Category: CANA News

The Dominican Republic (DR) is hosting the 2025 Summit of the Americas – a gathering of the Heads of State and Government of 32 countries of the Western Hemisphere.

On September 30, the Government of the DR, publicly stated that Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will not be invited to the 2025 Summit of the Americas. The Government was careful to explain that its choice is necessary to ‘ensure the widest possible political dialogue’ and to ‘guarantee the success of the Summit.’ It also makes clear that this decision ‘does not interfere with bilateral relations’ with any of the three countries.

This decision is likely to provoke a response similar to that seen at the 2022 Summit in Los Angeles, when the U.S. administration of Joe Biden did not invite the same three governments.

Calls for Heads of Government to stay away followed, and a few did so in protest at the non-invitation of Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega Saavedra, and Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro Moros.

Leaders should think hard before staying away from the 2025 Summit. Global and regional conditions have shifted: wars in the Middle East and Europe cast economic and security shadows across the Americas; within the hemisphere, ideological rifts are reopening. This is precisely the moment for leaders to meet- to manage differences, protect interests, and act in the interest of all the peoples of the Americas.

Attendance is leverage, not endorsement. Leaders who believe that Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela should be invited should say so at the Summit, in direct terms. Refusing to attend neither alters the guest list nor delivers gains for the peoples of the Americas; it only removes strong national voices from the room where decisions and deals are made.

The agenda in Punta Cana in the DR is built around four urgent security pillars: citizen security, energy security, water security, and food security. Across reputable global assessments, Latin America and the Caribbean ranks poorly on all four: the region bears the world’s highest homicide burden; most countries are not water-secure; energy-transition progress and grid reliability lag behind other regions; and the cost of a healthy diet is the highest in the world, alongside elevated food-insecurity rates. They determine whether freedom of speech is preserved; whether hospitals, schools and hotels have electricity; whether water pipes run and crops survive; whether households have access to food at prices they can afford.

The DR government put out the suggested theme for the Summit with these four pillars since February and the first draft of a possible Declaration from the Summit was issued in June. Since September 11, government representatives of the 32 countries have been negotiating the outcome document.

A major initiative at this Summit is the CEO Convocation co-hosted with the Inter-American Development Bank. That platform is designed for public authorities and private capital to assemble the financing and execution capacity that the four pillars require. Public-private partnerships, built transparently and on fair terms, can shorten delivery timelines and spread costs sensibly. The CEO meeting is where those partnerships can be made real.

Another imperative is greater trade and economic integration across Latin America and the Caribbean. Integration scales markets, deepens and de-risks supply chains, and accelerates the spread of knowledge and expertise. Practical steps such as, customs facilitation, reliable sea- and air-links, and competitively priced access to infrastructure inputs, are all matters leaders should use the Summit to agree and advance.

Apart from these general considerations, Caribbean leaders should be at the Summit to focus on particular Caribbean concerns. The recent UN Security Council decision on Haiti must be advanced with practical timelines, resources, and roles. Understanding and progress are also needed on differences over climate change and sustainable development, where positions diverge but impacts converge. The negotiations in the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG), made up of all the independent states of the Americas except Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, began on September 11 and have yet to resolve differences on these points at the technical level. It may take direct consultation by leaders to agree on actions that can be taken.

The last Summit, despite political controversy, still produced outcomes of value, including climate- and energy-cooperation channels that mobilized technical support and investment for Caribbean states. The lesson is straightforward: even when politics creates dissonance, useful progress is possible when leaders are present, prepared, and focused.

There is a wider principle that should be stated; movement toward greater democracy and respect for human, civil, and political rights is necessary for broad-based development and for international financial support.

In Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, tangible steps in that direction would encourage broader backing across the hemisphere. In Venezuela’s case specifically, military threats against Guyana should give way to a peaceful, lawful path under international law and the process of the International Court of Justice that the UN Secretary-General authorized and CARICOM governments have endorsed.

It is understood that President Trump may not attend for security reasons – a concern that might yet be resolved. Nonetheless, senior U.S. representation is expected; at minimum Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Vice President Vance, or both.

The margins of the Summit are well-suited to quiet, candid exchanges with U.S. principals on the effects of U.S. policy across the hemisphere; conversations that can yield practical attention to pressing issues.

This is a meeting to be present, active, and speaking: the DR government has set a constructive path; its non-invitations to Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are framed as a Summit-specific decision, without prejudice to bilateral relations. Leaders should use that path to pursue national interests and advance hemispheric cooperation. Not attending leaves influence at the table in other hands. Attending, and doing the work, serves the people of the Americas.

