Hurricane Rafael becomes a Category 2 storm as it nears Cuba
Rafael continues to strengthen and forecast to be near major Category 3 hurricane status at landfall in western Cuba. Hurricane Rafael has intensified into a Category 2 hurricane just hours before it is forecast to make landfall in Cuba, according to the United States National Weather Service. Hurricane Rafael is located about 260km (160 miles) south-southeast of Havana, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 160km/h (100mph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported on Wednesday. Rafael continues to strengthen and is now expected to reach “major hurricane” intensity – classified as Category 3 or above – at landfall in western Cuba, the NHC added. It was another stroke of bad news for Cuba, which has been struggling with blackouts while recovering from Hurricane Oscar, which killed at least six people two weeks ago in the eastern part of the island. Rafael is likely to exacerbate the island’s acute energy crisis, which has led to work stoppages and prolonged power outages in recent weeks due to decrepit infrastructure and a lack of fuel for Cuba’s oil-fired power stations. Hurricane #Rafael Advisory 12: Rafael Expected to Become a Major Hurricane Before Landfall In Western Cuba. Life-Threatening Storm Surge, Damaging Hurricane-Force Winds, And Flash Flooding Expected in Portions of Western Cuba. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) November 6, 2024 Forecasters warned that Rafael was expected to slam into Cuba on Wednesday evening after dumping rain on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday. The NHC warned of floods, storm surges and mudslides. The US Department of State issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to nonessential staff and American citizens and advising others to “reconsider travel to Cuba due to the potential impact” of Rafael. Also on Tuesday, the Cuban Civil Defence called on citizens to prepare as soon as possible because when the storm makes landfall, “it’s important to stay where you are.” Authorities said they had issued an evacuation order for 37,000 people in far eastern Cuba in the province of Guantanamo due to bad weather. A hurricane warning was in effect on Tuesday for a portion of the Cayman Islands and the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys. Warnings were lifted in Jamaica after the storm passed by the western coast. Rafael on Tuesday knocked out power in Jamaica and unleashed flooding and landslides. The Jamaica Public Service, the island’s electricity provider, said in a statement late on Tuesday that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas. Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the 2024 hurricane season was likely to be well above average with 17 to 25 named storms. The forecast called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Rafael is the 11th hurricane to form this year with four becoming major Category 3 storms with maximum sustained winds of 178km/h (111mph) or more. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s wartime row: What’s behind the rift between Netanyahu and Gallant?
As Americans cast their votes in a monumental presidential election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly ousted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The two figures shared an openly divisive relationship following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Netanyahu has long attempted to absolve himself of responsibility for the security lapse. The prime minister has consistently blamed the security establishment for the events that unfolded on October 7, during which 1,139 people were killed and 250 were taken captive. His position has compounded tensions between his far-right coalition and the Israeli army’s senior brass. Where did Gallant stand on Gaza? Gallant, infamous for likening Palestinians to “human animals”, has criticised Netanyahu’s war on Gaza, which has reduced most of the enclave to rubble, killed more than 43,400 people and displaced almost the entire population. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu, accusing them of committing atrocities such as starving Palestinians in Gaza and overseeing the extermination of civilians. While Gallant has shown no remorse for Palestinians, he believes Israel is “conducting a war without a compass” and that it needs to reassess its military objectives in the region. Netanyahu has responded by replacing Gallant with Israel Katz, his foreign minister and loyal ally with little military experience. What’s behind the tumultuous history between Gallant and Netanyahu? Here’s what you should know. What was their relationship like before Israel’s wars began? Gallant and Netanyahu’s relationship was fractious before October 7. In March 2023, Netanyahu was facing mass protests due to his plans to weaken the judiciary. At the time, Gallant criticised Netanyahu during a televised address, arguing that the proposed judicial reforms endangered national security by deepening political divisions within security branches. Critics and analysts said the judicial reforms would effectively curb the powers of the Supreme Court and embolden the legislative and executive branches of government. They accused Netanyahu, who was facing corruption charges and implicated in a bribery scandal, of pushing through these reforms to evade criminal prosecution. What’s the wartime division about? In July, Gallant called for the establishment of an independent inquiry to investigate the Hamas-led attack on October 7 and security failures that day. He said his role, the failures of the Israeli army, those of Netanyahu, as well as the culpability of the internal security agency Shin Bet should be probed. But Netanyahu had long obstructed calls for an international or state-led inquiry, arguing that a commission should be established only after the war in Gaza, so that soldiers do not have to “hire lawyers” while fighting on the battlefield. Critics have said Netanyahu is opposed to establishing a commission because it would reveal his role in strengthening Hamas at the expense of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls large swathes of the West Bank as part of the Oslo Accords – a failed peace agreement inked between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in 1993. “We need an investigation at the national level that will clarify the facts – a state commission of inquiry,” Gallant said on a podium during a graduation ceremony for new army officers. “It must examine all of us: the decision-makers and professionals, the government, the army and security services, this government – and the governments over the last decade that led to the events of October 7,” he added as the crowd applauded. Did the pair agree on a strategy to return the captives? One of the largest disputes between Gallant and Netanyahu was over securing a permanent ceasefire deal in Gaza in order to retrieve the remaining captives held by Hamas. Netanyahu approved a temporary ceasefire deal back in November 2023, which led to the release of 105 Israeli captives in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. But since then, Netanyahu has effectively torpedoed every single ceasefire proposal in order to prolong the war in Gaza and his political career, analysts and critics have previously told Al Jazeera. On July 31, Hamas’s political chief and lead negotiator Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated. Haniyeh was killed while attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in the capital Tehran. While Gallant did not denounce the assassination, which has been blamed on Israel, he has repeatedly called for a deal to retrieve the Israeli captives. Israeli families of the captives believe that Gallant’s dismissal is further proof that Netanyahu is undermining a ceasefire deal. How did Gallant envision Gaza after an end to the war? As part of any ceasefire deal, Gallant stressed that Israel should promote or encourage a new Palestinian faction to control Gaza in a “day after” scenario. The United States has long called on a reformed PA, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, to return to Gaza and assume governance. The PA was first pushed out of Gaza following an inter-factional war with Hamas in 2007. Despite objections from the US and from his own security officials, Netanyahu has said that Israel will remain in full military control of Gaza and the West Bank. In May, Gallant publicly condemned Netanyahu’s plan and said that he would “not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza”. Netanyahu has dismissed Gallant’s remarks and repeatedly promised to achieve “total victory” against Hamas in Gaza. In August, Gallant described this war aim and rhetoric as “nonsense”. Adblock test (Why?)
Americans react as Donald Trump wins US presidential race
Donald Trump has won a sweeping victory in the United States presidential election and will return to the White House as the 47th president. The vote was called in favour of the Republican candidate early on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. Trump made an astonishing political comeback in defeating his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is yet to concede. His victory has been met by international congratulations but is likely to add further uncertainty to a turbulent geopolitical situation. Results showed Trump beating Harris, a Democrat, in a race far less tight than expected as he triumphed in key battleground states. Victory in Wisconsin after earlier triumphs in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania saw the former president clear the threshold of the 270 Electoral College votes required to clinch the White House in Tuesday’s election. Adblock test (Why?)
