Category: CANA News

Guyana authorities have seized two water dredges and a quantity of gold following a crackdown on an illegal mining operation along the Puruni River.

The Enforcement Department of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) carried out the operation on September 17, with support from the Guyana Police Force.

The team focused on mining activities within the river’s buffer zone.

Police escorted three people associated with the operation to Puruni Landing, where investigations are continuing.

The Ministry of Natural Resources said the operation forms part of ongoing enforcement efforts to curb illegal mining and protect Guyana’s waterways.

The ministry reminded stakeholders of their obligation to comply with the country’s mining laws and regulations.

It said the GGMC, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, will continue enforcement activities against illegal mining.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she will not hesitate to declare another State of Emergency (SoE) if serious threats to the safety and security of citizens re-emerge.

Persad-Bissessar made the statement in a Facebook post following the passage of the Special Operations (SO) Bill, 2026, in the House of Representatives shortly after midnight on Saturday.

‘Next week, the SO Bill will be passed in the Senate without amendments. However, if serious threats to the safety and security of citizens re-emerge, I will not hesitate to put the country under another SoE,’ she said.

The Prime Minister described the recently concluded State of Emergency as ‘highly successful’, saying 3,552 people were charged during the period.

She also issued a warning to what she described as the local drug mafia and violent gangs.

‘The cells at Teteron and MSP await again if you continue your criminal behaviour,’ she said, referring to Teteron Barracks, a military base for the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment in Chaguaramas where high-profile individuals and alleged gang leaders connected to organised crime were held during the SoE, and the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca.

‘You have tortured and terrorised law-abiding citizens for three decades, and that must come to an end.’

Persad-Bissessar warned that those involved, as well as their families and supporters, would ‘continue to face harsh and brutal consequences’ if law-abiding citizens could not live in peace because of their actions.

The Prime Minister also criticised the Opposition People’s National Movement, as well as what she described as certain commentators and groups, accusing them of wanting ‘a criminal state’.

She contended that ‘all law-abiding citizens support the Special Operations Bill’ and said her government would continue to work in the best interests of citizens.

The Special Operations Bill, which replaces the previous Zones of Special Operations legislation, establishes seven policing districts and allows specific locations within those districts to be declared ‘closed areas’ for limited periods.

Once declared, authorities may impose measures including curfews, cordons, checkpoints, road closures and restrictions on entry and exit. The legislation also provides for searches without a warrant in specified circumstances.

However, Opposition MP for Port-of-Spain South, Senior Counsel Keith Scotland, had argued that the legislation infringes fundamental rights and should have been subject to constitutional requirements for legislation affecting those rights.

Scotland said the Opposition supports stronger policing, intelligence-led operations and efforts to dismantle criminal organisations, but argued that existing laws, including the Offences Against Persons Act, Anti-Gang Act and Firearms Act, already give authorities powers to address criminal activity.

He also criticised the level of executive discretion under the legislation, particularly in relation to curfews, cordons and warrantless searches.

Jeremie rejected those concerns, maintaining that the measures were proportionate to the threat posed by violent crime.

CMC/ed/26

The Jamaica Kingsmen reached 170 for nine in 20 overs after being sent in by the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the final of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League at Kensington Oval here on Sunday.

JAMAICA KINGSMEN 170-9 in 20 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 114, Saim Ayub 29; Sufyan Moqim 4-14, Alzarri Joseph 2-27).

The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons elected to field after winning the toss against the Jamaica Kingsmen in the final of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League at Kensington Oval here on Sunday.

SQUADS

ANTIGUA and BARBUDA FALCONS: Moeen Ali (captain), Evin Lewis, Rahkeem Cornwall, Amir Jangoo, Hasan Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shamar Springer, Joshua James, Sufyan Moqim, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales.

JAMAICA KINGSMEN: Rovman Powell (captain), Maaz Sadaqat, Kirk McKenzie, Keacy Carty, Romaine Morris, Andre Russell, Hassan Khan, Keemo Paul, Saim Ayub, Vitel Lawes, Hunain Shah.

Umpires: Deighton Butler, Zahid Bassarath.

TV Umpire: Leslie Reifer.

Reserve Umpire: Christopher Taylor.

Match Referee: Reon King

The United States has congratulated the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis on 43 years of political independence from Great Britain.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement on Saturday, said the United States values its longstanding partnership with Saint Kitts and Nevis.

‘The United States values our longstanding partnership with Saint Kitts and Nevis, grounded in shared priorities that advance stability and economic prosperity in our region,’ Rubio said.

Rubio, who visited Saint Kitts and Nevis in February, said he worked with Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew and Caribbean leaders on strengthening cooperation to combat transnational criminal organisations, disrupt illicit trafficking and strengthen border security.

‘As we work together to address shared challenges and protect our nations, the United States remains a steadfast partner,’ he said.

‘On this important occasion, I extend my best wishes to the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis and look forward to further strengthening the friendship between our countries,’ Rubio added.

