Category: CANA News

Guyanese all-rounder Keemo Paul has been added to the West Indies squad ahead of the upcoming second Test match against Sri Lanka on Friday.

The 28-year-old is expected to join the squad ahead of Wednesday’s training session as the regional side finalise preparations for the final Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Paul has played three Test matches for the West Indies, with his last appearance being in 2019 against England.

He has scored 96 runs at an average of 16 and has also taken six wickets with his medium pace.

The West Indies lead the two-match series after winning the opening match by an innings and 217-runs.

WEST INDIES SQUAD:

Roston Chase (captain), Jomel Warrican (vice-captain), John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Keemo Paul Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.

The main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) Tuesday renewed its call for the dismissal of the embattled Minister of Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr Andrew Wheatley, who is the subject of charges contained in a report from the Integrity Commission (IC).

PNP and Opposition Leader, Mark Golding, said that Wheatley’s continued presence in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Andrew Holness a week and a half after the IC reported to Parliament is disconcerting. ‘He’s to be charged with serious offences of corruption in our system of governance. The standard procedure in such a situation is for that minister to step back, to either be forced to resign or to voluntarily resign from the cabinet until that matter is resolved or those issues are finally resolved,’ Golding said as he participated in a protest march on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Wheatley vowed to clear his name as he faces charges stemming from the IC report into his financial affairs. The anti-corruption body recommended that Wheatley face four charges, including illicit enrichment.

The recommendation was revealed after the Integrity Commission’s report was tabled in the House of Representatives. Wheatley, is the first of eight parliamentarians being investigated by the Commission for possible illicit enrichment, to have a report tabled.

Golding said that it is also disturbing for Prime Minister Holness to ‘say that he has continued confidence in Mr Wheatley in these circumstances reflects extremely badly on him and his judgement because he claims he was not aware when he appointed Mr Wheatley for the second time to the cabinet that the Integrity Commission was investigating him.

‘That, if true, indicates a basis for removing him immediately anyway, because that ought to have been made clear at the time rather than take the prime minister by surprise if indeed it really did.’

But Golding, an attorney, said the country is also aware that Prime Minister Holness has his own Integrity Commission issues ‘which are unresolved and no doubt he’s afraid of whatever precedent it may set for Mr Wheatley to be asked to step back from the cabinet because the issues also affect Mr Holness’s own status there.

‘But Jamaican people deserve better. We deserve a government that we can trust, a government that abides by established norms of good governance and that is why I’m here supporting the civil society demonstration because I see our interests as essentially being aligned around these issues,’ Golding said.

The leader of the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Mark Golding, Tuesday condemned what he termed as ‘government’s lack of transparency and frankly dishonesty’ over reports that Jamaica had signed an agreement with the United States allowing for Kingston to accept a limited number of non-criminal third-country nationals and refugees.

Golding, who along with other members of the PNP joined members of civil society in a peaceful demonstration, is also calling on the government to make public the agreement even as National Security and Peace Minister, Dr. Horace Chang is insisting that no such arrangements have been made, to date.. ‘I’m very concerned because the reports have, in fact, raised the anger of the population in Grants Town, St. Mary, and we’d like to ask them to remain calm, not to do anything rash, because there is no truth to the reports,’ Chang told the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) on Monday.

But Golding said that he had joined the demonstration ‘ to protest some of the things going on in the country, you know, the way in which the government has approached this third country national deportee situation, the government’s lack of transparency and frankly dishonesty in describing how this came about and what it is for.

‘And, you know, we’re aware that on the US law this whole arrangement is being questioned, that’s an unsettled issue, and we think it’s very premature and inappropriate for Jamaica to be embarking on an arrangement like this while the situation under the US law remains very uncertain.’

Golding said he is also concerned that ‘there seems to be no discernible benefit to Jamaica from entering into this arrangement and we only heard about it because it was leaked to the media,’ he added.

The PNP’s spokesman on Finance, Julian Robinson, who also participated in the protest, said ‘we have come out here to demonstrate, to voice our opposition to the agreement the Government has entered into with the US to bring what I will call persons into the country. We don’t know the terms of this agreement.

