Category: CANA News

The Trinidad and Tobago government says it will will begin registering all undocumented migrants in the country from next week and warned those who fail to register could face immediate deportation.

Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, speaking at the weekly post Cabinet news conference on Thursday night, said that under the new Migration Registration Framework, all undocumented migrants, regardless of nationality, will have to be registered at a fee of TT$700 (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents). Children will be exempted. The process will begin with online registration at migrantregistration.gov.tt. The applicants will then be scheduled for an in-person interview, after which they will receive a Migration Registration Framework card.

‘The Cabinet .approved the registration of all legible illegal immigrants in Trinidad and Tobago through the Immigration Registration Framework. This was done sometime in 2019 by the previous administration, however, it was only the Venezuelan nationals were required to register. We are presently asking all. This framework includes all illegal immigrants to be registered.’

Alexander said migrants will need to present a form of identification, an address and – if employed – include their place of work.

‘This government intends to do things differently,’ he said, adding that the process will be partially digital with registration online.

‘After that you will be called to an in-person registration interview and eventually you will receive your migrant registration framework card,’ he said, adding ‘we are using all government facilities to accommodate this project’.

When asked by reporters whether migrants facing criminal offences would be allowed to register, Alexander said legal troubles may hinder registration.

‘If you have a criminal record, there will be an issue – that is for sure. We want persons to come to Trinidad, if you come here with purpose, come with purpose and help us build, and you build yourself. We are not looking for persons to add to the nation’s problems,’ he said, adding migrants who may have entered the country llegally should still come forward to register.

‘We don’t want persons to run away. We want persons to come forward and register.’

Police are seeking to determine the motive regarding the murder of a freelance journalist, who was shot and killed in the presence of her two children as she returned to her home in Rio Claro, the largest town in southeastern Trinidad on Thursday.

Police said that Kellyann Lemessy was ambushed and killed in her car and that her toddler and nine-year-old daughter who were in the vehicle were not injured. The 38-year-old Lemessy, was attacked by two masked gunmen as she arrived at her rental apartment and police believe her baby, who is almost two years old, was on her lap and that Lemessy shielded the child from the gunfire. Lemessy was shot in the head and body and died at the scene.

Lemessy, a mother of three, worked as a freelance correspondent with CNC3.

In June last year, Lemessy’s sister Cassieann was shot and killed in her car a short distance from her home in Mayaro, south east of here. One person has been charged with her murder.

Last year, Lemessy and another sister were charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a brother, after they were accused of throwing boiling water on him. They were granted TT$200,000 (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) bail.

The head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, says Haiti has entered a ‘critical phase’ in efforts to restore democratic institutions as the political transition is set to expire on February 7.

Ruiz-Massieu, who addressed the United Nations Security Council earlier this week, is calling on calling on Haitian stakeholders to contain political fragmentation and prioritise elections.

‘Let us be clear: the country no longer has time to waste on prolonged internal struggles,’ he said, stressing the need for continuity of governance arrangements beyond the February deadline and sustained coordination to bring the transition to a close. Ruiz-Massieu said recent steps toward elections were encouraging, citing the adoption of an electoral decree on 1 December and the publication of an calendar for going to the polls later that month.

He said that new provisions on voter registration, overseas voter participation and women’s representation could boost inclusivity if effectively implemented.

But progress on the political front is unfolding against a deteriorating security landscape.

Gangs continue to mount coordinated attacks, control key economic corridors and agricultural regions, and force mass displacement – stretching police and humanitarian capacity to the limit.

Ruiz-Massieu said the murder rate in 2025 rose by nearly 20 per cent compared with 2024, but that some security gains have been made.

According to BINUH statistics, more than 8,100 Haitians were killed between January and November 2025, victims of armed violence. A figure likely underestimated due to limited access to areas controlled by gangs. In Artibonite and the Center, 1,916 deaths were reported in 2025, compared to 1,050 over the same period in 2024. Between September 1 and November 30, 2025, the provisional toll stands at 1,991 killed, including 142 women, 12 girls and 44 boys.

Police operations, supported by the Security Council-authorised Gang Suppression Force, have reopened roads in parts of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite Department, while state presence around the capital’s Champ de Mars has been gradually restored.

Ruiz-Massieu cautioned, however, that such gains remain fragile and risk reversal without sustained pressure and basic service delivery.

The evolving violence reflects a deeper transformation of Haiti’s criminal landscape, according to John Brandolino, Acting Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC).

Once-fragmented gangs have reorganised into structured criminal networks with defined leadership, territorial ambitions and diversified revenue streams.

Coalitions such as Viv Ansanm have coordinated large-scale attacks on police, prisons and economic infrastructure, he said, allowing gangs to consolidate control over Port-au-Prince and strategic corridors into Artibonite and Plateau Central.

Extortion has become a core revenue source, alongside trafficking in drugs, weapons and ammunition.

UNODC said the crisis is increasingly regional, driven by adaptive arms-trafficking routes, illicit financial flows and corruption. Despite enforcement efforts, traffickers continue to shift routes through weaker ports and offshore transfers to evade embargo controls.

World champion Keshorn Walcott has received a TT$500, 000 national incentive award for his outstanding performance at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Japan.

Walcott, who copped gold in the men’s javelin, received the cheque from T and T’s Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Phillip Watts during a presentation at the Ministry’s head office on Wednesday.

Minister Watts applauded Walcott for his consistent excellence on the international stage, describing him as ‘a symbol of pride and inspiration for the people and athletes of T and T’. ‘Keshorn continues to represent the best of who we are as a nation, disciplined, resilient, and dedicated to excellence. His example continues to motivate our youth and our sporting community,’ Watts added.

?The meeting also facilitated high-level discussions regarding a potential collaboration between the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Sport Company of T and T (SporTT), and Walcott’s organisation, JAVCOTT.

The talks followed the launch of the 2026 Golden League of Athletics TT, an initiative aimed at enhancing athlete development and expanding opportunities for emerging talent across the nation.

While discussions remain ongoing to finalise the partnership, the move signals a strategic effort to integrate Walcott’s expertise into the national sporting framework.

?In addition to the formal rewards, Walcott lent his endorsement to the Ministry’s ‘Keep Pumpin Up Yuh Fitness’ campaign, which officially launched on Wednesday at Evolution Gym in Chaguanas.

The programme promotes active living through aerobics, Zumba, and HIIT sessions, and is being implemented across six locations nationwide from January 19 to February 12.

A 69-year-old United States national, who had been reported missing in Guyana, is alive and well.

Retired Registered Nurse, Mary Jones said she had decided to visit Guyana because ‘a lot of things were happening in my country that I wasn’t too happy about and so I thought let me come here and try a new country’.

Jones said that she had been contacted by her property broker informing her of a report on the Demerara Waves Online News and that she immediately contacted the US Embassy’s American Citizen Services where officials asked her to complete documents that allowed them to share her whereabouts.

Jones said she was later referred to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to report that she was alive and that since here arrival here, she has stayed at a number of locations.

‘I’m 69 years old and so I make decisions myself,’ she said, adding that she is awaiting a response from her sister who was informed that she is safe.

The woman said her sister reported her missing, prompting Social Security to stop her payments. However, she said cheques would once again be issued in February.

The Gloucester Police Department in New Jersey when contacted, confirmed that the American Embassy in Guyana had informed them that the woman was alive and well in Guyana.

‘I did call the (Gloucester) Police Department and they told me to call the Police Department in Guyana and record that I’m okay and the Police Department in Guyana forwarded it to them,’ the police spokesman said.

The Demerara Waves Online News had reported on Thursday that Jones did not return to her New Jersey home from a trip to Guyana and was last heard from by family members on October 3, 2025.

