Hurricane Melissa Hits Cuba After Devastating Jamaica; Microsoft Deepens OpenAI Ties

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in eastern Cuba early Monday, bringing destructive winds and heavy rain. This comes as neighboring Jamaica begins to assess catastrophic damage from the storm's passage over the weekend. The hurricane's center struck near Guantánamo, Cuba, with sustained winds of 210 kilometers per hour. Cuban authorities had evacuated over 100,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas ahead of the storm. In Jamaica, preliminary reports indicate widespread flooding, landslides, and severe damage to infrastructure. Communication networks are down in many regions, slowing a full assessment. The government has declared a state of public emergency. In separate business news, technology giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence research company OpenAI announced a major restructuring of their partnership. The deal deepens their existing collaboration, with Microsoft committing to further investment for advancing AI research and development. Microsoft is a key investor in OpenAI and provides the critical computing power for its AI systems.