Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica, U.S. Strikes Drug Boats, and Global Headlines

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica with some of the strongest winds ever recorded in the Atlantic, causing widespread destruction, flooding, and forcing residents onto rooftops. The storm weakened slightly as it moved across the island, but remains a major threat as it heads toward Cuba and the Bahamas. Communication outages have made it difficult to assess the full scale of the damage.

In other news, United States forces destroyed four boats in the eastern Pacific, killing fourteen people accused of drug smuggling, in what officials called the largest single-day toll since the campaign began. Legal experts have raised concerns about the legality of these actions. Meanwhile, Israel launched strikes on Gaza and the West Bank after accusing Hamas of breaking a cease-fire, and more than two dozen states sued the federal government over food stamp funding during the government shutdown.

Elsewhere, Sudan's military retreated from a key city, Texas sued over drug safety claims, and Misty Copeland gave her farewell performance at American Ballet Theater. Other stories cover labor cuts, climate warnings, and a personal reflection on family and discovery on Germany's highways.