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Catholic Bishops Demand Crackdown On Drug Trafficking

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has called for an urgent and coordinated national crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, warning that the growing narcotics menace poses a serious threat to Ghana’s security, institutions, families and the future of the youth.

A statement signed by the President of Ghana Catholic Bishop’s Conference and Bishop of Sunyani, Most. Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, said the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French customs authorities at Dunkirk on September 10, 2026, with an estimated street value of pound 225 million, was ‘deeply disturbing.’ The cocaine was reportedly concealed in a container of plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana, with part of the consignment allegedly destined for Antwerp, Belgium.

The Bishops noted that four Ghanaians-Desmond Koranteng Curiel, alias ‘Paul Kweku Yeboah’ or ‘Biggs’; Musah Attah, alias ‘Kromo’; Kweku Otchere; and Jessica Hartog-had been arraigned before the High Court in Accra and remanded over alleged conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a licence and exportation of narcotic drugs. They stressed that the accused persons remained presumed innocent until proven guilty, and urged investigations to establish how the alleged consignment passed through legitimate commercial channels.

The Conference said the Dunkirk seizure formed part of a wider pattern of drug trafficking incidents linked to Ghana, citing several major interceptions recorded since March 2025. It also referenced concerns raised in a September 18, 2026 parliamentary memorandum, including cocaine seizures at Pedu Junction, on the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway and at Tema Port, as well as alleged narcotics concealed in other consignments. According to the Bishops, the parliamentary petitioners estimate that high-profile seizures linked to Ghana over the past two years exceed $1 billion in value.

The Bishops further expressed concern over the involvement of public officials in alleged narcotics-related activities, citing the reported arrest of nine public officers in March 2026 over a large consignment of undeclared tramadol at Tema Port. They called for investigations to go beyond couriers and identify the financiers, principal traffickers and networks behind the trade, stressing that anyone who abused public trust to facilitate the movement of illicit drugs must be held accountable.

The Conference appealed to the government to strengthen collaboration among the Police Service, Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Customs, port authorities, the judiciary and other relevant institutions to combat the menace. It called for improved scanning and surveillance systems at Ghana’s ports, airports and borders, stronger cooperation with INTERPOL and Europol, and investigations that ‘follow the money’ to uncover the financial networks sustaining narcotics trafficking.

The Bishops also backed Parliament’s oversight role, urging relevant ministers and state agencies to account for the adequacy of drug detection, surveillance and clearance procedures at the country’s ports and airports. They called for such proceedings to be conducted without partisan point-scoring, but with the seriousness, transparency and cooperation required to address what they described as a matter of national concern.

Beyond enforcement, the GCBC called for greater investment in drug-prevention education, rehabilitation and treatment, particularly for young people. It urged Catholic parishes, schools, youth organisations, priests, catechists and lay leaders to intensify awareness and pastoral support, while appealing to parents and guardians to maintain close relationships with their children and provide moral and emotional guidance.

The Bishop of Sunyani, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, further said the drug menace was ultimately a moral and social crisis that required collective action.

The Conference urged Ghanaians to protect the dignity and future of the youth, calling for a response that was firm and lawful while also being preventive, rehabilitative and rooted in human dignity.

The round trip under BRI: How the Philippines and Hong Kong now grow off each other

Every Filipino knows Jollibee. Fewer may know that the homegrown fast-food champion, now with a global network of outlets far beyond the Philippines, also owns a piece of Hong Kong’s culinary heritage.

Its acquisition of Tim Ho Wan, the celebrated dim sum chain that made its name as one of the world’s most affordable Michelin-starred eateries, means a Filipino enterprise now stewards a beloved Hong Kong brand and carries it to markets around the world.

Further cementing this strategic tie, Jollibee recently announced plans to choose Hong Kong over the US to list its international unit, a strong testament to the city’s status as a premier global financial hub.

Alongside the couple of dozen restaurants Jollibee runs across the city, it is a neat emblem of the real relationship between the Philippines and Hong Kong. It has never been a one-way trade relationship.

It has always been a round trip: Filipino enterprise reaching through Hong Kong into the Greater Bay Area and beyond, and Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong enterprises venturing out to the Philippines and the wider ASEAN.

That circuit is now moving at an accelerated pace. Two-way merchandise trade between the Philippines and Hong Kong grew 12.9% to reach some US$15.7 billion in 2025, while services trade expanded nearly 20% to $2.4 billion.