The message comes after Drew publicly confirmed on September 13 that he suffered a stroke late last month.

Drew, 49, said he was initially admitted to the Joseph N. France General Hospital on August 30 after experiencing symptoms including nausea, dizziness and balance problems.

He was subsequently flown to Florida on September 2 for further medical evaluation and has since been discharged from hospital.

‘After all of the analysis, I suffered a stroke. This stroke was a dissection of one of the arteries in the back of my brain called the vertebral artery,’ Drew said in an eight-minute broadcast to the Federation.

He said the limitations on his mind and body had been well controlled and managed, and that he could move all his limbs and speak well.

Drew said he was undergoing rehabilitation, including occupational therapy and ‘IOT’, and that his rehabilitation exercises were going extremely well.

‘At this point in time, I can say, both mentally and psychologically and also physically, I’m doing much better than my ailment will suggest,’ he said.

Drew, who has led the government since August 6, 2022, also said his administration has ‘multiple contingency plans in place from the worst-case scenario to a minor disruption.’

Rovman Powell’s superb cameo at the death carried his Jamaica Kingsmen to a thrilling five-wicket win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors and into the final of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League here on Friday.

Player-of-the-Match Powell’s unbeaten 40 off 17 balls with four sixes and two fours powered the Kingsmen to 207 for five with two balls remaining, in pursuit of the Amazon Warriors’ competitive 206 for four at Kensington Oval.

It was the highest successful run chase in CPL playoff history and catapulted the newly renamed franchise into its first final.

The result marked a stunning turnaround for a Kingsmen side that lost its first three matches and looked destined to miss the playoffs.

Alternatively, the loss for the Amazon Warriors was their third straight and will be a hard pill for the franchise to swallow after they won their first six games in dominant fashion to install themselves as favourites to lift the title.

Powell’s heroics overshadowed Shimron Hetmyer’s brilliant 102 not out off just 45 balls, which helped to propel the Amazon Warriors to a formidable total before a mainly Guyanese crowd at The Mecca.

The Amazon Warriors got off to a slow start, losing the wickets of Mohammad Haris and Mavendra Dindyal for nine runs apiece to slip to 20 for two in the fifth over.

However, Shai Hope and Hetmyer forged a superb 96-run partnership for the third wicket that gave them a solid foundation to launch from, after being only 37 for two at the end of the power play.

At the halfway stage they had recovered to 75 for two, and the pair signaled their intentions by scoring 20 runs off the 11th over bowled by Saim Ayub.

Hetmyer reached his 16th CPL half century off only 20 balls by smashing wrist spinner Vitel Lawes for a four and six in the next over.

Hope perished soon after, caught at deep midwicket for a well-played 40 off 33 balls, to leave the score 116 for three in the 13th over.

Hetmyer then shared a 65-run stand with Quentin Sampson who scored a brisk 29 off 17 balls, to put the Amazon Warriors on track for a mammoth score.

Sampson was eventually caught at long on off the bowling of Andre Russell in the 18th over, and it looked as though Hetmyer would fall just short of his second century of the season.

He was on 92 with two balls remaining in the innings, but hit Russell for a six over midwicket and then steered him for a four over third man to reach the milestone off the last ball.

In all, he hit eight sixes and four fours, and became the second man behind Dwayne Smith to score two centuries in a single CPL season.

Despite the daunting task at hand, the Kingsmen’s opening pair of Maaz Sadaqat and Kirk McKenzie put on 42 runs in three overs, before Sadaqat was dismissed by pacer Dwaine Pretorius for 41 off 17 balls.

Keacy Carty and McKenzie continued to keep track of the run rate during a 48-run partnership in five overs, until captain Imran Tahir broke the stand by having the latter caught for 34 off 20 balls.

Still the Kingsmen pushed on, with Carty and Ayub adding 62 runs in seven overs to carry them to 152 for two at the start of the 15th over.

Pretorius returned to have Ayub caught at short fine leg for 23 off 17 balls and Carty was unlucky to be run out for 56 off 40 balls at the non-striker’s end after a ball ricocheted off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre’s foot and onto the stumps with him short of his ground, to leave the game interestingly poised at 172 for four in the 17th over.

With 34 runs needed off 18 balls, Powell hit Tahir for a six and four in the 18th over, and dished out the same treatment to pacer Shamar Joseph in the penultimate over that went for 13 runs, to leave the Kingsmen requiring six runs from six balls.

Romario Shepherd bowled two wides and then had Andre Russell caught behind, but new batter Hassan Khan picked up two runs off the third and fourth balls respectively, to seal the result.

The Kingsmen will face the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Sunday’s final at the same venue.

Following an impressive showing in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Kamil Pooran has earned a maiden callup to the West Indies T20I squad to face India in their upcoming white-ball tour of the subcontinent.

The 30-year-old opening batsman was named in the West Indies’ 15-man squad, which was revealed by Cricket West Indies on Saturday and also sees the recall of exciting lower order batter Quentin Sampson.

The regional side will take on the top ranked India in three One Day Internationals from September 27 to October 3, before playing a five-match T20I series that runs from October 6 to 17.

Pooran is currently the seventh highest run scorer in this year’s CPL, despite his St Lucia Kings failing to make the playoffs.

He scored 273 runs in eight innings at an average of 39 with a strike rate of 159.64.

Meanwhile, Sampson, who was dropped for the T20I series earlier this year against Sri Lanka, makes his return after a decent showing in the CPL for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, where he scored 141 runs in 12 matches at an average of 28.20.

CWI confirmed that veteran all-rounder Jason Holder has been rested for the series.

Head coach Daren Sammy said the team had been selected with a clear focus on long-term objectives.

‘We are looking to build on the momentum from our series win against Sri Lanka, with the long-term goal of developing a strong core of players ahead of the next T20 World Cup.

‘The challenge of playing against the World Champions at home will provide valuable preparation, allowing us to continue improving and developing both individually and as a collective unit,’ Sammy said.

John Campbell makes his return to the ODI team after suffering a hamstring injury in the series against New Zealand, while Ackeem Auguste has been ruled out of the tour as he continues his rehabilitation after undergoing surgery in August.

He has been replaced by Jewel Andrew who will serve as a top and middle order batting option.

Shimron Hetmyer, who featured in the last two matches of the New Zealand series and has been in prolific form in the CPL for the Amazon Warriors, has been permitted an extended recovery period and will miss the ODI series, but will join the squad for the T20I series.

Regardless of the outcome of the ODI series, the West Indies will have to participate in the ICC’s qualification tournament early next year to book their spot in the World Cup.

Despite this, Sammy reiterated the importance of the series of matches.

‘Playing against the top team in the world presents us with a chance to fine tune and improve our performances as an ODI team which has seen quality performances across the cycle.

‘The series also creates a valuable platform to assess players who are stepping into important roles for this series with a long-term target of competing in the World Cup in 2027,’ Sammy said.

The squad departs the Caribbean on Monday and will arrive in Trivandrum on September 23.

WEST INDIES ODI SQUAD: Shai Hope (captain), Jewel Andrew, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales.

WEST INDIES T20I SQUAD: Shai Hope (captain), Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Sept 19, CMC – The House of Representatives has passed the Special Operations Bill, 2026, to give law enforcement additional powers to tackle violent crime in designated areas.

The Bill was approved shortly after midnight, following more than 13 hours of debate in the House on Friday.

It replaces the previous Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) legislation and establishes seven policing districts across the country.

The Bill now goes to the Senate

Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew says the deeper meaning of independence goes beyond self-government, describing it as a responsibility to believe in, build and care for the country.

In an Independence Day message marking St Kitts and Nevis’ 43rd anniversary of independence on Saturday, Drew said the occasion was deeply personal because the twin-island federation was not only the country he serves, but his home.

‘Its people are my people,’ he said, adding that the country’s communities had shaped him, its values grounded him and its possibilities continued to inspire him.

Reflecting on the country’s progress, Drew said its achievements should not be attributed to any single government, institution or individual.

‘I see the work of generations,’ he said, pointing to the sacrifices of the country’s elders, the determination of workers, the ambition of young people, the strength of families and the enduring love of Kittitians and Nevisians at home and abroad.

‘That, to me, is the deeper meaning of independence,’ Drew said.

He said independence was not simply about the freedom to govern the country, but also about the responsibility to believe in and build for itself, care for one another and leave behind a country that is ‘stronger, fairer, and filled with greater opportunity’ than the one inherited.

‘We have achieved so much together. We have faced challenges together. And through it all, we have continued to move forward together,’ the Prime Minister said.

As the country marked 43 years of nationhood, Drew expressed gratitude for its people and confidence in the future.

‘There is so much more we can build, so much more we can achieve, and so much more we can become,’ he said.

Drew ended his message by expressing pride in being a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis and called for the country to remain ‘one people, connected by home, united by purpose, and inspired by endless possibility.’

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been named in India’s One Day International squad to face West Indies in a three-match series later this month.

The duo has been included in a 15-man ODI squad, but will not feature in the following five-match T20I series.

The BCCI announced the squads recently, with pacer Auqib Nabi receiving his maiden ODI call-up after being part of the Test squad for India’s tour of Sri Lanka in August, although he did not make his debut, while batter Naman Dhir has also earned his maiden call-up.

Ruturaj Gaikwad returns to the Indian set-up after last featuring in an ODI during the home series against South Africa last year, while Ravindra Jadeja is also back in the ODI fold after having last featured in the ODI series against New Zealand in January.

In the T20I squad, Mayank Yadav returns to the India set-up after missing the T20I series against Afghanistan. Kuldeep Yadav and Prince Yadav have also been recalled, strengthening the bowling unit.

INDIA’S ODI SQUAD: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.

INDIA’S T20I SQUAD: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.