Here is today’s weather forecast according to the Barbados Meteorological Services. Weather Forecasts Today From 6:00 a.m. Synopsis: A surface to low-level trough will begin affecting the island. General Forecast: Mix of sunshine and clouds with a few brief scattered light showers. Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Synopsis: A surface to low-level trough will continue affecting the island. General Forecast: Mix of clear skies and clouds with a few brief scattered light showers. Wind Forecasts Today From 6:00 a.m. Moderate easterly to east-southeasterly breeze from 30 to 35 km/h (19 to 22 mph). Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Moderate east-southeasterly to easterly breeze from 30 to 35 km/h (19 to 22 mph). Marine Forecasts Today From 6:00 a.m. Moderate in open water with swells ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 meters (5 to 7 ft.). Small craft operators and sea bathers along western coastlines should exercise caution. Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Moderate in open water with swells ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 meters (5 to 7 ft.). Small craft operators and sea bathers along western coastlines should exercise caution. Tides, Sunrise & Sunset High Tide (First) 11:49 a.m. High tide (Second) 10:04 p.m. Low Tide (First) 4:06 a.m. Low tide (Second) 4:16 p.m. Sunrise 5:48 a.m. Sunset 5:41 p.m.

By Lauren Kent, CNN (CNN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said he shares a “very close” worldview with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, as the sanctioned leaders held a friendly inaugural meeting just as the Middle East braces for Israel’s response to Tehran’s largest-ever missile attack last week. The meeting at a regional summit in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, also comes against a backdrop of closer military ties between Iran and Russia’s military in recent years, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Iran has supplied thousands of “Shahed” attack drones to Russia, and according to US officials, built a drone factory in Russia. Iran also recently transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war against Ukraine, CNN reported in September, marking a significant escalation in the country’s support for Moscow. “We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the landmark meeting, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. “Since Ukraine, the two countries have been more equal in terms of both needing each other and relying each other on specific issues. And that, I think, has been seen as beneficial from the Iranian side,” said Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, senior analyst and associate fellow, at UK think tank Chatham House. Moscow and Tehran have a de facto military alliance in the region to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Analysts say the countries have found further common ground as they are increasingly isolated by global sanctions. There is a perception in Moscow that Iran can teach Russia about the tools to evade sanctions, Bassiri Tabrizi noted, adding, “I think it’s overall a goal from the Iranian side, so that has been part of the broader conversation about being part of the BRICS,” the bloc of major emerging economies that Iran formally joined early this year. Pezeshkian, a reformist who won Iran’s election in July following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, has already emphasized his desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Russia to counter the “cruel” sanctions of the West. In a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Tehran last week, the Iranian leader called for accelerating joint projects. Meanwhile, Russia expressed interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation as well as diversifying its bilateral trade with Iran. The Russian prime minister also invited Pezeshkian to attend the October BRICS summit in Russia, where the two countries are expected to sign a comprehensive strategic agreement. The Russian foreign ministry has touted these meetings as evidence that Russia-Iran relations are at an “all-time high,” according to TASS. Ahead of the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the agenda will focus on “primarily bilateral Russian-Iranian relations,” according to TASS. “But, of course, the situation in the Middle East will not be ignored, it will also be on the agenda. In any case, there will be a serious conversation.” There have also been reports of Russian involvement in arms transfers to the Iran-backed Houthis. Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who was exchanged in a prisoner swap for American basketball star Brittney Griner, has allegedly reentered the arms trade to broker the sale of $10 million worth of automatic weapons to the Yemen-based rebels, The Wall Street Journal and other Western media outlets reported this week, citing unnamed Western officials. Bout has denied that. However, developments in the Middle East have not necessarily strengthened Iran-Russia relations, Bassiri Tabrizi noted, and some analysts argue that Russia stands to benefit from the conflicts involving Iranian proxies distracting from the war in Ukraine on the international stage. “We know that Russia is very much focusing on what’s going on in Ukraine. It probably cannot stretch itself much in terms of delivery of technical and military capability to Iran beyond a certain point,” the Chatham House analyst told CNN in a statement. “While the relationship has been growing and is likely to continue to grow, there are going to be some continued tensions, some continued misalignment.” CNN’s Gianluca Mezzofiore, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

By Kara Scannell, CNN (CNN) — Musician and producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, will go to trial in May 2025. The judge in Combs’ federal case set a trial date for May 5, 2025 at a court hearing in New York on Thursday. Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, was present in the courtroom, as were several of his family members. Combs’ ankles were shackled, and he was wearing a jail-issued tan button down shirt and khaki pants. He smiled widely to his family as he was led into the courtroom by a U.S. Marshal, taking a moment to wave toward them sitting in the second row. Prosecutor Emily Johnson said the prosecution anticipates its case could last three weeks but added that a superseding indictment could affect the length of trial, meaning additional charges or defendants could be added to the case. Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said they will put on a defense case that would likely take one week. Judge Arun Subramanian also said he will issue an order barring both sides from making statements about secret grand jury material and other non-public evidence in the case. He asked Combs’ lawyers to draft a proposal. The order comes after Combs’ attorneys on Wednesday filed a motion accusing the government of leaking a video of the hip-hop mogul beating his former girlfriend to CNN. They did not provide evidence for their claims. Hours later, Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York wrote to the judge that “the government was not in possession of the video before its publication by CNN,” so there is no “factual basis” for Combs’ attorneys’ assertion. CNN declined to comment. The 2016 hotel surveillance video published exclusively by CNN in May shows Combs dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Combs initially denied allegations of abusing Ventura, which were included in a November 2023 lawsuit she filed before the video was made public. Following the release of the video, Combs apologized. Combs’ lawyers’ motion on Wednesday further asked the judge to consider barring the footage from trial. Johnson on Thursday called the motion a “means to try to exclude a damning piece of evidence.” The judge said he would make a decision about a potential hearing regarding the alleged media leaks after reading the legal arguments. Combs’ court appearance on Thursday was his third since his arrest and his first in front of Judge Subramanian, a Biden-nominated jurist who has been on the bench since last year. He was assigned the case last week after Judge Andrew Carter recused himself. Combs’ lawyers have said they want to go to trial quickly since he was twice denied bail. Combs is awaiting trial in federal custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. Combs will next appear in court on December 18. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.