The Philippines now ranks as Hong Kong’s 13th-largest trading partner globally and its fifth-largest within ASEAN, a partnership anchored by the ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement.

Zoom out and the same current runs across the region: ASEAN has been Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner for sixteen straight years. What is changing is not only the strategic trajectory, but the pace of growth, and Hong Kong is deliberately re-engineering itself to carry more of it, both ways.

An established presence on the ground

Hong Kong’s commitment to ASEAN is long-established and physical. The city runs a network of Economic and Trade Offices across the region, alongside Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the investment promotion agency of the HKSAR Government, with teams that reach into markets including the Philippines. That presence is two-directional.

Reaching outward, InvestHK connects Hong Kong start-ups and corporates with ASEAN’s investors, tech leaders and fast-growing consumer markets. Reaching the other way, its day-to-day mandate is to guide Filipino companies into Hong Kong-connecting them to capital, sites, licensing and talent, and smoothing every step of setting up. One network, both directions: a sustained bridge sitting in the middle of the traffic rather than at either end of it.

What Hong Kong puts within reach

For a Filipino enterprise weighing that move, the first thing Hong Kong puts on the table is access to capital on a scale few places can match. The city is already Asia’s largest hedge fund centre and the world’s largest cross-border wealth management hub, expanding at a projected 9% a year, and it has just moved to widen its lead.

A landmark bill now before the legislature would exempt private equity, venture capital and other fund managers from tax on performance-linked income, and spare their managers salary tax on performance-linked bonuses, a move that would make Hong Kong the first city in the world to set out clear rules of this kind. For a Filipino champion eyeing an international raise, or a conglomerate building a regional treasury function, that concentration of capital is a deep, and accessible, pool to fund the next stage of growth.

That capital story is increasingly a family story, too. For the family-owned conglomerates that anchor so much of the Philippine economy, Hong Kong offers a purpose-built home for the family office – and it has just sweetened the terms. A landmark bill introduced in mid-2026 broadens the tax concessions for family investment vehicles managed by single family offices, widening the range of qualifying investments and giving families greater flexibility and tax certainty in how they steward wealth across generations-all backed by a dedicated FamilyOfficeHK team and a deep bench of wealth-management expertise, and all close to the heart of Asia’s growth.

A market at the doorstep

If capital is one thing a Filipino firm gains through Hong Kong, a market is the other, and this year Hong Kong built new structure to open it. InvestHK welcomed the launch of the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong), founded expressly to drive two-way trade and investment between the Chinese Mainland and ASEAN. The Chamber’s very first act was telling: it took more than 100 delegates on a guided tour of the Northern Metropolis. The Northern Metropolis is where the abstract becomes physical. Stretching across roughly a third of Hong Kong’s land along the Shenzhen border, it is the “north engine” of a dual-engine economy – innovation and industry to the north, finance and professional services to the south.

For a Filipino enterprise that establishes there, it opens the door to an enormous customer base: RandD and new-industrialisation land, a cross-border innovation testbed with Shenzhen, and the Greater Bay Area’s US$2-trillion economy and 88 million consumers only minutes away. And here the rules of entry are unusual: land is awarded less on the size of the bid than on the substance of the plan – what a company will build, how quickly, how much it will invest, how many jobs it will create. For a genuine builder, it is a foothold that cannot simply be bought.

Filipino ambition heading out

With capital and market both within reach through Hong Kong, the pay-off is what a Filipino firm can then do with them, and ASEAN brands are already proving the route. In the first half of 2026, the number of ASEAN companies InvestHK helped set up or expand in Hong Kong rose by nearly 30% year on year.

“For companies across the Philippines and ASEAN, Hong Kong is far more than a market in its own right – it is the platform that connects their capital, talent and ambition to the Greater Bay Area, the Chinese Mainland and the wider world,” said Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Loretta Lee. “What we increasingly see is two-way investment: Hong Kong’s financial and professional strengths paired with the drive of ASEAN enterprises and the growth impetus of the Belt and Road Initiative. That synergy is what turns a regional presence into a global one.”

