Category: CANA News

The Antigua and Barbuda Yachting and Marine Association (ABYMA) has launched an economic impact study designed to assess the significance of the yachting sector in the country.

It said that the start of the study coincides with the Antigua Charter Yacht Show, emphasizing the importance of understanding the economic contributions of the marine industry to our nation.

‘The primary aim of the study is to measure and analyse the economic significance of the yachting industry in Antigua and Barbuda. This output will empower industry stakeholders to not only comprehend vital economic data but to also leverage this information to enhance future revenue potential,’ said ABMYA vice president, Bobby Reis.

The ABYMA said that the research will include comprehensive assessments of the consumer side, focusing on various sectors visiting Antigua from super yachts and sailing vessels to racing and cruising yachts and fishing charters.

It said, furthermore, the study will examine the supply side, evaluating the companies that support the industry and significantly contribute to the local economy. This includes assessing both the direct and indirect economic impacts to gain a holistic understanding of the yachting sector’s multiplier effect on our economy.

‘As part of the initiative, participants are also encouraged to give feedback on the industry along with the opportunity to suggest ways in which the visitor experience can be improved. The study is being conducted by consultants Eco-Sustainability and will span a period of 10 months to successfully collate and analyze the necessary data,’ the ABYMA said, urging all visiting yachtsmen to participate in the survey.

‘This information is crucial for informing future policies and actions that support the growth and sustainability of the industry,’ the ABYMA said, thanking other partners including the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority for their involvement in the project.

Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment, and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, has been elected as the new president of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), indicating that environmental matters are no longer an ‘isolated’ agenda item.

‘The critical role of UNEA as the critical decision making body for matters relating to the environment should not be lost on any of us. This is a platform that engenders collaboration, coordination and partnership between and among governments and major groups, ‘ Samuda said, praising the tenure of his predecessor, Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri of Oman. Samuda, sole nominee for the position had the formal endorsement of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and was elected by acclamation to the world’s highest-level decision-making body on environmental matters, with a membership of all 193 UN member states.

Established in 2012, UNEA meets every two years, focusing on urgent challenges like pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable solutions, with its seventh session (UNEA-7) ending here on Friday.

Samuda said he is honoured and grateful for the trust placed in him by electing him president of the UNEA-8 meeting extending his ‘heartful thanks for the vote of confidence, and I accept this responsibility with humility, determination and a clear sense of purpose.

‘Today we gather at a moment when the world is asking not only for solutions, but for leadership.encourage cooperation and conviction. Environmental stewardship is not longer an isolated agenda item. It is the defining challenge of our century,’ said Samuda, who will have among his vice presidents, St. Kitts ad Nevis Sustainable Development Minister, Joel Clarke, who was also elected by acclamation.

‘The decisions we make within the Assembly will continue to shape economies, societies and the lives of generations yet unborn,’ Samuda said, acknowledging that his election to the position is not an individual achievement, ‘but the collective reflection of the achievement of the Latin America and Caribbean region and my home, Jamaica.

‘I stand here on behalf of all countries that understand from lived experience the urgency of protecting our natural world. Our voices carry the weight of communities on the frontline of climate impacts, communities that cannot afford delays and do not have the luxury of indifference.’

Samuda pledged to bring all stakeholders together, adding ‘we must work to strengthen the science policy interface, scale of financing for adaptation.and accelerate the transition to sustainable production and unwavering commitment to implementation.

‘Let this Assembly demonstrate that multilateralism, when guided by equity and shared purpose is still the most powerful tool we possess,’ Samuda said, adding that his new team was looking forward to working with all delegations, UN agencies, civil society, the private sector, the scientific community and other stakeholders including young people.

‘Together, let us rise to the moment. Together let us ensure that the environment, not only a global priority, but a global responsibility. One we meet with integrity, innovation and unity,’ he added.

According to the UNEA document, Samuda has been a trailblazer in environmental advocacy, championing policies that protect Jamaica’s natural resources. As a founding partner of One Jamaica Recycling, the country’s first full-service recycling company, he spearheaded initiatives that advanced waste management and conservation.

It said that his commitment to sustainability was further exemplified in 2016, when he successfully tabled a Private Members’ Motion in Parliament, leading to Jamaica’s historic ban on single-use plastics and Styrofoam in 2019.

Despite his busy schedule, he is currently pursuing his Master of Philosophy in environmental management at the University of the West Indies.