*Sir Ronald Sanders is the Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the OAS, and Dean of the OAS Ambassadors accredited to the OAS. Responses and previous commentaries:

The Jamaica government is denying suggestions that it was being silent on the ongoing war in the Gaza with Kingston reiterating its call for peace on that region.

‘Jamaica has never been in hiding on this issue. We have condemned actions on both sides, called for a ceasefire, and remain firm in our belief that dialogue and engagement, rather than performance, are the most constructive tools of diplomacy,’ Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Kamina Johnson Smith told a post Cabinet news conference.

Johnson Smith said that in 2024 Jamaica formally recognised the State of Palestine, in line with United Nations Resolution 242, which calls for a two-State solution.

The main opposition People’s National Party (PNP), earlier this week said ‘Jamaica’s silence sends the wrong signal to the international community and to the Palestinian people who continue to suffer’.

The party’s spokesperson on foreign, regional and diaspora affairs, Donna Scott Mottley said the Andrew Holness government had not spoken forcefully enough on the conflict, particularly when compared with countries whe their leaders addressed the opening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) including walking out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address.

But Johnson Smith told reporters that such actions, while they may grab headlines, they do little to advance meaningful solutions.

‘Jamaica is not a chest-beating administration. We are not ego-driven or image-based. Our focus is on solutions. So we called for the things which we believe are important, as we have continued to, and not being present would not have advanced or harmed a position in any way, so I cannot explain anymore beyond what I have already stated.

‘We’re not judging countries who choose to act in this way, we’re not criticising them, that’s their choice, but the reason Jamaica, or one of the reasons that Jamaica is always a respected voice, is because of our willingness to always engage,’ she added.

Johnson Smith also made reference to the position adopted by the regional integration grouping, CARICOM, noting that the 15-member grouping had issued repeated statements at various levels urging peace and advocating for the security of both Israelis and Palestinians.

In addition, she said Jamaica’s approach was consistent with its history of supporting international law and multilateralism.

‘We have always backed Resolution 242, which outlines the framework for a two-state solution,’ she said, adding that this remained the ‘safest path’ to ensuring long-term security and peace for both peoples.

‘I encourage individuals who are passionate about these issues to look back at the consistency of our positions. If we are indeed to combat a global crisis of truth, then we must ensure we do not replicate the same issues at home,’ she said, on an apparent reference to the statement by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who warned the UNGA of a growing global distrust in information and institutions.

Johnson Smith said that Jamaicans should take those words seriously by ensuring their debates are informed and responsible.

‘We prefer to listen, to be at the table, to engage, whether we agree or disagree. That is how we maintain credibility as a nation and ensure that our voice carries weight in international affairs,’ she said.

American Democratic leaders on Wednesday blamed President Donald Trump and Republicans for the United States 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 the Caribbean Media Corporation (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, New York. ‘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.

‘The Democrats started this fight united against Republicans’ cruelty, and we will remain united until that cruelty is defeated,’ continued Clarke, who also chairs the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). ‘We will not accept any outcome that allows countless Americans to lose their healthcare, and we will not accept any outcome where working people pay more so billionaires can pay less.

‘We are facing a healthcare crisis manufactured by the Republican Party – marked by the largest proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in our nation’s history,’ she said. ‘Once again, it is Black communities who stand to suffer the most.’

Clarke said the CBC will not support any spending bill that strips healthcare from millions, slashes federal jobs, and drives up the cost of living for working families.

‘And to our Republican colleagues, let me be clear: Enough is enough,’ she said. ‘Work with us on a bipartisan solution that protects the people – not one that causes maximum harm to the very communities that have long sustained this country.

‘Today, our country is facing a crisis entirely of the Republican Party’s making and, unfortunately, Black communities will be forced to bear the brunt of their political games,’ the congresswoman added. ‘Make no mistake: President Trump and the Republican majority in Congress own this shutdown. Instead of coming to the negotiating table to find a bipartisan solution to prevent Americans from losing life-saving healthcare, they left town.

‘Instead of negotiating in good faith with Democratic leadership, President Trump cowardly posted racist deepfakes on the Internet. This behavior shows the American people exactly who the Republicans are and where their priorities lie,’ she continued. ‘The GOP spending proposal includes the most aggressive attack on healthcare in modern history, slashing Medicaid and Medicare at unprecedented levels. These cuts are not abstract – they are life-or-death decisions for millions of Americans, especially the 1 in 5 Medicaid enrollees who are Black.’

Across America, Clarke said hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics that serve Black and minority communities are already closing their doors.

‘The Republicans’ refusal to extend ACA premium tax credits is driving up costs and pushing coverage out of reach for many in our communities,’ she said. ‘And if that weren’t bad enough, they are gutting medical research on diseases that disproportionately impact Black Americans, like heart disease and diabetes.

‘The Congressional Black Caucus made clear that we will not support a partisan, extremist spending bill that slashes healthcare, guts federal jobs, and raises costs for hardworking Americans,’ she added. ‘We are calling on our Republican colleagues to return to Washington and negotiate in good faith on a bipartisan path forward to protect healthcare and reopen the government.’

Congressman Adriano Espaillat, the first Dominican Republic-American to serve in the US House of Representatives, representing New York’s 13th Congressional District, condemned Trump’s efforts to freeze funding for New York City transit and infrastructure, including vital support for the Gateway Project and Second Avenue Subway expansion to East Harlem and New York’s 13th congressional district amid the federal government shutdown.

‘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, whose district comprises Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx.

‘Shame on Russell Vought (the White House budget director) and the Trump administration for harming our national security and punishing New Yorkers with this DC political gamesmanship and negatively impacting the tens of thousands of East Harlem residents who have suffered without transportation access for decades,’ Espaillat added.

New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, noted that, for the first time in six years, the federal government has entered a shutdown, ‘due to disagreement in President Trump proposal to cut back on severe funding.

‘While these decisions are made in Washington, they have real consequences for families and communities here in New York,’ said Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn.

She said the impact of the shutdown may include federal employees and contractors working without pay until funding is restored; SNAP and WIC benefits could be disrupted, placing added strain on families who depend on these programs for food assistance; housing and rental assistance programmes funded through HUD may see delays in processing, impacting families who rely on this support.

She said small businesses applying for federal loans or grants may face delays, limiting access to capital; travel and safety services such as TSA screenings and air traffic control will continue but may be strained due to staffing shortages; community organizations that depend on federal funding will face uncertainty in sustaining their programs; and Veterans Affairs will cease providing transition programme assistance and career counseling.

Bichotte Hermelyn said the shutdown may also defund police, affect healthcare by delaying Medicare claims, and cause closure of national parks and public facing federal offices.

‘President Trump and Washington Republicans are once again putting politics over people with this reckless shutdown,’ she told CMC. ‘Here in Brooklyn, where so many families are already struggling, and now millions shall stand to lose food assistance, health care, and housing support.

‘These cuts would be devastating to women, children, immigrants, New Yorkers who rely on SNAP and working families,’ she added.

US House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents New York’s 8th Congressional District, encompassing parts of Brooklyn and Queens, told a press conference in Washington on Wednesday that, at midnight on Tuesday, ‘Donald Trump and Republicans shut the federal government down because they don’t want to provide healthcare to working-class Americans.’

He said he and US Senate Democratic Leader Charles ‘Chuck’ Schumer met with President Trump and legislative leaders on Monday.

‘We had a conversation that was designed to avoid a painful government shutdown and address the Republican healthcare crisis,’ Jeffries said. ‘Subsequent to that meeting, we heard nothing from any of the legislative leaders on the Republican side, and the President has been engaging in irresponsible and unserious behavior, demonstrating that, all along, Republicans wanted to shut the government down.

‘That’s no surprise, because, for decades, Republicans have consistently shut the government down as part of their efforts to try to extract and jam their extreme right-wing agenda down the throats of the American people,’ he added.

‘Democrats have repeatedly made clear we are ready to sit down with anyone, at any time and at any place in order now to reopen the government, to enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and to address the devastating Republican healthcare crisis that has caused extraordinary harm on people all across the country, in rural America, working-class America, urban America, small town America, the heartland of America and Black and brown communities throughout America,’ he continued.

‘The Republican healthcare crisis is devastating, the likes of which no one has ever seen – largest cut to Medicaid in American history, a possible US$536 billion cut to Medicare because of the One Big Ugly Bill if Congress doesn’t act by the end of the year,’ Jeffries said.

He warned that ‘tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles because of the Republican unwillingness to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

‘Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing all across the country, including in rural America, because of what Republicans have done and the healthcare crisis they have triggered through their cruel actions throughout this year,’ he added. ‘Republicans have even canceled medical research in the United States of America, even as it relates to children who are battling cancer.

