Category: CANA News

Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre Monday confirmed that a man appeared in an expletive-laden video last week expressing frustration about being here is a St. Lucian national who had been deported from the United States and is not part of that country’s migration programme involving third country nationals (TCN)..

‘The gentleman who was a deportee, a criminal deportee, was arrested by the police and questioned as to what is the outcome. I have not been briefed, but I know he’s been arrested by the police and questioned,’ Pierre told the weekly post Cabinet news conference. ‘Let me make it abundantly clear, he was not a third country national. He was a St. Lucian who was deported in the year either 2022 or 23,’ Pierre told reporters adding that the man had deported after he served a jail sentence in the US.

‘He was not a third country national,’ he said.

In the video, the man, who was dressed in a uniform of a security firm here, said he wanted to make a podcast to ‘air out my frustration’ and how ‘I just hate this country.

‘I hate this country so much that sometimes I be feeling like, you know I did 13 years of my life in prison in America, got out , the US deported me to this country…and I hate this country, this people in this country so…..stupid’.

The man, who does not identify himself speaks of the country in derogatory terms acknowledging that in his 13 years in prison in the United States ‘I read my bible, but you come to a country like this…lame…

‘I hate this country so much that sometimes I just feel like going on a killing spree…killing people until the police kill me,’ he said, urging those viewing the five minute video ‘to help me come to your country’.

The government had said last week that persons accepted by St. Lucia under the TCN programme are subject to the established screening and eligibility requirements applicable to the programme.

Pierre told reporters that deportees from the United States have been arriving here ‘for a very long time’ recalling that in 2016 there were false reports that St. Lucia had accepted 800 deportees ‘ until it was corrected.

‘So, I want to tell you that deportees have been arriving in St Lucia from that time, even though the number was exaggerated.’

Pierre said that regards to six foreign nationals who recently entered the country under the TCN programme, one of them was repatriated last week and arrangements have been made for another to leave.

‘So, as we speak, there are only four third country nationals in St. Lucia whose arrangements have not been made for them…to leave,’ PIerre said.

Guyana will host the third Global Regional Safety Oversight Organisations and Regional Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations Forum for Aviation Safety later this month.

The September 29-30 event is being organised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) under the theme, ‘Optimizing Resources through Coordination and CooperationThe organisers said that the Forum will bring together senior representatives of regional safety oversight organisations, regional accident and incident investigation organisations, as well as other stakeholders including industry leaders and aviation experts from around the world.

Discussions will focus on strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing safety oversight and accident investigation capabilities, promoting sustainable financing, developing the aviation workforce, harmonising regulatory frameworks and deepening partnerships with industry.

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said that through the exchange of proven practices and practical solutions, the Forum will examine how coordinated regional action can help States optimise expertise and resources, reinforce aviation safety systems and improve accident and incident investigation capabilities.

It said that President Irfaan Ali will also address the event and that ‘Guyana continues to demonstrate its growing role in advancing aviation safety, strengthening institutional capacity and promoting meaningful collaboration across the global aviation community’.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged regional students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) to play an active role in advancing regional integration by fostering stronger relationships across the Caribbean and beyond.

‘All of you are existing in a period of time where the rate of change of innovation, of technology has never been as fast as it is now. You are going into a world where you’re going to be required not only to know the conventional wisdom, but you are going to be required to be innovators and creators of new knowledge, new ways of doing things,’ Holness told the students.

‘For this generation of Caribbean leaders coming through our universities… you have to be innovators. You have to become connected to the global economy. Yes, we must see ourselves as Caribbean, but we can’t see ourselves as not connected to the global ecosystem. Yes, we are small islands, but that does not stop us from being innovators,’ he added.

A government statement said Holness, who met with the students from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, last weekend, also encouraged them to develop the skills, attitudes and mindset needed to compete effectively in an increasingly dynamic global labour market.

Holness was joined by the Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Abka Fitz-Henley and the statement said that the meeting followed a request from the UWI Mona campus for two government officials to engage with the visiting regional student leaders.

