Category: CANA News

Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel Friday sentenced a former police officer, Karim Warner, to one year in jail, after he was found guilty of discharging his firearm in a public place on December 3, 2022.

Magistrate Emanuel emphasised the seriousness of the offence, noting the risk to public safety.

The magistrate had earlier this week postponed the sentencing after the prosecutors said Warner fired 12 rounds at a motor vehicle with two occupants after a confrontation during an attempt to reclaim a leased vehicle. No one was injured.

The court heard that the male occupant refused to hand over the car before shots were fired., The 37-year-old father of two, had broken down in tears in the St John’s Magistrates’ Court this week after he was found guilty of the charge.

Warner had initially faced charges for discharging a firearm in a public place and assaulting both vehicle occupants. He maintained his innocence, entering not guilty pleas.

In February, the prosecution dropped the assault charges entirely and the situation became more complicated when the male complainant failed to appear for trial and formally withdrew from the case, stating he no longer wished to participate in the proceedings.

Despite these setbacks, Magistrate Emanuel continued with the remaining charge of discharging a firearm in a public place with testimony from four witnesses, including the female complainant, a taxi driver, police officers, and additional witnesses.

Following the prosecution’s presentation, defense attorney Andrew O’Kola mounted a no-case submission, contending that prosecutors had failed to meet the evidentiary threshold required to sustain the charges. O’Kola requested the case be dismissed outright.

But after considering the arguments from the state and the defence, Magistrate Emanuel rejected the no-case submission.

Jamaica is the only Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to have benefited from 23 projects funded by the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund that has improved the quality of life of more than 700,000 children in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In a statement, the IDB said that in its eight years of implementation, during which it invested US$10 million, the initiative has also benefited 300,000 parents and caregivers and 5,000 childcare centers in the region.

The 23 projects funded in Jamaica, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay explored new ways to boost attendance in early childhood education, improve the quality of interactions between children and caregivers, and address the situation of migrant children.

‘Investing in children’s development is a highly cost-effective strategy. Quality programmes for vulnerable children ages zero to five generate an annual return as high as 14 per cent,’ said Ferdinando Regalia, IDB Social Sector manager.

‘Not making these investments has a high cost for society and undermines the future education, economy, and health of an entire country,’ he added.

To find innovative ways to scale up child development programmes while emphasizing quality, the IDB joined forces with leading civil society organizations-FEMSA Foundation, Van Leer Foundation, María Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, and Porticus-to create the fund.

The alliance came together to finance, design, implement, and evaluate novel and scalable approaches that improve the lives of children under age five in the region, with a focus on the most disadvantaged groups within each country.

The IDB said that in Latin America and the Caribbean, the cost of non-action in early childhood amounts to 1.6 per cent of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP).

It said millions of children in the region still lack essential health, nutrition, and early childhood stimulation services. The average country in the region only allocates 0.34 per cent of its GDP to preschool education, well below the average percentage in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries. This low investment restricts access to quality services and deepens social inequalities.

In addition to its projects, the Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund became a regional knowledge platform. It generated evidence on the most effective interventions and shared resources and best practices through the Community of Practice in Early Childhood Development and the Childhood Development Hub. This effort bolstered collaboration between governments, civil society, the private sector, and academia and laid the groundwork for more effective and sustainable public policies.

‘The achievements of the Early Childhood Development Innovative Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean reflect the IDB Group’s commitment to expanding the impact and scale of development initiatives to fuel sustainable economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean in a way that puts people at the center of development,’ the IDB added.

India reached 448 for five, an overall lead of 286 runs, against West Indies at the close of play on the second day of the first Test here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

Scores

WEST INDIES 162.

INDIA 448-5 in 128 overs (Dhruv Jurel 125, Ravindra Jadeja 104 not out, KL Rahul 100, Shubman Gill 50, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36; Roston Chase 2-90).

India reached 326 for four, an overall lead of 164 runs, against West Indies at tea on the second day of the first Test here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

Scores

WEST INDIES 162.

INDIA 326-4 in 96 overs (KL Rahul 100, Dhruv Jurel 68 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 50 not out, Shubman Gill 50, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36; Roston Chase 2-63).

Immigrant advocacy groups have warned of the ‘grave impact’ of the United States S federal government shutdown on Caribbean and other immigrants.