Why the round trip matters now

That is why the Philippines is best understood not just as a destination but also as a corridor, one node in a network Hong Kong is actively widening under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

As a Belt and Road economy in its own right, the Philippines sits squarely within the framework Hong Kong was built to serve: the city is already home to around 1,400 Belt and Road companies and maintains a global network of offices spanning most of the economies along the route. What connects a Filipino firm to ASEAN through Hong Kong is the same infrastructure now reaching much further afield: in recent years Hong Kong has led high-level business missions to Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, opening fresh channels and forging new partnerships along the way. Each mission extends the same promise – that a business anchored in Hong Kong is plugged into a genuinely global grid, not merely a regional one.

The next chapter comes home this September, when Hong Kong hosts the 11th Belt and Road Summit. It is the largest platform of its kind, gathering officials and business leaders from along the BRI route and beyond. Building on the ASEAN Pavilion that made its debut a year earlier, the Summit is where Filipino enterprises can hear the latest updates, meet project owners and investors, and test the newest opportunities first-hand.

Jollibee’s move shows how a global business can be built by using the Philippines and Hong Kong together. What is new is that the same route now runs in both directions at once – Hong Kong reaching into the Philippines through its people and presence, and Filipino enterprise reaching out to the world through Hong Kong’s capital, opportunities and expertise.

The companies that move early will set the terms for the rest. InvestHK stands ready as your on-the-ground partner, connecting you to the right capital, sites, licensing and talent, and smoothing every step of the way.

Philippines-EU free trade agreement seen next year

The Philippines and the European Union are expected to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) next year after the conclusion of negotiations.

‘We just agreed on a EU-Philippine trade deal!’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X yesterday after meeting with President Marcos. ‘This comes just three years after my visit to Manila to relaunch the negotiations,’ she added.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic also announced the development in a joint statement.

‘It is essentially concluded,’ EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro told reporters covering the ASEAN-EU Business Summit, referring to the trade deal.

He said there is still some work to be finalized on residual elements and the agreement would need to go through legal scrubbing to make it ready for a formal launch.

Roque and Sefcovic said that the FTA is expected to create new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as farmers, manufacturers and consumers on both sides.

The deal is also expected to bring more investment and create more jobs.

In addition, it will support the parties’ shared priorities on sustainable development and the clean and digital transitions.

President Marcos described the conclusions of the free trade talks as an ‘important milestone’ as he vowed to ensure that the opportunities arising from it will benefit Filipinos.

‘This is an important milestone in our strong partnership with the European Union and our shared commitment to open and fair trade. The agreement will bring more opportunities for business and investment, create more jobs and support stronger and more diversified supply chains,’ Marcos said in a statement hours after his phone call with von der Leyen.

‘We will work to ensure that these opportunities reach our Filipino farmers, manufacturers, consumers and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), while opening new possibilities for the Philippines in AI (artificial intelligence), digital technologies and other important sectors,’ he added.

Amid geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges, the FTA is expected to diversify supply chains and provide fair and predictable rules.

After the signing, the FTA will have to be ratified by the Philippine government and European Parliament.

Negotiations for the Philippines-EU FTA were launched in 2015, followed by two rounds, before being put on hold amid the EU’s concerns over the war on drugs waged by the Duterte administration. In 2024, the Philippines and EU agreed to resume FTA negotiations.

Santoro said the parties are aiming to have the FTA in force before the EU Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) expires by end-2027.

‘We wish to be quick in putting this into force,’ he said. The Philippines is a beneficiary of the GSP+, which allows the duty-free entry of 6,274 products to the EU.

‘The FTA is much more encompassing than the GSP+,’ Santoro said.

Predictable trade foundation

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Diana Edralin said that the FTA provides a predictable foundation for trade and development between the Philippines and EU.

‘We strongly urge legislators and political leaders from both the Philippines and the EU to demonstrate swift, decisive commitment to the ratification process,’ she said.

‘Ensuring an expedited legislative approval in both the Philippine Congress and the European Parliament will allow our business communities, workforce and consumers to realize the full economic dividends of this historic pact without delay,’ she added.

German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Christian Scheld said that German businesses are ready to turn the FTA into investments and jobs in the Philippines.

‘GPCCI looks forward on its official documentation and ratification well ahead of the expiry of GSP+ in 2027, so that Philippine exporters face no gap in market access,’ he said.

For Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ferdinand Ferrer, the conclusion of the Philippines-EU FTA reinforces the country’s growing integration into the global economy.

