China’s state media reported that the death toll from severe flooding in the country’s south has risen to 159, with 10 people still missing. The updated figure was reported by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, following damage caused in July by heavy rain and flooding linked to Typhoon Maysak.

Guangxi was among the areas hit hardest by the disaster. State media had previously reported 39 deaths there. CCTV did not explain why the revised overall death toll was released six weeks after the flooding.

According to information presented at separate meetings on post-typhoon recovery and reconstruction in Nanning and Guigang, more than 1.65 million people were affected in the two Guangxi cities. CCTV said both areas have now fully entered the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction phase.

The Panama Canal Authority will reduce the number of ships permitted through the strategic waterway from next month after El Niño-related drought lowered water levels. From September 3, daily transits will fall from a maximum of 36 to 34 vessels, before declining further to 32 on September 15. The canal links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the restriction follows lower water levels in two artificial lakes that supply it.

Rainfall in the Panama Canal area was 34 percent below its historical average between May and August. Authorities fear El Niño could reduce rainfall further across Central America. They said lower-than-expected rainfall in the canal’s water-collection area made conservation measures necessary to protect the waterway’s long-term operation and sustainability. Authorities have already reduced the maximum permitted draft for large vessels.

About 5 percent of global maritime trade and nearly 40 percent of US container transport use the canal. Authorities said unbooked ships will face longer waiting times, while nine out of every 10 vessels using the canal are booked in advance. Further restrictions may be imposed depending on rainfall in the coming weeks. The lakes supplying the canal also meet water needs for nearly half of Panama’s 4.2 million people.

An analysis by online estate-planning firm Trust & Will identified 10 US metropolitan areas where millennials may find a comparatively better balance among job growth, rising incomes and housing costs. Published by Amar Desh Online on August 21, 2026, the report considers employment growth, income trends, home prices and new housing construction.

Austin, Phoenix, Boise and Jacksonville were highlighted for rapid employment growth and expanding housing construction. Austin’s job and housing growth is described as helping balance wage gains with housing costs, while Phoenix’s economic expansion and new construction may help contain those costs. In Boise, increased housing supply has pushed home prices somewhat below earlier peaks, alongside strong job and income growth.

Raleigh, Charlotte and Nashville showed positive progress in jobs, incomes and housing, while Denver and Sacramento were also included. Jacksonville’s job opportunities and economic growth have reportedly outpaced housing-cost increases. The analysis said most listed cities are mid-sized or fast-growing, but cautioned that none should be considered entirely cheap. Individual income, job type and the timing of renting or buying remain important factors.

Four new members are set to join the cabinet led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Bangladesh, according to Cabinet Division sources cited on Friday. President-elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is scheduled to administer their oaths at Bangabhaban’s Durbar Hall tonight. The incoming members are BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan MP, Jatiya Party chairman Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partha MP, Bandarban lawmaker Saching Prue Jerry, and Gaibandha-4 MP Mohammad Shamim Kaisar Lincoln.

Cabinet Division sources said further changes to the cabinet may follow. Possible changes were indicated in the ministries of aviation, agriculture, food, power and energy, local government, and information and broadcasting.

Preparations at Bangabhaban’s Durbar Hall have been completed for the president-elect’s swearing-in ceremony. Presidential Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam said all arrangements were complete and the Cabinet Division was managing the event. More than 1,200 guests have been invited. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is due to take the presidential oath at 7:30 pm, administered by acting Speaker Kaisar Kamal, while Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani will conduct the ceremony.

A charter aircraft crashed near its destination in Alaska, killing all eight people aboard, according to US aviation authorities. The flight, operated by Security Aviation, departed Anchorage for Cape Newenham and went down near the destination at about 12:15 p.m. local time on Thursday. The report was published on August 21, 2026.

Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska regional chief, said the aircraft carried two pilots and six passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration said Cape Newenham is about 450 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Alaskan Command described the aircraft as a civilian contractor-operated flight with eight occupants. Rescue personnel reached the crash site and confirmed that there were no survivors. The command said the plane crashed at Cape Newenham Airport, which is used as an Air Force runway and provides access to a long-range radar site.

Former BNP central joint secretary general Professor Aslam Chowdhury said there is no opportunity to become a public representative without the people’s votes. He made the remarks on Thursday afternoon at a public reception and rally at LK Siddiqui Square in Sitakunda municipality, Chattogram, marking two years since his release after a lengthy imprisonment.

Chowdhury said a case filed against him by an opposing candidate had been withdrawn but was later revived under what he described as mysterious circumstances. He alleged that funds had come from an unspecified source for the case to be recalled, but did not name any individuals or identify the source of the money.

The BNP leader also spoke about business debts, family difficulties and financial strain during his imprisonment, referring to an old social-media post by his daughter. He recalled the Sitakunda movement of 2013 and said he tried to support leaders and activists of opposition political parties after his second arrest in 2016. After the event, activists held a procession from LK Siddiqui Square through Sitakunda’s main road, ending at Uttar Bazar.

Police said traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway returned to normal after activists blocked the road for an hour in Madanpur bus stand area of Bandar, Narayanganj. The protest began at 9am Friday, demanding justice for Zahid Hasan Bulbul, 45, an Islami Jubo Andolon leader who was allegedly hacked to death on Thursday night in Salehnagar, Ward 21.

Bulbul was the son of Raja Master of the Salehnagar Shahi Mosque area. The killing has been alleged against teenage gang leader Sifat and his associates. Protesters from Islami Andolon demanded the swift arrest of all people involved and exemplary punishment.

Kanchpur Highway Police Station officer-in-charge Shamim Sheikh said police spoke with the demonstrators and persuaded them to leave the highway. Bandar Police Station officer-in-charge Jamal Hossain said the main accused, Sifat, was arrested during a raid that night. A case has been filed, and efforts are continuing to arrest the remaining accused.

President-elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir paid tribute at the graves of BNP founder and martyred president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia before taking the presidential oath. After Friday prayers, he laid wreaths at their burial site in Chandrima Udyan, also known as Zia Udyan, in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

He joined special prayers and munajat seeking forgiveness for the souls of the two leaders, and recited Surah Fatiha. The information was provided by Shayrul Kabir Khan, a member of the BNP media cell.

Mirza Fakhrul is scheduled to be sworn in as the country’s 23rd president at Bangabhaban at 7:30pm on Friday. He won the presidential election as the BNP-nominated candidate with 255 votes in the National Parliament. Voting was held at the Parliament building from 2pm to 5pm on Thursday, and Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin formally announced the result after the count.

The annual US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise is ending on Friday ahead of schedule after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce it “significantly,” the report said. About 18,000 South Korean troops, along with US forces and personnel from 11 allied countries, had been participating. Trump described the drills as inappropriate and hostile toward North Korea and costly for the United States.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the move resulted from mutual understanding between the two countries, while acknowledging that South Korean officials had not been informed in advance of Trump’s decision to scale back the exercise. Atlantic Council senior fellow Joe B. Yun said the unilateral and sudden decision could strain South Korean confidence in the United States.

The report said concerns have grown that Washington could also reduce its roughly 27,000 troops stationed in South Korea or alter its longstanding policy of seeking North Korea’s denuclearization without consulting Seoul. North Korea launched ballistic missiles toward Japan days before the exercise and again on Thursday. Pyongyang said reducing the drills was not an issue deserving its interest or comment.

Police in Chattogram say the alleged chain of command of the network linked to “Boro Sazzad” is changing faces rather than breaking apart. After the arrest of Mobarak Hossain Emon, also known as David Emon, in late July, Borhan Uddin has emerged as a figure under police scrutiny. Detectives also believe Raihan Alam could be considered for a subsequent leadership role if Borhan is arrested.

Police describe Borhan as a close associate of Boro Sazzad and an accused in the Bakalia double-murder case. They allege that he has sent extortion demands to a businessman after Emon’s arrest. Police also reported gunfire at Haji Mohammad Yusuf’s home in Hamjarbagh, under Panchlaish police station, on Monday night over extortion.

Emon was arrested in Jashore’s Dhumdhumpur area with three associates while allegedly attempting to travel to India, police said. Authorities said he faced 18 cases, including the Bakalia killings. Chattogram district police superintendent Masud Alam said arrests of several senior associates had substantially weakened the group’s command structure, while operations to arrest remaining fugitives would continue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US President Donald Trump’s 15-point peace proposal for addressing the Gaza crisis, according to the report published on August 21, 2026. Netanyahu said Israel would not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed and Israeli security is assured. He and hardline members of his government believe Trump’s ceasefire roadmap and Gaza reconstruction process could benefit Hamas.

