Category: CANA News

The last four months of 2025 are packed with regional, hemispheric, and global activities in a toxic and turbulent geopolitical, military, economic, and physical environment. Individually, these activities pose significant challenges to the social, economic, physical, and environmental sustainability of the Region.

Together, they constitute a crucible from which escape requires divine intervention, maximum collaboration, a willingness to sacrifice, deft diplomatic manoeuvring, and technical and political leadership of the highest caliber, confidence, and experience.

Does CARICOM possess these ingredients in 2025?

KEY EVENTS AND ISSUES

Among the major issues and events are:

Launch of a United States Armada in the Caribbean, in August 2025.

The 80th Anniversary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, September 2025.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) 30 in Belem, Brazil, 10 to 21 November 2025.

The 10th Summit of the Americas in the Dominican Republic, 4 December 2025.

THE UNITED STATES ARMADA IN THE CARIBBEAN

Under a newly minted Department of War, President Donald Trump announced the deployment of an unprecedented array of war assets in the Caribbean on . August 2025. The deployment included eight advanced warships, led by the guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, as well as the nuclear submarine USS Newport News. According to financial news outlets, at least five of these vessels are armed with land-attack Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The official justification for the deployment, without consultation – counter-narcotics operations – strains credulity. This should have triggered immediate consultation among CARICOM States and a coordinated summoning of the United States diplomatic Representative in the various Member States to explain.

Small States, like those in CARICOM, have no defence against mighty Countries and their armies except the thin sheet of their cooperation and commitment to each other, and the blanket of the 80-year United Nations. CARICOM States failed to prepare and take advantage of these mechanisms, despite opportunities such as the week-long high-level segment of the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations, with the theme ‘A Global Commitment to Peace, Security, and Development.’ This resulted, inter alia:

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago making the alarming statements, ‘The notion that the Caribbean is a Zone of Peace has become a false ideal. The reality . no such Peace exists today,’ and ‘Trinidad and Tobago is particularly grateful for US Military presence in the Southern Caribbean’.

The Prime Minister of Jamaica, as Chairman of CARICOM, failing to mention the existential threat to Caribbean peace, security, and development of an active United States military buildup in the Caribbean Sea. This, after the United States sank three defenceless small boats, killing some 17 persons, and destroying all evidence of the crimes, justifying the lethal actions.

CARICOM Countries moving in three directions, exposing the Region’s vulnerable and exploitable underbelly, on the historically important issue of Israel and Palestine.

Reports in Times Caribbean that the United States is preparing a formal request to the Grenadian government to permit the deployment of U.S. military assets on or near Grenada. Massive pressure on small Grenada because Washington sees the Country ‘as an exceptionally strategic location for its southern Caribbean operations, particularly given that the island lies only about 100 miles from the Venezuelan coastline’. The provocateur seeking to pull little Grenada, a Member of the Regional Security Service (RSS), into its self-determined conflict with Venezuela.

The Caribbean is the largest cruise shipping destination in the World, the overwhelming majority of Caribbean States depend on tourism as their number one or number two economic activity, and States such as Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia benefit immensely from the yachts and super yachts that domicile in their ports for most of the year. These activities do not thrive in turbulent and unpredictable environments.

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP) 30.

COP30 will be held from 10 to 21 November 2025 in Belém, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. This ‘COP30 Amazônia’ will focus on protecting the planet for the future of humanity, highlighting the importance of the Amazon in global climate regulation.

COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates and COP 29 in Azerbaijan, two major oil-producing countries, refused to address the existential climate issue, namely, agreed, and actionable programmatic commitments by major carbon-emitting countries to reduce emissions so that increases in global warming can be kept below 1.5 Degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. One result, a breach in the long-agreed 1.5 Degrees Celsius ceiling in 2024, and projections that 2.0 degrees could be reached by 2030. There is a deeply held view that COP 30, hosted by Brazil which organised the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), 33 years ago, is the last opportunity to achieve the required outcome.

Alas, a focus on ‘Amazônia’ will not achieve that result. It could provide cover for diversion. CARICOM and other SIDS cannot afford diversion.

