Category-5 Hurricane Melissa is expected to strike Jamaica’s coast at any moment, with the eye of the storm now less than 40 miles from land, according to reports on Tuesday (October 28).

Authorities have urged coastal residents to move to higher ground or designated shelters as the storm, packing winds of up to 175 miles (282 kilometers) per hour, approaches. However, many locals are refusing to leave their homes.

Roy Brown, a resident of Port Royal near Kingston, told AFP, “I’m not leaving. I don’t believe I can escape death.” He cited poor conditions in government-run hurricane shelters as the main reason for staying behind.

Similarly, local fisherwoman Jennifer Ramdial said she had no plans to evacuate.

Satellite data from Zoom Earth shows that Melissa is now about 64 kilometers off the Jamaican coast. Local media have already reported casualties linked to the storm’s impact.

Officials warn that if Hurricane Melissa makes landfall, it could cause devastating damage across Jamaica’s coastal areas.

Five Pakistani soldiers have been killed in fresh clashes near the Afghan border, even as peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue in Turkey.

According to Pakistan’s military, the fighting took place on Friday and Saturday in the remote Kurram and North Waziristan districts along the northwestern frontier. Islamabad claimed that 25 militants attempting to cross from Afghanistan were also killed.

The Pakistani army said the infiltration attempt raised serious doubts about Afghanistan’s commitment to combating terrorism. The Taliban government in Kabul has not commented on the incident.

Tensions between the two neighbours have been escalating in recent weeks. Pakistan recently carried out airstrikes in Kabul, killing at least eight people, including three cricketers. Following the strikes, both countries agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, later extended until the conclusion of talks in Doha. However, Pakistan reportedly launched another attack before the extension took effect.

As delegations from both sides meet in Turkey for a second round of peace negotiations, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif warned that “if the peace talks fail, Pakistan will have no choice but to go to war with Afghanistan.”

Tel Aviv/New York — Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has ordered the military to prioritise the destruction of all tunnels in the Gaza enclave, Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday (26 October).

In a post on social media platform X, Katz said he had instructed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to make tunnel destruction along the country’s “Yolo line” a primary task, while also ensuring the protection of troops and communities near the border. He said the directive was issued on Saturday.

Katz added that the move followed consultations with senior US officials — including the vice-president, the secretary of state, the defence secretary, the president’s special envoy and the CENTCOM commander. According to Katz, those discussions were aimed at implementing “President Donald Trump’s plan”, achieving the complete destruction of the tunnels and disarming Hamas.

“The destruction of Hamas’ tunnels and their disarmament is the most important strategic objective to achieve victory in Gaza,” Katz wrote, adding that the “most urgent moral duty” is to return all hostages and the bodies of the dead. He said that de-arming Gaza and destroying “the remaining 60 percent of tunnels” are now the main strategic goals.

The instruction raises fresh questions about the scope and intensity of military operations in the enclave and the implications for civilian safety. No immediate response was available from military spokespeople at the time of reporting.