Category: CANA News

Guyana’s swimming sensation Raekwon Noel captured his third gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games when he won the men’s 200m freestyle here on Saturday.

Noel’s decision to withdraw from the 100m backstroke event to reserve energy paid dividends, as he powered to victory in a new CAC Games record of one minute, 47.08 seconds.

It broke the previous championship record of 1:47.19 held by Mexico’s Jorge Iga back in 2018. Iga had to settle for silver this time around in 1:47.95, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Nikoli Blackman completed the podium in 1:49.41.

Noel had earlier signalled his intentions by cruising to victory in his heat in a time of 1:52.43.

The 200m freestyle triumph added to Noel’s outstanding campaign in the Dominican Republic.

He previously won the men’s 200m individual medley in a Games and national-record time of 1:59.35 and he also secured the 200m butterfly crown in 1:56.82, improving the former meet record of 1:57.03.

The Jamaica is finalising efforts to launch a 10-year agricultural development plan following extensive consultations with farmers, researchers, exporters, private-sector stakeholders and development partners.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister, Floyd Green, said the plan is expected to guide the sustainable growth of Jamaica’s agricultural sector. ‘We have been on the road, we spoke to our farmers, officials, researchers, exporters, private sector developmental partners, we’ve listened carefully to what they have said, we’ve brought in consultants to look at how do we craft a development plan for agriculture that will stand the test of time,’ Green told the 72nd Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show on Sunday.

‘.. we are on the final leg and we expect to launch our 10-year agricultural development plan at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture at the end of this month and we think that’s a big step in the right direction,’ he added.

The 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture will take place in Jamaica from September 27 to October 2, this year and is regarded as the region’s premier agricultural event that features seminars; statutory meetings of regional agriculture organisations; and other key forums, including a special meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).

It will be held under the theme ‘The New FACE of Caribbean Food Systems (FACE), which FACE represents Food Security, Agri-Business, Climate-Smart Technologies, and Export Expansion.

Greene told the weekend event that while technological advancements do pose threats to certain jobs, food production will always require the human element.

‘One of the messages that our youth must understand, as the world advances, as we look at things like artificial intelligence, as we think about the jobs that are under threat, no matter what happens in this world, we will have to eat.

‘Even if you’re writing the programme for AI, you will have to eat. So, AI will never replace our farmers and food production,’ the added.

Greene said that his ministry is actively working to remove barriers that often prevent young people from getting involved in agriculture.

He highlighted the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP) which is an entrepreneurial training platformed organised by the Jamaica 4-H Clubs in partnership with HEART/NSTA Trust.

‘Why RYEEP is working is because it takes a practical approach. It takes you where you are, it provides you with practical training, and it provides you with grant support so you can expand,’ Green said.

Additional support provided by the ministry is reserving land in agro-parks for young people and assisting with land preparation and agricultural inputs.

‘Last year, we reserved 25 per cent of our land [in agro-parks] for young people. I’m pleased to announce that we have passed that mark and last year, of all the land in the agro-park that we leased, 34 per cent of it went to youth in agriculture.’

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Monday, August 3, 2026.

GEORGETOWN – A magistrate has 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 on July 18, resulting in the death of 72 people and more than 30 others missing and presumed dead.

SAN DIEGO – The California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has strongly condemned the expansion of the US Visa Bond Programme, warning that it discriminatorily impacts Caribbean and other immigrants.

GEORGETOWN – The Guyana government says it has commenced the process to secure a specialised marine salvage contractor to recover the MV Barima, which capsized and sank on July 18 off the North West Coast, killing 72 people with more than 30 others missing and presumed dead.

PARAMARIBO -The chairman of the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), Ronnie Brunswijk, says his party will vote against the ratification of the border protocol between Suriname and France.

KINGSTON – Police say they have dealt another blow to organised crime syndicates operating in Jamaic after 19 members of the ‘Genasyde Gang’ had been arrested and slapped with several charges.

SPORTS:

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

GLASGOW – Head coach of Jamaica’s senior netball side Sasher-Gaye Henry-Wright said she is proud of the team’s second place finish at the Commonwealth Games here on Sunday.

PORT OF SPAIN – Jamaican outfit Mount Pleasant FA edged Delfines del Este of the Dominican Republic 1-0 on Sunday to capture the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield title at the Ato Boldon Stadium here on Sunday.

A High Court has sentenced a man to 11 years in jail, who at the age of 14 years in 2023 breached his curfew, stabbed a 19-year-old man to death and then threatened to ‘deal with’ the deceased man’s relatives one by one.

Justice Rickie Burnett has set a starting point of 30 years’ imprisonment, a notional life sentence, here when he began the sentencing phase for Tyshaun Spring, who could have been spending 16 years, six months and 13 days behind bars had it not been for the guidance given to judges by the court that they reduce by up to one-third, the sentences handed down on minors. Spring had pleaded not guilty in January 2025 to a charge that on November 21, 2023, at Georgetown, a town which was known for its sugar production, he murdered Oneil Delicia, another resident of the community.

However, in May 2025, after Spring’s mother testified in the case, his lawyer, Ronald Marks, asked that he be rearraigned. Spring then pleaded guilty to murder.

In sentencing Spring, the judge said that the aggravating features of the offence are that it was committed in full view of the public, that the attack was unprovoked, and that the accused had committed the offence while on curfew.

Spring was granted a full one-third discount for his guilty plea, reducing the sentence by 9 years and four months. The court then deducted the two years, one month, and 17 days he spent on remand, reducing the sentence to 16 years, six months, and 13 days.

Justice Burnett noted that in accordance with the practice direction, the court should reduce the sentence to at most two-thirds of the term appropriate for an adult offender to reflect Spring’s youth and immaturity.

He therefore ordered Spring to spend 11 years in prison, rather than 16 years, six months and 13 days.

In his summation of the case, Justice Burnett did not reveal the full names of witnesses, identifying them by their initials instead.

The High Court heard that on November 21, 2023 in the evening, Delicia was in the backyard of a residence with friends and that Spring, accompanied by another person, arrived on a bicycle.

A confrontation later ensued with Spring taking out a black-handled knife from the right side of his waist, and stabbing Delcia repeatedly. Spring remained at the scene with the knife before he was disarmed by female witness, who also sought medical assistance for Delicia.

Delicia’s brother, seeing his sibling’s injury, took a piece of iron from a nearby vehicle and pursued Spring, who managed to escape.

A report was then made to the police and a police officer retrieved the bloody knife. The police layer visited the Georgetown Hospital where Delicia was was pronounced dead that same evening.

Spring was later located near his grandmother’s house, where he was overheard threatening to kill other people.

The court heard he was taken to the Georgetown Hospital for medical attention after claiming that he had sustained injuries, but the medical examination reported no acute physical findings.

A post-mortem conducted on Delicia’s body concluded that he died of multiple sharp-point injuries, including 9-cm and 18-cm gaping wounds.

Spring was later was assessed by a forensic psychologist and according to the report of June 2, 2025, prepared by Dr. Enyinne Williams, Spring admitted to drinking heavily and that he had smoked daily from the age of 13 years.

The psychiatrist said he had no pertinent psychiatric issues and a social inquiry report said there had been ongoing issues between Spring and Delicia’s family from primary school into secondary school.

There were several reports of incidents involving the parties.

The report said Spring grew up with his grandmother and his aunt. At the time of the stabbing, he was on a curfew and should have been at home, but went to his grandmother’s place.

Delicia’s mother said her family has not been the same since the passing of her son, which has left the family emotionally and psychologically challenged.

West Indies were dismissed for 344 by Pakistan before lunch on the second day of the second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Monday.

WEST INDIES 344 in 105.4 overs (Justin Greaves 73, Roston Chase 70, Brandon King 46, Shai Hope 29, Amir Jangoo 26, Kemar Roach 19, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 15, Kavem Hodge 10; Sajid Khan 4-85, Ubaid Shah 2-66, Mohammad Ali 2-67, Ali Usman 2-80).

The Grenada government Monday announced that it had terminated its agreements with the US-based oil and gas company, Global Petroleum Group (GPG) after it said that the company had failed ‘to meet its obligations’.

A government statement said that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell ‘ will address the nation in due course to provide the national context for this decision’ and that in ‘the coming days, the Office of the Attorney General and the Technical Working Group will provide further details on the factual circumstances which led to the Government’s decision’.

Attorney General Claudette Joseph said that Grenada has acted ‘lawfully, responsibly, and in the national interest’ and after 18 years ‘and after every reasonable opportunity given to GPG, the government had a duty to the people of Grenada to bring these agreements to an end. Grenada deserves better, and we are moving forward with confidence and with respect for the rule of law’.

Each year, when hurricane season begins in the Atlantic, governments across the Caribbean activate emergency plans, test communication systems, preposition relief supplies, and mobilize communities. These measures reflect decades of hard-won experience managing hurricanes, some of the most destructive in the world.

But by the time the first hurricane appears in the forecasts, many of the decisions that will determine its impact have already been made.

Hurricane damage caused in The Bahamas (File Photo)

The strength of infrastructure and public services, the quality of land-use planning, the robustness of institutions, and the availability of financing for recovery are not decisions made in the days immediately before a hurricane makes landfall. They are the product of years of political decisions, public investment, and governance.

The next phase for the Caribbean is to govern risk even better, to integrate resilience into the everyday decisions that shape development processes. This is the essence of risk-informed development: planning, investing, and governing in ways that reduce future risk before a hazardous event occurs.

Risk governance: the next frontier of resilience

The Caribbean’s leadership in promoting a comprehensive approach to risk management dates back to the late 1990s, when it helped shape the Hyogo Framework for Action (2000-2015), globally, and the subsequent Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) . However, the profound institutional and governance transitions needed to fully capitalize on these foundations have yet to be fully realized.

he current risk landscape demands that we address it comprehensively. Since 1995, tropical cyclones have caused losses exceeding 10 per cent of annual GDP on at least twenty occasions in the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean.

Hurricanes test the resilience of economies, public finances, critical infrastructure, supply chains, and public institutions. A single storm can disrupt tourism, damage energy and transportation networks, impact health systems, and reverse years of development progress. These are not simply disaster management challenges, but development challenges.

That is why risk management must become a core function of government, integrated into how countries plan, invest, and deliver public services. Risk governance is how governments put risk-informed development into practice by integrating climate and disaster risk into every major policy decision-from budgeting and public investment to the delivery of essential services like health and education-ensuring that resilience is built through regular government programmes.

Beyond the losses and damages

The establishment of the Loss and Damage Response Fund is a significant milestone for climate justice and international cooperation. For vulnerable countries, including those in the Caribbean, it represents a long-awaited recognition that some climate impacts are unavoidable and that frontline countries should not bear this burden alone.

By early 2026, the Fund had secured approximately $800 million in pledges globally, with $340 million available through its first operational window. This is a significant milestone, but still far short of the funding needed to address the escalating costs of climate change.

Perhaps the greatest value of the Loss and Damage Fund, beyond the resources it provides, lies in the dialogues it fosters on finance for resilience. If climate risks are becoming systemic, then resilience can no longer rely on financing that arrives only after a disaster strikes. A forward-looking approach is needed that combines national investment, regional risk pooling, insurance, contingent finance, multilateral development finance, and mechanisms like the Loss and Damage Fund into a coherent resilience finance strategy.

In an increasingly tight financing environment, countries that invest in risk data, strengthen public investment systems, and develop well-prepared project portfolios will be in a much better position to access and deploy financing effectively.

The Caribbean has already demonstrated the value of this approach by developing regional public goods and promoting them through dedicated institutions. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) strengthens regional coordination in disaster preparedness and management; the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) expands investment in resilient infrastructure; the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs) helps countries integrate climate resilience into development planning; and the Caribbean Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) promotes the region’s transition to clean energy.

Together with regional mechanisms such as the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), they form an interconnected regional resilience architecture, which brings complementary knowledge to shared regional priorities, while deepening leadership in their respective areas.

The true measure of success at this point would be how effectively we translate these priorities into everyday government decision-making to ensure resilient development outcomes.

Leading the next chapter of resilience

As risks continue to evolve, countries and regions that integrate risk into planning, public investment, and financing as soon as possible will be better positioned to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and future development gains. Regional and international actors are promoting a cleear call to action for Caribbean countries to plan ahead for response and recovery, and to strengthen risk governance.

The Caribbean has earned global recognition for its leadership in disaster preparedness and response. This experience is now one of its greatest assets in protecting its own communities and can also contribute to how risk-informed development is understood and implemented worldwide.

*Ronald Jackson, is had of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) programme on disaster risk reduction and resilience-oriented recovery. He is the former executive director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Dsaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

The Grenada government Monday announced that it had terminated its agreements with the US-based oil and gas company, Global Petroleum Group (GPG) after it said that the company had failed ‘to meet its obligations’.

A government statement said that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell ‘ will address the nation in due course to provide the national context for this decision’ and that in ‘the coming days, the Office of the Attorney General and the Technical Working Group will provide further details on the factual circumstances which led to the Government’s decision’.

Attorney General Claudette Joseph said that Grenada has acted ‘lawfully, responsibly, and in the national interest’ and after 18 years ‘and after every reasonable opportunity given to GPG, the government had a duty to the people of Grenada to bring these agreements to an end. Grenada deserves better, and we are moving forward with confidence and with respect for the rule of law’.

In the statement, the Mitchell government said that after 18 years without commercial production and following a thorough review of GPG it had taken the decision to ‘lawfully’ terminate its agreements with the company,’ adding ‘Grenada deserves better. Eighteen years is long enough’.

In 2008, government granted GPG a licence over 11 offshore blocks to explore Grenada’s waters for oil and gas. In 2013, GPG was granted a development licence and signed a Production Sharing Agreement, over four of those blocks, providing the legal framework under which any oil and gas found in those four offshore blocks was to be developed and its benefits shared with the country.

The government said that in 2016, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GPG reserving the remaining seven offshore blocks for GPG, on condition that it first brings the original project, namely the four blocks into commercial production.

‘That condition was never met. On 29th April 2026, the Government terminated the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding regarding the seven blocks that were reserved. On 1st August 2026, the Government terminated the Development Licence and the Production Sharing Agreement, granted in relation to the four (4) blocks,’ the statement said.

It said that after after taking office in 2022, the government established a Technical Working Group of capable Grenadians, with a mandate to assess the country’s hydrocarbon potential and to see it developed for the benefit of the Grenadian people.

‘Since 2023, the Technical Working Group has engaged directly with GPG to establish the facts – engagement that is a matter of record, notwithstanding public statements by GPG suggesting otherwise.

‘That engagement uncovered several breaches by GPG of its obligations under the Development Licence and the Production Sharing Agreement, including: its failure to complete the minimum work it committed to; its failure to prepare a development plan that met the standard required by the agreements and the international industry; and its failure to demonstrate that it holds the funds necessary to carry out the development work it has proposed. ‘

The statement said that in accordance with the agreements and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Deposits Act, the government formally notified GPG of these breaches and gave the company the opportunity to respond, in writing and in a meeting.

‘GPG did not remedy the breaches. As a result, the Government took the decision to terminate,’ the statement said, adding ‘this was not a decision taken lightly.

‘Grenada is a nation that honours the contracts it signs and expects the same of its partners. Where a company fails, over an extended period, to meet its obligations and deliver for the country, the Government has both the right and the duty to act. This was a necessary step, taken in the national interest, to protect Grenada’s resources and its future.

‘Grenada deserves better. Better partners. Better agreements. Better relationships. Better results. Grenada remains open for business, and the Government is working to attract investment that is transparent, credible, and delivers real value for its people.’

Head coach of Jamaica’s senior netball side Sasher-Gaye Henry-Wright said she is proud of the team’s second place finish at the Commonwealth Games here on Sunday.

The Sunshine Girls were defeated by New Zealand 56-48 to finish as runners-up for the second consecutive time.

While admitting that she was slightly disappointed not to have won the country’s first-ever netball gold medal at the Games, Henry-Wright lauded the team’s performance.

‘I think it is a big achievement for us because the ladies really worked to put themselves in a gold medal match. ‘We didn’t achieve the result that we wanted, but it is a work in progress, and we can only try to build on what we have started,’ Henry-Wright said.

‘I think the girls are ecstatic about this silver medal because they have believed in themselves from day one. They definitely wanted the gold medal, but they are pretty pleased with their performance because they knew we were not one of the favourites going in, so they are excited about this silver medal.

‘I think the programme is growing and I want to thank all our sponsors, but there are so many things lacking in our programme that we will want to continue to build and grow. We just hope to get more persons on board to push through that hurdle for World Cup 2027,’ she further added.

Pakistan trail West Indies by 78 runs with eight wickets remaining after reaching 266 for two at the close of play on the second day of the second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Monday.

WEST INDIES 344 in 105.4 overs (Justin Greaves 73, Roston Chase 70, Brandon King 46, Shai Hope 29, Amir Jangoo 26, Kemar Roach 19, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 15, Kavem Hodge 10; Sajid Khan 4-85, Ubaid Shah 2-66, Mohammad Ali 2-67, Ali Usman 2-80).

PAKISTAN 266-2 in 66 overs (Abdullah Shafique 107 not out, Babar Azam 86 not out, Azan Awais 55, Imam-ul-Haq 14).