Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to Southport, northwest England, on Thursday, where they met the bereaved families of three children killed in a knife attack in July.

The visit was the first public appearance for Catherine, known as Kate, since she finished her chemotherapy treatment.

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, were fatally stabbed while attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town on July 29.

The royal couple met privately with the families of the three young girls, as well as with their dance teacher who was present during the attack.

William and Kate – who has only carried out a handful of public appearances this year – also met with emergency services personnel who responded to the scene in July, as well as mental health practitioners who have been supporting the “blue light” community in the months since.

“I can’t underestimate how grateful they [the families] all are for the support you provided on the day,” Kate told the responders, according to Britain’s PA Media news agency, during the deeply emotional sit-down. She then thanked the frontline staff on behalf of the families.

Meanwhile, William, the heir to the British throne, told the group that they were “heroes” and urged them to “make sure you look after yourselves.”

“Please take your time, don’t rush back to work,” he added.

Following the unexpected appearance in Southport, William and Kate spoke of their “powerful” visit on social media.

“We continue to stand with everyone in Southport. Meeting the community today has been a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting one another in the wake of unimaginable tragedy. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers,” the couple wrote in a post on X.

At the time of the knife attack, the Waleses released a statement on social media from their perspective as parents. “We cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through,” they said in July, before sending their “love, thoughts and prayers” and gratitude to emergency responders.

The pair also made a donation through their royal foundation to a fundraiser set up to provide psychological and physical rehab for police and ambulance personnel involved in the attack and the subsequent riots.

Kate, 42, has been easing her way back into public life following her announcement that she had completed chemotherapy and was cancer free in a video last month. She has not revealed the type of cancer she was being treated for.

The princess said the past nine months had been challenging but that “I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.”

In recent weeks, she has been holding a number of meetings primarily focused on her early years work and her upcoming annual Christmas carol concert.

She also made a private visit to the English National Ballet a few weeks ago for a matinee show, posting about the “moving and inspiring” performance on social media afterwards.

The Wales aren’t the only royals to show their support for the bereaved families and Southport community. King Charles III made a similar visit to the area in August to meet those affected by the attack and thank frontline emergency workers.

This story has been updated.

Concerns are mounting for the safety of United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon amid Israel’s ground incursion, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned on Thursday, after Israeli fire resulted in the injury of two UN troops.

Briefing the UN Security Council on Thursday, UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Lacroix described hostilities between Israeli forces and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon as “increasingly alarming,” and putting “peacekeepers at serious risk.”

“The safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy,” Lacroix said.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported early Thursday that the peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank fired toward an observation tower at its headquarters in the southern Lebanese city Naqoura.

The Israeli tank fire directly hit the tower, causing the peacekeepers to fall, UNIFIL said, adding that other “nearby positions have been repeatedly hit.”

UNFIL said that “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have accused Hezbollah of operating in areas near UNIFIL posts, and said in a statement that it had asked UNIFIL forces to “remain in protected spaces” during the incident.

“The IDF is operating in southern Lebanon and maintains routine communication with UNIFIL,” the IDF said in a statement after Thursday’s incident.

“This morning (Thursday), IDF troops operated in the area of Naqoura, next to a UNIFIL base. Accordingly, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area,” the statement added.

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the two peacekeepers – both Indonesian – were hospitalized. Their injuries are not serious, he said.

UN peacekeepers have been stationed in southern Lebanon since 2006, per a mandate by the United Nations Security Council. UN peacekeepers were drawn from armies of several nations to monitor the situation along the roughly 120-kilometer (74-mile) Blue Line which separates the two states.

The incident came as Israel expands its strikes across Lebanon. On Thursday, Israeli strikes on a densely populated Beirut neighborhood killed at least 22 people and wounded 117, the Lebanese health ministry said.

International outcry

The injury of the UN peacekeepers drew condemnation from several countries including Italy, France, and Ireland, who all have contingents in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni summoned the Israeli ambassador in Rome on Thursday after what she described as “unacceptable” behavior by the Israeli forces.

Meloni’s office said two Italian bases of UNIFIL were “hit by gunfire from the Israeli army” on Thursday and added that the prime minister spoke to the Commander of the Western Sector of the UNIFIL mission, Gen. Stefano Messina, for an update on the safety of the Italian troops.

The Italian leader also contacted Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “firmly remind” him that “what is happening near the Italian UNIFIL bases in southern Lebanon” is “unacceptable,” according to an Italian government statement.

Indonesia’s mission to the UN blasted Israel over what it called “deliberate attacks,” saying Friday that Israel’s actions “represent a blatant attempt to spread terror on the ground to intimidate both the peacekeeping mission and international community.”

France also expressed “deep concern” after the attack, saying it was “awaiting explanations from the Israeli authorities.”

“The protection of peacekeepers is an obligation imposed on all parties to a conflict. France calls on the parties to respect this obligation, and to allow UNIFIL to continue to implement its mandate, including by respecting its freedom of movement,” a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin described the IDF’s “targeting & firing on UNIFIL positions” as “reprehensible” and “unacceptable.”

