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Israel warned Hamas it would intensify strikes in Gaza and order civilians to evacuate areas if the launching of drones, balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel does not stop immediately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement yesterday. Source link
An irrepressible Mitchell Starc bagged four wickets and 10 for the match as he ripped through the Bangladesh batting to ensure a commanding innings and 51-run second Test victory for Australia inside two days on Sunday.The visitors headed into the Mackay showdown on a high after shocking the world’s top-ranked team by nine wickets in the first Test at Darwin. But they were brought crashing back to earth by some scintillating fast bowling, led by man-of-the-match Starc who finished with 10-51 for the match to level the two-game series. After 18 wickets fell on a frenetic first day, the hosts were all out for 210 in the morning session Sunday, securing a lead of 146 on the back of Cameron Green’s 67.Star Bangladesh quick Shoriful Islam claimed 7-48 — the best figures from a Bangladeshi bowler in an away Test. The visitors crashed for just 64 in their first innings, when Starc took 6-12, and he was the chief tormentor again, claiming 4-39 as Bangladesh crumbled to be 95 all out. Skipper Pat Cummins chipped in with 3-10 and Nathan Lyon 3-25.”A lot of things went right these couple days and a lot of things went wrong last week,” said Cummins. “But yeah, we needed to bounce back, and it was a great few days from the lads. I thought everyone was sharp. It was a great start and we didn’t really let up after that.”Bangladesh had a horror start with Shadman Islam lasting just three balls, playing a nothing stroke to a moving Starc delivery and edging to Marnus Labuschagne at point. Mominul Haque was equally clueless next ball, failing to offer a shot with Starc removing his off stump and setting up a hat-trick opportunity. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was out for a golden duck in the first innings, this time survived to deny Starc.But their woes deepened when Tanzid Hasan departed soon after for nine. Starc was again involved, taking a catch in the deep after Tanzid pulled Cummins. Shanto did well to soak up the pressure after lunch for 46 deliveries, but he eventually lost focus against the off-spin of Nathan Lyon, holing out to the safe hands of Starc at long off on 31. And when Starc was brought back into the attack, he was front and centre again, enticing a loose shot from Litton Das who was caught without scoring by Beau Webster at third slip.Mehidy Hasan Miraz struggled to get going and departed to an equally poor shot, lashing at a Cummins bouncer and collected by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. The Australian captain then removed Hasan Mahmud (two) before Starc took his 10th for the match – the fourth time he has achieved the feat – when he bowled Taijul Islam for seven. Lyon quickly wrapped up the tail in the first over after tea.”We know how good Australia are. They showed their character,” said Shanto. “We were not up to the mark with the bat. It was challenging conditions here with extra bounce and swing, we would like to learn from this.”Australia resumed at 165-8 with Green on 51 and Lyon on 10. Green, who scored a century during the first Test in Darwin, kept the scoreboard moving early with quick singles. But he was undone by an inswinging yorker from the impressive Shoriful that hit him on the toe with a review declaring him out lbw.A valiant Lyon brought up the 200 for Australia with a towering six off Taskin and with Josh Hazlewood adding 24 crucial runs for the last wicket. The innings ended when Hazlewood skied Taijul to Shadman on six to leave Lyon not out 32. BRIEF SCORES: Australia 210 (Green 67, Smith 42, Shoriful 7-48) beat Bangladesh 64 (Starc 6-12, Cummins 3-25) and 95 (Shanto 31, Starc 4-39, Cummins 3-10, Lyon 3-25) by an innings and 51 runs. Related Story Source link
Volkswagen group has already ordered 50,000 job cuts and CEO Oliver Blume said that agreements have already been reached with 37,000 employees. Volkswagen’s CEO warned on Sunday the company was in a “more than critical” state ahead of meetings with the car giant’s staff where he will defend the company’s savings plans. In an interview posted on the company’s intranet and sent to AFP, Oliver Blume said Volkswagen and the rest of Germany’s car industry are facing “the biggest upheaval in their history” from global headwinds and Chinese competition. The carmaker is weighing up huge job cuts. In the coming days, Blume will meet with employees at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg and sites in Zwickau and Emden to give updates on the company’s plans. The group has already ordered 50,000 job cuts and Blume said that agreements have already been reached with 37,000 employees.In the interview, Blume said that no decision had been taken on plant closures but reiterated the company’s position that for plants in “Emden, Hannover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm we cannot currently see any way of them remaining profitable in the 2030s”. He said that the company also had to deal with the over-production of 500,000 vehicles per year in Europe.Closing factories would always be “the last and most expensive solution”, Blume said. He added that at sites where car production may