Hurricane Melissa's immense power has placed the hurricane in very exclusive company.

With sustained winds of 281km/h, Melissa is now one of the strongest hurricanes, based on top wind speeds, on record in the Atlantic basin.

Only nine Atlantic hurricanes have been stronger than Melissa, though several others have also hit 281km/h strength.

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Hurricane Allen from 1980 still holds the title as the basin's strongest storm with 305 km/h winds.

Melissa is also one of the strongest hurricanes to ever in the Caribbean Sea, only behind Allen, 2005's Wilma, 1998's Mitch, and 1988's Gilbert. Gilbert was the last major hurricane to directly strike Jamaica.

Up to 1016mm of rain, 13 feet of storm surge, and 257km/h sustained winds will cause "extensive infrastructure damage" that will cut off communities, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Jamaica's Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles said Monday that the evacuation orders issued for vulnerable areas are not a suggestion, but a "directive to save your life," as the country confronts "extreme devastation and danger" posed by Hurricane Melissa.

"It (Melissa) is very slow, it is very, very, very intense. And that means the outcome may potentially be extreme devastation and danger," Charles told CNN's Derek Van Dam.

The minister also said that buses are being used to transport people in need to emergency shelters across the country.

"If you are in a low-lying, flood-prone area, now is the time to take no chances and not to gamble," he said.

United Nations staff are preparing to deploy to Cuba and Jamaica this week.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday that it is planning to send in personnel, "as conditions allow, to reinforce coordination and preparedness efforts across the region."

"OCHA and its partners are supporting authorities ahead of further impact," the office said in a statement.

After Jamaica, Melissa is still expected to be a major hurricane when it roars over eastern Cuba with damaging winds, storm surge, and potentially catastrophic flooding.

Hurricane Melissa is not forecast to hit the United States.

A strong cold front tracking into the East will act as an atmospheric brick wall of protection along the US coastline.

Wet and windy conditions from the front will spread into the East Coast tomorrow and Thursday.

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Cold fronts like this are more frequent toward the end of hurricane season, but they don't always offer protection.

Storms that track farther north and west in the Caribbean than Melissa can sometimes get drawn up by them and be sent toward the eastern Gulf Coast, most often Florida.

While Melissa won't hit the US directly, it will still churn up some rough seas and increase the risk of dangerous rip currents along the East Coast.

Those impacts will begin tomorrow when Melissa crosses into the Atlantic, and will continue through at least the weekend.

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There are still more than 365 days to run before the midterms of Donald Trump's second stint in the new-look White House, but the US campaign cycle never entirely shuts down.

Two senior Democrat figures, California Governor Gavin Newsom and former presidential candidate Kamala Harris, have in recent days lifted the hats off their heads, if not quite thrown them in the ring.

So – with all emphasis on the fact that this is not a prediction or a guideline – who are some of the current headline candidates signalling their readiness to be 48th Commander in Chief?

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Donald Trump

Let's start with the elephant in the room.

Trump's team have printed up Trump 2028 hats, the man himself has hinted at trying for a third term, though not consistently; and recently, former senior advisor Steve Bannon said Trump "would be there" in 2028.

There is the small matter of the US Constitution and its 22nd Amendment, which stipulates that all presidents may only serve two terms.

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To change the Constitution, Trump would require not only a supermajority of support in Congress and the Senate, but also among the states of the Union.

However, the current Supreme Court has previously been willing to grant Trump some, let's say "largesse", around how the Constitution's limitations on the presidency may be interpreted.

Let's put it this way – if an 82-year-old Trump wants to be in the mix come 2028, it would be a bold person indeed who would rule it out completely.

JD Vance

The now-loyal vice president who once declared his current boss "America's Hitler", Vance is the current favourite to be the next president, according to a number of betting markets.

Earlier this year, Trump declined to fully endorse Vance as the MAGA heir apparent, suggesting Secretary of State Marco Rubio – another former critic – could also take charge.

Vance would only turn 44 in 2028, which would make him the third-youngest president to be inaugurated in US history, after Theodore Roosevelt (42) and John F Kennedy (43).

He's wisely kept mum about his future ambitions and plans for now – Trump's favour can be a chancy thing for the outspoken.

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Kamala Harris

Trump's erstwhile nemesis – if for only 107 days, as the title to her new book makes clear – has recently suggested she could run for the Oval Office again.

In a BBC interview while promoting her campaign book, Harris said she was "not done" with public service.

Asked directly if she believed she could be the first woman president of the US, Harris said "possibly".

