Category: CANA News

The following is the CANANews and SPORTS Schedule for Thursday, October 2, 2025.

BRIDGETOWN – The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization( CTO) says tourist arrivals to the Caribbean region grew by nearly two per cent during the first half of 2025, despite softening demand from North America

WASHINGTON – Haiti has signed a three-year country cooperation strategy (CSS) with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) with the two United nations organisations reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening Haiti’s health system and improving health outcomes for all.

KINGSTOWN -The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is promising to double public assistance, reduce the 16 per cent value added tax (VAT) on ‘everyday goods’ and residential electricity while also paying a bonus salary to public servants.

BELMOPAN – Opposition Leader, Tracy Taegar-Panton, is questioning the sincerity behind the government’s decision to have an independent investigation into the alleged kidnapping of a Belizean and his surrender to Guatemalan authorities in August.

GEORGETOWN – The opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has reaffirmed its ‘complete confidence’ in its leader, Aubrey Norton, despite the party’s devastating performance in the September 1 general and regional elections.

SPORTS:

AHMEDABAD – West Indies were dismissed for 162 on the opening day of the first test against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

Haiti has signed a three-year country cooperation strategy (CSS) with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) with the two United nations organisations reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening Haiti’s health system and improving health outcomes for all.

The 2026-2028 CCS is the first cooperation framework of its kind signed between between the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the PAHO/WHO.

The agreement was signed by PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, and Haiti’s Minister of Public Health and Population (MSPP), Dr. Bertrand Sinal, during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 62nd Directing Council of PAHO.

‘This occasion marks an important milestone in our collaborative efforts to respond to Haiti’s public health crisis and improve access to care amid complex humanitarian and security challenges,’ said Dr. Barbosa.

‘The new strategy will serve as a focused three-year framework to guide PAHO’s technical cooperation in Haiti, aligned with national priorities and tailored to the country’s evolving context and needs.’

PAHO said that the Country Cooperation Strategy is a shared, medium-term framework that outlines areas where PAHO and the WHO will work with Haiti to improve public health. It guides PAHO’s work in the country and is aligned with Haiti’s national health goals and global commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

PAHO said that Haiti continues to face serious health challenges, humanitarian emergencies and structural vulnerabilities of its healthcare system. These underline the need for a stronger, more resilient health sector, one that can better serve people’s needs and adapt in times of crisis.

The CCS 2026-2028 focuses on three strategic priorities to support MSPP’s efforts, namely strengthening the health system and ensuring universal access to quality health care and services, regardless of financial means; improving the prevention, control and management of major health issues and strengthening preparedness and response to health emergencies through a NEXUS Approach, a model that connects humanitarian aid, development efforts, and peacebuilding to better and more sustainably meet the needs of the population.

The Country Cooperation Strategy also takes into account the unique needs of different parts of the country, based on local security, population movements, and availability of health services.

Its development was the result of a wide consultative process involving the Ministry of Health, civil society, and development partners. It reflects Haiti’s health priorities and the need for inclusive, coordinated action to protect and promote health.

Through this new CCS, PAHO/WHO reaffirms its commitment to working closely with the Haitian government and its partners to confront major health challenges, ease the burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to emergencies.

‘At its heart, the strategy aims to advance health equity, achieve universal health coverage, and improve the well-being of all people in Haiti,’ PAHO added.

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell says that the lack of financial statements showing the historic performance of the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) is contributing to the delay in the government’s ability to reach an agreement with a new partner.

‘The main challenge we had was that the MNIB was so poorly run that there were no financial statements for many many years and as we attempt to get a private partner to partner with us we have to have those financial statements,’ he said during his interactive talk show ‘DMs with the PM’.

‘So, we have given instructions to try and accelerate this but when statutory bodies don’t do they financials and are not run properly and the government has to bail it out, that is the kind of challenge we face, where we cant even present an investor with a financial statement to tell the historic performance of the entity,’ Mitchell said.

In July 2022, Prime Minister Mitchell, who at the time also held minister of finance portfolio, said that the MNIB would be shut down and the law establishing the statutory body would be be repealed allowing for a new entity to be created under a public private partnership.

At the time the MNIB was facing financial challenges and in February 2023, the government paid severance and other termination benefits to all eighty-seven staff members to the tune of EC$2.67 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).

The government then appointed a six-member broad-based technical working group to deal with the establishment of an appropriate public private partnership to support the sustainable growth of the agriculture sector.

In August 2023, the government announced the successful refinancing of the estimated five million dollars of debt owed by the MNIB to a local commercial bank.

