Hurricane brings

deadly winds

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Hurricane Melissa has hit southwestern Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, causing heavy flooding and wind damage.

Melissa made landfall Tuesday in southwestern Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. Officials warned of devastating damage and urged residents to seek shelter as the hurricane crossed the island. Melissa’s winds tied records for the strongest Atlantic storm on landfall.

The storm is expected to move toward Cuba, where authorities prepared for evacuations. The hurricane has already caused seven deaths in the Caribbean. Relief preparations are underway, with supplies and emergency services ready to assist.

Israel and Hamas

exchange fire

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to carry out “powerful strikes” in Gaza. This decision comes after an Israeli official reported that Hamas fired on Israeli forces in southern Gaza.

Hamas has delayed handing over another hostage’s body in response to Israel’s planned strikes. On Monday, the Palestinian militant group handed over body parts that Israel identified as the remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war, which Netanyahu called a violation of the ceasefire.

The ceasefire, which began on Oct. 10, has been fragile, with previous flare-ups.

Troops will be

paid, Vance says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance says that he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week as the Trump administration reconfigures funding in the second-longest government shutdown.

The pressure to end the shutdown is taking on new urgency. Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, says “this week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore.” Millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance. More federal workers will miss their first full paycheck.

PayPal and UPS

boost market

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market pushed further into record heights. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%.

All three indexes set an all-time high for the third straight day. Gains for UPS and PayPal following strong profit reports helped offset losses for Royal Caribbean and D.R. Horton.

Moves were relatively modest in the bond market ahead of a few events that could shake things up. That includes Wednesday’s decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve.

Gold’s price continued to struggle following what’s been a stellar year.