Category: CANA News

Premier David Burt is leading a delegation to Brussels and Paris to participate in the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers’ (ABIR) Annual International Insurance Regulatory Dialogue.

He will also hold a series of high-level meetings with European officials and industry leaders.

‘As Bermuda marks ten years of equivalence with the EU Solvency II directive, this is a key milestone to reflect on the important role that Bermuda’s insurance and reinsurance market plays in Europe and the global economy.

‘This visit allows us to discuss matters affecting our international business sector and continue building relationships with the policymakers, regulators and industry leaders who influence the markets in which Bermuda companies operate,’ Burt said.

The Premier will deliver remarks at the Brussels Office Annual Reception and the 19th Annual International Insurance Regulatory Dialogue, where regulators, policymakers and industry leaders meet to discuss matters affecting the global insurance and reinsurance market.

A government statement said that in Brussels and Paris, the Premier will meet with senior government, regulatory and business leaders.

‘The discussions will focus on matters affecting Bermuda’s international business sector, including regulatory cooperation, market access, developments within the European financial services framework, and ways to deepen economic and financial services cooperation with key partners across Europe,’ the statement said.

Burt is due to return to Bermuda on September 6.

The Belize government says it has achieved a significant milestone in the implementation of its Electronic Single Window for Trade (ESW) with the successful completion of an intensive four-day Knowledge Exchange Mission with the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA).

‘This initiative, undertaken under the Trade and Investment Facilitation Programme, a loan programme for the Government of Belize financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and executed through the Central Executing Unit of the Ministry of Finance, focused on acquiring practical, first-hand insights from Jamaica’s established Single Window for Trade (JSWIFT) system to inform and accelerate Belize’s own digital trade transformation,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a statement.

It said that Belize’s ESW Technical Team serves as the inter-agency working body responsible for reviewing and validating business processes and requirements and supporting business process re-engineering, testing, and implementation.

‘The Belize ESW for Trade forms part of the Government’s broader efforts to modernise and digitalize trade and border processes, improve government efficiency, facilitate legitimate trade, and strengthen Belize’s competitiveness through greater coordination among agencies involved in import, export, and other trade-related procedures,’ the statement added.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Tuesday launched its inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space (CEvalSpace 2026), the region’s first dedicated platform for strengthening evaluation and evidence-based policymaking across the Caribbean.

The region’s premier financial institution said that for years, most regional evaluation initiatives have had limited focus on the Caribbean’s specific realities and the CDB President Daniel Best said the three-day event provides the estimated 150 regional and international participants an opportunity to strengthen evaluation systems and practice across the CaribbeanHe said that it also marks an important shift’ in how we think about development in our region’ and that CEvalSpace 2026 reflects a growing understanding that evidence is not optional, it is essential.

‘Essential evidence informs better decisions, guides smarter investments, strengthens accountability, and ultimately delivers better results for the people we serve. Evaluation, therefore, is no longer something that happens at the end of a project. It helps institutions learn, adapt, and improve,’ Best said. Watch video

Best said that independent evaluation, therefore, is central to that responsibility and that ‘the discipline of evaluation challenges us to ask some of the most important questions in development’.

‘Today, our region faces a development landscape unlike any we have known. Climate change continues to test our resilience. Fiscal constraints demand increasingly difficult choices. Competing priorities requires to make the best possible use of every development investment.’

Best told the delegates that digital transformation is reshaping economies and labour markets and that demographic shifts are changing the composition and needs of regional societies,’ and citizens rightly expect greater transparency, stronger institutions, and better public services.

‘In this context, accountability and transparency are not simply good governance principles. They are essential to how we position ourselves to honour national, regional, and global commitments, build public trust, and ensure that scarce development resources deliver maximum impact.’

Best said that in this environment, then, intuition, experience, and good intentions, however sincere, are not enough.

‘We need evidence. Evidence gives us the confidence to make better choices. Evidence helps us adjust course when necessary, and evidence ensures that every investment contributes meaningfully to the sustainable development of our Caribbean region.’

Best said that this is why evaluation matters, adding that for CDB, evaluation is not just a compliance requirement ‘it is a strategic tool that drives learning, improves performance, strengthens institutions, and enhances development impact’.

He said that the Office of Independent Evaluation at the CDB is central to this effort, providing the evidence, insights, and accountability needed for stronger decision-making and institutional learning.

Best said that this role is particularly important as the CDB implements its 2026 to 2035 strategic plan, with its focus on development effectiveness, measurable results, and continuous improvement.

‘Independent evaluation helps us understand not only what works, but how to achieve results more effectively and sustainably. Yet, evidence-based learning cannot stop at one institution.

‘The Caribbean’s development challenges are shared and interconnected, requiring collective learning and knowledge sharing,’ Best said, noting that by drawing on each other’s experiences and evidence, (‘we can build a stronger understanding of what works and achieve greater impact across our region.

‘This underscores the vital importance of the Caribbean evaluation space,’ he said, noting that he is particularly encouraged by the strong emphasis on young and emerging evaluators.

‘If we are serious about building strong institutions for the decade ahead, we must invest in the people who will actually shape them. Youth is at the heart of CDB’s strategy because the future of our region depends on the talent, creativity, and leadership of our young people.

‘Young professionals bring fresh perspectives, digital fluency and curiosity and the courage to ask new questions. You will help redefine how evidence is generated, communicated, and most importantly, how it is used to improve lives.’

Best told the audience that many of them will one day shape national policies, advise governments, lead institutions, and influence decisions that affect millions of Caribbean people.

‘Our responsibility, therefore, is not only to strengthen decision-making today, it is to build the leadership systems and institutions our region will need for tomorrow. Friends, the Caribbean evaluation space is therefore not just a conference, it is an opportunity to strengthen the foundations of how we develop our region.

‘It will deepen regional collaboration and integration. It will encourage innovation and new approaches to persistent and stubborn development challenges. Ultimately, it will help improve the lives of Caribbean people through better public policy, stronger institutions, and more effective development action,’ he added.

The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, Tuesday urged governments of the sub-region to provide access to crown lands on transparent terms and at rates that will allow young people to make a significant contribution to the agricultural development in the region.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the OECS Youth and Women in Agriculture Symposium, here, Jules said that the access to the crown lands must be such that ‘a young farmer can pay under a 10-year arrangement that a bank can recognise as collateral.

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

BASSETERRE – Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew has arrived at an undisclosed medical institution overseas ‘without incident and is comfortably settled at the medical facility’, according to a government statement issued here.

BRIDGETOWN – The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Tuesday launched its inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space (CEvalSpace 2026), the region’s first dedicated platform for strengthening evaluation and evidence-based policymaking across the Caribbean.

ST. GEORGE’S – The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, Tuesday urged governments of the sub-region to provide access to crown lands on transparent terms and at rates that will allow young people to make a significant contribution to the agricultural development in the region.

NEW YORK – The international human rights group Amnesty International, is calling for an end to the United States military’s ‘deadly, ongoing and illegal campaign’ of air strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

ST. JOHN’S – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he is disappointed at the decision of gas station owners here to shut down their facilities on Tuesday in support of their demands for an increase in their profit margins.

SPORTS:

PORT OF SPAIN -The Guyana Amazon Warriors crashed Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence Day celebrations at the Queen’s Park Oval, securing a thrilling 9-run victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders via the DLS method in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League on Monday night.

PENNSYLVANIA – Curacao’s Pariba Little League overcame an early deficit to defeat the USA’s Paseo Verde Little League 11-2 and capture their second Little League World Series (LLWS) title at the Howard J Lamade Stadium

The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots defeated the Barbados Tridents by six wickets in the 23rd match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League at Warner Park here on Tuesday.

Scores

BARBADOS TRIDENTS 217-4 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 106, Zachary Carter 57, Sherfane Rutherford 26, Chris Green 18 not out; Naseem Shah 2-43).

ST KITTS and NEVIS PATRIOTS 220-4 in 19.1 overs (Johnson Charles 78, Dasun Shanaka 36, Kyle Mayers 29, Andre Fletcher 22 not out, Wanindu Hasaranga 18 not out, Jason Holder 18; Daniel Sams 2-40).

The Barbados Tridents reached 217 for four in 20 overs after being sent in by the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the 23rd match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League at Warner Park here on Tuesday.

BARBADOS TRIDENTS 217-4 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 106, Zachary Carter 57, Sherfane Rutherford 26, Chris Green 18 not out; Naseem Shah 2-43).

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew has arrived at an undisclosed medical institution overseas ‘without incident and is comfortably settled at the medical facility’, according to a government statement issued here.

The statement from the Cabinet Secretariat did not disclose the facility or the country where the 49 year-old medical practitioner had been taken to, but said that he had arrived and at the facility ‘ alongside his family, where he is currently undergoing scheduled diagnostic tests and specialist assessments.

‘The attending specialists have consulted directly with the clinical team at the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital in Basseterre to review his medical records and coordinate his care plan. Prime Minister Drew remains in stable condition, fully alert and in good spirits as these evaluations proceed,’ the statement added.

Earlier, the government had confirmed that Prime Minister Drew had become ‘ ill and was admitted to the Joseph N. France General Hospital on the evening of Sunday, August 30, 2026’.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness says while while technology is transforming how parliaments operate, it must never replace human judgement or compromise the dignity at the core of democracy.

Addressing the 48th Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic (CAA) Region in St Ann north west of here, Holness said parliamentarians across the Caribbean and the wider Commonwealth are operating in a digital age in which citizens expect instant access to information and real-time responses from their leaders.

But he said that even as parliaments modernise, they must remain grounded in the principles of representation, deliberation and public trust, stressing that ‘technology must remain the servant of democracy, not its master’.

Prime Minister Holness said parliament is the institution through which democracy finds expression, serving as the forum where competing ideas are debated, governments are held accountable, laws are enacted, and public resources are authorised on behalf of citizens.

He said as such, strong parliaments are the foundation of modern democracy and that this strength must not be sacrificed in the rush to digitise.

Holness, in illustrating how rapidly the landscape has evolved, said that commercial mobile phones were once so large they had to be carried in a suitcase, and parliamentary rules strictly limited their use within legislative chambers.

However, he noted that currently, legislatures such as the United Kingdom’s House of Commons have amended their Standing Orders to permit the use of mobile phones, while discussions are taking place around the world on live-streaming proceedings from parliamentary chambers and committee meetings

Prime Minister Holness acknowledged that Caribbean parliaments in Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and other jurisdictions are facing similar pressures, as they are increasingly being called upon to integrate emerging technologies and digital platforms into their operations.

‘The challenge before us is larger than simply digitising parliament. The challenge before us is how do we incorporate technology as a kind of renewal of the parliamentary process but, at the same time, preserve representative democracy,’ Holness said.

He told delegates that technology can make parliamentary proceedings more accessible to citizens, enhance communication with constituents and strengthen legislative research and committee work.

While noting that artificial intelligence can significantly accelerate information gathering and document drafting, Prime Minister Holness emphasised that there must be a clear line between using such tools and outsourcing democracy to them.

‘Efficiency is valuable, and I am the greatest proponent of efficiency. (However, democracy) must preserve the dignity of the people,’ Holness said, cautioning Caribbean leaders that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, social media and other digital technologies is creating new threats to democracy, particularly through the spread of misinformation, disinformation and manipulated content.

Holness said the region must strengthen its democratic institutions even as it embraces technology.

‘Every day, in our Caribbean societies, our democracy is being threatened by false information, deliberate campaigns that assassinate character,’ he said, citing a false report that was recently circulated online claiming that a government minister had died.

Prime Minister Holness said that such incidents underscore the real-world consequences of digital falsehoods, warning that advances in artificial intelligence are making it increasingly difficult for people to distinguish fact from fiction.

He warned of the growing challenge posed by emerging technologies, noting that ‘we are entering an era where seeing is no longer believing’.

The Prime Minister urged the CPA to consider how parliaments across the region should respond to these challenges, noting that Caribbean countries must confront the growing risks associated with unregulated information, including radicalisation, hate speech and deliberate disinformation.

Holness said that countries in Europe and North America have already begun developing legislation to address harmful digital content and called for greater attention to cybersecurity, emphasising that the protection of parliamentary systems, records, communications and data must be regarded as a critical component of the region’s democratic resilience rather than merely an information technology concern.

Holness said that successful digital transformation will ultimately depend on people not technology alone and called for sustained investment in parliamentarians, researchers, clerks and administrative staff.

‘Digital transformation ultimately depends, not on the sophistication of the hardware and software but on the capability of the people and the institutions,’ Prime Minister Holness said, urging leaders to prepare the next generation to inherit strong institutions that are capable of adapting to technological change while remaining firmly grounded in the principles of democracy.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne Tuesday said he held a ‘very constructive engagement’ with gas station owners ending a brief closure of several gas stations across the island over profit margins.

‘They reopened their stations to facilitate the dialogue. We will be establishing an expert team, to advise the Cabinet on a possible future adjustment to their margin,’ Browne said in a statement posted on his Facebook page following the meeting.

The dealers’ demand is not new. Twenty-one operators wrote to the government in March seeking an increase in the eight per cent margin they receive on fuel sales. They say the rate has remained largely unchanged since the early 1990s despite rising wages, electricity, insurance and maintenance costs..

Earlier, Prime Minister Browne had described the decision of the gas station owners to close down their businesses as ‘bad timing’ and that the closure had come at a time when the Government has eliminated its margin to keep prices down.

‘Our government eliminated the consumption tax to keep prices down; how can anyone justify an increase in profit margin at this time, to further burden their customers, during an escalation in oil prices,’ Browne added.

Prime Minister Browne had earlier said that the government would normally collect between three and four million dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) monthly from the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) on an average.

‘So instead of collecting that three to four million dollars per month for the past six months, roughly EC$24 million, we now owe WIOC EC$15 million,’ he said.

Browne said that officials in the Ministry of Finance are advising that expected increases in fuel prices could be in the vicinity of EC$$3.50 cents, but that this would constitute too large an increase at the pump and that the government has agreed on a price of two dollars across the board.

‘That was too large an increase to be implemented in one fell swoop, so we settled on a smaller increase,’ Browne said, and as a result, the prices at the pump will move from the current EC$14.50 for gasoline to an estimated EC$16.50, diesel at EC$16.25 per gallon.