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Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries have adopted a decisive new strategic roadmap and workplan aimed at protecting the Caribbean Sea, the economic lifeblood of the region from the compounding threats of marine pollution and marine biodiversity loss.

The plan was adopted at the just concluded 18th Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP18) to the Cartagena Convention that had been hosted by the Jamaica government and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Cartagena Convention Secretariat with the significant support of the EU ACP MEA III Programme.

COP 18 delegates

The organisers have described the meeting as ‘a major milestone’ saying it marked the first time that all three major Intergovernmental Meetings of the Cartagena Convention and Oil Spills Protocol, the Land-Based Sources of Marine Pollution (LBS) Protocol, and the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol convened concurrently.

Over 80 delegates, representing Contracting and Non-Contracting Parties, and observers drawn from international and regional organizations and civil society, and youth attended the hybrid summit, underscoring the broad regional and global commitment to the health of the Caribbean Sea.

The overarching outcome of COP18 was the approval of a robust workplan and budget for the 2026-2027 Biennium, providing the financial and strategic framework necessary to operationalize key environmental commitments.

The organisers said that this blueprint directly supports the region’s collective vision for a resilient and sustainable Blue Economy, which relies fundamentally on healthy marine and coastal ecosystems to drive the tourism, fisheries, and shipping sectors.

‘The decisions taken in Kingston are not merely environmental mandates; they are investments in our regional economic resilience,’ said Christopher Corbin, coordinator of the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat.

‘We confronted some of the region’s most pressing issues impacting the Caribbean Sea, pollution, degradation of coastal and marine habits, loss of marine biodiversity, and sargassum , head-on, agreeing on a collaborative, sustainable financed strategy that translates regional commitments into tangible national actions.

‘COP18 was a critical call to accelerate implementation and ensure the Caribbean Sea remains productive and prosperous for future generations,’ Corbin added.

Among the key decisions taken at the conference is the ‘Tide on Pollution: Cleaner Lands for a Healthier Ocean (LBS Protocol),’ tackling the visible and costly crisis of marine pollution,with Contracting Parties advancing the Regional Action Plan for Marine Litter and strengthened commitments under the LBS Protocol.

Delegates also reaffirmed their commitment to tackling solid waste and plastic pollution, emphasizing the transition to Circular Economy approaches.

New guidelines and financing mechanisms will be explored to help Caribbean islands and continental countries of Central and South America reduce plastic leakage into the ocean, which directly protects tourism-critical beaches and fisheries.

In addition, the parties agreed to bolster measures to control pollution from land-based They said this is vital for improving water quality, which in turn safeguards the health of the region’s rapidly disappearing coral reefs.

The meeting of the SPAW Protocol saw renewed political commitment to protecting the region’s threatened marine biodiversity.

The COP agreed on proposals to enhance and expand the region’s Managers Network of Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife, ensuring critical habitats like coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds-which serve as essential natural flood defences-receive necessary protection and management.

Notably it approved the proposal from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to include Parke Marino Aruba in the SPAW List of Protected Areas.

Regarding the Sargassum problem, a united Caribbean approach had been accepted with delegates recognizing the massive influxes of Sargassum seaweed as a major threat to coastal economies and public health.

The COP approved an Action Plan and Guidelines for Sargassum Management ensuring alignment with activities under SPAW and LBS Protocols.

‘This decisive commitment provides a coordinated regional approach for monitoring, early warning systems, and, crucially, exploring the sustainable reuse and value-chain development of the seaweed.’

Delegates also endorsed the objectives of the Knowledge Management and Communications Strategy to ensure that scientific data and best practices are effectively translated and shared with policymakers, local communities, and the wider public, strengthening awareness and public support for conservation efforts and to further drive resource mobilization efforts.

In a move that could bring the world’s biggest women’s sporting event to the island, Jamaica has been officially named a co-host in a landmark four-nation bid for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The historic joint bid was formally announced Monday in New York City by the football federations of the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.

