Iniaes

The Tupac Shakur case

A jury has convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. The verdict brings a legal resolution to one of music’s most scrutinized unsolved killings, nearly 30 years later. Davis is expected to appeal.

In tech

John Ternus is set to take over Apple as the company tries to close ground on rivals in artificial intelligence. Apple remains the leading smartphone maker, but its new leader inherits a company under pressure to show that its AI strategy is more than a carefully polished waiting room.

Immigration enforcement and trucking

The Trump administration is expanding immigration enforcement aimed at commercial truck drivers. Homeland Security and Transportation officials are seeking nationwide licensing data on immigrant drivers, saying they are concerned some may have improper certifications. Democratic-led states are resisting the demand.

In the Strait of Hormuz

A tanker was hit by three unidentified projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a wider Middle East escalation. The attack adds new risk to one of the world’s most important oil-shipping routes, where even a single incident can quickly affect global energy markets.

At the Pentagon

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned amid reports of clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Army modernization, readiness, and the removal of officers involved in those efforts. The White House praised Driscoll’s service but did not address the reported internal dispute.

Water utility cybersecurity

Texas has launched Project Watershed 250, a pilot program connecting water utilities with free cybersecurity resources. Governor Greg Abbott and White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross say the model could be expanded nationally, focusing on smaller systems without dedicated cyber defenses.

In New Zealand

A record breeding season has pushed the critically endangered kākāpō population to 325, its highest total in 75 years. A mass fruiting of a native tree helped produce 90 new chicks, a rare piece of good news for the world’s heaviest parrot.

At the Grand Canyon

Search crews have recovered two bodies after weekend flash floods swept through the Grand Canyon, and more than a dozen people remain missing. Park lodges and hotels are closed as rescuers continue the search, while officials warn that more rain and flooding are possible. One of those killed was identified as a Texas chiropractor.

In U.S. military policy

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to permit the immediate discharge of 28 transgender service members and block one prospective recruit from enlisting while litigation over the military’s transgender ban continues.

In the United Kingdom

A cross-party group of MPs warns that microplastics accumulating in agricultural soil could threaten food security. The report identifies sewage sludge spread as fertiliser as a frequent source and calls for legally binding targets to reduce the pollution.

In the Middle East

The United States and Iran have exchanged strikes for the first time in more than a month, escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and pushing global oil prices higher. President Trump also posted an AI-generated video depicting an attack on an Iranian energy hub.

In Ukraine

Russian drone attacks are further disrupting daily life in Kyiv, with faster jet-powered drones hitting warehouses and logistics sites. Residents are dealing with repeated air-raid sirens, shop closures, and uncertainty around school schedules as the attacks reshape routines across the capital.

At the Supreme Court

President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to permit the immediate dismissal of 29 active-duty transgender service members. Separately, the nation’s top general says the military has no plans to deploy troops to polling places for the November elections, responding to concerns about potential military involvement in voting.

At the Pentagon

The Defense Department has added OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Starshield AI’s Grok for Government to a platform for unclassified military work. Pentagon officials say the tools will be used to improve productivity, retain institutional knowledge, and support collaboration. They are not for classified material.

In Jerusalem

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound with settlers, a visit critics say violates the longstanding status quo governing the highly sensitive holy site. The compound is central to Muslim worship and is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, making official visits there a frequent source of tension.

In Nepal

A school principal, Rajendra Dawadi, evacuated at least 900 students before flash floods swept away their school last week. His decision to move the children ahead of the flooding is credited with saving their lives.

In North Carolina

Police have charged the parents of a toddler now in a vegetative state after severe injuries required part of the child’s skull to be removed. The parents, including Vasantha Pasunuri, face attempted murder and child-abuse charges.

In Los Angeles

Singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, entered a new not-guilty plea in the case involving the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors allege he killed, sexually abused, and dismembered her. His private defense lawyers withdrew at the same hearing, and he is now represented by the Los Angeles County public defender’s office.

At the Grand Canyon

A flash flood has killed a 46-year-old man, and 15 people remain missing as forecasters warn that more storms may hit the area. Search and rescue efforts are continuing.

In Gaza

Israeli attacks in Gaza City killed at least five Palestinians, according to reports. Information on the targets and circumstances of the strikes was not provided.

