Deadly hurricane Helene, global crises and Trump-Zelensky meeting

It happened while you were sleeping. Here’s what global agencies noted overnight from Thursday to Friday.

• A few hours before the expected strike on the northwestern coast of Florida on Thursday evening local time, Hurricane Helene gained strength, reaching category 4 on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. Meteorologists warned that the storm could create "nightmare" storm surges. In coastal areas, Helene might also bring dangerous winds exceeding speeds of 210 km/h and rains in much of the southeastern United States. The storm could destroy houses, uproot trees, and topple power lines. - If you are in the northern part of the state and you have access and you’re in an evacuation zone and you’ve been told to evacuate, you do have time to do it now, so do it - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned.

• The authorities of Peru declared a state of emergency on Thursday in parts of the Lima metropolitan area. They announced the military deployment to the streets to help control crime. The city is currently experiencing a bus driver strike demanding action against gangs extorting protection money. The state of emergency was declared for 60 days in 11 districts of the metropolitan provincial capital and one district in the neighbouring province of Callao. Defence Minister Walter Astudillo confirmed that the military would assist the police in combating crime. The government announced that the state of emergency might be extended to other areas if the situation requires it.

• Overnight from Thursday to Friday, the Russian army dropped incendiary bombs on Vuhledar in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Ukrainian channels on Telegram published the footage. Soldiers of the 72nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are still stationed in the city. - So far, despite heavy attacks and difficult circumstances, we are on-site - said a soldier of the 72nd Brigade in the footage.

• The new Chinese nuclear-powered submarine sank earlier this year - reported the "Wall Street Journal" on Thursday, citing a US Department of Defense official. This could be a potential problem for Beijing, which is striving to enhance its military capabilities - according to the "WSJ". China, which already has the largest navy in the world with over 370 ships, has begun producing a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines - emphasised Reuters. The Pentagon official, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that the first such Chinese submarine sank between May and June. It is unclear what caused the sinking or whether it had nuclear fuel on board at the time.

• - As you know, Zelensky asked me for a meeting; I will meet him tomorrow (Friday) morning around 9:45 local time at Trump Tower in New York - said the Republican candidate in the November presidential elections, Donald Trump. As AFP recalled, the meeting between the two leaders had been the subject of much speculation in recent days. Earlier, as reported by the Associated Press, Trump had refused Zelensky.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a speech delivered on Thursday at the UN General Assembly session, said that his country is returning to a more active and constructive role globally. He also emphasised that escalating the conflict in the Middle East is in no one's interest. - My government was elected to change Britain. To deliver national missions, on higher growth, safer streets, cleaner energy, more opportunity, and a healthier society. But (...) We recognise that our success in Britain can never be separated from events beyond our shores. Global challenges rebound on us at home. And to grapple only with the effects of war, poverty, climate change, pandemics or irregular migration when they arrive on our doorstep is to set ourselves up to fail. We must work with others to solve these problems at root, to tackle the causes - said Starmer.

• The poverty rate in Argentina rose from almost 42% to almost 53% in the first six months of economic shock therapy implemented by President Javier Milei – show the data announced on Thursday by the national statistics agency INDEC. This means that by the end of the first half of 2024, nearly 25 million Argentinians lived below the poverty line, and 3.4 million people fell below it this year. These are the worst results in 20 years.

• In the first half of this year, 1.3 million people in Brazil declared bankruptcy due to addiction to online betting - reported the newspaper "Folha de S. Paulo" on Thursday, noting an unprecedented phenomenon. The newspaper noted that regulations legalising online betting, in effect since 2018, may soon be changed due to the rapidly rising number of people addicted to this form of gambling. The National Confederation of Commerce (CNC) study cited by the newspaper shows that from January to June 2024, online betting made 1.3 million Brazilian citizens insolvent.

• Israel's Arrow air defence system intercepted a missile launched from Yemen just after midnight on Friday - the army reported. An air raid alert was announced in central Israel, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. After the missile was intercepted, explosions were heard. "Millions of Israelis are running to shelter as sirens sound across all of central Israel" - the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.