stop, Volkswagen was exploring other “industrial solutions”, pointing to advanced talks with companies from the defence industry over using its factory in Osnabrueck. Blume described the situation facing the company as “more than critical” and said its current level of profits was not sufficient to “ensure we have the means over the long term for new technologies, new products and our locations”. Alongside competition in and from China, Blume named US tariffs, the war in the Middle East and regulatory burdens as key challenges for the company.Asked whether he expected the situation to improve, Blume said “on the contrary, we have to assume that risks will get worse, worldwide”. In July, Blume presented saving plans to Volkswagen’s supervisory board but no decision was taken. German media reported at the time that the Lower Saxony state government, a major shareholder in the Volkswagen Group which holds 20% of the voting rights, refused to sign off on the plans. Blume appealed to employees to pull together for the sake of the auto giant. “We will only be successful if everyone in the company supports this plan,” he said.The head of the IG Metall union on Friday sharply criticised management and promised to resist the factory closures. Volkswagen’s “workers have already to accept hefty and painful cuts and now are getting another slap in the face,” Christiane Benner told the Wirtschaftswoche weekly. Source link
Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Akramah Sabri has called on the Arab and Islamic nations to diligently unify their efforts to protect Al-Aqsa and all sanctities, as well as endowment property in Jerusalem and all areas across Palestine. In a statement Sunday, he called for heading to Al-Aqsa on Tuesday, Aug. 25, marking the anniversary of the Mosque arson. This arson, Sabri stressed, would remain a moment of grief and a provocative act in the nation’s history that must be commemorated to remind future generations of a nefarious assault on the Mosque and to remain permanently vigilant of the lurking risks facing it. The preacher underlined that this commemoration would be an opportunity to uphold immutable Islamic rights and convey the voice of Jerusalem to the entire world. He stressed that these rights can never be waived or compromised under any circumstance. The Al-Aqsa Mosque arson took place on Aug. 21, 1969. The fire engulfed parts of the Qibli prayer hall and Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi’s pulpit. Fifty seven years later, the anniversary comes as Al-Aqsa Mosque is plagued by rising threats, including stepped-up daily incursions by Israeli settlers, tighter restrictions on Muslim worshippers and attempts to cement a division of the site by time and space under the protection of Israeli authorities Source link
Jessica Pegula rallied in the third set to topple defending champion Iga Swiatek and book a title showdown with Coco Gauff at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.World number three Pegula won a “crazy” match against Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Gauff powered past giant-killer Sara Bejlek 6-4, 6-1, ending the unseeded Czech’s dream run that included a fourth-round victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka.Their all-American Sunday night final will a men’s title clash featuring American Frances Tiafoe and Arthur Fils of France. Fils charged into his first Masters 1000 final with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli in a match delayed for 45 minutes by rain and lightning.Swiatek and Pegula then waited out another rain delay before their match, which was also briefly interrupted two games in. “Crazy match today,” Pegula said after needing nearly three hours to subdue Swiatek, who was coming off her first title of 2026 in Toronto last week.”A lot of back and forth, a lot of breaks,” she said, “Really windy, kind of odd conditions. I felt like we were playing well and then not playing well. It was really tough to kind of get a gauge on the match.”The two rode a rollercoaster of breaks and re-breaks before Pegula took a 5-4 lead in the final set, Swiatek saving three break points before double-faulting on a fourth. Pegula quickly closed it out, firing a service winner on match point. “I was just really happy with the way I was able to kind of handle just a lot that was going on today,” the 31-year-old American said. “I did a good job of no matter what was happening.” The first five games of what evolved into an epic went against the server as Pegula and Swiatek struggled to adjust to the conditions.Swiatek blinked first as Pegula held at love for a 4-2 lead, but Swiatek won the next three games before Pegula broke again, finally taking the set when Swiatek smacked a volley into the net on set point.They had exchanged two breaks in the second when Swiatek broke in the final game to square the match.Swiatek leaves for the US Open starting on August 30 with a good feeling about her game despite the defeat. “We made some steps forward in this intensive part of the season,” the six-time Grand Slam champion said. “It was tough to play today with the wind, but we each put pressure on the other. I didn’t feel good in the first set but coming back in the second and using all of my chances was a good change.”Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion, got off to a hot start against Bejlek, jumping to a 4-1 lead. Bejlek fought back to 4-4, but the American regained her rhythm to close out the set and run away with the second.”I tried not to take my foot off the gas because I knew at any moment she could come back,” Gauff said.Tiafoe, runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati in 2024, returned to the final with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over fellow American Brandon Nakashima. Tiafoe saved three set points in the opening set, breaking Nakashima five times in all to earn the win in less than two hours.”It feels damn good,” Tiafoe said. The American predicted a “hell of a show” against Fils, whose 68-minute win over seventh-seeded Cobolli made him the youngest French Masters finalist since a 20-year-old Richard Gasquet in Toronto two decades ago.Fils admitted he had been unsettled by the weather delay. “You come on court more nervous because it’s a semi-final. The rain arrives, you wait, and when you come back conditions are completely different,” he said. “It was tough but I’m happy with how I dealt with it.” Related Story Source link
The giant structures of Bangladesh’s Ashuganj fertiliser factory have stood silent for more than a year, as a natural gas crisis shuts industries, triggers power cuts and sparks protests over fuel shortages.Machinery once ran round the clock, using natural gas to produce urea that farmers depended on to grow crops for the country’s 170mn people.Now the state-owned factory, which once employed more than 1,200 people and produced more than 1,000 tonnes of fertiliser a day, is a rusting shell.Ashuganj closed in March 2025, with the country battered by a gas shortage sparked by a plunge in production owing to underinvestment in ageing fields and exploration, while the US-Iran war has choked imports from the Middle East.”Only the skeleton of the factory remains,” said Md Bazlur Rashid, 59, who spent his entire working life at Ashuganj, built near the eastern Titas gas field. “It has lost its life”.The factory is one of six major urea fertiliser plants that have been forced to close down or restrict operations because of gas shortages.Trade union leader Md Abu Kawsar said the shutdowns had cost workers their jobs while threatening an industry linked to food security.”You cannot simply let these factories sit idle and allow them to deteriorate,” he told AFP. “Reviving them could also help save foreign currency.”But the consequences of the gas shortage extend far beyond fertiliser production.Hundreds of factories, including textile plants, are cutting production or shutting.Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment exporter, which accounts for about 80% of the country’s export earnings.At home, domestic piped gas is often cut.Power plants turning gas into electricity are struggling to meet demand, creating regular blackouts.The government issued electricity-saving measures in August, including ordering shopping malls to close an hour earlier.— ‘Don’t get a drop’ —Electricity generation, industry and captive power plants account for more than three-quarters of Bangladesh’s gas consumption.Households, which account for just over a tenth of the country’s gas consumption, have also been hit.”We don’t get a drop of gas overnight,” said housewife Nargis Begum, 50, who lives close to the Ashuganj factory.”Then sometimes the pressure is too low. We can’t turn on two burners at the same time.”Many households, particularly in rural areas, have switched to wood-burning stoves, while electricity cuts leave residents without fans in the sweltering humidity.”There is no let-up in our suffering,” said Begum. “There is no guarantee of electricity. It’s so hot now. Last night, there were three or four outages.”Gas-powered rickshaw drivers have also blocked roads in protest after hours waiting for fuel.The shortages are the result of a crisis that has been building for years.Bangladesh was largely self-sufficient in natural gas in 2018, but production declined as older fields depleted, while demand has risen, with Qatar providing key imports.Experts say successive governments have failed to invest sufficiently in exploration.Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku blamed the previous government of Sheikh Hasina, ousted in a 2024 revolution, for failing to drill new wells.”The previous government stayed away from gas exploration,” he told an energy security conference in Dhaka in July. “Our dependence on imports has brought us to this point.”— ‘Turn to renewable’ —Imports have also proved vulnerable.The crisis worsened after the war in the Middle East disrupted liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, with traffic through the Strait of Hormuz severely curtailed.Supplies were further hit when a floating storage and regasification unit, which processes imported LNG into gas, halted operations because of a technical problem.With no quick fix, the government is continuing LNG orders and investing in terminals to expand imports, even as experts call for more domestic exploration.Bangladesh has offshore gas fields — but drilling new wells takes time.Md Anwar Hossain Bhuiyan, a geology professor at Dhaka University, said gas production could be increased in existing fields, but a long-term solution requires new wells.”A single well can cost $12-$16mn to drill, but the value of the gas that can be recovered is much higher — around $4.5-$4.9bn,” he said.The government plans to buy two drilling rigs and has launched an offshore bidding round.But Petrobangla chairman Md Abdul Mannan, whose state-owned Corp oversees Bangladesh’s oil and gas sector, said the ultimate answer lies beyond gas.”The gas crisis will be resolved once we turn to renewable energy,” Mannan told AFP. “I can’t give you a timeframe for that, perhaps two years.” Source link
