As tensions rise in Lebanon, the U.S. maintains a hands-off approach regarding Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

President William Ruto’s visit to Haiti underscores international attempts to support Kenyan and Jamaican forces combating widespread gang control.

Three victims were injured while trying to disarm a knife-wielding man during Friday afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque.  A spokesperson for Chateauguay police told reporters that the victims received minor injuries, although one was taken to hospital.  Those injured were in their 50s, said police. They managed to restrain the suspect until police arrived.  About 100 men, women and children were inside the Centre Culturel Musulman in Chateauguay, Quebec, when administrator Richid Amane said a man acted suspiciously after entering the mosque, CTV News reported.  Several men approached the suspect and suffered cuts to their hands and one to his body. The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the largest non-profit Muslim organization in Canada, asked the community to wait for more facts before jumping to conclusions. “We are aware and greatly concerned,” NCCM wrote on X. “We are in touch with the local centre and will provide more information as it becomes available “However, we do not have information at this point to make a suggestion as to the motivation behind the incident, and we encourage our community not to speculate as the investigation continues,” it said. A suspect, 24, was arrested at the scene. Police said investigators are interrogating him. He is likely to be charged and it is expected he will appear in court Saturday.

Gang violence is still spreading across Haiti, while the UN-backed mission to combat crime in the Caribbean country continues to lack sufficient funds to act, UN human rights expert William O’Neill warned on Friday. O’Neill, who concluded a visit to Haiti this week, said gangs are invading new territories as weapons and ammunition enter the country despite an international embargo. “Areas previously not impacted by gang violence are now directly impacted, with galloping inflation, lack of basic goods and flows of internally displaced people,” O’Neill warned at a news conference in Port-au-Prince. “The human rights and humanitarian consequences are dramatic.” He warned that the UN-backed mission, led by 400 Kenyan police officers who arrived in Haiti at the end of June, has deployed less than one-quarter of the promised contingent and has less than two weeks left in their initial one-year mandate. “The equipment it has received is inadequate, and its resources are insufficient,” he said. At least 2,900 troops were promised by countries including Antigua, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Chad, Bahamas and Jamaica to help Haitian police. More than 1,379 people were killed or injured in Haiti, and 428 kidnapped from April to June, according to the UN. “The solutions are there, and they already exist. But efforts must be redoubled immediately,” said O’Neill. He pointed out that the population continues to suffer from sexual violence, displacement and children are being forcibly recruited into gangs. The children, he said, are “being used to carry out attacks against public institutions and police operations.” “Youth are losing hope of a better future,” he said. Less than one-third of Haiti’s health services are functioning normally, and almost 5 million people are suffering from hunger.

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a Palestinian resolution demanding Israel end its occupation of Gaza and the West Bank within a year.

Israel’s Mossad was reportedly behind the sophisticated attack, planting explosives in 5,000 pagers months earlier

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui in Moscow. The top North Korean diplomat stopped over in the Russian capital on her way to St. Petersburg to participate in the first BRICS Women’s Forum to be held Sept. 18-20 on the sidelines of the Fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum, the ministry said in a statement. “The foreign ministers of Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea took this opportunity to exchange opinions on ways to promote bilateral relations in keeping with the comprehensive strategic partnership between our countries,” the statement said. “Sergey Lavrov extended warm wishes to his colleague on the occasion of the traditional Korean harvest festival Chuseok, which is celebrated in Korea today, and wished her a productive and fulfilling trip to St Petersburg,” it said.

Tanzania’s president rebukes the US and Western countries for interfering in national matters, highlighting internal security concerns and foreign diplomacy issues.

