Just before US President Donald Trump makes a visit to South Korea, North Korea test-fired a number of sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters, according to state media.
The missiles, which were launched on Tuesday in the Yellow Sea, flew for more than two hours before hitting targets, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday.
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Top military official Pak Jong Chon, who oversaw the test, claimed that “significant successes” were being made in developing North Korea’s “nuclear forces” as a “war deterrent,” according to KCNA.
According to Pak, the test was intended to assess “the reliability of various strategic offensive means and impress their abilities upon the enemies.”
He continued, “It is our responsibility and obligation to ceaselessly strengthen the nuclear combat posture.”
The military confirmed to the joint chiefs of staff in South Korea on Wednesday that they had detected the North Korean launch preparations and that they had fired cruise missiles into the nation’s northwestern waters on Tuesday around 3 o’clock (06:00 GMT).
The joint chiefs stated that South Korea and the US were conducting an analysis of the weapons and still had a “dominant response” to any provocation from North Korea.
Following short-range ballistic missile tests last week, North Korea said its latest launches included a new hypersonic system designed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.
The most recent test occurred just before Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s scheduled summit, which is taking place in Gyeongju, where South Korea is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings this year.
Trump is scheduled to attend a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping while he is in South Korea, where he has expressed interest in meeting with Kim.
However, South Korean officials have stated that a Trump-Kim meeting is unlikely.
Kim has stated that he still has “fond memories” of Trump, but that he will only be open to discussions if Washington stops requesting that his nation abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump ended in 2019, during the US president’s first term, North Korea has avoided engaging in any kind of dialogue with Washington and Seoul.
On Tuesday, at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Japan, President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meet with relatives of Japanese nationals who have been kidnapped by North Korea.
Trump was in Tokyo on Tuesday when he met with the families of the Japanese who had been abducted by North Korea and told them that “the US is with them all the way” as they sought assistance in finding their loved ones.
After years of denial, North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had abducted 13 Japanese citizens decades ago and used them to train spies in Japanese customs and customs.
On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, how things are going:
Fighting
One person was killed and three others were injured in Russia’s southern Zaporizhia region on Tuesday, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov, who carried out 396 attacks on 15 villages.
One person was killed and six were injured in the Kherson Regional Military Administration, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, on Tuesday. Russian forces also launched drone attacks, air strikes, and artillery shelling across the Ukrainian region.
According to Prokudin, a woman who was hurt in a Russian attack in the Kherson region on Monday passed away as a result of her injuries.
Only 561 people were still living in the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region as of midday on Tuesday, according to Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration. As Russian forces advanced, thousands of people were forced to flee the city, which had a population of more than 26 000 before the war.
An 85-year-old woman was killed in Ukrainian attacks in Kherson, which is occupied by Russia, according to a local official.
5, 800 people in the area have been without electricity as a result of Ukrainian attacks on power lines and substations, according to the governor of Kherson appointed by Russia, Vladimir Saldo.
Authorities in Russia reported late on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had slowed down air traffic around the Russian capital by sending drones for a third night straight towards Moscow.
A local official claims that Ukrainian forces killed a person in Bryansk, near the Russian border.
Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister’s Ambassador at large, reported to the TASS state news agency that nearly 20 people, including a child, were killed in recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian regions.
According to TASS, Russian forces shot down 124 Ukrainian drones within 24 hours, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Politics and diplomacy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated on Tuesday that Kyiv was prepared to reach peace with Russia, but that it would not cede any more territory as Moscow had demanded.
He added that officials from the United States and Europe would meet to discuss the specifics of a ceasefire plan at the end of the week.
There is no way to put an end to the war, he said. A ceasefire is required, Zelenskyy said. Our advisers will meet in the upcoming days, we agreed on Friday or Saturday, so we have a plan to begin diplomacy. The specifics of this plan will be discussed.
When the two leaders meet later this week, the Ukrainian leader also urged US President Donald Trump to press China’s Xi Jinping to end his support for Russia.
He added that Ukraine requires financial assistance from Europe to defend itself from Russian forces for another two or three years.
