Category: CANA News

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew is due to arrive in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday for talks with the new Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday. Drew, who is also the chairman of the 15-member regional integration grouping, CARICOM, said he will be accompanied b officials from the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat.

The high-level meeting involves discussions with Prime Minister Friday along with his cabinet members and the primary objective of the meeting is to address regional interests and strengthen the cooperative bond between the two Caribbean countries.

St. Kitts and Nevis will host the next CARICOM summit February 24-27.

CARIBBEAN-CLIMATE-CANARI chairman urges Caribbean to ‘shock-proof’ climate justice strategiesThe event is being held under the theme ‘Towards climate justice in the Caribbean: building understanding and catalysing partnerships and finance,’ and will discuss issues including climate justice as a development, human rights and resilience priority for the region.

Springer said that the discussions were taking place against the backdrop of what he described as ‘truly seismic geopolitical upheaval’ which threatens to marginalise small states within the global multilateral system.

Springer said that the multilateral system is disappearing with ‘amazing speed’ and that while imperfect, it has historically provided small island states with a platform to be heard.

S[ringer said that the changing global landscape required a broader analytical lens and posed a central challenge for Caribbean policymakers and advocates.

‘How do we advance a climate justice agenda that is robust enough to survive current and future geopolitical shocks?’ Springer asked, noting that responding to climate change could not be limited to present-day activities alone.

‘We have to project forward and come up with a strategy that can survive these changes,’ he said, adding noting the escalating impacts of climate change across the region, pointing to increasing extreme weather events and a developing drought in the Eastern Caribbean.

He said this scenario is projected to extend well into the traditional rainy season.

‘These varied impacts justify the description that our heads of government have placed on climate change as an existential threat to the sustainable development of the Caribbean,’ he said, reiterating the ‘profound unfairness’ in the global climate system.

‘The wealthiest individuals and nations who contribute most . experience less impact and have greater capacity to adapt, while the poorest, less responsible communities suffer the worst effects and have the fewest resources to cope,’ Springer said, warning that this imbalance fuels ongoing social and economic inequality.

He said efforts to achieve climate justice must go hand in hand with protecting vulnerable livelihoods and prioritising those on the front lines of climate impacts.

‘We must listen to the lived realities of those on the front line of climate impacts,’ Springer said, emphasising the need to understand how climate change affects human rights.

Springer called for collective action grounded in care and solidarity, adding that climate justice must confront structural power imbalances and move beyond purely technical solutions.

‘Approaches to climate justice must move beyond technomanagerialist solutions and use an intersectional lens to expose root causes.climate justice must challenge structural power disparities and aim to reduce marginalisation, exploitation and oppression.’

The 2026 sugarcane harvest and milling season has gotten underway here, marking the start of a crop year defined by improved conditions, stronger coordination, and positive production prospects across Northern Belize.

‘In the face of disease, labour shortages, climate change shocks, rising costs, and delayed starts, you chose not to retreat. You chose to plant, to maintain, to prepare. You chose entrepreneurship over fear, keeping your families fed and your communities alive. Belize owes you a debt of gratitude,’ Prime Minister John Briceño said as he emphasised the importance of perseverance. Representatives of the government, the Belize Sugarcane Farmers Associations and the mill were present for the start of the harvesting with officials indicating that the 2026 season begins with healthier cane fields, improved harvest quality, and greater operational readiness throughout the industry.

They said that farmers, associations, millers, and technical partners have completed extensive preparation to ensure a timely, efficient, and productive harvest and milling process.

Enhanced field management practices strengthened disease monitoring, and favourable recent weather conditions have contributed to a more stable and promising crop. Early indicators point to improved cane quality and a smoother start to the milling season, supporting better outcomes for farmers and the wider economy.

The authorities say that a 2026 crop reflects a high level of coordination across the sugarcane value chain: from harvesting and transportation to milling operations.

‘This coordination continues positioning the industry for greater efficiency and resilience throughout the season.

‘As harvesting and milling commence, the 2026 sugarcane crop season opens with confidence, shared purpose, and optimism for a safe, productive, and successful harvest for all stakeholders.’

