BY: ANTONIO DEY | HGP NIGHTLY NEWS |
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA — PM GASTON BROWNE URGES PRESIDENT TRUMP TO PURSUE DIPLOMACY WITH VENEZUELA
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, has written to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to follow his instincts and continue dialogue and negotiation amid rising tensions with Venezuela.
According to state-owned ABS Television, Prime Minister Browne expressed deep concern over the growing military buildup in international waters shared by several Caribbean states.
He appealed for renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Caracas to prevent the situation from escalating in the region.
President Trump has significantly increased the U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean, deploying an amphibious squadron, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers, and a guided-missile cruiser under U.S. Southern Command. The U.S.’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald Ford, has also joined the operation.
The U.S. military has reportedly bombed vessels in international waters, claiming they were used by drug traffickers—without providing evidence, according to reports.
JAMAICA — $8.8 BILLION IN DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE MELISSA
The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank estimate that Hurricane Melissa caused US$8.8 billion in physical damages when it struck Jamaica on October 28.
That figure represents a staggering 41% of Jamaica’s 2024 GDP, making Melissa the costliest hurricane in the country’s recorded history.
The rapid damage assessment found destruction across:
- 41% — Residential buildings
- 33% — Infrastructure
- 21% — Non-residential buildings
- 5% — Agriculture, including livestock
The evaluation, conducted with support from ECLAC and overseen by the Planning Institute of Jamaica, will guide a more detailed economic-loss analysis in the coming weeks. Notably, the US$8.8 billion estimate does not include economic losses, which are expected to be even greater.
NIGERIA — 25 SCHOOLGIRLS KIDNAPPED, VICE PRINCIPAL KILLED
In international news, gunmen in northwestern Nigeria have kidnapped 25 girls and killed a vice principal at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
According to the Nigeria Police Force, heavily armed bandits stormed the school on Monday, November 17, firing indiscriminately. Police tactical units engaged the attackers in a gun battle, but the armed group managed to scale the school’s fence and abduct the students before fleeing to an unknown location.
Authorities say efforts are underway to track the kidnappers and rescue the girls.