The San Diego, California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) said it was ‘gravely concerned’ noting that ‘a shutdown of even a few days could delay asylum hearings, stall visa and work permit applications, and slow the already overwhelming immigration court backlog’.

HBA’s founder and executive director, Guerline Jozef, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) these disruptions will leave families in limbo, extend detention periods, and heighten uncertainty for Haitians and other vulnerable populations.

‘Every shutdown ripples outward to those least able to withstand the consequences. Immigrants cannot afford more delayed access to justice, reunification with loved ones, or the protections they desperately need.. We call on leaders to prioritize the dignity and humanity of those caught in the middle,’ Jozef added.

The US federal government shut down at midnight on Tuesday after the US Congress failed to reach a deal on funding.

The president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Murad Awawdeh said that court appearances for many Caribbean and other immigrants were rescheduled without notice.

He said immigration courts across the country have responded to the shutdown ‘inconsistently, creating chaos in New York courthouses.

‘A government shutdown threatens the long-term provision of essential services and programmes for millions of children, veterans and families,’ Awawdeh told CMC.

‘Yet, the Trump administration has deemed ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) operations and deportation activities as ‘essential’-meaning its US$170 billion mass deportation and detention agenda will continue without interruption, even as hard-working families across the country are left without critical support.

‘Immigrant communities will continue to live under the daily threat of raids, deportation, and detention, further destabilizing communities. The federal government shutdown has thrown thousands of New York families into turmoil, as they attempt to navigate access to essential services and requirements to appear in immigration courts. This isn’t how a just and functional democracy for the people should work.’

Awaedeh said that the Trump administration has intentionally turned its back on all hard working families by divesting from essential services, like health care and food programmes, in order to pour billions of dollars into ICE and CBP (US Customs and Border Protection agency).

‘The federal government is choosing to prioritize the criminalistion and separation of families over the well-being of every child and family who calls this country home and truly make America great.’

Meanwhile, Caribbean-American Democratic leaders have blamed President and the Republicans for the federal government shutdown.

‘From the moment Donald Trump took office, he and his administration have been on a relentless crusade to make this nation less affordable, less equitable, and less like the America we love with all our hearts,’ Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, told CMC.

‘This ongoing government shutdown is simply the culmination of those efforts so far. The American people are not fools,’ added the representative for the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn.

‘They see that Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they know the responsibility to fund the government is on the majority’s shoulders. If Republicans cannot keep the government open without Democratic votes, they should have a meaningful dialogue with our leaders rather than insult them with crude, racist caricatures for applause on social media.’

Clarke, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), said it will not support any spending bill that strips healthcare from millions, slashes federal jobs, and drives up the cost of living for working families.

Congressman Adriano Espaillat, the first Dominican Republic-American to serve in the US House of Representatives, also condemned the action by the Trump adminsitration to freeze funding for New York City transit and infrastructure.

‘The White House’s decision to threaten the Gateway Project and Second Avenue Subway, our nation’s most critical infrastructure projects, is another exhibit of the reckless partisanship and bad governance that triggered this Republican government shutdown,’ said Espaillat,

The non-government organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Friday said that as the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, sinks deeper into a crisis marked by violent clashes between armed groups and police forces, there has been an increase in the number of civilian causalities arriving at its facilities.

MSF, also known as Doctors without Borders, said that while nearly two in five Haitians are in urgent need of medical care due to widespread insecurity and violence, 60 to 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince’s health facilities are closed or non-functional for the same reasons.

It said that between January and June 2025, MSF teams assisted 2,600 victims and survivors of sexual violence, admitted 13,300 patients to emergency rooms and treated 2,267 victims of violence.

Among these, 26 per cent were minors, compared to 11 per cent in 2024 with MSF stating that most minors were under the age of 15, and one third were girls. Thirty per cent of all minors admitted for violence-related injuries suffered gunshot wounds.

The Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) says it will from November 1 this year, transfer its Guyana banking operations to Scotiabank Guyana Inc. (SGI), a locally registered company which is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Nova Scotia Canada.

A statement from Scotiabank said SGI has already been incorporated in Guyana and has been granted a license to conduct banking business and provide financial services under the Financial Institutions Act. It said this transfer will have no impact to customers, employees, suppliers, or any other stakeholder.

The Bank of Nova Scotia has been operating as a branch in Guyana since 1968 but has taken the decision to reorganise its business for greater efficiency and capital management.

‘This structure is in alignment with Scotiabank’s other global operations, including those in the Caribbean region (The Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos) and Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru), which operate as subsidiaries.’

