Tropical Storm Ian could become a ‘catastrophic’ Category 4 hurricane
Tropical Storm Ian was forecast to rapidly gain strength Sunday while racing across the Caribbean toward Cuba and threatening a big hit to Florida’s west coast later in the week. Ian was forecast to reach hurricane status Sunday, then roll across western Cuba Monday night and early Tuesday. As Ian approaches Florida, Accuweather said the storm could reach Category 4 status, which means sustained winds between 130 mph and 156 mph. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to load up on food, water, medicine, batteries and fuel. He said it was too soon to determine when or even if Ian will make landfall, but that evacuations may be ordered in the coming days. “Significant” wind and storm surge damage is expected across a wide swath of the Atlantic Basin, and the Cuban government upgraded the hurricane watch to a warning.
Fiona makes landfall in Canada
Fiona, now a post-tropical cyclone after a destructive run as a hurricane, washed away homes and has left thousands powerless in Canada after making landfall Saturday. Although Fiona is expected to weaken over the next few days – as tropical storms typically do when they reach cooler waters – the Canadian Hurricane Center has noted how unprecedented the storm is for eastern Canada. As the storm made landfall in Canada, winds were reaching over 100 mph – the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane. The damage in Canada comes after Fiona devastated Puerto Rico earlier this week.
real quick
‘Sham’ annexation referendums held in Russian-occupied Ukraine
About 93% of those casting their ballots on the first day of the referendum on the Zaporizhzhia region joining the Russian Federation were in favor, according to a poll released Sunday by a Russian firm, the Crimean Republican Institute for Political and Sociological Research. Ukrainian and US officials have dismissed the voting for “sham referendums,” in which residents of the Russian-occupied region were surveyed starting Friday. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia is pushing ahead with the referendums in parts of Ukraine it controls because President Vladimir Putin knows he is losing the war and must justify continuing to fight it. Zelenskyy said people who fail to support annexation wouldn’t be able to “live a normal human life” and could face retribution – such as having their electricity cut off.
👉 ‘Catastrophic consequences for Russia’ if Putin uses nukes, US official says. Sunday’s updates.
- Anti-war demonstrations in Russia: Fears of being ‘cannon fodder’ and a brutal response by police.
- In California, Ukraine’s national surf team dreams of the Olympics-and the end of war.
Pujols reaches 700 home runs; Judge still chasing 61
One Major League Baseball home run milestone has been reached and another remains a swing of the bat away. St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols on Friday night became just the fourth major leaguer to reach 700 career homers when he hit two at Dodger Stadium. Pujols – the oldest active MLB player at age 42 – joined Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in one of baseball’s most elite hitting clubs. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge remains one short of typing Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs in a season. Judge has gone homerless in four straight games, but gets his next chance Sunday night against the Red Sox (7:08 pm ET; ESPN).
Italian election could bring the far right to power
Italians voted Sunday in an election that could move the country’s politics sharply toward the right. Giorgia Meloni and her de ella Brothers of Italy party, with its neo-fascist roots, ranked as the most popular in recent opinion polls, suggesting Italians were poised to vote their first far-right government into power since World War II. Meloni is part of an alliance with anti-migrant League leader Matteo Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi, the three-time premier who heads the Forza Italia party. Italy’s complex electoral law rewards campaign coalitions, meaning former Premier Enrico Letta and his center-left Democratic Party are disadvantaged since they failed to secure a similarly broad alliance with left-leaning populists and centrists. If Meloni becomes premier, she will be the first woman in Italy to hold the office. Projections based on partial results are expected early Monday morning.
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Contributing: Associated Press
www.usatoday.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism