AFP UK

Tampa (AFP) – As the second huge hurricane in as many weeks rumbles toward Florida’s west coast, staff at Tampa’s zoo begins securing animals in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s landfall. The storm-battered US state girds for a direct hit from the hurricane, a monster weather system threatening catastrophic damage and forcing President Joe Biden to postpone a major overseas trip. It is forecast to make landfall Wednesday night in Florida as a Category 3 storm and remain powerful as it churns across the state.

Neu Delhi (AFP) – Pro-Palestinian protesters gather around the world — including in Australia, India, Germany, and Mexico — on the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that sparked a year of devastating war in Gaza. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 41,965 people, the majority civilians, have been killed since the start of the war. Monday marked one year since the devastating assault on Israel that sparked the ongoing war, with Lebanon now also pulled into the fray and world leaders warning of a potential all-out regional crisis.

Sydney (AFP) – A koala wanders through an Australian train station in Sydney before police officers arrive to help move the marsupial on. Koalas are endangered in parts of Australia, with population declines in some regions made worse by bushfires and land clearing for mining. Despite popular misconceptions, koalas are not members of the bear family.

Unknown (AFP) – Hezbollah’s deputy chief, Naim Qassem, says in a televised speech that the Lebanese group’s capacities are “fine” despite Israel’s strikes and after a bombing killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. Israel ramped up its ground offensive against Hezbollah along Lebanon’s southern coast on Tuesday, deploying more troops and urging civilians near the Mediterranean to evacuate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep fighting a “sacred war” until Hezbollah and Hamas are defeated. Both groups have vowed no let-up in the multi-front.

London (AFP) – The launch of a new public bus service linking two areas of London with large Jewish populations has proved to be a source of debate. Anti-Semitic incidents have hit record levels in the UK since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, with London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, saying he had been struck by the fear felt by Jews receiving abuse when changing buses. The new 310 route provides a direct link between Golders Green and Stamford Hill, removing the need for passengers to change buses.

Re’im (AFP) – “The pain doesn’t lessen, it only grows stronger”, says Doron Journo, whose daughter Karin was among those killed at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly attack on Israel. Marking the attack’s first anniversary, Journo, along with others, has returned to the site of the festival near Kibbutz Reim to remember the at least 370 people killed there a year ago.

Beirut (AFP) – “I feel sad as I miss my schoolmates and my teachers”, says 14-year-old Lebanese student Ali, who can no longer attend school due to numerous Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Lebanon said Sunday that the country would be postponing the start of the school year as Israel escalates its air strikes against the militant group Hezbollah.

Swannanoa (AFP) – In the flood-stricken community of Swannanoa, North Carolina, volunteer veterinarians are providing vital care to pets affected by Hurricane Helene. The storm has killed more than 225 people across a handful of states — making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina — with the toll still rising.

Stockholm (AFP) – US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun win the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of microRNA and its role in how genes are regulated, the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute says.

Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to bring back all hostages still held by Palestinian militants in Gaza as Israel marks the first anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Asheville (AFP) – Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene destroyed water utilities in North Carolina in the United States, residents line up at a water distribution point to fill their canisters. The death toll stands at more than 200 throughout several southeast states. North Carolina has been the hardest hit, recording half of the fatalities.

Visoko (AFP) – A Vincent Van Gogh aficionado in Bosnia has transformed a plot of land into a giant, living replica of the Dutch painter’s masterpiece ‘Starry Night’. Inspiration struck Halim Zukic, the park’s owner and creator, in 2018 when he noticed tractor tracks in his meadows that resembled the spirals of Van Gogh’s painting.