The ambitious proposal aims to create a truly continental celebration of football across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

For Jamaica, being part of this bid is a monumental achievement. Michael Ricketts, President of the Jamaica Football Federation, called the opportunity ‘absolutely tremendous.’

‘This will have a huge impact on the psyche of every single Jamaican,’ Ricketts stated. ‘It is no ordinary feat for a small country like ours to host World Cup matches. This is huge for Jamaica and for every person who proudly calls themselves Jamaican.’

The bid, titled ‘For Now. For Next,’ has the full backing of Concacaf, the region’s governing body for football.

‘Concacaf fully supports this four-nation bid, which embodies our One Concacaf philosophy,’ said Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani. ‘Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2031 will build on this momentum, inspiring future generations of players and fans.’

If successful, the 2031 tournament would be the largest Women’s World Cup in history, projected to welcome 4.5 million fans across venues in all four nations.

The bid promises world-class facilities and a groundbreaking commitment to reinvest proceeds into the global growth of the women’s game.

This effort builds on a wave of major sporting events coming to the region, including the 2026 Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The bid also represents a historic first: while the U.S. would be hosting its third Women’s World Cup, it would be the first time the tournament is staged in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.

The official bid book will be submitted to FIFA in November, with a final decision expected at the FIFA Congress on April 30, 2026, in Vancouver.

Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, acknowledging ‘the gravity and importance of this office’ and pledging to do ‘my best’.

Boodoosingh, who succeeds Justice Ivor Archie, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, was sworn in by Acting President Wade Mark under Section 102 of the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution, which states ‘The Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition’.

Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago in the presence of the Acting President, Wade Mark

The new chief justice, who was appointed a Justice of Appeal on September 14, 2020, having previously served as a Puisne Judge since September 2007,’ thanked Archie for his ‘significant contribution to the judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago both in terms of the scholarship of his judgement and the leadership he has offered to the judiciary’.

He said he had done so at the expense of ‘personal sacrifice’ and that he country owes him ‘the deepest debt of gratitude’.

The Chief Justice said he wanted to re-assure the population of his commitment to Trinidad and Tobago and that he intends to perform in the position ‘to the best of my ability.

‘I give you my commitment of hard work, of dedication to duty and that through it all, I will try to walk humbly. I understand how important this office is to the nation, to our country. I will attempt to build on the platform of the previous chief justice and the chief justices who have gone before me to ensure that when it is time to move on.that I would leave the judiciary in a better place’.

Justice Boodoosingh was admitted to practise as an attorney at law in October 1992 and latter joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where he spent seven years prosecuting cases at various jurisdictional levels. In 2001, he became a lecturer at the Hugh Wooding Law School where he was the Director of the Trial Advocacy programme and taught Ethics, among other courses.

Justice Boodoosingh is the holder of the Master of Laws degree (Merit) specialising in International Dispute Resolution from the University of London. He has been certified as an adult education trainer by the University of the West Indies, an advocacy trainer by Gray’s Inn, and a Judicial Education Trainer by the University College of London. He continues to function as tutor to the Trial Advocacy Programme at the Law School of the University of the West Indies.

The author of four books, including a textbook on Trial Advocacy, Justice Boodoosingh has also been trained in settlement conferencing and mediation and has conducted Judicial Settlement Conferences.

The path to the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup became clear today, and it will be a challenging one for Guyana’s young talents.

The nation was drawn into a demanding Group A for the CONCACAF Qualifiers, where they will face regional hosts Honduras, Bermuda, and Suriname.

The stakes for the tournament could not be higher. With 34 nations competing across eight groups, only the winner of each group will earn a coveted ticket to the global spectacle, leaving absolutely no margin for error.

The Guyanese squad will be based in Honduras for the preliminary round, which runs from February 3 to 12, 2026.

Their campaign will be a rigorous test of endurance and skill, with three critical matches packed into a six-day window.

Guyana’s Group A: Fixtures: February 6: Guyana vs. Bermuda, February 8: Guyana vs. Honduras, February 11: Guyana vs. Suriname.