According to Katherina Reiche, Germany’s economy minister, the US government has written to Reuters that Rosneft’s German business will no longer be subject to new oil sanctions because the assets are no longer under Russian control.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that while Trump has urged other nations to stop purchasing Russian oil, Russia’s partners will make their own decisions regarding whether to continue purchasing its energy products.
Peskov added that because Kyiv has put peace negotiations with Ukraine on hold, Russia is unable to assess the status of them and is unwilling to respond to questions posed by Russia.
Since the US’s most recent sanctions against Moscow, many Indian refiners have halted new orders for the country’s oil, according to Reuters. However, state-run Indian Oil said it will not stop buying Russian oil as long as it adheres to the sanctions.
Russian crude is not permitted, according to the statement. Sanctions are beingimposed on the entities and shipping routes, according to Anuj Jain, Indian Oil’s finance director. I will continue to purchase something if someone approaches me with a non-sanctioned entity, and the cap is being met, and the shipping is acceptable, he said.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, an Indian state-owned warplane manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it had reached an initial agreement to build civil commuter aircraft with Russian aerospace company United Aircraft Corporation, which is subject to Western sanctions.
Weapons
Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine, which has made significant increases in weapons production during the war, intends to start controlled arms exports starting next month.
Matthew Whitaker, the US’s permanent representative to NATO, reported to Bloomberg that he anticipates raising money to pay for Ukraine’s weapons until 2026.
He said, “It’s going to be US weapons… and I think this is yet another example of our NATO allies here on the continent supporting Ukraine,” referring to the Trump administration’s policy of ensuring that European countries purchase US weapons to support Ukraine rather than the US government.
Islamabad, Pakistan – After three days of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul, which were supposed to end a tense and bloody standoff between the South Asian neighbors, it appeared to have hit a wall in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Following a first dialogue round in Doha, which resulted in a temporary ceasefire on October 19 following a week of fighting that resulted in dozens of fatalities on both sides, the negotiations came under the auspices of Qatar and Turkey.
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The chances of new hostilities between them are high after their inability, according to analysts, to continue “last-ditch” efforts were said to be ongoing in order to pull the two countries out of a full-fledged conflict.
According to Pakistani security officials, talks lasted almost 18 hours on Monday. However, they claimed that the Afghan delegation had changed its mind about Islamabad’s pressing request that Kabul halt the Pakistani Taliban’s use of the acronym TTP. Due to the sensitive nature of the conversation, a representative, who spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity, claimed that the “instructions received from Kabul” for the Afghan team were putting off the negotiations.
However, Kabul claimed that the Pakistani delegation was “not presenting clear arguments” and kept “leaving the negotiating table,” according to Afghan media.
Haji Najib, the deputy minister for administrative affairs at the Ministry of Interior, is in charge of the Afghan team, whereas Pakistan has not made its representatives known to the public.
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, recent cross-border attacks between the militaries of the two countries have resulted in the deaths of numerous civilians, soldiers, and civilians, and the injuries of numerous others.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, addressed reporters on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia earlier this week, telling them he would “solve the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis very quickly” and have repeatedly sought credit for resolving global conflicts.
However, a long-term agreement appears to be challenging because of the two countries’ “profound mutual distrust and conflicting priorities,” according to Baqir Sajjad Syed, a journalist who covers national security and a former Wilson Center fellow.
Syed added that the Afghan Taliban’s historical grievances and Pakistan’s prior interventions in Afghanistan pose a political risk.
The main issue, in my opinion, is ideological alignment. Despite Pakistani concerns, the Afghan Taliban’s dependence on TTP makes it difficult for them to break away from the organization, he told Al Jazeera.
A dangerous friendship
Pakistan was once viewed as the Taliban’s primary protector throughout history. After the US forces were withdrawn, the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 was welcomed in public by many Pakistanis.
However, relations have significantly deteriorated since the TTP, an armed group that emerged in 2007 during the US-led “war on terror” and has waged a protracted campaign against Islamabad.
The TTP-related armed group has been attacking Pakistani security personnel more frequently [Fayaz Aziz/Reuters].
The TTP opposes the annexation of Pakistan’s former tribal regions into its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and demands the release of its members who are imprisoned there. The two organizations share the same ideological stance, despite being politically independent of the Afghan Taliban.
