Category: CANA News

Prime Minister Andrew Holness Monday welcomed the visit of several of his Caribbean Community (CARICOM) colleagues to his hurricane battered country saying ‘Jamaica is grateful for the solidarity being shown and for the reassurance that we do not stand alone.

‘Through partnership, unity, and shared purpose, we will rebuild our communities and strengthen our nation’s ability to withstand future challenges,’ said Holness, who is also the chairman of the 15-member regional integration movement. Jamaica was battered by Hurricane Melissa on October 28, as a category 5 storm that killed 45, with 13 other people missing.

Jamaican authorities said that the storm, the worst hurricane to hit the area since 1988, left an estimated 90,000 households and 360,000 people affected by the damage.

Holness, in a post on his Facebook page, said ‘as Chair of CARICOM, I had the honour of welcoming a Goodwill Mission comprising several CARICOM Heads of Government and leaders from major international organizations for a post-Hurricane Melissa tour in Jamaica’

He said he delegation included his counterparts from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana and Grenada, alongside representatives from the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat , the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and other regional partners.

Earlier Prime Minister Gaston Browne had said that ‘as CARICOM brothers and sisters, we cannot stand by when one of our own is suffering. Jamaica has endured an unimaginable blow, and we must rally around its people – not just in messages of comfort, but with action, coordinated support, and a shared commitment to rebuild.

‘Our visit to Montego Bay is deeply symbolic: to show that we stand in solidarity, to assess first-hand where help is most needed, and to work together on building back not just what was lost, but what is necessary for a more resilient future,’ Prime Minister Browne said.

Information Minister, Dr Dana Morris-Dixon, said it is important for the CARICOM mission to get a firsthand view of what has happened in Jamaica, saying ‘it’s devastating in Westmoreland and St Elizabeth and many other parishes.

‘They are going to get to see that today, and we expect as a part of this, we will able to build partnerships for the rebuilding of Jamaica,’ she added.

She said that Jamaica has already received aid from its CARICOM neighbours and partners, but it was good that they saw what was happening on the ground.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Monday urged the United States to settle its difference with Venezuela ‘through diplomacy and dialogue’ reiterating that the Caribbean region should be a zone of peace.

Last week, President Donald Trump said he has made up his mind on a course of action in Venezuela following multiple high-level briefings and a mounting US show of force in the region that includes the presence of the US largest carrier, the USS Gerald Forde. ‘I sort of have made up my mind – yeah. I mean, I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of have,’ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

But in a message posted on his Facebook page on Monday, Prime Minister Gaston Browne wrote ‘we encourage President Trump to resolve the differences between the US and Venezuela, through diplomacy and dialogue.

‘Let’s continue to preserve our hemisphere as a zone of peace,’ he added.

Last month, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders issued a statement in which they said they ‘met and discussed various issues on the regional agenda including the increased security build up in the Caribbean and the potential impacts on member states’.

The statement said that ‘save in respect of Trinidad and Tobago who reserved its position,’ the leaders ‘reaffirmed the principle of maintaining the Caribbean Region as a Zone of Peace and the importance of dialogue and engagement towards the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict. CARICOM remains willing to assist towards that objective’.

In September, CARICOM foreign ministers sent a letter to US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urging the United States to provide an assurance that any military action aimed at Venezuela will not threaten regional stability or occur without prior consultation and warning.

The United States ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Trump’s effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has openly supported Washington’s war on drugs in the Latin America and the Caribbean, said she had ‘no sympathy for traffickers’ and that the US military should ‘kill them all violently.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser have also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.

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

Former prime minister Dr. Keith Rowley Monday denied signing an agreement with the United States that would allow Washington to use Trinidad and Tobago as a staging ground to attack neighbouring countries such as Venezuela, while reiterating that the Caribbean region should always remain a zone of peace.

‘As the former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and chairman of the National Security Council and the person who sat and talked with Americans throughout my term, that there is absolutely nothing in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to permit any commitment from Trinidad and Tobago to breach the UN Charter, to intervene militarily in any of our neighbours or anywhere in the world,’ Rowley told a news conference.

‘Absolutely not so at all. Anybody from the government saying that it is a lie. There is nothing in any document that I am aware of , which prevents the sovereign government of Trinidad and Tobago from saying yes or not to any request coming from any country if we believe that it jeopardises our sovereignty or put our vulnerability to the test. So let’s get that very clear,’ Rowley told reporters.

SOFA governs the temporary presence and activities of US military personnel in Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement was first signed in 2007 and has been updated multiple times, most recently in December 2024. The newest version removed a specific expiration date, making it indefinite unless renegotiated, and is designed to facilitate military-to-military engagement and cooperation, such as joint training exercises and security.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the presence of United States military troops in the region has already contributed to a ‘significant reduction in the trafficking of guns, drugs, and humans’ into Trinidad and Tobago, even as the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro warned that Trinidad and Tobago’s joint military drills with the United States could ‘threaten peace’ in the Caribbean.

Members of the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on Sunday began a week-long joint training exercise with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) with Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, saying that the collaboration reflects the ‘deep and enduring’ security partnership between the two countries. ‘The United States’ presence in the region has already contributed to a significant reduction in the trafficking of guns, drugs, and humans into our country. As a small nation facing transnational criminal networks, Trinidad and Tobago benefits immensely from this partnership with the world’s leading superpower,’ said Persad-Bissessar, who has strongly supported the Washington’s alleged fight against the illegal drugs trade in the region.

‘For too long, our citizens, from the elderly to our youth, and even innocent babies, have been slaughtered mercilessly by brazen criminals who profit from their connections to cartels and narco-terrorists, Persad Bissessar wrote on her official account on the X platform.

‘Gang violence has erupted into open lawlessness on our streets, with high-powered weapons unleashing daylight terror and claiming the lives of law-abiding citizens,’ she said, adding that her government will continue to support for the US military action.

She urged citizens to remember the innocent lives lost to gun violence in Trinidad and Tobago.

‘Remember their names. Remember their faces. Their memories must fuel our national resolve. To win the fight against organised crime, we must strengthen and modernise our crime-fighting capability. These joint exercises with the United States are a critical step in enhancing the TTDF’s readiness, intelligence capability, and operational strength.

‘Our partnership with the US has already achieved meaningful success and together we will continue to press forward until we win the war on crime which has plagued TT and threatens stability across our region,

‘May these exercises further fortify our security and usher in a safer, stronger Trinidad and Tobago. We promised to make TT safe and we intend to deliver,’ she wrote.

But Maduro has warned that the military exercises in Trinidad and Tobago are designed ‘to seriously threaten the peace of the Caribbean’

‘They say they’re going to do it from Monday to Thursday. Well, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will see if they continue to tolerate the use of their waters and land ,’ Maduro declared.

Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, speaking at a news conference here last weekend, said the exercise will be ‘military to military engagement, allowing personnel from both countries to become familiar with each others equipment, tactics and techniques,’ adding that the exercises will challenge them as well as offering an opportunity to expand their expertise and professional development.

He said that the training will take place ‘across Trinidad and Tobago in both urban and rural environments with operations scheduled during dusk and after dark ‘.

Political observers view the US presence in the Caribbean as part of Washington’s efforts to effect regime change in Caracas under the guise of dealing with the illegal drugs trade. The US has sent its biggest carrier, the Gerald Forde into the Caribbean Sea as part of the campaign.

Over the last weekend, the US Southern command said that ‘at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation.

‘Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. Three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed. The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific and was struck in international waters,’ USSOUTHCOM said in a post on X.

The action brings to more than 80 people, including two Trinidad and Tobago nationals, allegedly killed by the US strikes that began in September.

Maduro has accused Trinidad and Tobago of once again authorising ‘irresponsible military exercises’ in waters off the Venezuelan state of Sucre, claiming the drills project a threatening posture toward Venezuela.

Maduro further repeated his longstanding allegation that the US aims to seize Venezuela’s natural resources. ‘They want to steal our oil. Are we going to let them? They want to steal our gas. Are we going to let them?’.

Former Grenada foreign minister Peter David Sunday night launched the Democratic People’s Movement (DPM) at a time of profound global change which he said ‘is shifting in ways that directly affect our survival as small island states.

‘Grenada must build a diplomacy that serves our development: creating partnerships that empower our people, attract sustainable investment, and strengthen resilience,’ said David, adding that the DPM is determined to make history ‘fueled by dreams of a greater tomorrow; shaped by a character formed by the bruises and the missteps of a yesterday that was not a long time ago’.

David said Grenada, like all other countries, has to come to the realisation that the familiar paths no longer serve the collective good. ‘When politics becomes a game of personalities and power, the people, the true architects of a nation’s destiny, are left on the margins. Grenada now faces such a moment.

‘I stand before you tonight humbled. I stand hopeful. I have travelled all through this country these past few months, not just to speak, but to listen, the many stories echo in my head.

I heard the voices of mothers and fathers worried about their children’s future, the dreams of businessmen and businesswomen struggling against the tide. What I heard was the frustration with politics as usual.’

David said that this movement has been nurtured in grassroots Grenada, organized on street corners and under traffic lights.

‘It has been forged by the fire of shared hope and the undeniable realization that our country needs to be whole again. Our children and grandchildren deserve a future worthy of the lessons of the past and the hopes and opportunities of the present.

‘We are all here tonight bearing witness for a cause worth fighting, united by our love for this country and our belief in its possibilities. Whatever the questions we will face, the answers will always come back to you.

‘For decades, many of us have tried to change this country, by first changing the organizations we have joined. And as we have found out the hard way, there has been an entrenched political class that puts up resistance,’ said David, who has held executive positions within the two main political parties here.

He told the launch that the DPM is not just jis story but ‘the Grenadian story’ and that ‘Grenada, tonight, we are off and running again.

‘But this time in our own shoes. We shall dance to our own beat; and sing a song of hope.

As we move forward, let’s stand here tonight unapologetic; and let’s move forward unbowed.’

He said that the Democratic People’s Movement is built on a simple, profound philosophy that the strength of a nation lies not in the power of a few, but in the participation of all.

‘We are not about leaders or parties. We are about ideas, policies, and action. We are here to elevate politics above acrimony, to place issues over personalities, and to build a framework for governance that is transparent, accountable, and rooted in service.’

He said in the coming weeks ahead the DPM will unveil the ‘Progressive Agenda for Empowerment, that shall simply be known as PAE’.

‘Under the PAE programme, every young person in Grenada under the age of 35, seeking to acquire their first home, shall be granted a down-payment grant. Thirty-five thousand dollars for a single person. Fifty thousand dollars for a married couple.’

David said that for too long, the potential of Grenada’s small businesses has been stifled by an outdated and burdensome regulatory environment.

‘We will streamline the processes involved in starting a business, cutting through unnecessary red tape and eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks that stifle innovation and job creation.

‘We will overhaul the ease of doing business in Grenada by improving access to capital, simplifying registration procedures, and ensuring that our small businesses have the resources they need to thrive.’

He said the country cannot win the fight against the cost of living unless it wins the fight for national food security.

‘We must empower our farmers and fisherfolk, making the commitment to agricultural revitalization a national priority, not a political afterthought.

‘We will promote a comprehensive plan for modernization and market access. This includes guaranteed market pricing for local staples, subsidized climate-smart irrigation and technology, and local processing facilities to reduce post-harvest losses. Our goal is to cut our food import bill while stabilizing domestic prices.’

He said also that the party’s foreign policy and economic policy must be fused, saying we need an economic resilience policy to shield Grenadian families from imported inflation and trade volatility.

David said that the health sector would also form a significant aspect of the party’s policies going forward, saying ‘a great society is measured by how it cares for its most vulnerable. Healthcare is a fundamental right, and this Movement will deliver a system defined by compassion, accessibility, and dignity.

‘In improving our healthcare, through making more investments in healthcare workers, facilities and equipment, we must be careful not to develop a system where money will determine who lives and who dies.’

David reiterated that his newly launched DPM is ‘the modern embodiment of this unceasing struggle for unity’ and that it is ‘building a movement that upholds dignity and transparency’

‘Leaders of this Movement will not be fueled by their own ego, but by respect for the very people we wish to lead. Leaders of the Movement must inspire hope, forge unity. We will not be participants in striving to burn down this country so that some can inherit its ashes. It’s time for us to make policy for the people; not to make mawet with the people’.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have parted ways with explosive all-rounder Andre Russell ahead of the 2026 auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 37-year-old Russell had been with KKR since 2014 and was among five players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 mega auction. However, the news should not come as a complete surprise, as the franchise had deliberated releasing him ahead of the 2025 mega auction before having a change of heart.

Russell, who retired from international cricket in July, is regarded as one of the greatest-ever T20 players and is one of only two players in IPL history to have scored over 2000 runs and picked up 100 wickets, the other being Ravindra Jadeja.

He has also hit the joint-seventh most sixes (223) in the IPL.

During his time at KKR, Russell was named Player of the Tournament in 2019 and was part of KKR’s title-winning teams in 2014 and 2024. He also won 16 Player-of-the-Match awards.

According to reports, more than one franchise sought out Russell in trade.

The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) were crowned champions of the FIBA Women’s Caribbean Championship after dismissing The Bahamas 105-81 on Sunday.

The win ensured the USVI ended the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record to automatically qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Centrobasket Championship. The USVI rushed out to a 29-19 first quarter lead and never took their foot off the gas, winning every period behind a dominant offensive display and a bruising interior presence, which saw them outrebound their opponents 56-31 and forced 14 turnovers, which fueled transition buckets that blew the game wide open.

Anisha George was unstoppable in the paint for the USVI, putting up a monster 26-point, 21 rebound effort on 10 of 13 shooting. J-Naya Ephraim added 17 points and six assists, while captain Imani Tate contributed 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

The Bahamas was led by impressive performances from star player Lashann Higgs who scored 37 points and a 32-point effort from Valerie Nesbitt.

Meanwhile, Guyana and The Bahamas also booked their spots at next year’s Women’s Centrobasket Championship after finishing second and third respectively.

The hosts ended the tournament with a 3-1 record after defeating Jamaica in their final game, while The Bahamas (2-2) qualified despite losing to the USVI.

Former prime minister Dr. Keith Rowley Monday denied signing an agreement with the United States that would allow Washington to use Trinidad and Tobago as a staging ground to attack neighbouring countries such as Venezuela, while reiterating that the Caribbean region should always remain a zone of peace.

‘As the former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and chairman of the National Security Council and the person who sat and talked with Americans throughout my term, that there is absolutely nothing in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to permit any commitment from Trinidad and Tobago to breach the UN Charter, to intervene militarily in any of our neighbours or anywhere in the world,’ Rowley told a news conference. ‘Absolutely not so at all. Anybody from the government saying that it is a lie. There is nothing in any document that I am aware of , which prevents the sovereign government of Trinidad and Tobago from saying yes or not to any request coming from any country if we believe that it jeopardises our sovereignty or put our vulnerability to the test. So let’s get that very clear,’ Rowley told reporters.

SOFA governs the temporary presence and activities of US military personnel in Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement was first signed in 2007 and has been updated multiple times, most recently in December 2024. The newest version removed a specific expiration date, making it indefinite unless renegotiated, and is designed to facilitate military-to-military engagement and cooperation, such as joint training exercises and security.

Rowley said that if in the future there is a confrontation between the United States and Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago is seen to be a participant ‘big or small, it is entirely as a result of decisions taken and actions by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.under the leadership of Kamla Persad-Bissessar’.

Political observers view the US presence in the Caribbean as part of Washington’s efforts to effect regime change in Caracas under the guise of dealing with the illegal drugs trade. The US has sent its biggest carrier, the Gerald Forde into the Caribbean Sea as part of the campaign.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, who has publicly endorsed the US military action in the region, said over the last weekend that their presence in the region has already contributed to a ‘significant reduction in the trafficking of guns, drugs, and humans’ into Trinidad and Tobago, even as the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro warned that Port of Spain’s joint military drills with the United States could ‘threaten peace’ in the Caribbean.

‘They say they’re going to do it from Monday to Thursday. Well, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will see if they continue to tolerate the use of their waters and land ,’ Maduro declared, repeating his longstanding allegation that the US aims to seize Venezuela’s natural resources.

Members of the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on Sunday began a week-long joint training exercise with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) with Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, saying that ‘as a small nation facing transnational criminal networks, Trinidad and Tobago benefits immensely from this partnership with the world’s leading superpower.

‘May these exercises further fortify our security and usher in a safer, stronger Trinidad and Tobago. We promised to make TT safe and we intend to deliver,’ she added.

Rowley told the news conference that when he was in office between 2015-2025, Trinidad and Tobago had followed the the long standing policy of previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administrations of of non-interference in the internal affairs of countries reiterating the Caribbean’s position of being friends of all, satellites of none.

He said in recent months, the United States under the Donald Trump administration had developed an ‘aggressive posture’ towards Venezuela and the Persad-Bissessar government ‘rather than being more careful and be cognisant of how we managed ourselves before, look at our vulnerabilities, we have a badjohn prime minister.and America is going to break international law.

‘Strangely enough, European countries are in fact taking the same position on the legality of what’s happening in the Caribbean,’ he said, noting that ‘we have no issue with the United States as a nation, we want to preserve our relationship with the United States (but) we do not have to accept every policy that the United States execute, especially in international geopolitics. ‘We have to put our interest first,’ he said.

Rowley said that the Persad-Bissessar government had signaled to Washington that it is prepared to allow Trinidad and Tobago to be used as a staging point for attacks on Venezuela ‘in the event that the United States military is engaged with Venezuela, it doesn’t matter what for, it was cloaked in some comment about Guyana.

‘There was never an issue of Venezuela invading Guyana,’ Rowley said adding that the statement by Port of Spain ‘dumped all the protection that we had of a nation aiming to be neutral where there is confrontation on the horizon and taking a position with one of the potential combatants.

‘From where I sit and from where I came, I could not believe that Trinidad and Tobago after decades of advocating, supporting and receiving the benefit of friends of all, satellite of none and wanting the charter of the United Nations to prevail in all circumstances to protect us, we decide that somehow we better off and benefits to be had by taking sides.’

Rowley said that according to the international media reports ‘it is quite clear ‘ that Washington is engaged in regime change in Caracas.

‘I want to ask the government of Trinidad and Tobago., did you know that this was to be the outcome of the decisions that you made with the United States? Did you make any decision with them? Did they share any information with you about this operation which involves nuclear submarines, thousands of marines, assault capacity for a threatened neighbour, aircraft with leading edge technology and of course most importantly, the use of Trinidad and Tobago as a staging ground for this operation?

‘Did you know that or did you agree to that or is it just happening, unfolding that today the Venezuelans could be saying that we are using our country to facilitate an attack on Venezuela,’ Rowley asked.

He warned that Venezuela may regard targets in Trinidad and Tobago ‘as legitimate targets’ if attacked including oil platforms that are operational close to the Venezuela-Trinidad and Tobago borders.

‘Who wake up this woman and go tell the world that if America, having declared drug dealers as narco terrorists .and once they use the word terrorists they are now authorised to use the military against it an that was the plan, because the plan is regime change.

‘If they manage to kill every narco trafficker in Venezuela, the objective still remains,’ he said, noting that President Trump had been telling the international media ‘Venezuela is a bad country, they open their jails and their mental institutions and send 25 million people.to America.

‘And that is why America military is here to put an end to what Venezuela has done and my prime minister is there saying on my behalf go full speed ahead, I support your policy and you can count on us.

‘My question today to the government of Trinidad and Tobago, what preparations have you made to protect us in the event your offer is taken up or Venezuela is attacked and Venezuela sees us as they said they have see us as a combatant in a military intervention against their territory.

‘The government of Trinidad and Tobago has a lot of questions to answer to the people of Trinidad and Tobago because we are at risk,’ Rowley told reporters, noting also the potential socio-economic loses should Venezuela in the future agree not to engage Port of Spain in any potential agreement to further develop the oil and gas sectors.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar Monday dismissed concerns raised by her predecessor, Dr. Keith Rowley regarding the security of Trinidad and Tobago as the United States increases its military presence in the Caribbean region.

‘Today’s presser by Rowley was nothing to be concerned about. As a citizen he has a democratic right to express his opinions,’ Persad-Bissessar said in a post on her X account, adding that. ‘the US has NEVER requested use of our territory to launch any attacks against the people of Venezuela’.

Rowley told a news conference that he had not signed an agreement with the United States that would allow Washington to use Trinidad and Tobago as a staging ground to attack neighbouring countries such as Venezuela, while reiterating that the Caribbean region should always remain a zone of peace.

‘As the former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and chairman of the National Security Council and the person who sat and talked with Americans throughout my term, that there is absolutely nothing in the Status of Foreces Agreement (SOFA) to permit any commitment fom Trinidad and Tobago to breach the UN Charter, to intervene militarily in any of our neighbours or anywhere in the world,’ Rowley told reporters.

‘Absolutely not so at all. Anybody from the government saying that it is a lie. There is nothing in any document that I am aware of , which prevents the sovereign government of Trinidad and Tobago from saying yes or not to any request coming from any country if we believe that it jeopardises our sovereignty or put our vulnerability to the test. So let’s get that very clear’.

SOFA governs the temporary presence and activities of US military personnel in Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement was first signed in 2007 and has been updated multiple times, most recently in December 2024. The newest version removed a specific expiration date, making it indefinite unless renegotiated, and is designed to facilitate military-to-military engagement and cooperation, such as joint training exercises and security.

Rowley said that if in the future there is a confrontation between the United States and Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago is seen to be a participant ‘big or small, it is entirely as a result of decisions taken and actions by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.under the leadership of Kamla Persad-Bissessar’.

But in her 10 point rebuttal of Rowley’s statements made during the news conference, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said it was Rowley, ‘while entranced with former (US) ambassador (Candace A.) Bond, signed an updated SOFA last year which requires T and T to cooperate with the US military in their training exercises in the region.

‘Trinidad and Tobago territory will NOT be used to launch any attacks against the people of Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago is a sovereign state and does not blindly follow the US or any bloc such as CARICOM.

‘Our foreign policy is Trinidad and Tobago first. As Lord Palmerston said, ‘We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow,’ she wrote.

Political observers view the US presence in the Caribbean as part of Washington’s efforts to effect regime change in Caracas under the guise of dealing with the illegal drugs trade. The US has sent its biggest carrier, the Gerald Forde into the Caribbean Sea as part of the campaign. The US has sent its biggest carrier, the Gerald Forde into the Caribbean Sea as part of the campaign

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, who has publicly endorsed the US military action in the region, said over the last weekend that their presence in the region has already contributed to a ‘significant reduction in the trafficking of guns, drugs, and humans’ into Trinidad and Tobago, even as the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro warned Port of Spain’s joint military drills with the United States could ‘threaten peace’ in the Caribbean.

Members of the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on Sunday began a week-long joint training exercise with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) with Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, saying that ‘as a small nation facing transnational criminal networks, Trinidad and Tobago benefits immensely from this partnership with the world’s leading superpower’.

‘May these exercises further fortify our security and usher in a safer, stronger Trinidad and Tobago. We promised to make TT safe and we intend to deliver,’ she added.

But Maduro has warned that the military exercises in Trinidad and Tobago are designed ‘to seriously threaten the peace of the Caribbean’

‘They say they’re going to do it from Monday to Thursday. Well, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will see if they continue to tolerate the use of their waters and land ,’ Maduro declared, repeating his longstanding allegation that the US aims to seize Venezuela’s natural resources.

Rowley told the news conference that while he as in office between 2015-2025, Trinidad and Tobago had followed the policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of countries reiterating the Caribbean’s position of being friends of all, satellites of none.

He said in recent months, the United States under the Trump administration had developed an ‘aggressive posture’ towards Venezuela and the Persad-Bissessar government ‘rather than being more careful and be cognisant of how we managed ourselves before, look at our vulnerabilities, we have a badjohn prime minister.and America is going to break international law..

‘Strangely enough, European countries are in fact taking the same position onn the legality of what’s happening in the Caribbean,’ he said, noting that ‘we have no issue with the United States as a nation, we want to preserve our relationship with the United States (but) we do not have to accept every policy that the United States execute, especially in international geopolitics. ‘We have to put our interest first,’ he said.

Rowley said that the Persad-Bissessar government had signaled to Washington that it is prepared to allow Trinidad and Tobago to be used as a staging point for attacks on Venezuela ‘in the event that the United States military is engaged with Venezuela, it doesn’t matter what for, it was cloaked in some comment about Guyana.

‘There was never an issue of Venezuela invading Guyana,’ Rowley said adding that the statement by Port of Spain ‘dumped all the protection that we had of a nation aiming to be neutral where there is confrontation on the horizon and taking a position with one of the potential combatants.

‘From where I sit and from where I came, I could not believe that Trinidad and Tobago after decades of advocating, supporting nd receiving the benefit of friends of all, satellite of none and wanting the charter of the United Nations to prevail in all circumstances to protect us, we decide that somehow we better off and benefits to be had by taking sides’.

But Persad-Bissessar, who is on record as saying that the United States should kill the drug dealers ‘violently’ said in her message Monday that ‘Trinidad and Tobago has suffered tremendously under the weight of drug and gun trafficking.

‘My Government will not shy away from supporting international partners who are committed to confronting this plague head-on,’ she said, adding ‘Trinidad and Tobago will NOT participate in any act that will bring harm to the Venezuelan people.

‘We continue to have peaceful relations with the people of Venezuela,’ she said, adding ‘the Trinidad and Tobago Government supports the selection of leaders through free and fair democratic elections’.

In his news conference, Rowley warned that Venezuela may regard targets in Trinidad and Tobago ‘as legitimate targets’ if attacked including oil platforms that are operational close to the Venezuela-Trinidad and Tobago borders.

‘Who wake up this woman and go tell the world that if America, having declared drug dealers as narco terrorists .and once they use the word terrorists they are now authorised to use the military against it an that was the plan, because the plan is regime change,’ he added.

But Persad-Bissessar said that Trinidad and Tobago citizens and infrastructure ‘are NOT at risk as we are NOT participants in any aggression against the people of Venezuela’.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, leaves here on Monday as part of a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) delegation expressing solidarity with Jamaica following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28 as a category 5 storm that killed 45, with 13 other people missing.

Jamaican authorities said that the storm, the worst hurricane to hit the area since 1988, left an estimated 90,000 households and 360,000 people affected by the damage.

Prime Minister Browne, who is being accompanied by his wife and Minister Maria Browne, said the visit will focus on Montego Bay and surrounding communities in St. James, one of the areas hardest hit by the hurricane. The delegation will meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, local leaders, assess recovery efforts, and support regional coordination on relief and reconstruction.

‘As CARICOM brothers and sisters, we cannot stand by when one of our own is suffering. Jamaica has endured an unimaginable blow, and we must rally around its people – not just in messages of comfort, but with action, coordinated support, and a shared commitment to rebuild.

‘Our visit to Montego Bay is deeply symbolic: to show that we stand in solidarity, to assess first-hand where help is most needed, and to work together on building back not just what was lost, but what is necessary for a more resilient future,’ Prime Minister Browne said.

His wife, who is the Minister for Housing, Land and Urban Renewal, said ‘it breaks my heart to see the destruction and to think of families who lost loved ones and their homes.

‘ I join the people of Jamaica in mourning, and in hope – hope for renewal, reconstruction, and unity in the Caribbean.’ Twenty-eight fatalities are associated with the passage of Hurricane Melissa over Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, 2025, as a devastating Category 5 storm, unleashing sustained winds reported at up to 185 miles per hour (mph) and causing catastrophic damage across western and southern parishes.

In Montego Bay, entire roofs were torn off homes, and debris littered roads. The storm severely damaged infrastructure, including critical public buildings and Sangster International Airport.

According to Prime Minister Holness, the damage from Melissa is estimated at as high as seven billion US dollars or about 28 to 32 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) with significant long-term economic impact.

Recovery efforts are underway, but challenges remain: many communities remain cut off due to blocked roads and fallen power lines, and relief is being hampered by the scale of debris – an estimated 5 million tons, or the equivalent of 480,000 truckloads, according to UN and regional agencies.

Regional mechanisms have mobilized swiftly. The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) activated its Regional Response Mechanism, deploying teams to coordinate with national authorities, international partners, and neighbouring states.

The Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has also played a leading role, sending high-level representatives to Jamaica, delivering essential health supplies and carrying out public health damage assessments.

In a message of unity, the Caribbean Tourism Organization reaffirmed its commitment, declaring: ‘One Caribbean will rise stronger’ in its recovery from Melissa.

‘This is about rebuilding homes, infrastructure, public health systems, and economies – but also about preparing for the future. Melissa is a warning: climate change is not coming, it is already here. We must work together as a Caribbean community to invest in resilience and mobilize regional and international support,’ said Prime Minister Browne.

He encouraged regional and international partners to support Jamaica’s recovery efforts, including through CARICOM-led channels, development agencies, and multilateral institutions.

Prime Minister Browne’s mission underscores Antigua and Barbuda’s and CARICOM’s unwavering solidarity with Jamaica. It is a tangible demonstration of regional unity in the face of disaster, and a call to collective action to rebuild stronger, smarter, and more resilient.

‘As the region confronts the challenges of recovery, the leadership of CARICOM – embodied in this visit – is a powerful affirmation that when one Caribbean nation falters, the rest stand ready to help lift it up,’ Prime Minister Browne added.