Mike Johnson reveals where House stands as GOP fights to keep majority after Trump win
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is anticipating full Republican control of Washington, D.C., after the GOP swept the White House and the Senate on Tuesday night. “As more results come in it is clear that, as we have predicted all along, Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate, and House,” Johnson said in a statement Wednesday morning. He said Republican promises of “secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense” drove Americans to vote red across the country. THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND “House Republicans have been successful in securing critical flips in swing states including Pennsylvania and Michigan, while our battle-tested incumbents have secured re-election from coast to coast,” Johnson continued. “The latest data and trends indicate that when all the votes are tabulated, Republicans will have held our majority, even though we faced a map with 18 Biden-won seats.” “We will continue to monitor the results and ensure every legal ballot is counted throughout this process.” As of late Wednesday morning, The Associated Press projected House Republicans to have won 198 seats to Democrats’ 177. Of the 435 House races across the country, the first party to win 218 will take the majority. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS A significant number of outstanding races are in California, where Republicans are fighting to hold onto several seats that were critical to them winning the majority in 2022. The GOP suffered two setbacks in New York on Tuesday night with the projected losses of Reps. Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams, who were both expected to run in tight races. Republicans are projected to hold onto Rep. Mike Lawler’s critical New York swing seat and the central New Jersey district represented by Rep. Tom Kean, however – both key suburban victories. They also are projected to flip Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Michigan House seat, which she vacated to run for Senate. It comes after Republicans won control of the Senate, with businessman Bernie Moreno projected to oust Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio on Tuesday and veteran Tim Sheehy on the path to defeating Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., as of Wednesday morning. The GOP also won control of West Virginia’s Senate seat, which was expected with the retirement of Democratic-aligned Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump secured the critical swing states of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the early hours of Wednesday, solidifying his path to victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
JD Vance vows to ‘never stop fighting’ for Americans following election victory
Vice President-elect JD Vance is declaring Wednesday that he will “never stop fighting” for the American people following his election victory with President-elect Donald Trump. In a post on X, the Ohio senator thanked his wife for “making it possible to do this” and “To President Donald J. Trump, for giving me such an opportunity to serve our country at this level. “And to the American people, for their trust. I will never stop fighting for ALL of you,” Vance added. Vance said earlier this morning during Trump’s victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida, that “I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America. LIVE UPDATES: DONALD TRUMP ELECTED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES “After the greatest political comeback in American history, we are going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership,” he also said. Trump, speaking to Vance, said, “I want to be the first to congratulate our great – now I can say – Vice president-elect of the United States, JD Vance.” HERE’S HOW VP-ELECT JD VANCE’S SENATE SEAT WILL BE FILLED “He’s turned out to be a good choice. I took a little heat at the beginning, but he was, I knew the brain was a good one. About as good as it gets,” Trump added. With Vance poised to take on the role of vice president next year, Ohioans will now need someone else to fill his Senate seat. Initially, Ohio’s governor will tap someone to fill the void caused by Vance vacating the seat. Later, there will be a special election to fill the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, according to Ohio law. Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
JEE Advanced 2025: Candidates now allowed to give 3 attempts, check details inside
The eligibility for JEE Advanced 2025 has been updated allowing three attempts, detailing age limits, academic requirements, and category-specific reservations.
Here’s how VP-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat will be filled
With Sen. JD Vance poised to take on the role of vice president next year, Ohioans will need someone else to fill his Senate seat. Initially, Ohio’s governor will tap someone to fill the void caused by Vance vacating the seat. Later, there will be a special election to fill the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, according to Ohio law. “The appointee shall hold office until the fifteenth day of December succeeding the next regular state election that occurs more than one hundred eighty days after the vacancy happens,” Ohio law states. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS REACT TO PROJECTED TRUMP VICTORY: ‘WELCOME BACK’ “At that next regular state election, a special election to fill the vacancy shall be held, provided, that when the unexpired term ends within one year immediately following the date of such regular state election, an election to fill the unexpired term shall not be held, and the appointment shall be for the unexpired term,” Ohio law stipulates. Since current Ohio Gov. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is slated to select Vance’s temporary replacement, the seat should remain in GOP hands. A special election will be held in November 2026, according to cincinnati.com. ‘TIRELESS CAMPAIGN’: REACTIONS POUR IN AFTER GOP CHALLENGER FLIPS CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT HELD BY LONGTIME DEM Vance took office in 2023, and his Senate term is not slated to end until early 2029. During remarks celebrating the victory, Vance said, “After the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re gonna lead the greatest economic comeback in American history, under Donald Trump’s leadership.” Earlier this year, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital that he would consider serving in the Senate role if asked to do so. AOC CHIMES IN AFTER JD VANCE REFERS TO KAMALA HARRIS AS ‘TRASH’ Ramaswamy mounted a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2023 before dropping out in early 2024 and backing Trump. The Fox News Decision Desk projected that Republicans won control of the Senate during the 2024 elections.
