‘Unprecedented catastrophe’ in Jamaica as storm hits Cuba

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Good morning and welcome to your daily news briefing from The Independent.

Hurricane Melissa's death toll reaches double digits as it leaves a catastrophic trail of destruction, David Lammy believes Britain is not a racist country despite experiencing horrendous prejudice growing up, and a Microsoft outage has knocked countless internet webpages offline worldwide. 

Top stories

1 | 'Unprecedented catastrophe' in Jamaica as storm hits Cuba

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2 | I was spat on for being Black – but Britain is not racist, says David Lammy

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3 | Putin tests nuclear torpedo capable of causing 'radioactive tsunami'

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4 | Azure outages see Starbucks app, Xbox and airport website go dark

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5 |Celebrity Traitors: Three Faithfuls at risk of 'murder'

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Editors' picks

'A necessity or marketing?' Readers divided on the rise of water bottles

I live in Australia and was diagnosed with a kidney issue 30 years ago, and so was advised to keep hydrated – such that I am now rarely without a 600ml bottle of water, but for good reason. My habit seems to have rubbed off on family and friends now, however, and I think we are all a bit overcautious and more in line with the current trend or obsession than actual need.

Get involved and share your views here.

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WATCH 

Trump admits he can't run for a third term

STAT OF THE DAY

£500

A migrant sex offender who was wrongly freed from prison was given £500 to leave the UK after threatening to disrupt his deportation to Ethiopia.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"We were just finishing the signing of the paperwork when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle"

A couple in New Zealand were left shocked after Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood made a surprise appearance at their wedding in Hobbiton.

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Craving a break? Get 15% or more off late escapes with Booking.com.

Nab a 2-for-1 deal on blue light glasses at Meller.

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