Category: CANA News

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Monday, December 15, 2025.

PORT OF SPAIN – The Trinidad and Tobago government Monday said it had granted approval for United States military aircraft to transit the local airspace ‘in the coming weeks’.

GEORGETOWN – A Three day workshop aimed at producing a workplan for the establishment of national institutional mechanisms for synergistic implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS) and the United nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) got underway here on Monday.

WASHINGTON – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says The Bahamas economy remains resilient even as it acknowledged that growth is expected to decelerate slightly in 2025.

ST. GEORGE’S -The Aviation Services of Grenada (ASG) has apologised to the public promising that it ‘will continue to work to minimise disruption to services’ following last weekend’s cancellation or late departure of flights at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA).

KINGSTOWN – Opposition Leader, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, has accused the ruling New Democratic Party (NDP) government of ‘deception’ over its promise to pay public sector workers a ‘bonus salary’.

SPORTS:

MANCHESTER – Aston Villa manager, Natalia Arroyo has described Jamaican international and Manchester City forward Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw as the best striker in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

A Three day workshop aimed at producing a workplan for the establishment of national institutional mechanisms for synergistic implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS) and the United nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) got underway here on Monday.

The subregional capacity building workshop on the ABAS and its Monitoring and Evaluation (M and E) Framework, is organised by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) According to the organisers, the workshop will result in the validation of the ABAS M and E framework through direct input from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) statistical and policy experts, ensuring that national institutional mechanisms and M and E framework build on existing capacities, reflects national realities and can be effectively integrated into country national development planning framework and data systems, respectively.

They said the objectives of the three-day event are to develop capacity of Caribbean SIDS to institute mechanisms for synergistic implementation of the ABAS and the SDGs in alignment with national development priorities as well as familiarise SIDS stakeholders with the ABAS M and E framework and its indicators.

It also has the objective of increasing the knowledge of national statistical experts and policymakers on the ABAS indicators, methodologies, and data sources as well as document challenges faced by countries in operationalising the Caribbean SIDS Mechanism for Sustainable Development;

It will also inform Caribbean SIDS on global reporting processes, ensuring that their perspectives are integrated into ongoing UN statistical and methodological discussions and

support alignment of national sustainable development mechanisms and national data ecosystems with reporting for ABAS, SDGs, and related frameworks.

The organisers said that an important outcome of the workshop will be the development of preliminary needs assessments and national workplans, which will provide a roadmap for how countries can implement the ABAS M and E framework in practice.

They said this will help identify specific technical assistance and capacity development requirements, while also laying the foundation for more systematic and coordinated reporting starting in 2026.

The workshop will also strengthen cooperation among SIDS by fostering peer-to-peer exchanges and establishing the basis for networks that enable continued learning and sharing of experiences.

The main facilitators at the three day workshop are be staff members from UNSD, SIDS Unit, and Trinidad-based ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean.

The Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), held in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024, adopted the ABAS, which was subsequently endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 July 2024.

ABAS is the fourth international programme of action for SIDS, setting out sustainable development priorities for the next decade and identifying support needed from the international community.

The Trinidad and Tobago government Monday said it had granted approval for United States military aircraft to transit the local airspace ‘in the coming weeks’.

‘The United States has advised that these movements are logistical in nature, facilitating supply replenishment and routine personnel relations,’ the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said in a statement.

Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers said the government is maintaining ‘close engagement’ with the US Embassy here, adding that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar ‘has affirmed the government’s commitment to cooperation and collaboration in the pursuit of safety and security for Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region.

‘We welcome the continued support for the United States,’ he added.

Prime Minister Persaud-Bissessar has over the past few months backed the United States military operation in the Caribbean as part of its drug-eradication programme, despite political observers and Venezuela itself saying that Washington’s aim is to effect regime change in Caracas and remove President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Persad-Bissessar’s position is at variance with the rest of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that has insisted that the region be maintained as a zone of peace, even while supporting Washington’s efforts to deal with the illegal drugs trade.

In its statement, the Ministry of CARICOM and Foreign Affairs said that through its ongoing partnership with the United States, Trinidad and Tobago has benefitted from joint military training exercises, enhanced surveillance capabilities, ‘including the installation of an effective radar system and collaborative efforts that have contributed to the interdiction of millions of dollars worth of illegal narcotics’.

It said that the embassy here has also been engaged in supporting national development through educational initiatives.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has defended hee government’s decision to push ahead with legislation that is designed and will be implemented with a clear purpose, to protect and to grow jobs, to enhance foreign and domestic investment, and to grow the for all Barbadians, especially in a very uncertain global environment.

In a national radio and television broadcast on Sunday night, Prime Minister Mottley said that while parliamentary proceedings are public and accessible, she fully accept that it is not reasonable to expect every citizen to watch Parliament, to read legislation, or to decipher financial language on their own.

She said with regards to the Economic Diversification and Growth Fund Bill much has been said publicly about the legislation. ‘Some of it has been emotional, and yes, some of it has been political. But I do not dismiss emotion, and I do not dismiss concern. Once we slow the conversation down, and look carefully at the facts, a clearer and more balanced picture emerges.’

Mottley said that under the previous administration, in 2018 foreign international business companies were taxed at rates as low as 2.5 per cent and declining to 1.5 per cent, while local companies were taxed at 25 per cent.

‘That is a fact. That system was judged by international regulators to be unacceptable given the ring fencing we provided in favour of foreign companies. In other words, there were two different regimes for foreign and local companies. More importantly, it therefore placed Barbadian businesses at a severe disadvantage in their own country. We corrected that and removed the disparity between the treatment of local and foreign companies with respect to taxation.’

Mottley told the nation that her administration was able to create a separate regime for small businesses, which is 5.5 per cent and other companies, whether local or foreign, are taxed at nine per cent.

‘In addition, from the next financial year, 2026 to 2027, we expect that there will be a number of companies whose revenue exceeds Euro 750 million (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) will be taxed at 15 per cent which is the global minimum tax that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) prescribed.

If we do not do so, the country in which they operate businesses will have the right to tax any difference between what they pay here, below 15 per cent, and the actual 15 per cent. Accordingly, foreign companies now pay more, not less, than they did before we came to office.’

She predicted that some business will be paying more in the next financial year, saying ‘that is a fact, and that reform has brought in substantially more corporate tax revenue for Barbados, starting last year and continuing this year’.

She said revenue which the government has already begun to share with the population, and indeed to do the things to make this country stronger ‘helps protect our social services, our infrastructure, and indeed our stability and platform for prosperity.

‘But my friends, that reform also created a new challenge. If we stop there, if we raise taxes but do nothing else, we risk losing existing investors, as has happened with the United States market in the last two years, and we have and will become unattractive to new ones without more.’

Mottley said that the country’s tax base becomes ‘very narrow and very tenuous’, even though the country is earning more revenue.

‘In other words, a smaller number of taxpayers, even though you’re earning significantly more money because of the corporate tax reform of 18 months ago. This, my friends, is not sustainable for Barbados in the medium term. We need to encourage more companies with economic substance, local or foreign, to be operating here and to be creating jobs and to be earning foreign exchange and, yes, paying taxes.

‘For you see, when substantive economic investment comes, we get jobs. And when those investors leave or shut down locally, those jobs go. Foreign exchange dries up and government revenue shrinks. These are all the facts of the lived Caribbean experience.’

She said Barbados experienced that situation with Intel when they closed in the early 1980s and so many others, adding ‘in fact, recently, in 2022, ‘we saw it with TT Electronics who left our shores and so went the jobs, the foreign exchange and the tax revenue from them.

‘And in that case, it was approximately 350 jobs. Imagine the economic activity that they spawned locally from those 350 Bajans working. If we had been in a better position fiscally at the time, we would be in a position to see what support we could have put in place.

‘But we were, as you know, in the middle of COVID, where we were having to do structural adjustment for the rest of the country to protect those who were not earning and to be able to expand significantly the amounts of money available to the Ministry of Health to keep people alive and to keep people well.’

Mottley said that the question before Barbados is simple but serious.

‘How do we remain competitive for investment and jobs without violating international tax rules or without risk being blacklisted again? Please remember that blacklisting leads to companies wanting also to leave our jurisdiction, as companies are compromised in doing their business in the countries where Barbados is blacklisted.

‘That is why we work so hard to remove the blacklisting, both as a result of the OECD and the financial action. We work so hard to remove the blacklisting, both as a result of the OECD and the financial action.

‘We inherited the situation, but we accepted it was our responsibility to remove it, and we have been successful in removing it. My friends, the old tools are gone. The days of blanket tax holidays and deep tax concessions are over, and I will be real with you, they’re not going to be coming back.’

Mottley said that what remains is the need for ‘smart, lawful, transparent alternatives, and that is exactly what the Economic Diversification and Growth Fund is designed to augment, not replace, our economic toolkit’.

