power can force a nation committed to resistance, using all its strength and determination, into surrender.

Pezeshkian said Iran would not bow to threats, citing diplomatic efforts, support from the Iranian people, the work of government officials and the sacrifices of armed forces commanders. He said Iran had demonstrated its refusal to yield to threats on many previous occasions.

Separately, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and that any vessel can pass through it only with Iran’s permission. The source attributes the report to Middle East Eye.

Tom Cruise will return as racing driver Cole Trickle in a new sequel to Days of Thunder, nearly four decades after the franchise’s earlier film. Anne Hathaway will co-star with Cruise for the first time. The film is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on June 2, 2028, and Cruise confirmed the news on Saturday by sharing a promotional image showing the pair at a racing track.

The sequel will be filmed directly with IMAX cameras and is also planned for global release in Dolby Cinema and 4DX formats. Jonathan Levine, known for Long Shot, will direct. Cruise will produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. Plot details have not been disclosed, but Hathaway is set to play the owner of a racing-car team and a professional engineer.

The original Days of Thunder, directed by Tony Scott in 1990, starred Cruise as Cole Trickle, who joined a NASCAR racing team with support from a retired racing legend played by Robert Duvall. Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid and John C. Reilly also had significant roles in the original film. Cruise is also working on a future Top Gun installment and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger.

Chattogram’s public transport system has effectively deteriorated, leaving residents increasingly dependent on small three-wheeled vehicles with 12 to 14 seats as regular large buses become scarce on major routes. Areas including Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, GEC, Agrabad, Alankar, AK Khan and Patenga have few regular large buses, while limited services between Bahaddarhat and Agrabad cannot meet passenger demand. Many large buses operate during peak hours mainly for garment factory workers, worsening shortages for other commuters.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority data show 17 bus and minibus routes in Chattogram metropolitan area, with 2,900 route permits, including 803 buses without fitness certificates. The city has approvals for 1,130 buses and minibuses, 2,158 tempos, 969 human haulers and 13,000 CNG autorickshaws. Transport-related stakeholders say unregistered small vehicles add pressure, citing at least 10,000 unauthorized CNG autorickshaws and more than 50,000 battery-powered rickshaws.

Traffic police data show average vehicle speed has dropped from 21 kilometres per hour about 12 years ago to five kilometres per hour. Experts called for a planned route-based bus network, designated stops, scheduled services, route franchises and more new buses. Police said enforcement against unfit and unauthorized vehicles, illegal stops and road occupation is continuing.

At least 37 people were killed and 42 injured after a Russian drone strike hit an arms depot near a residential area in Mylia village, Bucha district, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday night. About 400 people were evacuated to safer locations following the attack.

Shells, mines and drones continued to explode after the strike on the weapons warehouse. Around 130 nearby homes were damaged, along with a care centre for elderly people and people with disabilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said storing explosives so close to a residential area was “completely unacceptable,” and an investigation has begun over alleged negligence by government officials.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its intended target was an ammunition warehouse holding components for long-range drones and launch boosters. The incident has renewed questions in Ukraine over decisions to store weapons and ammunition near residential areas. In July, explosions following an attack on another arms warehouse near Kyiv killed nine people and damaged more than 100 homes.

Rajshahi University has recorded at least 16 student suicides from 2019 through June of the current year, according to information from the university proctor’s office, public relations office and published reports. The deaths have raised renewed concerns about mental-health protection, counselling services and suicide prevention at the university. Most of the students were living outside residential halls, in messes, hostels or rented homes near campus.

The reported incidents occurred in locations including Meherchandi, Mirzapur, Binodpur and Amzader Mor, as well as students’ homes. Psychologists cited academic pressure, family expectations, relationship strain, career uncertainty and loneliness as factors that can severely affect students’ mental wellbeing, while stressing that the specific cause of each death requires separate investigation and accounts from those involved.

Mental Health Centre chief physician Professor Murshida Ferdous Binte Habib said social, psychological and financial factors can contribute to suicidal thoughts. Students have called for more accessible counselling, awareness programmes in departments and halls, and crisis support for those living outside campus. Proctor Professor Dr Mahbubur Rahman said counselling is being provided through the mental health centre and other cells, while the proctor’s office monitors such issues regularly.

Former Bangladesh inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed has reportedly moved from Dubai to the Caribbean island state of Saint Lucia on 17 August, after being released on bail in the United Arab Emirates. Sources cited by the report said he holds a Saint Lucian passport, has joint investments there and owns a flat in the Gros Islet area. A recently compulsorily retired deputy inspector general, described as maintaining contact with Benazir and his family, confirmed the reported move.

