First Thing: Death toll climbs as Florida grieves Hurricane Milton’s destruction

At least 10 people have died. Plus, a deadly day of Israeli strikes in Gaza and Lebanon

Good morning.

The death toll from Hurricane Milton climbed to at least 10 on Thursday as Florida continued to assess the damage from the category 3 storm that caused extensive property damage across the state and left more than 3.5m homes and businesses without power.

Five deaths were in a senior community in St Lucie county that was struck by a tornado formed in Milton’s outer bands, authorities there said. The tornado hit before the hurricane made landfall near Sarasota on Florida’s western coast on Wednesday evening.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a man who was found clinging to an ice box in the Gulf of Mexico after his boat was stranded overnight in waters roiled by Milton.

How bad was the storm surge? Although the powerful storm surge authorities predicted before Milton’s arrival was not as bad as projected, in some areas, such as parts of Sarasota county, a storm surge of 2.4-3 metres (8-10ft) was recorded.

What is the role of global heating? It is always complicated when discussing specific weather events. But the burning of fossil fuels has made storms as severe as this month’s Hurricane Helene about 2.5 times more likely than they were in the preindustrial age, scientists at the World Weather Attribution group said.

What did Joe Biden say? The president attacked lies and misinformation when asked if he had spoken to Donald Trump, who falsely claimed disaster relief funds were redirected to migrants. “Former President Trump, get a life, man,” Biden said.

At least 22 people killed and 117 wounded in Israeli strike on Beirut, health officials says – alongside new Gaza bombardment

At least 22 people have been killed and a further 117 wounded in Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday night, Lebanese health officials reported. A passerby told the Guardian that families were fleeing the scene carrying mattresses and bags, with some bleeding from the ears from the force of the blasts.

Israeli media reported the target was Wafiq Safa, one of Hezbollah’s top political officials. About an hour after the airstrikes, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for residents of Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, warning they will be carrying out airstrikes.

Separately, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said on Thursday that Israeli forces had deliberately fired on its positions, injuring two peacekeepers – and bringing fresh accusations of violations of international law.

Meanwhile in Gaza, a “catastrophic situation” unfolded at a hospital offering specialist children’s care, the director of Kamal Adwan hospital said, as Israeli forces launched new ground assaults and airstrikes in Gaza.

Here’s the impact of Israel’s assault on Lebanon so far: The health ministry said 2,169 people had been killed and 10,212 wounded over the past year of conflict, not including those from last night’s Beirut bombings.

Here is the impact of Israel’s assault on Gaza so far: More than 42,065 people had been killed and 97,886 injured since 7 October 2023, health officials said, including at least 28 killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza on Thursday morning.

Don’t miss this: A before and after visualization of how a year of Israeli bombardment has laid waste the Gaza Strip. About 90% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced, often multiple times.

Trump insults Detroit during speech … in Detroit

Donald Trump attacked Detroit on Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club in Michigan – a crucial swing state.

The former president, whose speeches are frequently rambling, was speaking about China being a developing country, and said: “Well, we’re a developing nation too, just take a look at Detroit. Detroit’s a developing area more than most places in China.”

Departing from his teleprompter throughout, Trump later said: “Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if [Kamala Harris] is your president.”

Meanwhile, Barack Obama hit the campaign trail for the vice-president, Harris, last night.

What are Trump’s tax and tariff policies? He has proposed a blanket tariff of up to 20% on all imports, and 60% or more for Chinese products, as well as tax cuts that would benefit corporations and billionaires. The plans have been attacked as a recipe for soaring inflation and a weaker, less competitive and less equal economy.

In other news …

An 1865 Claude Monet pastel looted from a Jewish couple by Nazis in the second world war was returned to the family’s descendants, FBI officials said on Wednesday.

More than 370 million women and girls alive today – or almost one in eight – experienced rape or sexual assault before they turned 18, according to the first global estimates compiled by Unicef.

Ethel Kennedy, the activist and widow of Senator Robert F Kennedy, has died at 96. You can read her obituary here.

Stat of the day: 2.4% September inflation lowest in three years

Inflation weakened to its slowest pace in more than three years last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the consumer price index rising at an annual pace of 2.4% in September. That was slightly higher than economists’ expectations of 2.3%.

Don’t miss this: Han Kang’s Nobel win is testament to importance of small press publishing

Thursday’s announcement that the South Korean writer Han Kang was awarded the 2024 Nobel Literature prize is a triumph not only for Korean literature, writes Catherine Taylor, but also a reminder of the huge reach and influence of small press publishing.

Climate check: Collapsing wildlife populations near ‘points of no return’, report warns

Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a report from the WWF and the Zoological Society of London found. But experts insisted “nature can recover, given the opportunity”.

Last Thing: An opera at which 18 people were treated for severe nausea? A sellout

Eighteen theatergoers at Stuttgart’s state opera required medical treatment for severe nausea over the weekend. They had watched a work by the Austrian choreographer Florentina Holzinger that included live piercing, unsimulated sex and real blood. Since then, seven upcoming shows have sold out.

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