It has been 42 years since the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut, Lebanon, where right-wing Christian Phalangist militias under the protection of the Israeli army killed more than 3,000 defenseless people. After Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948 on the Palestinian territories it occupied, Palestinian refugees who were forced to migrate and sought refuge in Lebanon were subjected to a new attack by Israel on Sept. 16, 1982. The attack, launched by Christian Phalangist militias on the refugee camp where Palestinian refugees were staying, lasted for three days and was “justified” by the assassination of Bachir Gemayel, the leader of the Kataeb Party, shortly after he was elected president during the country’s ongoing civil war from 1975–1990. Palestinians, who had suffered greatly since the onset of the Israeli occupation project, lost thousands of women and children during the bloody assault. The perpetrators of the massacre, which left a painful mark in the collective memory of Lebanon and the Middle East, have neither been brought to justice nor held accountable to this day. -Streets filled with bodies During the assault on the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, the streets were filled with the bodies of more than 3,000 Palestinians. After the Israeli army surrounded the camps to prevent Palestinian refugees from escaping, the Christian Phalangist militias brutally massacred them using heavy weapons and bombardments as well as axes and cutting tools. Their bodies were later buried in mass graves. The attack was managed by Ariel Sharon, who was then Israel’s defense minister and later became prime minister. Soldiers under Sharon’s command used flares throughout the night to facilitate the work of the perpetrators. – Sharon found guilty Following the massacre, the UN condemned the events on Dec. 16, 1982, declaring that they were an act of genocide. However, no judicial proceedings have been conducted. In a report published in February 1983, the commission that Israel was forced to set up to investigate the massacre identified Sharon as one of those responsible for the atrocity. The Sabra and Shatila camps, squeezed into approximately one square kilometer, are currently home to around 12,000 Palestinian refugees according to unofficial figures. On June 18, 2001, 23 survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacre filed a lawsuit in Belgium against then-Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity. Due to pressure from the US and Israel, Belgium was forced to change the law that allowed for this lawsuit, and on May 15, 2002, the case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Before the case was dismissed, Elie Hobeika, one of the leaders of the Phalangist Lebanese Forces who played a key role in the massacre, was killed in Beirut a few days after announcing that he would testify against Sharon when a bomb placed in his car exploded. Sharon died in January 2014 without any trial or accountability. While the deep wounds inflicted by the massacre remain fresh in the memories of Palestinians, Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, continue unabated. Since then, at least 41,226 Palestinians have been killed, including 16,795 children and 11,378 women, and 95,413 people injured.

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt this week to attend the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue and discuss ongoing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal. Blinken will depart Tuesday for Egypt, where he will co-chair the opening of the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, aiming to “strengthen the bilateral relationship and deepen economic development,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “In addition to co-chairing the strategic dialogue, the Secretary will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security,” he added. The visit, Blinken’s 10th to the Middle East since Oct. 7 last year, comes as the US, along with Qatar and Egypt, are working to secure a cease-fire and hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas. US President Joe Biden said on May 31 that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, the Israeli military’s withdrawal from Gaza, a surge in aid and a permanent end to hostilities. A bridging proposal put forward by the US, Egypt and Qatar on Aug. 16 aimed to bridge the gaps over the prisoner exchange. However, critics argue that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic border area between Gaza and Egypt, has complicated potential prisoner exchange deals with Hamas. Hamas continues to demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and the return of displaced Palestinians. While US officials say that 90% of the terms of a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal have been agreed upon, Netanyahu rejects their assessment that a deal is close. Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed 1,139 people and led to the taking of around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and nearly 94,400 injured, according to Gaza health authorities.​​​​​​​ Israel currently holds at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, while it estimates that 101 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza, an unknown number of whom are believed to have been killed while in captivity.

 Facebook owner Meta said Monday that it was banning RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other Russian state media networks from its platforms. “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” it said in a statement. The move came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new sanctions Friday against the Russian state-backed media company RT, formerly known as Russia Today, claiming that it possessed cyber capabilities and engaged in “covert information influence operations and military procurement.” “Today, we’re exposing how Russia deploys similar tactics around the world,” Blinken said.  “Russian weaponization of disinformation to subvert and polarize free and open societies extends to every part of the world,” he added. Earlier this month, US authorities unsealed an indictment against two employees of Russian broadcaster RT and seized 32 internet domains on accusations of interference in the November presidential elections. Russia denied any attempts to interfere in the elections, dismissing the charges.

Niger’s coup leaders have forced the US military to depart the country, ending a significant presence in the region.

Romania, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia grappling with severe rains, flooding, according to reports