THE 10th SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

The 10th Summit of the Americas (SOA) is scheduled for December 4, 2025, in the Dominican Republic. The Countries to be invited has been a controversial issue since the first Summit in Miami in December 1994. President Bill Clinton, as initiator and host decided to invite all 34 countries, except for Cuba. CARICOM Countries have always strategized and supported inclusion. They settled because Cuba was not a Member of the Organisation of American States (OAS). The President of the Dominican Republic has invited 32 States. He has omitted Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, as the United States did for the last Summit.

CARICOM States must strategise and ensure that this neither divides nor diverts them from the substance of the Summit.

WHAT NOW, CARICOM?

The answer to this simple question could determine the future of this 52-year-old integration arrangement, second only to the European Union in the World. That is not an achievement to be trifled with.

In our article published on . we urged Prime Minister Andrew Holness, as Chairman of CARICOM, to use his Office to develop coordinated positions on the two existential threats we identified, and to champion them unequivocally at the UNGA. He did not.

We again urge the Chairman to act, but on the wider range of issues identified. If the Chairman does not act, we respectfully remind other Heads of Government that any Member may petition for a Special Meeting of the Conference. These next 3 months are too important for the Region to drift.

*Ambassador Byron Blake, is a former Deputy Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, and Former Assistant Secretary General at the Caribbean Community Secretariat.

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.

Jamaica’s Mt Pleasant FA are on the brink of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup final after delivering a stunning 5-1 demolition of Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force FC in the first leg of their semi-final here on Wednesday.

In a dominant performance at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the Jamaican side built a formidable four-goal aggregate lead, leaving the home side with a mountain to climb in the return leg.

The visitors set the tone early and never looked back. Warner Brown, marking his return to competitive action, opened the floodgates in the 5th minute.

The momentum continued as the prolific Raheem Edwards doubled the advantage just ten minutes later, sending Mt Pleasant into the halftime break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Edwards was not done there. The striker completed his brace in the 57th minute, expertly finishing an assist from the influential Brown to make it 3-0.

As the clock wound down, Mt Pleasant poured on the pressure. Shaqueil Bradford found the net in the 85th minute, and Kimoni Bailey rubbed salt in the wound with a fifth goal deep into stoppage time.

Defence Force managed a lone consolation goal, breaking Mt Pleasant’s remarkable clean sheet record in the competition. Kaihim Thomas scored in the 98th minute, a small victory for the home side on an otherwise dismal night.

Mount Pleasant tied the longest win streak in the competition, previously set by Cibao FC between August and October 2024, of five consecutive victories.

The teams will reconvene for the second leg next week in Kingston.

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’.

The Guyana government says the establishment of the World Trade Centre Georgetown (WTCG) provides a ‘timely and visionary step’ in Guyana’s development trajectory.

‘We envision a Guyana where a producer can load up a lorry and take goods directly to Suriname or Brazil, where trade flows freely and efficiently across our region,’ Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, said, adding that the launch of the WTCG coincides with a period of unprecedented economic growth and expanding global trade opportunities for Guyana.

Finance Minister Dr. Ashini Singh, addrssing the launch of the World Trade Centre- Guyana

‘The establishment of the World Trade Centre Georgetown comes at precisely the right moment in our country’s economic history. We see it as having tremendous potential, particularly in relation to the growth and global integration of the Guyanese private sector.’

He told the ceremony that President Irfaan Ali attaches tremendous importance to this initiative and that ‘Georgetown and Guyana are now joining the family of great cities around the world that host World Trade Centres.

‘This is indeed a historic milestone’, Singh said, congratulating the Chairman of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Group, Komal Samaroo, and his team for their leadership in bringing the global brand to Guyana.

He commended DDL’s foresight in pursuing membership and licensing through the World Trade Centres Association (WTCA), describing the launch as ‘a reflection of the company’s long-standing commitment to global competitiveness’.

Singh, who recently attended the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings in Washington, said that that small states, such as Guyana, face challenges including limited domestic markets and distance from major trading partners.

But he said the government has aggressively pursued strategies to ‘enlarge the economic space in which we operate.

‘From day one, President Ali restored to the top of the policy agenda the importance of improving our physical connectivity with our neighbours,’ Singh said, citing priority projects such as the Linden-Lethem road to Brazil and the Corentyne River Bridge to Suriname.

He said that Guyana’s rapid economic expansion provides a strong foundation for the success of the World Trade Centre.

Citing the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook, Singh said Guyana continues to record the highest growth rate in the Western Hemisphere, averaging nearly 40 per cent annually since 2021.