She said it allows Barbados to remain attractive for investment that earns foreign exchange, that creates jobs, and still pays taxes.

Prime Minister Mottley said that no investment or support will be given to any foreign company that does not significantly expand employment in Barbados.

‘The bill speaks of at least 100 jobs being created to be eligible. And indeed, they must also earn foreign exchange above certain thresholds. These companies will still pay tax at nine per cent, not the old rates of 2.5 per cent declining to 1.5 per cent, so that they will be paying significantly more taxes’.

She said that those few companies subjected to the 15 per cent rate of tax will also pay that from next year.

‘Equally important, this fund is not closed to Barbadians. Local companies with a foreign presence can also benefit. We want companies to also export capital so that when bad things happen here like a hurricane, they will be able to benefit by still having streams of revenue outside of Barbados.

‘We’ve seen it with some of our larger companies that kept them afloat during the last decade. Our businesses benefit now and will continue to benefit through existing mechanisms, including, as I said, for small businesses, a lower tax rate of 5.5 per cent.’

Mottley said many of these companies who are local will have access and have had access to the Industrial Credit Fund, the Agricultural Development Fund, the Best Programme for Tourism that we designed in the heart of COVID, and the Small Hotels Investment Fund, which the government is bout to recapitalise.

She said that this is not an either-or proposition, it is both, as it was always when Barbados was liberally offering far more generous tax concessions to foreign companies.

‘The difference is that you and the public never understood fully the quantums because that was done between the revenue authority and the particular companies anchored by legislation, that passed Parliament, but the amounts were never known to the public.

‘That is what happens when it is a tax concession because you lose the right to earn that money. But with a subsidy, you earn money but you spend the subsidy and pay the company the money.’

Mottley said she also wanted to address also issues about governance, oversight and accountability, because yes, your concerns are legitimate.

‘Every cent that enters this fund and every red cent that is spent will be accounted for. The fund is administered by the accountant general. It will be audited by the auditor general. The applications are assessed by a broad-based advisory committee that includes public servants and private sector expertise.’

She said that the committee is chaired by the director of finance and economic affairs and also has on it the governor of the central bank and the chief executive officers of Export Barbados and Invest Barbados and two members of the private sector who must have experience in finance or business administration.

Pugilists from Guyana will now be eligible to compete at the Olympic Games after the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) secured provisional recognition from World Boxing.

The formal endorsement, communicated in a letter dated December 11, means the GBA and its athletes are now immediately eligible to compete in all World Boxing-sanctioned events, including the World Challenge, World Cup, and World Championships, as the federation moves through the final stages of its membership process.

The recognition is seen as a major breakthrough for Guyanese boxers with Olympic aspirations, as World Boxing is currently the only federation acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to manage the qualification pathways to the Olympic Games. While GBA President Steve Ninvalle welcomed the news, he said the process had been frustrating, noting that Guyana’s application was first submitted in February, 10 months ago.

‘We welcome the approval, but I am peeved at how long this process took. We only received confirmation one day before the International Boxing Association (IBA) Congress in Dubai,’ Ninvalle said.

He revealed that the lengthy delay had hampered the GBA’s ability to plan and compete with certainty, forcing him to inform the Guyana Olympic Association of the issue.

‘Guyana, through the GBA, has always been compliant in the world of amateur boxing. We remain fully committed to following the rules and directives of the IOC and ensuring that our boxers are given a fair and unhindered opportunity to compete at the highest level,’ Ninvalle added.

The application for full GBA membership will now be presented and considered at the World Boxing Congress scheduled for 2026, marking the final hurdle in securing their long-term position within the federation.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Monday said the construction of the multi-million international airport will not present a ‘burden’ to future generations and construction progress to date ‘reflects steady and measurable advancement across all major workstreams’.

Dominica’s new international airport, located at Wesley, north east of here, is a major infrastructure project with an estimated cost of over one billion EC dollars, primarily funded through the country’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.

Under that programme, foreign investors are granted citizenship of Dominica in return for making a substantial investment in the island’s socio-economic development. Skerrit told reporters that this year marked significant advancement in the construction of the airport, ‘one of the most important national development projects in Dominica’s history, which will define our economic future.

‘We are building an airport to unlock opportunities for trade, investment, education and direct global access. We are building it so that our young people can dream bigger. We are building it so that Dominica can stand confidently among developing nations with first-class, modern infrastructure’

He told reporters that as at December 12, this year construction progress reflects steady and measurable advancement across all major workstreams, with total backfilling at 88.6 per cent complete, total excavation stands at 83.4 per cent complete and the runway construction to formation level has reached 2,616 linear metres, representing 91.8 per cent completion.

