By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News|
HURRICANE MELISSA CLAIMS 30 LIVES IN HAITI, AFFECTS 1.5 MILLION IN JAMAICA
At least 30 people have been confirmed dead in Haiti and more than 1.5 million people affected in Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
According to UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, Jamaica’s infrastructure has suffered extensive damage, with over 100 roads blocked and major disruptions to power and communication networks. Several hospitals and clinics were either damaged or destroyed, forcing the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to deploy emergency medical teams to assist local authorities.
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that up to 360,000 Jamaicans may require food assistance in the coming weeks. A UN disaster assessment and coordination team has been mobilized to assist the Jamaican government with relief and recovery efforts.
In Haiti, UN agencies and partners are continuing to assess damage and deliver humanitarian aid to those affected by the powerful storm.
US MILITARY DRONES REPORTEDLY FLY OVER TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AIRSPACE
There are reports that multiple US military drones, believed to be MQ-9A Reapers, flew above and around Trinidad and Tobago last month—some as close as a few miles from Venezuela’s coast, and others directly over Trinidadian airspace.
Flight tracking data indicated at least 15 instances of such drones flying near or within the country’s territory. The MQ-9A, a remotely piloted aircraft used by the US Air Force, is equipped for intelligence collection and precision strikes with advanced sensors and communications systems.
Officials in Trinidad and Tobago have not yet issued a formal statement on the reported incursions, which have sparked regional discussions about airspace sovereignty and surveillance transparency.
DEADLIEST POLICE RAID IN BRAZIL’S HISTORY LEAVES 121 DEAD
The Governor of Rio de Janeiro has defended what is now being called Brazil’s deadliest police raid, even as new findings reveal that none of the 117 suspects killed were among the 69 individuals named in prosecutors’ original complaint.
Known as “Operation Containment,” the raid left 121 people dead, including four police officers and two teenagers, while 99 others were taken into custody. Only five suspects listed in the complaint were arrested—and none were high-ranking members of the notorious Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang.
Authorities had intended to dismantle the gang’s stronghold in two working-class neighborhoods, but the group’s leader, Edgar Alves de Andrade (known as Duka), remains at large. Human rights organizations have condemned the raid as a gross misuse of force and a failure of intelligence and accountability.