‘The Republican healthcare crisis is immoral in nature, and Democrats are fighting hard to reverse it,’ Jeffries continued. ‘Cancel the cuts, lower the cost, save healthcare on behalf of the American people.’

Scoreboard of the opening day of the first Test between India and West Indies here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

WEST INDIES 1st innings

John Campbell c +Jurel b Bumrah 8

Tagenarine Chanderpaul c +Jurel b Siraj 0

Alick Athanaze c Rahul b Siraj 12

Brandon King b Siraj 13

*Roston Chase c +Jurel b Siraj 24

+Shai Hope b Yadav 26

Justin Greaves b Bumrah 32

Khary Pierre lbw b Sundar 11

Jomel Warrican c +Jurel b Yadav 8

Johann Layne b Bumrah 1

Jayden Seales not out 6

Extras (b9, lb6, nb1, w5) 21

TOTAL (all out; 44.1 overs) 162

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-20, 3-39, 4-42, 5-90, 6-105, 7-144, 8-150, 9-153, 10-162.

Bowling: Bumrah 14-3-42-3, Siraj 14-3-40-4, Reddy 4-1-16-0, Jadeja 3-0-15-0, Yadav 6.1-0-25-2, Sundar 3-0-9-1.

INDIA 1st innings

Yashasvi Jaiswal c +Hope b Seales 36

KL Rahul not out 53

Sai Sudharsan lbw b Chase 7

*Shubman Gill not out 18

Extras (b4, lb1, nb1, w1) 7

TOTAL (two wickets; 38 overs) 121

Yet to bat: Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-90.

Bowling: Seales 8-2-21-1, Layne 6-0-14-0, Greaves 4-2-19-0, Warrican 6-2-21-0, Pierre 9-0-25-0, Chase 5-0-16-1.

Toss: West Indies elected to bat after winning the toss.

Position: India trail West Indies by 41 runs with eight wickets remaining.

Umpires: Alex Wharf, Richard Illingworth.

TV Umpire: Paul Reiffel.

Reserve Umpire: Jayaraman Madanagopal.

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar says she remains confident that an agreement could be reached with regards to the Dragon gas deal involving Venezuela and that she was prepared to lead the local delegation to Caracas for the discussions.

‘The project benefits Venezuela, they benefit the United states and they benefit Trinidad and Tobago,’ Prime Minister Persad Bissessar told reporters on her return here from the United States where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

‘I am confident we will be able to work it out.it may take a few more days.but I am confident that together all partners in this.Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States will all benefit.So we look forward,’ she told reporters.

A statement issued following the talks with Rubio, on Tuesday said that Washington had ‘outlined US support for the government’s Dragon gas proposal and steps to ensure it will not provide significant benefit to the Maduro regime’

But former prime minister Stuart Young Wednesday described the new development as an ‘irony’ recalling the announcement by Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, soon after being sworn into office that the Dragon gas deal was dead.

He said ‘she announced to the world at large that Dragon was dead with glee and that they would pursue gas in Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and .we find ourselves right back here today’.

Young said it is obvious that the government will mislead the public on the project going forward , saying the Dragon gas field is completely within the maritime borders of Venezuela.

‘The Dragon gas field is completely owned by the people of Venezuela and it is the PNM (People’s National Movement) government that negotiated through very difficult and trying times and managed in December 2023 .to obtain a 30 years exploration, production and export of gas from the Dragon field to Trinidad and Tobago waters’.

In April, the United States government revoked the OFAC license granted to Trinidad and Tobago to allow Shell, the National Gas Company (NGC), and contractors to explore, produce, and export natural gas from the Venezuelan Dragon Gas Field.

The license was valid until October 31, 2025, and enabled Trinidad and Tobago to pay for gas in various currencies and through humanitarian measures. On December 21, 2023, Trinidad and Tobago also secured a 30-year exploration and production license from the government of Venezuela for the Dragon gas field.

Washington had also revoked the Cocuina-Manakin license granted to Port of Spain on May 31, 2024.

Port of Spain had been planning to request an extension from Washington for a license granted to Shell and the NGC to develop the Dragon gas project in Venezuela.

The license, issued in early 2023, allows the companies to plan the project. The project aims to supply gas to Trinidad by 2027. The Dragon Field is located in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border with Trinidad.

Young said following the revocation of the licence, Rubio held talks with him and in a statement made it clear ‘he will work with us on our energy security and our energy deals and in the world of diplomacy and diplomatic language that is what we were talking about’.

Young said that the present government has been making pre-mature statements ‘that they have obtained something is completely false’.

In recent weeks, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela had been engaged in a war of words after Port of Spain voiced its support for Washington’s war on drugs that saw it sending military warships into the Caribbean Sea with the intent of preventing drug dealers from illegally carrying out their trade.

Persad Bissessar praised the US military strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the southern Caribbean, saying she had ‘no sympathy for traffickers’ and that the US military should ‘kill them all violently

Venezuela has since responded to what it termed the threat posed by the United States and has itself marshalled its troops along its borders.

Persad Bissessar told reporters that she is prepared to lead the negotiations in Venezuela indicating also that her administration had been working to breathe life into the Dragon gas project after it won the April 28 general election.

She said that Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister, Sean Sobers, and Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal could lead alsolead the delegation to Caracas and that she was also available.

‘Of course, you have me,’ she reminded reporters adding that Moonilal and Sobers had been in contact with their counterparts in the Venezuelan government with respect to Dragon gas project.

She remained confidence that Venezuela would negotiate with Trinidad and Tobago despite Port of Spain’s support for the US military deployment in the southern Caribbean Sea, outside of Venezuelan territorial waters.

‘We have always maintained solidarity with the people of Venezuela,’ she said, adding that there had been no discussions about regime change in Caracas.

‘Our concern has always been .to deal with the criminals, narco traffickers .human traffickers, gun runners.that is my concern and that is what we want.

‘We cant do things the same way every day.we can’t continue to look backwards and not go forward.we have done that for years and Trinidad has become number six in the world.most murderous country.

‘I think this partnership with the US is not about regime change for us here in Trinidad and Tobago..it is about securing the safety and security,’ she added.

India trail West Indies by 41 runs with eight wickets remaining after reaching 121 for two at the close of play on the opening day of the first Test here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

Scores

WEST INDIES 162 in 44.1 overs (Justin Greaves 32, Shai Hope 26, Roston Chase 24, Brandon King 13, Alick Athanaze 12, Khary Pierre 11; Mohammed Siraj 4-40, Jasprit Bumrah 3-42, Kuldeep Yadav 2-25).

INDIA 121-2 in 38 overs (KL Rahul 53 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36, Shubman Gill 18 not out).

The opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has reaffirmed its ‘complete confidence’ in its leader, Aubrey Norton, despite the party’s devastating performance in the September 1 general and regional elections.

The PNCR, which headed the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) received 77,000 votes and 12 seats in the National Assembly, losing its status as the main opposition in the legislative chambers to the newly formed We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) political party that won 16 seats.

Aubrey Norton

The elections were won by the ruing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that won a second consecutive victory at the polls and now controls 36 of the 65 seats in the Parliament.

In a statement, the PNCR said that its Central Executive Committee (CEC) met on Wednesday for ‘its first full meeting’ since the elections ‘to review, among other matters, the Party’s strategic direction and immediate courses of action.

‘During the meeting, the CEC addressed a series of recent developments, including, but not limited to, the resignation of certain CEC members, and therefore confirmed the elevation of two new members to the CEC.’

The statement said that the ‘CEC reaffirmed its complete confidence in the leadership of Aubrey C. Norton and supports his continued role as the Leader of the PNCR during the rebuilding process’.

The statement said that the CEC emphasised ‘that its Leader can only be removed at a duly convened Party Congress, in accordance with the Party’s constitution.

‘In this connection, the CEC rejects any notion that there is trouble within the PNCR’s camp and assures the Party’s membership that public grievances by a few persons will not defeat the Party’s reactivation of political will and resilience.

‘The PNCR remains committed to strengthening its organisational structure, engaging in community outreach to strengthen its membership, in pursuit of its fearless aspiration for the growth of the Guyanese people,’ the statement added.

India’s fast bowling pair of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah tore through the West Indies’ batting to put the home side in the ascendancy after the opening day of the first Test here on Thursday.

Siraj carved up the top order on his way to a four-wicket haul, while Bumrah cleaned up the tail as the visitors were routed for a meagre 162 runs in 44.1 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Opener KL Rahul then scored an unbeaten half century to propel India to 121 for two at the close of play, just 41 runs behind the Windies’ total with eight wickets in hand.

While much of the talk before the start of the series focused on the loss of the visitors’ fast bowling duo of Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph to injuries, once again it was the West Indies’ fragile batting that took centre stage on the opening day.

