News in brief: Hurricane turns Jamaica into a disaster area

Slightly weakened, Hurricane Melissa is now heading towards Cuba in the Caribbean. Previously, the Category 5 storm had moved extremely slowly across Jamaica , where wind speeds of up to 295 kilometers per hour caused widespread damage.

Houses and roads were damaged, entire areas flooded, and more than 530,000 households were left without power. The Jamaican government has declared the Caribbean island a disaster area. "Melissa" is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic .

Despite new attacks, the US remains confident about the Gaza ceasefire.

The President of the United States , Donald Trump , does not see the ceasefire agreement he initiated in the Gaza Strip as being in jeopardy. Trump made this clear during his trip to Asia. His statement came one day after a renewed escalation of violence in the Palestinian coastal strip .

The trigger was a deadly attack on Israeli soldiers, for which the Israeli government blames the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas . The Israeli Air Force subsequently attacked several targets in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Civil Defense, several people were killed. Hamas stated that it was not responsible for the attack on Israeli soldiers.

US President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, said Hamas had promised to "behave." If not, he threatened, they would be "very easily taken out."

Merz travels to Ankara to meet Erdogan

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will fly to Turkey this Wednesday for an inaugural visit . The German head of government is expected in the capital , Ankara , in the evening. On Thursday, Merz will first meet with business representatives and then be received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan .

Key topics of discussion between the NATO partners will be the war in Ukraine and peace efforts in the Middle East. Turkey plays a mediating role in both conflicts. The German government also hopes that the visit will yield further commitments from the Turkish government regarding the return of asylum seekers from Germany.

New elections in the Netherlands

After just over two years, the citizens of the Netherlands are called upon to elect a parliament again this Wednesday. This follows the collapse of the four-party coalition in the summer, which also included the anti-Islam PVV party of right-wing populist Geert Wilders . He had forced the coalition's demise due to a dispute over asylum policy.

Despite good polling numbers, the PVV is unlikely to be part of a future government. This is because all established parties in the Netherlands have ruled out cooperation with Wilders.

Tanzanian President Suluhu is running for re-election

Presidential and parliamentary elections have begun in Tanzania . Around 38 million eligible voters in the East African country are called upon to cast their ballots. Seventeen candidates are running. Nevertheless, the re-election of President Samia Suluhu Hassan is considered likely, as the two most promising challengers have been barred from the election.

Suluhu came to power four years ago as the first woman in Tanzania. After promising reforms upon taking office, she has recently increasingly shifted towards the authoritarian course of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

Many dead in US attack on suspected drug boats

The US has again attacked boats carrying suspected drug smugglers in the Pacific Ocean . According to Washington, 14 suspects were killed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that President Trump ordered the airstrikes.

Hegseth spoke of "narco-terrorists," drawing parallels to the US-led "War on Terror" following the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York and Washington. In its self-declared fight against drug trafficking, the United States claims to have killed at least 57 people in attacks in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific since September.

AR/jj/ie/pgr (afp, dpa, epd, rtr, ap)

This article was created at 9:30 AM (CEST) and will not be updated further.