Last December, Prime Minister Briceño welcomed the one-year interim agreement reached between the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and the American Sugar Refinery/Belize Sugar Industries Ltd that allowed for the start of the new crop sugar season that the authorities hope will yield an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of sugarcane for milling.

The leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, Azruddin Mohamed, Tuesday failed in his attempt to meet with the Speaker of Parliament, Manzoor Nadir, as the uncertainty continues over the election of an opposition leader.

The leader of the minority opposition, Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), Amanza Walton-Desir, has threatened to boycott next Monday’s 2026 national budget presentation to Parliament if an opposition leader is not selected by that time. Nadir has so far not called the constitutionally required meeting of opposition legislators to elect the opposition leader amid speculation that he has been instructed by the Irfaan Ali government not to do so because Mohamed, the front runner for the position is facing extradition to the United States on fraud and other related charges.

President Ali has denied the accusation and Attorney General Anil Nandlall is on record as saying that electing Mohamed as opposition leader would tarnish the country’s image.

WIN is the party with the second highest number of seats in the Parliament with 16, surpassing the coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) that had commanded the position in the last parliament.

‘I want (Vice President Bharrat) Jagdeo and Irfaan (Ali) to know that we won’t take this lightly.If we have to arrange peaceful protests, we’ll hit the streets next,’ Mohammed told reporters after sitting outside the Speaker’s office.

Mohamed making reference to other countries, noted that ‘in different parts of the world, protesters do change situations’.

Mohamed said he had gone to the Parliament Building to meet with Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, as to when the meeting to elect an opposition leader would be held.

Mohamed said Nadir arrived, went to his office and even as he attempted to hold discussions with the Speaker, he was informed by a parliament office staff member that the Speaker would not be meeting with the WIN delegation.

But he hinted at possible legal action ‘after we exhaust all ends’ telling reporters that the position of opposition leader is key to holding the government ‘accountable.

‘We don’t know how we can move forward with a budget without the leader of the opposition,’ he said, adding that he could not say how that position is a requirement for budgetary accountability.

The WIN Leader, however, noted that the position of opposition leader is needed to restructure the composition of the seven-member Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

‘Right now, GECOM is doing claims and objections and I don’t have anyone there to represent my party and we’re the main opposition party,’ he said.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued here, Walton-Desir said ‘we will not sit there and pretend that it is business as usual.

‘So let me be clear: Forward Guyana Movement will not be sitting to listen to Ashni go on for hours while the government refuses to facilitate the election of the Leader of the Opposition. We will not lend legitimacy to nonsense,’ she added.

The opposition legislator also questioned how the budget for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition was crafted as it is funded by the State through a subvention from Parliament.

‘So, who has been engaged to determine that figure? What figure did they budget for the operation of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition when they have deliberately refused to allow one to be elected?’

The 65-seat National Assembly met on November 3, 2025 for the first and only time following the September 1 general and regional elections that saw the return of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to office.

Earlier this month, United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, says Guyana needs to have in place an opposition leader based on the results of the September 1 general and regional elections.

‘I think it’s incredibly important that you have a functioning parliament in any democracy and in order to have that, you do need a Leader of the Opposition. It just makes things work properly,’ Theriot told reporters.

The US diplomat said steps should be taken to have the opposition leader in place at the earliest opportunity, adding ‘I do think it’s very important for Guyana, as soon as possible, to elect a Leader of the Opposition’.

She also noted that the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom have all called for the election of the opposition leader.

The newly formed coalition People’s Coalition for Progress (PCP) says it intends to cause an upset in the February 11 general election in Barbados and has accused Prime Minister Mia Mottley of calling a snap general election regardless as to whether or not voters are prepared for the event.

The PCP comprises The United Progressive Party (UPP), the New National Party (NNP) and the Conservative Barbados Leadership Party (CBLP) and it is the fourth political party to have indicated an intention to contest the general elections that Prime Minister Mottley called a year in advance for a second consecutive time. The other parties are the ruling Barbados Labour Party, (BLP), the main opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and the newly formed Reform Barbados headed by Steve Prescott, a British-born employment rights attorney with Barbadian roots.

Nomination Day is January 27. In the last two general elections, the BLP won all 30 seats in ther Parliament.

