By Rowaida Mahmoud
In this week’s news, Florida grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which left homes destroyed and millions without power. Qantas issued an apology after an explicit film was played to all passengers on a Sydney-Tokyo flight. Meanwhile, Türkiye began evacuating citizens from Beirut amid Israeli airstrikes, and Princess Kate makes her first public appearance after recovering from cancer to visit victims of a Southport stabbing. Finally, a photo of Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi with an Israeli blogger stirred debate on social media.
Hurricane Milton devastates Florida, leaving destruction in its wake
Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc across Florida last week, causing widespread destruction and power outages. The storm, classified as a Category 3 hurricane, made landfall near Siesta Key around 8:30pm (0030 GMT) on Wednesday, with winds reaching 120 miles per hour (195 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC). The hurricane left tens of people dead and caused significant damage to homes, with more than 3.2 million homes and businesses left without power as of Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. By Thursday afternoon, Milton had weakened into a post-tropical cyclone, with further weakening expected over the coming days, the NHC added.
Türkiye evacuates citizens from Beirut amid Israeli airstrikes
Türkiye has begun evacuating its citizens from Beirut, as Israeli airstrikes intensify in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah positions. Late Wednesday, more than 2,000 Turkish citizens and a number of foreign nationals boarded Turkish military ships for evacuation.Two vessels, the TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar, were part of a six-ship convoy that left Mersin, Türkiye, earlier in the day. The convoy brought 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food, hygiene kits, kitchenware, tents, and beds. Citizens from Bulgaria, Romania, and Kazakhstan were among those seeking evacuation, though exact numbers were not disclosed.
Qantas apologises after explicit film shown during Sydney-Tokyo flight
Qantas has issued an apology after an R-rated film was played on all screens during a Sydney-to-Tokyo flight, sparking outrage on social media. Passengers on the flight reported that the movie Daddio, which contains scenes of nudity and explicit sexting, was screened for the entire plane. One passenger, posting on Reddit, highlighted that explicit text messages were visible on screen, even without headphones. Qantas attributed the incident to a technical issue with the in-flight entertainment system. In a statement to CNN, the airline explained: “Due to a technical issue, passengers were unable to select movies individually, and the crew was limited to a small list of available films. Based on several passenger requests, a particular movie was played across all screens.”
Princess Kate visits Southport stabbing victims after recovering from cancer
The Princess of Wales has made a surprise visit to Southport, her first public appearance after recovering from cancer. Alongside the Prince of Wales, she met with the families of three young girls who were tragically killed in a knife attack earlier this year.The visit marks Princess Kate’s first community engagement since her cancer diagnosis was made public late last year. Her appearance has been widely welcomed by the public as a show of solidarity with the grieving families.
Photo of Hussain Al Jassmi with Israeli blogger stirs controversy
Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi has sparked controversy after an Israeli blogger, Itzik Balas, posted photos of the two together on social media. The photos, taken in Dubai, show Balas gifting a luxury watch to Al Jassmi during a visit to the Burj Al Arab.Balas captioned the images on Instagram: “I had the honour of meeting Emirati singer Hussein Al Jasmi at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Thank you for your time, your kind and humble heart.” The post immediately caused a stir online, with many social media users noting that this was not the first time Balas had been photographed with Arab artists. In 2023, he was also seen with Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram.Al Jassmi has not commented or shared the images on his own social media accounts.
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