Category: CANA News

The Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBB) says it has embarked upon a public consultation regarding the proposed legislative and policy reforms aimed at supporting a national transition from heavy reliance on cheques, as part of the broader strategy to modernise The Bahamas’ payments ecosystem.

The Central Bank said it is committed to fostering monetary stability, promoting a sound financial system, and advancing efficient, modern payment systems across the country. It said the cheque use reduction initiative forms part of the Central Bank’s ongoing efforts to support financial inclusion, innovation, and long-term economic development.

The public consultation consists of a consultation paper, entitled ‘Cheque Use Reduction Project’, which outlines key recommendations for phased reduction of cheque usage, proposed legislative amendments to facilitate payment-method neutrality, and opportunities for public feedback on policy parameters surrounding the continued use of cheques during the transition period.

The consultation paper sets out several proposed measures to support the reduction of cheque usage, including introduction of a cap on cheque item limits relative to the maximum value for which cheques may be written or negotiated as well as legislative reforms to remove references to cheques as a mandatory or singular form of payment and replace them with flexible, technology-neutral payment provisions.

The paper calls for amendments to the Bills of Exchange Act and Payment Systems Act to phase out statutory treatment of cheques and accommodate substituted digital payment instruments as well as the development of new regulations and policies for non-cheque payment instruments.

The paper also details proposed amendments across various laws including the Employment Act, Supreme Court Act, Partnership Limited Liability Act, Hotel Regulations, Public Trustee Rules, Buildings Regulation Rules, Friendly Societies Act, and Parliamentary Elections Act to modernize payment provisions and enable future innovation.

The Central Bank said it is inviting all industry stakeholders including financial institutions, consumer groups, and members of the public to provide feedback on the consultation paper by January,31 2026.

The United States Embassy on Friday said two Trinidad and Tobago nationals have been arrested on charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into the North American country.

It said that Daveanan Deonarine and Michael Samsondar were arrested on provisional arrest warrants on December 10 after they were both charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana for conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States stemming from a 2023 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation that yielded a seizure of 168 kilograms of cocaine in Trinidad. ‘ By volume of the narcotics, the May 18, 2023 operation was the largest seizure of drugs during an on-land operation in Trinbagonian history. The drugs are valued at over TT$234 million (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents),’ the US Embassy said, adding that the suspects are in custody pending extradition proceedings to the United States.

The arrests were carried out by personnel from the DEA Vetted Unit, supported by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Special Investigative Unit (SIU).

‘The U.S. Embassy’s DEA personnel and TOCU have been working side by side for over two decades. The close working relationship they have fostered, the mutual trust, and their excellent law enforcement work show results in these arrests,’ said Chargé d’Affaires Dr. Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz.

‘Together the United States and Trinidad and Tobago are making the region safer and more secure for all of our citizens. I am proud of the work we do with our Trinbagonian counterparts day in and day out,’ she added.

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 acclimation 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.

Former opposition leader, Aubrey Norton, Friday said he is not fully convinced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is an alleged nacro-terrorist as alleged by the United States.

‘I have seen no evidence to help me to arrive at a conclusion and unless we are privy to information that confirms claims, up until then we will take the position of looking after our interest,’ Norton, the leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) told a news conference. Norton, who also heads the parliamentary coalition, A Partnership for National National Unity (APNU), which until the last general election was the main opposition party, told reporters that Guyana’s interest is pushing back against Venezuela’s long-standing claim to the oil rich 160,000 square mile Essequibo Region.

‘I believe that we need to be very careful with who and what we support and when and what we support and any support will only emerge after we have the factual basis to declare one way or the other,’ he said.

Norton said he could not support anything without evidence to determine whether it is true or not and that the PNCR/APNU was guarding against being ’embroiled in something’ about which it did not have information to substantiate or disagree.

‘I’ve listened to academics in the US. Some support it, some against. What I’m still to get from any side is concrete information to inform the decision we should take and so in this present state our task is to pursue our national interest and our national interest is best served at this time by doing the diplomatic work to keep Venezuela at bay and mobilise the support of all who we can get, including the United States, to support us against Venezuela,’ he added.

Washington has repeatedly pledged its commitment to support Guyana in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Earlier this week, Guyana signed an agreement with the United States expanding military cooperation between the two countries.

‘The two countries also signed a Statement of Intent to expand joint military cooperation with full respect for the sovereignty and laws of both countries,’ President Irfaan Ali said, following talks here with senior US officials, including US Senior Advisor to the Secretary of War, Patrick Weaver, and the Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Joseph Humire on Tuesday.