The statement said that during the engagement, Prime Minister Holness responded to questions from student leaders on a range of issues affecting Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, including affordable housing, debt management, regional integration, productivity and efficiency, and leadership at the student, regional and global levels.

Prime Minister Holness said the engagement provided a valuable opportunity for the government to hear directly from student leaders on issues affecting students and young people across Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

He noted that the discussions also covered student development, leadership, education, opportunities for young people, and other issues of national and regional importance.

Prime Minister Holness stressed that young people must have a voice in shaping the future of the Caribbean, while Fitz-Henley said the Jamaica government is committed to ongoing engagement on issues affecting students and the future advancement of societies across the region.

‘The Prime Minister values our opinions and sees our contributions as important to helping to shape policy at various levels of government, including the highest level,’ Fitz-Henley said.

UWI Mona Campus Guild President, Keshawn McGrath, said the Guild intends to pursue further engagement with the government as student leaders seek a greater understanding of the challenges facing countries at the national, regional and international levels.

Youth ruled the final day of the 2026 Ste Madeleine Open on Sunday, as 16-year-old Ethan Collier won the Championship Flight and 14-year-old Hailey Layne captured the Ladies’ Flight at Ste Madeleine Golf Course.

Collier closed with a 71 to finish on 212 (72-69-71), five shots ahead of 2023 champion Liam Bryden, who shot 70 for 217. Ayden Ali and Dravid Bhim tied for third on 219.

Layne led wire-to-wire in the Ladies’ Flight, following an opening 80 with another 80 for a 160 total, five clear of Emilie Ramsahai (165). Gail Rajack was third on 172 and took Best Net with 138.

In the Professional Flight, Ben Martin reclaimed the title with a dominant 192 total (65-62-65).

His final-round 65 gave him a 10-shot win over Chris Richards Snr (202), with Talin Rajendranath third on 224.

Juniors also starred in other flights. Aba Bally-Roopchand won the Second Flight gross title with 155, while Evan Samir Ali took the Third Flight gross crown on 165 after overturning a three-shot deficit. Sheriss Rampersad won the First Flight gross title with 219.

Age-group honours went to Clint Alfred (Seniors), Kumar Boodram (Super Seniors) and Emilie Ramsahai (Ladies Seniors).

With four junior flight victories, the 2026 tournament highlighted the growing strength of Trinidad and Tobago’s young golf talent.

Government has declared an outbreak of bird flu after more than 5,000 chickens at a poultry farm in Paramaribo died as a result of the disease.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV) in confirming the outbreak said that it has immediately taken stringent measures to prevent further spread of the virus.

Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Minister, Mike Noersalim, said together with local and international partners, efforts are continuing to contain the spread of the virus and is calling on poultry farmers to be vigilant and to report high mortality among their poultry in a timely manner.

In a statement over the weekend, the ministry said that despite all precautionary measures, during this time of year, when daytime temperatures remain persistently high, mortality can increase, particularly among broiler chickens. It said increased mortality can have various causes, including heat stress and poultry diseases.

Noersalim said that every effort has been made to keep bird flu out of Suriname, noting that earlier this year, an import ban had been put into effect for hatching eggs and poultry products from Europe, where bird flu was prevalent at the time.

He said that inspections at Stolkertsijver in the Commewijne district commenced in August, given that many animal products are imported from the eastern part of the country.

The acting director of Veeteelt, Gerald Tjon, said a team of extension officers and the National Coordination Centre for Disaster Management ( NCCR) are investigating whether there were still infected chickens at the farm where the first report occurred.

Avian influenza is a virus primarily transmitted by migratory birds and during the press conference, it was stated that containment is necessary to prevent the virus from spreading unchecked and mutating.

Noersalim said he would be meeting with the poultry sector this coming week to discuss potential solutions.

One of the government’s policy intentions is to scale up local production. To date, 35 per cent of the demand for chicken is met by local producers, while the remaining 65 per cent is currently imported.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday has hinted at the possibility of his ruling New Democratic Party (NDP) administration is preparing to move from diagnosis to potential legal and administrative consequences, after receiving a comprehensive ‘rapid assessment’ of state-owned companies on the Caribbean island.