In a statement, Gloucester Township Police said officers received the missing person report at on October 28.

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance drew says his administration has taken a policy decision that pregnant Haitian women and children will not be deported from St. Kitts and Nevis.

‘In 2019, under the former administration, Haitians were deported, including pregnant women and a child. We have taken the position that we will never do that,’ Prime Minister Drew told a radio programme.

Drew, who is also the chairman of the 15-member regional integration grouping of which Haiti is a member, said that under his leadership, the twin island Federation has never and will never engage in the dehumanisation or mistreatment of Haitian nationals.

Prime Minister Drew was responding to public questions and concerns regarding the exclusion of Haiti from a recently negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to the relocation of third-country nationals.

Several CARICOM countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis, have signed an agreement with the United States government to facilitate third country refugees so as to mitigate scenarios where Washington cannot return these individuals to their state of birth or origin.

The regional governments say, the agreement which is non-binding and is at the complete discretion of the governments, establishes a framework for co-operation and does not trigger any immediate transfer and future engagements. They say the agreement is orderly, transparent and consistent with the laws, policies and national interest of their individual countries.

Prime Minister Drew told the radio audience that his administration’s position must be understood within the broader context of St. Kitts and Nevis’ humanitarian record, particularly when compared to actions taken under the former administration.

He said that since assuming office, his administration has adopted a deliberately humane approach, prioritising the protection of vulnerable individuals and rejecting policies that would place lives at risk.

‘When children and pregnant women arrived here, my decision was clear. Get the pregnant women to the hospital immediately. Get the children checked. We are not deporting them,’ he said.

Prime Minister Drew said the twin island Federation has, per capita, accepted one of the largest Haitian populations in the Caribbean, providing free access to education, healthcare, and social support, often at significant cost to a small state with limited resources.

‘We are very accepting and progressive towards Haitians,’ he said, stressing that Haiti’s exclusion from the specific agreement should not be interpreted as a rejection of the Haitian people, but rather as a reflection of capacity constraints and national security responsibilities.

He reiterated that the government remains fully committed to working through regional and international mechanisms to support Haiti’s long-term stability.

Guyana has signed a GUY$7.2 billion (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) concessional agreement with Japan to upgrade water treatment infrastructure in Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd, and Japanese Ambassador to Guyana, Dr Akima Umezawa, signed the agreement that Todd later described as a powerful milestone, underscoring nearly six decades of a strong and productive relationship between the two states. He said Japan has consistently supported Guyana’s development, with a clear focus on human capital and improving the quality of citizens’ lives and that this approach aligns closely with the government’s people-centred development model.

Todd said that access to reliable water infrastructure is fundamental to building a competitive and resilient economy and that Diamond is a rapidly growing community and emerging hub in Region Four, where expanding populations require upgraded public services.

Todd also highlighted the importance of water to national and global development goals, referencing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six, which focuses on clean water and sanitation.

‘If we are going to improve the quality of life of every citizen, then water is vital, it is essential for life, and it is universal,’ Todd stated.

Ambassador Umezawa said that access to safe water is a fundamental human need, essential for life and health as a basic human right.

‘This project is aimed at not only creating safer and sustainable drinking water but also enhancing a healthy life environment, which contributes to the development of Guyana,’ he added.

The Belize government says it has launched the 2026-30 National Rural Development Strategy (NRDS) which it says establishes a coordinated, evidence-based framework to advance inclusive, resilient, and sustainable rural transformation across the country.

Minister of Rural Transformation, Oscar Requena, said the strategy serves as a critical roadmap for enhancing livelihoods, expanding economic opportunities, and addressing long standing development challenges facing rural Belize. The Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development and Local Government (MRTCDLG) said that the strategy constitutes a major milestone of a consultancy which it led with support from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and that the development of the NRDS was executed through a comprehensive three-stage process.