‘We know nothing about it. The government has been hiding it, quite frankly, and so we want that agreement to be tabled in Parliament so we know what the government has signed up on,’ he added.

The organiser of the protest and head of Jamaicans for Justice Kay Osborne said the issues reflected a broader crisis of confidence in the Government.

‘Jamaica is in a crisis. We are in a crisis of governance, we’re in a crisis of trust. We do not trust the Government’s word, we don’t trust them to tell us anything straight… to tell us the truth,’ she said.

Osborne criticised the Government’s handling of the TCN agreement, arguing that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was negotiated without public disclosure.

‘The deportee deal, they signed an MOU in secret and we wouldn’t know anything about it if it were not for the Gleaner who essentially burst the story,’ she said.

But Chang said on Monday that the rumours are putting at risk the property of a retired public servant, which is being utilised as an Airbnb.

‘She is very worried about her own safety, her staff, the safety of the property and safety of any visitors there. In fact, she’s looking at cancelling some bookings she has had, and that may lead to her having to take legal action, as she not only has emotional stress by virtue of the report or pressure from the community but she [may have] to close her business.

‘Please refrain from putting her property and staff at risk,’ Chang pleaded, insisting that the the details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States, including accommodation, have not been finalised.

‘The activities now depend on the technical professionals, and we have a good team between the Ministry of National Security and Peace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the International Organization of Migration (IMO), which will look at the conditions we have (and) if everything is ready to receive them. The public will be made aware of that,’ Chang said.

Earlier this month, Chang said Jamaica’s sovereignty had not been compromised during the ongoing discussions with the United States to accept a limited number of non-criminal third-country nationals and refugees.

The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago says the decision of foreign owned companies within the energy sector to shut down their operations in recent times will have an impact on the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

In a statement following the announcement by the Canada-based Methanex Corporation that it will be indefinitely idling its Titan methanol plant, the Energy Chamber said Methanex has been a ‘valued long-term investor in this country’, and its operations here have ‘ made a meaningful contribution to Trinidad and Tobago’s export earnings and the vitality of the Point Lisas Industrial Estate’. ‘Methanex Corporation said that it had been unable to agree to a new natural gas contract for its Titan methanol plant in Trinidad and Tobago with a capacity of (860,000 tonnes per year ‘and, as a result, will begin the process of indefinitely idling the facility’. It said that existing natural gas contract expires in September.

The company, which employs more than 100 people, said it ‘will undertake a preservation process at the Titan plant to provide optionality for a future restart should conditions materially improve’.

In its statement The Energy Energy Chamber said that it has taken note of thee announcement acknowledging that the company had ‘engaged extensively with the government of Trinidad and Tobago and the National Gas Company ahead of this decision, and we recognise the genuine efforts of all parties to seek a workable path forward.

‘The Chamber looks forward to continued engagement between all parties with a view to creating the conditions that would allow these facilities to resume operations. We note that Methanex has preserved both plants in a state that provides optionality for a future restart, and we welcome that commitment. ‘

President and chief executive officer of Methanex Corporation, Rich Sumner said the company has had ‘a long history in Trinidad and Tobago with an outstanding organisation that has played an important role in our company’s history.

‘This difficult decision reflects our focus on preserving long-term shareholder value in a challenging environment where the structurally tight gas supply and demand balances in Trinidad and Tobago are making operations commercially unviable.’

The Energy Chamber said it ‘remains available to support any constructive process that advances the long-term viability of the petrochemical sector in Trinidad and Tobago,’ noting also that the decision by the Canadian company follows the shutdown of operations at the Nutrien facilities, where ammonia and urea were produced and exported.

‘The shutdown of these facilities has weakened Trinidad and Tobago’s exports of these products and will have an impact on the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Beyond the direct workforce at these plants, the Chamber is mindful that a significant number of its member companies, local contractors and service providers who support operations across the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, will also feel the effects of these closures.

