Category: CANA News

Leeward Islands Women defeated Windward Islands Women by seven wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method in the 15th match of the T20 Blaze here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field on Wednesday.

Scores

WINDWARD ISLANDS WOMEN 69-9 in 20 overs (Abini St Jean 16, Holly Charles 15, Ashlene Edward 10; Shawnisha Hector 3-5, Jahzara Claxton 3-20, Davronique Maynard 2-15).

LEEWARD ISLANDS WOMEN 59-3 in 8.4 overs (Jahzara Claxton 23 not out, Reniece Boyce 14 not out; Afy Fletcher 2-23).

West Indies reached 151 for seven in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat by Afghanistan in the third and final T20I here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

WEST INDIES 151-7 in 20 overs (Brandon King 47, Matthew Forde 27, Johnson Charles 17, Shamar Springer 16 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 13, Justin Greaves 12, Keacy Carty 10; Rashid Khan 2-13, Abdollah Ahmadzai 2-30, Ziaur Rahman 2-45).

Federal authorities in the United States are monitoring reports of an American woman missing in Guyana.

On Thursday, several U.S. media outlets reported that Mary A. Jones, 69, a resident of New Jersey, failed to return home following a trip to Guyana.

According to police reports, Jones was last in contact with family members on October 3, 2025, and was officially reported missing on October 28, 2025.

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

Investigators later determined that Jones had traveled internationally to Guyana and was scheduled to return to the United States during the week of January 12, 2026. She did not return as planned, and her whereabouts remain unknown.

However, Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said he was unaware of any formal request from the United States.

The government of Guyana has secured a GUY$7.2 billion concessional loan from the Government of Japan to significantly upgrade water treatment infrastructure at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

The agreement, signed on Thursday, will co-finance a major climate-resilient water and sanitation programme with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), targeting improved water quality and services for thousands of residents in the rapidly expanding community.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd and Japanese Ambassador to Guyana Akima Umezawa signed and exchanged notes during a ceremony held in the ministry’s conference room.

In his remarks, Todd said Guyana and Japan have enjoyed ‘cordial inter-state’ relations for close to 60 years, noting that Japan has consistently supported Guyana’s development efforts during that period.

He described Diamond as a growing community that is becoming a major hub within Region Four, stressing the need for corresponding infrastructure upgrades.

‘If the community is growing then we would have to upgrade the infrastructure.

‘So we are very happy to partner with the Japanese government and the IDB on this concessional loan and signing of notes, which brings to bear the fact that Guyana is very focused on governing for the people of Guyana,’ Todd said.

Todd also pointed out that this is not the first time Guyana has benefitted from projects under the framework, with previous investments made in Regions Two, Three and Seven.

‘Bringing it to Region Four is important also because this is the most heavily populated region, and the upgrade improvements in the water treatment plant in Diamond fit well into our developmental plan,’ he noted.

Emphasising the importance of water security, Todd said improving access to safe water is critical to enhancing citizens’ quality of life. ‘If we are going to ensure that we improve the quality of life of every citizen, water is very vital,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Umezawa said the project is aimed not only at creating safer and more sustainable drinking water, but also at enhancing a healthy living environment that supports Guyana’s overall development.

He disclosed that over the last two years, Japanese company Toshiba has constructed four large-scale water treatment plants in Guyana.

The strategy is about long-term vision, about fuelling economic development and ensuring every Guyanese home has access to quality water.

‘Therefore, this project represents more than just an infrastructure; it is a symbol of gaining the power to create your future with your hands,’ Umezawa said.

Scoreboard of the 21st match of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup between West Indies and South Africa here at the High Performance Oval on Thursday.

WEST INDIES U19s

Tanez Francis c Bulbulia b Basson 14

Zachary Carter b James 114

*Joshua Dorne c van Schalkwyk b Basson 20

+Jewel Andrew c +Phahlamohlaka b Basson 0

Shamar Apple c Bulbulia b Basson 0

Jonathan van Lange c Bulbulia b Kruiskamp 29

Shaquan Belle b Rowles 18

Isra-el Morton c Majola b Rowles 2

Micah McKenzie b Basson 0

Jakeem Pollard c Bosman b Majola 2

Vitel Lawes not out 7

Extras (b2, lb7, w19) 28

TOTAL (all out; 47.5 overs) 234

Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-115, 3-115, 4-115, 5-193, 6-206, 7-219, 8-223, 9-223, 10-234.

Bowling: Basson 10-2-23-5, Majola 7.5-0-57-1, Kruiskamp 8-1-45-1, James 7-0-35-1, Rowles 10-0-44-2, Bosman 5-0-21-0.

SOUTH AFRICA U19s

Jorich van Schalkwyk lbw b Morton 20

Adnaan Lagadien c Lawes b Belle 10

*Muhammed Bulbulia c Lawes b Belle 3

Jason Rowles b Lawes 46

Armaan Manack run out 17

Daniel Bosman c Francis b Belle 19

Paul James c +Andrew b Belle 7

+Lethabo Phahlamohlaka c +Andrew b Belle 26

Michael Kruiskamp c +Andrew b Belle 5

JJ Basson c +Andrew b Pollard 3

Bayanda Majola not out 9

Extras (b4, nb1, w9) 14

TOTAL (all out; 37.4 overs) 179

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-40, 3-40, 4-82, 5-115, 6-132, 7-144, 8-160, 9-167, 10-179.

Bowling: Pollard 7.4-0-19-0, Belle 10-0-40-6, Morton 4-0-27-1, Lawes 10-0-60-1, McKenzie 6-0-29-0.

Toss: West Indies Under-19s elected to bat first.

Result: West Indies Under-19s won by 55 runs.

Player-of-the-Match: Zachary Carter.

Umpires: Graham Lloyd, Shaun Haig.

TV Umpire: Nitin Bathi.

Reserve Umpire: Cory Black.

Match Referee: Prakash Bhatt.

The government on Thursday announced several new diplomatic appointments including that of journalist Kenton Chance as the ambassador designate to the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Chance, who is the managing editor of the St Vincent based IWitness News also serves as the Kingstown correspondent for the Barbados based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

According to the state owned Agency for Public Information (API), the new government of Dr. Godwin Friday also named new diplomats to New York in the person of Ronald Matthews as Consul General to New York; Vynette Fredrick as the Ambassador to the United Nations while Brereton Horne has been named High Commission to the United Kingdom.

The government also named Idisha Jackson as its Ambassador designate to Cuba.

The government came to office on November 27, 2025 after ending 25 years of the Unity Labour Party that was headed by Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

The Deputy Governor Franz Manderson of this British overseas territory says the Cayman Islands Government is gearing up for a potential surge in migrants from Cuba amid the possibility of further economic deterioration in the island nation. According to Manderson, US military action in Venezuela and its control over the sale and distribution of seized Venezuelan oil, potentially cutting off the supply of oil to Havana, may well encourage illegal migration from Cuba.

Speaking before the Public Accounts Committee, Manderson spoke briefly about the preparations for the potential arrival of Cubans, using this situation as an example of how risk management is becoming an important element for the civil service.

He said a ‘skilled team’ was working to identify and mitigate the internal and external risks that this jurisdiction faces.

The deputy governor said that one of the most topical issues now is illegal migration. ‘What is going to happen if Cuba no longer gets any oil and the people start to suffer?. Is there going to be a mass migration?’ he asked, noting that a team within the home affairs ministry is now working on that.

‘How are we going to be able to handle, God forbid, if a few thousand Cubans arrive here in a short period of time?’ he asked as he implied there could be an impending crisis.

Manderson , who wa an immigration officer during the 1994 migrant crisis, when more than 1,100 Cubans arrived, said that proved to be hugely expensive for the Cayman Islands and a political headache, as the authorities grappled with the challenge of what to do with them.

Governor Jane Owen recently said that Cayman’s security services are making contingency plans for the possible influx of Cuban migrants in the wake of the American seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers.

On 3 January, the US launched a military strike on Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were transported to New York, facing charges of ‘narcoterrorism’. With much of Venezuela’s oil now in the hands of the US, and given the Trump administration’s hard-line attitude towards Cuba, it’s likely that the island will be cut off from its main fuel supplier.

Owen said she recognised that people are concerned about this, and the potential impact is being monitored very carefully.

She added that a committee dealing with mass migration will meet this week to discuss how Cayman will manage the very real possibility of a surge in migrant numbers.

Police Commissioner Kurt Walton echoed her comments, saying that the Cayman Islands Coast Guard and Customs and Border Control are working together and sharing intelligence with regional partners to anticipate possible scenarios and avoid improvisation in the face of a humanitarian crisis that could develop within days.

Local human rights watchdog group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), is calling for urgent reforms to the Access to Information Act to ensure that transparency and accountability in public administration are not undermined.

This follows a new review by JFJ that found persistent problems with how public authorities are implementing Jamaica’s Access to Information Act.

The study assessed the handling of 111 standardised information requests submitted to 101 public bodies between February and November 2025.