The report said a Dubai court granted Benazir conditional bail on 27 July and he was released on 30 July after legal procedures concerning Bangladesh's extradition-related documents. Bangladesh had sent Dubai police a 244-page dossier on 20 June. Police headquarters said communication with the UAE government continued and necessary information had been supplied.

Officials said they were checking the reported Saint Lucia travel. The report alleges Benazir possesses passports from six countries and faces allegations and cases including corruption, money laundering and crimes against humanity. Criminologist Touhidul Haque said the departure had increased uncertainty about bringing him before the law and called for stronger efforts through Interpol.

Israeli forces have closed the only entrance to the village of al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank, preventing residents from leaving or entering, according to village council head Amin Abu Alia. He told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that the gate has remained closed almost continuously since Friday, opening only for a few minutes at times.

Abu Alia told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency that the gate is shut in the morning, stopping village workers from reaching their jobs, and that they face the same restriction when attempting to return. He alleged that the purpose is to force Palestinians to leave the area. Israeli forces raided al-Mughayyir on Friday following an allegation that a sheep belonging to an Israeli settler had been stolen, an accusation Abu Alia rejected.

Three Palestinians were injured during the raid, and an ambulance was reportedly obstructed while trying to reach them. Abu Alia said more than 50 Israeli settlers entered the village’s northern area, assaulted a farmer and took 25 of his sheep. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said al-Mughayyir has faced a “suffocating siege” for about 20 days, with the gate opened for only two hours on some days.

Inter Miami ended a five-match winless run with a record-margin 7-1 Major League Soccer victory over CF Montreal at Stade Saputo. Lionel Messi led the Florida club’s return to winning form, scoring four goals and providing an assist. The result was Miami’s first MLS win since July 25 and followed four defeats and one draw in their previous five matches.

Montreal began aggressively and saw several attempts strike the goalpost. Casemiro put Miami ahead with a powerful header from a corner in the 20th minute, before Fabian Herbers equalised in the 37th. Messi restored the lead two minutes later with a long-range strike, sending Miami into halftime 2-1 ahead. He added his second goal in the 51st minute, while Luis Suarez scored Miami’s fourth in the 79th.

Messi completed his hat-trick three minutes after Suarez’s goal. Alexander Shaw made it 6-1 in the 89th minute, and Messi scored from a free kick in the fifth minute of added time. The four-goal outing was the eighth of Messi’s career and his first for Miami. His 18 goals in 19 MLS matches place him top of the league scoring chart, two ahead of FC Dallas’ Peter Musa. New coach Cristian Kily Gonzalez will take charge once he receives a work permit.

On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Bangladesh’s disappearance investigation commission said 251 people remain missing, while acknowledging the actual number may be higher. The day is being observed for the third time since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024. Families of the missing continue to live with uncertainty, unable to confirm whether relatives are alive or dead.

The commission received 1,850 complaints and, after removing duplicate submissions, took up more than 1,569 cases before filing its final report on January 13 this year. It described disappearances as a structural crime involving state security and law-enforcement agencies during particular political periods. The report said victims were sometimes killed, later shown arrested in cases, or sent across the border.

Three disappearance, torture and killing cases are being tried at the International Crimes Tribunal, though families say progress is slow. Rights groups and legal figures have questioned proposed legislation that would give law-enforcement agencies authority to investigate complaints against themselves. They have called for independent investigations, faster trials, accountability, compensation and rehabilitation for affected families.

An article argues that the “Mecca Joint Defense Pact” among Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan is fundamentally a defensive arrangement aimed at addressing immediate and potential security and military threats. It says the agreement has drawn international attention and differing assessments over its significance and strategic effects, while some analysts have questioned its utility, implementation prospects or alleged sectarian character.

The article rejects those portrayals, describing collective security alliances as a legitimate right of states under international law and an established practice in diplomacy. It says the three countries share an assessment of regional conflict, possible strategic vacuums, imbalances of power and the erosion of a long-standing regional order. Their complementary capabilities, it argues, could help restore strategic balance and address security gaps created by conflict.

The article places particular emphasis on Saudi Arabia’s strategic position, citing its location, religious status, oil resources, financial strength, diplomacy, international ties and military capabilities. It says Saudi Arabia’s ports and supporting infrastructure have gained relevance as alternative energy routes, while Vision 2030 is expanding activity across investment, tourism, logistics, manufacturing, mining, renewable and nuclear energy, and defense production.

