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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your worldwide news update.
Israel ramped up strikes in the Gaza Strip in Lebanon, targeting Iran-backed militant group Sunday, the day before Israel marks the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people. Relentless airstrikes pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut that are considered a stronghold of Hezbollah, and Israel increased its air and ground operations in Gaza where Hamas is based. Those strikes included one on a mosque that killed 19 people. Crowds across the world took to the streets on the eve of the October 7 anniversary. AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports. In Turkey, protesters chanted, "Murderer Israel, get out of the Middle East." In Pakistan, a sea of Palestinian flags engulfed the city of Karachi. In Morocco's capital, Rabat, thousands marched by the parliament. They called on Morocco's government to revoke its 2020 agreement formalizing the country's ties with Israel. The recent protests follow massive rallies that took place in several European cities, including London, Madrid, Paris and Rome. In Australia, thousands gathered in Sydney and Melbourne in support of Palestinians and Lebanon. In Tel Aviv, relatives of the hostages took to the streets to protest against Israel's government, demanding the hostages are brought home. One relative, Ayala Metzger, thinks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gone too far and is not listening to the Israeli people. "Israel is not democratic anymore." At a rally in Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate, hundreds of pro-Israeli demonstrators marched with a banner that read "Against all anti-Semitism" accompanied by a police escort. I'm Karen Chammas. This is VOA News. Haiti's prime minister has traveled overseas to seek security support after last week's gang massacre. Reuters correspondent Christy Kilburn reports. Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille embarked on a trip to the United Arab Emirates and Kenya this weekend to seek security assistance in the aftermath of one of the deadliest gang attacks the country has seen in recent years. Grand Grif gang members stormed through the western Artibonite town of Pont-Sonde on Thursday, killing at least 70 people, including children, and forcing over 6,000 residents to flee. The massacre caused widespread shock in a country that has grown accustomed to outbreaks of violence with little police presence. Last week, the U.N. Security Council authorized another year of international security force to help Haitian police fight gangs. The mission has so far made little progress. Reuters correspondent Christy Kilburn. Rescue and recovery efforts continue in the southeastern United States following the recent landfall of Hurricane Helene. VOA's Arash Arabasadi has the story. The storm so far has claimed more than 220 lives, making it the deadliest since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Officials say the federal response is robust and underway. Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, Administrator Deanne Criswell speaking Sunday on ABC's "This Week" as provided by the social media platform, X. "We've got thousands of responders on the ground right now, along with thousands of volunteers and the private sector working alongside our state partners, the National Guard, the first responders in the community, meeting the needs of the people on the ground." Parts of the Southeast remain underwater with power stations completely flooded. The region now braces for Hurricane Milton. The National Weather Service predicts it could become a life-threatening storm before slamming into the already hurricane-ravaged Florida coast on Wednesday. Arash Arabasadi, VOA News. Samoa's acting prime minister said late Sunday an oil spill from a grounded New Zealand navy ship that sank and caught fire off the coast of Samoa is, quote, "highly probable." Officials in the Pacific island nation are conducting an environmental impact assessment in the area where the ship sank on Sunday morning. New Zealand's chief of Navy said all 75 people on board were taken to safety on life rafts. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |