Category: CANA News

The Trinidad and Tobago government says it is establishing joint army and police posts at 30 communities across the country within the next four months.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in a statement posted on social media, said that ‘many communities have for years requested increased security presence and the protective services and government are moving aggressively to provide such.

‘These joint army police posts will provide a sense of comfort and help communities regain the use of their public spaces,’ she said, encouraging non-government organisations, business chambers, community groups and councils to ‘adopt and support these posts and work with the security services’.

In her social media post with a photograph of herself and her Homeland Security MInister, Roger Alexcander, Persad-Bissessa, who is also head of the National Security Council, expresses ‘sincere gratitude’ to the Commissioner of Police, Allister Guevarro, the directorof the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) Alicia Henry, the Chief of Defence Staff Commodore Don Polo as well as the Prison Superintendent Elvin Scanterbury, and other stakeholders for ‘their shared vision of ending the grip of crime on our nation’.

Trinidad and Tobago recorded 213 murders for the period of January 1 through mid-July rhis year, according to official Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) data. The figure is a slight decrease compared to the 220 murders recorded during the same period last year.

The island is currently under a state of emergency (SoE) that ends in September.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader, Pennelope Beckles, has described the government’s announcement as ‘ a knee-jerk reaction’ to an ‘unplanned and unfunded’ initiative.

She said the patrol is ‘also a calculated attempt to quietly reintroduce her failed ZOSO (Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) Bill which was defeated in Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate on January 27, 2026), agenda through the back door.’

Beckles, the leader of the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) in a statement, said the move comes ‘ just days after her false boast that crime was down considerably, while home invasions and murders continue across the country.

‘The Prime Minister fooled no right-thinking citizen with that claim. If crime were under control, there would be no need for this haphazard four-month plan,’ Beckles said, questioning ‘what criteria determined the selection of these initial locations?

‘The Prime Minister has spent the last sixteen months claiming that crime only happens in PNM communities, yet these proposed police and army zones reflect a glaringly different reality, fixed in 90% UNC areas. Does the Prime Minister intend to grant members of the TTDF police powers? Does the Prime Minister intend to slip the nation into ZOSO-style management at her whim and fancy?’

Beckles said with no funding allocated for this initiative and ongoing concerns about providing even basic support for soldiers ‘ where is the money coming from to staff and equip this initiative?’.

The Guyana government says it has introduced a new website designed to give citizens and public servants a direct channel to share ideas, raise concerns and offer recommendations aimed at improving public services.

Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation Minister, Zulfikar Ally, said the ‘The Voice’ initiative was created to ensure that valuable suggestions from frontline public servants and members of the public reach decision-makers more quickly.

‘Often times, there are people who have so many good ideas within the various agencies and ministries that we have, and we don’t always get the opportunity to hear them,’ he added.

The government said that through the website users can submit suggestions, report workplace or service-related issues and provide recommendations for improving government operations.

Ally said that the platform also supports President Irfaan Ali’s vision of maintaining close engagement between the government and citizens.

‘The idea here is that we want the public to be engaged in the decision-making. We want the public also to be engaged in identifying what those issues are so that we can know about them,’ he added.

Members of the nursing profession are meeting here until Friday amid concerns that across the Caribbean region, the health systems face tremendous problem.

‘We meet at a defining moment,’ said the Chief Nursing Officer of Barbados, Annastacia Jordan, who is chairing the 53rd meeting of the Regional Nursing Body (RNB).

She told her colleagues that ‘across the Caribbean, our health systems face pressures evolving faster than our capacity to absorb them: workforce shortages, migration, demographic change, the rising burden of chronic disease and the growing frequency of natural disasters.

‘Yet against all of it stands one unwavering constant: the resilience and the leadership of the nurses and midwives of this region,’ Jordan said, expressed pleasure at the heightened level of visibility the profession is receiving.

‘The voices of nurses and midwives are now heard at the tables where major decisions are made and are recognized, not simply as providers of care, but as leaders, researchers and architects of health system transformation,’ Jordan said, recognising the support and solidarity ‘within our regional family’ in times of natural disasters and emergencies, as well as the strong partnerships that have been forged to support the work of the RNB.

The meeting is being held under the theme ‘Bridging Divides, Driving Reform: Caribbean Nursing and Midwifery at the Forefront of Change.’

Director, Human Development at the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Helen Royer, also spoke of the value of nurses and midwives, who constitute the largest component of the health workforce globally.

She hailed their essential role as caregivers, but also pointed to their roles as leaders, educators, researchers, innovators, and advocates.

‘Their expertise is critical to health policy development, health service delivery, and achievement of better health outcomes for our people,’ she said, noting the significant strides the RNB has made over the years but called for greater emphasis to be placed on implementation.

‘Good policies, sound recommendations, and well-crafted strategic plans can only make a difference when they are translated into action. Our collective responsibility, therefore, is to ensure that the outcomes of this meeting are practical, measurable, and capable of advancing nursing and midwifery at both the regional and national levels,’ she said.

The RNB will be discussing a wide range of issues during the meeting including strengthening the regulatory capacity of nursing and midwifery councils in CARICOM; the development of guidelines to define nurse to patient ratios, and midwife to patient ratios; and harmonising midwifery education, training and regulation in the Community.

It will also deliberate on partnerships, the future of nursing and nursing leadership in the CARICOM; matters related to education standards in the nursing profession; disaster preparedness and response.

The Guyana government Tuesday said that the search and recovery operations following the MV Barima tragedy, resulting in the deaths of 73 people and more than 30 others missing and presumed dead, have ended.

A brief statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said that, ‘however, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre remains operational’ and that ‘there has been no change in the status of the identification of the recovered bodies’.

The MV Barima sank on July 18 as it made its was from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. A total of 76 persons were rescued during the morning after the ferry went down, but since then there has been no other recovery.

The Ministry of Health is still seeking the public’s help in identifying the remains of five persons who died in the tragedy.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips attended an inter-agency meeting convened as part of the After-Action Review of the response to the MV Barima incident at the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) headquarters on Thomas Road today.

According to a statement on his Facebook page, the meeting facilitated an inter-agency review of the coordinated response to the MV Barima incident and measures to strengthen national emergency preparedness.

It brought together the principal agencies involved in the coordinated response including the Guyana Defence Force, including the Coast Guard and Air Corps, the Guyana Police Force, the Civil Defence Commission, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, the Maritime Administration Department, regional authorities and other government agencies.

On Monday, a magistrate adjourned to September 7, the court case in which three people, including the captain of the ill-fated MV Barima, have been charged with murder after the 87-year-old vessel sank.

Kevin Price, alias ‘KP’, the 40-year-old captain of the vessel, his 42 year-old chief mate, Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Delon Granderson, a 33-year-old goods superintendent appeared by zoom before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir at the Charity Magistrate’s Court.

Defence lawyers and other legal commentators as well as the opposition have criticised the decision to file the murder charges against the three men, contending that the search is still continuing and that the Commission of Inquiry appointed by the government to examine the circumstances that led to the worst maritime disaster in Guyana’s history has not started its work.

But the police have maintained that the murder charges were instituted following legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Hack said she advised that the trio be charged based on the evidence presented, the relevant principles of law involved, case law authorities from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth jurisdictions, the European Court of Human Rights, and public policy considerations.

On Tuesday, the Joint Opposition parties staged a loud protest in Linden as Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, was hosting a Government outreach, demanding a full and thorough investigation into the tragedy and the resignations of the two government ministers.

The Opposition parties said the Government is bent on operating as if its business as usual in Guyana, when more than 100 persons lost their lives in the ferry tragedy.

Leader of the PNC/R and APNU, Aubrey Norton, was also on the picket line. He said the protest action was inevitable, as citizens are becoming increasingly agitated by the actions of the Government.

‘I believe that the Government is not responsive to people’s concerns and as a consequence it is riling the people up. You have a situation where the government is totally responsible for what happened but they are going on as if there were three people on the boat.

‘The reality is, that boat was condemned a while, the government brough it back, the forced people to work on it and we have and we have this tragedy and the focus has to be that we have accountability’ Norton said.

The protesters were also demanding the Regional Executive Officer (REO) call a meeting of the Regional Democratic Council so that the elected Councilors can elect a Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman for Region 10.

There has been no meeting of the Council since last October when the first attempt at electing the regional officials ended in a tie. The REO has called no other meeting of the Council since then.

Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohammed, who was among those at the protest scene, said the government is taking the people of the country for granted.

‘The people of Region 10 voted overwhelmingly for WIN and I must represent them, that’s why I am here to ensure this dictatorship government reconvenes the meeting and instruct their REO so that we can elect our Regional chairman. We will not sit back and allow the Government to ride us, they will be met with protest wherever they go,’ he said.

Scoreboard of the third day of the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Tuesday.

WEST INDIES 1st innings 344

PAKISTAN 1st innings

(overnight 266 for two)

Azan Awais lbw b Warrican 55

Imam-ul-Haq c Warrican b Joseph 14

Abdullah Shafique not out 160

*Babar Azam run out 88

Awais Zafar b Warrican 1

Salman Agha lbw b Joseph 0

+Mohammad Rizwan b Warrican 18

Sajid Khan c +Hope b Seales 30

Ali Usman c Roach b Warrican 10

Ubaid Shah b Warrican 0

Mohammad Ali b Warrican 0

Extras (b4, lb2, nb5) 11

TOTAL (all out; 115 overs) 387

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-98, 3-281, 4-283, 5-286, 6-311, 7-370, 8-387, 9-387, 10-387.

Bowling: Roach 13-1-50-0, Seales 19-4-55-1, Warrican 46-8-112-6, Joseph 17-0-84-2, Chase 7-0-22-0, Hodge 13-0-58-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd innings

Tagenarine Chanderpaul lbw b Khan 17

Kavem Hodge lbw b Usman 34

Amir Jangoo b Khan 13

*Roston Chase c and b Usman 17

+Shai Hope lbw b Khan 15

Jayden Seales lbw b Khan 0

Justin Greaves not out 1

Extras (b1, w5) 6

TOTAL (six wickets; 40.5 overs) 103

Yet to bat: Brandon King, Kemar Roach, Shamar Joseph, Jomel Warrican.

Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-62, 3-74, 4-99, 5-101, 6-103.

Bowling: Ali 8-1-28-0, Shah 4-0-13-0, Usman 16.5-3-29-2, Khan 12-2-32-4.

Toss: West Indies elected to bat.

Position: West Indies lead Pakistan by 60 runs with four wickets remaining.

Umpires: Alex Wharf, Jayaraman Madanagopal.

TV Umpire: Richard Kettleborough.

Reserve Umpire: Zahid Bassarath.

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

President Jennifer Simons says Suriname did not secured a loan from Bank of America during her recent working visit to London and that her discussions with the financial institution were intended solely on building a strategic partnership.

‘We did not borrow money. What we did do was strengthen ties. We made agreements regarding support in terms of expertise and advice,’ she told a news conference, adding that the discussions were also aimed at bringing international financial expertise to Suriname in anticipation of expected oil revenues.

President Simons told reporters that there is significant international interest in Suriname, and it is important that the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country prepares in a timely manner for the economic developments brought about by the oil and gas sector.

According to Simons, the meeting took place in London because the international chief of Bank of America was there and had invited her for consultations.

She said that the parties discussed several issues including the further development of the Surinamese financial system and how international expertise can be utilized in this process.

The head of state said that Suriname must prepare for the arrival of large capital flows resulting from oil and gas developments and that this calls for a modern and stable financial system that can withstand international risks and economic fluctuations.

‘We must align our banking legislation and our financial system with a period in which a lot of capital will flow into the country. As a country, we must protect ourselves and ensure a solid financial system,’ said Simons, who was accompanied to the talks by Finance and Planning Minister Adelien Wijnerman and her advisor Sigmund Proeve.

According to Simons, the talks lasted several hours and marked the beginning of more intensive cooperation with international financial institutions.

She told reporters that discussions are also being held with other international banks to support Suriname in the further development of the financial sector.

Meanwhile, President Simons says the population should not expect the government to ‘fix everything that broke in five years in one year’ telling reporters that she needs at least two years as a transition phase.

‘But we also cannot keep saying: ‘We have no money,’ she told reporters, adding that there are currently five tax bills before the National Assembly intended to reform the tax system.

President Simons acknowledged that ‘the problem is not simple,’ she said in reference to the legal and illegal gold diggers from whom the country receives little in return.

The Gold Sector Regulation Committee is also not functioning as it should and the government has hinted that a gold authority will be established, for which the legislation will likely be sent to Parliament in the fourth quarter.

President Simons also stated that the price cap the government has set on fuel cannot continue indefinitely.

The government is forfeiting SRD 350 million (One SRD=US$0.02 cents) per month to keep fuel prices at a certain level.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says developments in Trinidad and Tobago, where government’s suspension of public advertising contracts with news outlets, reflect a broader trend across the Caribbean.

The international non-profit and non-governmental organization, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information, said independent news organizations in the Caribbean region are struggling with shrinking advertising markets, rising operating costs, and competition from global digital platforms.

It said that the closure of Newsday in Trinidad and Tobago followed the demise of Guyana’s Stabroek News, another independently owned newspaper known for its investigative reporting, ‘underscoring the mounting economic pressures confronting independent journalism across the region’.

In March, RSF detailed how this financial hardship has made the Caribbean media landscape more susceptible to propaganda and foreign influence.

According to the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index, Trinidad and Tobago remains among the better-forming Caribbean countries in terms of press freedom and ranks 32nd globally.

‘However, in recent years, the Index has emphasized that economic fragility is one of the principal threats to independent journalism worldwide, as financially weakened news organizations become less able to fulfill their democratic role.’

In its statement, RSF said that it is concerned by the Trinidad and Tobago government’s suspension of public advertising contracts with news outlets as the country’s independent media faces growing financial strain.

It said that since the policy was announced in May 2025, one national daily newspaper has closed, and another has announced layoffs in its newsroom, in a country with only three newspapers.

RSF said that the continued loss of government advertising risks further weakening independent journalism and media pluralism in one of the Caribbean’s strongest press freedom environments.

The Paris-based organisation said that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar placed all advertising by government ministries and state enterprises on mainstream and social media – broadcast, print, and digital -‘on hold until further notice’ as part of a broad cost-cutting package on 13 May 2025.

It said public sector advertising represented a significant portion of revenue for many news outlets in the Caribbean, yet Persad-Bissessar said the measures were necessary to address what she described as an estimated TT$4.42 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents0 deficit for May and a projected TT$11 billion deficit for 2025.

‘Independent journalism in Trinidad and Tobago is already under significant economic strain. Withholding a major source of advertising revenue will have consequences that extend far beyond newsroom balance sheets. Justifying these cuts as cost-saving measures is misguided, as research consistently shows a clear link between a strong news media ecosystem and economic performance,’ RSF said.

‘Trinidad and Tobago has long stood out as one of the Caribbean’s strongest performers in press freedom and ranks 32nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. It is deeply regrettable to see policy decisions directly threaten that record, and we urge the government to reverse course, ensure that any reforms to the allocation of state advertising are implemented transparently and in consultation with media stakeholders, and to help media institutions transition to more sustainable financing models,’ it added.

The executive director for RSF North America, Clayton Weimers, said that Trinidadian journalists and media association members interviewed by RSF, note that the full scale of government advertising expenditure is difficult to quantify because spending is decentralized. Individual ministries, state agencies, and government-owned enterprises independently purchase advertising, and no comprehensive public accounting of these expenditures exists.

He said the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) Douglas Wilson, warned in a statement that withdrawing a significant source of revenue from independent news organizations could have serious consequences for the country’s media landscape.

‘Austerity measures that threaten a robust news media ecosystem may be self-defeating, as a financially sustainable independent press is an essential component of a healthy economy. A growing body of research shows that independent journalism reduces corruption, improves government accountability, promotes economic development, and strengthens consumer protection.

‘In small Caribbean media markets, where government advertising remains an important source of revenue for independent outlets, abrupt cuts can further weaken media pluralism and the public’s access to the watchdog reporting that underpins transparent and accountable governance,’ said Weimers.

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for August 4, 2026.

KINGSTOWN – Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday Tuesday outlined a series of initiatives aimed at dealing with the rising cost of living in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with the immediate emphasis being on lowering the soaring cost of electricity.

PARAMARIBO – President Jennifer Simons says the oil and gas sector alone will not create sufficient employment in Suriname and that investments should therefore be made in other sectors of the economy.

KINGSTON -The President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama says the consequences of the transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans did not end with emancipation.

ST. JOHN’S – The Antigua and Barbuda government is stepping up its diplomatic efforts to get the United States to review its visa restriction and visa bond programme as they affect Antiguans and Barbudans.

PORT OF SPAIN – The Trinidad and Tobago government says it is establishing joint army and police posts at 30 communities across the country within the next four months.

SPORTS:

PORT OF SPAIN – Third day of the second test match between the West Indies and Pakistan at the Queen’s Park Oval.

The Dominica government Tuesday strongly defended its citizenship by investment (CBI) programme saying it has played a significant role in the socio-economic development of the island since it was first introduced here several decades ago.

Finance Minister Dr. Irving McIntyre, presenting the EC$1.15 billion (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) national budget to Parliament on Tuesday, said that there must be an acknowledgment of the CBI contributions to Dominica as well as the ‘prudent and visible use of those funds.

‘The CBI has not been an abstract entry in the national accounts, finance resilient, housing, health care, education, agriculture, small business development, roads, climate resilient infrastructure and projects that are creating the platform for future sustained growth.

‘For the household its contribution is therefore visible in assets and services that family use. In the jobs, they have secured and economic benefits their families have received in a better quality of life In reconstruction that did not have to be financed for heavier taxation and in national capacity,’ McIntyre told legislators.

He said that the CBI, through which citizenship is granted to foreign nationals in return for making a substantial investment in Dominica’s socio-economic development, has also supported the productive economy.

McIntyre said hat since the Roosevelt Skerrit government reconstructed the programme in 2014, thousands of business owners, farmers, and fishers have received direct and indirect benefits .

He said investment through the approved real estate route help finance hotels and other projects within the tourism sector creating construction and hospitality opportunities.

‘It helped Dominica respond when disasters could have reversed a generation of progress,’ McIntyre said, recalling the passage of Hurricane Maria on September 18, 2017, inflicting damages and loss estimated at 226 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

The Finance Minister said that in the weeks and months that followed, accumulated CBI resources were mobilised to bridge urgent financing gaps. He said while grants and other external support were being assembled, those resources help government restore essential services and rebuild public infrastructure.

He said thousands of Dominicans in every community received CBI grants to restore their homes and others receive new houses from government.

McIntyre said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed that the sharp increase in resilient public investment after Hurricane Maria was financed mainly from the CBI revenue and that the World Bank has similarly reported that accumulated CBI reserves were drawn down to finance reconstruction and recovery activities.

He said that this resource did not replace the value of the support of international partners, but it gave Dominica the capacity to act immediately and to direct resources to national priorities.

‘The programme gave a small country room to act when the scale of our need exceeded the space available for ordinary revenue and …it allowed Dominica to move with urgency when delay would have imposed a greater human and economic cost ‘.

He said that there would be no apology for homes built for Dominican families, for health facilities, for schools, for roads, resilient communities or for building hotels and advancing the island’s development or for lawfully mobilising resources to protect its people.

But he acknowledged that confidence in the programme and its benefits must never become complacent and that the value of Dominican citizenship must be guided with seriousness.

‘New diligence must remain rigorous. Administration must continue to be sound. Oversight must continue to be strong. Information sharing and international cooperation must continue,’ McIntyre said, noting that the integrity of the programme is not separate from its economic value.’

McIntyre said that international rules affecting investor citizenship programmes and visa-free mobility are changing and that Dominica’s response ‘must be clear.

‘We will continue to engage constructively with all our partners. We will listen to their concerns, adjust our systems where required and continue to uphold high standards.’

He said the European Union has revised its visa suspension framework putting further pressure on investor citizenship programmes.

‘We do not dismiss that development or answer it with hostility. We will answer through constructive dialogue,’ he said, adding that Dominica will approach these discussions as a responsible partner, prepared to cooperate, uphold high standards and protect the legitimate development interests of the Dominican people.

‘That is the position from which we move forward confident in the contribution of CBI … protecting its integrity and equally determined that no single programme will carry the full weight of our future.’

The Finance Minister said that the assets CBI must continue to build the local economy, produce jobs and that strengthening the country’s independence ‘does not mean turning away from CBI.

‘It means ensuring that Dominica has options. It means that if one revenue source weakens several productive sectors can continue to support jobs public service and also the income’.

McIntyre said that from the outset the government’s purpose was clear to convert CBI revenues into lasting national assets and productive capacity

‘Those resources help build the infrastructure, resilience and social foundation on which the next stage of development can stand,’ he said, adding that ‘this means turning infrastructure into enterprise, enterprise into employment and employment into stronger household incomes while attracting visitors and more investments, increasing exports and generating new sources of national income that circulate through communities across Dominica’.

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association LTd (GMSA) Tuesday called for a review of the proposed state-owned bottled water plant, emphasising the importance of protecting private investment while advancing the country’s goal of achieving 100 per cent locally produced bottled water.

In a statement, the association said it believes this objective can be achieved by strengthening and partnering with existing local manufacturers, who have already invested significantly in the industry’s growth and capacity.

Last week, the National Assembly approved a government request for GUY$496.3 million (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) for a state-owned water bottling facility under Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI).

The Government has said that the facility is aimed at reducing the reliance on imported bottled water, by giving consumers another bottled water choice that will come from GWI.

But in its statement, the GMSA said that earlier this year, together with local bottled water manufacturers, they met with the Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, and the leadership of GWI to discuss opportunities and challenges facing Guyana’s bottled water industry.

‘During that engagement, the Association welcomed the Government’s vision of achieving 100 per cent locally produced bottled water recognising it is a strategic opportunity to strengthen local manufacturing, create jobs, and embrace Guyana’s economic resilience,’ GMSA said, adding that it remains firmly committed to that objective.

The GMSA said a number of its members have invested capital and have made business decisions to reflect the government’s commitment and that ‘any initiative by the state should be structured to strengthen, not to compete with or undermine, that existing private investment’.

The Association said it recalled President Irfaan Ali in February calling for ‘close collaboration’ between the government and the private sector including shared production infrastructure such as bottle manfacturing.

‘GMSA welcomes the President calls and urges GWI and the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation to structure this project accordingly, as a partnership that lowers cposts and expands capacity for the whole sector, rather than a tax-payer funded competitor to existing private sector industry’.

The GMSA also stated that GWI’s foundational mandate, which is to provide reliable, safe potable water delivery to every household, must remain its core priority, and any commercial diversification should be additive to, not a distraction from, that mission.

The Association now wants the government to review the proposed investment and engage in further consultation with local bottled water manufacturers and other stakeholders before proceeding.