‘By any standard, this is an extraordinary rate of economic growth without precedent worldwide,’ he said, adding that the government is determined to use this momentum to build ‘a globally competitive non-oil economy’.

Singh reaffirmed the government’s full support for the initiative, noting that the World Trade Centre Georgetown will play a central role in unlocking new trade opportunities for local businesses.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Captain Gerry Gouveia Jr, said the private sector is prepared to continue the economic progress of the country.

‘The opportunities in Guyana are endless. And when people said that we want to be the Dubai of the Caribbean, I’m going to say, no, we want to be the Guyana of the Caribbean, because we’re going to do more than they did,’ Gouveia said.

This is the first World Trade Centre established within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and was commissioned in June this year.

The World Trade Centres Association stimulates trade and investment opportunities for commercial property developers, economic development agencies, and businesses looking to connect globally and prosper locally.

WTC Georgetown (WTCG) Boasts approximately 37,500 sq. ft of office space in a modern seven-floor building. Conveniently located in Georgetown, it offers flexible spaces for modern offices in an environment designed to meet every business objective.

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 following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

ST. GEORGES – Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell says he welcomes the ongoing ‘raging’ public debate regarding a request by the United States to temporarily install a radar at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) and the deployment of US military assets on or near Grenada.

MIAMI – 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.

KINGSTON – The Speaker of the Jamaica Parliament, Juliet Holness, says it is ‘regrettable’ that Opposition Leader Mark Golding led a walk out of opposition legislators on Tuesday, insisting that ‘the business before the House must always be conducted strictly in accordance with the Standing Orders.

PARAMARIBO – 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’

KINGSTON – 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.

SPORTS:

KINGSTON- In a sobering and brutally honest assessment, two former West Indies and Jamaica cricketers have declared that the road to redemption for the region’s cricket will be a long one, with one stating it could take ‘a generation or two’ to restore its former glory.

MIRPUR -In a match that defied belief and pushed tension to the absolute limit, Captain Shai Hope, with a dogged unbeaten half-century and spinner Akeal Hosein combined to pull off a stunning, last-gasp victory for the West Indies over Bangladesh in the second One Day International here on Tuesday.

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.

The National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILO) says it will invest an estimated GUY$10 billion (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) to significantly enhance local production capabilities and capacity within country’s flour milling industry.

NAMILO is owned and managed by the US-based Seaboard Corporation, a diversified global agribusiness and transportation company, and it said that the investment will fund the construction of a new state-of-the-art processing mill, expanded wheat storage facilities, and an enhanced wharf to support both domestic and growing export demand.

NAMILCO executives meeting with President Irfaan Ali today to discuss their investment plans for the company and their vision for future expansion. Also in picture are Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Minister of Government Efficiency and Implementation Zulfikar Ally (Office of the President picture)

It said the project reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to advancing Guyana’s agri-industrial development and supporting regional food security initiatives.

‘This expansion represents more than an investment in infrastructure, it’s an investment in people, skills, and the sustainable future of Guyana’s food industry,’ said Jack Bresky, the chief executive officer and president of Seaboard Overseas Trading Group.

‘We are proud to partner with the Government of Guyana as we align with President Ali’s vision for regional food security and increased value-added production.’

The new processing mill is expected to boost local production capabilities, and create significant employment opportunities across technical, operational, and logistical sectors. The project will also incorporate modern technologies and training programs to develop local expertise in advanced milling operations.

In addition to this expansion, NAMILCO said it is holding talks with the Guyana government to explore opportunities for the commercialization of local cassava flour production.

‘This initiative aims to diversify Guyana’s flour offerings, promote agricultural innovation, and further strengthen the country’s self-sufficiency in food production, ‘it said, adding that to further demonstrating its long-term confidence in the Guyanese economy, Seaboard will also be conducting due diligence related to the potential entry into integrated pork production and processing, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution opportunities.

These exploratory initiatives underscore the company’s holistic approach to value-chain development across food production and energy infrastructure – two key enablers of sustainable national growth, it added.

‘Our continued investment demonstrates our strong belief in Guyana’s economic potential and our commitment to contributing to its long-term industrial growth,’ said Bresky, adding together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient food system for the Caribbean and beyond.’

Construction on the new facilities is expected to begin in the first quarter next year with commissioning targeted for 2027.

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,