Category: CANA News

New Zealand defeated West Indies by nine wickets 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 and 57-1 in 10 overs (Devon Conway 28 not out, Kane Williamson 16 not out).

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has secured a spot on the 2025 Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, where she ranks No. 99 among the globe’s most influential political, business, and philanthropic leaders.

Forbes highlights Mottley’s continued global impact – particularly her forceful advocacy on climate change, her diplomatic leadership, and her role in steering Barbados’ constitutional transition.

According to her Forbes profile, Mottley ‘was elected as Barbados’ prime minister in 2018. When she was sworn in, she became the first woman to hold the role.’

The profile also notes her rise as a global leader on climate issues, referencing her 2021 address to the United Nations General Assembly, where she delivered an ‘impassioned speech’ calling for urgent action.

That same year, the United Nations Environment Programme named her a ‘Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership.’ Forbes further underscores her role in Barbados’ historic constitutional shift:

‘Under her leadership, in November 2021, Barbados officially became a parliamentary republic and removed the Queen of England as its head of state.’

Mottley’s inclusion places her among a global cohort of women shaping economies, diplomacy, technology, philanthropy, and cultural influence.

She joins a 2025 Power Women list dominated at the top by political heavyweights – European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at No. 1, European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde at No. 2, and Japan’s first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi at No. 3.

Forbes’ 22nd annual ranking evaluates women across four metrics: money, media, impact, and spheres of influence. This year’s list spans 100 women from 17 countries, collectively commanding an estimated $37 trillion in economic power and influencing the lives of more than a billion people.

Mottley’s leadership trajectory, the outlet notes, began long before her premiership. Her first ministerial appointment came in 1994 as Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, marking the start of a political career that would later carry her to regional and international prominence.

The publication further underscored that her continued appearance on major global rankings reinforces her status as one of the Caribbean’s most visible and influential political figures, often cited for her bold rhetoric on climate justice, global equity, and economic reform.

Jacob Duffy and Michael Rae grabbed two late wickets to put New Zealand in firm control of the second Test after a courageous effort by the West Indies’ bowlers brought them back into contention on Thursday’s second day.

Rae produced a brilliant inswinger to bowl John Campbell, while Duffy trapped nightwatchman Anderson Phillip plumb in front, as the Windies ended the day perilously placed on 32 for two, still 41 runs in arrears.

Earlier, led by pacer Anderson Phillip, the Windies did well to bowl out the home side for 278 and restrict their first innings lead to a manageable 73, after they had looked poised to score much more.

Resuming from their overnight total of 24 without loss, New Zealand added 16 more runs before Kemar Roach produced a gem of a delivery that beat captain Tom Latham’s inside edge and knocked over his off stump.

Devon Conway and Kane Williamson then frustrated the visitors’ bowling attack for close to an hour and a half during a 67-run partnership.

The Windies should have had the wicket of Conway when he was 29 and the score 47 for one, but Brandon King could not hold on to a sharp chance at leg slip off the bowling of Jayden Seales.

Conway seized the opportunity and eventually reached his 13th Test half century off 90 balls just before the lunch break by driving Ojay Shields to deep backward point and collecting two runs.

The pair looked set to carry their side to the break, but Phillip rattled Williamson’s stumps after he scored a brisk 37 off 46 balls with lunch in sight.

West Indies grabbed the momentum immediately after play resumed, with Roach having new batsman Rachin Ravindra caught behind for five, while Justin Greaves was fortunate to dismiss Conway for 60 after he edged a loose ball down the leg side behind to wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach, to leave New Zealand 117 for four.

However, Mitchell Hay and Daryl Mitchell came to their side’s rescue in a partnership of 73 that changed the complexion of the match.

Phillip got the breakthrough when he had Mitchell caught down the legside by Imlach for 25, with the score 190 for five.

Debutant Hay brought up his maiden Test half century by driving Shields for two boundaries as New Zealand went to tea at 200 for five, just five runs adrift of the Windies’ first innings total.

They duly passed that score and looked set on establishing a big lead but were stifled by some pinpoint bowling.

Hay pulled Shields for two consecutive boundaries but picked out Roach at fine leg attempting a third to be out caught for 61, with the score 213 for six.

Glenn Phillips scored 18 before slogging off spinner Roston Chase into the hands of Phillip stationed at deep midwicket, while Phillip returned to dismiss Duffy for 11 and Jayden Seales wrapped up the innings by bowling Rae, to see New Zealand lose their last five wickets for 65 runs.

Phillip was the Windies’ best bowler with 3-70, while Roach took 2-43.

Needing to navigate the final half hour of play, the West Indies started nervously, with Duffy flooring a tough return catch offered by Brandon King before he had scored.

Campbell executed two pull shots and an audacious cover drive off the bowling of Zak Foulkes in the fourth over, and King also hit him for two consecutive boundaries in his next over to see them motor to 24 without loss after six overs.

But the introduction of Rae proved to be decisive, as he knocked over Campbell’s off stump with his fifth delivery as the batsman shouldered arms to an inswinger.

The decision to send in Phillip as a nightwatchman backfired, with Duffy having him lbw after facing just three balls.

Phillip was initially given not out by the umpire, but a review showed the ball would have cannoned into off stump.

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.

New Zealand will not have the services of Blair Tickner with either bat or ball for the remainder of the second Test match against West Indies.

According to a statement from New Zealand Cricket, Tickner, who injured his shoulder while fielding on Wednesday’s opening day, is unlikely to take any further part in the match. He was the Kiwis’ best bowler in the first innings, finishing with figures of 4-32 from his 16 overs, but had to be stretched off in obvious discomfort after taking a tumble while trying to stop a boundary at fine leg.

‘Black Caps pace bowler Blair Tickner will not bowl or field and is unlikely to bat for the remainder of the second Test in Wellington, after dislocating his shoulder while diving to stop a boundary on day one,’ New Zealand said via a statement on Thursday.

‘Tickner, who was taken to hospital for treatment last night, will join the squad at the ground today as he awaits further specialist assessment to determine his return to play.’

Tickner is the latest New Zealand fast bowler to be ruled out due to injury.

Fellow pacers Matt Henry and Nathan Smith sustained injuries in the opening Test, while other fast bowling options Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears and Matt Fisher are also injured or coming back from injury.

Regional carrier, interCaribbean Airways on Thursday officially launched its scheduled service to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

The inaugural flight from Barbados landed to a welcome ceremony with government officials and aviation leaders.

The crew included Captain Peter Murray and flight attendant Alesha George, both Guyanese, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to opportunities for locals.

interCaribbean serves 28 destinations across 17 countries and territories. With Ogle’s central location, travelers are now just minutes away from downtown Georgetown.

Captain Jerry Gouveia Jr., Director of Roraima Airways, emphasised the importance of the launch to the country’s economy.

‘Air connectivity to Guyana is crucial for economic growth, what we need in the private sector here are more outlets for our local businesses, our local people to export Guyanese products whether it is our agricultural products or services into the world and organisations like interCaribbean make that happen,’ Gouveia Jr. said

He also highlighted that interCaribbean has put significant efforts into maximising Guyanese involvement in the airline by training flight attendants, pilots and engineers.

‘They are giving opportunities for Guyanese to represent the country and represent the industry internationally,’ Gouveia Jr. who is also the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission noted.

With the new service coming into Ogle more business opportunities will open especially for the private sector.

Founder and Chairman of interCaribbean, Lyndon Gardner reflected on the company’s journey in Guyana during his remarks. The airline began operations at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in 2021.

‘Five years ago we made a promise to Guyana, today, the spirit of Guyana leading the way we have taken another step in keeping that promise,’ Gardner said.

He explained that in 2020 the world was hit with the COVID pandemic, many airlines were reducing service and pulling back but interCaribbean made the bold destination to expand into the Caribbean.

‘At interCaribbean we made a different choice, we looked south to Grenada, to Barbados and in December 2021, to Guyana and what we saw was not uncertainty but opportunity,’ he stated.

The aircraft displays the Golden Arrowhead on its tail and ‘Spirit of Guyana’ on the nose and according to Gardner; ‘it is more than mental and paint, it is more than an aircraft, it is a symbol of what we believe the Caribbean is, one family and Guyana is an essential part of that family.’

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar, praised the addition of the new route, highlighting the rapid expansion of Guyana’s aviation industry.

Indar said the aviation sector in Guyana has been growing at a rapid rate and that the sector will transform Guyana. Direct employment in the sector stands at some 5, 200 and indirect employment is about 12,000.

‘This airport – small yes – but is the busiest and it is because of the economic explosion that is happening in the country,’ Indar said.

Fast bowler Jacob Duffy ripped through the West Indies’ fragile batting lineup with a second consecutive five-wicket haul to bowl New Zealand to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory inside three days in the second Test here on Friday.

Duffy claimed five wickets in an innings for the second time in the series, as the visitors, trailing by 73 runs in their first innings, produced another forgettable batting display to be skittled out for just 128 runs at the Basin Reserve, their sixth lowest Test score against New Zealand.

Needing to score a mere 56 runs to complete a straightforward win, the home side lost captain Tom Latham cheaply, but Devon Conway and Kane Williamson needed just 10 overs to reach their target and take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series following the drawn opening Test.

The West Indies began the day on 32 for two, with the memories of their historic second innings performance from the first Test still fresh in their head and the belief they could replicate it.

Overnight batters Brandon King and Kavem Hodge looked in good nick early on while adding 18 runs, and were hardly bothered in the first half hour, until an unfortunate run out turned the tide of the match. King drove a delivery from Michael Rae to cover and set off for a single, but was sent back by Hodge who initially set off for the run before changing his mind. King though, did not get back to his crease in time and was found short of his ground following a pinpoint throw from Michael Bracewell which was collected by wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay.

Five balls later, Rae got the crucial wicket of Shai Hope, who presented him with a simple return catch when his attempted block ballooned into the air, to leave the Windies in dire straits at 58 for four.

Skipper Roston Chase’s wretched form with the bat continued when he gloved a sharp, rising delivery from Duffy behind to the keeper after scoring just two, and when substitute fielder Will Young took a blinder of a catch at short midwicket on the second attempt to remove Hodge for the topscore of 35, the contest was essentially over at 88 for six.

Justin Greaves added 25 runs with Tevin Imlach to stem the constant flow of wickets, but Duffy returned after lunch to account for Greaves lbw via review after he had initially been given not out.

With just one run added to the score, Imlach was pouched at second slip by Latham as he drove at a delivery from Duffy outside the off stump to plunge the Windies into deeper trouble at 114 for eight.

The end came swiftly after that, with Rae bowling Jayden Seales for a duck and Duffy fittingly dismissed last man Ojay Shields to grab his second five wicket haul in only his second Test.

Duffy ended with figures of 5-38, while Rae supported with 3-45.

Anderson Phillip claimed the wicket of Latham for nine, but Conway, who scored an unbeaten 28 off just 22 balls with six fours and Williamson, who ended on 16 not out with four boundaries, wasted little time in romping to 57 for one at almost six runs an over.

United States legislators on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the US’ seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, flying the Guyana flag.

As he escalates pressure to force Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro from office, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the US military had just seized the oil tanker.

‘As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,’ Trump said. ‘Large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually.’

Democratic legislators and Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, immediately responded to the remarks.

‘It sounds a lot like the beginning of a war,’ Paul, a constant critic of Trump’s Venezuela policy, told reporters.

He said it is not ‘the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world, looking for adversaries and beginning wars.’

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Coons, the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said he was ‘gravely concerned that (Trump) is sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela.’

Last week, Paul and Democratic Senators Tim Kaine of Virginia, Adam Schiff of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit Trump from starting a war with Venezuela without approval from the US Congress.

‘If you want war, the president should come to Congress, like the Constitution dictates, and he should ask Congress for a declaration of war,’ Paul said. ‘That’s what should be going on right now.’

At the same time, Schiff warned that Trump’s latest action seems to be ‘a very dangerous escalation and a prelude to a potential conflict we should not be involved in.’

In posting a video on X later on Wednesday, US Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that the oil tanker was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

‘For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,’ she wrote.

But Venezuela’s foreign affairs minister, Yván Gil Pinto, described the oil tanker’s seizure as a ‘blatant theft’ and ‘an act of international piracy.’

‘The true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have been laid bare. It is not migration. It is not drug trafficking. It is not democracy. It is not human rights. It has always been about our natural wealth, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people,’ he wrote on social media.

Guyana Maritime Administration Department said in a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday that, while the tanker was flying a Guyana flag. it is not registered in Guyana.

‘The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has observed the proliferation and unacceptable trend of the unauthorized use of the Guyana Flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana,’ the statement said.

‘Today, the Government of the United States of America (USA) informed the Guyana Maritime Administration Department that they have encountered the Motor Tanker SKIPPER (ex-ADISA), IMO Number 9304667 in International Waters,’ it added. ‘It was falsely flying the Guyana Flag, as it is not registered in Guyana.

‘MARAD will continue to reach out to and work with international partners and other maritime agencies to identify, pursue, and take firm action against any unauthorized use of the Guyana Flag,’ the statement continued.

Meantime, Schiff has called on Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his involvement in boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and the killing of survivors, and the national security breaches that endangered the US military through Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive national security information.