The Egypt-based African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Friday said it is making a donation of US$1.1 million to the governments of Jamaica and Haiti to support the recovery efforts of trdr countries following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October.

Hurricane Melissa, which passed through the northern Caribbean, unleashed unprecedented devastation on a number of countries in the region, including Haiti and Jamaica both of which are Afreximbank member states. According to letters of solidarity sent by Afreximbank president, Dr. George Elombi, to the respective governments, US$600,000 will go to Jamaica and US$500,000 to Haiti.

The donation followed separate meetings recently between Dr. Elombi and Laurent Saint-Cyr, Chairman of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, and the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, respectively, during which he expressed condolences and affirmed Afreximbank’s commitment to supporting the two countries in their rebuilding efforts.

Elombi informed the two leaders that Afreximbank would engage with the relevant agencies and authorities to explore the possibility of developing country programmes to support recovery projects in the two countries.

‘To this end, the Caribbean Office of the bank was mandated to engage with both governments to explore ways of providing further support towards the reconstruction process,’ according to an Afreximbank statement.

Hurricane Melissa killed at least 45 people in Jamaica and left damage estimated at nine billion US dollars.

‘We commiserate with our brothers and sisters in Haiti, Jamaica, and other places devastated by Hurricane Melissa. While extending our support towards immediate relief efforts in the region, we recognise the scale of damage to vital infrastructure and to people’s livelihoods,’ Elombi said, adding ‘we remain steadfast in our support for recovery and restoration efforts and in building our collective resilience against future climate shocks’.

The Caribbean hurricane season runs from June to November when the region experiences increased weather systems, like tropical storms and hurricanes, characterised by destructive winds, storm surges and excessive rainfall.

Researchers have predicted that the severity of hurricanes will continue to intensify as a result of climate change and have partially attributed the severity of Hurricane Melissa, described as ‘one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded’, to the especially high temperatures in the Caribbean this year.

Afreximbank said it will continue to work with Caribbean governments, through its Barbados-based office to explore long-term financing solutions that strengthen resilience, restore livelihoods, and reinforce critical infrastructure for the future.

In 2024, Afreximbank contributed over USD 500,000 to support disaster relief and rebuilding efforts across Caribbean countries affected by Hurricane Beryl.

The Cuban Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, Sergio Martinez, says this week’s seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela by the United States is not ‘the application of sanctions’ nor ‘compliance with international law.

‘It is a vile act of the most despicable modern piracy, carried out not by Caribbean pirates but by the military forces of the greatest imperialist power of our time,’ Martinez said. Guyana Wednesday night said the oil tanker seized by the United States earlier during the day ‘was falsely flying the Guyana flag’ and was not registered in Georgetown.

In a statement, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) said it has ‘observed the proliferation and unacceptable use of the Guyana flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana’.

US President Donald Trump had earlier said that the SKIPPER was the largest crude tanker ever seized by American authorities even as the Venezuelan authorities called the seizure of the vessel ‘piracy’.

International media reports said that Washington had imposed sanctions on the tanker for what it claimed was involvement in Iranian oil trading when it was called the Adisa.

Trump has since said that the oil in the tanker would be seized by the United States.

In a lengthy statement, Martinez said that for centuries, the international community has combated piracy precisely because it represents the very negation of international maritime and legal order.

‘Actions such as intercepting ships on the high seas, confiscating cargo without due process, and the law of the strongest prevailing over the law have been rejected by the vast majority of nations. Those pirates of previous centuries, at least, had the decency not to claim to be acting in the name of justice.’

Martinez asked ‘by what authority does the United States intercept a ship near the coasts of another sovereign country? Since when does the US Congress have jurisdiction over ships sailing in the waters of our Caribbean?

‘The answer is simple. With the authourity granted by their nuclear aircraft carriers, which threaten small, sovereign countries in our region without the slightest hesitation. With the capacity to freeze bank accounts or impose genocidal economic wars, like the one waged against the Cuban people, aimed at starving and sickening an entire population that refuses to accept their imperial designs. Nothing more. Nothing less.’

The Cuban diplomat said that Venezuela is a sovereign state and ‘its territorial waters are not a backyard where Washington can come and take whatever it pleases.

‘The irony is brutal: the United States, which presents itself as the guardian of the ‘rules-based international order’, has just demonstrated that those rules only apply when it suits its selfish interests.’

The Cuban diplomat asked where is the United Nations Security Council resolution authorising this confiscation, saying ‘it doesn’t exist.

‘Where is the international tribunal that declared the cargo illegal? There wasn’t one. Where is due process, the right to a defense, the minimum guarantees that supposedly characterize the ‘free world’?

‘They disappeared somewhere between the detection of the ship and its capture. The most dangerous aspect is not this isolated act, but the apocalyptic precedent it sets. If the United States can confiscate ships with complete impunity, then any naval power can turn its legislative whims and self-interest into universal maritime law and practice.’

Martinez said that in addition, the United States are engaged in ‘extrajudicial executions that can be categorised as real murders of alleged drug traffickers, who in practice have been found to be humble fishermen.

‘With its criminal acts, the United States is showing itself willing to dismantle more than three centuries of international legal framework and impose the era of barbarism. Only now, instead of black flags with skulls, they use the rhetoric of ‘human rights,’ ‘democracy,’ and the ‘war on drugs,’ the diplomat said.

West Indies Test captain, Roston Chase has expressed his displeasure with his side’s woeful batting performance after they slumped to a nine-wicket defeat against New Zealand inside three days in the second Test here on Friday.

The Windies could only muster 205 in their first innings, before being routed for just 128 in their second innings, with only four batsmen making it into double figures and two scoring 25 or more.

Speaking during a post-match press conference on Friday, Chase said the unsatisfactory performance of the batters was especially disappointing considering the tremendous effort shown by the bowlers in restricting New Zealand to 278 in their first innings. ‘I’m obviously disappointed. I thought we were in a good position up to this morning, even though in the first innings we thought that we should have gotten some more runs with a number of batsmen getting some starts, but we didn’t really convert into anything big.

‘We thought that we left some runs out there in the first innings and we thought that we would have gotten those runs in the second innings, but it didn’t happen, so I’m very disappointed for us after the bowlers really put up their hands and brought us back into the game,’ Chase said.

The skipper said the team’s effort with the bat was especially disheartening, as it came just a few days after they scored a record 457 for six in their second innings in the first Test in Christchurch to earn a draw.

‘A different game, different conditions, but I still thought the pitch was one that we could score runs on. Personally, I thought it was not as tough as the first game in Christchurch. I thought in the first innings in Christchurch the ball was doing a whole lot, but I didn’t think that was the case here.

‘I just thought that we made some mistakes at some crucial points in the game and we just never really got our feet back into the game today,’ Chase admitted.

Despite the result, Chase said the visitors would be going all out to win the third and final Test, which begins on December 18 at Mount Maunganui.

He maintained that the West Indies had the players and skills to be competitive against the home side.

‘It was and always will be the motivation for this team to win a game in New Zealand. The last time we won was in 1995, so we want to leave here with a win.

‘We came close in the first innings, and we still think that we are capable enough to get a win, but it’s just for the batting to be consistent, because the bowlers have shown that they are capable of getting us those 20 wickets that we need to get, so I think it’s just for the batting to come up to par,’ Chase said.

Barbadian professional bodybuilder Lamar Coward copped an impressive second place finish at the recently concluded International Fitness and Bodybuilding (IFBB) Pro World Championships held last weekend in Povoa de Lanhoso. Coward, who competed in the Classic Physique division, scored 16 points to finish second behind eventual winner Maxime Ratier of France, who accumulated 11 points, while Duarte Gomes of Portugal placed third.

The former Mr Teenager and 2023 Roger Boyce Classic Physique champion, said he was satisfied with his performance, especially after packing on 20 pounds of muscle for the event.

‘The beautiful thing is that it validates that you made a huge improvement.

‘Regardless of whether you win or not, the fact that you improved and earned a better placing is a big moment. Winning isn’t everything, but sometimes being close to winning is just as good,’ Coward told the NATION following his achievement.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is urging countries in the Americas, including the Caribbean, to strengthen public investment and financial protection mechanisms, which it described as key measures for achieving universal health.

In 2023, PAHO said tat total health expenditure in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) averaged 6.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to about US$778 per person. ‘More than half of these resources came from the public sector. However, direct household spending remains high-particularly on medicines and treatments-heightening the risk of health care becoming unaffordable for millions.’

