Iranians Are Left with No Internet Access Again

19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
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Iranians Are Left with No Internet Access Again

19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)

Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again “collapsed.” 

The group said on X that the disconnect came after “a brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world.” 

A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians. 

Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the country has deployed during periods of protests and unrest. 

The shutdown left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims. 



NATO Will Not Tolerate Hybrid Actions Against Members, US Envoy Says

The US flag is lowered to half staff to honor country music legend Dolly Parton following her passing, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, 27 August 2026. (EPA)
The US flag is lowered to half staff to honor country music legend Dolly Parton following her passing, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, 27 August 2026. (EPA)
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NATO Will Not Tolerate Hybrid Actions Against Members, US Envoy Says

The US flag is lowered to half staff to honor country music legend Dolly Parton following her passing, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, 27 August 2026. (EPA)
The US flag is lowered to half staff to honor country music legend Dolly Parton following her passing, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, 27 August 2026. (EPA)

NATO members should not tolerate deliberate actions of hybrid war, and the United States will stand by countries as they deal with these incidents, Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, said on Saturday.

Whitaker said last month's attempted drone attack at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin ‌has blamed ‌on Russia, was more worrying ‌than ⁠other recent incidents ⁠NATO members have faced due to Russian drones targeting Ukraine that strayed off course.

"Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions like we saw ⁠in Leipzig, like we ‌have seen ‌in Poland," Whitaker said speaking on the sidelines ‌of a business conference in Italy.

NATO ‌members must be prepared, vigilant and also deliver a strong message when they are challenged by these events, ‌he said.

"If we can identify who's doing it — which Germany ⁠did — ⁠we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Whitaker said.

Critical infrastructure, including energy assets, could be targeted and should be monitored by national authorities, he added.

The response to these challenges is primarily national, but the United States supports countries when they are dealing with these acts, he said.


Thousands March for Democracy Ahead of Eastern German Vote

People attend a demonstration as part of a democracy festival, a day before the Saxony-Anhalt state election, in Magdeburg, Germany, September 5, 2026. (Reuters)
People attend a demonstration as part of a democracy festival, a day before the Saxony-Anhalt state election, in Magdeburg, Germany, September 5, 2026. (Reuters)
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Thousands March for Democracy Ahead of Eastern German Vote

People attend a demonstration as part of a democracy festival, a day before the Saxony-Anhalt state election, in Magdeburg, Germany, September 5, 2026. (Reuters)
People attend a demonstration as part of a democracy festival, a day before the Saxony-Anhalt state election, in Magdeburg, Germany, September 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Thousands of people joined a march for "democracy" in eastern Germany on Saturday, a day ahead of a regional election expected to result in a historic win for the far right.

The march in Magdeburg, capital of the Saxony-Anhalt region, drew demonstrators holding up placards proclaiming "more love, less hate", "a better life without Nazis", and "the potato is also of foreign origin".

The march was organized by a coalition of groups dubbed "Saxony-Anhalt: Open to the World".

The far right, anti-migrant, pro-Russian and pro-Donald Trump Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is leading in the polls for the Saxony-Anhalt election, and is expected to top the vote in the small state of 2.1 million inhabitants.

It would be the first regional election win for the AfD, marking an unprecedented breakthrough for the far right in Germany in the postwar era.

However, the party is not assured of managing an absolute majority that would allow it to govern alone.

So far, all other parties have ruled out governing with the AfD, with the exception of the pro-Russian left-wing party BSW, whose members are divided on the issue.


Wedding Party Fire in Kinshasa Leaves at Least 22 Dead

A general view of a wedding reception hall that was damaged by fire in Kinshasa on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of a wedding reception hall that was damaged by fire in Kinshasa on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Wedding Party Fire in Kinshasa Leaves at Least 22 Dead

A general view of a wedding reception hall that was damaged by fire in Kinshasa on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of a wedding reception hall that was damaged by fire in Kinshasa on September 5, 2026. (AFP)

At least 22 people were killed in a fire at a wedding party in Congo 's capital, Kinshasa, the regional mayor said Saturday.

Several other people were injured in the fire that started overnight Friday and continued into early Saturday morning in a building in Lingwala in northern Kinshasa.

The mayor of Lingwala, Norbert Mushinga, told the Congolese Press Agency that the provisional toll is 22. He noted the toll could rise further.

The exact cause of the fire is unconfirmed.

“It is a tragedy,” Jacquemin Shabani, Congo's deputy prime minister and interior minister, said. The minister visited the site Saturday morning

Deadly fires are common in densely populated areas of Kinshasa where urban development is not complemented with provisions such as fire services. The fires are common during the dry season and several have occurred this year, according to local media.