A Bangladeshi man, Yusuf Raju, 44, was killed in a shooting at a restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, police said. The shooting occurred after midnight on Sunday night in the Brownsville area, at American Best Wings and Pizza on Rockaway Avenue. Raju was an employee of the restaurant, and another employee was injured.

Police found a 44-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head and a 39-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the leg at the scene. Both were taken to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced the older man dead. Police said the injured 39-year-old man was in stable condition.

Restaurant owner Sheikh Russell and Raju’s friend Abdul Jalil confirmed the victim’s identity. Police have not determined whether the gunman was inside the restaurant or fired from outside. The motive for the attack remains unknown, and police are searching for the person involved. Authorities had not publicly released the identities of the deceased and injured people.

A rapidly spreading wildfire in western Nevada prompted officials on Sunday to order residents to leave homes near Reno as the Hawk Fire moved toward the city. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve told CNN that about 42,000 people had already moved to safety, while another 45,000 were told to prepare for rapid evacuation. Governor Joe Lombardo declared an emergency in Washoe County.

Within a day of igniting, the fire had burned about 15,040 acres, or 6,087 hectares. By Sunday afternoon, it was burning about 5 miles, or 8 kilometers, northwest of Reno. Local media reported that several homes on hilltops had burned. Six people were injured, including three emergency workers, while the federal InciWeb wildfire monitoring website described conditions as very severe.

Fire service chief Richard Edwards urged residents to be ready to leave as soon as evacuation instructions were issued, or earlier if possible. He said the fire was highly changeable and that wind was driving its rapid spread, potentially allowing flames to reach residential areas quickly. Images posted by the local fire service showed flames on hills near Reno and thick smoke across the sky.

Iran’s parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has approved a draft law to impose fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state news agency IRNA. The committee approved Article Three of the proposed law, titled “Strategic Action to Ensure the Security and Progress of the Strait of Hormuz.” The report was published on August 24, 2026.

Committee spokesperson Hassan Khashkavi said the charges would cover services provided to vessels, including maritime, environmental, insurance, security and other services. Fees could also apply to fuel supplies provided under special circumstances. The charges would be collected from ships owned by countries granted permission to transit the strait.

Payments would be made in Iranian rials or another currency designated by Tehran, Khashkavi said. He added that the proposal considers the rights of countries bordering the Strait of Hormuz, referring to Oman’s position after adoption of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The strait has become a major point of dispute in efforts to end the US-Israel war with Iran.

The government plans to organize a national-level Holy Quran competition across educational institutions at different levels, Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haq Milon said. He announced the initiative in a Facebook post on Monday, saying it is intended to strengthen students’ moral and religious values.

Under the proposed initiative, students from different levels of education will have an opportunity to participate in the national Quran competition. The minister said the government is taking steps to introduce the competition throughout the education system.

Milon had previously disclosed the plan on June 18, saying the government was working in an integrated manner across all areas of education. At that time, he said the planned activities would seek to establish morality, family values and religious values among students.

Iran has warned that vessels violating Tehran’s procedures for transit through the Strait of Hormuz could face fines, detention or confiscation. The warning was issued by Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority on August 24, 2026, after it said several ships had breached the prescribed arrangements for passage through the strategic waterway.

In a post on X, the authority said restrictions would be imposed on the future movement of vessels found to have violated the rules. It also warned that other ships cooperating with vessels under sanctions could themselves be listed as non-compliant.

The authority said ship or cargo owners seeking removal from the list must submit an application with supporting documents. It urged shipping companies and cargo owners to check its published Non-Compliant Vessels List before using a vessel, in order to avoid possible fines or other restrictions.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi is due to travel to Tehran on Tuesday to meet Iranian officials on the Strait of Hormuz, bilateral relations and regional issues. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported the planned visit, citing the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The report was published on August 24, 2026.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said al-Busaidi will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. Their discussions are expected to cover ties between Iran and Oman as well as a range of regional matters. Baghaei described the trip as part of the two countries’ ongoing political dialogue.

Iran and Oman border the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and share responsibility for its security and stability, Baghaei said. He said the visit is intended to strengthen bilateral cooperation and continue regular political consultations, with the aim of supporting peace and stability in the region. Tensions over the key global energy transport route have increased recently, making the high-level talks between the two littoral states significant, according to the report.

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has called for an international protection force to be deployed in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, describing such action as urgently needed. In a post on the US social media platform X, she said third states have a responsibility to act to end what she described as Israel’s illegal occupation, in line with an International Court of Justice ruling.

Albanese referred to the ICJ’s advisory opinion of July 2024, which described Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory as unlawful. The ruling also called on states not to assist in maintaining the occupation. Her appeal focuses on the responsibilities of third states under that opinion.

She also questioned the effectiveness of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s diplomatic efforts and the General Assembly’s “Uniting for Peace” process in overcoming Security Council deadlock over Gaza and the West Bank. The process allows the General Assembly to consider international peace and security issues when permanent members’ lack of agreement prevents Security Council action. The source says US vetoes have blocked effective Security Council measures on the situation.

Researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute have used generative artificial intelligence to design new viral genomes that functioned as bacteriophages in laboratory tests, according to the report published on August 24, 2026. The AI-designed viruses were able to infect and reduce Escherichia coli, or E. coli, bacteria. The work moves generative AI beyond producing text, images and software into designing biological systems.

The research used the Evo genome-language model series and employed bacteriophage ΦX174 as a biological reference. Researchers asked the AI to generate new genomes with functional structures rather than copies of a natural virus. About 300 designs were selected for synthesis and testing, and 16 became functional bacteriophages. Training data excluded genomes of viruses capable of infecting humans, while the designed viruses were intended to target bacteria rather than cause disease in people.

The findings remain a proof of concept because only a small share of proposed designs worked. The report identifies potential applications in phage therapy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but notes unresolved questions over effectiveness, safety, patient-specific phage selection and regulatory approval. Biosafety experts say security, oversight and controls must advance alongside genome-design capabilities.

An article published by Amar Desh on August 24, 2026 warns that online honey traps are becoming more complex as social media, messaging apps and digital communication make it easier for strangers to form friendships or relationships. The report says fraudsters may build friendship, romantic or intimate connections before attempting to obtain personal information, photos, videos or money.

It identifies fake profiles, video calls, collection of personal images, AI-generated fake images or videos, and blackmail as tactics that can be used in digital honey traps. Users are advised to be cautious when someone seeks unusual closeness quickly, asks personal questions early, offers excessive praise, conceals their identity, requests intimate content or demands money. The article says a single warning sign does not prove a person is involved in a honey trap and that the full situation should be assessed.

The guidance urges users to verify profiles, limit sharing of phone numbers, addresses, workplace, family and identification information, and avoid uncomfortable video-call requests. If threatened with publication of private content, it advises preserving messages, call information, screenshots, profiles and phone numbers, while seeking help from trusted people and relevant authorities in serious cases.

Israeli authorities have threatened to increase targeted killings and evacuate residential areas in Gaza if children do not stop flying kites, according to the report published on August 24, 2026. Children in displaced-persons camps regularly fly kites for entertainment, and broken strings can allow them to drift across the border into Israeli territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said killings would be increased and residents of relevant residential areas removed if kite, balloon or drone launches continued. Katz said on Sunday that, whether or not they carried explosives, “a kite is like a drone.” However, the Israeli military said four kites recovered near Gaza contained no suspicious objects and posed no risk to the public.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Israel was using children’s toys as a pretext for carrying out aggression. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023 have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000, while about 90 percent of the territory’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.

The Panama Canal has become a new focal point of geopolitical tension as traffic rises amid disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war. The 80-kilometre waterway links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is strategically important for global trade. The United States has warned that growing Chinese influence around the canal could threaten trade and security, while China rejects the claim. Panama has reaffirmed its sovereignty and said the canal will remain permanently neutral.

