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REUTERS/Octavio JonesPeople in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to unleash destructive winds and bring catastrophic flooding to the Caribbean nation in the coming hours.
Melissa was upgraded to a category five hurricane - the maximum strength - early on Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The authorities fear that Melissa, which has already been blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.

REUTERS/Gilbert BellamyThe Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as "threatened".
An update from the NHC at 09:00GMT said that Melissa was about 130 miles (209km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.
It has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160mph (260km/h) and could strengthen further in the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasters warned.
If it continues on the forecasted track, its core is expected "to move near or over Jamaica tonight and Tuesday, across south-eastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday".
The storm is particularly slow moving, which makes it very dangerous in terms of expected rainfall amounts.
According to the NHC, 40 inches of rain (100cm) are possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days.

REUTERS/Octavio JonesForecasters warn that destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica overnight or early on Tuesday.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island.
Officials also urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.
Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, told local media that all of the island's 881 shelters were open.

Orlando Barría/EPA/ShutterstockAt least three people are known to have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rainfall to the island of Hispaniola.
In the Dominican Republic, located on the eastern side of Hispaniola, one person also died.
Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who had been swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo.
A 13-year-old has also been reported missing after being dragged away by strong currents as he was swimming in the sea.
Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising floodwater.

ReutersThe Israeli government says it has allowed a member of Hamas into territory in Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to help Red Cross and Egyptian personnel search for the bodies of 13 remaining dead hostages.
"The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the IDF's Yellow Line position in Gaza under close IDF supervision," government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told a briefing.
She also said the Egyptians would bring in more equipment, including "tractor-type vehicles".
Israel accuses Hamas of violating the two-week-old Gaza ceasefire deal because it has returned only 15 of the 28 hostages' bodies it was holding.
The Palestinian group says it is committed to the deal brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, but that it needs help to find remains buried under the rubble left by two years of war.
All 20 living Israeli hostages were released soon after the ceasefire took effect on 10 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Israel has also handed over the bodies of 195 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the 13 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, along with those of two foreign hostages - one of them Thai and the other Nepalese.
Eleven of the 13 dead hostages still in Gaza are Israelis, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.
"Hamas knows where they are located and there is no other option but for them to be released back home," Ms Bedrosian said.
Earlier, the group representing the Israeli hostages' families demanded that immediate action be taken to ensure Hamas handed over all the bodies. This includes delaying the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.
"The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration, and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
It came after Israeli media cited an Israeli security official as saying that the Trump administration wanted to move to the second phase even if not all the hostages were found.
On Saturday, Hamas's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement that the group was facing "challenges" because Israeli forces had "altered the terrain of Gaza".
"Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them," he added.
All but one of the dead hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 people abducted during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed.
Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 68,500 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.


EPA/ShutterstockThe father of a released Israeli hostage who was forced to dig his own grave in a Gazan tunnel by Hamas has told the BBC his son's health is "improving every day".
Avishai David was speaking after his 24-year-old son Evyatar David and two other freed hostages - Guy Gilboa Dalal and Eitan Mor - were discharged from hospital to a hero's welcome at their homes on Sunday.
"I can't explain how happy it makes me feel to see him growing back to his old self," the father added.
In August, two months before Evyatar's release, Hamas had posted a video showing him emaciated in a narrow concrete tunnel - a move that drew condemnation from Israel and many Western leaders.

OtherAvishai David told the BBC he was happy to see his son's "vitality improving every day, his colour returning [to his face], his cheeks getting fuller".
"Thank God, he pulled through it and he's strong."
The father said he had suffered for months knowing that his son was only "80km away... and I can't help him".
"It devastated me," he said, adding that he "couldn't sleep, eat, drink properly."
In August, Evyatar's brother Ilay told the BBC the Hamas video was a "new form of cruelty".
"He's a human skeleton. He was being starved to the point where he can be dead at any moment, and he suffers a great deal," Ilay said at the time.
In the footage itself, Evyatar said: "I haven't eaten for days... I barely got drinking water." He was seen digging what he said would be his own grave.
On Sunday, cheering crowds - including many friends and neighbours - greeted Evyatar David as he returned to his hometown of Kfar Saba in central Israel.
Dr Michal Shteinman, director at Rabin Medical Centre where the three released hostages were treated, told the BBC their bodies still bore the marks of "this horrific captivity".
"We can see their blood tests... and we've also heard their stories... they are not lying. You can see the marks of this metabolic trauma. Their skin tells their story. You can see the scars and the wounds."
But Dr Shteinman added that the hostages "came back stronger than they were".
Evyatar was abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
He and 19 other living hostages have been released by Hamas under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal earlier this month.
Hamas has also transferred 15 out of 28 deceased hostages. Thirteen were Israelis, one was Nepalese and the other Thai.
In exchange, Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, and returned 15 bodies of Palestinians for every Israeli hostage's remains.
The IDF launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.
More than 68,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.
President Donald Trump said he had an MRI scan during a recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
"I did. I got an MRI. It was perfect," the president told reporters on board Air Force One on Monday on his way to a week-long trip in Asia.
Trump, who at age 79 is one of the oldest presidents in US history, did not say why he got the scan, which can be used to check for a wide range of issues.
The scan took place during Trump's visit to Walter Reed earlier this month, when his physician said he was in "exceptional health".
"The doctor said [it] was some of the best reports, for the age, they've ever seen," Trump said Monday.
Asked why he received the MRI, which stands for magnetic resonance imaging, Trump told reporters to "ask the doctors".
Presidential physician Dr Sean Barbabella said in a statement at the time that Trump's appointment was a "scheduled follow-up evaluation" "as part of his ongoing health maintenance plan and included advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventative health assessments".
The president "continues to demonstrate excellent overall health", Dr Barbabella said.
MRI scans use strong magnetic fields to create an image of the inside of a patient's body, and is especially useful for looking at soft tissues, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Earlier this year, the White House announced that Trump had been diagnosed with a medical condition in his veins called chronic venous insufficiency.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had noticed swelling in his legs, prompting a check-up with his doctor who diagnosed him with the condition.
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins don't allow blood to flow back up to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower limbs. It is a "benign and common", in older individuals, according to a note from Barbabella.
Trump had also been recently photographed with patches of makeup on the back of his hand. The White House has said it is unrelated to the vein condition but is instead bruising as a result of frequent handshaking.

