Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledges "immediate humanitarian aid" to Cuba as State Department responds to effects of Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean.

A charity is appealing for donations to support hospitals in Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. The category two storm left a trail of devastation across the Caribbean, causing landslides and widespread flooding in Cuba, where the authorities said more than 700,000 people were evacuated.

The United States is prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to people of Cuba who were affected by Hurricane Melissa, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday. The department has issued a declaration for humanitarian assistance for Cuba,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department had issued a formal Declaration of Humanitarian Assistance for Cuba, where U.S. government aid is rare.

Hurricane Melissa brought hurricane-force gusts to Bermuda overnight and will weaken as it heads north, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Maps show its forecast path.

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly called for an end to a U.S. economic embargo on Cuba despite lobbying by Washington that included sharing an accusation that up to 5,000 Cubans are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is paying a fortune because he can’t keep his hands to himself and a judge clobbered the Jerry Maguire Oscar winner with a $300,000 payoff to a woman he’s accused of groping at a Manhattan watering hole.