Israeli military says it has opened a criminal investigation into a 2025 incident in southern Gaza that killed 15 aid workers.

Aug 19 — Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular briefing that China supports Russian FM Lavrov’s Aug 17 remarks urging Japan to fully read the UN Charter, including Article 107 (the ‘‘enemy state’’ clause). Lin called the clause an important provision and warned the Takaichi administration is downplaying Japan’s wartime crimes, seeking to abandon pacifism, breach constitutional and international legal constraints and accelerate remilitarization. He described this as a blatant challenge to the post‑war international order and urged peace‑loving countries to jointly resist and block Japanese right‑wing forces to safeguard WWII victory and prevent a repeat of historical tragedy.

Target (TGT.N): key back-to-school season sales rose nearly 20%.