Ali said that the agreement is part of an evolving process between Washington and its allies in South America and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to work on defence and security.

‘The US government now is launching what they call the ‘Southern Spear’ of security where they are now coming up with a strategy for the Western Hemisphere and the US government is to invest more and pay attention more to the CARICOM and Western Hemisphere so basically the countries and allies in the region signalling their intention for more collaboration and cooperation,’ he said.

The United States has been beefing up its military presence near Venezuela allegedly to deal with the illegal drugs trade, even as some political observers say it is part of the Donald Trump strategy to engage in regime change in Caracas.

The Trump administration has declared Maduro an alleged narco-terrorist and a key figure in Cartel of the Suns, both of which have been sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

So far more than 80 persons have been killed by the US military as they were travelling in the Caribbean sea and the Pacific allegedly with cocaine destined for the US.

The US military earlier this week intercepted and seized a large crude tanker with fuel and the Trump administration has since added several more tankers to its sanctions list. The Trump administration had also warned airlines against flying over Venezuela.

But Norton, a former Foreign Service Officer and university lecturer in politics and international relations, declined to offer a perspective on what he made of those actions.

‘All countries pursue their national interest. The United States probably sees it as their interest. Venezuela perceives it as not in their interest,’ said Norton.

Meanwhile, the APNU is questioning the latest cooperation agreement between the United States and Guyana against what it terms ‘the backdrop of rising tensions in Latin America and Caribbean region.

‘The APNU assumes that this measure is intended to support and protect the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is understood that a document of this kind may not be placed in the public domain without compelling reasons,

‘However, APNU finds it disconcerting that, given the importance of the SOI, the government has not chosen to inform the Public of its importance and how it addresses national security, defense cooperation, and Guyana’s strategic position in an increasingly difficult and complex regional environment,’ the coalition grouping said in a statement signed by opposition legislator, Riaz Z. Rupnarain.

It said that the absence of a Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Relations and the lack of an opportunity for Members of Parliament to discuss the specifics of the agreement with the government at the Parliamentary level are equally concerning.

‘Instead of boosting public trust, these omissions raise valid concerns about the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, all cardinal elements of a democratic society.’

The opposition said that the situation raises a number of questions including ‘what commitments were made to the US?’ and does the statement of intent (SOI) affect operational co-operation or access to Guyanese territory?

‘The APNU reiterates its commitment to constructive involvement on all foreign policy and national security issues. Strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with important states in international community are something we wholeheartedly support.

‘Nonetheless, these arrangements must be in keeping with the rule of law, the engagement of, and in consultation with the people of Guyana. APNU urges the government to lay the SOI in the Parliament as a key step in ensuring transparency and accountability,’ it added.

Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited Friday warned people to be aware of a fraudulent on line post and questionnaire faslely claiming to be a Christmas gift from the financial institutiuon and offering GUY$600,000 (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents).

‘This post is a SCAM and is NOT from Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited,’ the bank said in a statement, urging customers and others ‘to be extremely vigilant’.

It is also urging people not to click on any links, fill out forms or provide personal and or banking information top unverified posts or websites.

‘Republic Bank will NEVER ask for your sensitive banking details or passwords through unsolicited link, email, or social media questionnaire. Stay safe and protect your information this holiday season,’ the bank added.

The Belize government says it is urgently working to avoid a shut down between cane farmers and producers of the commodity even as the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) acknowledged that over 100,000 tons of cane were left to rot last year because there just weren’t enough workers to harvest the crop.

The cane farmers and the authorities have not yet signed an agreement for the upcoming sugar season and are scheduled to meet on December 16.

Belize’s 2025-26 sugar crop is expected to start with significant challenges, including a potential production dip due to climate issues, Fusarium wilt disease, and ongoing negotiations between Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) and Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) with potential delays as of late 2025 if agreements aren’t reached.

Production of sugarcane in the 2025/26 season is estimated at 668.8 million tons, a drop of 1.2 per cent.

Prime Minister John Briceño, who has now taken direct control of the government’s role in managing the sugar industry, he believes his own temperament and neutrality are what the sector needs to steer both sides away from an impasse.

He recalled having told former agriculture minister José Abelardo Mai that he is not the minister for the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) but the minister for the entire industry.

‘So you have to represent not only the farmers, but even the millers and the government. So you have to be able to manage all of this,’ Briceño said, he has the Minister of State, Osborn Martinez involved in the day-to-day interface with the cane farmers.

Prime Minister Briceño said that last week that he attended a meeting with the BSCFA, the Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Sugar and the millers.

‘A long meeting went on for several hours to discuss all of the issues addressing the challenges that we’re facing,’ Prime Minister Briceno said, adding ‘I am the one that actually really involved in the activities of the sugar industry’.

Meanwhile, SICB chairman, Marcos Osorio, has spoken about the labour shortages facing the industry in recent years.

‘We need government to assist us, but government cannot assist unless we are organised. And we maybe as an industry that we can come and say, for the upcoming harvest season, the industry needs a 100 cane cutters and we have identified 18 in Guatemala and 20 in Honduras.

‘And now that we have everything in place, then .we can come to government and say, how can you facilitate the process? And I think an important element to mention is that the cost to bring, to import labour from experiences of farmers that did import some labour last for the past crop, it was costing them almost BDZ4600 (one Belize dollar =US$0.49 cents) per cane cutter, and that’s only the cost of the stamp at the border.’

Osorio said that by the time the permit is approved, there is an additional BDZ$300.

‘Every stamp is two hundred dollars. In the past, it was fifty dollars per stamp per month. Now it is two hundred dollars per stamp per month. The permit used to cost, the worker permit used to cost two hundred dollars. Now it is costing three hundred.’

He said one the of difficulties in getting Belizeans to do the job is the payment.

‘Two it is very dirty work in terms of being out in the sun hot all day getting all the ashes from the, because it’s burnt cane that we harvest. And then the pay is not that – do not serve much as an incentive,’ he said.

The Caribbean is living through a moment of rising geopolitical tension. As the United States intensifies pressure on the Maduro government in Venezuela, the ripples reach CARICOM shores fast. None of these countries chose this confrontation, yet each of them is forced to navigate its consequences.

This is nothing new. Small states always live at the edge of power. But recent events have exposed, with painful clarity, how thin the shield of individual sovereignty becomes when the pressure of great-power politics mounts.

Community Tested by High Politics

CARICOM has long described itself as a ‘Community of Sovereign States.’ It is a noble phrase, suggesting unity grounded in mutual cooperation. Yet this crisis has shown how fragile that unity becomes when confronted with high politics-especially politics involving the United States, a country on which many CARICOM economies depend. In mid-October, CARICOM Heads of Government reaffirmed the region’s doctrine: the Caribbean must remain a Zone of Peace; disputes must be resolved by dialogue; and sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld in international law. But the ink was barely dry when divisions surfaced.

Trinidad and Tobago reserved its position and later distanced itself from the collective statement. Guyana-facing a territorial claim and military posture from Venezuela that have overshadowed it for sixty-three years-welcomed the U.S. presence as a deterrent. Some governments stayed silent. A few reiterated the need for de-escalation and respect for law.

Within days CARICOM’s supposed unity became a patchwork of national interests. The Zone of Peace became less a shared principle than a slogan of interpretation.

The Peril of Fragmentation

This fragmentation should alarm all CARICOM peoples. Small states cannot endure as isolated fragments; they last only as part of something larger. When the small divide, the strong decide. And if the Caribbean cannot speak with one voice in defence of law, others will speak for it in the language of might.

Our region must confront a truth that is uncomfortable but unavoidable: sovereignty for the small is both precious and precarious. It is precious because it affirms the moral equality of nations, giving each-no matter its size-a rightful place in the international system. Yet it is precarious because true sovereignty depends on the capacity to exercise it-a capacity no CARICOM state truly possesses.

Global politics operates through hierarchy. Five countries wield veto power at the UN Security Council. Wealthy shareholders dominate multilateral institutions. Trade outcomes favour power, not fairness. Climate diplomacy leaves the smallest states, like Sisyphus, pushing a boulder up a mountain-fighting for compensation for destruction caused by others.

Small Caribbean nations live these realities every day. Economic fragility, limited defence resources, reliance on external markets, and exposure to natural disasters narrow the practical meaning of sovereignty.

The Case for Collective Strength

Yet because of these vulnerabilities, sovereignty matters more-not less. It is the shield that prevents small nations from being swept away by the currents of power. But a shield is useful only if wielded with strength-and no small state has that strength alone.

Sovereignty must be asserted individually but exercised collectively. That is the heart of the Caribbean project and its most persistent challenge.

Too often, governments allow external relationships to influence internal decision-making. Too often, they anticipate what a powerful partner wants and act accordingly-even when doing so weakens the regional collective. Sovereignty cannot survive if continuously surrendered through self-censorship.

The remedy is not uniformity of views. It is consistency of process. Debate within the family. Decisions jointly reached and collectively maintained. For if we cannot resolve differences among ourselves, we invite outsiders to define the region’s positions.

Law as the Discipline of Power

Power will always shape the international landscape. Small states cannot pretend otherwise. But law moderates its sharpest edges. International law does not abolish power politics, but it disciplines it. It transforms might into obligation; it turns coercion into an act that must justify itself. Courts, tribunals, and international forums allow the small to confront the large using reason and norms-not force.

A Region at a Crossroads

This is where the Caribbean countries stand today: geopolitical pressures demand coherence, but domestic calculations often pull them apart. CARICOM has come far, but not far enough, in building a political community capable of withstanding global storms.

Caribbean governments must continue to affirm that law applies as much to the powerful as to the powerless. They should resist any order that tries to turn might into right. And they must ensure the region does not slip back into patterns where external powers pick off states one by one.

The real work of Caribbean integration today is existential. It is about ensuring that sovereignty is strengthened by community. If they stand together-on principle, on dignity, and on the sovereign equality promised in the UN Charter-then even in a world of rising geopolitical storms, the Caribbean will not merely endure. It will shape its own course.

Give to get: Working together with the reality of power

These concepts need not collide; they can be reconciled if we accept that both the mighty and the small must be persuaded-through reason and reciprocity-to accept limits on autonomy out of enlightened self-interest.

The old doctrines of absolute sovereignty, and the old formulas of development and aid, must give way. All countries-including small ones-must learn to give in order to get. Only then can we build an international order in which cooperation is a two-way street-anchored in human rights and humanitarian law, giving small states a chance not only to survive but to prosper. But no single CARICOM country, nor a partial group, can negotiate such a strategy. All must do it together.

This commentary is based on my 2025 Distinguished Lecture of the Organisation of Caribbean Bar Associations, available here:

New Zealand requires 56 runs for victory after dismissing West Indies for 128 on the third day of the second Test here at the Basin Reserve on Friday.

WEST INDIES 205 and 128 in 46.2 overs (Kavem Hodge 35, Justin Greaves 25, Brandon King 22, John Campbell 14; Jacob Duffy 5-38, Michael Rae 3-45).

NEW ZEALAND 278.

New Zealand lead West Indies by 73 runs after being dismissed for 278 after tea on the second day of the second Test here at the Basin Reserve on Thursday.

WEST INDIES 205.

NEW ZEALAND 278 in 74.4 overs (Devon Conway 60, Mitchell Hay 52 not out, Kane Williamson 37, Daryl Mitchell 25, Zak Foulkes 23 not out, Glenn Phillips 18, Michael Rae, 13, Jacob Duffy 11, Tom Latham 11; Anderson Phillip 3-70, Kemar Roach 2-43).

Scoreboard of the third day of the second Test between New Zealand and West Indies here at the Basin Reserve on Friday.

WEST INDIES 1st innings 205

NEW ZEALAND 1st innings 278

WEST INDIES 2nd innings

(overnight 32 for two)

John Campbell b Rae 14

Brandon King not out 15

Anderson Phillip lbw b Duffy 0

Kavem Hodge c sub (Young) b Foulkes 35

Shai Hope c and b Rae 5

*Roston Chase c +Hay b Duffy 2

Justin Greaves lbw b Duffy 25

+Tevin Imlach c Latham b Duffy 5

Kemar Roach not out 5

Jayden Seales c +Hay b Rae 0

Ojay Shields c Rae b Duffy 9

Extras (lb2, nb1, w3) 6

TOTAL (all out; 46.2 overs) 128

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-25, 3-50, 4-58, 5-70, 6-88, 7-113, 8-114, 9-119, 10-128.

Bowling: Duffy 17.2-4-38-5, Foulkes 12-2-39-1, Rae 12-3-45-3, Mitchell 5-1-4-0.

NEW ZEALAND 2nd innings

*Tom Latham c Hodge b Phillip 9

Devon Conway not out 28

Kane Williamson not out 16

Extras (nb2, w2) 4

TOTAL (one wicket; 10 overs) 57

Did not bat: Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, +Mitchell Hay, Glenn Phillips, Zak Foulkes, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duff, Michael Rae.

Fall of wickets: 1-26.

Bowling: Roach 3-0-8-0, Seales 3-0-14-0, Shields 2-0-18-0, Phillip 2-0-17-1.

Toss: New Zealand elected to field.

Result: New Zealand defeated West Indies by nine wickets to lead the three-match series 1-0.

Player-of-the-Match: Jacob Duffy.

Umpires: Paul Reiffel, Alladhuddien Paleker.

TV Umpire: Alex Wharf.

Reserve Umpire: Cory Black.

Match Referee: Javagal Srinath.