The former vice president, who became the uncontested nominee for the Democratic Party following then-President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race in 2024, was thumped by Trump, becoming the first Democratic candidate to lose the popular vote since 2004, when the US rallied around George W Bush's wartime flag.

Harris has mostly lain low since her defeat but has not ceased her criticism of Trump, while her book 107 Days makes it clear she believes she was sidelined by Biden's team and not supported throughout her truncated campaign.

The odds currently don't favour her, but it doesn't appear to have put her off.

Gavin Newsom

Among those with the shortest odds on the still-distant presidency is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who said recently he would make a decision on a presidential run after the 2026 mid-terms.

Newsom has proven willing to go to the mat with Trump on a number of issues, including disaster recovery aid for California and pushing back on the deployment of the US military in US cities.

However, his social media team might deserve at least some of the credit for his sudden surge to potential future candidate.

Newsom's recent posts have taken to mimicking Trump's own, mocking the blustering style of the president's Truth Social posts while continuing to level stinging criticism of the president and his political allies.

Another Trump

Those Trump 2028 hats we mentioned earlier – a winking response from MAGA spokespeople when they first appeared was that they need not refer to Donald Trump Sr.

Ivanka Trump was an extremely visible part of her father's first administration but has kept more offstage this time around, though her husband Jared Kushner has been part of US negotiations over the Gaza war.

Donald Trump Jr, the president's eldest son, has been much more in his father's pocket for his second term.

Though he holds no official government position, he was a permanent presence on the campaign trail and is running much of the family business.

The presidency as a family firm? Well, it's been tried before by the Kennedys, the Clintons, and the Bush family, who did actually manage to notch up two leaders of the free world.

And many more…

Among the Democrats in particular, there are plenty of potential challengers, including left-wing stalwart Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her Capitol Hill colleague Cory Booker, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who has proven able to serve pithy comebacks to MAGA attacks and who stood his ground against federal troops being deployed to Chicago.

But who knows? Some betting markets are even offering 101-1 odds on Madame President Taylor Swift.

In the chimerical, chaotic world of modern American politics, it might not be the silliest thing to punt on.

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New research has shed a light on the hurdles facing older Australian job seekers amid a tightening labour market.

This month Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures revealed the country's unemployment rate had reached a four-year high of 4.5 per cent.

Accounting software company Reckon has crunched the data to reveal the challenges facing job seekers across every age group.

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About one in seven people across all age groups looking for work say there are too many applicants for too few roles, with employers flooded by resumes, the study showed.

But Australians aged 55 and above face a major obstacle in the form of being perceived too old for the job by prospective employers.

Their personal health issues and having to care for elderly family members were also holding them back from seeking a job, or forcing them to quit one.

For those aged 64 and over, 44 per cent were considered too old to perform the role, while employers regarded 21 per cent of job seekers in the 55 to 64 years age bracket as past it.

Personal health issues impacted 26 per cent of those above 65 and 20 per cent aged 55 to 64.

Responsibilities for older relatives are also increasing for people in their mid-fifties and sixties, reflecting an ageing population.

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The research showed shifting retirement patterns amid a tight labour market were pitting younger and older generations against each other in the hunt for jobs.

For those aged in their late forties and early fifties, fewer people are retiring, though women remain more likely than men to step away from work.

Among 55 to 64-year-olds, retirement is also declining, with women again more likely than men to retire.

Beyond 65, retirement remains common, but more people are continuing to work past traditional retirement age, particularly men, reflecting changing financial needs, longer life expectancy, and changing attitudes towards work later in life.

But there are concerns employer bias is blocking many skilled people from employment that is essential to the national economy.

"With retirement ages creeping higher, we can't afford to sideline people who still have plenty to offer," said Reckon general manager Alex Alexandrou.

"If we can get better at supporting both early careers and later careers, we'll build a stronger, fairer workforce that makes the most of every generation."

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The clean-up from a devastating storm that sent trees crashing through roofs and powerlines, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people in south-east Queensland, is expected to stretch well into tomorrow.

As a heatwave sent the mercury soaring to 38 degrees in Brisbane today, the toll from yesterday's heavy rain, 100km/h winds, golf-ball-sized hail and 250,000 lightning strikes was becoming clear.

Fifteen schools were closed across Brisbane, affecting hundreds of students on their first day of senior exams, and more than 23,000 people were still without power at 9pm (10pm AEDT).

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For Wim and Lucy Meutermans, power was the least of their problems after a giant grey gum crashed through the roof of their Toowong home.

"It's just horrific. It's just so much mess," Ms Meutermans told 9News.

Mr Meutermans was standing at the front door when the tree crashed down, taking out the roof and ceiling, leaving the house and contents a shattered mess, before the heavy rain finished the job.