An American activist set himself on fire last week in front of the Israeli Consulate in Boston, Massachusetts to protest Israel’s “genocide in Gaza.” In a statement released to Anadolu, the Boston Police Department said the incident occurred on Sept. 11 around 8.10 p.m. local time. The man was seriously injured and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, the statement said. Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS) also reported that the self-immolator suffered serious burns. Police did not share details about the person’s identity or his motive for the action as an investigation into the incident is ongoing. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in New York announced that they are investigating the incident. Local media reported that the incident took place in front of the Four Seasons Hotel on the same street as the Israeli Consulate in Boston and released surveillance footage showing the man setting himself on fire after walking in front of the hotel for a while.  People close to the scene are seen rushing to extinguish the fire. An eyewitness told NBC10 Boston that he and a friend rushed to the location after hearing screams and tried to put out the fire with backpacks, describing the situation as “a deeply upsetting scene.” One of the witnesses, Jeferson Zapata, told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra news that the man had poured gasoline on himself before setting himself on fire. Zapata said he and others tried to pour water on the burning man. The lack of statements by US officials and the lack of coverage of the issue in the national media have drawn criticism. While the authorities have not shared information about the person’s identity on the grounds that the investigation is ongoing, social media users believe there is an attempt to cover up the incident. In a video posted on social media and apparently shared from Boston, a person identifying himself as Matt Nelson said: “I’m Matt Nelson, and I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest. We are all culpable in the ongoing (Israeli) genocide in Gaza.” “We call ourselves the greatest nation in history, yet we spend more on weapons of war than we do on educating our children, helping the homeless, ensuring all Americans have equal rights, and protecting the environment combined. We are slaves to capitalism and a military industrial complex. Most of us are too apathetic to care. “The protest I’m about to engage in is a call to our government to stop supplying Israel with the money and weapons it uses to imprison and murder innocent Palestinians, to pressure Israel to end the genocide in Gaza and to support the ICC (International Criminal Court) indictment of (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli government. “I urge any of you who are of the same mind to call your senators and representatives and demand that they introduce and advance legislation to achieve these goals. If sitting lawmakers won’t, vote for those who will. “A democracy is supposed to serve the will of the people, not the interests of the wealthy. Take the power back. Free Palestine,” he added. Later, some local media outlets shared surveillance footage of a man setting himself on fire but did not provide any information about the identity of the person or why he committed the act. Despite Anadolu’s persistent inquiries, the Boston Police Department said the investigation was ongoing and that they would not share any further information for the time being. The Israel-based Jerusalem Post newspaper drew attention to the fact that the incident occurred on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. In February, 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty member of the US Air Force, set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. in protest against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

Trump remains safe, and the suspect, who fled the scene, was captured by local authorities without further incident.

Israeli is offering 30,000 African asylum seekers permanent residency in exchange for joining the army in the Gaza conflict, raising ethical concerns about exploitation.

400 rifles, pistols allegedly sent from US seized in intelligence operation, says minister

Cyril Ramaphosa rejects the notion of limited veto power for Africa’s potential UNSC seats, emphasizing the need for full participation and equal status for the continent.

The United States has proposed a significant expansion of the UN Security Council, including the creation of two permanent seats for African nations.

 Six employees from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) were killed in an Israeli bombing of a UN-run school in the central Gaza Strip, the UN’s secretary-general said Wednesday. “What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable. A school turned shelter for around 12,000 people was hit by Israeli airstrikes again today,” Antonio Guterres said on X. “Six of our @UNRWA colleagues are among those killed,” he added. His remarks came after at least 18 people were killed Wednesday in an Israeli bombing of al-Jaouni School housing displaced civilians in central Gaza, with several injured. “These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now,” Guterres said. UNRWA said this was “the highest death toll” among its staff in a single incident. “Among those killed was the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members providing assistance to displaced people. Sincere condolences to their families and loved ones,” it said on X. The school has been hit five times since the Gaza war began last October, it said, adding: “Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times. They are not a target.” Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas early last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire. Nearly 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 95,000 injured, according to local health authorities. The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine. Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles Thursday, which are believed to have landed outside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Sea of Japan, with no damage reported to aircraft or vessels, according to the Japanese government. The Defense Ministry said the missiles were launched from North Korea’s west coast between 7.10 a.m. and 7.14 a.m. (2210GMT and 2214GMT Wednesday), with at least two reaching over 350 kilometers (217.5 miles) and a maximum altitude of about 100 kilometers (62 miles) before falling off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast, Kyodo News reported. Tokyo has lodged a strong protest with Pyongyang over the missile tests, the first since July 1. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara criticized the launches as a “clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions” and deemed them “totally unacceptable.” The South Korean military confirmed that North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan, traveling approximately 360 kilometers (223 miles). Senior officials from Japan, the US and South Korea condemned the launches and reaffirmed their trilateral cooperation during phone calls, the Japanese Foreign Ministry reported. The launches followed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s pledge on Monday to significantly increase the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to state media. The missiles were fired just before the start of official campaigning for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership election to choose a successor to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Egypt confirmed that serious cease-fire talks regarding Gaza concluded in Doha, offering hope for ending the ongoing war.

Mali desert clash raises doubts over Wagner’s effectiveness as Russian mercenaries face off against Tuareg rebels and militants.

The who chief condemned deadly Israeli airstrikes on a Gaza safe zone and called for an immediate ceasefire.