‘The Energy Chamber remains committed to working collaboratively to ensure the long-term development of a competitive and sustainable energy sector in Trinidad and Tobago.’

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

PORT OF SPAIN -The Canada-based Methanex Corporation says it will be indefinitely idling its Titan methanol plant in Pt Lisas, a major industrial centre along the west coast of Trinidad, giving as a reason the failure to reach a new natural gas contract.

PORT AU PRINCE – Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has told international investors that the his country is fully committed to restoring public order, restoring state authority, and creating the essential conditions for the future democratic processes.

PARAMARIBO – Public Works and Spatial Planning Minister, Stephen Tsang, says Suriname will finance the construction of a bridge over the Corantijn River despite earlier agreements that the project would be undertaken in collaboration with Guyana.

NASSAU – The Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBB) says the domestic economy continued to expand at a healthy pace in May, with economic indicators normalising closer to their expected medium-term potential.

KINGSTON – The Jamaica government has denied reports that the first group of third country nationals (TCNs) under the United States initiative to accept a limited number of non-criminal third-country nationals and refugees are being housed at a property in Grants Town, St. Mary, one of the island’s smallest parishes.

SPORTS:

LONDON -West Indies Women in uphill task to defeat Australia Women in the first semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Kennington Oval.

Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation (BIS) Minister, Melvin Bouva, says he wants to convene a meeting of the joint Border Commission of Suriname and Guyana as soon as possible to further discuss the Tigri issue.

The Tigri Area, known in Guyana as the New River Triangle, is a heavily forested, resource-rich, and historically contested territory in South America. It is centered between the Kutari and New/Upper Corentyne rivers and has been under continuous Guyanese administration since a 1969 border skirmish. The disagreement traces back to the 1800s and centers on a debate over which waterway forms the natural boundary between the two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.

Speaking during the budget debate in the National Assembly on Monday, Bouva said that Suriname continues to formally protest every development in the disputed area, but that diplomatic protests alone will not resolve the dispute.

He was responding to questions from legislators regarding Guyana’s recent protest note in response to a map shown during a Staatsolie presentation, on which the Tigri area was designated as Surinamese territory.

Member of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Mahinder Jogi asked Bouva what steps were being taken to resolve the issue in Suriname’s favour.

Bouva said that Suriname continues to defend its sovereignty without reservation, adding ‘our interest is the Surinamese interest. We will safeguard, present, and stand behind our sovereignty as clearly as possible’.

He said Suriname, like Guyana had lodged an official protest against every relevant development even as he acknowledged that protest notes in themselves offer no solution.

‘All protests combined will not solve the problem,’ he said, adding that the solution lies in resuming consultations within the joint Border Commission.

He said Suriname has already appointed its representatives for this but is still waiting on Guyana.

‘The chairman of our Border Commission is ready. We are counting on Guyana to fill its committee so that the seventh meeting can take place. We will continue to press for this.’

Bouva told legislators that he had also spoken personally with his Guyanese counterpart, Hugh Todd, recently and that they had agreed to meet again during the upcoming CARICOM summit to be held in St. Lucia, July 5-8 to further discuss bilateral issues, including Tigri.

Bouva told the National Assembly he did not wish to elaborate publicly on the further diplomatic strategy and urged legislators to discuss the matter further in a closed meeting in which confidential information regarding national security and Suriname’s diplomatic position can be shared.

But Jogi questioned whether consultation solely through the Border Commission is sufficient noting that Guyana has initiated international legal proceedings in previous border disputes. He warned that Suriname should not remain passive, while Guyana, in his view, is actively strengthening its legal and diplomatic position.

Government legislator, Rabin Parmessar said that the government is actively addressing the issue noting that the Tigri issue was raised during the first meeting between President Jennifer Greelings-Simons and her Guyanese counterpart, Dr. Irfaan Ali.

He told legislators that during the Santoki administration, he had urged that Suriname draw much more attention to the Tigri issue, but little action was taken.

Another legislator, Dew Sharman said that Suriname should act more proactively, as Guyana, in his opinion, has little interest in convening the Border Commission, while government member, Ebu Jones said as far as for Suriname is concerned, this is not a disputed territory.

