Hurricane Melissa has intensified in the Caribbean, reaching Category 5 with sustained winds of up to 295 kilometers per hour. The powerful storm is heading toward Jamaica, where it is expected to make landfall in the coming hours. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the hurricane has already caused heavy rainfall and power outages in various areas of Jamaica, as well as in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Southern Cuba is also on alert for the imminent arrival of this phenomenon.
The World Meteorological Organization has issued warnings about a potential “catastrophic situation” in Jamaica, where Melissa could be remembered as “the storm of the century,” according to specialist Anne-Claire Fontan. In response to this threat, the UN has allocated $4 million from the Emergency Fund to implement preventive measures in Cuba, which will include food, health, education, and water supply provisions for approximately 170,000 people before the storm.
On another front, internationally, the chair of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Navi Pillay, presented a compelling report before the General Assembly, denouncing that Israel seeks to establish permanent military control over Gaza and alter its demographic composition. Pillay stated that Israeli actions, such as the forced displacement of Palestinians and the destruction of civil infrastructure, demonstrate a pattern of systematic annexation. Despite a current ceasefire, territorial changes in Gaza have not been reversed, suggesting a clear objective in this occupation strategy.
In this climate of tensions, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese expressed regret for not being able to present her report in person due to sanctions imposed by the United States, which she described as an attack on the organization’s independence. Albanese called for a need for a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories, as well as the dismantling of settlements.
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly is in the midst of a heated debate over the embargo that the United States imposes on Cuba. Tensions between the delegations of both countries were evident, with U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz accusing Cuba of supporting terrorist organizations. For his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez requested that the Assembly’s presidency intervene against what he considered Waltz’s rude and arrogant speech.
via: MiMub in Spanish