Hurricane Ian struck the western tip of the island, left millions of Cubans without power and is headed towards Florida

The hurricane knocked out power across all of Cuba. Initially, there was loss of power in the western provinces, but later the entire grid collapsed. That meant nearly 11 million people were left without electricity. Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm and devastated Pinar del Rio province. That meant destruction of large numbers of the country's most important tobacco farms. The authorities had to arrange evacuation of tens of thousands of people as the disaster left behind damaged houses and floods. The US National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered "significant wind and storm surge impacts." The hurricane had struck with top sustained winds of 125mph and it could gain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico and nears the southwestern coast of Florida. Already orders are given for millions of people of Florida to leave. Hurricane Ian leaves 11 million in Cuba without electricity as it heads towards Florida. Warning is given to residents as well as holidaymakers to take precautions and not be complacent. This is because the hurricane could become a Category 4 storm, with wind speeds of 140mph across the whole state.

Deanne Criswell, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), held an emergency briefing at the White House. She summed up the grim situation and said - “The storm surge is going to be significant, and you put 20 inches of rain on top of that…. We are talking about impacts in parts of Florida that haven't seen a major direct impact in nearly 100 years." Incidentally, Hurricane Ian is heading towards the Florida Keys. This is a popular holiday destination consisting several islands, some less than a mile wide. US President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip and called mayors in three Florida cities to assure them federal support is ready to deploy food, fuel and shelter. FEMA has already set up 29 emergency community shelters. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to be prepared. There are predictions of floods for much of the Florida peninsula midweek. This could lead to heavy rainfall for the southeast of the US later this week.

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Donald Trump appears to be keen to make a bid for the next POTUS in 2024. He was back on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. It was his first rally after the search by the FBI of his Mar-a-Lago estate. That happened last month. At the rally he expressed his views and kept repeating – “I may just have to do it again. You'll be... stay tuned. I have to do it again. …. May just have to do it again.” He went on to add - "But first, we have to win a historic victory for the Republican Party this November." The mid-term elections are looming on the horizon and President Joe Biden said the followers of the previous president believe in a distorted ideology. That is to look at America and see nothing but carnage, darkness and despair. Donald Trump hints he may run for2024 presidency, saying 'I may just have to do it again'. On the subject of the FBI search of his home in Florida, Trump described it as “shocking abuses of power by any administration in American history.” He went on to add that it was a witch-hunt against him.

Incidentally, the FBI did conduct a raid on the estate of former president Donald Trump. That was on 8 August and it was part of an investigation into whether he had taken classified records from the White House. The US Justice Department says the investigation revealed presence of more than 11,000 government documents marked as “classified.” Investigators conducting the criminal probe are focused on two aspects. First is why the records were stored at the estate. Second, whether the Trump team intentionally misled them about the unlawful presence of government secrets. Donald Trump insists - "The Biden administration invaded the home of their chief political opponent, who is absolutely destroying him and everyone else in the polls, I hate to say it."

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#CharlieHebdo #ParisRally #BarackObama #JohnKerry #White House What prompted the US to stay away from the Paris rally is a mystery but, White House has, reportedly, admitted that it was a grave mistake of not sending "someone with a higher profile" to Sunday's Paris unity rally. The US ambassador to France was the highest ranking US official attending.
The admission has come after US media criticized President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for not attending the rally which followed three terror attacks in Paris – the rally was attended by an estimated 1.6 million people and some 40 world leaders.
White House has explained that President Obama wished he could have attended, however, the extent of security preparation involved for a presidential visit required in excess of the 36-hour advance notice the White House received. Seventeen people lost their lives in attacks in Paris last week at the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has indicated to reporters in India that he would visit France to reaffirm US solidarity with the country, which he called America's oldest ally. Incidentally, he is fluent in French and had visited the country 17 times since becoming secretary of state.
He would probably arrive in Paris later this week after his trips to India and Pakistan. In the meantime, the White House has announced there would be an international summit in Washington in February on countering violent extremism.