Essex PoliceAn independent investigation has been launched after a migrant sex offender was mistakenly released from prison in what appears be "human error", Justice Secretary David Lammy has said.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Lammy said the inquiry will seek to "fully establish the facts" of the release of Hadush Kebatu and whether the staff involved had "sufficient experience, training and technology".
Kebatu, who was set to be deported, was freed in error from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, prompting a 48-hour manhunt that ended with him being re-arrested in north London on Sunday.
Responding to Lammy's statement, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick described the release of Kebatu as a "national embarrassment."
Lammy said Kebatu would be deported back to Ethiopia "as quickly as possible".
Earlier on Monday, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer suggested the deportation would happen within a few days.
Kebatu was sentenced last month for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in July in Epping, Essex, where he had been living in an asylum hotel since arriving in the UK on a small boat.
His arrest triggered a series of protests in the area, which spread to hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
Kebatu was due to be taken to an immigration detention centre to be deported under an early removals scheme (ERS) for foreign national offenders but was instead released in "what appears to have been in human error", Lammy told MPs.
"I've been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable," he told MPs.
"We must get to the bottom of what happened and take immediate action to try and prevent similar releases in error to protect the public from harm."
Lammy said the independent investigation will be chaired by former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Dame Lynne Owens.
Dame Lynne will also talk to the victims of Kebatu to "understand the effect this incident had on them," Lammy said.

PA"Her report will highlight points of failure and make recommendations to help prevent further releases in error, which have been rising year-on-year since 2021 - going from nine per month on average in 2023 to 17 per month in the period spanning January to June 2024," he added.
"And I'm clear that a single release in error is one too many, which is why we have launched this independent investigation."
A prison officer has been suspended while the probe takes place.
The government has ordered prison governors to carry out new procedures to avoid a repeat of Kebatu's mistaken release.
Lammy said he had ordered an "urgent review" into the checks that take place when someone is released from prison. New safeguards have been added that amount to the "strongest release checks that have ever been in place," he told MPs.
Foreign criminals facing deportation will only be able to be released from prison when a duty governor is physically present, Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, said.
No removals from HMP Chelmsford under the ERS will take place this week, he added.
The number of prisoners who have been released mistakenly has risen sharply, with 262 let out in error between April 2024 and March 2025, up from 115 over the same period a year earlier.
Lammy suggested the mistaken release of Kebatu was a "symptom" of the prison system Labour inherited from the previous Conservative government.
There had been a 30% cut in prison staffing, and more than half of frontline prison officers now have less than five years' experience, Lammy said.
"It's little wonder when the system has been brought to its knees that errors like this happen," he added.
In response, Jenrick said the mistaken release was "a national embarrassment and today the justice secretary feigns anger at what happened."
He called on Lammy to give his "cast iron assurance" that Kebatu will be deported from the country by the end of the week.
King Charles was heckled by a protester asking him about Prince Andrew's relationship to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a visit to a cathedral on Monday.
The man asked how long the King had known about his brother and Epstein, and also questioned whether he had asked the police to "cover up" for Andrew.
There were also throngs of fans and cheers for the King, who was visiting Staffordshire for an engagement at Lichfield Cathedral.
Prince Andrew's links with Epstein have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. The prince, who relinquished his titles earlier this month, has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
The protester, who can be heard clearly in video footage from the event, also asked King Charles whether MPs should be allowed to debate the royals in the Commons.
The King did not respond to the questions but carried on greeting fans, one of whom can be heard asking him for a hug.
One woman outside the cathedral was also heard telling the heckler to "go away" and to "shut up".
The scandal over Andrew's connections to Epstein has been reignited by new sexual abuse allegations contained in Virginia Giuffre's posthumously-published memoir.
While Prince Andrew has always strenuously denied abusing Ms Giuffre, fresh questions have been asked about how he is able to fund his lifestyle despite not being a working royal.
The Liberal Democrats said he should be called in front of MPs to give evidence about his lease of his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge.
But last Thursday, the government refused to give MPs time to debate the prince's titles or his home, despite growing pressure for scrutiny.

Getty Images
Peter Cade/Getty ImagesDescribed as the biggest shake-up to renting in England for more than 30 years, a new law to give renters more rights was formally approved on Monday.
In the coming weeks, the government will announce how - and when - each of the changes will come into force.
With almost 20% of UK households renting privately, the changes will affect millions of people.
A home will now be rented on a "periodic" or rolling basis, rather than for a fixed 12 or 24-month contract. That means that if a tenant wants to stay in a property, they can.
The government says this will provide "more security for tenants".
If a tenant wants to leave they can, by giving two months' notice, rather than being tied in for a year or more. The government says this will "end the injustice of tenants being trapped paying rent for substandard properties".
The Renters' Rights Bill applies to England. Scotland has had periodic agreements for tenancies since 2017, but Wales and Northern Ireland still allow fixed term contracts.
The Bill will also end the practice of "bidding wars", where people are encouraged to offer over the asking price to secure a property. Instead, there will now be a set asking price that is clear from the outset.
It comes as average UK monthly private rents increased by 5.5%, to £1,354, in the 12 months to September 2025, according to a provisional estimate by the ONS.
In the year to June, more than 11,000 households in England had their homes repossessed by bailiffs following a no-fault eviction process.
The new law means that if a landlord wants to sell or move in to the property, they will not be able to do so in the first 12 months of a tenant moving in. After this, they will need to give four months' notice.
However, it will still be possible for landlords to evict tenants in certain circumstances.
If a tenant damages the property, commits antisocial behaviour, or falls significantly behind paying the rent - known as rent arrears - the landlord can give notice at any point.
The mandatory threshold for an arrears eviction will increase from two months' to three months' rent.
If the landlord gives notice for these reasons and the tenant does not leave within four months, a court decides whether it is reasonable to order possession of the property.
Further changes mean that it will no longer be possible to evict tenants for complaining about poor conditions.
A "Decent Homes Standard" will be introduced, and the new "Awaab's Law" will also apply at some point. This requires hazards to be repaired within a certain time and is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died after being exposed to mould in his Rochdale home.
Only once a year and only to "the market rate".
To do so, landlords will need to give two months' notice.
If a tenant believes the amount is excessive, it can be challenged at a first-tier tribunal, a type of civil court.
There are no changes to the protected deposit schemes currently operating in England. The current rules for deposits still apply. The maximum a landlord can ask for upfront is five weeks' rent, if the rent for the year is less than £50,000, and up to six weeks' rent if the yearly rent is £50,000 or more.
However, the maximum rent a landlord can ask for upfront will be limited to one month.
For purpose-built student accommodation, landlords can give two weeks' notice for the student to leave. This applies to specific institutional providers like university-owned accommodation or companies renting to students.
If a private landlord has been renting a house of multiple occupation to students - where the tenancy was agreed at a maximum six months before the tenancy started - landlords can evict them to allow for new tenancies.
More than half the residents need to be students and the landlord needs to give four months' notice.
A landlord must consider a request and cannot "unreasonably" refuse. Tenants will be able to challenge "unfair decisions", but landlords will have the right to ensure pet insurance is in place to cover any damage to their property.
It will be illegal for landlords and agents to discriminate against would-be tenants who receive benefits or who have children.
However, landlords and agents will have the final say on who they let their property to and will continue to do reference and affordability checks.
The Renters Rights Coalition has been campaigning for around 10 years to abolish Section 21 evictions, which allow landlords to evict tenants without a reason within eight weeks.
Director Tom Darling said scrapping them would give tenants "real security in their house".
Elizabeth Sugden, 35, from Manchester, who contacted BBC News, welcomes the changes. She says she was served a Section 21 notice by her landlord last year as she believed her landlord wanted to "double" the rent.
She said: "It's literally ruined my life."
She has been temporarily housed by her local council and her possessions are in storage.
She said: "It's just like our lives are on hold. That's the way it feels, because we can't move forward with anything."
Chris Norris, chief policy officer of the National Residential Landlords Association, said landlords were feeling "nervous" and hoped for more clarity from the government.
"They don't really know what will happen in the minority of cases where tenancies go wrong," he added.
Mr Norris said many landlords would now screen tenants more carefully.
"We're going to have to look very, very carefully at what the risk is of those new tenants and that'll be to do with their ability to pay the tenancy, their background, whether they've got county court judgments against their name, whether they've had a good experience of renting in the past."
He added that these reforms would put more pressure on the court system - for those wanting to challenge evictions or rent increases - and questioned whether they have capacity to do this.
Landlord Maureen Treadwell said landlords were "losing confidence" and described the bill as a "slow car crash".
She feels the bill will "backfire" on tenants and disproportionately affect those at the bottom of the private rental market.
"I have lovely tenants who I've taken a chance on and they've turned out to be great," she says.
"Would I do that now? No. If they can't meet the affordability targets - absolutely not."