PCP leader, Lynette Eastmond, a former minister of commerce, consumer affairs and business development, told a news conference that Prime Minister Mottley’s decision to call the early poll was putting voters at a disadvantage voters rather than the political parties.

‘You just call a snap election. Whoever ready, ready. We ready because we knew when it was going to be called. Let the others do whatever they please.

‘That’s not fair. I’m not saying it isn’t fair to the parties, you know? I’m saying it’s not fair to the people of Barbados who should have a clear opportunity to determine who they would vote for, not vote for the loudest or stay home, because you realise that many Barbadians aren’t bothering to go out to vote,’ Eastmond said, warning of voter apathy, especially in the constituency in the capital.

‘We don’t treat the people as though they live in the capital of Barbados. So they don’t go to vote, and many Barbadians have stopped voting. I’m here to ask them to come back out to vote, which is markedly different; do not stay at home.’

Eastmond, who served as a research fellow for the Netherlands -based International Fiscal Association, spoke of the importance of moving away from a two-party system, noting that several countries with multi-party parliaments rank highly on the Human Development Index (HDI)..

‘In Hong Kong, in some of these countries, they have over 12 parties represented in Parliament, and they also have coalitions in Parliament. When is Barbados going to move towards that, or are we suffering from arrested development?’

Eastmond also called for electoral reform, criticising the first-past-the-post system and advocating proportional representation.

‘First past the post is an old-fashioned system of determining how people vote. It’s all ridiculous. So only 73 per cent of the population voted for the Barbados Labour Party but they took up all the seats. That’s not right. When we are given the opportunity to represent the people of Barbados, we will change that, because that needs to be changed.’

She told reporters that there should be fixed election dates and a broader political representation in Parliament, even as she questioned the size of Parliament, arguing that it is disproportionate to Barbados’s population.

‘We don’t need 30 seats. No, it’s too big, not for a country with 300 000 people. It’s a joke. It’s too big and it’s too costly. It is totally unnecessary. It’s another burden on Barbadians.’

CBLP leader Corey Beckles said the coalition is offering renewed leadership and energy, arguing that Parliament needs new voices.

‘We need fresh voices in Parliament. after many, many years of promises, after promises not being kept . sometimes our motivation starts to wane,’ said Beckles.

‘But you see us, we got the early tiger. the strong foundation, the strong motivation that will take this country into a new level of governance.’

Candidates will contest the election individually, as with other political parties, with elected members determining who would become prime minister, the PCP said, adding that its full list of candidates will be made public soon.

The leader of the minority opposition, Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), Amanza Walton-Desir, is threatening to boycott next Monday’s 2026 national budget presentation to Parliament if an opposition leader is not selected by that time.

Speaker Manzoor Nadir has so far not called the constitutionally required meeting of opposition legislators to elect the opposition leader amid speculation that he has been instructed by the Irfaan Ali government not to do so because the front runner for the position, Azruddin Mohamed, the leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) is facing extradition to the United States on fraud and other related charges. President Ali has denied the accusation and Attorney General Anil Nandlall is on record as saying that electing Mohamed as opposition leader would tarnish the country’s image.

WIN is the party with the second highest number of seats in the Parliament with 16, surpassing the coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) that had commanded the position in the last parliament.

In a statement issued here, Walton-Desir said ‘we will not sit there and pretend that it is business as usual.

‘So let me be clear: Forward Guyana Movement will not be sitting to listen to Ashni go on for hours while the government refuses to facilitate the election of the Leader of the Opposition. We will not lend legitimacy to nonsense,’ she added.

The opposition legislator also questioned how the budget for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition was crafted as it is funded by the State through a subvention from Parliament.

‘So, who has been engaged to determine that figure? What figure did they budget for the operation of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition when they have deliberately refused to allow one to be elected?’

The 65-seat National Assembly met on November 3, 2025 for the first and only time following the September 1 general and regional elections that saw the return of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to office.

BOBSLEIGH-JAMAICA-From Welsh Ice to Jamaican dream: Mica Moore’s remarkable Olympic returnMoore is no stranger to the pinnacle of her sport. At the 2018 PyeongChang Games, she and pilot Mica McNeill secured Britain’s best-ever women’s bobsleigh result with an eighth-place finish. Now, she is set to create history of a different kind.

