Category: CANA News

The United States Ambassador to The Bahamas, Herschell Walker, is urging the government to rethink its decision to go ahead with a multi-million dollar loan agreement for the construction of a new hospital in western New Providence.

‘It would be better to look at other financing options that adhere to international norms. President Trump believes in fair deals that benefit both nations, and the United States is committed to being the economic and security partner of choice,’ Walker said in a statement.

‘We stand ready to work with The Bahamas to help secure a better deal-whether from private or public sources – to provide the healthcare infrastructure Bahamians deserve,’ he added.

Earlier this week, Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Michael Darville, confirmed that as part of its loan agreement with China’s Export-Import Bank, there is a stipulation for a 50-50 Bahamian to foreign construction worker ratio

But in his statement urging the government to reconsider the loan, Walker said ‘it doesn’t appear to be in the best interests of The Bahamas to submit to Chinese law and labour standards on their own soil’.

The United States Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control placed China Railway Construction Corporation. Ltd., the main contractor for the planned hospital, on its restricted investment list due its links to China’s military-industrial complex.

Last year, the government signed an agreement to borrow US$195 million from the China Export-Import Bank to cover 73 per cent funding of the 200-bed hospital with the remainder of the funds being provided by the Ministry of Finance.

A feasibility study for the hospital, tabled in the House of Assembly this week indicates that the Phillip Davis government is examining the possibility of financing public hospital or tertiary-level healthcare in the country through the introduction, and levying of, National Health Insurance (NHI) contributions.

The March 2025 report described the reliance on escalating taxpayer subsidies from the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) as not viable, and that the annual ‘cumulative net cash flow’ for the 50-acre Perpall Tract facility ‘is unsustainable with the current economic model’.

The United States Friday told Caribbean countries that there are ‘alternative methods available’ to recruit healthcare workers as it continued its criticism of the Cuban health brigade programme to the region.

In a post on the US Embassy in Barbados Facebook page, Washington said it ‘is committed to holding accountable Cuban regime officials, foreign government officials, and others for facilitating forced labour in Cuba’s medical missions.

‘By participating in these programmes, despite known human rights abuses, foreign governments become complicit in the regime’s tactics. Their actions directly contribute to the abuses of Cuban workers,’ the statement said.

‘There are alternative methods available for Caribbean nations to recruit foreign medical workers and ethically meet the healthcare needs of their people. The United States calls on all governments and peoples to reject forced labor schemes and join us in demanding accountability and respect for human rights.’

Earlier this week, the US government said it had not ‘recently’ spoken to St. Lucia about international education after that country’s Prime Minister, Phillip J Pierre said he had been asked to stop sending his nationals to study medicine in Cuba.

But the US did not however indicate whether or not it had done so previously prior to Prime Minister Pierre’s last weekend statement that Washington had called on Castries to stop sending its nationals to study medicine in Havana.

‘I have a big problem. Many of our doctors got trained in Cuba and now the great United States has said we can’t do that any longer,’ Pierre had told delegates attending the second World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities meeting in St. Lucia.

Cuba began offering significant, full scholarships to Caribbean and Latin American students to study medicine at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana, which was officially inaugurated in 1999. The initiative was designed to train doctors from underserved communities across the region, offering free tuition, accommodation, and boarding.

Washington has also stepped its attack on the Cuban health brigade programme saying that the regime in Havana ‘is profiting off the forced labour of medical personnel and that ‘renting out Cuban medical professionals at exorbitant prices and keeping the profit for regime elites is not a humanitarian gift.

‘It is forced labour. It treats the doctors as commodities rather than human beings and professionals. The United States calls for an end to the Cuban regime’s coercive and exploitative labour export scheme.’

The United States Friday told Caribbean countries that there are ‘alternative methods available’ to recruit healthcare workers as it continued its criticism of the Cuban health brigade programme to the region.

In a post on the US Embassy in Barbados Facebook page, Washington said it ‘is committed to holding accountable Cuban regime officials, foreign government officials, and others for facilitating forced labour in Cuba’s medical missions.

‘By participating in these programmes, despite known human rights abuses, foreign governments become complicit in the regime’s tactics. Their actions directly contribute to the abuses of Cuban workers,’ the statement said.