The clash with the host nation, Honduras, on February 8 is poised to be the group’s marquee match. In the previous qualifying cycle, Honduras successfully navigated this stage to reach the World Cup, alongside traditional powerhouses like the United States, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, and Panama.

The qualifying tournament will be hosted across six Central American and Caribbean nations: Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

All groups will be played in a single-round-robin format, meaning every match is a must-win encounter.

The Bahamas government is defending its decision to table legislation aimed at transferring funds from dormant accounts to the Disaster Emergency Fund saying that conservative estimates suggest that over 40 per cent of the country’s national debt exists because of climate change.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis told legislators that what’s needed today, more than ever, are innovative, strategic, and sustainable solutions taking on the most pressing climate-related challenges to create opportunities for a more resilient and prosperous future.

Prime Minister Phillip Davis

‘And that is why we are here today. One of the things we have learned is that disaster preparation, and the funding and infrastructure that supports it, must be proactive. It must be sustained, and it must also be robust enough to account for the threats we face.’

Davis said that the resolution currently before the Parliament seeks to ensure that when disasters strike, the government has the financial capacity to respond swiftly, effectively, and equitably.

‘In decades past, disaster management in The Bahamas was, unfortunately, reactive, focused mainly on disaster emergency response in the aftermath of a storm,’ he said, noting that the passage of Hurricane Dorian on September 1, 2019 ‘laid bare how woefully unprepared we were for this era of more frequent and more intense storms.

‘We cannot allow the flawed response and recovery mechanisms that were exposed by Dorian to be repeated. This is why, in recent years, this administration has transformed our approach from managing disaster responses to managing disaster risk.’

He said the establishment of the Disaster Risk Management Authority (DRMA) represents a fundamental shift in mindset with the focus being on risk reduction, mitigation, preparedness, and recovery.

‘We are focused on building resilience before the storm and then rebuilding stronger after it.

The passage of the Disaster Risk Management Act, 2022, was a turning point. It provided the legal foundation for a comprehensive, structured, and accountable disaster management system,’ Davis said.

He said this change necessitated a new model for funding disaster-related efforts and that the new strattegy was prepared by the Ministry of Finance in consultation with the DRM Authority and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

‘It is a practical, evidence-based, best practice-aligned plan that funds every stage of our disaster risk management cycle. We are funding risk analysis, which allows us to know the extent of the risks we are facing. We are funding risk reduction, so we can take decisive, proactive action to minimise damage before it occurs.’

Davis said the strategy was developed by experts using advanced risk analyses and post-disaster risk assessments to identify our risk profile, quantify potential losses, and enhance our financing capacity, ensuring that our mitigation and response mechanisms are adaptive and resilient.

‘The findings from the work of these experts are sobering. The government faces potential losses of up to US$700 million from major hurricane and flood events,’ Davis said, adding ‘that is the scale of damage the government must be prepared to face from a disaster’.

He said the strategy recommends a layered approach such as a blend of investments, insurance, and reserves to diversify risk and reduce fiscal pressure.

Prime Minister Davis said that the resolution beforethe Parliament represents another important step forward toward funding the country’s disaster risk management efforts.

He said under Section 19 of the Disaster Risk Management Act, the Disaster Emergency Fund must be maintained and used to finance response, rehabilitation, recovery, and financial protection instruments.

Prime Minster Davis said the experts have determined that this Fund should hold a minimum of US$17 million to ensure adequate liquidity following a severe natural disaster.

‘This resolution authorises the transfer of US$17 million from the dormant account proceeds held by the Treasurer, which are now part of the Consolidated Fund, into the Disaster Emergency Fund.

‘These dormant accounts are, essentially, unclaimed resources that can now serve a national purpose. Resources that were sitting idle can now be used to invest in our future and serve as the first line of defence when disaster strikes,’ Davis said, noting that currently, regulations and operating procedures are being developed to ensure the efficient and effective management of these funds.