In Europe

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is urging EU governments to prepare for overlapping disasters, shifting more effort toward prevention, climate adaptation and risk planning. The immediate complication is fiscal, with many member states having little room for major new spending.

On NATO’s eastern flank, Baltic officials say they see no evidence of an imminent Russian attack but warn that Russian sabotage and provocation efforts across Europe are increasing. They are strengthening defenses accordingly.

In tech and security

The EU has placed ChatGPT, Roblox and Reddit under the Digital Services Act’s strictest online-safety rules, bringing tougher obligations around risk management and platform design. Separately, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned that AI-driven cyber vulnerabilities could threaten the wider global economy without stronger safeguards.

In Washington

Republican campaign committees have asked the Supreme Court to let party organizations buy television ads at the discounted rates reserved for candidates, after a divided Fourth Circuit panel ruled those rates do not apply to parties.

The Treasury Department also denied G20 credentials to reporters from The New York Times, Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal for a finance meeting in North Carolina.

Global health aid cuts

The Trump administration is pursuing agreements with more than a dozen governments that could cut U.S. global health aid to developing countries by tens of billions of dollars by 2030. An analysis says spending would fall below half its 2024 level, putting HIV/AIDS, Ebola and tuberculosis programs at risk.

Separately, Sweden will end aid to Liberia on August 31, closing an embassy presence dating to 1961. Sweden has been Liberia's second-largest donor, and the withdrawal leaves sexual and reproductive health services facing an uncertain future.

In Nigeria

A surge in kidnappings and attacks on civilians is increasing pressure on President Bola Tinubu ahead of his reelection campaign. Hundreds of people were abducted from a mosque in northern Nigeria this month, while Tinubu has ordered an operation to rescue 600 people kidnapped in Niger state. Data cited in the report found the three months through June were Nigeria's most violent quarter since 1997.

At the Grand Canyon

More rain and thunderstorms are forecast after a major flash flood killed one person. About 15 people remain missing or unaccounted for as search efforts continue.

In Ukraine

Russia has launched repeated drone attacks on Kyiv, with air-raid alerts lasting for long stretches and residents describing growing exhaustion. Some drones reportedly use jet engines, making them faster and harder to intercept. Russian strikes have also destroyed warehouses, leaving Kyiv shops short of supplies and ruining 12 million schoolbooks ahead of the new school term. Moscow says it is preparing further large-scale strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

In the Gulf

The United Arab Emirates says it intercepted a drone launched from Iran and denied reports that Al Menhad airbase was attacked. The claim follows exchanges of attacks between the United States and Iran, adding another point of risk in an already crowded regional confrontation.

In climate and energy

Turkmenistan has begun repairing major methane leaks at aging oil and gas sites, according to the latest UN data. The country had been identified as the worst for releases of the potent greenhouse gas, so the repairs could make a meaningful difference if they are sustained and independently verified.

In South Korea

Han Hak-ja, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, has been sentenced to two years in prison for bribery. A court found that she gave South Korea’s former first lady two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace.

On the Nepal-Tibet border

Rescuers are still trying to reach communities and hydropower sites cut off by catastrophic flash floods. More than 900 workers are believed trapped in tunnels or underground areas at roughly six Nepalese hydropower projects. The reported death toll has reached at least 903 in Nepal and 16 in Tibet, while thousands remain missing. Helicopters are delivering aid to isolated districts.

In U.S. health care

A KFF analysis warns that further rural hospital and obstetric-unit closures could leave Medicaid patients in 14 states facing median trips of an hour or more for inpatient maternity care. From 2010 to 2022, 238 rural obstetric units closed while only 26 opened, leaving many communities with few nearby alternatives.

In Mexico

A car bomb outside a police station in Zacatecas injured six people, officials said. The state sits on major drug-trafficking routes toward the United States, and the attack underscores pressure on local authorities in a corridor contested by criminal groups.

In the Middle East

The United States says it struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island after Revolutionary Guard forces were seen preparing rockets carrying sea mines for the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said two people were killed and two injured in the attack, its first known U.S. strike since late July. Iran then launched strikes at airbases in Jordan used by U.S. forces.

Washington is also preparing sanctions against another Iranian bank as talks over a truce remain stalled. Meanwhile, two Palestinians were reported killed during an Israeli raid in Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

In Ukraine

Russia’s defence ministry says it is preparing large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, describing them as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes inside Russia. The warning follows Friday’s strike on a warehouse west of Kyiv, where the reported death toll has risen to 38 and four people remain missing. Ukrainian officials said the site contained ammunition, and the explosions and fires damaged dozens of homes in Myla.

