The rush of the first month of school may be over, but news never sleeps. As August comes to a close and September rolls in, a change in the seasons isn’t the only thing experiencing a fall. Natural disaster struck Italy, a politician faced defamation again, and the Catholic Church received a new saint.

Italian Earthquake (8/29 update)

Several areas of the world endure earthquakes, however Italy received its first taste of this natural disaster nearly a week ago. According to Italian officials, at least 120 people were killed by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in central Italy on Wednesday, Aug. 24. As rescuers and townspeople hectically searched through the rubble for buried citizens, President Obama proceeded to contact Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi to assist in crisis efforts.

Italian officials released photos of the devastating damage made in central Italy. A few citizens can be seen clearing the rubble for the injured, as well as people mourning their destroyed homes. The earthquake’s destruction prompted central Italy to work non-stop to help people locate their loved ones and find shelter. As of Aug. 29, an additional 130 casualties have been reported, bringing the death toll up to 250 individuals.

Anthony Weiner Scandal Sequel (8/30)

Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner is making headlines for the third time as a result of new sexting discoveries. This former New York representative’s name first landed in the spotlight back in 2011 after accidentally leaking an explicit photo on Twitter, leading to his resignation as a representative of New York. The latest addition, however, included Weiner’s 4-year-old son in the suggestive photo. Weiner promptly deleted his Twitter account after the latest update.

According to CNN, Weiner’s wife has confirmed the couple’s plans to separate. “After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband,” Huma Abedin said. She requested privacy from the public eye during this rocky time, stating that Weiner and she were attempting to take action in the best interest of their son. Abedin, who is also Hillary Clinton’s closest aide, “did not want this to be another distraction for Hillary.”

Pardoning Federal Inmates (8/31)

Past presidents trail Barack Obama as he reaches the highest record for pardoning federal inmates on Aug. 30. Activists and former officials continue to push Obama to commute more inmates before his presidency administration comes to an end.

President Obama sat down in front of federal inmates to talk about nonviolent drug offenders who will receive a “second chance”. The Department of Justice statistics state half of men and women in federal prisons serve time for drug offenses. Drug offender children mainly grow up without their parents and the “second chance” will give them a new life to build.

Turks take Syria (9/1)

Rebel forces took the town of Jarablus, Syria from the Islamic State this past week with heavy aid from Turkish forces. The Free Syrian Army including roughly 1,500 Arab and Turkmen fighters are struggling to take over a buffer zone bordering the Islamic State’s territory. Its success depends heavily upon the support of Turkey.

The U.S. currently supports the Free Syrian Army in its advances to fight the Islamic State, however, it also backs Kurdish militia fighters that the Turks view as a “hostile force.” This enmity between the U.S.’s allies makes it difficult to cohesively combat the Islamic State and its advances. According to Yahoo! News, NATO allies “called on Turkey to avoid confrontation with Kurdish-aligned forces” and to “stay focused instead on the joint battle against Islamic State.” While the saying “an enemy of my enemy is my friend” may apply to most situations, this Turkish and Kurdish hostility stands to show that there are always exceptions to the norm.

Mother Teresa or Saint Teresa? (9/2)

Pope Francis officially announced that this Sunday, Mother Teresa will be canonized as a saint. According to CBS News, sainthood is one of the “highest honors in the Roman Catholic Church.”

Mother Teresa, also known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, was a humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner who dedicated her life’s work to help the poor. This influential woman died nearly 20 years ago, yet her legacy lives on and inspires people to this day. While she is revered for her missionary work, Mother Teresa’s efforts are not always respected. The leader of Mother Teresa’s path to sainthood, Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, states that “we or I weren’t afraid of those criticisms” but rather had an obligation to review and respond to them.

As tens of thousands gather around the Vatican in two days, one thing is for sure- Mother Teresa’s life of selfless work will not be overlooked in the history books.