Kabul denies that the TTP and other organizations, including the Balochistan Liberation Army and the ISIL affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP), are attracted to its accusations.
The Afghan Taliban have repeatedly argued that Pakistan’s insecurity is a domestic issue and have repeatedly argued that the TTP is a problem. Additionally, the Taliban have long considered the ISKP to be a threat.
In an interview from last week on October 19, Mullah Yaqoob, Afghanistan’s defense minister, reported that states occasionally used the term “terrorism” for political purposes. He and his Pakistani counterpart, Khawaja Asif, signed the ceasefire in Doha last week.
He continued, “Any government can brand its adversaries as “terrorists” for its own agenda because there is no universal or clear definition of terrorism.”
Regional powers, including Iran, Russia, China, and a number of Central Asian nations, have also urged the Taliban to oust the TTP and other alleged Afghan armed groups.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Afghan minister of foreign affairs, was also present at consultations in Moscow in early October, which resulted in a second-time appeal.
rising tensions, rising tolls
More than 20 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in recent days, including officers, in various attacks.
More than 2,500 deaths were recorded in Pakistan in the year 2024, and 2025 is on pace to surpass that, according to analysts.
Attacks have targeted both civilians and security personnel, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan serving as the most recent targets. Both frequency and intensity of TTP operations have increased sharply.
According to our data, the TTP has carried out at least 600 attacks or clashes with security forces in the past year alone. According to a recent Armed Conflict Location &, Event Data (ACLED) report, activity in 2025 has already far outpaced that in all of 2024.
According to Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, a security analyst from Islamabad, Pakistani negotiators must acknowledge that ideological ties between the Taliban and the TTP, making it difficult for the Afghan government to abandon the anti-Pakistan armed group.
Sami Yousafzai, a journalist who has long observed Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, concured, stating that the chances of a détente are now becoming less and less likely.
Both Mehsud and Yousafzai cited the Taliban’s history of sticking with allies despite mounting military and international pressure.
The Afghan Taliban held the same attitude toward Al-Qaeda in 2001, Mehsud claimed.
The Afghan Taliban are war veterans who can withstand military pressure, according to Yousafzai.
Diplomacy that failed
Both sides have engaged in diplomatic communication in recent months, which has been hampered by China, which has also mediated negotiations between Qatar and Turkiye.
However, according to analysts, Islamabad may soon come to the conclusion that it has few non-military options.
Syed cited Asif’s recent threat of an “open war” by the Pakistani defense minister, and said these remarks could indicate the start of targeted airstrikes or inter-national operations against alleged TTPsanctuaries in Afghanistan.
“With that said, mediators, particularly those from Qatar and Turkiye, are expected to make a last-ditch effort to restart the dialogue or move it elsewhere. He added that there is a small chance that other nations will join in, especially now that President Trump has made a recent declaration that he is ready to intervene and de-escalate the crisis.
According to Syed, a full-fledged military conflict might be avoided by implementing economic incentives, including aid, in exchange for adhering to the ceasefire provisions.
Trump has used this tactic in recent conflicts to stop fighting in both Thailand and Cambodia, among other tactics. Last weekend, the US president oversaw the signing of a peace treaty between the Southeast Asian countries in Kuala Lumpur.
During negotiations in Doha, Qatar on October 19, 2025, Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif shake hands.
unintended effects
The Taliban also has advantages, according to analysts, which admonish Pakistan against overconfidence in Islamabad.
Yousafzai claimed that military action against the Taliban could increase the group’s support in the country because of the country’s recent diplomatic relations with Pakistan.
The Afghan Taliban’s attack on the Pakistani military on [the] border was seen as a strong response, increasing their popularity. And even if Pakistan keeps bombing, it could still endanger innocent civilians, leading to more animosity and anti-Pakistani sentiment in the Afghan Taliban and the general public.
Yousafzai believes that Islamabad should be concerned about this situation, particularly if Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, intervenes.
Many young Afghans could join the ranks of [the] Taliban if the Akhunzada issued an edict declaring Jihad against Pakistan, Yousafzai warned. The situation will not be good for Pakistan, according to the statement, “Even if it means a bigger loss for Afghans.”