Julia WandeltA woman on trial accused of stalking Madeleine McCann's parents told a court she is still questioning her identity after claiming to be the missing girl.
Julia Wandelt, 24, who a jury heard has repeatedly claimed she is the missing child, is charged with stalking Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February this year.
Taking to the stand at Leicester Crown Court on Monday, she said she had limited memories of her childhood and "could only remember abuse" after experiences with her step-grandfather.
Miss Wandelt, of Jana Kochanowskiego in Lubin, Poland, denies stalking Mr and Mrs McCann, causing serious alarm and distress.
The trial previously heard Miss Wandelt has claimed to be Mr and Mrs McCann's daughter since 2022.
However, a DNA test taken from her on her arrest in February 2025 "conclusively proved" she is not the missing child, the jury has been told.

Joe Giddens - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesMiss Wandelt told the court she was abused as a child by her step-grandfather at about nine years old.
She said she told her grandmother in 2010, and she told her not to tell anyone.
Her step-grandfather was convicted and later sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the court heard.
The abuse, Miss Wandelt said, left her feeling suicidal and she started to see a psychologist in about 2020.
She said: "She made me reflect on my life more and think about everything that happened. I realised I only remember abuse. My friends, they could remember things.
"I started with asking questions because I just could not believe there was nothing else in the story of what happened to me."
She added: "I started asking my parents about everything."
When asked by defence barrister Tom Price KC if she still questions her identity, Miss Wandelt said: "Yes, I do."

PA MediaMadeleine was three years old when she disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal on 3 May 2007. The case remains unsolved.
Miss Wandelt told the court she discovered who Madeleine was when she was in hospital in the summer of 2022.
She said she spoke to her father, who told her the man who had abused her as a child had "been involved in kidnapping".
She told jurors it was at that time that she had been considering whether she had been adopted, and decided to "check out databases" of missing people.
When asked if Miss Wandelt found anyone who matched her, she said: "There were not actually a lot of people my age or around my age, but that is how I found Madeleine."
Miss Wandelt said she started to think she was not her parents' child during 2023.
She told the court she asked them to do a DNA test to confirm she was their child, but they refused.
Miss Wandelt told the court a sketch of a suspect in the Madeleine case looked "quite similar to the person who abused me" and had the same surname, which she said was a "big factor".

PA MediaMiss Wandelt said she was not attracted to Madeleine's case for fame or financial gain.
"I just wanted to find out who I am," she said.
The defendant said she discovered Operation Grange - the Metropolitan Police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance - and got in touch with them in 2022.
She sent an email stating "I think I could be Madeleine McCann", the court heard, and told investigators that her date of birth was in 2001, but said "documents can be faked".
Miss Wandelt told the court she wanted to try to get in touch with "everyone I could think of" before contacting the McCann family.
"In general, if someone's child is missing I would assume it would be upsetting to raise a lead which could result as a false hope at the end," she said.
"I wanted to try everything before getting in touch with the parents of Madeleine directly.
"I didn't want to give them false hope of cause them any distress."
When asked why she did eventually contact the McCann family, the defendant said she thought they had been "misled".
"The police were not interested in finding Kate and Gerry's daughter," she added.
Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road, Cardiff, faces the same charge, which she also denies.
The trial continues.
Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.


EPA/ShutterstockThe father of a released Israeli hostage who was forced to dig his own grave in a Gazan tunnel by Hamas has told the BBC his son's health is "improving every day".
Avishai David was speaking after his 24-year-old son Evyatar David and two other freed hostages - Guy Gilboa Dalal and Eitan Mor - were discharged from hospital to a hero's welcome at their homes on Sunday.
"I can't explain how happy it makes me feel to see him growing back to his old self," the father added.
In August, two months before Evyatar's release, Hamas had posted a video showing him emaciated in a narrow concrete tunnel - a move that drew condemnation from Israel and many Western leaders.

OtherAvishai David told the BBC he was happy to see his son's "vitality improving every day, his colour returning [to his face], his cheeks getting fuller".
"Thank God, he pulled through it and he's strong."
The father said he had suffered for months knowing that his son was only "80km away... and I can't help him".
"It devastated me," he said, adding that he "couldn't sleep, eat, drink properly."
In August, Evyatar's brother Ilay told the BBC the Hamas video was a "new form of cruelty".
"He's a human skeleton. He was being starved to the point where he can be dead at any moment, and he suffers a great deal," Ilay said at the time.
In the footage itself, Evyatar said: "I haven't eaten for days... I barely got drinking water." He was seen digging what he said would be his own grave.
On Sunday, cheering crowds - including many friends and neighbours - greeted Evyatar David as he returned to his hometown of Kfar Saba in central Israel.
Dr Michal Shteinman, director at Rabin Medical Centre where the three released hostages were treated, told the BBC their bodies still bore the marks of "this horrific captivity".
"We can see their blood tests... and we've also heard their stories... they are not lying. You can see the marks of this metabolic trauma. Their skin tells their story. You can see the scars and the wounds."
But Dr Shteinman added that the hostages "came back stronger than they were".
Evyatar was abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
He and 19 other living hostages have been released by Hamas under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal earlier this month.
Hamas has also transferred 15 out of 28 deceased hostages. Thirteen were Israelis, one was Nepalese and the other Thai.
In exchange, Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, and returned 15 bodies of Palestinians for every Israeli hostage's remains.
The IDF launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.
More than 68,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.

