AFP UK

Beirut is buzzing with activity as volunteers scramble to help the tens of thousands of people displaced by Israel’s intense bombardment of Lebanon. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel in support of its ally Hamas since the militant group’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that triggered a devastating war in Gaza. This week Israel dramatically intensified its attacks, mostly on Hezbollah’s south Beirut and southern and eastern Lebanese strongholds, killing more than 700 people, according to the health ministry.

Cars, trees and houses are submerged in flood water as a strong wind batters the city of St. Pete Beach, Florida, caused by Hurricane Helene. Three people have been killed by the hurricane, which weakened on 27 September to a tropical storm – still deemed very dangerous according to authorities.

Wellington (AFP) – A New Zealand enthusiast spent half a century amassing one of the world’s largest private butterfly collections. As death nears, he has handed this life’s work of 20,000 specimens to a museum.

Shizuoka (Japan) (AFP) – The world’s longest-serving death row prisoner has been acquitted, more than half a century after his murder conviction, following a Japanese court ruling that evidence had been fabricated. Ailing health has prevented 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamada from appearing in the court to learn the outcome of the retrial, granted a decade ago after a long campaign by his supporters.

Doha (AFP) – Qatar, a mediator in the Gaza war, says it is “working with our partners” to ensure “an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon”. Cross-border violence between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has intensified in recent days after repeated failures to reach a truce between Israel and Hamas militants as the war enters its 12 month.

Kutupalong (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Rohingya refugees have endured years of boredom, misery and violence in Bangladesh — but last month’s overthrow of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina has given some fresh hope for the future. Hasina was initially lauded by the international community in 2017 for opening the borders to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing a Myanmar military crackdown. But the years since have seen rampant malnutrition and regular gun battles in camps, whose inhabitants hope that Hasina’s ouster will bring renewed attention to their plight. “We and our children live in fear at night because of the shootings,” 42-year-old Shonjida, who goes by one name, told AFP.

Hong Kong (AFP) – At 88, Yan Kar-man is one of Hong Kong’s few remaining master tailors of the cheongsam, a dress recognisable for its form-fitting silhouette and which was famously featured in Wong Kar-wai’s film “In the Mood for Love”.

New York (AFP) – Hundreds of protesters gather at Madison Square Park in New York before marching across Manhattan in a show of support for Palestine and Lebanon. The protest comes after Israel’s September 23 strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 558 people.

Kegworth (United Kingdom) (AFP) – After dominating the landscape of the English East Midlands for nearly 60 years, the UK’s last coal-fired power plant in Ratcliffe-on-Soar is to close at the end of the month, with some locals sad to see it go. The closure comes after the new Labour government launched its flagship green energy plan.

Jiyeh (Lebanon) (AFP) – Residents of Jiyeh inspect the damage near a crater where a warehouse used to stand, destroyed overnight by an Israeli air strike for suspicions it was housing weapons belonging to Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The two sides have been locked in a year-long battle that has recently escalated: Israel’s September 23 bombardment on Lebanon killed at least 558 people, in the country’s deadliest day of violence since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Melbourne (AFP) – Pesto the penguin towers over the colony at his Australian aquarium home, a fluffy brown furball impossible to miss as he waddles across the ice. The king penguin chick has garnered global attentiong for his remarkable size at just nine months old.

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Lebanon’s health minister says at least 51 people have died and more than 220 injured on September 25th, the third day of major Israeli raids across the country that have killed over 550 since the start of the week.