According to the Baltic and International Maritime Council, average daily canal traffic reached 38 vessels by the end of May, up 8 percent from a year earlier and near capacity. In the five weeks after the Iran war began, transits rose 16 percent year on year. Higher demand has lengthened waiting times, intensified competition for booking slots and raised payments for priority passage.

Environmental constraints are also limiting operations. Water levels in Gatun Lake remain below historical averages, and the Panama Canal Authority will reduce permitted daily crossings from 36 to 32 starting September 15, 2026. Panama's Supreme Court earlier ruled the legal framework for CK Hutchison's port concession unconstitutional, further heightening disputes over Chinese-linked port operations near the canal.

An article published on August 24, 2026 warns that AI voice-cloning technology is creating new risks of cyber fraud, including impersonation of children, family members, bank officials and corporate executives. The technology analyzes vocal traits such as tone, pronunciation, pace, emotion and speaking style, then generates speech that can sound like a real person saying words they never said.

The article notes that generative AI can in many cases create a convincing voice from only seconds of audio. It also identifies legitimate uses in film dubbing, animation, audiobooks, video games, education and communication support for people who have lost the ability to speak. However, criminals can collect voice samples from social-media audio or video and use them to seek money, confidential information or issue false instructions.

The report advises people not to send money or share sensitive information solely because a familiar voice calls from an unknown number. It recommends confirming urgent requests through another phone number or video call and setting family or workplace verification codes. It says AI platforms are adding consent checks, while researchers are developing tools to identify AI-generated audio.

Esophageal cancer has emerged as a leading cancer concern in Bangladesh, with about 22,000 people diagnosed each year, according to 2020 World Health Organization data cited by Amar Desh Online on August 24, 2026. The report says the disease ranks after breast cancer among women and has a significant mortality rate. Esophageal cancer can develop from long-term inflammation or abnormal cell growth in the lining of the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Warning signs include difficulty swallowing solid food that may later progress to trouble swallowing liquids or water, abdominal pain, frequent belching, heartburn, vomiting after meals, digestive problems such as constipation, and unexplained weight loss over several months.

Regular or excessive use of tobacco products, including betel leaf, jorda, cigarettes and bidis, may increase the risk. Risk is also associated with undercooked or heavily fried food and long-term consumption of foods high in preservatives. Diagnosis commonly involves endoscopy and biopsy, while treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy depending on the disease type and stage.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has infected 5,515 people and killed 2,642, according to the latest government figures reported on August 24, 2026. Fifty-one new cases were identified in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, according to information released Sunday. The current outbreak was declared in mid-May and is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.

The World Health Organization has declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern, with neighboring Uganda also under alert. Government data cited in the report said the death rate rose from about 20 percent in early June to nearly 48 percent, while another cited figure put the current rate above 85 percent. About 160 health workers have been infected and around 45 have died, WHO said.

Armed conflict, displacement, attacks on health staff and facilities, population movement for work, and infrastructure shortages are hampering containment. The outbreak involves the relatively rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment is available. WHO pledged 70,000 doses of Ervebo vaccine and said response efforts must increase two to three times.

Charles Spencer, the younger brother of the late British royal Princess Diana, is writing a book about her life and his personal memories of her. Titled “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” the book is due to be published in the United Kingdom next month, ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death. Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House, will publish it in the UK before releases in other countries.

Spencer said that over time, much misinformation about Diana has become accepted as truth. He said he regularly receives requests for interviews about his sister and finds some published opinions about her uncomfortable because, in his view, many are untrue. He decided to present his thoughts and memories in book form, drawing on his own experiences and relationship with Diana.

Diana gained global recognition after marrying the then Prince Charles in 1981 and became one of the world’s most photographed women. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1996, and she died aged 36 in a Paris car crash in August 1997. Penguin Random House publishing director Daniel Bunyard called the planned book a work of historical importance.