He said the regulations will clearly outline what the funds can be used for, how unused funds can be invested to grow the fund, what will activate their use, and the appropriate steps that must be taken to ensure accountability.

Davis said that these funds ensure that when disaster strikes, the government can mobilise immediate assistance without delays or dependence on external financing.

‘By capitalizing this Fund today, we are advancing the goals of our Comprehensive Financial Strategy for Disaster Risk Management. And we are reducing potential losses by 45 per cent over the next decade, which will improve fiscal resilience so that each storm that makes landfall does not drive us deeper into debt.

‘We cannot prevent storms from forming. But we can strengthen our nation’s capacity to withstand and recover from them,’ Davis said, adding ‘that is what today is about’.

The Guyana government says it is considering introducing innovative measures, including ankle monitoring systems, as it seeks to strengthen interventions against domestic violence.

Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, spoke of the key strategies now being considered aimed at ensuring greater safety, accountability and support for victims of domestic violence.

Walrond said that an ankle monitoring bracelet would allow authorities to track the movements of offenders in a proactive approach, sending real-time automated alerts if the individual approaches a restricted area or comes close to a victim.

‘We have a mandate as a government from the people to deliver to them a safe and secure country. People want to feel secure and have that standard of living where they’re able to walk down the street with their children and not have to worry,’ she said, noting that the Safe City Initiative uses facial recognition, vehicle tracking, and license plate recognition to aid in investigations.

This has resulted in a faster response from authorities in ongoing investigations and was designed to make communities safer, playing a crucial part in crime prevention and Waldron highlighting the importance of an alert app that works like a panic button.

Walrond noted that although these strategies will be implemented, there is still a need to build trust between citizens and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to have transparency and accountability in every step.

‘People want to feel that there is a police force that I can trust and that cares and that will respond to me,’ she said.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves Wednesday said while he has just published a book on regional integration, he also intends to write another one detailing his working relationship with former Cuban leaders, Fidel and Raul Castro, as well as the late Venezuelan Leader Hugo Chavez and his successor, Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking on his weekly radio programme on the state-owned NBC Radio, Gonsalves, one of the longest serving heads of government in the English-speaking Caribbean, said that the latest publication is in addition to other works he has done focusing on the socio-economic and political development of the region.

‘And there is one, which I am hoping to have published before the general election is called on Caribbean political leadership,’ Gonsalves said.

Gonsalves, 79, is seeking an unprecedented sixth consecutive term in office, and is leading the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) into the general election, widely expected to take place before year end, preferably in November.

He told radio listeners that the book on Caribbean political leadership ‘is a big book with three parts, with the first part being a kind of autobiographical memoire on what made me the leader who I am’.

The leader of the ULP since 2001, said the book explores his ideas ‘and everything, and then I discuss different dimensions of leadership and I also discuss 40 political leaders who have served with me in CARICOM (Caribbean Community)’.

He said he has discusses 10 leaders ‘who have gone to the great beyond’, one of them Patrick Manning (of Trinidad and Tobago).

He said there is a chapter on the late Barbados prime minister, Errol Barrow, Dr. Cheddi Jagan of Guyana, Maurice Bishop, the first left wing head of government in Grenada, the Dominican Rosie Douglas as well as Sir Robert Bradshaw of St. Kitts and Nevis, the former St. Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister, Milton Cato, as well as Norman Manley of Jamaica and Alexander Bustamante and ‘the making of the modern Jamaica’.

Gonsalves said there is also a chapter on national liberation from the Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture to Tim Hector of Antigua and Barbuda.

‘I could not do everybody in any case, otherwise the thing is already voluminous.and once I have life, I will always put pen to paper ,’ he said, adding ‘so I had this one on integration in my system and this one on Caribbean political leadership in the system (and) I get them out.

‘I want to one for instance on my work with Fidel and Raoul and Chavez and Maduro. My observations of them, because I think the general public and students of politics interested in all of these things which I am talking about.

‘I am writing, I am putting out ideas,’ he said, recalling that after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the eruption of the La Soufriere Volcano as well as the global crisis emanating from the Russia-Ukraine war, he wrote a publication ‘laying out a plan, a framework for St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ which is available on Amazon.

Gonsalves said it was also important for members of the opposition to have their ideas published, adding ‘you think people are going to throw away tested leadership, with energy and will vision and skill’.

A Caribbean-born immigration attorney is warning that an affidavit of support alone may be insufficient for Caribbean and other nationals applying for permanent residency, commonly known as green card, in the United States.

‘The landscape of family-based immigration is poised for meaningful change. Following the enactment of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ (OBBBA) and the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) memorandum of September 4, 2025,’ attorney Roland G. Ottley told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Roland G. Ottley

He said legal practitioners strongly anticipate heightened evidentiary scrutiny, even though many of these practices are not yet mandatory.

‘Families should understand that adjudications may soon place greater weight on comprehensive proof of self-sufficiency, and begin preparing accordingly,’ said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines born attorney.

‘As of today, a properly completed Form I-864 Affidavit of Support may still be sufficient in some cases. However, based on OBBBA and the September 4, 2025 USCIS guidance, we strongly suspect adjudications will soon require more comprehensive evidence of self-sufficiency.

‘Prudent applicants and sponsors should proactively assemble broader documentation now, anticipating markedly higher evidentiary scrutiny in the near future,’ Ottley added.

He said building a ‘full, well-documented record’ now is a prudent best practice, not a new legal requirement and that the September 4 memorandum signals ‘a likely shift in the calculus of family sponsorship cases.’

Ottley said USCIS officers are expected to conduct ‘holistic reviews’ of self-sufficiency determinations, ensuring that every question on Form I-485 receives complete attention and that all Congressionally-mandated factors undergo rigorous evaluation.

‘While not yet an across-the-board mandatory standard, the guidance indicates where adjudications are heading. This development represents more than procedural refinement: it signals a philosophical reorientation in how evidence may be weighed.

‘Where previously a properly completed I-864 might suffice to overcome concerns about financial self-sufficiency-and may still suffice in some approvals today-applicants should anticipate increased requests for comprehensive evidence addressing every statutory factor outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act,’ Ottley said.

He said the implications extend ‘far beyond paperwork,’ warning families not to assume that meeting only minimum requirements will guarantee success, as adjudication trends evolve.

‘Emerging expectations point toward proactive evidence that demonstrates genuine self-sufficiency beyond mere compliance with baseline requirements,’ the immigration attorney said.

‘Because of recent changes in immigration law, we will soon start seeing a more difficult course to achieve in terms of document requirements and face the burdens and stress of meeting deadlines or denials.

‘By not including the Form I-944, applicants are unaware of the now stricter requirements for filing an adjustment of status application. Before, you would have the I-944 Form, and you would scoff at its requirements before investing your time and effort for adjustment of status. You would be able to check your budget to see if you can afford to continue with the adjustment of status application.

‘Now, if you file your application unaware of the above, you may find yourself in a tight squeeze where you only have 87 days to provide USCIS with a bulk of information,’ Ottley warned. ‘That can result in a tremendous amount of anxiety and stress.’

He said once an application is submitted to USCIS for adjudication of adjustment of status, the adjudicating officer then has a flexible amount of discretion as to how restrictive they need to be and whether or not and what information they should request from the applicant and the petitioner.

Ottley said there are now many variables that an adjudicator would need to consider in assessing the totality of the circumstances test for determining whether the applicant is more likely to become dependent on the government for their subsistence.

‘You will need to pre-assess your situation and provide strong evidence to the adjudicator that the applicant is likely to be self-sufficient,’ he said.

‘The petitioner may need to establish that the petitioner has sufficient income, assets, and sufficient financial resources that the government can utilize to seek contribution from the petitioner for public benefits that the applicant may utilize in the future.’