Critical minerals are emerging as a key area for GCC investment and economic diversification, according to an Al-Attiyah Foundation research paper. The minerals race is no longer only about commercial advantage. Control over the copper, lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements that underpin energy systems, defence industries, data centres, and advanced manufacturing is rapidly becoming a test of national power and economic resilience. A new Al-Attiyah Foundation research paper, ‘Gulf and US Investments in Global Critical Metals and Minerals’, finds that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman are moving decisively into international mining, processing and trading. Their activity has accelerated markedly since 2023, with Africa emerging as the principal investment destination and Latin America attracting more selective interest. The shift comes as demand rises and supply chains become increasingly concentrated. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), lithium demand increased by nearly 30% in 2024, while demand for nickel, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth elements rose by 6%–8%. China is the leading refiner for 19 of 20 strategically important minerals, with an average market share of approximately 70%, according to the IEA . Against this backdrop, Gulf states are deploying state, quasi-state, and private capital to diversify their economies, secure long-term supplies and deepen political relationships. Saudi Arabia and Oman are developing domestic mineral resources while investing internationally. The UAE is building on its established metals industries and expanding its overseas portfolio, while Qatar has made fewer but substantial investments. The report finds that current GCC portfolios remain concentrated. Copper, gold, nickel and cobalt are comparatively well represented, while lithium, rare earth elements, tin, manganese, platinum-group metals, bauxite, and uranium receive less attention. Investment is similarly concentrated in African producers such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Zambia, with limited exposure to Australia, Canada, Indonesia, North Africa, Central Asia, and much of South America. The US has become an increasingly important partner. In November 2025, Washington and Riyadh established a Strategic Framework for Cooperation on critical minerals. Other ventures aim to combine Gulf capital and processing potential with US technology, strategic support, and market access. Cooperation opportunities also exist with the EU, the UK, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada. However, ambition has so far produced more announcements than operating assets. Long development periods, difficult host-country politics, resource nationalism, financing constraints, capability gaps, and regional security risks have delayed numerous projects, according to the the foundation’s report. The report concludes that the GCC possesses important advantages, including abundant capital, competitive energy, strong infrastructure and international connections. The report identifies significant opportunities in overlooked minerals and underrepresented mining regions, as well as in Gulf-based processing of titanium, magnesium, synthetic graphite, and polysilicon. Success could position the GCC as an important bridge between mineral-producing countries and the industries driving the next phase of global economic development. Source link
McLaren’s Lando Norris celebrates after winning the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Netherlands, on August 23, 2026. (Reuters) Formula One world champion Lando Norris stormed to victory in a thrilling Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, sealing back-to-back wins in a race marred by a huge crash for local hero Max Verstappen. The Briton started on pole and managed to come out on top of a sensational three-way battle with current title leader Kimi Antonelli and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Norris crossed the line 11.54 seconds ahead of Antonelli in second place and claimed a memorable hat-trick for McLaren at the Dutch Grand Prix after wins for teammate Oscar Piastri last year and the Briton himself the year before. “I made it tough for myself today, but a good race. Well fought. Probably one of my better wins. We had to fight for it well, but the pace was very strong,” said Norris. “I managed things incredibly well today. So over the moon, very, very happy and nice to win the final race here in Zandvoort,” added the 26-year-old.Mercedes driver George Russell completed the podium after holding off a determined challenge from Hamilton in the closing stages of the race. A hefty downpour an hour before lights out meant drivers had to deal with a drying track and the conditions created a dramatic start to the race.Coming into the last corner of the first lap, Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull, smashed into the wall and careered across the track, forcing several rivals to swerve out of the way. To the relief of the tens of thousands of orange-clad