In a message observing Universal Health Day, PAHO highlighted the growing impact of out-of-pocket health care spending across the region where nearly one third of total health expenditure comes directly from families’ pockets, a proportion well above the recommended 20 per cent threshold, increasing the risk of impoverishment and financial hardship due to direct health expenses.

‘Out-of-pocket spending continues to push millions of people into poverty,’ warned PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, adding ‘no one should have to choose between their health and their basic needs’.

According to the Tracking universal health coverage: 2025 global monitoring report, recently published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, the region of the Americas registered one of the smallest reductions in health inequalities over the past decade.

It said although the percentage of people facing financial hardship due to health care expenses fell globally, from 34 to 26 per cent between 2000 and 2022, the poorest households continue to bear the greatest burden.

Globally, the report estimates that 2.1 billion people face financial difficulties in accessing health care, including 1.6 billion experiencing poverty due to direct health spending, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen financial protection mechanisms in all regions.

PAHO said that although health systems in the region rely heavily on public financing, public investment remains below the regional commitment of six per cent of GDP. In 2023, public health expenditure fell to 3.7 per cent of GDP, returning to pre-pandemic levels.

In the context of low economic growth and increasing fiscal pressures, many countries face challenges in sustaining or expanding health financing. This raises the risk that households will shoulder a greater share of health care costs and disproportionately affects lower-income families.

‘To change this reality, we need more resilient health systems, grounded in strong primary health care, capable of integrating services and organizing around people, families and communities,’ said Dr. Barbosa.

PAHO said in the Americas, fiscal priority, understood as the share of public spending allocated to health, depends not only on a country’s income level but also on policy choices.

It said while some higher-income countries allocate relatively low proportions of public spending to health, others with fewer resources dedicate a higher share to ensure access and service continuity.

PAHO said it is urging governments of the region to increase investment in health and strengthen primary health care, essential to reducing inequities and achieving universal health through fair and inclusive health services.

Universal Health Day, globally known as Universal Health Coverage Day, observed each year on December 12, underscores that access to health services should not result in financial hardship or force people to choose between their well-being and essential needs such as food or housing.

PAHO said that this year’s campaign highlights the urgency of reforming health financing systems to reduce the direct burden faced by millions of families in the region.

The Argyle International Airport (AIA) will close for nearly 18 hours beginning on Saturday for what the authorities say will be for ‘scheduled maintenance’ after the United States Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) last weekend issued a Notice to Airmen/Air Missions (NOTAM) temporarily downgrading the facility.

In a statement, the AIA said that the aerodrome will be closed to flight operations from Saturday, December 13, at 6:30 p.m. to Sunday, December 14, at 1.00 p.m (local time). ‘Passengers scheduled to travel during this period are kindly asked to contact their respective airlines or travel agencies to confirm flight status and to make any necessary rebooking or alternative travel arrangements.

‘AIA Inc. sincerely apologises for any inconvenience this temporary closure may cause and thanks the public for their understanding and cooperation as we continue to uphold the highest standards of safety and operational reliability at our airport,’ the statement said.

This is the second consecutive weekend that flight operations at the airport have been disrupted. Last weekend, at least one international flight – Virgin Atlantic from London via Barbados – was cancelled, and an American Airlines flight to Miami was rescheduled because of the condition at the runway.

Last Sunday, the FAA issued a NOTAM downgrading the airport to accommodate aircraft with a maximum take-off weight below 225,000 lbs.

But in a Facebook post on Tuesday, the AIA management denied that the airport had been downgraded by the FAA.

‘AIA took a precautionary decision to temporarily limit the operating weight of aircraft using the runway on Sunday, 7 December 2025, to allow repair works to be conducted. Following the successful completion of these works, normal runway operations were fully restored on Monday, 8 December 2025,’ the airport said in its Facebook post.

Earlier this week, former prime minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, expressed disappointment in the functioning of the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration since it was voted into office on November. 27.

‘And I see very early missteps, which is indicative of a complete lack of preparation on the part of the NDP for governance,’ Gonsalves said, citing ‘the downgrading of the Argyle International Airport in respect of the receipt of Virgin Atlantic’ as an example.

‘Had the government been curious, we would not have had the suspension of the Virgin flight,’ said the Opposition Leader, noting that the issue at the airport had been in the news for months.

The Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Friday described Ena Collymore-Woodstock as an exemplary barrister and magistrate from Jamaica whose career broke barriers for women throughout the region.