REUTERS/Octavio JonesPeople in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to unleash destructive winds and bring catastrophic flooding to the Caribbean nation in the coming hours.
Melissa was upgraded to a category five hurricane - the maximum strength - early on Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The authorities fear that Melissa, which has already been blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.

REUTERS/Gilbert BellamyThe Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as "threatened".
An update from the NHC at 09:00GMT said that Melissa was about 130 miles (209km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.
It has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160mph (260km/h) and could strengthen further in the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasters warned.
If it continues on the forecasted track, its core is expected "to move near or over Jamaica tonight and Tuesday, across south-eastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday".
The storm is particularly slow moving, which makes it very dangerous in terms of expected rainfall amounts.
According to the NHC, 40 inches of rain (100cm) are possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days.

REUTERS/Octavio JonesForecasters warn that destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica overnight or early on Tuesday.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island.
Officials also urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.
Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, told local media that all of the island's 881 shelters were open.

Orlando Barría/EPA/ShutterstockAt least three people are known to have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rainfall to the island of Hispaniola.
In the Dominican Republic, located on the eastern side of Hispaniola, one person also died.
Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who had been swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo.
A 13-year-old has also been reported missing after being dragged away by strong currents as he was swimming in the sea.
Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising floodwater.

Airteamimages.comUK regional airline Eastern Airways is on the brink of collapse, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
On Monday it filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator, and several regional flights were cancelled including between between Teesside and Aberdeen.
Eastern Airways operates across the UK, Ireland and Europe, and has run and important service supported by the Scottish government for people in the northernmost point of mainland UK.
Eastern Airways and The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been approached for comment.
A notice to appoint administrators is a formal step that gives the business up to 10 days of legal protection from creditors while it explores rescue options, restructures, or prepares for insolvency proceedings.
Airport flight departure boards showed Eastern Airways flights had been cancelled, including a 0700 flight from Newquay to London Gatwick, 1815 flight from Teesside to Aberdeen, 1430 from Aberdeen to Wick and 1645 from Aberdeen to Teesside.
Eastern Airways is one of the UK's last remaining regional airlines.
Eastern Airways has been an operator in the oil and gas sector industry, flying between UK cities with a significant presence in the sector such as Aberdeen, Humberside, Teesside and Wick.
It faced financial challenges following the pandemic, due in part to falling passenger numbers.
The airline was launched in 1997 and is based at Humberside Airport in North Lincolnshire. The airline also operates out of East Midlands, Jersey, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay and Southampton, as well as Esbjerg in Denmark.
It has run a crucial weekday service between Wick John O'Groats Airport and Aberdeen, which is seen as vital for people living in the most northerly point on mainland UK, which was supported by a Public Service Obligation (PSO) by the Scottish Government.
Eastern Airways initially built up its network of scheduled services around the North Sea offshore industry with flights up the east coast of England to Aberdeen.

© Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
郑智化登机的监控片段曝光以后,网络上一些人开始高呼“反转”了。
反转了吗?
郑智化批评的是升降车距离飞机门25公分,轮椅推不进去。这是客观事实。
因为这个客观事实,让郑智化有了不愉快的体验,所以他很生气。
一个因为有不愉快体验而生气的消费者,有权利说出自己的感受吗?
网上一些人说,视频公布了,有工作人员搀扶郑进飞机,郑没有“连滚带爬”,所以郑该骂。
这很搞笑!
按照网上这些人的逻辑,如果一个顾客上饭店就餐以后,说了一句“难吃死了”,就一定得死吗?否则就是在夸大其词,就是在造谣?
这起事件,更应该去关心的难道不是“升降车距离飞机门25公分,轮椅推不进去”的问题吗?可是网络上一些人义愤填膺的是郑有没有“连滚带爬”,这很莫名其妙。
王世坚的“连滚带爬”言论被改编的歌曲正爆火网络,这个“连滚带爬”的梗有很多人都在用,郑智化就不能用一下?
郑智化发声批评以后,机场也回应了,双方的沟通,是机场和乘客的良好互动。如果能以此为契机,促进公共服务的改进,惠及一些残障人士和老人,这更是一件大好事!
但是,一些人因为郑智化没有“连滚带爬”的登机,就破口大骂,这很莫名其妙。难道在些人眼里,机场的服务已经很好了,不需要任何改进了吗?
舆论场上对个人的要求,似乎正在变得越来越苛刻,甚至还发生过一些极端的事件。郑州雨灾,一位遇难者的父亲身穿雨衣戴口罩骑自行车悼念,被人质疑别有用心。可事实上,他穿的是和女儿分别时的深蓝色雨衣、佩戴的是女儿赠送的墨镜及开口口罩,推着的是日常接送女儿的老式自行车。
武汉校园被撞致死小学生的母亲,因为衣着得体说话克制有礼貌,被人各种恶意评论。在这些人眼里,孩子去世了,母亲就应该蓬头垢面声嘶力竭语无伦次。最终,这个痛失爱子的母亲从高楼一跃而下,带着她的悲伤和崩溃永远离开了。
现在,郑智化因为一句“连滚带爬”,就招来如山呼海啸般的批评甚至谩骂。
我个人是很感谢郑智化先生的发声的!“升降车距离飞机门25公分,轮椅推不进去”的问题,存在不只一天了,一定有其他的残障人士遇到过。现在郑智化把它曝出来了,我觉得是好事,如果能因此引起重视,并得到解决,客观上对你我有益。
我们可能不会残疾,但都会老,到了一定年龄,都有可能要坐上轮椅出行。再说了,即使我们不坐轮椅,也有可能身边会有亲人需要坐上轮椅出行。
把残疾人坐着轮椅推进客舱,做不到吗?我在网上搜了一些视频,完全是可以做到的。
机场是可以做到更好的!可以更好,为什么不去做到更好呢?
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一个社会的文明程度取决于它如何对待弱势群体,但有些人是永远不会懂的。
我个人很感谢郑智化先生的发声!对每一个为促进公共服务的改进而发声的人,我都心怀感激。他们的声音也许很刺耳,但如果能因为他们的发声,让这个世界一点点的变得更好,我也会从中获益。
1,10月25日,歌手郑智化发文控诉深圳机场,对残疾人的态度没有人性,升降机和机门地板有25公分的台阶,轮椅推不上飞机,最后连滚带爬进飞机。
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事后深圳机场立马道歉,郑智化也表示原谅。
原以为事件就此平息,可今天网上出现了现场视频,在登机的时候,的确有一个25公分的台阶,轮椅推不进去,最后是工作人员搀扶着上的飞机。
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看到视频网友就不干了,觉得他没有连滚带爬进入飞机,为什么要说连滚带爬呢?
于是网友就攻陷了郑智化的评论区。
怎么说呢,连滚带爬正好是时下流行的网络神曲《没出息》的一句歌词。
本来是从从容容游刃有余,现在是匆匆忙忙连滚带爬。
他虽不至于真的连滚带爬上飞机,但对于一个残疾人来说,也是很狼狈的。一个小小的台阶,就是难以逾越的障碍。那一刻的狼狈,也是一种对现实无力的象征。
2,很多人说他矫情夸张,但这恰恰是不同生活环境造成的参照系差异。
评价一个地方是否属于发达国家或地区,就看这里对于弱势群体的保护和照顾到不到位。
郑智化长期生活在台湾,一个注重对弱势群体关照的社会。在这样的环境中,残障人士出行有完善的无障碍设施和人性化的服务。
对他一个来到对残障人士照顾不足的地方,自然会感到不适。
很多网友觉得他还不至于爬着上飞机,有夸大其词之嫌,可他是吃惯了细糠,吃到这口粗糠觉得难以下咽。
国内网友是常年吃草根,吃到一口粗糠,就觉得做的挺好的。
这就是两类人的参照系不同,造成的偏差。
所以对于常年生活在对残障人士有尊严的环境中,突然来到没有尊严的环境中,就是连滚带爬的狼狈。
正如现在热歌里的“连滚带爬”其意思也不是真的在地上打滚和爬行。就是形容狼狈不堪。
今天还看到郑智化吐槽在国内出行时遇到的各种不便。
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3,他说的的确也是事实,国内目前对于残障人士的出行,虽然有一些表面功夫,但终究是马屎皮面光,里面一包糠。
现在大街上的盲道,修的时候,都有标准,可很多时候都有各种各样的问题。还有轮椅的无障碍通道,也会因为各种原因,充满障碍。
我见过就有为了防止外卖的电瓶车,把轮椅的通道都堵死的案例。
我曾经带娃到日本韩国去旅行,在那里每个厕所都有母婴厕所,都有给孩子换尿不湿的地方,也有哺乳的地方,对弱势群体的关心无微不至,考虑得很周全。
在我国的香港澳门也是如此,注重对弱势群体的照顾。
我走过几次从香港澳门到珠海,过关之后的厕所完全不一样,内地的厕所,也有母婴厕所,但是要明显小很多。
在经济发达地区,这种情况算好的了。在经济不发达地区,这种情况更多。
我以前坐高铁每次回老家,都很狼狈。一边推着婴儿车,一边拉着行李箱,出了高铁站就能打车。但就是因为那个站没有垂直电梯,甚至只有楼梯加边上的斜坡。
于是每次都小心翼翼提着行李箱,拉着婴儿车,再把孩子扛在肩头,顺着斜坡慢慢滑。
顺着人流的推动,那感觉真的是连滚带爬。
内地很多地方还是缺乏这种意识,甚至有的人还会在自己的职责范围内尽最大限度去为难别人。
所以成为发达国家,不仅仅是高楼大厦,飞机高铁,更重要的是对于弱势群体的关照。
我觉得深圳机场就做的不错,发现问题马上整改。
我看到深圳有个外卖小哥经常发视频,指出甚深圳街道的一些问题,网友叫他多管(闲事)局局长。没想到深圳很重视这位小哥提出的问题,能做到当天或者第二天就整改,不愧是深圳速度。
之后在遇到这种问题,就能有应对方法。而且随着人口老龄化,这种情况还会越来越多。
希望郑智化的吐槽,能够推动社会能重视对弱势群体的关爱,从文件落实到细节,推动社会进步。
从“看起来很文明”,到“真正让人感受到温度”。
让每一个人,不论身体是否健全,都能从容出行,而不是连滚带爬。
一位肢体残障人士,在机场遭遇登机困难,事后吐槽了几句机场的服务,说自己不得不连滚带爬进入机舱。之后,涉事机场迅速致歉并介绍了事情的原委,还承诺了后续改进无障碍服务的具体措施。
本该是一件良性互动,皆大欢喜的事情。
然而,现场监控视频被曝光后,该事件迅速堕入“政治化”解读,这位残障人士被描述为刻意抹黑大陆的台独分子,舆论汹涌呼吁封杀。被逼无奈之下,他只得低头认错,为此前吐槽时措辞不严谨的“连滚带爬”公开道歉。
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不知道大家有没有注意到,以上对于该事件的回顾描述中,我完全没有单独提及残障人士的知名歌手身份,也没有提及他的台胞身份。
因为整件事情的本质是机场的无障碍登机流程存在不足之处,给残障旅客造成了不便,继而被公开投诉的故事。这位残障旅客的职业和身份换成任意其他版本,都不会影响整件事的是非黑白。
残障旅客在登机时是否遭遇了障碍?
是的,25厘米的落差轮椅的确推不过去。
机场的无障碍登机流程是否存在问题?
是的,深圳机场自己都承认了不足,也给出了试点改进方案。
无论这位残障人士是歌手还是乞丐,无论是男人还是女人,无论是台湾同胞还是香港同胞,又或者是日本人、朝鲜人,都不会改变上述两个核心事实。
很多被正能量冲昏头脑的蠢货完全意识不到,我们每个人首先都是人,然后才有健全与残障的差异,再然后才有大陆同胞和台湾同胞的护照不同。
用政治化的视角去解读任何一件事情之前,都有必要过过脑子想一想:
对那个宏大目标的维护,是不是真正有利于我们作为个体的每一个人的幸福与尊严?
把某个人打成势不两立的敌对分子,是不是真的有助于那个宏大目标的实现?
以及,会不会有一天,我也有可能遭遇他所面临的困境?到时我将如何自处?
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具体到郑智化遭遇的这件事情来说,以政治化的视角去做解读,就是既愚蠢又邪恶的行为。
第一,逼着郑智化道歉,对于深圳机场以及全国其他机场改进无障碍服务是有积极影响还是消极影响?以后,敢于公开投诉公共场合无障碍设施不足的用户,是会更多还是更少?机场的无障碍设施,是残障的台湾同胞坐用得多还是残障的大陆同胞用得多?
第二,自上世纪九十年代以来,台湾歌手郑智化一直都致力于推动两岸交流,以实际行动证明两岸文化同宗同源,并公开发声反对台独。这样一个人,因为吐槽了一座机场的无障碍设施就要被打为台独分子?这样的做法,真的有利于两岸和平统一?
第三,我知道很多人都非常自信自己不会变成肢体残障人士,那请问你能确保自己一辈子不会扭伤脚、不会因事故骨折需要轮椅康复,不会因疾病虚弱而需要轮椅出行吗?即便你有充分信心不会遭遇上述情况,你也确信自己不会变老吗?还是说你已经下定决心老到坐轮椅的那一天就不再出门了呢?
一个人如果坏一点,可能还有救,如果自愿放弃思考,任由正能量的宏大口号驱动思维和行动,那就真的是丢弃了人之区别于飞禽走兽的智识,就真的没救了。
为表达对残障人士出行权利的支持,增进社会对无障碍出行的理解,我计划于今年年底举办一期面向肢体残障人士和肢体健全人士的融合旅行活动,残障人士报名仅收取成本费用。
有意向参加的读者可以私信留下姓名与联系方式预报名,后续筹备妥当后将发布行程细节。

© Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

© Arden Wray for The New York Times

© Tina Fineberg for The New York Times
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of seeking a third term for the White House, saying he would "love to do it".
But Trump rejected the possibility of running for vice-president in 2028 - an idea floated by some supporters as a way for him to circumvent the US constitution that bars the president from running for a third term.
Speaking to reporters during his trip to Asia, Trump described the idea as "too cute" and said it "wouldn't be right".
It is unclear what method he would use to run again. Last week, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon said that a "plan" was in place to secure the 79-year-old president another term.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Japan from Malaysia, Trump said that while he would "be allowed" to run again as vice-president, he had no plans to do so.
"I think people wouldn't like that," he said. "It's too cute. It wouldn't be right."
Talking about the possibility of a third term, Trump said: "I haven't really thought about it. But I have the best poll numbers that I've ever had."
Additionally, Trump also suggested vice-president JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential successors, calling them "unstoppable".
"All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don't," he added, referrring to Democrats.
The 22nd amendment of the US constitution bars presidents from seeking a third term.
Repealing the amendment would require approval from two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures - a process viewed as highly unlikely.
Last week, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon - who remains a vocal supporter - claimed there was a "plan" to secure a third term for Trump.
"Trump is going to be president in '28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that," Bannon told The Economist. "At the appropriate time, we'll lay put what the plan is."
In March, Trump told CNBC he would "probably not" run again, though he later said he was "not joking" about the possibility.
It is still unclear which Democrats intend to run for the White House in 2028, although several have already expressed an interest.
On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that he would "be lying" if he said he was not giving serious thought to a presidential bid.
Former vice-president Kamala Harris also told the BBC she may run again and that she could "possibly" be president in the future.

ReutersCameroon's 92-year-old president has won a controversial eighth term, in a fiercely disputed election.
Paul Biya, who is the world's oldest head of state, won 53.7% of the vote, compared to the 35.2% of opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the Constitutional Council declared.
Before the announcement, Tchiroma Bakary - a former Biya ally - insisted he had won the election, but the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) dismissed his claim.
The election, held on 12 October, has been marred with deadly violence, and in recent days, hundreds of Tchiroma Bakary's supporters have defied protest bans in several cities, and clashed with security forces.
On Sunday, at least four people were killed during protests in Cameroon's economic capital of Douala.
The regional governor, Samuel Dieudonné Diboua, said police posts had come under attack and security forces had defended themselves.
The unrest continued on Monday, when a number of people were shot dead near Tchiroma Bakary's residence in the city of Garoua, a local journalist on the scene told the BBC.
Around the same time, the opposition leader wrote on Facebook that shots were being fired at civilians gathered outside his home. He later claimed that snipers had been stationed at the house across from his, and were "firing at point-blank range at the people".
The authorities have not yet commented on these reports.
Protesters were denouncing what they said was a plan by the ruling CPDM, to "steal the victory" from Tchiroma Bakary.
The situation is so tense in the capital, Yaoundé, that almost all shops and schools have remained closed, while most civil servants and office workers stayed home.

ReutersIn total, 10 candidates were in the running for the presidential office, including former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari.
Voter turnout was 58%.
At least 10 petitions alleging electoral malpractice have been rejected by the Constitutional Council.
Residents in Yaoundé have been voicing their opinions on Biya's controversial victory.
"We are at the beginning of another nightmare," Amungwa Nicodemus told the BBC.
"The economy is declining, corruption is endemic, a lot of things are going wrong."
Another resident, Abolo Denis, urged Cameroonians to accept the result, saying that peace is of the utmost importance.
"What struck me first, after the proclamation of the results, was the silence - graveyard silence," said Vivian Muma, in the northern city of Bamenda.
"The silence tells it all. Cameroonian people decided, but those who [make] the decisions, they decided otherwise," she said.

MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty ImagesPresident Biya, who came to power in 1982, has yet to publicly address Cameroonians after his re-election on Monday, but the governing party has hailed his victory "under the sign of greatness and hope" in online posts.
He is rarely seen in public and is known for spending time outside Africa in Swiss hotels. These long absences coupled with his advanced age has, in the past, led to rumours he was dead.
While his leadership has been praised for the expansion of schools and public universities, and his handling of the Bakassi dispute - which saw the oil-rich peninsula handed to Cameroon instead of Nigeria - his tenure has also faced criticisms.
A violent separatist insurgency in the English-speaking west has been running for almost a decade, unemployment stands at 40% for the under-35s, roads and hospitals are crumbling, and freedom of speech has been limited.
Analysts have warned in recent days that Cameroon, a once peaceful country, could descend into political turmoil if the election results did not reflect the will of the people.
"Biya now has a notably shaky mandate given many of his own citizens don't believe he won the election," Murithi Mutiga, Africa Program Director at the International Crisis Group, said in a statement.
"We call on Biya to urgently initiate a national mediation to prevent further escalation," he added.