Dutch fans, Verstappen immediately told his team he was unhurt and he walked free from the car.When the race restarted after a delay of more than 30 minutes, Antonelli reacted faster off the grid than Norris, passing him in the first turn. Antonelli was ahead until the 54th lap when Norris pulled off an spectacular overtake on the Italian. Norris then cruised towards the chequered flag while behind him Hamilton engaged in a nailbiting scrap with George Russell, which the Mercedes man won.The second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc came in fifth while the other McLaren driven by Oscar Piastri took sixth place. Antonelli still enjoys a 59-point lead over rivals Hamilton and Russell, but he will start the next race in Monza with a 10-place grid penalty after Mercedes have been forced into an engine change. “Just didn’t have the feeling with the car that was sliding a lot overall,” said Antonelli, who turns 20 next week.It was the last edition of the Dutch Grand Prix, with promoters pulling the plug this year for financial reasons. Drivers and fans alike regret the loss of the track, whose unusual lay-out with steep banked corners provides a unique challenge for the drivers. Many drivers also hailed the raucous atmosphere at the event, with packed crowds – most dressed from head to toe in Dutch orange – ensuring a party spirit. Related Story Source link
Frances Tiafoe overcame Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(2) 7-5 on Friday to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals, setting up an all-American clash with Brandon Nakashima as the U.S. Open approaches.Tiafoe needed more than two hours and four match points to complete the win over 10th seed Musetti on a humid night in Ohio, with nearby thunderstorms threatening but never interrupting play. Tiafoe, seeking to revive a summer disrupted by early exits in Washington and Montreal as well as a wrist injury, played aggressively throughout, firing 18 winners before sealing victory with an unreturnable serve.Tiafoe owns a 6-1 career record against Nakashima but will face a player in confident form after Nakashima rallied from a break down in the deciding set to beat fellow American and sixth seed Taylor Fritz 7-6(9) 4-6 6-3. Nakashima has now reached the last four at back-to-back Masters 1000 events after his run in Montreal last week, capping another impressive turnaround on the North American hard courts ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts later this month.Nakashima, who came into the match with a 1-4 record against Fritz, edged a tight first set, with both players dominant on serve as the match went to a thrilling tiebreak. After trading leads and mini-breaks, Nakashima finally converted his fifth set point when Fritz sent a ball just long. Fritz responded strongly, using aggressive returning to break Nakashima early in the second before closing out the set with an ace to force a decider.Fritz capitalised on his opponent’s unforced errors to break serve and move ahead 3-2 in the decider, but the momentum swung back almost immediately as Nakashima recovered from 30-0 down to convert his second break point of the match and level at 3-3. Nakashima then won the final three games as Fritz’s errors accumulated and the 27th seed’s confidence continued to grow, serving out a win that extended the hottest run of his career and gave him his fourth top-10 victory of the season. BEJLEK CONTINUES GIANT-KILLING RUNIn the women’s draw, 20-year-old Sara Bejlek followed her upset of world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a comeback win over American Madison Keys 3-6 6-4 7-6(5) on Friday. The unseeded Czech will play in her first WTA 1000 semi-final after coming through a tense deciding-set tiebreak. “I believe in myself much more than I ever have before,” Bejlek said in an on-court interview.She will next face American Coco Gauff, who eased past Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2 in just 70 minutes. The 22-year-old reached her second Cincinnati semi-final and remains on course for a repeat of her 2023 title triumph. “Obviously the next match is going to be tough against Sara,” said Gauff, who advanced to her fifth WTA 1000 semi-final of the year. “She’s had some incredible wins. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.” Related Story Source link
The High Committee tasked with following up on the implementation of decisions of the 19th Consultative Meeting of the GCC Supreme Council convened on Sunday. The meeting took place at the General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, in attendance. During the meeting, Albudaiwi was briefed on the latest developments regarding the Committee’s work and its efforts in coordination with relevant authorities across member states to track the implementation of decisions and review the progress achieved thus far. The Committee also examined the measures undertaken in this regard and explored mechanisms to expedite their full implementation, thereby achieving the desired objectives and aspirations. Albudaiwi underlined the importance of continued coordination and follow-up with stakeholders in member states to turn the decisions and directives of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the Leaders of the GCC states, into concrete results that advance the path of joint Gulf action and fulfill the aspirations of the citizens of the GCC states. Source link