The statement said that the main change resulting from this reorganisation is the new name of the company.

The statement said that clients and suppliers already know the bank as Scotiabank but will now start to see the new name of ‘Scotiabank Guyana Inc.’ as its legal name, as opposed to the previous name ‘The Bank of Nova Scotia.

‘We have made several recent investments, including technology enhancements to our Mobile App, the introduction of payment solutions for retail self-checkout kiosks, the digitisation of our client onboarding process, expansion of our ABM footprint, and incremental bandwidth upgrades,’ said Jabar Singh, President and chief executive officer, Scotiabank Colpatria (Colombia), the head of Scotiabank Caribbean and Central America.

‘The bank also plans to expand its client coverage and business portfolio in Guyana. This includes enhancements to Global Transaction Banking (GTB) products and services, and Global Banking and Markets (GBM) services such as investment banking, cash management and trade finance,’ Singh said reinforcing the bank’s commitment to growing its business in Guyana under the new legal structure.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has dismissed reports that Guyana is facing a foreign exchange crisis, saying that the recent increase in demand for United States dollars is largely linked to massive capital projects being executed in the oil-rich country.

Jagdeo, speaking at his weekly news conference, said that Guyana’s reserves and inflows remain strong and that companies are borrowing more from local banks to finance the procurement of equipment, temporarily pushing the demand for demand foreign currency.

‘Once those projects are finished, the demand goes down,’ he told reporters, adding that the savings will also come down when the landmark Gas-to-energy (GTE) projects comes on stream, since Guyana will be able to produce its own energy and supply cooking gas locally, which will then decrease imports.

He said this will allow Guyana to ‘have more foreign currency coming in and less going out,’ adding ‘that is why this talk about a crisis is nonsense’.

Earlier this week, the Guyana government unveiled a new plan aimed at stemming the outflow of United States currency that has now almost quadrupled over the past year to about US$1.2 billion.

A statement issued by the Office of the President, Dr Irfaan Ali, said the new measures would require importers to provide their invoice, bill of lading and Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) compliance to commercial banks before payments are released.

‘The implementation of these nine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) is designed to tighten foreign exchange controls, improve transparency, and prevent abuse of the system, especially in the context of rising demand and capital flight,’ the statement said.

The government is also mandating commercial banks to monitor credit card usage to ensure they are being used for personal rather than business transactions, with the government noting a sharp escalation in credit card usage as part of the broader concerns regarding foreign exchange outflows.

In 2023, total credit card clearance stood at approximately US$91.3 million, surging to US$347.5 million last year. The government said that in 2025, the amount has already reached close to US$252 million, signalling continued high-volume activity.

Providing statistics showing the Central Bank’s intervention in the foreign exchange market, the government said last year, US$332 million was provided to meet foreign exchange demand, rising to US$1.2 billion so far this year, with an additional US$160 million still pending.

The government said that an interagency Task Force, including technical support, was convened to comprehensively review the increase in demand for foreign exchange.

Jagdeo during the news conference also dismissed the idea of capital flight, saying that Guyana continues to see strong inflows because of the many opportunities available in the economy.

At the same time, the Vice President raised concerns about abuses of the system by some non-Guyanese entities who are exploiting Guyana’s liberal exchange market to buy U.S. dollars and funnel it abroad.

‘We have non-Guyanese entities using our free floating system to access foreign currency here and then taking it abroad to meet their own demands. That cannot continue,’ he said, adding that’s why President Ali announced the nine measures to ensure companies submit invoices for large foreign currency transactions.

‘If you don’t have the invoice, you’re not going to get it,’ Jagdeo said, making it clear that ‘this will not apply to small businesses or individuals’.

He cited cases where some foreign-owned supermarkets operating in Guyana were not even registered with the local tax system yet were using the banking system to access large sums of foreign currency.

‘We can’t allow that. This is about protecting our system and ensuring fairness,’ Jagdeo said, adding that the government is determined to keep the system free and accessible to legitimate businesses and individuals while cracking down on loopholes that undermine tax compliance and foreign exchange stability.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo says no agreement has been signed with the US-based Curlew Midstream to build a storage facility here, nearly eight months after the Guyana government had announced plans for cheaper fuels by year end.

‘There were some major differences in the terms of the deal,’ Jagdeo told a news conference.

The government had suspended negotiations with several oil and gas sector negotiations until after the September 1 general and regional elections.

The intention was for Curlew Midstream to construct a US$300 million state-of-the-art depot that would have a capacity of 750,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and heavy fuel oil.

Jagdeo told reporters that the Irfaan Ali government would ‘re-engage’ with Curlew Midstream and others to ensure that the deal would benefit the population.

‘We’ll only sign up to an agreement that protects Guyana in the long-term but would yield significant short-term benefits to our country,’ he said, adding that the project had entailed procurement of the fuels through Curlew Midstream and the establishment of a tank farm in Guyana to store more fuel to cut the price of procurement by between 20 to 35 per cent.

‘That’s entirely doable. If we can do that, although we have the lowest gasoline and diesel price in the Caribbean because of the government subsidy, we can get that price even further down, significantly cheaper and that is the essence of the deal,’ Jagdeo said.

He said if government could not secure such terms, it would not sign an agreement.

‘We have our lawyers working on this and we are not going to be very convenient to sign things today that will harm our country 10 years from now, 20 years from now. We are not going to be rushed into signing any agreement,’ Jagdeo said, insisting that the government would do ‘all of the due diligence’ before signing an agreement.

In February, President Ali had said that by the end of this year, Guyana would have been buying cheaper fuels, amounting to about 30,000 barrels per day, from Curlew Midstream.

He said then that the project also envisaged Guyana being a fuel hub for the Caribbean and northern Brazil.

The non-government organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Friday said that as the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, sinks deeper into a crisis marked by violent clashes between armed groups and police forces, there has been an increase in the number of civilian causalities arriving at its facilities.

MSF, also known as Doctors without Borders, said that while nearly two in five Haitians are in urgent need of medical care due to widespread insecurity and violence, 60 to 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince’s health facilities are closed or non-functional for the same reasons.

It said that between January and June 2025, MSF teams assisted 2,600 victims and survivors of sexual violence, admitted 13,300 patients to emergency rooms and treated 2,267 victims of violence.

Among these, 26 per cent were minors, compared to 11 per cent in 2024 with MSF stating that most minors were under the age of 15, and one third were girls. Thirty per cent of all minors admitted for violence-related injuries suffered gunshot wounds.

‘These figures reflect the alarming deterioration of the situation in Haiti, where civilians, including women and children, are increasingly exposed to danger every day,’ says Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho, MSF head of mission in Haiti, adding ‘civilians must be spared by the parties to this conflict’.

MSF said that on September 20, at least 17 wounded people were treated at the MSF hospital in Drouillard following a drone attack carried out the same day in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood.

Among these patients were two men who were already dead on arrival, and another man who died while being transferred, 10 women – one of whom died en route to MSF’s trauma hospital in Tabarre – and three children who tragically did not survive their injuries. Two more women injured in this attack died at the nearby Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital, where MSF is also working.

‘This violence is occurring in the context of a territorial conflict, with communities directly on the frontlines, trapped between the threat of explosive drones and the brutal violence of armed groups that loot and burn homes, destroy neighbourhoods, terrorise communities, and increasingly use sexual violence as a weapon of control, punishment, and extortion,’ MSF said.

It said on average, about 18 per cent of patients followed through MSF’s general healthcare project in neighbourhoods controlled by armed groups report that they avoid using public transportation to reach medical facilities outside these areas, fearing they might be targeted.

MSF said that the restricted movement of residents, combined with the widespread closure of hospitals since 2024 due to armed attacks, looting, the exodus of medical staff, and difficulties in supplying medicines, has drastically reduced and centralised the availability of healthcare, leaving a large share of people without access to vital services.

It said that this situation also places extreme pressure on the facilities that remain operational, notably MSF’s trauma hospital in Tabarre, which has increased its bed capacity by 50 per cent, with 26 per cent of trauma cases linked to violence.

Only one major public hospital is still functioning in the capital, Hôpital universitaire de la Paix, and it is regularly overwhelmed.

‘This devastating context fuels a profound sense of abandonment among Haitians. And, it must be said, the severe decline in healthcare availability – a crisis within the crisis – also leaves the few remaining humanitarian and medical actors with the impression of being overwhelmed by ever-growing needs,’ Musubaho said.

MSF said it remains fully committed to supporting the people of Haiti and is working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Population, adding ‘it is imperative that civilians, healthcare workers, and medical facilities be protected’.