• Hawaii is bracing for Hurricane Lane to make landfall. It’s now a Category 4 storm that forecasters say could bring strong winds, floods and high surf. [The New York Times]

• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, has resurfaced in the first audio recording of him to be released in nearly a year. It called on followers to continue attacks on Westerners that “break their hearts.” If deemed authentic, the recording would quell rumors of Mr. Baghdadi’s death. [The New York Times]

• South Korea said it would soon open a diplomatic office in North Korea, despite concerns that Pyongyang has yet to take clear steps toward denuclearization. [The New York Times]

• Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, called in a sharply critical opinion piece for the European Union to come together to counter U.S. policy. “We can no longer rely on Washington to the same extent,” he wrote. [Handelsblatt]

• A new study offers a glimmer of hope for people with skin cancer that has spread to the brain. A combination of two drugs that activate the immune system worked to shrink brain tumors in melanoma patients. [The New York Times]

• Reindeer herders in Sweden are asking the government for aid to help the animals survive a crippling drought. [The Guardian]