The first stage focused on a strategic diagnosis, utilising mixed research methods and over 40 expert interviews to identify 16 structural challenges across social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

This was followed by the second stage, which prioritised participatory design through eight community dialogues across all six districts, ensuring the strategy was informed by the voices of over 190 rural stakeholders.

The process culminated in stage 3, consisting of technical consultations and the final validation of a roadmap that identifies 14 lines of action and 32 flagship initiatives.

The NRDS launch was attended by several government ministers and other stakeholders, including Prime Minister John Briceño, who in his address reaffirmed his government’s strong support for the strategy.

Briceño said that rural development must be closely linked to climate resilience, noting the urgent need for decisive action as climate change continues to impact Belize’s rural communities.

The event was also attended by representatives from Clio Consulting, who provided a technical overview of the strategy’s vision and methodology.

The NRDS 2026-2030 defines a bold 2030 vision centered on four strategic axes: Partnership, Prosperity, People, and Places. By targeting these pillars, the strategy aims to overcome critical constraints currently hindering rural growth, including land insecurity, high financial costs, market failures, and infrastructure gaps in roads and basic services.

‘The framework also integrates two transversal approaches: Inclusion (focusing on Gender, Youth, and Culture) and Climate Change Resilience, ensuring that development remains sustainable and equitable,’ the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

It said the launch provides the ministry and its partners with a structured framework to empower rural communities and ensure they remain at the forefront of Belize’s national development.

Police are invesitigating the cause of an accident that resulted in the deaths of the well-known Spiritual Leader, Andrew Irving, and two other people late Thursday night.

They said the accident occurred along the new Wisroc Public Road in Linden, the capital of the Upper Demerara-Berbice region.

Irving was the front seat passenger of the car that slammed into the back of a parked container truck along the newly built road. The driver of the car and a woman who was in the back seat also died. Their identities have not yet been released.

Venezuela Thursday night launched a campaign designed to mount international pressure regarding the return of President Nicholas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were detained by the United States when it invaded the South American country on January 3 this year.

The Venezuelan Embassy here said that the campaign is being conducted under the hashtag, #Bring Them Back# with Ambassador Carmen Velasquez describing the US invasion as a ‘sad day’ in the history of her country. The Maduros have pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges and are due to make another court appearance in a Federal Court in New York in March 17. Maduro insists that he was kidnapped by the United States with President Donald Trump indicating that Washington will ‘run’ the country for for foreseeable future.

‘I would like to thank you for your presence here tonight, so that together in prayer, we can send a strong message for peace and dialogue to prevail in Venezuela, Latin America and the Caribbean. Very importantly, let us pray for the swift and safe return of President Nicholas Maduro and Cilia Flores to Venezuela,’ Velasquez said.

The Venezuelan diplomat said that she was in Caracas on the night of the US military action and was at her home was in the same area and being awaken by the sound of explosions.

She said she her first thought was that the sound came from a fireworks display, but as the explosions continued she looked outside her window to see the explosions and she heard the helicopters overhead.

The Venezuelan diplomat also spoke of seeing drones firing rockets at various targets. Among the audience on Thursday were the Cuban Ambassador, Sergio Martinez, the new Chinese Ambassador Jiang Wei, local diplomats and members of the Venezuelan community in Antigua and Barbuda.

The Cuban diplomat, who addressed the event, thanked his Venezuelan counterpart for organising the event as a mark of respect for those who died ‘defending the sovereignty of Venezuela’.

Martinez described the US military action in Venezuela as ‘a brutal attack’ adding that those who were killed will not be forgotten.

Pastor James Warner of the All Saints Fellowship of Believers offered prayers for Venezuela and its people as the members of the audience lit candles and held them up as a mark of respect for those who sacrificed their lives and for the safe return of the Maduros.

The Embassy said it has opened a Book of Condolences and is inviting members of the public to sign it as a show of solidarity with the people of Venezuela.