At the Grand Canyon

Search crews are looking for roughly 15 people still unaccounted for after an August 29 flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon near Phantom Ranch. The National Park Service has evacuated 62 people and is searching by ground and helicopter. The flood destroyed nearly all footbridges over Bright Angel Creek and closed trails, campgrounds, and river access in the area.

In Tunisia

Extreme heat nearing 50 degrees Celsius is driving record electricity demand in Tunisia, causing power cuts that are also disrupting water supplies. The strain is extending to health services as the country confronts a heat emergency with little room left on the grid.

In New Jersey

Two people were killed and eight wounded when gunfire erupted at an unauthorized street gathering in Trenton early Sunday. Police are investigating.

In U.S. energy

President Trump says Venezuelan oil will be used to refill the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, following an oil deal between Washington and Caracas. The announcement links a diplomatic opening with an effort to rebuild emergency crude supplies.

In U.S. emergencies

In Trenton, New Jersey, a shooting killed two people and injured eight others. Authorities had not released further details.

California's Big Sur region is facing evacuations after two fast-moving wildfires breached containment lines along the coast. At Grand Canyon National Park, a flash flood forced dozens of evacuations, while park officials sought information on up to 20 people who may still be unaccounted for. No injuries had been reported there.

At the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, saying Revolutionary Guard personnel were preparing rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first known U.S. strike on Iran in more than a month.

Iran says several soldiers were killed and has vowed economic and military retaliation. A U.S. source also said Iranian missiles were fired toward U.S. forces in Jordan and intercepted, with no major damage reported. The waterway is central to global oil shipments.

In the West Bank

Britain has raised with Israeli authorities the detention of Finn Joughin, a 22-year-old British student activist arrested in Umm Al-Kheir, a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank.

In tech and security

The Linux Foundation says AI-related web scrapers are overwhelming the servers behind the Linux kernel's Git repository. It estimates legitimate users account for roughly 2 percent of about six million daily requests for random code commits. The site has restricted anonymous access and disabled features that generate huge numbers of crawlable links, while keeping the underlying data available for download.

In the Pacific

Hurricane Karina has strengthened over the Pacific and could become a major storm, though it is not expected to make landfall. Forecasters warn its swells could bring dangerous surf and rip currents to southwest Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula.

On Iran sanctions

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has threatened what he called an economic onslaught against Iran and countries that trade with it. China, which buys about 90 percent of Iranian oil, warned Washington against the move. Iranian bank branches in Dubai remained open, and commercial flights between Iran, Turkey and the UAE continued, signs that enforcing a broader squeeze would face immediate resistance.

Dolly Parton dies at 80

Dolly Parton has died at 80 after a brief battle with cancer, according to her representatives. Over a decades-long career, Parton became one of country music’s defining artists while building an expansive record in film, business and philanthropy.

In Germany

A British woman was killed in a stabbing at a train station in Rosenheim, Bavaria. Police said a German suspect was responsible. They provided no further details on a motive or the status of the investigation.

In space

NASA has launched a new space telescope for a multi-year mission to map the universe and study dark energy and dark matter. The observatory is intended to help scientists examine how the universe is structured and how it has evolved.

In Nepal

Nepal’s flood death toll is nearing 800, with rescuers still trying to reach hydroelectric workers feared trapped in tunnels. In Dhading, survivors say thick mud may still conceal bodies, underscoring how incomplete the search remains.

Off northern Cyprus

At least seven people have died and 23 remain missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus. Rescue operations were under way as officials worked to account for passengers.

U.S. deportations to Africa

The Trump administration has deported more than 100 migrants over 10 days to eight African countries, including people from Afghanistan, Cuba and Nicaragua. The transfers expand the administration’s use of third-country deportations, sending people to countries other than their own.

Online extortion case

A member of the online extortion network known as 764 has been sentenced to decades in prison. The mother of a victim said her daughter was groomed after following a Discord link and warned that parents need to understand the scale and methods of the group’s online abuse network.

Lake Ontario naming dispute

Google Maps has begun showing Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for U.S. users after President Trump ordered the change amid a trade dispute with Canada. Ottawa responded with a prominent “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” sign, while the wider dispute includes U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and Canadian retaliation.