The report also found that nearly 38 per cent of the Access to Information Act requests received no response at all, breaching the law’s requirement for disclosure within 30 days.

Of the 69 requests that were answered, the average response time was 38 and a half days, with only about 31 per cent completed within the legal deadline.

It also showed that fewer than half of all requests were acknowledged within seven days, a benchmark recommended by Parliament.

More than 22 per cent were never acknowledged.

The report stated that performance varied across agencies, adding that ministries recorded the highest fulfillment rate at 78 per cent, while public bodies responded to just over 60 per cent of requests.

It went on to state that municipal councils performed the worst, fulfilling only 43 per cent, with more than half of requests receiving no response.

The review also found inconsistencies in handling transfers and deadline extensions, with several late responses issued without any formal extension requests.

Among the requests that were fulfilled, nearly 64 per cent resulted in full disclosure, while 23 per cent were partially disclosed and 13 per cent were denied.

Common reasons for denial included claims that no records existed or that requests were overly broad.

Jamaicans for Justice says data from the government’s ATI Unit also shows a declining trend in responsiveness nationwide, with grant rates falling sharply between 2019 and 2023.

As a result of the findings, JFJ says there is a need for the creation of a joint select committee to review the Act.

It also wants the rollout of a digital request platform, stronger oversight powers, mandatory proactive disclosures and a national public education programme on citizens’ rights under the ATI system.

The government on Thursday announced several new diplomatic appointments including that of journalist Kenton Chance as the ambassador designate to the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Chance, who is the managing editor of the St Vincent based IWitness News also serves as the Kingstown correspondent for the Barbados based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Fueled by standout performances by opener Zachary Carter and pacer Shaquan Belle, the West Indies Under-19s sailed into the Super Six phase of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup on a winning note with a 55-run victory over South Africa here on Thursday.

Carter’s superb 114 off 104 balls, which included eight sixes and eight fours, was the mainstay of West Indies’ total of 234 in 47.5 overs after choosing to bat first at the High Performance Oval.

Belle then grabbed career-best figures of 6-40 in his 10 overs to almost single handedly bowl his team to victory, as South Africa could only muster 179 in 37.4 overs.

It was the second win of the tournament for the West Indies and helped them finish second in Group D behind unbeaten Afghanistan, with South Africa also advancing to the next phase after placing third.

The heavy-set Carter had been struggling for runs in the tournament but found his mojo at the right time.

He added 33 runs with opener Tanez Francis, before the latter was dismissed by left-arm pacer JJ Basson for 14.

Carter, who was named Player-of-the-Match, then added 82 runs for the second wicket with captain Joshua Dorne, which saw the Windies progress to 115 for one in the 23rd over.

But Basson struck three times in the space of four deliveries to completely change the momentum and put South Africa in the driver’s seat.

He began by having Dorne caught for 20 and with his next two deliveries he dismissed the in-form Jewel Andrew and the dangerous Shamar Apple for ducks to reduce West Indies to 115 for four.

Carter then found another ally in Jonathan van Lange, with the two sharing a 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket that carried their side to relative safety.

During their alliance, Carter brought up his century off 89 balls by thumping left-arm pacer Jason Rowles for two sixes in the 33rd over.

However, just as they were preparing to shift gears, Carter was bowled by James, with his dismissal sparking a West Indies middle order collapse in which they lost their next six wickets for 41 runs, including their last three for the addition of a solitary run.

Basson was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers with 5-23, while Rowles took 2-44.

It didn’t take long for Belle to make his mark with the ball, as he had Adnaan Lagadien caught at mid-on for 10 after he miscued his pull shot.

Spinner Isra-el Morton deceived Jorich van Schalkwyk with a delivery that turned the other way to trap him plumb in front, before Belle dismissed captain Muhammad Bulbulia in identical fashion to Lagadien, to leave South Africa 40 for three.

Rowles and Armaan Manack tried to rebuild the innings during a 42-run partnership for the fourth wicket, before the latter was run out for 17 to leave the game in the balance.

Left-arm spinner Vitel Lawes produced a gem of a delivery that spun past the outside edge and hit Rowles’ off stump to dismiss him for the topscore of 46 off 40 balls, to put the West Indies in control at 115 for five in the 24th over.

Belle then returned to snare the next four wickets of Paul James for seven, Daniel Bosman for 19, Michael Kruiskamp for five and Lethabo Phahlamohlaka for 26, as South Africa slumped to 167 for nine.

Pacer Jakeem Pollard then wrapped up the match by having Basson caught behind for three to spark wild celebrations among his teammates.