Category: CANA News

West Indies Women defeated Zimbabwe Women by 99 runs in the opening Women’s One Day International at the Harare Sports Club here on Thursday.

Scores

WEST INDIES WOMEN 299-6 in 50 overs (Hayley Matthews 182, Realeanna Grimmond 53, Chinelle Henry 19, Shemaine Campbelle 13; Francisca Chipare 2-57).

ZIMBABWE WOMEN 200 in 43.3 overs (Modester Mupachikwa 86, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 26, Sharne Mayers 21, Kelis Ndhlovu 15, Beloved Biza 11, Josephine Nkomo 10; Aaliyah Alleyne 3-44, Ashmini Munisar 2-27, Afy Fletcher 2-31, Jannillea Glasgow 2-37).

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Thursday, September 24, 2026.

UNITED NATIONS – Guyana and Barbados leaders address the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

PORT OF SPAIN – Senate President Mark Wade early Thursday morning cast the deciding vote as the Trinidad and Tobago government was able to pass the controversial Special Operations Bill which the government introduced to replace the failed Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs).

NEW YOR – Leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) whose countries operate the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme, have held talks with the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, according to a statement issued by the Office of the Office of the Prime Minister of St. Lucia.

ST. JOHN’S – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is maintaining his criticism of what he has described as the emerging lenient sentencing orthodoxy of Caribbean judiciary.

BELMOPAN -The Belize government says it supports the concerns raised by the churches in ‘unequivocally condemning the inappropriate and sexualized behaviour’ involving children during recent public celebrations.

SPORTS:

West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews blasted a magnificent century to give her side a winning start in their One Day International series against Zimbabwe Women on Thursday.

West Indies Women elected to bat after winning the toss against Zimbabwe Women in the opening Women’s One Day International at the Harare Sports Club here on Thursday.

SQUADS

ZIMBABWE WOMEN: Josephine Nkomo (captain), Modester Mupachikwa, Sharne Mayers, Kelis Ndhlovu, Nyasha Gwanzura, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Beloved Biza, Michelle Mavunga, Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare, Tendai Makushka.

WEST INDIES WOMEN: Hayley Matthews (captain), Realeanna Grimmond, Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle, Chinelle Henry, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack.

Umpires: Kim Cotton, Percival Sizara.

TV Umpire: Iknow Chabi.

Reserve Umpire: Langton Rusere.

Match Referee: Owen Chirombe.

Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre has held talks with the chief executive officer of Saudi Eksab, Yazeed Saleh AlYahya, seeking potential investment in St. Lucia’s development.

The Saudi Arabia Saudi Eksab was launched in October 2025 with a mandate to make equity investments in emerging and frontier markets, aiming to deliver both financial returns and social and economic impact.

Pierre said that the meeting builds on St. Lucia’s partnership with Saudi Arabia, including the Saudi Fund for Development’s support for the reconstruction of St. Jude Hospital, south of the capital.

‘St. Lucia cannot borrow its way to the future. We need partners willing to invest alongside us and share in the returns. Saudi Eksab was created to do exactly that in markets like ours, and we want to work with them,’ Pierre said.

He said that the discussions with the Saudi Eksab outlined his country’s need for more financing options given that small island developing states like is have relied heavily on borrowing to fund development.

Pierre said that small island states have been adding to public debt and limiting their ability to respond when disasters or economic shocks hit.

‘Equity investment offers another way to bring in capital: investors take an ownership stake in the projects they fund, without the government necessarily taking on a new loan,’ he said, adding that the two parties discussed housing and tourism development as one of the first areas for cooperation.

He said access to affordable, well-built housing remains one of the most pressing needs for St. Lucian families and that the meeting ended with an agreement to explore Saudi Eksab investing in housing and tourism development.

‘Saudi Eksab is keen to partner with St. Lucia. Our mandate is to invest where our capital can deliver real socio-economic impact as well as sustainable returns, and housing is an area where both can be achieved. We look forward to working with the Government to turn today’s discussion into concrete opportunities,’ said Al Yahya.

Police say a 20-year-old man is due to appear in court later this week charge with the murder of 20-year-old Saquania Anthony, a pregnant mother who was gunned down on Monday night in an incident that also left two others, including a 13-year-old body, nursing gunshot wounds.