An opinion article examines renewed media attention to alleged militant activity in Bangladesh since early August, arguing that reports of bombs, explosives and releases of detainees should be investigated but should not alone establish a major resurgence of militancy. It cites reports published on August 19 by Deutsche Welle Bangla and several BBC Bangla headlines, alongside a Singapore-based analysis on religious extremism during political transition.

The article distinguishes proven terrorist activity from security fears and cautions against treating isolated incidents as evidence of a nationwide security crisis. It invokes the concept of securitization, arguing that linking individual cases with political change, Islamism, youth radicalization, cross-border networks and regional security can create a broader narrative that requires proof. It also says Islamist political activity should not automatically be equated with militancy.

The author criticizes reliance on Indian media reports and warns that repeated citations from a single source can create an appearance of international consensus. The article calls for professional policing, strong intelligence, effective courts and politically neutral law enforcement. It says assessments should rely on verifiable information about arrests, organizational links, funding, weapons, training, foreign contacts and legally established terrorism cases.

A glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, 2026 triggered a destructive flash flood and landslide, according to the source. A mass of ice and rock reportedly fell from near Langtang Lirung into the Lhende River, temporarily blocking the channel before the debris dam failed. The resulting flood swept through downstream valleys, affecting the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river basins. The source reports 469 deaths, about 1,500 injuries and roughly 1,500 missing people.

Scientists cited in the report describe the event as a cascading geophysical disaster rather than a rainfall-driven flood. They said the collapse generated seismic signals equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, though the US Geological Survey later determined that no natural earthquake had occurred. The debris flow reportedly travelled its first 22 kilometres at an average speed of about 193 kilometres per hour, while river levels rose about nine metres within 30 minutes.

The report links the disaster to weakened permafrost, glacier retreat, unusually high temperatures and steep Himalayan terrain. It says a heatwave struck the area two days earlier, while longer-term warming has destabilised ice and rock. Damaged roads and bridges have also hindered rescue access to remote communities.

US President Donald Trump has threatened what he described as a “full-scale economic war” against Iran, but questions remain over whether new sanctions can place meaningful pressure on Tehran. Mark Fiefl, a former US national security adviser and president of Off the Record Strategies, said sanctions alone may not be sufficient to force Iran to yield.

In an analysis to Al Jazeera from Washington, Fiefl said isolated sanctions and threats issued on social media would make it difficult to pressure Iran effectively. He argued that the entire US government would need to pursue a coordinated strategy rather than impose successive measures without broader alignment.

Fiefl said the central issue is Iran’s nuclear and military capacity. He argued that sanctions would remain of uncertain effectiveness if Iran retains uranium, continues its missile program, and maintains funding for regional proxies. According to his assessment, Washington would need a policy targeting Iran’s economic capacity, uranium stockpile, missile program and proxy financing simultaneously. The effectiveness of Trump’s threat, he said, will depend on how planned and coordinated US pressure is.

The Gayebi Mosque in Sharifpur village of Baishgaon Union, Manoharganj, Cumilla, continues to draw worshippers and visitors for its Mughal-era architecture and setting beside Nateshwar Dighi. Archaeology Department sources in Cumilla and local sources say the mosque was built in 1657, while some residents cite 1658. The lime-and-surki structure is described as about 400 years old and has been preserved as an antiquity.

Located near the meeting area of Cumilla, Chandpur and Noakhali districts, the mosque stands at the northeastern corner of the 35.29-acre Nateshwar Dighi. It has three domes, three arched eastern entrances, three western mihrabs, four large octagonal corner minarets and two additional octagonal minarets above the central entrance. A Persian inscription names Hayat Abdul Karim as its founder.

Local accounts differ over its origin, with some describing it as a divinely established mosque linked to Hazrat Shah Sharif Baghdadi (R.), whose shrine is on the eastern bank of the dighi. The Archaeology Department oversees maintenance and renovated the mosque five years ago, according to the management committee. Residents say further urgent repairs are needed and have called for an archaeological tourism centre around the mosque, dighi and shrine.

A federal judge in California said the US government was acting unconstitutionally to silence critics of Israel, criticizing the Trump administration’s effort to deport people protesting Israel’s actions on college campuses. In a Friday ruling, Judge Noel Wise delivered a victory for The Stanford Daily, the Stanford University student newspaper.

The newspaper had said some international students were afraid to speak publicly because of deportation threats. Wise wrote that free speech becomes illusory if people are free only to express favorable opinions about the government and its leaders. He also described freedom of speech and freedom of the press as foundations of America’s enduring democracy.

The Stanford Daily editor-in-chief George Portias welcomed the ruling in a post on X. He said journalists in the newsroom should not have to work with fears that writing a report could lead to their expulsion. Portias said the victory meant they would no longer have to hold such fears.