As the two nations continue to be in conflict over US military activity in the Caribbean Sea, Venezuela has declared the country’s prime minister a persona non grata.
The Venezuelan National Assembly approved the sanctions against Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has been embroiled in a contentious dispute with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on Tuesday. She is barred from entering and is deemed unwelcome in the nation.
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Persad-Bissessar, who was asked about the possibility a day earlier, responded to the question, “Why would they think I would want to visit Venezuela?”
The two nations have recently been at odds with one another over US military activity in the area, which is separated by a small bay that is only 11 kilometers (7 miles) wide at its narrowest point).
One of the few Caribbean leaders to applaud the expansion of US military forces and the US’s bombing campaign against alleged drug traffickers is Persad-Bissessar.
Shortly after the first missile strike was made public on September 2, Persad-Bissessar said, “I, along with the majority of the country, am happy that the US naval deployment is succeeding in their mission.”
The US military should brutally kill all traffickers, according to the statement, “I have no sympathy for them.”
However, she is at odds with Maduro’s administration because of that position. Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil Pinto stated to the UN General Assembly this week that the US strikes “were a completely immoral military threat hanging over our heads.”
According to legal experts, the bombing campaign is comparable to extrajudicial killings because of potential international law violations. 14 maritime vessels, the majority of them small boats, have been the target of at least 13 strikes so far.
In the US attacks, 57 people were killed, according to estimates. No conclusive proof has yet been presented to the public that they are connected to drug trafficking.
Over US strikes, relations strained
The most recent chapter in the two countries’ diplomatic relationship is Persad-Bissessar, who is now known as a persona non grata.
Trinidad and Tobago was reportedly considering deporting “mass of undocumented migrants” from its territory, the majority of whom are Venezuelans, on Tuesday, according to AFP.
Trinidad and Tobago’s homeland security minister, Roger Alexander, placed a stop to any planned “illegal immigrants” in detention, according to a memo that the news agency reviewed.
The memo stated that “a mass deportation exercise is currently being considered.”
Following Maduro’s request on Monday to “immediate suspend” a significant gas deal with Trinidad and Tobago, the island nation was cited by the reception of a US warship.
One of the several US warships that President Donald Trump has deployed close to Venezuelan waters is located on the island. The US president is accused of trying to overthrow Maduro’s administration by Venezuelan officials.
Maduro accused Persad-Bissessar of turning Venezuela into an aircraft carrier of the American empire when Maduro canceled the gas deal.
The Pentagon has already deployed seven warships, a submarine, drones, and fighter jets to the Caribbean, as well as another warship to the Gulf of Mexico.
In recent weeks, the US bombing campaign has had six more bombings announced just the week before.
The Eastern Pacific Ocean near Colombia and the Caribbean waters off Venezuela’s shores are among the areas where it’s expanded as well.
According to some observers, Maduro was re-elected last year in a US election that the Trump administration claimed was a fraud.
Wole Soyinka, the first African author to receive the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature, was granted a new visa by the United States.
Soyinka read aloud from a notice the local US consulate gave him on Tuesday at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery in Lagos, asking him to bring his passport so that his visa could be voided.
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Bring your visa to the US Consulate General in Lagos for physical cancellation. Please email me to schedule an appointment in advance of the appointment, Soyinka said, skimming the letter.
The  author joked with the audience that he had no time to fulfill the request as he closed his laptop.
This is one of the most humorous sentences or requests I’ve ever received, according to Soyinka, who likes people who have a sense of humor.
“Would any of you like to volunteer to replace me?” Bring it with me, please? I feel rushed and rushed.
Under US President Joe Biden, a visa for Soyinka was issued last year. However, Donald Trump was appointed as president in the interim.
Trump has enacted a crackdown on immigration since beginning his second term in January, and his administration has stopped providing visas and green cards to people who it believes are out of step with the Republican president’s policies.
Even though he claimed the visa revocation would prevent him from attending literary and cultural events at Tuesday’s event, Soyinka expressed a perplexed tone.