Friday, addressing a town hall meeting of St. Vincent and the Grenadines nationals residing in in New York on Sunday said that shortly after taking office in November last year, his government quietly commissioned a two-person team of experts to examine the financial and governance health of statutory bodies and state companies. He said the initial report covered 12 entities and has now been expanded to include the remainder of public enterprises.

‘One of the first things that we did in office is we appointed, at my instructions, a rapid assessment team of two persons who are very capable Vincentians, to assess all of the public enterprises, state-owned enterprises,’ Friday told the meeting, adding that he had already received the first report and that the two-member team of investigators have now completed the full rapid assessment.

‘They have now completed their work. I have not seen the report yet,’ Friday said, adding, ‘from what we have seen before of the 12 that were done, there are things there that require further investigation, and they will be investigated’.

During the meeting members of the Vincentian diaspora asked about alleged corruption under the former Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration that had been in office for more than two decades.

They questioned whether it would be ‘business as usual’ with Prime Minister Friday insisting that this would not be the case.

‘We have said, and I’ve said this when we were campaigning, I said in office now: we are going about the assessment as to how government has functioned in a methodical and systematic manner, not to meet any kind of timeline that somebody’s arbitrarily set,’ he said.

He described the rapid assessment as the first layer of that methodical approach that would include a diagnostic exercise designed to reveal patterns of mismanagement or misconduct, rather than a headline-driven search for specific individuals.

‘There are things there that require further investigation…and where the information and the evidence lead, we will follow,’ Prime Minister Friday said, drawing a clear contrast with what he characterised as a more politicised style of accountability in the past.

‘You are asking a very good question,’ he told one of the members of the audience, adding ‘we owe you accountability. We promised accountability. We will deliver accountability. Follow the record.’

He cautioned against using public office to launch highly publicised accusations that later fizzle because they are not grounded in solid evidence.

‘You’re not in a situation (where) you come and you say, ‘Okay, you’re going after this, you’re going after that, like some previous administration,’ and two or three years later, everything fizzles out because they started with the wrong premise,’ Friday said, outlining a model of accountability that begins with technical review, proceeds to investigation where warranted, and only then to potential sanctions.

‘We are looking for ways in which things have functioned, so that we could correct the things that went wrong, so that we can hold accountable those persons who need to be held accountable, and where the information and the evidence lead, we will follow.’

The Caribbean Adaptive Sports Alliance (CASA) has returned from a seven-day visit to South Korea with a new vision for the development of para sport across the Caribbean, after witnessing firsthand one of the world’s most structured para-sport systems.

CASA Chairman Martin Jackman called the visit an ‘eye-opener’ that has opened fresh possibilities for the region. The seven-member Caribbean delegation was hosted by the Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC), toured major para-sport facilities, held talks with Korean sports officials and attended events at the 46th National Para Games in Jeju City.

For Jackman, the trip offered a rare look at how a highly organised para-sport network can operate when government, business and sporting organisations work together.

‘Exposure and the conversations we had with the President of the Korea Paralympic Committee have opened a world of new opportunities for CASA and Caribbean para sport,’ Jackman said.

One of the main highlights was a tour of the Icheon National Training Centre, led by KPC President Jin Owan Jung. Jackman said the delegation was struck by the scale of the facility and the services available to athletes.

‘We got a chance to see the vastness of the para-sport activities,’ he said. ‘There are 31 sports, and each has a specific facility with coaches and support staff. That is an amazing training centre. It has everything an athlete desires.’

The delegation also discussed ways for Caribbean athletes and officials to access Korean facilities, expertise and development opportunities. CASA Secretary Melvin Mackintosh said the visit presented the Caribbean with an important challenge.

‘For CASA and the Caribbean, the challenge now is to determine what elements of that system we can adapt to our own realities-and begin building our own version of that future,’ Mackintosh said.

He was especially impressed by Icheon’s specialised services, including medical treatment and injury management, as well as sports science and research programs designed to improve para-athlete performance.

The visit also strengthened ties between CASA and the KPC. Glenda Thomasia, President of the Aruba Paralympic Committee, and Debra Bilal Atu, President of the National Paralympic Committee of Guyana, expressed optimism about a possible Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies.