Skerrit said that building foundations are 85 per cent complete with the superstructure works having commenced and are 30 per cent complete, adding ‘the project remains on schedule for completion in 2027.

‘Importantly, the project continues to deliver strong local economic benefits. Four hundred and five Dominican workers are currently employed on site, reinforcing our commitment to local labour and community participation,’ he said.

Dominica is building the international airport managed by MMC Development Limited, and Skerrit said that he is certain that the repayment of facility will not be a ‘burden’ on the future generations of Dominica.

China Railway is the main contractor for the international airport and In July, as he delivered the national budget, Finance Minister Dr. Irving McIntyre said that the government had to date, paid over EC$45 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) in compensation to 235 property owners, and 47 new homes have been constructed, with 31 built directly by the government.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Skerrit said his administration ‘notes with deep concern’ calls from the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), other opposition groups and certain environmentalists for a shutdown of quarrying operations at Deux Branches.

‘It is suggested that the quarrying should take place ‘somewhere else’ that does not affect the environment. But there is no recommendation where that ‘somewhere else’ should be,’ Skerrit said.

He said the government also ‘notes with deep appreciation, the call from the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association for ‘communication, compliance, collaboration and shared responsibility’ in working with stakeholders ‘to ensure that growth does not come at the cost of Dominica’s natural heritage’.

But he said that the international airport is being built for the benefit of the people of Dominica and will serve every sector of our economy, including tourism, agriculture, trade and every small business.

‘Naturally, such a project requires construction material. The central issue, therefore, is not whether material will be used. It must be.’

Skerrit told reporters that the real question is ‘should Dominica import millions of tons of aggregate from another country, damaging natural environment of other people, while preserving ours untouched?

‘Or should we responsibly use a small portion of our own resources to build an international airport that is essential for our children’s future?’

He said to import aggregate would mean transferring the environmental impact to another developing country and taking ‘no responsibility for the unavoidable ecological footprint of our own development’ as well as exposing Dominica to unnecessary costs and unpredictable delays’.

Prime Minister Skerrit said that no responsible government can justify exporting the environmental burden to another nation while refusing to utilise resources available at home, especially for a project that is national in scope and designed to uplift our own people.

‘Government’s approach is clear and principled: Use local material where feasible, economically responsible, and environmentally manageable, ensure all quarrying and excavation activities comply fully with the Physical Planning Act, including EIAs, mitigation systems, and continuous monitoring, as well as enforce strong sediment-control, rehabilitation, and environmental safeguards so that development and environmental protection proceed together and pause or adjust operations immediately where impacts exceed acceptable thresholds.

‘To be clear, responsible, regulated extraction for a national development project is fundamentally different from reckless exploitation of the environment. The government’s obligation is to strike a balance in which we protect Dominica’s natural heritage while building the infrastructure our country urgently needs.

‘So, the choice is not between development and the environment. The choice is between responsible use of our own resources, and exporting the environmental cost to another country while undermining our own development.’

Skerrit insisted that his government ‘chooses responsibility, sustainability, and national progress’.

Captain Lomar Seecharran led from the front with an unbeaten half century to guide Guyana Under-13s to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Barbados Under-13’s here at the Lusignan Community Centre on Sunday.

Seecharran scored 82 not out off just 53 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes – his second consecutive half century – as Guyana comfortably chased down their opponent’s total of 138, racing to 139 for one off 16.2 overs. It gave the home side a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match 40-over series, with the third match scheduled to be held on Tuesday at the same venue.

Seecharaan shared an opening partnership of 48 with opener Nathaniel Ramkhelawn, who made 14, and then together with vice-captain Sahid Gajnabi, who scored an unbeaten 20 off 25 balls, put on 91 in only 9.5 overs, to carry their side to victory.

Earlier, Natarie Lavine also scored a half century for Barbados, slamming 65 off 77 deliveries with five fours and two sixes to be the mainstay of his team’s total.

Off spinner Deshawn Ramnauth led the way for Guyana with 3-20, while fast bowlers Jasani Craig (2-24) and Adrian Emmanuel (2-26) took two wickets apiece.

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) company says customers should give it ‘reasonable’ notice of any increase in service requirements, including any increase in expected energy consumption.

GPL said its request follows several complaints from customers about voltage fluctuations, damaged meters and burnt appliances caused by transformer and low voltage, which the company said is linked to unreported increases in electricity usage.