‘There are alternative methods available for Caribbean nations to recruit foreign medical workers and ethically meet the healthcare needs of their people. The United States calls on all governments and peoples to reject forced labor schemes and join us in demanding accountability and respect for human rights.’

Following a nervous few days, Shimron Hetmyer has joined his West Indies teammates in Kolkata hours ahead of their opening ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against Scotland.

The powerful left-hander had been stranded in South Africa at the conclusion of the Windies’ three-match T20I series late last month because of visa issues.

It resulted in him missing the team’s lone warmup match against Afghanistan on Wednesday, which they lost by 23 runs, as well as the official photoshoot.

However, Hetmyer, who comes into the tournament in blazing form, was posted on Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Instagram page on Friday, sporting the team’s new look kit for the tournament.

In the recently concluded series against South Africa, Hetmyer was the standout performer, amassing a series-leading 171 runs.

His knock included a top score of 75, blasted at a breathtaking strike rate of 178.

When the incident was initially reported, CWI issued a brief statement, assuring that ‘the matter will be dealt with soon.’

Principal magistrate Judy Latchman is expected to continue hearing arguments on Friday after she dismissed a motion filed by Azruddin Mohamed to adjourn his extradition committal hearing on the grounds that he had budgetary responsibilities as Opposition Leader in the ongoing budget debate in Guyana.

Mohammed, the leader of the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, along with his billionaire businessman father, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold worth more than US$50 million and in the process failing to pay the relevant taxes to the Guyana government.

Last October, a US Federal Grand Jury unsealed a 11-count indictment on the Mohameds for alleged wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Subsequently, the US requested his extradition to face trial for those alleged crimes.

Principal Magistrate Latchman had set February 5 for the continuation of extradition committal hearings even as the Mohameds are also challenging the validity of the extradition request in two separate civil cases in the High Court.

When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, his attorney, Siand Dhurjon told the court that ‘it is his constitutional duty, Madam, as Leader of the Opposition and as a Member of Parliament to be able to dedicate his focus and his energies at least during this period, which is this week and next week, Madam, because next week as well they would be involved in the consideration of estimates line by line.

‘If you will, Madam, so we would admit, Madam, that it would be in the public interest for this adjournment to be facilitated,’ Dhurjon said.

But after hearing the arguments of the Jamaican attorney, Terrence Williams, who is representing the US interests in the proceedings, the magistrate ruled that the case would continue as scheduled.

‘With respect to the adjournment.let us proceed with the matter. We have to proceed with this matter on today’s date. We will also proceed with the matter tomorrow (Friday),’ the Principal Magistrate said.

Before the ruling, Dhurjonsaid Mohamed was not merely required to recite a speech before the National Assembly but he needed to be present to glean the salient points from the hours of discourse and respond to concerns raised by the government side.

He deemed as ‘unfair’ to go ahead with the committal proceedings, saying also that Mohamed informed him that he had a migraine and he was on ‘certain medication’.

But Williams said he opposed the request for adjournment ‘even if every day that we come to the battle’ whenever such is made. He said the proceedings would not be lasting long and there would be no conflict between the morning court sitting and the late afternoon parliamentary sittings that Mohamed would have to attend.

That includes Friday’s sitting when he is due to speak late in the day.

‘But as a matter of law, this is the public interest we respectfully submit ought to weigh heavily in favour of this state abiding by its treaty obligations,’ Williams said, adding that the extradition request was based on a treaty with the US and so the matter should be treated with ‘reasonable expedition.

‘As a matter of law, it has never been the case where sittings of Parliament trump the proceedings in a criminal court. It has never been the case,’ he said, further arguing that the criminal court has, as a constitutional matter, its supremacy regarding its own sittings and its own proceedings.

The Jamaica government in partnership with Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) has launched a scholarship programme to support the children of current farm workers participating in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP) in Ontario, Canada.

The grant, valued at Can$10,000 )ne CAD$=US$0.73 cents), is aimed at offsetting educational and school-related expenses for 10 children or wards of SAWP workers.

Each successful scholar will receive $115,000 to be used for books, uniforms, exam fees, transportation, lunch, among other school expenses.

Speaking at the launch of the project, Labour and Social Security Minister, Pearnel Charles Jr. welcomed the initiative, highlighting the broader effect of education.

‘The thing about education is that it has a multiplier effect. That’s what we want from this scholarship, to have a positive multiplier effect echoing across the communities so that these 10 scholarships will multiply into hundreds of persons being impacted to want to do more. I believe that because it is blessed, this investment is going to be a blessing to many,’ said Charles Jr.

He said the scholarship is a representation of the broader vision of the Ministry and OFVGA to show that worker welfare, education, and opportunity are intricately linked.

Additionally, the scholarship is a commemoration of the 60-year partnership between Jamaica and CANADA to create SAWP, which addresses labour shortage in Canada’s agricultural sector while providing consistent employment for Jamaicans.

Charles Jr. Said with the implementation of the OFVGA Scholarship Programme, the partnership between Jamaica and Canada will stand the test of time.

‘That’s why we see this as a symbol of the strength and the enduring and lasting relationship that I believe will stand another 60 years. Things are changing. but I believe that once we continue to have conversations, plan, strategise, be agile. we will be able to formulate and adjust to make sure that this programme continues to be relevant.’

The scholarship is open to children or wards of current farm workers who have been in the SAWP in Ontario, Canada, for three or more continuous years.

The farm worker should also be with the same employer for the qualifying period.

Additionally, students must be enrolled in a recognised secondary institution and attain at least a ‘B’ average on their most recent report cards.

Potential recipients must not have benefited from the JN Money Fields of Opportunity Scholarship.

The supporting documents to be eligible for the scholarship include farm workers providing proof of participating with the same employer in the province of Ontario; a birth certificate for the child or other relevant documentation showing guardianship and the student’s report card.

OFVGA Communications Adviser, Benjamin Murray, hailed the importance of SAWP and the 60-year collaboration that has resulted in the scholarship programme.

‘The workers’ hard work and commitment mean a great deal to our farms and our communities back home. This scholarship is something we’re extremely proud of., supporting a participant’s child and continuing their education is a meaningful way for us to give back, while also recognising the sacrifices that these families and workers have to make year after year,’ Murray stated.

Trinidad and Tobago Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath Friday said that the ruling United National Congress (UNC) is playing no role in the February 11 general elections in Barbados.

His comments follow statements by the Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley that the leader of the main opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Ralph Thorne had appeared on the state-owned Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) indicating that ‘yellow is the code’ a reference to the UNC campaign slogan during the April 28 general election last year.

‘I tell you yellow is the curse about here,’ Mottley told supporters of her ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) which is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive clean sweep of the 30 member Parliament.

‘And what is that really a code for? Is it a code for campaign financing? Is it a code for who is supporting your party financially , because of that is the case the (former prime minister) Errol Walton barrow should now be rolling in a watery grave to believe that anybody leading the Democratic Labour Party could want to make that party subsidiary of another political entity in the Caribbean.’

Mottley said that Barrow also stood ‘should to shoulder with the late Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Dr. Eric Williams and that over the years, other Barbadian leaders had done the same with regards to their Trinidad and Tobago counterparts.

‘I have stood shoulder to shoulder with (former prime minister ) Dr. Keith Rowley and the same Kamla,’ she said in reference to the incumbent Trinidad and Tobago Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar.

Mottley said the labour parties would not be ‘subservient’ to any of the parties in Trinidad and Tobago, dismissing also that her ruling BLP had been taking advice from the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.

‘First of all, anybody who knows anything about s knows our sister party in Jamaica is the People’s National Party and even though they are not in government we are not fair weather friends,’ she said, adding she has been to Jamaica on numerous occasions addressing the PNP conventions.

But Padarath speaking to reporters outside the Parliament building here, sought to distance the UNC from any involvement in the campaign for next Wednesday’s general election in the sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

‘I would want to issue caution to our Caribbean colleagues with respect to using that sort of inference. The United national Congress we have said both publicly and privately that we do not interfere in the elections of any other sovereign nation and we hold true to that.

‘Obviously though, many of our party colours across the Caribbean and the world are quite similar. We don’t have any control or jurisdiction over those things. So that I would in the silly season in Barbados that those inferences are not made because we really and truly do not have any horse in the race there.’

The colour of the DLP is blue.

Padarath said that the UNC government will respect the ‘will of the people of Barbados and therefore the outcome of the elections will be respected by the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago’.