‘The business community must now position itself to fully maximize the opportunities that this comprehensive agreement will bring. This FTA has the potential to unlock new growth areas for Philippine enterprises, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to expand their presence in international markets,’ he said.

Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said that the development is welcome news for Philippine exporters.

‘The EU is a major and high-value market, and an FTA can give our exporters greater market access, more predictable trading conditions, and a stronger platform for expanding Philippine products and services in Europe,’ he said.

Federation of Philippine Industries chair Elizabeth Lee said that the Philippines-EU FTA could help position the country as a resilient sourcing and production hub for European firms.

‘The real prize is not just market access. It is attracting the investments that create factories, transfer technology and generate quality jobs for Filipinos,’ she said.

Last year, the EU was the Philippines’ fourth largest trading partner with trade in goods amounting to 17.6 billion euros ($20.2 billion).

‘We strongly believe a regional deal would provide a competitive edge for European and Southeast Asian companies alike, bringing trade and investment to a level that reflects the scale and strategic importance of the ASEAN-EU relationship,’ EU-ASEAN Business Council chair Jens Ruebbert said.

The EU has FTAs with Singapore and Vietnam, and finalized the negotiations for its FTA with Indonesia in September last year.

RUN applauds Atiku’s scholarship for teen mining worker, knocks Tinubu govt

The Rise Up Naija (RUN) movement has commended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his intervention in the life of Yusuf Aliyu, an articulate teenager who was recently discovered working at a mining site in Niger State.

The group said Atiku’s decision to offer Yusuf a full scholarship demonstrated his commitment to education and reflected the qualities it believes are needed in Nigeria’s next president.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, RUN, a civic support organisation within the African Democratic Congress (ADC), praised Atiku for responding to Yusuf’s situation.

Okai said Atiku did not merely announce the scholarship from afar but invited Yusuf and his parents to his residence in Abuja, describing the gesture as evidence of a ‘fatherly figure’ and a commitment to due diligence.

He added that Atiku is also scheduled to pay a condolence visit to the people and government of Niger State over the incident.

The statement also highlighted Atiku’s call for measures to protect Yusuf and his family, particularly to ensure that the assistance offered to the teenager does not expose them to intimidation or retaliation.

‘Atiku’s call for the protection of Yusuf’s life and that of his family shows he cares not just for education, but for the safety of the vulnerable,’ the statement quoted Okai as saying.

However, RUN criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what it described as the government’s failure to identify and prosecute the owners of mining sites where children are allegedly employed.

The group also criticised the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, describing his performance as a failure.

‘The government is hiding the identity of the mining site owners. We are witnessing atrocities in the mining sector that require a government truly ready to govern,’ Okai said.

He urged the committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the matter to ensure that its work does not become a ‘mere damage control mechanism’ for the administration.

The group further alleged that illegal miners are exploiting poverty and unemployment in the country, which it attributed to what it described as failures of the current APC-led administration.

Okai called on Nigerians to demand a change in leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying an Atiku presidency would prioritise equal opportunities for Nigerians regardless of their social status.

‘A lot of atrocities are happening in the mining sector that need a government that is ready for governance to end them,’ the statement quoted him as saying.

RUN also urged the investigative committee to remain accountable to Nigerians and ensure that its findings and recommendations address concerns surrounding child labour and activities in the mining sector.

STRONGER PHL-JAPAN TIES

Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto welcomed Japan’s Senate Vice President Tetsuro Fukuyama. During his visit to Manila, Fukuyama advanced parliamentary exchanges and reaffirmed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Philippines and Japan. Building on the momentum of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s State Visit to Japan last May, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation in defense and maritime security, energy, infrastructure and development, trade and investment, and people-to-people ties.

BAHAMAS-WEATHER-Bahamas PM urges caution as Atlantic hurricane season appears to be sleeping

Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis says while the Caribbean has so far not recorded a single hurricane this season ‘the Atlantic lies as still as a sleeping giant’.

The Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30 and Prime Minister Davis addressing the ‘Rising Nations Gala Dinner’ on Tuesday night on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said he wished he could all that good news, but he cannot.

‘Because the same force that has quieted my ocean has set another on fire. The winds that shield The Bahamas are feeding the storms of the Pacific. Two Category 5 hurricanes. The Northern Marianas struck by super typhoons, twice. Hawaii hit head on,’ Davis told the event that was held under the theme ‘Celebrating the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise: From Ambition to Implementation’.

