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 The Israeli military says it has begun the "preliminary actions" of a planned ground offensive to capture and occupy all of Gaza City and already has a hold on its outskirts. A military spokesman said troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas to lay the groundwork for the offensive, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and which will be put to the security cabinet later this week. About 60,000 reservists are being called up for the beginning of September to free up active-duty personnel for the operation. Hamas has accused Israel of obstructing a ceasefire deal in favour of continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians", Reuters news agency reported.

 The basic principle when playing claves is to allow at least one of them to resonate. The usual technique is to hold one lightly with the thumb and fingertips of the non-dominant hand, with the palm up. This forms the hand into a resonating chamber for the clave. Holding the clave on top of fingernails makes the sound clearer. The other is held by the dominant hand at one end with a firmer grip, much like how one normally holds a drumstick. With the end of this clave, the player strikes the resting clave in the center.[6] Traditionally, the striking clave is called el macho ("the male") and the resting clave is called la hembra ("the female"). This terminology is used even when the claves are identical. A roll can be achieved on the claves by holding one clave between the thumb and first two fingers, and then alternating pressure between the two fingers to move the clave back and forth. This clave is placed against the resonating clave to produce a roll.[7]

  At least migrants have died after two boats capsized as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. Around 60 survivors were rescued from the seas off the island of Lampedusa, while the search for others continues. More than 700 people have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean this year, according to the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR). Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her "deepest condolences" to the victims. A UNHCR spokesperson said there was "deep anguish" felt over the incident.

  A busy Italian airport as been partially evacuated after a man set fire to a check-in area. Video footage posted on social media shows chaotic scenes inside Terminal 1 of Milan's Malpensa airport as a fire rages at one of the desks while a man attacks digital screens before being detained. A man has been arrested and the situation brought under control, according to the Lombardy Airports Association. However, it warned of potential delays and cancellations to departures at the bustling tourist hub popular with Brits.

  The Kremlin has played down talk of an imminent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, as Donald Trump renewed his call for the two leaders to meet to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The push for a bilateral meeting comes after the US president met Putin in Alaska last week, and welcomed seven European leaders and Zelensky to the White House on Monday. Trump admitted the conflict was "a tough one" to solve and conceded it was possible the Russian president was not interested in ending hostilities. "We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks," he said on Tuesday. "It's possible that he doesn't want to make adeal."

  Justin Bieber joined a popular DJ onstage and performed at a Las Vegas nightclub. Except that he didn't. Gryffin, a San Francisco-born DJ and music producer, was performing at the XS Nightclub inside the Wynn Las Vegas hotel on Aug. 16 when he was told that Bieber was at the venue and wanted to perform, he said in a video posted on his Instagram. His 'team' said he wanted to perform 'Sorry,'" a text overlay on the video read. "Little did I know I was about to be sorry." The Bieber on stage with Gryffin was not the Grammy award-winning singer, but rather an impersonator. The DJ's video added that the look-alike performed on stage for several minutes and "sounded like Justin Bieber." "biebergate2025," the DJ captioned his post. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword puzzle.