The terms of the new arrangement included consolidating all outstanding principal balances of debt owed by MNIB at an interest rate of four per cent to be repaid over a period of 10 years, an interest free loan for all outstanding interest to date to be repaid over 10 years and the release of all existing securities to be replaced with a charge on the Consolidated Fund.

In March this year, Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall said that the life span of the entity known as the Marketing and National Importing Board would end before the third quarter of this year, because the government had established a new entity to replace the statutory body which was established more than 45 years ago.

Delivering the 2025 national budget to Parliament on March7, Cornwall said that the government had taken ‘decisive’ steps to address the longstanding financial management and inefficiencies plaguing the MNIB.

Cornwall said to this end, a new company – Import-Export Agromart (IMEXA) Ltd – had been established and legal and financial experts were developing prospectus and legal agreements to engage a suitable strategic partner and have the new entity up and running before the end of third quarter 2025

French and St. Lucian security officials have agreed on new initiatives aimed at deepening their cooperation in the fight against crime including drug trafficking.

‘This agreement underscores the mutual trust and shared determination of both countries to confront drug and arms trafficking, threats that pose serious risks to the security and stability of their territories,’ according to the joint statement issued following the two-day ninth meeting of the Joint Security Commission between France and St. Lucia.

The statement said that agreement was reached to ‘deepen cooperation between security forces in the fight against drug trafficking through intelligence sharing and joint training initiatives.

‘To support this, a St. Lucian police officer will be assigned to the Consulate General of St. Lucia in Fort-de-France in early 2026,’ the statement said, adding that agreement was also reached to ‘combat cross-border crime more effectively by enhancing exchanges between judicial authorities, particularly in matters of extradition and the seizure of criminal assets’.

There was also agreement to strengthen maritime security by coordinating the radar detection systems of both countries and enhance cooperation between the customs departments, particularly in the inspection of suspect vessels.

The statement said that the two sides agreed to ‘fully implement the 2006 bilateral agreement on the readmission of persons in irregular situations, while taking humanitarian considerations into account, particularly for hospitalised patients.

‘Both French and St. Lucian authorities welcomed the significant progress represented by the preliminary approval of a bilateral agreement on the pursuit of illicit drug trafficking by sea and air.’

The statement said that under this framework, enforcement ships and aircraft, with the authorisation of the other party, will be permitted to enter territorial seas, internal waters, and airspace to conduct surveillance or pursuit operations against suspect vessels and aircraft.

During the meeting St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre acknowledged the progress made between St. Lucia and the French countries even as he said challenges remain in certain areas.

Pierre said that since the last meeting, while there had been progress in various areas of cooperation, there are persistent obstacles.

‘Since our last meeting, Franco-Saint Lucia cooperation has advanced in several areas of practical cooperation, training and border control. However, challenges remain in communications, deportations and disaster response,’ he added.

Guyana has launched a multi-year project that will allow for the high-tech aerial mapping of the country’s minerals so that prospectors can make informed decisions about where to search for commercially viable deposits ranging from gold to uranium and rare earth minerals.

‘This can be about gold but it can be about so much more. It is about an organised inventory of our mineral resources,’ said the Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Newell Dennison.

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat said the mineral mapping exercise is in line with government’s thrust of sustainable development, viable and low-impact mining, and environmental preservation that are all features of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

‘This is a project that will enhance our reputation, as a country, that will enhance the mining sector, that will show greater environmental stewardship while we continue to develop our country and create opportunities for our people,’ he added.

Geologist and geophysicist at the United States-based Aqua Geo Frameworks, Jared Abraham, said the first set of mapping is expected to be completed by December, this year if Guyana continues to enjoy good weather.

He said that the team is putting together maps of how the different minerals and their properties are configured throughout Guyana and that two aircraft, stacked with advanced equipment, are collecting data at rate of 250 kilometres or 70 metres per second and 80 metres over the surface.

‘We’re not disturbing the delicate ecosystem. In one flight, we are collecting more data than you could do on the ground within a year or maybe two years without disturbing the eco-system,’ Abraham said, adding that the plan includes building Guyana’s first gravity map.

Dennison said the mapping exercise would gather data about the geological and geochemistry and structural relationships of Guyana ‘massive mineralised terrains,’ influence on the locations, accessibility and availability for exploitation.

The GGMC official said such information would assist decision-makers in investing in areas with a great likelihood of finding commercially viable mineral deposits.

