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The Bahamas government Monday, issued a formal evacuation notice for residents of Inagua, Acklins, Crooked Island, Mayaguana, and Ragged Island ahead of the passage of Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm later this week.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis said that according to the Bahamas Department of Meteorology, Hurricane Melissa is forecast to begin affecting the Southeast Bahamas by early Tuesday morning, with conditions expected to deteriorate through Wednesday as the storm tracks across the area.

Hurricane Melissa

He said the evacuation decision was taken following the advice of the Disaster Risk Management Authority (DRM) and the Bahamas Department of Meteorology, noting that it was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of residents in the most vulnerable islands.

‘This notice is being issued to ensure that those most at risk can be safely relocated before conditions worsen,’ Prime Minister Davis said, advising residents to contact their local Family Island Administrator for details on evacuation schedules and transportation arrangements. Prime Minister Davis said that the government will provide a comprehensive update on Monday evening when he will be joined by officials from the Disaster Risk Management Authority.

‘At that time, we will outline the specific steps being taken to safeguard lives and property, including transportation logistics, shelter readiness, and coordination across all government agencies,’ he said, encouraging Bahamians to remain vigilant, stay informed, and continue to look out for one another.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that a hurricane watch is in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands.

‘Melissa is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely before Melissa makes landfall on Jamaica on Tuesday. However, Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an

extremely powerful major hurricane, and will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas,’ the NHC added.

It said that over the Southeast Bahamas, total rainfall of four to eight inches is expected Tuesday into Wednesday resulting in areas of flash flooding.

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) has sought to downplay the presence of military aircraft activity and paratroopers in the country , saying they are not linked to regional tensions or foreign military operations.

‘The aircraft activity observed over parts of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is part of planned Independence Day exhibitions organised in coordination with relevant state agencies,’ the RSVGPF said in a statement.

It said that these exercises are ‘ceremonial, professionally supervised’ and form part of the official programme of events marking the country’s 46th Anniversary of Independence on Tuesday.

The police acknowledged that in the current climate of international uncertainty, citizens may be ‘naturally curious or even concerned when they observe unfamiliar aerial manoeuvres.

‘However, it is important to distinguish between verified information and online speculation,’ it said, rejecting rejecting ‘unequivocally.any assertion suggesting the presence or use of jamming devices, restrictions on airspace, or any form of security threat to the State or its citizens.

‘These rumours are entirely false, misleading, and irresponsible, serving only to create unnecessary panic and confusion,’ said the police statement, coming hours after a video was published on social media, showing what appeared to be a paratrooper landing on the Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines building in the capital, Kingstown.

The video showed what appears to be three men in civilian wear, one of them apparently carrying an assault rifle, and a fourth man, wearing what appears to be the black uniform of the Rapid Response Unit, walking on the roof of the building.

In its statement, the RSVGPF said that while the media play an important role in informing the public, ‘sensational headlines and conjecture can lead to unnecessary fear and confusion.

‘The RSVGPF encourages all media entities and citizens to verify information through official channels before publication or sharing.

‘As a proud nation celebrating 46 years of Independence, the RSVGPF urges all Vincentians to turn their attention to the spirit of unity, discipline, and resilience that defines our people. Let us not allow speculation to distract from our shared pride in country and heritage.

‘The RSVGPF assures the public that Independence Day celebrations are being conducted with full regard for public safety and security, and all activities remain under proper coordination.’

Apparently, the participation of Guyanese skydivers in the independence parade at Arnos Vale on Monday night was intended to be a surprise.

However, the team made a video post about it on its Facebook page, saying, ‘Look out St Vincent and the Grenadines, the team will be coming to the Arnos Vale Stadium this weekend’.

Meanwhile, Rajkumar Singh also posted about the event on Facebook, saying on Sunday, ‘The Guyana Skydiving Team is soaring to new heights! Heading to St. Vincent to represent our nation for Independence celebrations. Guyana to the skies – let’s fly the Golden Arrowhead high! stay tuned for updates!’

Tensions are high across the southern Caribbean and the rest of the region as the United States warship ‘USS Gravely’ docked in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, even as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar sought to downplay threats of military aggression in the region.

Last week, the Donald Trump administration announced that it is intensifying its military build-up in the Caribbean with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its carrier air wing, to the Caribbean in aid of what the administration says is its counter-drug initiative.

Washington said the enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and its security in the Western Hemisphere.

In recent times, the Trump administration has deployed several warships and over 10,000 troops to the Caribbean in what pundits claim is a pretext for an eventual land invasion of Venezuela.

The Trinidad and Tobago government and the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) Monday gave contrasting responses to a statement by Venezuela that it may suspend the Energy Cooperation Framework Agreement with this country.

Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, speaking on the state-owned television Monday, said a formal proposal has already been submitted to President Nicolas Maduro to end the agreement with Port of Spain.

She said the proposal was being made by the board of the Venezuelan State-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), to President Maduro.

‘We propose to President Nicolas Maduro the denunciation of the Energy Cooperation Framework Agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Consequently, we request that all bilateral gas agreements be suspended,’ she told television viewers.

‘We have just concluded a meeting of the leadership of the Ministry of Popular Power for Petroleum – all vice ministers present – together with the Board of Directors of PDVSA, accompanied by its president, vice presidents, and the Minister of Economy and Finance, who is also a member of this board.’

‘The leadership of both the Ministry and PDVSA has decided to propose to President Nicolás Maduro the immediate denunciation of the Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation between the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, signed in 2015 for ten years and automatically renewed this February for another five. Article 13, paragraph 3, gives either party the authority to terminate it,’ Rodriguez said.

‘This agreement covered broad areas of energy cooperation – joint gas field development, infrastructure projects, hydrocarbon initiatives, and monetization of shared resources. It is a comprehensive framework, but we are now responsibly proposing that the President terminate it immediately. As a result, all gas agreements between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago will be suspended.’

Caracas has accused Port of Spain of supporting the ramped up United States military presence in the Caribbean Sea ostensibly as part of Washington’s effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels. But observers say it is a pretext to overthrow the Maduro regime.

The United States military has carried out deadly air strikes in Caribbean waters over the past few weeks against what Washington alleges are Caracas-backed drug traffickers. The Venezuelan government denies the charge, accusing the administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region.

In her response to the Venezuelan threat to suspend the energy agreement, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, said her administration, which came to office following the April 28 general election, will continue to pursue its own energy and economic strategies.

‘Our future does not depend on Venezuela and never has. We have our plans and projects to grow our economy both within the energy and non-energy sectors,’ she told the Guardian Media Limited.

She said that Port of Spain will continue to maintain cordial relations with Venezuela, saying ‘we continue to maintain peaceful relations with the Venezuelan people’ underscoring her government’s commitment to diplomacy and regional stability.

‘The last PNM government mistakenly placed all their hopes in the Dragon project – we have not done so. Therefore, we are not susceptible to any blackmail from the Venezuelans for political support. We continue to maintain peaceful relations with the Venezuelan people.’

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar also took the opportunity of taking a swipe at the main opposition PNM that had been pursuing the energy deal with Caracas over the last nine and a half years, while it was in office.

‘The last PNM government mistakenly placed all their hopes in the Dragon project. We have not done so, therefore we are not susceptible to any blackmail from the Venezuelans for political support,’ she said.

But in a statement, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles said that the announcement by the Venezuelan vice president ‘ is alarming, unfortunate and deeply concerning.

‘This development presents a complex and delicate challenge, requiring a measured and thoughtful response. The PNM has long prided itself on being careful and diligent in the pursuit of economic stability and growth for our nation.

‘Yet, this latest twist is both alarming and consequential and rests squarely at the feet of the sitting Government of Trinidad and Tobago,’ Beckles said, adding the ‘pressing question that now arises is what lies ahead for Trinidad and Tobago in this period of uncertainty’.

The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce says it is disappointed at the Venezuelan decision, noting that the accord specifically stated that ‘no provision of the agreement will affect the sovereign rights of the two nations over their respective territories, maritime zones and other geographical spaces under their sovereignty and jurisdiction’.

It said while it respects Venezuela’s decision in this regard, the underlying purpose of the agreement, to jointly develop shared or adjacent gas deposits, cooperate on infrastructure such as pipelines and processing in Trinidad, and monetise Venezuelan offshore gas through Trinidad’s downstream sector, remains economically sound and beneficial to both nations.

‘We hope that a return to the rationale for the genesis of this agreement can be rekindled and that the spirit and hope that was fostered through this agreement can somehow survive through the willingness of all parties,’ the private sector group said.