He told the event at which the French President, Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, received the ‘2026 Rising Nations Leaders Award’ that countries needed to be honest ‘about what this quiet is.

‘The hurricane season is not over and to date we have been spared. Others have not. And many of them are sitting in this room. No policy spared us. No treaty. No fund. No sea wall.

‘To date this year, she chose the Pacific. Next year she may choose the Caribbean. We remember what that feels like.’

Prime Minister Davis recalled that in 2019, Hurricane Dorian sat over Abaco and Grand Bahama and ‘would not leave’ as families watched the sea take the only land they had ever known.

‘That is life in a small island state. We do not decide whether our year is kind or cruel. We wait to learn whose turn it is. And while we wait, the sea keeps rising. It does not take turns. It rises on all of us, every year, in silence.

‘Friends, no nation’s survival should depend on luck. And no nation should take comfort in a mercy that is paid for by someone else’s suffering,’ Prime Minister Davis said, adding ‘yet that is the temptation of our time.

‘We live in a fragmented world. Nations are turning inward. Promises are made loudly and kept quietly, if at all. Each country is tempted to say: it is not my storm, not my coastline, not my problem.

‘The ocean does not recognise that thinking. It is one body of water. What warms in one hemisphere breaks upon another. The sea has never been fragmented. Only we are.’

Prime Minister Davis said that this is why the Declaration being honoured matters so deeply. ‘In a divided world, the nations of the world agreed. It is proof that we can still act as one. Now we must make it real. Real means this. Climate mobility is the human face of this crisis. ‘

He said that by 2050, up to 8.2 million people across the Greater Caribbean could be on the move.

‘Our people do not want to leave. So, protect their right to stay, with adaptation finance that is larger, faster, and placed in the hands of communities themselves. Some cannot leave, even when they must. The poor. The rural. Too often, women. Do not abandon them on the front line. And where people must move, let them move with dignity, with rights, and with their culture intact.’

He said that this is the work of the Rising Nations Institute and the Communities Climate Adaptation Facility and that The Bahamas stands fully behind them.

‘So from a Caribbean that has been spared, to a Pacific that has not: we see you. We stand with you. Your storm is our storm. One day the Atlantic will wake again. When it does, let it find a world that did not look away.’

GUYANA-MIGRATION-Government denies involvement in US visa matter involving judge

The Guyana government has described as ‘utter foolishness’ social media reports that it played a role in the decision of the United States government to ‘review’ the visa of High Court judge, Gino Persaud.

The judge was prevented from boarding an airline last week as he attempted to attend the Annual Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA) Conference in Jamaica. His flight was due to land in the United States before he travelled to Kingston. The judge has made no public statement on the issue, but speaking on his weekly Facebook and television programme on Tuesday night, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, told viewers Washington has also not made any public statement on the matter.

‘So I have no informed comment to make on the matter. But I guess it is a universally known fact that the US has always exercised great sovereign control over those who are permitted to travel to their country and that’s a known fact’

He said that the social media reports had suggested that President Irfaan Ali, Vie President Bharrat Jagdeo and himself were linked to the ‘visa review because of our public criticism of this judge after his ruling in the Lamborghini and Ferrari tax cases.

‘Now, I don’t think that I need to tell you that that’s utter foolishness. The government of Guyana, including the President, the Vice President and the Attorney General have absolutely no influence whatsoever over American US foreign policy or any aspect of American US government or US governance,’ Nandlall said in his weekly ‘Issues in the News’ programme.

He said the trio in particular, have ‘certainly no influence whatsoever in relation to whom the US will permit to travel to the United States of America.

‘So, it’s absolute nonsense. Absolute nonsense, not even worthy of a response. But that’s the kind of reckless and irresponsible statements that are coming from these quarters,’ he added.

The tax case which Nandall referred to involved Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed with US authorities reported to have provided evidence indicating that he had allegedly paid more than he had stated for the sports vehicle vehicle, resulting in less duties and taxes being paid to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The US grand jury had alleged that Mohamed directed an unnamed individual to acquire a Lamborghini from California that cost approximately US$680,000 for his benefit, caused the shipment of the Lamborghini via private and commercial interstate carrier from Miami to Guyana, directed the individual to create an invoice to make it falsely appear that the Lamborghini cost US$75,300.