I want to reassure the consulate and the Americans who are present that I’m pleased that my visa was revoked, Soyinka said.
He also made fun of Idi Amin, the military leader of Uganda, in his previous articles. He said, “Maybe it’s about time to write a play about Donald Trump.”
On October 5, 2021, Wole Soyinka, a playwright, political activist, and Nobel laureate, New York City.
In the crosshairs of Nobel Prize winners
With a career spanning all genres, Soyinka has a formidable reputation in African literature, from journalism to poetry to translation.
He is the author of numerous short stories, including Season of Anomy and Chronicles from the Happiest People on Earth, as well as a number of novels.
The 91-year-old author has also fought against censorship. He wrote, “Those who wish to suppress the truth will terrorize all forms of writing.”
For PEN America, a free speech nonprofit, he has given lectures on the subject in New York City. He recently made a second appearance in the US in 2021, and he received the Literary Service Award from the organization to honor Henry Louis Gates Jr., a scholar and former coworker.
Despite the US president’s own aspirations to win the Nobel Prize, Soyinka is not the first Nobel winner to have his US visa removed following Trump’s re-election.
Oscar Arias, a former president of Costa Rica and the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner, had his visa revoked as well in April.
Arias’ efforts to put an end to armed conflict in Central American nations like Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala were previously honored by the Nobel Committee.
Arias claimed in a letter to the US government that his visa had been canceled because of his ties to China, but Arias claimed Arias’s claims were unsupported.
According to Arias, “During my second administration, from 2006 to 2010, I established diplomatic relations with China, and that’s because it has the second-largest economy in the world.”
Arias continued, adding that he could not rule out the possibility that his visa had been removed for other reasons.
Arias told NPR, “I have to imagine that my criticism of President Trump may have been a factor.” The president’s personality is “unfreakable and disagreeable,” the statement goes.
In addition, Soyinka has a reputation for being open-minded about both domestic politics in his native Nigeria and international affairs.
He confirmed to The Atlantic in 2017 that he had destroyed his permanent residence permit and US green card in protest of Trump’s first election in 2016.
If I absolutely have to travel to the United States, he told the magazine, “I prefer to queue up for a regular visa with others,” as long as Trump is in charge.
He claimed that the purpose was to demonstrate that he was no longer a member of society and not even a resident.
Soyinka emphasized that he still has close friends in the US in his remarks on Tuesday.
His writing had long been subject to persecution in Nigeria, but he was well known for using toilet paper for a while while he was confined to a wheelchair in the 1990s.
He began teaching at prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, and Emory while he was a student in North America.
Oscar Arias, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and two-time president of Costa Rica, has also had his US visa revoked.
targeting “hostile attitudes”
However, the Trump administration has pledged to revoke visas for people it believe pose a threat to its national security and interests.
In an effort to prevent “hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles,” Trump issued a proclamation in June calling on his government to tighten immigration laws.
What constitutes a “hostile attitude” toward American culture is not well known. Such broad language may be used as a slam d’envoi for dissent, according to human rights advocates.
After all, free speech is protected by the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which shields individual freedom of expression from restrictions.
The nonprofit Economists for Peace and Security, which is affiliated with the UN, was one of those who expressed outrage after Arias’s visa was removed.
The nonprofit wrote in its statement that “this action, taken without explanation, raises serious concerns about the treatment of a revered elder statesman who has dedicated his life to peace, democracy, and diplomacy.”
Disagreements in foreign policy or political outlook should not lead to punitive measures against those who have made significant contributions to world peace and stability.
International students, social media commentators, and acting government officials have also experienced criticism for their opinions and their unfavorable international ties.
President of Panama Jose Raul Mulino expressed concern earlier this month that some of his country’s leaders had had their visas revoked because of their diplomatic ties to China.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro witnessed his visa yanked shortly after giving a critical speech to the UN and taking part in a protest against Israel’s occupation of Gaza in September while on a trip to New York City.
Petro’s actions were later described as “reckless and incendiary” by the US Department of State.
Separately, the State Department announced on October 14 that six foreign nationals would be denied entry to the country because of their criticism of Trump’s close ally Charlie Kirk, a close friend and assassin.