They said such an agreement could boost networking, knowledge exchange and practical cooperation between the Caribbean and South Korea.

At the 46th National Para Games, the CASA delegation saw more than 5,000 athletes from 17 cities and provinces compete in 31 sports at 36 venues.

The Caribbean visitors watched athletics, goalball, boccia and table tennis, and even took part in medal presentations during the athletics competition at Jeju World Cup Stadium.

The Games offered more than high-level competition. They showed how para sport can be integrated into a country’s wider sporting structure and staged as a major national event.

Another key takeaway was the role of Korean businesses in supporting para sport. Jackman noted that Korean companies back individual athletes and teams while also contributing to the broader development of the movement.

He highlighted BDH Chairman Bae Dong Hyun as an outstanding example of corporate commitment.

‘He is a perfect model for others to follow,’ Jackman said. ‘His company employs para-athletes, and his generosity to the Paralympic movement is not limited to his country. He sees other nations as an extended family.’

The delegation met with Bae, who expressed strong interest in helping develop the Paralympic movement in the Caribbean.

At a farewell breakfast hosted by KPC President Jin Owan Jung, CASA members thanked the Korea Paralympic Committee for its warmth and hospitality.

The CASA delegation included Martin Jackman (CASA President and Vice President, Paralympic Association of Barbados), Melvin Mackintosh (CASA Secretary and Secretary, Suriname Paralympic Committee), and National Paralympic Committee Presidents Glenda Thomasia (Aruba), Ray Roberts (Grenada), Debra Bilal Atu (Guyana), Christopher Samuda (Jamaica) and Micky Ruben (Trinidad and Tobago).

Left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim delivered a spell for the ages as the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons captured their first-ever Caribbean Premier League title with a commanding eight-wicket win over the Jamaica Kingsmen in a riveting final at Kensington Oval on Sunday night.

Maaz Sadaqat became the first man to score a century in a CPL final, but his superb knock was overshadowed by Moqim, who delivered the best bowling figures in a final to restrict the Kingsmen to 170 for nine in 20 overs after they were sent in to bat.

Before a massive crowd that included Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, the Falcons soared to 173 for two in just 16.4 overs on the back of an unbeaten half century from Amir Jangoo and Hasan Nawaz’s 47 not out off 35 balls, to give the three-year old franchise its maiden title.

On a night that featured spectacular performances from Sadaqat and Soqim, the latter’s four wicket haul proved to be more decisive.

The Kingsmen lost Kirk McKenzie in the first over for a duck, with the left-hander edging a rising delivery from pacer Jayden Seales to first slip where Rahkeem Cornwall held on to the catch.

Keacy Carty struck fast bowler Alzarri Joseph over point for a boundary to start the fourth over, but three balls later he drove a delivery to cover for Shadab Khan to take a sharp catch leaping at full stretch to make the score 30 for two.

But opener Sadaqat and Saim Ayub put their side in the ascendancy during an 80-run partnership in 46 balls that left them in prime position to post a score in excess of 200 runs, having reached 110 for two after 11 overs.

During that stand, Sadaqat – who scored a century in the Kingsmen’s win over the Barbados Tridents in the Eliminator on Wednesday – brought up his half century in 27 balls by collecting two runs with an edge to third man off Cornwall.

However, Moqim turned the match on its heels by having Ayub caught at mid on for 29 after he mistimed his slog sweep, and he also dismissed captain Rovman Powell for a three-ball duck in the same over, with the batter chipping a delivery straight into the hands of Shamar Springer at backward point to reduce the Kingsmen to 110 for four.

Shadab Khan trapped Romaine Morris lbw for a duck in the next over, and when Moqim had Hassan Khan caught at long off for one and Keemo Paul stumped for three, the Kingsmen had collapsed to 127 for seven in the 15th over.

Sadaqat then singlehandedly dragged his side to a competitive total with a series of exhilarating shots to all parts of the ground.

He reached his second century of the playoffs off 49 balls by thumping pacer Joshua James for two sixes in the 17th over, followed up by a single to deep cover.

Sadaqat was eventually dismissed off the penultimate ball of the innings, with Springer having him caught at long off for 114 off 58 balls, inclusive of nine sixes and eight fours.

Moqim finished with 4-14, while Joseph claimed 2-27.

Chasing a competitive total, the Falcons were given a magnificent start by Cornwall, who clubbed Ayub for two sixes and two fours in the very first over before being bowled off the last ball.

Evin Lewis drove Andre Russell for two fours in the ensuing over and also hit Ayub to the boundary ropes in the following over to reach 3000 CPL runs and carry the score to 30 for one after three overs.

Jangoo got in on the act by striking Hunain Shah for two fours and a six in the ensuing over to take the Falcons past the 50-run mark.

The Kingsmen thought they had Lewis when he miscued a pull and was caught at long on, but the replay showed Russell had overstepped the crease.

Lewis responded by hitting the ensuing free hit for four and clobbering Ayub for two more sixes and a four in the sixth over that leaked 17 runs and carried the Falcons to 76 for one after the power play.

Wrist-spinner Vitel Lawes did get the breakthrough by bowling Lewis off the inside edge for 38 off 26 balls, to make the score 84 for two in the eighth over.

However, Jangoo, who scored an unbeaten 57 off 34 balls with four fours and three sixes, and Nawaz, who struck three sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock, shared an unbroken partnership of 89 in nine overs to end the contest with an incredible 20 balls to spare.

Following the conclusion of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final at the iconic Kensington Oval, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has declared the hosting of the event a resounding success, signalling her government’s intent to bid for future finals while calling for a unified regional investment in the sport. Speaking to the media after the match, Mottley expressed immense pride in Barbados’ ability to stage the marquee event, stating that the island is eager to remain a central hub for Caribbean cricket.

‘We’re not greedy, but we’re going to be in the mix, even if not next year, in the near future,’ Mottley said regarding the hosting rights. ‘So I know that other countries have been speaking, and we will work with them. But as I said, this is something that unites the region, and once we get the ability for people to travel and move easily, then I think you’re going to see a lot more Caribbean people moving for CPL cricket.’

The Prime Minister emphasised that the success of the tournament relies heavily on tangible support rather than hope.

She outlined her administration’s commitment to grassroots and high-performance development, revealing that funding for a new high-performance centre is currently in motion.

‘You have to invest. You cannot stand by and just see things and hope, by serendipity, that things will happen,’ she asserted. ‘I’m happy that the money that we’re putting into the high-performance centre, we’re moving on that now.’

Mottley highlighted the broader significance of sports in shaping the region’s youth, describing Caribbean athletes and artists as ‘global citizens’ with deep local roots.

‘I really, really want, as I said, to be able to make the investment in our young people because, as we’ve always said, global citizens, Bajan roots, global citizens, Caribbean roots,’ she stated.

Acknowledging the economic challenges the region has faced over the past decade, Mottley reaffirmed that cricket remains a non-negotiable priority for her government.

‘Clearly, the last decade or two has not been easy for the country. But despite that, we still found time to prioritise because we understand what cricket means to Bajans and to Caribbean people,’ she concluded.

The Prime Minister’s comments serve as a rallying cry for other Caribbean nations to follow suit, ensuring that the sport continues to thrive through strategic government investment and regional cooperation.

Belize is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its political independence from Britain on Monday with Prime Minister John Briceño indicating that ‘for us, home is every nook and canny of this blessed land, including our keys and seas’.

In his independence address to the country, Prime Minister Briceño said that as Belizeans mark the occasion with the theme ‘I am Belize at 45’ it is necessary to do more than commemorate a historic moment.

‘We proudly declare and show to the world who we are. We are people whose spirit, resolve, possibilities, and potentials abound,’ he said, noting that ’45 years ago, Belize stepped forward as a free and sovereign nation.

‘We raised our flags, embraced our independence, and began shaping our own destiny. The peaceful, constructive Belizean revolution focused on the fulfilment of these objectives that would tend to peace, social justice, liberty, national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge’