Category: CANA News

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says a study being undertaken by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) regarding the establishment of an establish an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)-owned regional airline could be received ‘within weeks’.

Browne, who is also the chairman of the OECS sub-regional grouping said that the issue had been discussed at the recent summit of OECS leaders earlier this month.

The airline plan falls under the wider ECCB Strategic Plan, which aims to double the size of the ECCU economy and improve union-wide connectivity, logistics, and tourism.

The study proposes a shared investment and shared burden model to ensure inter-island connectivity, aiming to move away from single-nation bailouts seen with legacy carriers like LIAT.

Speaking on his weekly radio programme, Browne said that the viability study will determine whether the carrier should proceed. Listen to audio

‘… we would have all confirmed our commitment to an OECC subject to the study that is being done by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. So we expect within a matter of weeks that the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank would have have completed their studies and that it will come from the viability of this entity,

Browne told radio listeners.

‘We have spoken about it extensively, so I don’t need to get into any details, save to say that we have already identified about US$50 million in proceeds. Those are the unclaimed deposits within the Caribbean Central Bank. They have been unclaimed for over 25, 30 years.’

The OECS chairman said also that the French officials who attended the summit have indicated that ‘we may be able to get some indirect funding.

‘Our French colleagues indicated that we may be able to raise some funding from the European Union. They have two possible windows, the indirect funding as well as the gateway funding.

‘If that is the case, it means that potentially we could raise over US$100 million. If those two European Union windows are not available, then at least we’ll have the US$50 million to work with our own resources,’ Prime Minister Browne added.

The proposed airline is intended to improve air connectivity among OECS member states, an issue regional leaders have repeatedly identified as critical to economic integration, tourism and trade.

The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) Monday confirmed that it is closely monitoring the recent outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Honduras and Costa Rica

BAHA said that as a precautionary measure, Belize is on heightened alert to strengthen preparedness and safeguard the country’s poultry sector.

HPAI is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects birds, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, and wild bird species. It can also be detected in some mammals and, in rare cases, humans.

HPAI is characterized by sudden death, often affecting multiple birds; weakness and loss of appetite; nasal discharge; lack of coordination; swelling of the head, neck, eyelids, comb, wattles, or legs; and purple or bluish discolouration of the comb, wattles, and legs.

‘Belize remains free from HPAI. However, the risk of introduction is high due to our proximity to affected countries, the migration of wild birds, and the movement of resident bird populations throughout the region,’ the BAHA said.

It said to help ensure Belize remains free from HPAI, the public is reminded to notify any sick or dead birds, whether wild or domestic, to the relevant authorities as well as avoid handling or transporting sick or dead birds unless absolutely necessary and observe appropriate biosecurity precautions.

In addition, the authourities said that strengthen biosecurity measures on farms, in backyards, and at other premises where birds are kept are being inplemented and that cases involving sick birds or sudden bird deaths should be reported immediately to the BAHA Animal Health Department.

‘BAHA reminds the public that the illegal importation and movement of animals, including birds, and animal products continues to pose a significant threat to Belize’s animal health status and food security.

‘The introduction of HPAI could have serious consequences for poultry production, food security, livelihoods, and trade,’ it warned.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI) is a vehicle being used to shield Dominicans from draconian taxation and maintain their socio-economic standards, as he warned against plans by the opposition to phase out the programme should it win the next general election.

Under the CBI programme, Dominica provides citizenship to foreign investors in return for making a substantial investment in the country’s socio-economic development. Skerrit speaking at the launch of the candidate of the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) for the upcoming by-election for the Roseau North constituency on Sunday night, said that the reality is that ‘we are living through one of the most significant periods of change in modern history.

‘Around the world, old assumptions are being challenged. International alliances are shifting. Powerful countries are increasingly putting their own interests first. There was a time when you had to read between the lines of international affairs to understand that countries were acting in their own interests. There was a time when self-interest was carefully wrapped in diplomatic language and polite declarations.

‘Today, there is no need to read between the lines. The message is written in bold print for the entire world to see. Countries are openly putting their own interests first. They are openly protecting their own industries and their own economies. They are openly pursuing policies designed to benefit their own citizens. Whether it is trade, immigration, investment or foreign aid, the signal is unmistakable: every nation is looking after itself first.’

Skerrit said such new policies are seen in the growing competition for investment, in the tightening of immigration policies and even in the struggle of small island states to access climate financing that has been promised for years.

‘That is not a criticism. It is a reality. It is how the world works. But it means that countries like Dominica must be even more strategic, even more innovative and even more determined to protect ourselves. Because if every nation is looking after itself, then we must ensure that somebody is looking after Dominica.

‘One of the vehicles used to shield Dominicans from draconian taxation and maintain the socio-economic standards of our citizens is being challenged. That vehicle is the Citizenship by Investment Programme,’ he warned.

Leader of the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), Dr. Thomson Fontaine says a future UWP administration would pursue a gradual phase-out of the CBI, indicating that Dominica must reduce its heavy dependence on revenues generated by the initiative.

He told a news conference recently that while he acknowledges the significant contribution the programme currently makes to government finances, it is no longer sustainable as the country’s principal source of revenue.

According to the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist, the CBI programme now accounts for approximately 60 per cent of government revenues, a level of dependence he believes poses long-term risks to the country’s economic stability.

Fontaine said the UWP’s recently unveiled ’10 Pillars to Shared Prosperity’ development plan does not place reliance on CBI revenues at its centre because the party believes the programme faces increasing international and regulatory challenges.

‘It is clear that this programme is not sustainable,’ Fontaine said, adding that while the programme may have served the country well in the past, changing international circumstances require Dominica to begin preparing for a different economic future.

But he told reporters that his party would not abruptly terminate the programme and that any transition would be managed responsibly and implemented gradually to avoid economic disruption as the UWP government seek to diversify the economy by placing greater emphasis on sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, artificial intelligence and water-based industries.

But Skerrit told DLP supporters on Sunday night he has listened ‘carefully’ to Fontaine’s comments on the CBI and that ‘citizens deserve to hear a serious discussion about the future.

‘They deserve to understand what vision is being offered. They deserve to know how that leader intends to navigate the challenges facing the nation.

‘Vision without action is a daydream. But action without vision is a nightmare. At this most vulnerable time, there is a division within the country on the path forward,’ he said, adding he was ‘blown away’ by Fontaine’s suggestion that his administration would dismantle the CBI programme.

‘This country has thousands of professionals, and this is what the UWP came up with as their vision for Dominica. Basically, you hear that a storm is coming, you see it on the horizon, and your answer is taking a sledgehammer to your strongest shelter.

‘A shelter that has shielded Dominicans from the kind of draconian taxation being experienced elsewhere, while simultaneously financing national development and protecting our social and economic progress. As the young people would say, ‘make it make sense.’

Skerrit acknowledged that no programme is perfect.

‘Every programme can be improved. Every programme can be strengthened. Responsible governments must always be prepared to review and reform policies where necessary. However, there is a significant difference between improving a programme and dismantling it altogether.

‘The people of Dominica deserve to know what would replace it. They deserve to know how critical projects would be financed. They deserve to know how future investments would be supported. Those are legitimate questions, and they require clear answers,’ he said, dismissing the opposition plans as amounting ‘to throwing the baby out with the bathwater’.

Police say the pilot of a power boat died after he lost control of the boat and collided into a stationary, unoccupied, boat at its mooring in Hamilton Harbour on Sunday.

In a statement, the police did not provide details of the pilot, but said that police, Bermuda Fire and Rescue Services and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to multiple 911 reports of the incident late Sunday.

‘The power boat pilot sustained a life threatening head injury and was left unresponsive. He was attended to at the scene by EMTs, but was subsequently pronounced dead by an on-call medical doctor.

‘The co-pilot suffered a laceration to his head. He was also attended to at the scene by EMTs before he was transferred by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital,’ the police statement noted.

The Bermuda Police Service (BPS) said it ‘is aware that a video-clip of the incident is now being circulated on social media. We ask that you be considerate of the family of the deceased and should you receive the video-clip, do not share it on and instead, delete it from your device’.

It said that no further information will be provided at this time.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is reporting an increase in HIV infections with heath officials saying that the new cases are clustering among young adults aged 25-29 and older men 60 and above.

Chief Health Promotion Officer Shanika John said recent data show worrying patterns that demand renewed attention to safe sex, particularly in the run-up to the carnival period.

‘We continue to see an increase in our number of cases,’ John said, adding ‘right now we are seeing HIV positive cases between age 25 and 29… and 60 years and older, which is predominantly male.’

She said women are still testing in greater numbers than men cautioning also changing sexual practices and a false sense of security may be contributing to riskier behaviour, especially among younger people.

‘For those younger persons, we do understand that you get creative and that you get innovative with your sex practices. But we’re asking you to remember that HIV and AIDS are still possible, and you cannot tell by looking if somebody is HIV positive, and the only way that you can do that is by protecting yourself.’

John is urging people to use a condom every time they have sex, ‘especially if it is not your partner, and if you have not tested yourself and your faithful partner’.

Officials have not release raw case numbers but framed the pattern as a clear upward trend that cuts across age groups, with a particular concern about younger adults and older men.

Carnival risk: pleasure now, problems later

The warning comes as the country prepares for Vincymas, dubbed ‘the hottest carnival in the region’, a period traditionally associated with increased travel, alcohol use and casual sex and John urged revellers to plan ahead rather than abandon caution ‘just for a moment of what might seem to be pleasure…

‘From the Ministry of Health, we really don’t want you drinking, but we do understand the nature of what’s happening. So we’re going to ask you to do so within moderation. For those persons who have pre-existing conditions, do not forget your pre-existing conditions and your medication. This is not the time for you to neglect existing conditions… just for a moment of what might seem to be pleasure.’

John said that while women are testing more frequently, a significant share of positive results are among men, particularly in the 25-29 and 60+ bracket and that this dynamic leaves gaps in the detection and treatment of HIV in the male population and raises questions about hidden transmission chains, particularly where partners are not mutually tested.

Former West Indies fast bowler Winston Benjamin has issued a stark warning about the state of regional cricket, asserting that the game is ‘literally dead’ due to a chronic failure to nurture talent from the grassroots level upward. The Antiguan, now a Leeward Islands head coach and owner of the Grassroots Cricket Academy, painted a grim picture of the sport’s current trajectory during a recent interview.

However, he insisted that recovery is possible, provided that patient, structured development becomes the priority.

‘Our cricket is literally dead, and we have nothing coming through,’ Benjamin declared. ‘We don’t have the patience, and we’re not promoting cricket from the grassroots level upwards. We’re hoping that somebody comes through the crack, and when they come through, they have a lot of incorrect fundamentals.’

Benjamin singled out two promising young talents to illustrate his point about the region’s impatience with emerging players. He cited Windward Islands batsman Alick Athanaze as a player with the raw tools to become an international great, but warned that the system is failing to nurture him properly.

‘I’m going to call a name now, and I am not plugging for anybody, but let us look at a young guy from Windward Island named Alick Athanaze. He has talent, youth and all that it takes to become an international great, but I think we just don’t have the patience,’ Benjamin said.

He also referenced teenage prodigy Jewel Andrew, suggesting that the young player was thrown into the deep end without adequate preparation.

‘Then they have a young Jewel Andrew that we throw him in. As we were talking about learning to swim, you just throw him in, and you- it’s either sink or swim or hook or duck. Patience again, now he’s on the outside looking in,’ he added.

Beyond impatience, Benjamin aimed at what he views as a dangerous trend, which is encouraging young cricketers to gravitate toward the game’s shorter formats far too early in their development.

He argued that this approach undermines the technical foundation required for long-term success.

‘We are the ones who are teaching them or encouraging them to go into the shorter version at an early age,’ Benjamin said. ‘We can’t now decide that you don’t have control; you have control, and your control is at this particular age group. We are not going to encourage or provide the opportunity for you to be playing that kind of cricket at that early age.’

The former fast bowler did not mince words when assessing the current crop of so-called elite players, asserting that their fundamentals are ‘found wanting.’ He placed the blame squarely on the development system, not the youngsters themselves.

‘When we look at the fundamentals of the players that we have that we call elite, it’s found wanting so it means that we are failing our youngsters, and then we’re blaming the system,’ Benjamin said. ‘We are not providing them with the necessary tools to face the outside world in terms of cricket.’

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has declared her team will enter Tuesday’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinal against Australia with ‘nothing to lose’ and a fearless mindset that could prove dangerous for the tournament favourites. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the crucial knockout clash, Matthews exuded confidence despite facing the world’s number one-ranked side, who enter the semifinal in formidable form after brushing aside India in their final group match.

‘We certainly feel like coming up against Australia, we have nothing to lose, and that puts us in a position where we can be quite fearless going out there,’ Matthews stated.

The West Indies have navigated a challenging path to the semifinals, with Matthews acknowledging both pride in their journey and the belief that her side has yet to reach its full potential.

‘It’s obviously been quite a journey to get here, but I think as a team we’re really proud of the way we’ve played so far, but still know that we haven’t been at our best, which gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we can still get a lot better,’ she explained.

When asked about the emotional connection to West Indies’ 2016 World Cup triumph at Eden Gardens, Matthews was pragmatic about drawing inspiration from the past.

‘Slightly. That was 10 years ago and a much different group. I also think the game was a lot different at that time.’

Instead, the captain pointed to more recent encounters, particularly a match against Australia in 2023, as a better reference point for tomorrow’s contest.

‘I feel like at the Oval, conditions might be pretty similar. We saw the game that England played the other day at home. The wicket was coming on, and the par score we feel is certainly going to be a lot higher than it was so far in the competition.’

Matthews has identified a key lesson from recent encounters with the Australian powerhouse, and that is to never let up.

‘You can’t take your foot off the gas at any point in time, I think, especially when you’re bowling. They seem to come hard from ball one and have a mantra where they just want to keep going,’ she observed.

The West Indies skipper stressed the importance of capitalising on opportunities against a team that builds partnerships and applies constant pressure.

‘You’re going to have to hold on to your chances for sure and understand that at some point in the game, a partnership likely will build. It’s about trying to control the flow of the runs as much as possible and just trying to build as much pressure as possible.’

Matthews was unequivocal about what it will take to overcome the tournament favourites.

‘We’re going to need big performances from big players. I think we’re certainly going to need a standout individual performance, I believe. But I think to beat a team like Australia, you still need more than one player, and we’re going to have to have our best players really stepping up to the plate tomorrow.’

The captain highlighted the contributions of players like Aliyah Alleyne and Jahzara Claxton, who have provided crucial support throughout the tournament, but acknowledged the need for the team’s established stars to fire.

‘I think I said multiple times that we haven’t had our best match yet. We haven’t had the likes of myself or Deandra Dottin in the runs, really. And that leaves a lot of room for improvement for us as a team.’

With expectations firmly on Australia’s shoulders, Matthews believes her team can approach the semifinal with an advantageous mentality.

‘When we step out onto that field, everyone’s expecting us not to win, in a sense. And when you go into a game with people probably looking at you thinking that if you do win, it’s going to be a surprise, you certainly feel that you can just go there, be free.’

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Monday, June 29, 2026.

ROSEAU – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI) is a vehicle being used to Dominicans from draconian taxation and maintain their socio-economic standards, as he warned againt plans by the opposition to phase out the programme should it win the next general election.

ST. JOHN’S – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says a study being undertaken by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) regarding the establishment of an establish an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)-owned regional airline could be received ‘within weeks’.

BRUSSELS – The European Council has decided to prolong the European Union’s (EU) framework for restrictive measures against those responsible for threatening the peace, stability and security of Haiti or undermining democracy and the rule of law in the country until July29 next year.

KINGSTOWN – St. Vincent and the Grenadines is reporting an increase in HIV infections with health officials saying that the new cases are clustering among young adults aged 25-29 and older men 60 and above.

PORT AU PRINCE – Haiti’s Public Health Minister, Bertrand Sinal, says any person travelling to the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda would need to spend at least 21 days in a third country not affected by Ebola before being allowed into the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

SPORTS:

LONDON – West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has declared her team will enter Tuesday’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinal against Australia with ‘nothing to lose’ and a fearless mindset that could prove dangerous for the tournament favourites.

DUBAI – The qualification pathway for cricket’s historic return to the Olympic Games at LA28 has been confirmed, presenting a unique challenge and opportunity for the Caribbean region.

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) says it is undertaking a J$27-billion (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) post-Hurricane Melissa recovery programme over the next five to six years, aimed at community redevelopment and rebuilding social capital in affected areas.

JSIF managing director, Omar Sweeney, says western parishes have experienced significant challenges since the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 that left US$9.9 billion in damage. He said that the JSIF’s response will extend beyond addressing physical damage to also strengthening communities’ social capital.

Sweeney said that social capital encompasses community cohesion, confidence, well-being, livelihood, and residents’ ability to aspire to goals such as sending their children to school.

‘That reduction in social capital that would have been caused by such a natural disaster is something that is of our primary concern. We have looked at the physical damage. But we have also mapped the communities’ (social fabric), especially within the footprint of where JSIF works (to) develop a programme of recovery,’ he added.

The programme will support schools, with particular emphasis on strengthening educational resources in those most severely affected.

‘That programme is multifaceted with respect to the types of interventions. So we’re talking about rebuilding school programmes, (revitalising) curricula, restoring safe passages and other attributes of schools in support of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information,’ Sweeney said.

The California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has expressed condemnation and outrage over the ruling by the United States Supreme Court’s ‘shameful’ termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of Haitians and Syrians living in the US.

‘This decision places hundreds of thousands of law-abiding immigrants- including roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals fleeing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises-in immediate danger of deportation, family separation, and forced return to life-threatening conditions,’ HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). ‘This ruling is more than a legal decision-it is a devastating blow to families who have built their lives in the United States, raised US citizen children, strengthened local economies, and contributed immeasurably to their communities,’ she added.

‘Parents now face the impossible choice of leaving their children behind or taking them to a country engulfed in armed violence, political instability, and humanitarian collapse,’ she said, adding ‘this SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) decision abandons families at their moment of greatest need.

‘No family should be torn apart because policymakers chose politics over the rule of law and basic human dignity,’ Jozef said, noting that the United States cannot ignore the role that decades of failed US foreign policy have played in Haiti’s political instability, economic collapse, and humanitarian crisis, then turn around and punish the very people forced to flee those conditions.

The HBA executive director said that ‘deporting Haitian families into a country overwhelmed by armed gangs, where there is evidence most of those guns used by gang members are coming from the United States, widespread displacement, and institutional collapse is not justice-it is a profound moral failure.

‘We will not stand by while Black and Brown immigrant communities are sacrificed for political expediency,’ she said, stating that HBA will ‘continue fighting in the courts, in the halls of Congress, and alongside our communities until every TPS holder receives the protection, dignity, and permanent security they deserve.’

But she said while HBA remains ‘fully committed to challenging these unlawful actions in court, lasting protection requires congressional action.’

In addition to its litigation efforts, Jozef said HBA and other advocacy groups have launched ‘a robust legislative advocacy campaign to secure permanent protections for TPS holders.

‘The Supreme Court’s decision makes congressional action more urgent than ever,’ Jozef said, stating that HBA ‘calls on every person who believes in justice, family unity, and human dignity to immediately contact their United States Senators and urge them to vote YES on S. 4814.

In the court’s 6-3 majority decision last Thursday, along ideological lines, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote that the federal law at issue is unequivocal.

‘This text is clear, and its plain meaning is very broad,’ he wrote, dismissing claims that the Trump administration’s decision was based on anti-Black and anti-Haitian biases and discrimination.

He said that statements made by Trump and his administration were not ‘overtly racial,’ and that, ‘in substance, all expressed policy views could rest on race-neutral justifications.’

But writing for the three dissenting justices, Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed to Trump’s derogatory and disparaging statements about Haitians.

‘The statements fairly shout, in their racial undertones and overtones alike, that race entered into the president’s resolve to remove Haitians from this country,’ she wrote, lamenting that the Supreme Court, clearly, gave Trump a blank check to ‘slam the door shut on all who are fleeing persecution,’ despite congressional legislation to aid asylum seekers in the US.