At Tuesday’s literary event in Lagos, Soyinka questioned Trump’s stated reasons for robbing so many visas and questioned whether they actually improved US national security.
He claimed that “governments have a way of papering things out for their own survival.”
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica, making forecasters’ predictions that the Category 5 storm will likely result in “catastrophic” flash flooding, landslides, and extensive damage, affecting up to 1.5 million people in the process.
After making landfall in the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland on Tuesday, the United States National Hurricane Center urged Jamaican residents to remain sheltered in “your safe place.”
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In a post on X, it stated, “THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION.”
Maximum sustained winds of 295 kilometers (185 mph) were reported by the National Hurricane Center. People were instructed to stay inside when the storm’s eye crosses over the island, according to director Michael Brennan, who said a storm surge of 2.7% to 4.7% (9 to 13 feet).
It will undoubtedly be the storm of the century for Jamaica, according to World Meteorological Organization cyclone expert Anne-Claire Fontan, who added that the rainfall totaled more than 700mm (27.5%), which is roughly twice the amount expected during the typical rainy season.
Local government minister Desmond McKenzie claimed that the island nation had taken every precaution to safeguard itself. He continued, “We are prepared, but I don’t know if we can be prepared for a Category 5 hurricane.” Last year, Beryl killed four people and caused “extensive damage” in his words.
Leiska Powell, an emergency services manager with the Red Cross in Jamaica, told Al Jazeera, “We anticipate stronger winds, more rain, and some significant damage to the western side of the country.”
At least 1.5 million people in Jamaica alone may be affected by Hurricane Melissa, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The wind gusts “took down power lines and toppled trees,” according to Robian Williams, a journalist for the Kingston-based radio station NationWide Radio 90FM.
“Many of us here don’t have electricity. First responders are actually trying to clear the blockade, she said.
The island currently hosts about 25 000 visitors. The office of Prime Minister Andrew Holness has stated that hoteliers are providing “distress rates” and shelter spaces for stranded travelers as they ride out the storm.
Holness stated that Jamaica had received support calls from other Caribbean countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States.
According to Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN’s OCHA humanitarian organization, the top priority is “to save as many lives as possible.” He said that “one of the biggest problems with massive flooding is water,” and that “everyone has a problem with having clean water.”
Crocodiles that have been displaced by rapidly rising waters in rivers, gullies, and swamps may now be allowed to “emigrate into residential areas,” according to Jamaica’s South East Regional Health Authority.
Cuba is the next destination.
According to an AFP analysis of US weather data, the hurricane has been sweeping across the Caribbean, with winds of nearly 300 kilometers (185 miles per hour) recorded. This is the most powerful tropical storm this year globally, with winds of nearly 300 kilometers (185 miles per hour) recorded.
Through Wednesday, it is expected to weaken to a Category 4 storm and travel eastward toward Cuba. With reports on social media and state television showing buses taking people to shelters, preparations have already been made for the evacuation.
More than 600,000 people were being forced to leave coastal areas, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city, according to officials. More than 200 000 people will be evacuated by authorities in Holguin, in eastern Cuba. From Banes, in the eastern town of Banes, a similar number of people are being evacuated to safety.
In a statement from Banes, deputy prime minister Eduardo Martnez said, “This phenomenon is very dangerous, where he is located in what appears to be a shelter. It is “unprecedented.”
On Monday, October 28, 2025, residents of Canizo, a community in Santiago de Cuba, evacue before Hurricane Melissa arrives.
Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin are the provinces that are currently under a hurricane warning, while Las Tunas are currently facing a tropical storm warning.
Parts of Cuba are expected to receive up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) of rain, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
A tropical storm warning is still in effect for Haiti and the Dominican Republic due to Melissa’s continued drenching of the southern regions of the country.
By Wednesday evening, the hurricane was forecast to make its way northeastward from Cuba and hit the southeast of the Bahamas.
The storm has sped along at a slower rate than most people walk, cruising at 5 km/h (3 mph) before increasing to 7 km/h (4 mph) this morning.
This is particularly dangerous, according to meteorologists. According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter, “Slow-moving major hurricanes frequently go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record.”