© Nicole Craine for The New York Times

© Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times
女性公益项目的发展需要敏锐洞察时代机遇,在“国之大者”与妇女所需之间建立链接,精准发力,把慈善资源转化成创新或服务优势,以实现从解决单一问题到促进女性事业的可持续发展。
南方周末研究员 钟金秀 实习生 刘子璐
责任编辑:史谅
随着公益慈善资源持续注入,女性自我意识日益觉醒,各类赋能项目不断涌现。近年来,中国妇女发展事业正迎来更为广阔的平台和前所未有的关注。
然而,当目光投向公益实践的深处,结构性的挑战依然存在:公益项目如何超越“雪中送炭”的短期救济,真正激发妇女的内生动力?社会观念又如何打破对女性“弱势”的刻板叙事,看见其蕴含的坚韧与力量?
面对这些更深层次的追问,中国妇女发展基金会助理秘书长南静认为,关键在于推动公益模式从“单向给予”到“共同创造”的演进,构建一个多元力量协同参与的支持生态。在她看来,近年来公益慈善在滋养女性发展的同时,女性力量也持续反哺着公益事业。女性对社会需求的独特视角与深刻洞察,也正在成为推动公益生态良性进化的重要力量。
南方周末:中国妇女发展基金会在推动女性发展中扮演怎样的角色?
南静:中国妇女发展基金会(妇基会)在公益慈善与女性发展领域,发挥着政策转化桥梁、资源整合平台、文化叙事重构等作用:
一是政策转化桥梁,实现“政策落地”与“需求反哺”双向赋能。妇基会既是国家政策在基层的“实践者”,也努力担当基层需求向政策建议的“转化者”。一方面,妇基会通过公益项目将国家政策转化成具体服务,精准触达广大妇女群体。另一方面,通过开展公益项目,将基层妇女需求转化为政策建议。例如2007年,妇基会启动“母亲健康快车手拉手护平安工程”,在新疆、青海、西藏为近1.5万名各族妇女开展免费子宫颈癌等妇科疾病筛查,该工作为2009年全国妇联、卫生部、财政部共同推出妇女“两癌”免费筛查政策提供了扎实的实践依据。截至目前,妇基会已向两会提交关于女性癌症防控、全职妈妈关怀、数字赋能女性发展等近20份提案,并积极参与到慈善法的立法讨论中,助力推动法规政策更贴合女性实际需求。
二是资源整合平台,联动多方构建协作网络。妇基会以平台思维积极联动政府、企业、社会组织等各方资源,为女性发展提供全方位支持。保障资金的稳定,吸引企业捐赠以及社会公众的小额捐赠,形成多元稳定的资金池,为公益项目提供持续的资金支持;创新技术链接:通过与企业深度合作,引入先进科技手段融入公益项目,提升服务效率与精准度;开展人力协同,动员医学、教育等领域的志愿者及社会志愿者参与,构建“专业力量+志愿力量”的服务团队,保障公益项目落地执行。如“母亲微笑行动”项目,通过组织医学志愿者提供医疗服务、社会志愿者协助流程对接、开展心理抚慰等,为患病的儿童及其家庭提供精准的志愿服务。
三是文化叙事重构者:打破刻板印象,重塑女性社会形象。妇基会通过公益实践与案例宣传,重塑女性公益叙事,展现女性的坚韧、智慧和创造力,传递女性的主体性与能动性,让公众看到女性在乡村振兴、文化传承、创业发展等领域的重要作用,进而提升女性的社会认可度与地位。
南方周末:基金会在项目布局上重点关注哪几个领域?
南静:中国妇女发展基金会自成立起就把服务党和国家大局、服务妇联中心任务、服务妇女群众需求作为工作的出发点、落脚点。因此,具体项目布局我们是从以下两个维度考虑。
坚持三大工作导向,确保项目精准对接需求,切实解决问题。一是需求导向,我们将摸透妇女所思所想、所需所盼作为工作起点,所有项目必须围绕妇女实际需求开展,要是脱离了这个根本,做得再热闹也只是“水中花”、“镜中月”。二是问题导向,我们在了解需求的基础上,聚焦她们面临的现实难题,找准问题的根源,让项目设计能精准匹配需求,真正发挥作用。最后是结果导向,项目设计初期就要明确目标结果,最终以结果检验工作成效与设计思路,确保每一份努力都能落到实处、见到实效。
构建“5+X”项目集群,覆盖妇女发展核心领域与创新方向。妇基会历经36年精耕细作,形成了“5+X”项目集群。“5”个核心领域聚焦了妇女最关切的现实需求,覆盖五大板块:妇女健康促进、妇女赋能发展、妇女生活环境改善、困境妇女救助和家庭支持。“X”创新板块则是围绕时代发展趋势,拓展如“科技赋能”等与时俱进的领域,持续丰富项目内涵,响应科教兴国、科技强国等国家战略。
这一布局既体现了我们对性别平等、健康中国、乡村振兴等国家基本国策与重大战略的积极响应,也彰显了对女性多元需求的深刻洞察与全面支持。
南方周末:中国妇女发展基金会的项目模式经历了怎样的发展历程?
南静:中国妇女发展基金会自1988年成立以来,始终以推动妇女事业发展为宗旨,项目模式随时代迭代升级,逐步形成了三个既具时代特征又相互关联的并存发展模式。
公益1.0模式是“雪中送炭”,解决生存发展刚需。项目聚焦于解决妇女最关心、最直接、最现实的生存发展需求,通过直接输送资源的方式缓解现实困难,为困境群体提供“兜底保障”,即救急救难、扶弱济困,如“母亲邮包”“母亲健康快车”及紧急救援项目,把慈善款物和慈善服务高效精准地送达困境妇女和家庭。
公益2.0模式是“赋权增能”,激发内生动力。随着时代的发展,妇基会从“输血式帮扶”转向“造血式帮扶”聚焦女性“人”的成长,通过多元支持激活内生动力,助力女性深度参与社会发展。项目立足志智双扶,以资金支持、赋能培训、资源链接为抓手,培育了女性带头人、业务骨干等,让女性从“被动接受帮助”变成“主动创造价值”。如“@她创业计划——母亲创业循环金”项目,以“资金输血+技术造血”的模式,支持女性参与多元创业就业。在黑龙江,50岁的陈丽娟通过项目赋能转型职业主播,从开始的几十单订单到月直播收入4万元,成功在数字经济领域实现自我突破。
公益3.0模式是“生态共建”,构建可持续公益体系。面对高质量发展的新要求,妇基会发挥平台作用,以系统思维推动多方协作,构建开放、高效、可持续的女性公益生态,助力女性实现多元发展。项目打破单一机构运作模式,通过“横向跨界合作+纵向联动赋能”,整合捐赠企业、社会组织、基层妇联等多方资源,优化公益运作全环节。如“天才妈妈”项目从建设标准化“梦想工坊”,邀请设计师下乡赋能,到带领非遗手艺人走进都市开展“妈妈的手工课”、登上国际会议、活动平台展示或争取订单支持,形成全链条支持体系,辐射带动8万人次受益。贵州榕江的“天才妈妈”侗布梦想工坊带头人杨成兰,她带动了当地300多名妇女共同创业,融合织染晒布、旅游体验、教学实践等业态,年销售额超过200万元,打造了“女性发展+非遗创承+乡村振兴”的多赢模式。
