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Debris left by Hurricane Helene after making landfall are seen in Cedar Key, Florida, on 27 September , 2024. Photo: AFP Tropical Depression Helene brought life-threatening flooding on Friday to wide sections of the US Southeast, where at least 43 people have been killed by a storm that swamped neighborhoods, triggered mudslides, threatened dams and left more than 3.5 million homes and businesses without power. Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Thursday (local time) and left a chaotic landscape of overturned boats in harbours, felled trees, submerged cars and flooded streets. A New Zealander based in Florida said she was seeing wind and power outages like never before as the southeastern United States grappled with Tropical Storm Helene. Chloe Hi...

By Trevor Hunnicutt for Reuters Kamala Harris visits the US-Mexico border with a US Border Patrol sector chief in Douglas, Arizona. Photo: REBECCA NOBLE / AFP Vice President Kamala Harris has visited the US-Mexico border for the first time in her 2024 presidential campaign as her Republican opponent Donald Trump doubles down on the message that immigrants pose a danger to America. Harris, a Democrat, arrived in Douglas, Arizona, a border town of less than 17,000 people, on Friday afternoon with a message ripped from Trump's playbook, hoping to convince voters that she can curb the numbers of people illegally entering the United States. Harris will call for tighter asylum restrictions in a speech later on Friday (local time), her campaign said, leaving an asylum ban established by Pre...

By Riley Stuart, Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn in Jerusalem, and Cherine Yazbeck in Beirut People watch as a blaze rages amid the smouldering rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs. Photo: NurPhoto via AFP The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has bombed several residential buildings in southern Beirut, claiming Hezbollah's "central headquarters" were embedded underneath. Massive explosions could be heard across Lebanon's capital about 6.20pm local time. Large plumes of smoke were also visible. Previous IDF strikes in Beirut have been attempts to kill the leadership of the Hezbollah militant group. Multiple media outlets in the Middle East claimed the target of the strike was Hezbollah leader Ha...

By Rich McKay and Joseph Ax for Reuters Debris left by Hurricane Helene after making landfall are seen in Cedar Key, Florida, on 27 September , 2024. Photo: AFP Tropical Storm Helene has brought life-threatening flooding to the Carolinas after leaving widespread destruction as a major hurricane in Florida and Georgia that killed at least 33 people, swamped neighbourhoods and left more than 4 million homes and businesses without power. Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Thursday (local time) and left a chaotic landscape of overturned boats in harbours, felled trees, submerged cars and flooded streets. Police and firefighters carried out thousands of water rescues throughout the affected states, including in Atlanta, where an apartment complex ha...

Acclaimed actor Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89. Photo: ANDREW COWIE / AFP Dame Maggie Smith, one of the most acclaimed British actors of her generation with a career ranging from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died aged 89, her family says. She was one of a select few to win the treble of an Oscar, Emmy and Tony during seven decades on stage and screen, becoming a star known for her sharp intelligence and waspish wit. King Charles led the tributes, saying he was deeply saddened by the news of Smith's death. "As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage," the monarch said in...

By Luc Cohen for Reuters New York City Mayor Eric Adams (front) with his lawyer Alex Spiro who spoke to media on 26 September 2024. Photo: Getty via AFP New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals, as the Democrat resists mounting calls from within his own party to resign. Adams, 64, entered the plea before US Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker at his first appearance in the case in Manhattan federal court. He wore a dark blue suit with a purple dotted tie, and stared straight ahead as Parker explained the five felony counts he faces, including bribery and wire fraud. "I am not guilty, your honour," Adams said when Parker asked for his plea. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said he would ...