Republicans win Tarrant County, moving local government further to the right
Former state Rep. Matt Krause’s win may push the commissioners court even further away from the bipartisanship on which it once prided itself.
Republicans maintain majority on the Texas State Board of Education
Tom Maynard, Pam Little, Aaron Kinsey and Brandon Hall prevailed in contested races. The race for District 1 was still undetermined as of Wednesday morning.
Depressed media react to Trump victory: How could this possibly have happened?
Many journalists were clinging to fading hopes that Kamala Harris could somehow pull out a victory as Donald Trump won state after state in the greatest comeback in American political history. By early this morning, it was clear that the outcome they most dreaded had materialized, and it wasn’t all that close. The Blue Wall crumbled when Trump won Wisconsin, and with it the vice president’s chances – and already some of her allies in the press are blaming racism and sexism. He wound up, at this writing, with a near-sweep of the battleground states. FOX NEWS PROJECTS DONALD TRUMP DEFEATS KAMALA HARRIS TO BECOME 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Harris did the best she could in a shortened campaign, with overwhelmingly favorable and celebrity-fueled media coverage, compared to the constant attacks on her opponent. But she was the incumbent in a change election. Many of the political geniuses said that Trump – only the second president to regain the White House after losing it – was traveling a dark road, with harsh rhetoric, personal attacks and Arnold Palmer-type distractions. This, they were convinced, would appeal only to his MAGA base and contrasted with Harris’ sunny message of unity and lifting up the middle class. “We’re going to help our country heal,” Trump said this morning in West Palm Beach, a striking contrast with his previous tone. For those left-leaning commentators who said 2024 could be America’s last election if Trump won, the outcome – which included Republicans taking over the Senate – was a slap in the face. Look at these New York Times news headlines: “America Hires a Strongman.” “Pariah, Felon, President-Elect: How Trump Fought His Way Back to Power.” “Four More Years of Unpredictability: The World Prepares for Trump’s Return.” And the editorial page: “America Makes a Perilous Choice.” When Trump was leading in the Electoral College count last night by 153 to 27, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said: “It could be a very good night for Kamala Harris.” There was a subdued tone on the network this morning. On “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarborough said: “America, first of all, is far more to the right than any time in our lifetimes. Even going back to the Reagan years. And Donald Trump won in dominating fashion.” Think of all the ink that was spilled on whether Trump would accept the outcome if he lost and whether there would be violence. As for the dire predictions that a second Trump term would have no guardrails and destroy democracy, well, we’ll find out soon enough whether that was an apocalyptic view. As liberal pundits tried to pick up the pieces of the Democratic wipeout, with one on CNN accusing Trump of having no plan, there was a focus on why Harris didn’t do better with Black men, or Latinos. Trump projected strength, and even many of those turned off by his pugilistic style had favorable memories of his previous term and its strong economy, despite the trauma of Jan. 6. Harris was saddled with the unpopularity of Joe Biden, who should have stepped aside much sooner. The theme of one stunned television panel after another today: How could this possibly have happened? But for those who lambasted Trump for not accepting his defeat in 2020 – something he still contested in the final days – it’s now their turn to accept that you can’t love your country only when you win. Harris, after hiding from the press for a month and even after winning the debate, just didn’t have much new to say in the final weeks and often retreated to talking-point responses. I’ve covered Donald Trump for decades, and interviewed him in New York just a couple of weeks ago, when he was very much on his game. He stood by his most controversial stances, such as saying “the enemy within” – naming Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff – were more of a threat than Russia or China. The former and future president has promised a mass deportation of illegal immigrants, among other things. But his most dramatic rhetoric is often brushed aside by most supporters who believe this is what goes on in campaigns and much of it will never happen. Trump always drives the news agenda by going up to and over the line, forcing the media to cover him, and even negative headlines help him by highlighting his larger points. On CNN, former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield said that “Democrats need to have a soul-searching moment.” The media could badly use one as well. But I’m not holding my breath. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.