Trump’s proposal envisages reciprocal steps under an interim arrangement: Hamas would surrender weapons, international stabilization mechanisms and a Palestinian security structure would begin to take shape, and Israeli forces would gradually leave Gaza as the new system became operational. Netanyahu’s position challenges that sequence by making withdrawal conditional on complete disarmament, while leaving unresolved who would define and verify that standard.

The report says this difference reflects conflicting objectives: Trump seeks an end to the war and a diplomatic achievement, while Netanyahu’s political position is tied to preventing a settlement that leaves Hamas with any capability or transfers substantial authority to Palestinian and international actors. It says Washington could consider conditioning military assistance, slowing arms deliveries, or making support less automatic if Israeli policy obstructs declared US goals.

Iran is facing mounting economic pressure from US sanctions and a naval blockade, according to a report published on August 21, 2026. Rising food prices and difficulties obtaining foreign currency have increased public concern, while Tehran is pursuing a new strategy to resist Washington’s pressure.

Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at Tehran’s Center for Strategic Studies, said the measures may hurt Iran but are unlikely to force its surrender. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said Washington’s strategy is based on increasing economic damage until Tehran makes concessions. Iran, he said, is responding through a combination of military and civilian measures.

Dareini cited pressure around the Strait of Hormuz and support for allied groups across the Middle East as elements of Iran’s response. He described Iran’s approach as asymmetric warfare, arguing that Tehran cannot directly confront the United States in conventional military strength. He said the conflict has already expanded beyond Iran and the Persian Gulf to the Levant and Red Sea, and warned that its geographic scope could widen further.

An Al Jazeera opinion article published by Amar Desh on August 21, 2026 alleges that Israel, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is seeking to fuel Islamophobia in Western countries to repair its international image. It says Israel is strengthening ties with right-wing political forces in the United States and Europe while portraying itself as a Western shield against what it calls “radical Islam.”

The article cites increased anti-Muslim rhetoric and political campaigning in the United States, including initiatives such as the “Sharia-Free America Caucus,” as well as attacks on mosques. It contrasts the current political climate with former President George W. Bush’s message after the September 11, 2001 attacks that Islam is a religion of peace. It also notes that representatives of European far-right parties attended an Israeli-organized anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem in January.

According to the analysis, Israel’s public-relations and hasbara campaigns seek to generate fear around Islam and Muslim immigrants, including through alleged influence efforts in Canada. The article says Israel’s image was damaged by the Gaza war and questions whether Islamophobia can restore Western backing, citing growing political participation by Muslim and other minority communities.

Primary education in Kishoreganj’s haor region is struggling with vacancies among headteachers and assistant teachers in Astagram, Itna and Mithamoin upazilas. Of 230 government primary schools serving 46,429 pre-primary to grade-five pupils, 149 headteacher posts are vacant, or about 65 percent. The report was published on August 21, 2026. Residents have called for swift appointments and solutions to other school infrastructure problems.

Only 81 headteachers are working against 230 posts, while 107 of 1,151 assistant teacher posts are officially vacant. However, 149 assistant teachers are performing acting or additional headteacher duties, leaving 256 assistant teacher posts effectively vacant. Parents and teachers said the shortages disrupt regular classes and administration. Schools also face classroom shortages, two-shift operations, limited playgrounds and recreation facilities, and inadequate wash blocks and safe drinking water.

Astagram has 53 vacant headteacher posts, Itna has 46, and Mithamoin has 50. An Astagram education officer said recruitment had been stalled for years by a case concerning assistant teachers’ promotions, but a ruling was issued in July. The district education officer said promotion lists for headteacher posts are being sent to the ministry, with placements expected after clearance.

Frequent load-shedding is disrupting tea production in Moulvibazar, where producers say electricity shortages and high fuel prices are raising costs, reducing output and harming tea quality. The report, published on August 21, 2026, says tea gardens are facing eight to 10 hours of power cuts during the day and night, despite separate feeders in some areas.

Tea leaves are meant to enter production within 14 to 16 hours of collection, but the process is taking 70 to 80 hours because of outages, according to the report. Generators cannot operate entire factories and expensive fuel increases production costs. Factory workers and managers said leaves dry out and spoil when factories stop, while dryer machines and other equipment are also being damaged.

Industry representatives said poor-quality tea is not receiving fair auction prices, leaving some tea unsold and creating concern over wages, bonuses and rations for workers. The Kamalganj zonal office of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board said insufficient supply from the national grid requires 25 to 30 percent daily load-shedding. It said separate feeders could be built for other gardens if funding is allocated.