Asked whether the Barbadian electorate would see the main social media influencers and entertainers of the UNC on stage in Barbads as had been the case in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia, Padarath replied ‘we know that (Yellow is the code) is quite a catchy song but most of the persons you have spoken about.they all came from the entertainment fraternity before entering the political stage.

‘They have every right to perform if they are hired so to do. But they do not speak or sing on behalf of the United National Congress in support of one political party over another in a sovereign nation’.

Padarath said e had a message for Prime Minister Mottley. ‘Let not yur heart be troubled Honourable Prime Minister, the will of the people in Barbados I am almost certain wll be done and we respect the democratic process because Barbados is a sovereign nation.

‘We have no intention of interfering in Barbados elections,’ he added.

Despite being thrashed 72-41 by Australia in the opening game of their three-match Test series, Sunshine Girls head coach Sasha Gaye-Henry says there were some positive takeaways.

The Sunshine Girls trailed 16-10 at the end of the first quarter and 34-22 at half-time. However, a woeful third quarter performance saw them trail by 24 (54-30) heading into the final period, with the world number one Australians eventually strolling to a comfortable victory.

Shanice Beckford led the way for Jamaica with 17 goals from 18 attempts, Simone Gordon 12 from 15 and Giselle Allison 12 from 18.

For the home side, Cara Coenen scored 25 of her 27 attempts, Kiera Austin made 21 of 23 and Sophie Garbin 17 from 18.

The Caribbean side is missing several key players, including captain and star goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, as well as top defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey.

However, Gaye-Henry maintained that the focus remains on growth and improvement as they prepare for the second Test in Perth on Sunday.

She said the lessons learned from that game could lead to a stronger showing in the remaining two games.

‘We are very hopeful going into game two because for us it is about building and so we definitely want to make a big impact on our performance in our next game based on our efforts in game one,’ Gaye-Henry said.

‘We know that there are some areas that we really want to fix and we are hoping that we will get it right for game two.’

Gaye-Henry said she had seen some improvements since the last series against England which Jamaica lost 2-0.

‘I think that we have definitely improved in certain areas of our game against Australia compared to our last series in December against England.

‘However, we didn’t start out well against the Australians and we made some poor errors, not Australia intercepting but our team giving away the ball easily,’ the head coach pointed out.

‘We set some targets, but we didn’t achieve some of them in terms of the scoreline, but we did see some nice, sharp passages of play. But again, consistency to limit the turnovers played a big part for us.’

President Irfaan Ali says the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) needs to undertake continuous strategic transformation to meet modern security threats and safeguard national development acknowledging that the country still faces the same threat over the mineral and biodiversity-rich Essequibo Region that had been claimed by Venezuela.

‘The present situation in Venezuela does not remove or diminish the threat to Guyana’s territory,’ Ali told the opening of the GDF’s annual officers conference being held under the theme ”Transforming the Force to Better Confront the Nation’s Present and Future challenges by enhancing its Awareness, Adaptability and Agility capabilities.’

Both Venezuela and Guyana are awaiting a ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to their long standing border dispute and last month, the United States military launched an invasion of the South American country, detaining its leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife and charging them with drugs and weapons related offences before a New York Federal Court.

Maduro had been at the forefront of claiming the Essequibo region that makes up about two-thirds of the Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.

Ali told the ceremony that Guyana must be prepared, ready and vigilant and ‘must not drop its guard. Guyana must not blink’ insisting that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country is exercising its duties as a sovereign state.

‘Preparedness is not provocation. Readiness is not aggression. Vigilance is not hostility,’ Ali said, urging the GDF to remain in a state of readiness for any eventuality on land, at sea, and in the air.

‘Readiness is not something you scramble to assemble when trouble arrives. It is something you build quietly, steadily, and professionally,’ he said reminding the members of the population that that they too have an ‘unambiguous duty’ to defend their national patrimony from internal and external threats.

‘We cannot outsource sovereignty. We cannot subcontract our defense and we cannot assume that any fairy godmother or godfather will always appear at a decisive moment,’ he said, even as Guyana has forged unprecedented close political, military, security and economic relations with the United States and to a lesser extent Britain and France in recent times.

But Ali insisted that country’s political independence or sovereignty would not be sacrificed and that Guyana has the most expansive, diversified military cooperation and partnership agreement that it has ever seen in its history or that of the Caribbean’s history, or in my opinion, any other defense force has in this region.’