‘We want not to have willy-nilly adventurism into the mining estate. We want persons to be much more predictive of where they’re going to put their resources and, therefore, from our perspective be more proficient in terms of finances and of course better outcomes for our national coffers,’ he said.

Dennison said the four million US dollar aerial remote sensing would be able to fill data gaps left by geoscientists and previous prospectors.

The project includes training, consultations with stakeholders and validation of locally-completed geological and geochemical surveys dating back to 15 years.

President and chief executive officer of Global Ventures, Emily King, said that the mapping exercise entails systematic flights in precisely spaced lines over large areas to measure subtle variations in the earth’s magnetic and radiometric fields.

She said those measurements help the scientists to see beneath the forest canopy and soils to understand the geology.

She said good data would shorten timelines, reduces unnecessary environmental disturbances and improve outcomes, helps government develop evidence-based policies and regulate efficiency, helps companies target their work more responsibly and ‘most importantly helps companies benefit from mines of all sizes that are well-planned from the start because they have the best data available’.

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton is urging Jamaicans to check in with their family and friends amid concerns of rising cases of suicides and mental wellness issues.

‘My call is for every single Jamaican to stop, to think, to look around their environment in order to see what is happening with their loved ones, with their friends, to offer support where they can; and where they can’t, to seek support from the public health system, through faith-based groups, through other safe spaces and safe persons,’ Tufton said.

‘It is going to take each of us to address the mental health challenge,’ he added.

Health authorities have confirmed there have been increases in the suicides on the island as well as an increase in the number of calls to the Ministry of Health and Wellness’s Mental Suicide Prevention Helpline last month.

There were 633 calls to the line and Tufton’s comments follow a call recently from the chief executive officer of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), Kaysia Kerr, for parents to pay close attention to changes in their children’s behaviour amid an increase in student suicides.

‘If your child begins to act differently, do not dismiss it as typical teenage behaviour. Investigate in a loving and non-threatening way. Children need to feel safe enough to speak,’ Kerr said, adding that behavioural shifts, whether subtle or extreme, can be early indicators of emotional distress or trauma.

The NPSC senior official said there were several warning signs that parents should monitor, including sudden bedwetting by younger children; changes in appetite or sleep patterns; increased restlessness or lethargy; withdrawal from social interaction; heightened agitation, anxiety, or hyperactivity; unusual body-hiding behaviours or prolonged staring spells.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said it also wanted to draw national attention to what it described as ‘a concerning trend’ in suicide cases recorded across the island this year.

According to the JCF, between January and September 2025, a total of 44 suicides were recorded, compared to 53 cases for the same period last year, representing a 16.9 per cent year-on-year decline.

‘At face value, this decline appears positive; however, the monthly breakdown reveals a troubling pattern. Suicides were consistently lower in the first six months of 2025 compared with 2024, but the second half of the year has seen a reversal. July 2025 recorded eight suicides – a 33 per cent increase over July 2024 – while August and September rose by 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively compared with the same months last year,’ the JCF said.

It said that while the overwhelming majority of suicides remain among males, there are indications that suicides among women, while still relatively low, may be edging upwards.

‘This signals the need for urgent gender-sensitive interventions, as women’s experiences with self-harm often differ and may be linked to domestic, relational, or social factors that require tailored responses,’ the JCF said.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness said it is continuing its efforts to enhance the island’s mental health service, including the ongoing sensitisation of the health team to enable early diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues.

Just over a month ago, a group of some 47 non-psychiatric healthcare workers were provided training under the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), which exposes team members to the various manifestations of mental disorders, including depression.

The authourities said that the School Mental Health Literacy Programme will resume in schools in the new academic year and with guidance counsellors as the main facilitators, the programme will offer students the chance to enhance their awareness about mental health conditions and coping strategies – toward stigma reduction and improved mental health seeking behaviours.

‘At the community level, we are continuing the deployment of Problem Management Plus providers to offer support services for persons experiencing mild emotional distress or who are faced with adverse challenges, including relationship issues, workplace issues, etc. We currently have some 45 active providers in the field,’ Tufton said.

‘We continue to operate our public mental health clinics of which there are more than 150 that cater to adults and more than 20 to children and adolescents island-wide,’ he added.

The number of Canadian visitors to the Caribbean fell by nine per cent to 1.67 million, while arrivals from Europe dropped by an estimated five per cent to 2.53 million during the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year.

Database administrator at the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Paul Garnes, said that in the case of Canada, this was due to softer demand tied to weaker consumer confidence, higher travel costs and currency events.

