LatinNews Daily - 31 October 2025

*US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a statement in response to the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa through eastern Cuba, saying that his department is issuing “a Declaration of Humanitarian Need for Cuba and is prepared to provide immediate humanitarian assistance directly and via local partners who can most effectively deliver it to those in need”. Rubio made clear that the government “stands with the brave Cuban people who continue to struggle to meet basic needs”, while stressing that US law includes “exemptions and authorizations relating to private donations of food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods to Cuba, as well as disaster response”. Rubio’s statement comes a day after he had put out a message on social media saying that Washington was “in close contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and The Bahamas as they confront the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa”, adding that “rescue and response teams [are] heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies”, pointedly leaving out Cuba.