Mrs Collymore-Woodstock died on December 2, at the age of 108.

She was appointed as Jamaica’s first female resident magistrate in 1959 and during her career, she chaired the Juvenile Court and was also appointed the Senior Resident Magistrate. Her work was not only localised to Jamaica but also realised throughout the Caribbean and beyond. She was awarded on the national and international levels for her contributions to the judicial sphere and society including the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican Government and the Order of the British Empire from the United Kingdom.

In 2021, Mrs Collymore-Woodstock was named a Pioneering Caribbean Woman Jurist by the CCJ Academy for Law.

She was appointed as Jamaica’s first female resident magistrate in 1959 and during her career, she chaired the Juvenile Court and was also appointed the Senior Resident Magistrate before her retirement in 1977.

‘Mrs Collymore-Woodstock was a true pioneer. Her legacy resonates in every courtroom where a female judicial officer presides and in the heart of every individual who values justice and equity,’ said the Jamaican-born CCJ President, Justice Winston Anderson.

‘She has served as an inspiration for many, in the legal sector and beyond. We are truly in her debt for her contributions.’ In 2021, Mrs Collymore-Woodstock was named a Pioneering Caribbean Woman Jurist by the CCJ Academy for Law,’ he added.

The CCJ said it hopes that Mrs Collymore-Woodstock ‘long life exemplify a legacy of service, advocacy, and leadership, and will continue to inspire generations to come’.

The World Food Programme (WFP) says more than a month after Hurricane Melissa slammed the Caribbean, devastated communities still require assistance.

‘We cannot forget Haiti,’ said WFP regional director, Lola Castro, speaking from the capital, Port-au-Prince, while also appealing for Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

More than 80 people were killed and an estimated six million were affected by the category 5 hurricane , regarded as among the most intense in the Atlantic on record. The WFP official placed particular emphasis on Haiti, which is already grappling with challenges including gang violence, mostly in the capital, and food insecurity.

Roughly 5.7 million people, over half the population, are going hungry and 1.4 million nationwide are displaced.

Hurricane Melissa dumped heavy rains on southern Haiti, impacting 1.2 million people and Castro, has just returned from the town of Petit-GoSve, where the river burst its banks and ‘people had to escape from their houses in the middle of the night through rivers of mud’.

At least 25 people are reported to have died and the WFP official said she met ‘women and men in total distress’ who are trying to rebuild their lives after losing their loved ones, homes, livelihoods, crops and cattle.

WEP, alongside other UN agencies, NGOs and the government, were on the ground ‘from day one’ providing food and then cash transfers, which allow people to make their own purchasing decisions.

Women told her that they will use the cash transfers to buy food, soap and other immediate needs.

‘We also talked with a group of youth that are organized, trying to help these communities to restart their lives. And what they ask is, ‘Please don’t forget us. Don’t forget us, because a month-and-a half (ago) we were in all the news, but now we need continued support.”

The hurricane also caused catastrophic damage in western Jamaica and eastern Cuba, and WFP has reached more than 725,000 people across the four countries.

‘We are trying now to really work on recovery and rehabilitation through a number of tools,’ Castro said, such as school feeding programmes and supporting government efforts to boost social protection through registering everyone who has been affected by the disaster.

‘But what is very clear in Haiti and in the whole region is that we need to invest much more, as we have done this time, on anticipatory action.’

WFP undertook a lot of work around emergency preparedness before the hurricane hit.

These measures included sending messages advising Haitians of the impending storm, reaching some 3.5 million nationwide, and distributing advance cash transfers to more than 50,000 people. Teams in Cuba also moved food aid from the east of the island to the west.

‘But we need to do much more of that. We really need also to ensure that our simulations and preparedness mechanisms are ready.’

Castro highlighted examples such as microinsurance payments, which enable smallholder farmers in Haiti – who provide food used in WFP’s ‘homegrown’ school meals programmes – to keep on producing.

‘These are new mechanisms and tools that we need to do much more in the region, in the Caribbean, because we know every year there will be hurricanes or earthquakes, like we saw last year in Cuba,’ she said.

‘We really need to work harder to build the resilience of these populations that are permanently affected so that food insecurity doesn’t become a trend but is reduced, with the communities working for themselves and building their own resilience.’

WFP is seeking $83 million to reach 1.3 million people across the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Melissa. and roughly half the funding has been received.