Garnes told the 2025 State of the Tourism Industry Conference taking place here through Friday that while Europe remains an important market to Caribbean tourism, demand is under pressure due to economic headwinds and or stronger competition from other destinations.

He said intra-Caribbean travel registered 560,000 arrivals, representing 1.2 per cent growth, adding, ‘this continues to support regional resilience’.

South America was another ‘bright spot’ with arrivals jumping more than 25 per cent, moving from 790,000 to just under one million.

‘And then in other markets, including Asia, Africa, and others, we saw solid double-digit growth, up 12 per cent to nearly 3.8 million arrivals,’ Garnes said, adding that this shows that the Caribbean is diversifying beyond traditional source markets.

Garnes said a closer look at Canada showed Canadian outbound travel took a hit in the first half of 2025, especially as the United States tariffs, trade tensions and broader uncertainty pushed many Canadians towards domestic trips and alternative destinations.

For the Caribbean, about 1.7 million Canadian tourists visited between January and June, down just over nine per cent from last year.

‘And it pulled our recovery rate back from nearly 86 per cent of 2019 levels in 2024 to 78 per cent this year. ‘

From January to March, arrivals dropped sharply, down 12 per cent in January, 15 per cent in February, and 10 per cent in March.

‘These losses were even deeper when compared to 2019, with winter months still 27 per cent to 31 per cent below pre-pandemic levels,’ Garnes said, noting that the downward trend continued in April and May, though the contractions were smaller.

In the month of June, there was a rebound as arrivals grew nearlyseven per cent year-on-year, even as that month was 11 per cent less than 2019 volume.

‘So when we look at Canadian arrivals by destination, the results were very uneven,’ Garnes said, adding that of the 19 CTO reporting destinations, only eight recorded growth in the first half of the year.

‘Increases range from a small two per cent to a strong 36 per cent. Bermuda, Curacao and Aruba were the top-performing destinations for Canadians. Looking further back to 2019, only six destinations have fully recovered their pre-crisis volumes. For the rest, Canadian arrivals are still below 2019 levels.’

Garnes said the European economy showed moderate growth in the first half of 2025, supported by services and manufacturing.

‘Inflation eased, employment held steady, and discretionary spending improved, factors that helped sustain outbound travel,’ he said, noting that long-haul travel from Europe is rebounding, but destination performance still depends heavily on how each market is recovering and where travellers choose to go.

By the end of June, about 2.5 million Europeans had visited the Caribbean, down almost five per cent from last year and 17 per cent below pre-crisis levels.

‘Month by month, arrivals were weak,’ Garnes said, adding that the first quarter saw declines averaging around 7.5 per cent.

‘April was the lone bright spot, with a very slight uptick, but May and June slipped again. Overall, quarter two fell by a smaller margin, about two per cent. Compared to 2019, recovery rates vary widely, from just under 70 per cent in January to nearly 93 per cent in May.’

Garnes said most Caribbean destinations saw declines in arrivals from Europe.

‘Only seven of the 19 reporting destinations grew in the first half, led by Guyana, Anguilla and Antigua and Barbuda. Growth ranged from just under two per cent to about 36 per cent,’ Garnes said.

‘So, looking at recovery since 2019, just six destinations have fully surpassed three pandemic levels, with gains from two to 79 per cent.’

Overall, tourist arrivals to the Caribbean grew by 1.9% during the first half of 2025, despite softening demand from North America.

Garnes said that overall, the region still recorded arrivals 6.1 per cent above 2019 – pre-pandemic – levels.

‘Considering tourist arrivals then, in the first half of the year 2025, the Caribbean tourism industry showed strong resilience, continuing to grow despite external challenges,’ Garnes said.

The United Nations Wednesday urged the international community to fund a new UN Support Office in Haiti, less than 24 hours after the Security Council adopted a resolution authorising the transition of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to a Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

It said that the new office in Port au Prince, to be known by its UNSOH, is meant to provide logistical and operational support to the GSF.

‘Establishing a UN Support Office funded by peacekeeping-assessed contributions was initially recommended by the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres back in February, as you will recall,’ said Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

‘We urge member states to support the Gang Suppression Force, including through scaled-up voluntary contributions and the provision of uniformed personnel. All of this to help overcome the challenges that have constrained the Multinational Security Support mission,’ Dujarric told the daily UN briefing.

‘In this regard, we welcome the establishment of a Standing Group of Partners for the Gang Suppression Force by member states to provide high-level strategic direction, oversight, and relevant political decision-making for the new force. This was also among the Secretary-General’s recommendations back in February.’