The GRA has since appealed the High Court decision.

The Opposition Leader and his businessman father Nazar Mohamed are now before the courts here contesting a request by the United States for their extradition to face trial for alleged wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in a Florida federal court.

The businessman in a statement Monday said that he wanted there ‘ to be absolutely no ambiguity about our relationship with Justice Gino Persaud. My son and I have never met him, neither as a lawyer nor as a Judge.

‘He has never conducted business with us, or had any personal, professional or social relationship with us. Our only connection is that matters involving our family came before him as a judge of the High Court,’ said Mohamed who has expressed doubt of getting a fair trail n Guyana.

‘We now learn that his United States visa is reportedly under review. I will not publicly assert what caused that review without evidence. But given everything that has happened, it would be foolish to ignore the circumstances surrounding it. What message does this send to the next judge or magistrate deciding a matter involving my son or me?’

He said that judicial independence means that a judge must be able to decide a case based on the law and the evidence, without worrying about who will be angered by the decision or what consequences may follow.

‘No judge should have to wonder whether ruling against the Government could affect his career, his ability to travel, his reputation or his personal life,’ said Mohamed.

FOOTBALL-ST.LUCIA-Latchoo sets 18-point target for St. Lucia in Nations League

New Saint Lucia senior men’s national football team head coach Rajesh Latchoo has selected a strong, experienced yet youthful 25-member squad for his first match in charge, which is Friday’s CONCACAF Nations League clash with Barbados here at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

The Piton Boyz will meet the Bajan Tridents to open their League B, Group B campaign in what is dubbed the beginning of a new era in St. Lucian football.

Latchoo was officially introduced Tuesday during a press conference at the Saint Lucia Football Association headquarters, outlining a long-term vision for Saint Lucia football, while making clear his immediate objective.

‘The mission in the short term is 18 points,’ Latchoo said, referring to the total he believes is needed to top the CNL group.

‘That is the only way we could guarantee, and not have to hope something happened or something didn’t happen, 18 points is the mission to place first.

‘The staff will do everything, and I know the SLFA is doing everything to get the players ready. It is a short space of time, but this is big football, and in big football, you only have five days. The players have the competence and the ability.’

Latchoo also called on the public to back the team.

‘What we would ask now, we ask the public if they believe. If they believe, it’s not just the team, the FA, and the staff; it requires a whole country, a whole nation, to qualify,’ he said.

‘If the nation doesn’t support the team, then how could the players give 100 per cent if 100 per cent of the nation doesn’t support the team and the mission?’

The new coach has brought in new backroom staff, including legendary former Saint Lucia international Earl ‘Ball Hog’ Jean.

Latchoo said he wants players to have specific roles at different age levels and stressed a results-oriented approach as he plans for the next four years leading to the 2030 World Cup.

‘Every milestone from now to that time is very important,’ he said. ‘And the first milestone is dealing with the CONCACAF Nations League. The team is composed of different level players from different backgrounds and with different abilities. Each of them is an expert in their own right. Every single day, we will hold them accountable, as they will hold us as the staff, as the SLFA will hold us as the staff, and as the nation will hold us as the staff and the team.’

Nearly half the squad, 12 players, feature in the Saint Lucia Semi-Professional Football League, including top scorers Garvin Reggie of Dennery and Yanic Noel of La Clery, as well as La Clery goalkeeper and Footballer of the Year Devone St Prix. Six players come from the two-time defending SPFL champions.

Goalkeeper Vino Barclett is one of four Jamaica-based players, joined by fellow keeper Darren Donaie, defender Melvin Doxilly and young attacker Shevon Byron.

Defenders Terell Thomas and Arkell Jude Boyd arrive from the United Kingdom, while attacker Donavan Phillip comes from Colorado Rapids in the United States.

Veteran fullback Kurt Frederick joins from Grenades FC in Antigua and Barbuda. Jason Similien returns from AC Italia Hilden in Germany. Caniggia Elva enters the forward line from Canada’s Cavalry FC, and Djal Augustin joins from Warta Srem in Poland.

The squad includes only six players aged 30 or older and two teenagers, with most in their early 20s. Saint Lucia will lean on that youthful core as it aims for a strong start on Friday.