南方周末:在实践过程中有哪些值得分享的项目经验?
南静:我觉得妇基会的公益项目能够成功并保持旺盛的生命力的关键,在于精准锚定“国之大者”与“妇女所需”的平衡点与结合点。具体包括以下四点:
一是坚持服务国之大者,以迭代优化延续项目生命力。始终坚持党的领导为根本,在党和国家事业大局、全局中找准定位,把慈善资源转化为创新或服务优势,助力解决党政所急、群众所需。项目的生命力源于持续进化的能力,需要敏锐洞察时代机遇,在“国之大者”与妇女所需之间建立链接。譬如“母亲水窖”项目就是经过数次关键迭代,从最初聚焦妇女饮用水安全问题,到结合“千万工程”的经验改善乡村人居环境,建设生态宜居美丽乡村,再到通过“节水兴农”实现水资源与农业生产高效结合,最终形成“减贫+赋权+环保+经济”的多重效益。
二是坚持系统思维,以平台共创与全局视角破题。一是发挥基金会的平台优势,围绕共同理念与目标,通过公益实践、能力建设、联学共建等多种形式,与合作伙伴协同成长,助力合作伙伴达成ESG目标。项目设计不局限于妇女眼前困难或个体需求,而是要将妇女发展嵌入乡村振兴、社区治理等更广阔的社会发展大局中,探索系统性解决多个关联社会问题的最优方案。如妇基会针对罹患“两癌”妇女救助的探索实践,为中央彩票金支持低收入妇女“两癌”救助项目奠定了扎实基础。
三是坚持规范管理,以“制度+流程+闭环”筑牢公信力。公信力是慈善实业的生命线,我们始终以依法合规为核心,通过三重举措构建管理体系。首先,在制度建设层面筑牢防线,以新修订的慈善法及各项配套法规为根本遵循,在内部治理、项目和资金管理、信息公开、舆情防范等关键领域构建完善的制度体系,搭建安全防火墙。其次,在制度落实层面,制定严格的制度落实流程,明确操作标准与监督节点,确保各项制度要求不打折扣、不落空,在执行层面守住合规底线。第三建立全流程管理闭环,建立“社会风险评估—实施过程监督反馈—事后效果评估”的机制,并联合专业机构开展舆情监测,实现项目全周期可控可溯,切实维护慈善事业公信力。
四是坚持国际视野,以本土实践对接全球发展。项目在解决国内妇女发展问题的同时,主动对标国际标准,以联合国可持续发展目标(SDGs)为重要参照,在项目设计中精准对接全球共同关切。在国内实践中积累成熟模式后,积极推动项目“走出去”,在全球舞台上展现中国在性别平等与减贫领域的担当。例如“母亲水窖”项目,从初期聚焦国内妇女饮水安全,便主动对标SDGs中的“清洁饮水和卫生设施”(目标6)、“性别平等”(目标5)及“可持续城市和社区”(目标11)等目标,让项目成效符合国际社会对民生改善、性别赋权的共同期待。“母亲水窖”成功落地肯尼亚后,既为当地带来切实的民生改善,也向国际社会传递了中国“以人为本、协同发展”的慈善理念,成为中国与其他发展中国家在民生领域友好合作的生动范例。
南方周末:基金会遇到过哪些挑战?
南静:在外界看来基金会就做两件事“筹钱”“花钱”,我觉得核心还是“花钱”,钱“花”好了,“筹”才有底气。但是,如何把这笔钱花得公平、高效、合规,甚至能“花小钱办大事”,在精打细算中实现公益效益的最大化,实则是一项非常具有挑战的复杂工程。具体面临的挑战主要体现在四个方面:
一是资源获取方面,捐赠结构不均与竞争压力。企业捐赠稳定性较弱,目前妇基会的捐赠收入中来自企业的捐赠比例较高,该部分资金易受宏观经济波动、行业景气度变化影响,导致整体捐赠来源稳定性不足。公众捐赠方向较为局限,公众捐款虽呈现上升趋势,但更倾向“雪中送炭”的即时性帮扶项目,对妇女发展类需要长期投入、见效周期长的项目,捐赠意愿相对较低。
二是项目管理方面,可持续性与迭代成本压力。互联网时代妇女需求的快速变化,倒逼项目频繁迭代,既推动行业专业度提升,也带来了显著的成本压力。项目迭代需求迫切,妇女需求随时代快速变化,项目设计需预留灵活调整空间,部分项目甚至需每年进行一次迭代以适配需求,这一过程虽能倒逼基金会提升项目专业度与精细化水平、打造行业影响力,但也大幅增加了管理复杂度。同时,成本压力显著上升,严格管理、频繁迭代直接导致人才培养、日常管理、创新研发等成本增加,且当前广大公众与企业对基金会收取管理费的接受度有限,进一步加剧了公益资源高效利用的难度,对项目可持续运作形成挑战。
三是落地执行方面,结构性差异影响效果。区域执行力量不均,有些地区基层执行力量相对薄弱,导致项目在不同区域的落地质量存在差异。另外受益人个体也存在差异,受益人的数字素养等能力不同,直接影响项目(尤其是涉及数字工具的项目)的实际落地效果,增加执行难度的结构性困境。
四是社会价值量化衡量存在难度。目前性别平等的评估工具较少,难以精准衡量项目的间接与长期影响,尤其是妇女家庭决策能力提升、社会参与度增强等效果无法直接量化,导致项目的社会价值在客观评估和有效呈现上存在困难。
南方周末:推动妇女事业发展,未来中国妇女发展基金会有哪些重点计划?
南静:未来最重要的是守正创新,聚焦国家重大战略,从思想引领、项目完善、自身建设三方面发力,助力妇女慈善事业高质量发展:
一是强化思想引领,从物质帮扶到精神赋能。我们未来将会加大对精神层面的关怀与引导,传达积极乐观的价值理念,缓解妇女在发展中面临的心理压力,强化对妇女的思想凝聚,激发其主动参与社会发展的意识,汇聚推动妇女事业进步的精神力量。
二是完善项目体系,精准化设计与科技化赋能有机融合。我们将妇女需求做为核心,通过细分群体与技术引入,提升项目服务效能:引入大数据、人工智能等新技术,优化项目筛选、执行、反馈全流程,让公益资源更精准地触达有需要的妇女,减少服务盲区。
三是夯实自身建设,以“规范化管理”守护公信力。我们始终将公信力作为立身之本,不断完善全流程风险防控与管理机制。持续强化规范化管理,完善涵盖资金募集、项目执行与反馈、财务管理、信息安全等环节的全流程管理体系。加强风险防范能力建设,通过严格的监督与审核,确保每一笔公益资源都合规使用,维护基金会及整个公益行业的公信力。
校对:赵立宇

© Amber Bracken for The New York Times