Their new-look opening pair of John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul didn’t last long, with the latter being dismissed for a duck after gloving Siraj down the leg side where wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel took a good catch with 12 runs on the board.

Campbell hit Bumrah for two boundaries in the day’s third over, but the pacer got his revenge when he had the left hander caught behind for eight after a review, with the replay showing the ball had taken a thin outside edge on its way through to the keeper, to leave the visitors 20 for two. Brandon King, as usual, looked sublime in his brief stay at the crease, but after collecting three boundaries off Siraj in his knock of 13 off 15 balls, he unwisely chose to shoulder arms to an inswinger from the same bowler and lost his middle stump, as the Windies slid to 39 for three.

Three runs later, Siraj was back in the thick of things, this time drawing an expansive drive from Alick Athanaze that flew off the outside edge and safely into the hands of Rahul at second slip.

Skipper Roston Chase and Shai Hope tried their best to steady the innings during a 48-run partnership.

The pair looked set to take their side to lunch without any further losses, but with just a few balls remaining before the interval, Hope missed his intended cover drive off left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav and was bowled for 26, to see the West Indies stumble to lunch at 90 for five.

Chase didn’t last long after the resumption, edging a beautiful delivery from Siraj that seamed away behind to the keeper, to be out for 24.

Justin Greaves, who topscored with 32 and debutant Khary Pierre, who made 11, put on 39 runs for the seventh wicket, but once Pierre was trapped lbw by off spinner Washington Sundar the end came swiftly with Bumrah bowling Greaves and Johann Layne with yorkers, while Yadav accounted for the wicket of Jomel Warrican.

Siraj ended with figures of 4-40, Bumrah took 3-42 and Yadav supported with 2-25.

India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rahul then gave them a solid foundation during an opening stand of 68.

Pacer Jayden Seales eventually got the breakthrough for the Windies when he had Jaiswal caught behind attempting a cut shot for 36.

Chase then trapped Sai Sudharsan cheaply for seven with the score on 90, but Rahul and captain Shubman Gill weathered the storm during an unbroken partnership of 31 for the third wicket.

Rahul brought up his 20th Test half century just before the close with a single to long on off the bowling of Chase.

He finished the day unbeaten on 53 off 114 balls with six fours, while Gill is 18 not out.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk, Thursday warned that the human rights situation in Haiti has reached a boiling point and that violence and human rights violations and abuses have escalated and intensified since his last visit to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

In an address to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti, Trk, said he welcomed the decision of the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) saying ‘this is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

‘International commitment and backing for this are urgent. Without them, the worst may be yet to come for Haiti and the broader region. More than 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 people injured in armed violence since 1 January 2022, when we began our monitoring on gang related violence,’ Trk told the Council.

The chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), Adrian Forde, says the death of the Bahamas Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, Vaughn Miller, has cast a pall over the entire region.

Forde died last Sunday died at the age of 64. A statement from the Office of the Bahamas Prime Minister, quoted a police statement as saying that he was found unresponsive and that CPR was administered before he was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

While no cause of death was immediately given, police said no foul play was suspected, police said.

In a statement, Forde who is also the Barbados Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy, said that Miller was not only a dedicated public servant to the Bahamian people but also a tireless and passionate champion for environmental stewardship on the regional and international stage.

‘As a representative of an archipelagic nation on the front lines of the triple planetary crises, Minister Miller brought a unique and powerful perspective to our discussions. His voice was one of clarity, urgency, and unwavering commitment to protecting our shared Caribbean patrimony-our pristine waters, our unique biodiversity, and the very future of our Small Island Developing States.’

He said that within the COTED, Miller was a respected colleague, known for his collaborative spirit, charm, and a profound dedication to finding sustainable solutions for our region’s most pressing environmental challenges.

‘His contributions to our collective work on sustainable natural resource management especially our land resources, marine and plastics pollution and the advancement of the SIDS agenda were invaluable and will be deeply missed.

‘The loss of such a dedicated advocate leaves a significant void not only in The Bahamas but within our CARICOM family. Minister Miller’s legacy will endure in the policies he championed and the passion for environmental protection he instilled in all who had the privilege of working alongside him. We will miss the articulate voice of a brother, a friend and a warm personality.

‘As we mourn this immense loss, we also honour his remarkable service. We offer our deepest sympathies to his family during this period of unimaginable grief. May they, and the Government and people of The Bahamas, find strength and comfort in the enduring impact of Minister Miller’s life and work,’ Forde said.