Ottley said OBBBA is expected to reshape the economic assumptions behind sponsorship by narrowing access to certain federal benefits and elevating the expectation of private solutions-especially health coverage-‘thereby amplifying how officers may weigh foreseeable costs and the applicant’s independent means.

‘The USCIS memorandum, as guidance, emphasizes holistic review and full-factor analysis and signals that officers will corroborate claims with objective records and may draw adverse inferences from omissions or unexplained inconsistencies,’ he said.

‘Depth and continuity of proof are strongly suspected to matter as much as nominal thresholds.’

For sponsors, Ottley said the I-864 Form ‘demonstrates a promise, not a guarantee,’ noting that officers examine the sponsor’s actual tax compliance, liquidity, recurring obligations, household size integrity, and the credibility of any joint-sponsor arrangement.

‘Unclear dependent claims or tenuous employment undercut the weight given to the affidavit,’ he said.

He said early preparation becomes essential, given the volume of required documentation.

‘Families should begin gathering evidence months before filing, allowing time to address any weaknesses in their financial profile,’ Ottley recommended.

The general manager of the state-owned oil company, Staatsolie, Annand Jagesar, says the GranMorgu project in Block 58 is ‘on schedule and within budget’

Jagesar said with a current completion rate of 23 per cent ‘progress is proceeding according to plan’.

The US$10.5 billion GranMorgu project will use a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) capable of producing up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. According to current timelines, first oil is expected in mid-2028.

In May this year, Staatsolie announced that it had concluded a US$1.6 billion bank loan with a group of 18 banks and financial institutions to finance its 20 per cent participation in the GranMorgu project in the offshore block 58.

The French-based TotalEnergies is the operator holding a 50 per cent interest in Block 58, alongside APA Corporation.

Jagesar was among a delegation from TotalEnergies, led by its Senior Vice President Americas, Exploration and Production, Javier Rielo, that met with President Jennifer Greelings-Simons to inform her of the project.

President Greelings-Simons said that the oil sector must be a catalyst for broader national development.

‘We must already look ahead – what demand will arise from the oil industry for food, services, and logistics? Agriculture, tourism, and other sectors must benefit from the outset.

‘We need to map out now how much demand will arise for food and other services from the oil industry, so we can respond to that,’ she added.

Jagesar in endorsing the statement said ‘we cannot wait until the first oil flows. We need to strengthen agriculture and vocational training now’.

He warned that only seven per cent of the working population has a higher professional education higher, noting that ‘in developed countries, that percentage is much higher. So we need to accelerate the development of our people’.

The Staatsolie senior official said people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods can be trained as welders through a special project through the Labor Mobilization and Development Foundation (SAO), allowing them to find work in the local community .

Jagesar said in the the area of local content, ‘two Surinamese ports are involved in the execution of the work, and several local companies are already participating in the preparations.

‘Compared to Guyana, Surinamese companies are currently even a step ahead,’ Jagesar said.

A hurricane watch is in effect for Haiti on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Melissa moves slowly across the region bringing heavy rainfall and flooding over portions of Hispaniola and Jamaica over the remainder of this week.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the storm could become a hurricane by Thursday and is about 305 miles south, south west of Port-au-Prince in Haiti and 335 miles, south east of Kingston, the Jamaican capital.

It has maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (MPH) and the NHC said that some gradual strengthening is anticipated during the next few days.

A Tropical Watch is in effect for Jamaica and the NHC said that a Hurricane Watch for Haiti, means that hurricane conditions are possible within the area. It said interests in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba should monitor the progress of Melissa.

Melissa is moving very slowly towards the west-northwest near two mph and the NHC said that a slow forward speed and a gradual turn to the northwest and north-northwest is expected during the next few days.

‘On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week,’ the NHC said, adding that tropical storm conditions could begin in Jamaica late on Thursday or Friday.

Melissa is expected to bring five to 10 inches of rain to the southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti, and eastern Jamaica through Saturday, with locally higher amounts possible.

‘Across the northern Dominican Republic,