Earlier this week, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris also expressed concern after Israeli tanks were stationed close to an UN outpost manned by Irish peacekeepers.

The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell condemned what he called an “inadmissible act,” posting to X: “Another line has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon: IDF shelling of UN peacekeepers whose positions are known. We condemn this inadmissible act, for which there is no justification.”

The EU foreign policy chief reiterated his support for UNIFIL and called for full accountability regarding the incident.

Nobuyo Oyama, the voice of beloved Japanese anime “Doraemon” for a generation of children across Asia, has died at age 90, her agency confirmed on Friday.

Oyama died on September 29 due to old age, according to the Actors 7 agency. It apologized for the delay in its statement, adding: “We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the kindness you extended to the deceased during her lifetime.”

A private funeral attended by relatives was held for Oyama, the agency said.

Oyama was best known for voicing the eponymous character in the “Doraemon” television show, which aired from 1979 through 2005 – just one of three shows in the larger Doraemon franchise, which became globally popular, especially in regional markets like Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The franchise includes dozens of animated films, video games, music albums and manga series.

They follow the adventures of Doraemon, a robotic cat from the 22nd century who arrives in the present day to help a young boy called Nobita “who’s terrible at everything,” according to the franchise’s official website. The friendly-looking blue-and-white character often rescues Nobita by pulling secret gadgets from the future out of the pocket in his stomach.

Oyama was born in Tokyo, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. Before voicing Doraemon, she also played a role in NHK’s puppet show “Boo Foo Woo,” which ran from 1960 to 1967, the broadcaster said.

But it was the animated show that launched her to worldwide fame – so much so that the 1979 show is also known as the “Oyama edition” to distinguish it from other Doraemon adaptations.

The news of Oyama’s death spurred a wave of tributes on social media, with fans from across the world expressing condolences and remembering her as an iconic voice of their childhoods.

“Ms. Nobuyo Ōyama… She was someone who supported me from the very beginning of my career. Thank you so much for all your hard work over the years. I truly appreciate it,” tweeted Kazuhiko Inoue, who voiced fan favorite character Kakashi in the global manga hit “Naruto,” and had parts in other popular series including “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and “Demon Slayer.”

“When I think of Doraemon, Nobuyo Oyama’s voice plays in my mind,” one user wrote on social platform X. Another wrote: “Doraemon, I’ve loved you ever since I can remember, thanks to Nobuyo Oyama.”

Others expressed grief that Oyama had died so shortly after the death in July of Noriko Ohara, the voice of Nobita.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he shares a “very close” worldview with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, as the sanctioned leaders held a friendly inaugural meeting just as the Middle East braces for Israel’s response to Tehran’s largest-ever missile attack last week.

The meeting at a regional summit in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, also comes against a backdrop of closer military ties between Iran and Russia’s military in recent years, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the landmark meeting, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.

“Since Ukraine, the two countries have been more equal in terms of both needing each other and relying each other on specific issues. And that, I think, has been seen as beneficial from the Iranian side,” said Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, senior analyst and associate fellow, at UK think tank Chatham House.

Moscow and Tehran have a de facto military alliance in the region to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Analysts say the countries have found further common ground as they are increasingly isolated by global sanctions.

There is a perception in Moscow that Iran can teach Russia about the tools to evade sanctions, Bassiri Tabrizi noted, adding, “I think it’s overall a goal from the Iranian side, so that has been part of the broader conversation about being part of the BRICS,” the bloc of major emerging economies that Iran formally joined early this year.

Pezeshkian, a reformist who won Iran’s election in July following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, has already emphasized his desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Russia to counter the “cruel” sanctions of the West.

In a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Tehran last week, the Iranian leader called for accelerating joint projects. Meanwhile, Russia expressed interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation as well as diversifying its bilateral trade with Iran.

The Russian prime minister also invited Pezeshkian to attend the October BRICS summit in Russia, where the two countries are expected to sign a comprehensive strategic agreement.

The Russian foreign ministry has touted these meetings as evidence that Russia-Iran relations are at an “all-time high,” according to TASS.

Ahead of the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the agenda will focus on “primarily bilateral Russian-Iranian relations,” according to TASS. “But, of course, the situation in the Middle East will not be ignored, it will also be on the agenda. In any case, there will be a serious conversation.”

There have also been reports of Russian involvement in arms transfers to the Iran-backed Houthis. Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who was exchanged in a prisoner swap for American basketball star Brittney Griner, has allegedly reentered the arms trade to broker the sale of $10 million worth of automatic weapons to the Yemen-based rebels, The Wall Street Journal and other Western media outlets reported this week, citing unnamed Western officials. Bout has denied that.

However, developments in the Middle East have not necessarily strengthened Iran-Russia relations, Bassiri Tabrizi noted, and some analysts argue that Russia stands to benefit from the conflicts involving Iranian proxies distracting from the war in Ukraine on the international stage.