In a statement, GPL noted that lots of customers have been increasing their electricity usage by installing air conditioning sets and heavy duty appliances and also converting residential homes into multiple dwelling homes and apartments.

It said that under the existing legislation customers should give the prior notice ‘to enable the company to determine whether or not it can supply the revised service without changes to its facilities’

The gPL said that while the changes to current electricity usage ‘may seem routine, they can substantially affect distribution network’ and that ‘over time transformers become overloaded, frequent outages or reduced service quality within communities.

‘By notifying GPL of planned loaded increases, the company can assess the impact on the network and take the necessary steps to upgrade or reinforce it as needed,’ it added.

Just recently the GPL announced that it has commissioned more than 30 emergency response teams to be on the ready for any emergency situation that might occur during this Christmas Season.

In recent times, Guyana’s electricity problems have stem from an aging, unreliable grid heavily reliant on expensive imported diesel, causing frequent, lengthy blackouts that cripple businesses, disrupt daily life, and hinder economic growth despite the country’s oil boom.

The Aviation Services of Grenada (ASG) has apologised to the public promising that it ‘will continue to work to minimise disruption to services’ following last weekend’s cancellation or late departure of flights at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA).

In a statement, the ASG said that the disruption was due to ‘a coordinated sick-out involving a number of employees’ and that ‘this action is contrary to the provisions of the existing collective bargaining agreement’.

The ASG said that the dispute centers on an approved two-week bonus payment, in keeping with the collective bargaining agreement.

Airport management said a number of ASG employees reported sick over the weekend, resulting in disruptions to both arriving and departing flights.

‘As far as I am aware, some of the workers have informed management that they are sick, so what is happening is that ASG workers at the airport are sick,’ said Joseph Mitchell, president of the Bank and General Workers Union (BGWU)

ASG workers provide essential ground-handling services, including passenger check-in, baggage handling, ramp operations, and cargo services for commercial, cargo, and private flights, supporting airport operations for major airlines and visitors.

The sharp increase in sick leave comes as the union and ASG’s negotiating team are finalising a fringe benefits package for workers, which includes a Christmas bonus.

It’s reported that the package had largely been agreed on, with only revised wording remaining to clarify bonus payments in profitable and non-profitable years, before talks stalled.

In its statement, the ASG said it wanted to emphasise that ‘it values the contributions of its employees and has consistently engaged the union in good-faith negotiations on all matters, including bonuses and benefits.

‘ASG remains committed to resolving this issue through constructive dialogue and established industrial relations processes,’ it said, adding that a meeting with the Labour Commissioner was scheduled for Sunday ‘to work toward a fair and sustainable resolution.

‘While these discussions continue, ASG is calling on the union and employees to return to work and to allow the established mechanisms to function as intended. This form of action ultimately harms workers’ own interests by disrupting operations, reducing revenue, and impacting the company’s ability to pay bonuses.

‘It is reaffirmed that the only acceptable way forward is through responsible dialogue and full respect for the collective bargaining agreement,’ said the ASG as it apologsed to ‘ its airline partners, passengers, and the wider public for any inconvenience caused and will continue to work to minimise disruption to services.

After enduring a thrashing at the hands of England Roses in their just concluded Vitality Netball Series, head coach of Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls, Sasher Gaye Henry-Wright said she is not satisfied with her team’s showing, despite fielding an inexperienced squad.

Jamaica lost both matches by a combined 94 points, going down 80-37 in Saturday’s opener before losing Sunday’s final match 82-31 at the Copper Box Arena.

Henry-Wright said even though the team was missing seven senior players, she was disappointed with their overall play in both games. ‘It was really a poor performance from us in terms of our abilities.

‘It is a big loss and it is something that we are not pleased about, because we felt that we should have shown much more improvement. So definitely, as a group, we have to take accountability and go back to really push hard to improve on our performance,’ Henry-Wright said.

‘We have to look back at the areas that we were really lacking in. We also have to look at our rotation in a major tour. The rotations were different and they were new; and we recognised our shortfalls and definitely have to go back and fix them heading into our next series.’

Despite the disappointing results, the head coach stressed that the series also provided valuable learning experiences for a young group still finding its way at the international level.

‘It is a young team and I know that they have not had that experience, and for that we just have to look at how we can build each player heading into our next series.

‘There were a lot of positives that we can take from this second game, because we really started out much better than we did in the first match. We really held them up, but I think that we were not able to mentally and physically stay in the game,’ Henry-Wright admitted.