In a statement, the police said that they had arrested and charged Jaquan Shaw with the murder of Anthony, and the attempted murders of Kelvin Samuel 24, and 13-year-old Joshua Meade.

The police said that preliminary investigations into the incident at Bathlodge, a village and residential area located in the parish of Saint John, had indicated that several persons were inside a residence when three masked intruders reportedly forced their way into the building and discharged several rounds.

They said Shaw was subsequently arrested and formally charged in connection with the offences, adding that he is expected to appear before the court this week.

‘The Police Administration wishes to thank the general public for their assistance, patience, and cooperation, as investigations continue into the matter,, the police said in a statement.

Both Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Minister responsible for Public Safety, Sir Steadroy Benjamin, have strongly condemned the killing with Browne describing the incident as deeply disturbing.

‘The loss of a young life through gun violence is deeply troubling and unacceptable. A family is today grieving the loss of a daughter and loved one, while another family anxiously awaits news of a 13-year-old who is critically injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this terrible act of violence,’ Prime Minister Browne said.

The Prime Minister reiterated his deep concern and abhorrence at the incidences and recurrence of gun crimes in Antigua and Barbuda, stressing that the use of illegal firearms to carry out criminal acts cannot be allowed to become normalised within the society.

The Guyana government could in the coming weeks decide on the preferred proposal for the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project as it confirmed it is still in the process of evaluating bids.

The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project will be developed in Region Eight and is designed to deliver a minimum of 165 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to the national grid.

It forms part of the government’s broader energy strategy, which seeks to diversify Guyana’s energy mix through investments in natural gas, hydropower and solar energy.

The project was advanced more than a decade ago but encountered a major setback in 2013 amid disagreements over parliamentary support. The renewed effort to develop Amaila Falls is in line with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.

President Irfaan Ali, who held talks with the president and chairman of the United States Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, John Jovanovic, here earlier this week, has indicated that the financial has expressed interest in financing the project.

A government statement said that it is one of several major infrastructure initiatives discussed between President Ali and the bank’s president.

The statement said that Ali ‘made it clear’ that the government’s preferred approach involved a design, build, finance and operate arrangement supported by a power-purchase agreement.

‘We are hoping that in the coming weeks, we will be in a position to say what structure or what bid is the best in the interests of Guyana’s development and our people’s development,’ Ali is quoted as saying in the statement.

The statement said that the LCDS strategy identifies hydropower as an important component of the country’s transition towards cleaner energy. Once operational, the facility is expected to supply large-scale renewable electricity to the national grid and contribute to Guyana’s long-term energy security.

‘In addition to Amaila Falls, the bank has expressed interest in supporting Guyana’s proposed second gas project, a deepwater port and other infrastructure investments,’ the statement said, adding ‘no successful bidder or finalised US EXIM financing agreement for Amaila Falls has been announced’.

The state has signalled its intention to appeal a ruling by the High Court on Wednesday that quashed a magistrate’s decision to commit a former senior executive of the now defunct CLICO Life Insurance Company chairman to stand trial for alleged theft and conspiracy.

The High Court is to hear submissions on the issue of damages and costs. The matter was adjourned to February 23, next year.

King’s Counsel Roger Forde, who headed a three-member team for the state, said that the matter is far from over.

‘The matter is not yet over. An appeal will be filed and at some point in time, Mr Parris will face a jury. There is no merit at all in the decision. In fact, no reasons have been given for the decision,’ he said, noting that the case had previously been placed before another judge who had dismissed it.

‘That itself tells you it is a matter for the appeal court,’ he said.

In 2023, Magistrate Manila Renee sought to have the case, in which Leroy Parris was alleged to have stolen BDS$3.3 million (One Barbados dollar=US$0.50 cents) from the insurance company, sent to the High Court.

But Parris, through his attorneys, Hal Gollop KC and Neil Marshall, filed an application for judicial review and secured an injunction halting the indictment from proceeding. Magistrate Renee, the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) were listed as respondents in the suit.