Dujarric said that the UN is calling on Haitian stakeholders to build on this momentum by accelerating efforts to complete the political transition, adding that the head of the political office in Haiti, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, continues to support Haitian actors on that path.

‘The UN Political Mission in Haiti’s prevention and good offices work remains now more relevant than ever,’ Dujarric said, updating reporters also on what he described as ‘the horrific situation regarding gender-based violence’.

He said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that these atrocities continue at alarming levels in Haiti.

According to the UN spokesman, between January and August of this year, ‘our humanitarian partners reported more than 6,450 incidents, nearly half of those cases being rape. One in seven of these survivors is a girl under 18.

‘According to our partners armed groups were reportedly responsible for 75 per cent of the cases. Displaced people account for 70 per cent of the survivors,’ Dujarric said, noting that only a quarter of rape survivors were able to access medical care within the critical 72-hour window, while another quarter received treatment only after more than one month.

‘These delays are driven by insecurity, stigma, weak referral systems and the absence of health services in so many communities in Haiti,’ he said, adding that the vast majority of incidents were concentrated in the West Department, with the capital, Port-au-Prince, alone accounting for more than 30 per cent of cases.

‘We and our partners have been providing life-saving services, including medical and psychosocial support, legal assistance and temporary shelter. However, OCHA reports that access to services remains uneven, with most of these problems concentrated in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding communes.

‘OCHA warns that chronic underfunding is compounding the crisis and leaving the vast majority of survivors without care. Less than 20 per cent of the US$19 million required this year for gender-based violence prevention and response in Haiti has been received so far,’ Dujarric said.

He said urgent support is needed to extend services beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, and ensure that women and girls across the country can access protection and care.

Both the West Indies men’s and women’s senior teams will be busy at home in 2026 as Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday revealed packed home series for both teams.

Speaking during CWI’s quarterly press conference, Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe announced that the men will be hosting Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan.

‘We start the home series for the men with Sri Lanka and a full tour of all three formats: three ODIs, three T20s, and two Test matches.

West Indies Women will play a historic Test match against Australia at home in 2026

‘Then we move on to New Zealand which is a white-ball series of three ODIs and three T20 internationals, and then Pakistan, which is a Test series consisting of two Test matches,’ Bascombe revealed.

He said among the West Indies Women’s matches at home was a historic Test match against Australia Women.

‘The women will have Sri Lanka for six white ball matches: three ODIs and three T20Is.

‘They will also have Australia for a full format series including one Test match and we finish the year with Pakistan, which is a white ball series with three ODIs and three T20Is,’ Bascombe said.

The Guyana government Wednesday welcomed the United States Department of State 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report that placed the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country in Tier 1 as a result of the government fully meeting the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

‘Guyana continues to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts to combat Trafficking in Persons,’ said Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, describing the Tier 1 ranking as evidence of the country’s ‘unwavering dedication and effective action in fighting human trafficking’.

Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond

She said that Guyana remains steadfast in its commitment to eradicating human trafficking within its borders and across the wider region.

She said that this commitment is amplified by the tireless efforts of members of the Ministerial Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons, non-governmental organizations, civil society stakeholders, and other partners.

‘Our comprehensive approach includes safeguarding vulnerable populations, increasing training and awareness, intensifying spot inspections and anti-trafficking operations, and through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, providing robust support and protection to victims and survivors, pursuing relentless prosecution of offenders, and fostering strong partnerships both locally and internationally,’ Walrond said.

The government said that the Tier 1 placement marks the ninth consecutive year that Guyana has demonstrated serious and sustained efforts to combat this insidious crime.

The US report also highlights several notable advancements in Guyana’s anti-trafficking framework, including an increased prosecution rate, the successful conviction of a sex trafficker with an ordered restitution payment, and enhanced collaboration with foreign governments to investigate trafficking cases effectively and increasing funding for the protection and prevention efforts.

It further outlines 12 critical recommendations for Guyana to continue strengthening its anti-trafficking efforts.

These include increasing prosecutions and convictions, especially in cases involving child victims; eliminating recruitment fees charged to workers; expanding labour and spot inspections in sectors vulnerable to trafficking such as mining and logging; enforcing restitution orders promptly; proactively screening vulnerable populations, including migrants, for signs of trafficking; and ensuring that convicted traffickers and any complicit officials face adequate penalties.

Walrond said Georgetown ‘is firmly committed to addressing these recommendations with urgency, deploying advanced policies, rigorous monitoring, and strengthened partnerships to disrupt trafficking networks and safeguard victims’.