Why is Hurricane Melissa so strong?

The storm caused widespread damage in Jamaica and is making its way to Cuba; is climate change to blame for its power? What - or who - is behind Donald Trump’s obsession with Venezuela? Is it good news that a cargo ship has made it through the North East Passage for the first time? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by the Observer’s Erica Wagner, Jessica Hayden and Chloe Hadjimatheou as they pitch their top stories of the day, live from the Observer newsroom.  Must Reads:JumpersThe House at Number 48Iran, Russia and the New Zealand insurer that kept their sanctioned oil flowing **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky  Host: Jeevan Vasagar Producer: Poppy Bullard Executive Producers: Rebecca Moore and Matt Russell To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.