Yakasai tackles Governor Yusuf over alleged ban on ADC billboards

A prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Tanko Yakasai, has accused the Kano State Government of stopping the party from putting up campaign billboards across the state.

Yakasai made the allegation in a statement shared on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

He claimed that the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had prevented the ADC from using billboards to promote its political activities in Kano.

Kano State had earlier introduced regulations for outdoor advertising and the display of political posters.

In June 2023, the state government announced restrictions on indiscriminate outdoor advertising and poster pasting. It directed individuals and organisations to use approved billboards and electronic platforms.

However, it was not immediately clear whether the situation raised by Yakasai was related to the general advertising regulations or a specific restriction placed on the ADC.

Reacting to the alleged restriction, Yakasai said he never expected such a situation to occur in Kano.

‘I never imagined that the kind of oppression the APC is accused of carrying out in some states could happen in Kano,’ he said.

Yakasai alleged that Governor Yusuf’s administration had prevented the ADC from erecting campaign billboards across the state.

He also urged the governor to remember that political power is temporary and that circumstances can change.

Yakasai referred to Governor Yusuf’s past political experiences, noting that some of the people the governor previously accused of oppression are now under his authority.

He called on political leaders to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could be interpreted as an attempt to suppress opposition parties.

The Director of Media and Publicity to Governor Yusuf, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, was unavailable for comment as of press time.

Sri Lanka’s rating upgrade fuels Bond market rally

The secondary Bond market yesterday saw yields extend their downward trajectory, carrying forward the positive momentum seen over recent sessions.

Rates initially edged up on the back of some profit-taking at the very start of the session. However, the move proved short-lived as sentiment received a significant boost following Fitch Ratings’ upgrade of Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating to ‘B-‘ with a Stable Outlook, marking a major positive development for the country’s credit profile. The bullish tone was further reinforced by Brent crude falling below $ 100 per barrel, easing concerns over inflationary and external sector pressures.

The combination of these strongly positive drivers triggered a sharp rally, with robust buying interest pushing yields notably lower across the curve. Activity and transaction volumes remained healthy, supported by the execution of several sizeable block transactions.

The 15.12.29 maturity traded down the range of 10.85%-10.75% subsequent to the 15.10.29 trading at 11.05% in the morning. The 01.08.30 traded down the range of 11.30% to 11.10% and the 15.10.30 down the range of 11.40%-11.15%. The 01.02.31 traded down the range of 11.40%-11.17%. The 01.10.32 and 15.12.32 traded lower at the rates of 11.35% and 11.50%-11.45% respectively. The 01.06.33 and 01.11.33 traded down the ranges of 11.80%-11.70% and 11.85%-11.70% respectively. The 15.06.34 and 15.10.34 traded at the rate of 11.95% and down the range of 12.01% to 11.85%. The 15.06.35 traded down the range of 12.00%-11.97%.

The Treasury Bill auction scheduled for today will have a total of Rs. 60 billion on offer. This will comprise of Rs. 20 billion on the 91-day maturity, Rs. 25 billion on the 182-day maturity and Rs. 15 billion on the 364-day maturity.

To recap, at last Wednesday’s weekly Treasury Bill auction, weighted averages reversed course and increased across the board breaking a downtrend streak of 11 weeks.

Accordingly, the yield on the 91-day yield rose by 15 basis points to 9.18%, the 182-day Bill by 12 basis points to 9.36% and the 364-day Bill by 11 basis points to 9.88%.

The Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) successfully raised the entire Rs. 70 billion offered, with each tenor meeting its targeted allocation. Total bids received amounted to 2.45 times the offer.

In the money market, the net liquidity surplus was recorded at Rs. 94.09 billion. Rs. 71.72 billion was deposited at the Central Bank’s SDFR (Standing Deposit Facility Rate) of 8.25% as against an amount of Rs. 0.13 billion withdrawn from the Central Bank’s SLFR (Standing Lending Facility Rate) of 9.25%.

In addition, the Domestic Operations Department (DOD) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka absorbed Rs. 22.50 billion in liquidity through a series of repo auctions. This comprised Rs. 7.50 billion via an overnight repo auction and Rs. 15.00 billion through a 7-day term repo auction at rates of 8.74% and 8.75% respectively.

The weighted average yields on overnight call money and repos were recorded at 8.92% and 8.97% respectively.