Having received Jamaican citizenship in December 2024, Moore will honour her family roots at the ultimate sporting festival.

Her grandfather, Venson Byfield, was part of the Windrush generation who settled in Wales.

‘I can’t believe it,’ Moore declared in an emotional social media post. ‘Four years ago, I watched from the sidelines, but four years later, I’ve booked my seat at the party. This is the greatest honour of my career to represent my heritage of Jamaica at the Olympics, a moment I have only dreamt of!’

Her path to these Games has been fraught with challenge. A talented track sprinter who represented Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Moore transitioned to bobsleigh and reached its peak before stepping away from the British programme in 2022.

At the time, she cited ‘damaging and offensive behaviour’ within the system. After a three-year break, the call of the ice and her Jamaican heritage proved irresistible.

She made her competitive return for Jamaica in January 2025 at a European Cup event in Lillehammer, reigniting her Olympic dream.

‘The journey was never going to be easy. This is the biggest message to myself to never ever give up. To keep going even when hurting and when others try to halt you.’

Moore’s qualification adds another thrilling chapter to Jamaica’s iconic bobsleigh legacy, immortalised by the film Cool Runnings.

The Jamaican team will be a strong presence in Milan-Cortina, having also qualified crews for the four-man and two-man events.

The XXV Winter Olympic Games run from 6th to 22nd February in northern Italy.

Victor was sworn in as Opposition Leader on Monday, after reaching an agreement with the other independent opposition legislator, Anthony Charles, and ending 18 months of a stalemate n the Dominica parliament.

‘Honestly, I feel good. I think it is the continuation from where left off in 2024. I know persons have their concerns, they also have their views, but today myself and Honourable Charles, we had our discussions and today we are seeing the outcome of our discussions,’ Mrs Paul-Victor told reporters. Both Paul-Victor and Charles entered parliament as independent candidates after winning seats in the December 20, 2022 snap general election.

Last year, Prime Ministers Roosevelt Skerrit said that the non-appointment of an opposition leader ‘is not a crisis’ even as he acknowledged that the holder of the post has certain constitutional responsibilities.

In the general election, Skerrit led the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) to a convincing victory winning 19 of the 21 seats following a boycott by the main opposition political parties.

Paul-Victor and Charles had agreed to a power-sharing arrangement in which they would alternate the position between them. But the accord fell through after Paul-Victor resigned in June 2024.

Charles had earlier told the state-owned DBS Radio that he had decided to throw his support behind Paul Victor, who had previously served for two years and that a letter with his signature had been sent to the Office of President, Sylvanie Burton.

‘Jesma and I have decided to solve the constitutional crisis that has been going on for a year. We have solved it,’ Charles told DBS Radio, adding ‘this is not a Jesma and Tony thing.

‘This is for the greater good of Dominica. We have solved it.Let’s not talk unity, but leave unity and improve our country as best as we can. It’s as simple as that. :ets be united and move forward with our country,’ he told DBS Radio.

Paul-Victor, who represents the west coast constituency of Salisbury, told reporters on Monday that she ‘can’t be the leader of the opposition without the support of Mr. Charles and vice versa’.

She said the country is aware of the circumstances that led to the breakdown of the previous arrangement adding ‘we have spoken about this, we have buried the hatchet, we know that things happen in politics and we are moving forward.

‘We have bigger things to deal with, we have issues of the country that we have to address and we have had a vacuum for a very long time ad we believe we had to take a decision to have a leader of the opposition to have a voice in parliament to deal with issues as the Constitution prescribes’.

The co-founder of the legendary reggae band Third World, Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, died suddenly on Sunday evening, his publicist said in a statement. He was 69 years old and the third member of the band to have died since its formation.

The guitarist was one of the early members of the Third World band along with with keyboardist, Ibo Cooper, pioneering fusion of reggae, soul, funk, pop, and rock that helped shape the reggae-fusion sound and propel Jamaican music onto the global stage. Cooper died from cancer on October 12, 2023 at the age of 71. Both men had received formal training at different music schools run by their aunt and mother respectively in Jamaica.

The band also lost singer Milton ‘Prilly’ Hamilton who died on 17 February 2025. Since its formation, Third World has also lost William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke who died in February 2014 and Irvin ‘Carrot’ Jarette, who passed away on July 31, 2018.

The band achieved international acclaim with enduring classics such as Now That We’ve Found Love, 96 Degrees in the Shade, and Try Jah Love, becoming one of Jamaica’s longest-running and most successful bands.

Coore, who is celebrated for his exceptional musicianship, compositional brilliance, and deep musical knowledge, was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Jamaican culture and the creative arts.

He leaves behind his wife Lisa, his children, Shiah, Kanna, Stephen, and Ashley, his grandchildren, as well as extended family, bandmates, colleagues, and countless fans across the globe.

The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago says a revitalised Venezuela oil industry could potentially be one source for providing crude oil if the oil refinery in south Trinidad is re-started.

‘If the refinery does restart, as everyone in the industry hopes, then the refinery operators will have to find new sources of crude to import. A revitalised Venezuela oil industry could potentially be one source,’ the Energy Chamber said.

It said that over the past few years there has been a great deal of discourse in the country about the opportunities to import natural gas from Venezuela to Trinidad for processing into petrochemical or liquified natural gas (LNG) and re-exporting the final products to international markets.

It said that this continues to be a major area of interest and especially with the Dragon gas field.

‘While the current focus is on gas, there was a time in the past when Trinidad and Tobago imported substantial volumes of crude oil from Venezuela primarily as feedstock for the now mothballed Point-a-Pierre refinery.’

The Energy Chamber said that in the year 2000, Trinidad and Tobago imported over 18 million barrels of crude from Venezuela, which at the time represented over half of the country’s imported crude. It said that this is equivalent to just over 50,000 barrels per day roughly equal to the current domestic production of the country.

‘To some, it might be surprising that Trinidad and Tobago imported oil at all. However, this was done mainly to supplement domestic production for the refinery as local output fell. Annually, the country imported around 30 million barrels (over 80,000 barrels per day) of crude from sources around the world, including Venezuela, other parts of Latin America, Canada, Russia, and Africa.’

The Energy Chamber said that the crude oil that was imported from Venezuela did not all go to the refinery for processing and that there were some volumes from Venezuela that were imported, stored and the reexported.

‘There was also Venezuelan crude that was processed at Point-a-Pierre to create lube oils for export. ‘

The Energy Chamber noted that in the early 2000s PDVSA, the state oil company of Venezuela, were actually members of the Energy Chamber, then called the South Trinidad Chamber, regularly attending and speaking at the Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference.

‘Over time, however, this relationship slipped, as did the imports of crude from Venezuela. The imports eventually stopped in 2009, after which other sources were sought. During the peak years, Venezuelan oil played a critical role in supporting refinery operations, supplying the volumes needed to sustain output.

‘The refinery has a capacity of approximately 175,000 barrels of oil per day. Domestic production from Trinidad and Tobago alone could not meet this demand; therefore, imports were necessary to keep the refinery operational.

‘In 2018, when the refinery closed, domestic production was 63,000 barrels per day. Production continues to slip, however, and domestic production now stands at approximately 53,000 barrels per day,’ the Energy Chamber said.

Following the United States military invasion of Venezuela ear;ier this year, President Donald Trump has indicated that Washington will run the South American country for the foreseeable future.

Venezuela is sitting on a massive 303 billion barrels worth of crude, about a fifth of the world’s global reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The Trinidad and Tobago government has already indicayed that it is exploring the possibility of regional and international partners being involved in the re-start of the state-owned oil refinery that was shut down in 2018 when the former government said the cost of upgrading the refinery would have loaded the company with an unsustainable debt burden estimated at TT$12 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents).

Energy and Energy Industries Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said the Kamla-Persad Bissessar administration has given serious consideration to the ‘Interim Report of the Refinery Restart Committee’ led by former energy minister Kevin Ramnarine, last month.

Last December, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said her government would restart the state-owned Petrotrin oil refinery and that the findings of the committee ‘are clear, restarting the Guaracara Refinery is technically, commercially and financially viable even after seven years of closure and neglect’.