"It's just a nightmare. It's water all through everything," Ms Meutermans said.

Another gum tree smashed into a Mount Ommaney home, terrifying those inside and leaving it structurally unsound and unliveable.

"We heard the big crash in the house, and then we started screaming," resident Emilia Mardanio said.

" … Big rattle, and then I heard like metal from the back, like shaking, like falling off."

Other fallen trees took out power lines and blocked roads, particularly across Brisbane's west, while winds toppled a whole house in inner-city Highgate Hill.

Jamboree Ward councillor Sarah Hutton said the damage was comparable to Cyclone Alfred.

The State Emergency Service dealt with more than 300 calls last night and more into the morning. 

Trees crashing through power lines caused the bulk of the power outages. Energex was expecting to restore electricity to most homes throughout the night but some would be waiting longer.

"We know we're going to go well into tomorrow to get some of the really worst affected areas still back up onto the network," media adviser Danny Donald said.

"And it's just going to be another massive 24 hours while they do the real heavy lifting, where we've got massive trees over roads that we can't gain access to."

Today the temperature soared above 38 degrees in Brisbane and on the Gold and Sunshine coasts but the south-east mostly earned a reprieve from storms that hit the Central Highlands, Coalfields and Capricornia districts further north. 

A thunderstorm warning was cancelled just before 7pm (8pm AEDT).

Much of the state remained under a total fire ban today with extreme fire danger forecast for parts of south-east coast into tomorrow.

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The Bureau of Meteorology issued a heatwave warning for central, north and north-west Queensland for Sunday to Wednesday.

Maximum temperatures could nudge the mid-40s in some regions, including the Central Highlands and Coalfields, Northern Goldfields and Upper Flinders, Central West, North West and Gulf Country districts.

Temperatures are expected to plummet across the south-east tomorrow, with a maximum of 22 in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, with 23 on the Sunshine Coast.

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The move to suspend her comes after weeks of turmoil.

‘There is quite a wide risk of thunderstorms tonight and into tomorrow.’

The supermarket is warning anyone who bought the chooks: ‘Do not consume’.

Her family are deeply concerned for her welfare.

Multiple complaints have been lodged against Wellington builder Colby Kelly-Nash.

A mother has confronted her daughter's killer in court, saying she will never forgive him for taking away her vibrant and courageous girl. 

Lachlan Young, 23, did not look at Hannah McGuire's mother Debbie as she read her statement in the Victorian Supreme Court today.

"I hope every day for the rest of the accused's life, he experiences the most intense pain imaginable," Mrs McGuire said, staring down at Young.

"I will never forget and I will never forgive."

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Young initially denied he murdered his former girlfriend, claiming her death in April 2024 was a spontaneous incident.

But eight days into his Supreme Court trial, he pleaded guilty to murder.

Young now admits he strangled McGuire in the bathroom of their Sebastopol home about 2.30am on April 5.

He then shoved her body into the footwell of her Mitsubishi Triton, drove it to remote bushland and set the vehicle alight.

As he left the scene, Young used McGuire's phone to send messages to her mother Debbie, claiming she was going to take her life.

He then transferred $2000 from McGuire's bank account to her mother and $5000 to himself.

When Debbie McGuire went to Young's house in a panic, he claimed he had not seen her daughter and feigned surprise at the messages.

After he was arrested on April 7, Young told officers he would "never f—ing harm that girl".

But crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill told the court the lies and the murder followed months of controlling and abusive behaviour.

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McGuire had taken out intervention orders against Young and was separating from him when he killed her, Churchill said.

Debbie McGuire said she would have to live with the profound grief, pain and loss for the rest of her life. 

"Unlike the accused, Hannah mattered," she said.

"She was important and loved and brought to this world things no one else could."

Hannah's father Glenn McGuire told the court he could never escape his grief, knowing he was meant to protect his daughter.

"I was supposed to be there to guide her and to support her to grow into the incredible woman she was becoming," the statement read.

"Instead, I had to bury her. I had to pick out a coffin instead of a graduation or a wedding dress."

Ms McGuire's aunty Michelle Smith broke down as she confronted Young, saying her heart was shattered into pieces.

"(Young) sat at our Christmas table and received gifts from us," she told the court.

"I'm angry I treated him decently.

"I'm angry that because of him I will never spend another Christmas with Hannah, I will never be able to wish her another happy birthday."

Fifteen statements were read to the court from Ms McGuire's family and friends on Monday, with Young's barrister Glenn Casement then to plead his case before Justice James Elliott

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).