By: Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly New |
HURRICANE MELISSA’S DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 58
The official death toll from Hurricane Melissa has risen to 58, as the powerful storm left a trail of destruction across the northern Caribbean before accelerating past Bermuda into the North Atlantic.
Authorities in Haiti, though not directly hit, confirmed 30 deaths and 20 people missing following days of torrential rainfall. In Haiti’s southern region, at least 23 victims, including 10 children, lost their lives when a river burst its banks, destroying homes, roads, and farmlands.
In Jamaica, Information Minister Robert Morgan confirmed 28 deaths and said search and rescue operations remain ongoing. The island’s military has activated its reserve personnel to assist with recovery efforts.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall last Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, Jamaica’s strongest on record since 1988. The storm ripped off roofs, uprooted trees, destroyed power lines, and left hundreds of thousands without electricity.
US CONDUCTS 15TH DEADLY STRIKE ON SUSPECTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS
The United States military has carried out another deadly strike at sea, targeting what it alleges was a drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people on board.
According to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the individuals — identified as “narco-terrorists” — were struck in international waters. He stated that no US forces were injured during the operation.
Saturday’s attack marks the 15th US strike on alleged smuggling boats since the Trump administration launched the campaign in September, resulting in 64 fatalities across the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans.
The operation has drawn strong criticism from human rights organizations and several Latin American governments, who argue that the maritime strikes amount to extrajudicial killings in violation of international law.
FORMER CUBAN ECONOMY MINISTER FACES ESPIONAGE AND CORRUPTION CHARGES
In Havana, prosecutors have filed a sweeping list of criminal charges against Alejandra Gil, Cuba’s former Minister of Economy, in what has been described as the island’s largest corruption scandal in decades.
Gil, who was dismissed in February 2024 by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has not been seen publicly since. The Attorney General’s Office announced that after a two-year investigation, Gil and several unnamed individuals face accusations of espionage, embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, falsification of documents, and influence peddling.
Cuban law punishes espionage with penalties ranging from ten years in prison to the death penalty. Authorities have not disclosed how many others were charged, nor have they set a trial date.