‘Tigri belongs to Suriname,’ he said, adding that the Border Commission has a broader mandate than dealing solely with the Tigri issue.

Australia Women elected to field after winning the toss against West Indies Women in the first semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Kennington Oval here on Tuesday.

West Indies Women have made one change with Karishma Ramharack replacing Ashmini Munisar.

WEST INDIES WOMEN: Hayley Matthews (captain), Qiana Joseph, Shemaine Campbelle, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry, Jahzara Claxton, Jannillea Glasgow, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack.

AUSTRALIA WOMEN: Sophie Molineux (captain), Beth Mooney, Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Lucy Hamilton, Kim Garth.

Umpires: Kim Cotton, Vrinda Rathi.

TV Umpire: Nimali Perera.

Reserve Umpire: Anna Harris.

Match Referee: GS Lakshmi.

Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, is warning that unless strong action is taken to end the scourge of transnational crime, countries can ‘lose control’ of their future.

Ramdin told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that there had been an intensified hemispheric focus on combating organised crime that threatened states across borders during the 56th OAS General Assembly ere last week.

Delegates warned that criminal networks are increasingly threatening democracy, security, and economic development throughout the Americas.

The ‘Panama Declaration’ which came at the end of the proceedings, concluded that both traditional and emerging security threats are ‘multidimensional in nature’ and require coordinated responses consistent with international law and international human rights law.

Ramdin said the spread of organised crime now posed the most immediate challenge facing the hemisphere.

‘It is a real hemispheric issue,’ Ramdin told CMC, adding ‘it will threaten stability, it will threaten democracy, development, and you lose control.’

He said criminal organisations had penetrated virtually every member state, with some countries already losing effective control over parts of their territory.

‘There is a reason why we need to make this the highest priority. A lot of the goals which the OAS wants to achieve will not be achieved if this thing is not addressed.’

The issue also dominated interventions during the Assembly’s dialogue between member states and permanent observer countries.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Nicholas Morris had said in plenary that countries could no longer respond individually to increasingly complex regional threats.

‘From transnational organised crime and security threats to economic uncertainty, democratic pressures, and the growing impacts of natural disasters, the challenges confronting our hemisphere make it clear that no country can effectively address these issues in isolation,’ Morris said, adding ‘they require collective action, shared responsibility, and strong partnerships.’

United States Ambassador to the OAS Leandro Rizzuto Jr. linked organised crime directly to the illicit fentanyl trade, describing it as a cross-border threat requiring a stronger collective response.

‘The fentanyl crisis is a silent lethal poison known to have no borders. The transnational criminal networks responsible for manufacturing (and) distributing this drug … are part of the same threat picture’ confronting governance and security across the Americas.

Rizzuto also called for a different approach to financial support for the OAS and urged member states to bring ‘every diplomatic tool in the OAS chest’ to bear against criminal cartels and trafficking networks.

While advocating stronger law-enforcement capabilities, Ramdin stressed that governments must not undermine constitutional safeguards.

‘With due respect for human rights and due process,’ he said, authorities should receive expanded operational and technological tools to combat organised crime, but any exceptional powers ‘should be temporary … we don’t want to put constitutions aside.’

He warned that prolonged emergency measures could become ‘systemic abuse’ unless they remained intelligence-driven, time-limited and subject to the rule of law.

Security remained a dominant theme throughout the Panama meeting, with delegates repeatedly arguing that closer regional cooperation will be essential if governments are to sustain an initiative against increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal organisations.

Scoreboard of the first semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup between West Indies Women and Australia Women at Kennington Oval here on Tuesday.

WEST INDIES WOMEN

*Hayley Matthews b Wareham 30

Qiana Joseph c Gardner b Molineux 16

+Shemaine Campbelle c Perry b Wareham 22

Stafanie Taylor c Garth b Gardner 0

Jahzara Claxton c Molineux b Gardner 0

Chinelle Henry c Sutherland b Molineux 10

Jannillea Glasgow c +Mooney b Sutherland 15

Deandra Dottin not out 26

Extras (lb2, w4) 6

TOTAL (seven wickets; 20 overs) 125

Did not bat: Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack.