In handing down her ruling on Wednesday, Justice Michelle Weekes also issued an order quashing the magistrate’s decision to commit Parris to stand trial. In addition, the judge also also prohibited the magistrate from sending to the DPP and the Registrar of the Supreme Court any copy of the documents in the case and granted an injunction restraining the DPP from proceeding with the indictment against Parris.

‘The decision of the respondent in making the finding that there was sufficient evidence put before the court upon which the claimant could reasonably stand trial in a High Court is vitiated on the grounds that the first respondent acted in a manner that is unconstitutional and contrary to the principles of natural justice.’

The judge stated that reasons for her ruling would follow.

Speaking to reporters after the ruling, Gollop said said it ‘has been a long and arduous task and we feel vindicated by the decision and look forward to the further progress of the matter so that we may bring it to a final conclusion.

‘My client is very happy that this act of injustice has been given the stamp of disapproval by the court and we are happy with the outcome.’

In 2012, charges were initially laid against Parris accusing him of stealing the funds from CLICO International Life Insurance Limited between December 1, 2008, and April 27, 2009, and of conspiracy to defraud CLICO by inducing the company to pay out the money to lawyers Thompson and Associates.

The State also alleged that, between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, Parris was involved in a conspiracy to cheat the Commissioner of Inland Revenue by failing to submit tax returns or account for income taxes for the 2009 tax year and that between December 1, 2008, and April 27, 2009, Parris engaged in money laundering of the BDS$3.3 million.

St. Kitts and Nevis Minister of Communications and Technology, Konris Maynard, has been elected as the new president of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), promising that his tenure will place strong emphasis on strengthening the CTU and deepening regional cooperation to accelerate meaningful digital transformation throughout the Caribbean.

‘Our region is at a pivotal moment. Digital transformation is no longer simply about technology; it is about how we transform government, strengthen our economies, improve education and healthcare, increase resilience, enhance cybersecurity and create new opportunities for our people,’ said Maynard, who succeeds Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence, Dominic Smith.

‘I look forward to working closely with my colleague Ministers, the CTU Secretariat, our regional and international partners and all stakeholders to strengthen the CTU and advance widespread, inclusive and meaningful digital transformation across our Caribbean region,’ he told the closing ceremony of the CTU’s ICT Week 2026

Maynard, who previously served as the CTU vice president from 2024 to 2026, said he was ‘deeply humbled by the confidence that my colleagues from across the Caribbean have placed in me to serve as President of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union.

‘I thank them sincerely for their support and for entrusting me with the responsibility of helping to lead this important regional institution,’ Maynard said, thanking his predecessors for their leadership of the union.

‘I wish to place on record my sincere appreciation to the government of Trinidad and Tobago, Minister Hassel Bacchus and Minister Dominic Smith for their leadership and contribution to the CTU over the last four years.

‘Much important work has been advanced during their tenure. My commitment is not simply to begin something new, but to build upon the foundation already laid, strengthen what is working and work collectively to take the CTU to even greater heights.’

Maynard said his election also carries special significance for St. Kitts and Nevis.

‘For the smallest sovereign nation in the Western Hemisphere to be entrusted with the presidency of an organisation representing the collective digital aspirations of our Caribbean region is a humbling honour. It demonstrates that leadership is not determined by the size of a country, but by our willingness to serve, to contribute and to work together towards a shared vision.’

The CTU is an intergovernmental organisation focused on the development of the regional ICT sector. Its General Conference of Ministers is its highest decision-making body and brings together Ministers responsible for telecommunications and ICT from CTU member states to establish the organisation’s strategic direction and regional priorities.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley Thursday called for the Caribbean region to remain a zone of peace and that there should be no acceptance o the region ‘becoming a theatre for confrontation or for the unilateral and unjustified use of force’.

In an address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Mottley said that it is also necessary for political leaders in the Caribbean to play a pivotal role in ensuring that the region remains peaceful and progressive.

She said that the situation in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country of Haiti, where criminal gangs are seeking to overthrow the government following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, the security crisis continues to retard political renewal and economic recovery.

‘Still, preparations for a return to constitutional government are moving forward, even with great difficulty. But those efforts cannot succeed unless security improves, particularly in the areas containing more than half of Haiti’s electorate.’

She said that as a result, Barbados supports the full deployment that has been long-promised and the renewal of the mandate of the 5,500 Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a multinational security mission authorised by the United Nations Security Council to combat armed gangs in Haiti.

‘Let me remind you that it was in 2022 that this recent, more heightened state of insecurity began with the fuel riots. Enough is enough. At the same time, we thank all member states who have contributed in whatever way to helping Haiti find its path.’

Mottley said that this includes the three-member CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG), chaired by the former St. Lucia prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony and including Bruce Golding and Perry Christie, the former prime ministers of Jamaica and The Bahamas respectively.

She said that EPG has been helping to build consensus in Haiti and maintain engagement with key international partners.

Mottley said that the region is also ‘deeply concerned’ by the worsening humanitarian pressures facing the people of Cuba as the United States, which has in place a decades old trade and economic embargo against Havana, has in recent months stepped its programme of seeking to remove the government on the island.

The aggressive strategy, led by the Donald Trump administration has pushed the island into an unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis, and following Washington’s removal of the Nicolás Maduro government in Venezuela, it has completely halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, cutting off the island’s primary energy lifeline.

‘Too many people are suffering. Restrictions on trade, finance and access to fuel are intensifying hardship not only for Cuban citizens, but also for all others who study and live there,’ Mottley said, adding that Barbados has, each year, opposed the use of the embargo and other unilateral coercive measures against Cuba.

‘As always, we call for constructive engagement. This must be grounded in dialogue, sovereign equality and respect for international law. ‘

Mottley said that Barbados was also extending its continued solidarity to the people of Venezuela as they recover from the devastating double earthquakes in June and that Bridgetown remains committed to supporting the Soyth American country’s longer-term recovery.

‘A stable, sovereign, peaceful and democratic Venezuela is vital to the security and prosperity of the wider Caribbean. In this regard, I take this opportunity to reiterate Barbados’ steadfast support to its sister CARICOM country of Guyana as it seeks to bring a peaceful resolution, through the International Court of Justice, to the long outstanding controversy with Venezuela.

‘This is in the interest of the people of Guyana, Venezuela and the people of the wider Caribbean,’ Mottley said, adding ‘the Caribbean must remain a Zone of Peace.’

In her address, Mottley said that on March 25th this year, the United nations adopted a ‘historic resolution’ where the overwhelming majority of states acknowledged the truth that the trafficking of enslaved African and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans was the gravest crime against humanity.

‘Yes, we in Barbados painfully know this reality. Regrettably we still carry the scars.

I have reminded us that it was my country that passed the first Slave Code in 1661. Others followed, including the infamous Code Noir of 1685. It was only repealed this year; hence the wounds are still raw.’

She said Barbados accepts the moral responsibility of removing the cross of slavery with its horrific consequences, adding ‘we must effect healing through reparatory justice. It is the right thing to do.’

She said in July, Caribbean leaders approved the revised CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, telling the global community ‘for the Caribbean, for Africa and for all of those countries concerned, the honest engagement must begin.

‘We do not ask for reparations without accepting responsibility for our own self-repair which we have undertaken for decades. I want to be very clear about this Mr President. Let there be no doubt.

‘The mindset that established, justified and sustained slavery is the same mindset that sustains the iniquities and inequities within the power structures of this very institution and within the international financial architecture. The same mindset that caused a global map to remain grossly inaccurate for centuries.’

Trinidad and Tobago Thursday celebrated its 50th anniversary of Republicanism with President Christine Kangaloo saying that the Constitution recognises and protects fundamental rights and freedoms.

She said that those guarantees are not ornaments for tranquil times and that they matter most when fear is greatest and the pressure to set them aside is strongest.

The Head of State said that crime has caused profound grief and anxiety in homes and communities across Trinidad and Tobago and that the state has an undeniable duty to protect life, maintain public order and ensure that citizens can live without fear.

‘Yet a mature Republic must protect security, liberty and the sanctity of life together,’ she said, adding that ‘measures adopted in the public interest must remain necessary, proportionate, accountable and subject to the law,’ she said, adding that ‘ exceptional powers must remain truly exceptional’.

She made no reference to the controversial Special Operations Bill, which provides for the establishment of policing districts, the conduct of special operations to combat criminality in those policing districts including also for persons to be in possession of permits to enter or leave those districts.