‘Our political freedom and independence came at an enormous price, paid in sacrifice, struggle, and resistance to domination. We will never dishonor our legacy by surrendering any of our territory or our independence to anyone. At the same time, we will continue to maintain friendly and cordial relations with all. We believe in good neighborly relations,’ he said.

He said friendship and cooperation must be grounded in the respect of our sovereignty, respect of our territorial integrity, and importantly, guided by shared and common values.

He said cooperation and partnerships are part of the broader defence strategy to enhance training and improve and strengthen the GDF’s capabilities to defend borders, patrol waters, or secure airspace.

‘They only matter when they are matched by national will and backed by national investment. Cooperation can sharpen skills and expand horizons, but defense must ultimately be driven from within,’ he said.

‘Where do we want our people to position? Is our Coast Guard appropriately positioned or headquartered in this modern era of defence and what is needed in the future? These are the questions we must confront now and adapt to what is necessary in a new environment’.

Ali also announced a strategic shift toward technology-driven defence, including artificial intelligence and enhanced intelligence capabilities, saying that defence structures would be adjusted to reflect new priorities involving AI, technology and modern defence assets.

‘We have to develop our in-house AI and train our in-house AI with the right data, with the right information to be the right tool for our defence system. We can’t tiptoe around this issue,’ said Ali, the Commander-in-Chief of the GDF.

‘Our partners must know we are reliable in the defence of democracy, the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ he said, adding that decision taken at the conference would affect every level of the GDF, placing a heavy responsibility on leadership.

The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, has sought to underscore the transformative impact of digital solutions on public sector performance.

‘Digital transformation is not merely a technological upgrade; it is a profound shift in how governments engage with citizens and deliver essential services,’ Jules told a workshop where the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing digital transformation across the nine-member sub-regional grouping.

Jules said that ‘by modernizing civil registration and identification systems, we are laying the foundation for more transparent, agile, and inclusive governance’.

The acting head of the Regional Integration at the OECS Commission, Dr. Clarence Henry, spoke of the vital contribution of the European Union (EU) through the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Integration Through Growth Harmonisation and Technology (RIGHT) project.

He thanked the EU for its continued partnership and unwavering support for this initiative. The EU’s support has been instrumental in addressing legal, policy, and governance gaps and where required, the upgrading of equipment and capacity building for key public sector implementing agencies to realise the shared vision for a digitally integrated OECS community.

‘The Unique Identification System is a cornerstone of Digital Public Infrastructure. It is essential not only for streamlining government operations but also for enabling robust Know Your Customer (KYC) processes in both public and private sector,’ said Winston George, coordinator of the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP).

‘This foundational system enhances trust, security, and accessibility, promoting greater confidence in digital services for all Vincentians,’ George added.

The OECS Commission said the two day workshop is as a result of the role of digital transformation in strengthening modern governance for delivering improved public services and expanding the capacity of the private sector to foster faster economic growth and development.

It said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines digital transformation stands at the forefront of the national development agenda, serving as a catalyst for streamlined processes and public service efficiency, enabling stronger citizen engagement, and greater integration within the OECS and the global economy.

‘Through its digital transformation ethos, and with the adoption of a ‘whole-of-society’ approach, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is focused on investing in agile technological solutions while transforming legal, policy, and governance frameworks to enable an efficient digital ecosystem.’

The workshop has brought together key stakeholders from government ministries to discuss best practices and emerging trends in digital identification and civil registration. It also featured the official handover of specialised equipment, designed to support the decentralisation and efficient operation of the civil registration and UID systems across rural and urban areas in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Parliamentary Counsel III, Shernell Hadaway, speaking on behalf of the Attorney General, Sarah Louise Mitchell, said the success of the CR/UID systems depends not only on sound technology and good laws, but on broad-based understanding, acceptance, and usage across all spheres – government, civil society, and the private sector.’

The OECS Commission said it will continue to work closely with St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other member states to advance digital transformation projects, leveraging regional collaboration and international partnerships.

‘ Through sustained investment in technology and human capacity, the OECS Commission remains committed to building resilient, future-ready societies where citizens and businesses alike can thrive in the digital age,’ it added.