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-55, 3-59, 4-59, 5-73, 6-83, 7-125.

Bowling: Hamilton 2-0-9-0, Garth 4-0-28-0, Molineux 4-0-30-2, Gardner 4-0-13-2, Sutherland 3-0-26-1, Wareham 3-0-17-2.

AUSTRALIA WOMEN

Georgia Voll b Henry 16

+Beth Mooney not out 61

Phoebe Litchfield lbw b Matthews 4

Ellyse Perry retired hurt 2

Ashleigh Gardner not out 35

Extras (lb2, nb1, w6) 9

TOTAL (two wickets; 13 overs) 127

Did not bat: Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Lucy Hamilton, Kim Garth.

Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-43.

Bowling: Henry 2-0-20-1, Matthews 3-0-23-1, Ramharack 2-0-17-0, Claxton 1-0-18-0, Alleyne 3-0-22-0, Fletcher 2-0-25-0.

Toss: Australia Women elected to field.

Player-of-the-Match: Ashleigh Gardner.

Result: Australia Women won by eight wickets.

Umpires: Kim Cotton, Vrinda Rathi.

TV Umpire: Nimali Perera.

Reserve Umpire: Anna Harris.

Match Referee: GS Lakshmi.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne Tuesday warned that he is prepared to continue pursuing ‘all appropriate legal remedies’ against persons whom he says are making ‘false and damaging statements about me and my administration ‘regarding the sale of the superyacht, the Alfa Nero.

In a statement, Browne said that he has become aware an online article posted on social media an entity called National News Brief, with the headline ‘Antiguan Prime Minister Defamation Lawsuit Against U.S. Law Firm Backfires’. Browne said that the article is currently being circulated on social media in Antigua and Barbuda and ‘makes a series of false and misleading claims about my conduct and the government’s handling of the sale of the superyacht Alfa Nero’.

Browne recalled that the Alfa Nero was seized by the Antigua and Barbuda government pursuant to legislation duly enacted by Parliament, following the vessel’s abandonment in local waters in the wake of international sanctions imposed on its Russian-linked ownership.

‘The yacht was subsequently auctioned in July 2024 for approximately US$40 million, and those proceeds were applied to legitimate Government obligations, including debts owed to regional financial institutions. There is no missing money.’

Browne said that the article attempts to portray ongoing litigation as evidence that his personal finances are being ‘exposed’ by courts in the United States.

‘This is deliberately misleading. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in March 2026 in favour of myself and other Antiguan officials, upholding the quashing of subpoenas that sought to compel American banks to produce financial records.

‘The very discovery effort that the article presents as an expanding threat to my administration was rejected by the highest federal appellate court to consider it. That is not a ‘backfire’ – that is vindication,’ Browne said in his statement.

Prime Minister Browne says the article further ‘mischaracterises my defamation proceedings against the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner and attorney Martin De Luca.

‘ I initiated those proceedings because reckless and false public statements were made by foreign lawyers – acting on behalf of sanctioned Russian interests – that impugned my integrity and that of my Government. Seeking legal redress for defamation is the proper and lawful course of action. It is not, as the article implies, a strategic error.’

Browne said he is also concerned about how the article is being spread and that the link that people are receiving and forwarding does not go directly to the article, saying ‘it first passes through a third-party commercial tracking system that records who clicks on it and monitors how widely it is shared.

‘This is not how a legitimate news story circulates naturally. It is the hallmark of an organised, paid distribution campaign. Someone is deliberately pushing this article to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, and they do not want you to know who that someone is.

‘My government acted in the national interest when we seized and sold the Alfa Nero. The courts in the United States have confirmed our right to do so. I will not be distracted from the work of governing this country by orchestrated disinformation campaigns, and I will continue to pursue all appropriate legal remedies against those who make false and damaging statements about me and my administration,’ Browne said in the statement.