Category: CANA News

CMC Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, has announced that discussions with the Government of the United States are expected to resume shortly, at the request of the United States, concerning the possible reception in Antigua and Barbuda of a limited number of third-country nationals removed from the United States. The discussions form part of a wider United States initiative involving a number of countries, including several Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Antigua and Barbuda will enter the resumed negotiations on the basis of the Resolution adopted by the House of Representatives earlier this year , which established the principles and safeguards governing the country’s participation in any such arrangement.

Among other safeguards, the parliamentary framework preserves Antigua and Barbuda’s sovereign authority to approve or reject every individual proposed for transfer on a case-by-case basis.

It rejects any automatic or open-ended programme and requires satisfactory legal, operational, financial and administrative arrangements before any transfer can take place.

These include adequate arrangements concerning identity and documentation, accommodation and support, legal status, security, funding, and responsibility for onward movement or return.

The negotiations will also be conducted under the oversight of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs the Honourable Sir Steadroy Benjamin, and Minister of Foreign Affairs E. Paul Chet Greene.

According to Sanders no final agreement has been settled with the United States and no transfer of any third-country national has been authorised under the proposed arrangements.

The purpose of the resumed discussions is to determine whether terms can be agreed that are consistent with the parliamentary framework, Antigua and Barbuda’s laws and international obligations, and the national interest.

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda continues to approach the discussions in a spirit of cooperation with the United States, while ensuring that the country’s sovereignty, security, financial interests and limited absorptive capacity are fully protected and that its legal and international obligations are respected.

Consistent with the commitment to transparency that has guided the Government’s handling of this matter, the public will continue to be informed of the status of the negotiations and of any material developments.

Barbados is exploring the use of pump harvesters to collect sargassum at sea before the seaweed reaches the island’s heavily affected beaches. National Project Coordinator of the Sargassum Seaweed Collection Unit, David Carter, said the initiative is aimed at reducing the amount of sargassum reaching shorelines while limiting the environmental damage associated with removing large quantities of seaweed from beaches.

‘We’re using the pump harvester to get away from destroying the beaches,’ Carter told reporters on Wednesday.

He was speaking as a visiting team from the Dominican Republic explored opportunities for sustainable sargassum management in Barbados.

Carter said the equipment would be placed in the water and use floating booms and mesh to help prevent fish and turtles from being drawn into the harvesting system.

‘It is just to get the sargassum out of the water through a pump system, so that this sargassum can be used later for biogas and stuff like that,’ he said.

The Sargassum Seaweed Collection Unit, part of the Ministry of the Environment, is considering River Bay in St Lucy as a possible location for the first pump harvester. Skeetes Bay in St Philip is also being assessed.

Carter said River Bay’s relatively calm conditions make it more suitable for the equipment, while rougher seas at Skeetes Bay could present logistical challenges.

The proposed approach would allow sargassum to be harvested before it reaches the shoreline, where its removal can contribute to coastal erosion.

Meanwhile, about 150 workers are deployed daily to clear sargassum from beaches across the island. Carter said approximately 3.6 million pounds of the seaweed had been removed from Barbados’ beaches so far this year.

Among the most challenging locations are River Bay, Skeetes Bay and Long Beach in Christ Church.

Carter said some beaches, including Enterprise, also known as Miami Beach, have gone several weeks without being cleared, creating frustration for beachgoers and seaside businesses.

He said the authorities are continuing to examine ways to harvest and utilise the seaweed, including its potential use in the production of biogas and other products.

A Trans Guyana Airways aircraft skidded off the Mabaruma airstrip in Region One on Thursday morning after the pilot reportedly saw a dog running towards the runway during the aircraft’s landing roll.

Trans Guyana Airways Public communications consultant Kit Nascimento said the aircraft landed at Mabaruma at 8:15am (local time) with 12 passengers on board.

He said preliminary information revealed the plane skidded off the end of the runway.

Nascimento said the pilot, Jessica Ramcharitar, reported that the incident occurred during the landing roll. According to Ramcharitar she saw a black dog running towards the runway, causing her to brake ‘aggressively.’

The aircraft subsequently skidded off the runway and spun sideways.

Nascimento said a video of the accident was captured on a camera from the terminal building. However he said the video is not ‘well defined.’

Nevertheless, he said a ‘complete’ investigation has already started into the accident.

While the passengers were not visibly injured, 11 of them were examined at the hospital.

According to Nascimento, the aircraft suffered a ‘fair amount’ of damage, which has disabled it.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors post 76 in 15 overs, after being sent in by the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League Qualifier 1 at Kensington Oval here on Thursday.

GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS 76 in 15 overs (Glenn Phillips 16, Shai Hope 16, Romario Shepherd 14 not out; Sufyan Moqim 4-13, Shadab Khan 4-16)

The Trinbago Knight Riders Women reached 145 for six in 20 overs, batting first against the Guyana Amazon Warriors Women in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League Final at Kensington Oval here on Thursday.

KNIGHT RIDERS WOMEN 145-6 in 20 overs (Sushma Verma 39, Shika Pandey 27, Marizanne Kapp 25; Shabnim Ismail 2-18)

Barbados is exploring the use of pump harvesters to collect sargassum at sea before the seaweed reaches the island’s heavily affected beaches. National Project Coordinator of the Sargassum Seaweed Collection Unit, David Carter, said the initiative is aimed at reducing the amount of sargassum reaching shorelines while limiting the environmental damage associated with removing large quantities of seaweed from beaches.

‘We’re using the pump harvester to get away from destroying the beaches,’ Carter told reporters on Wednesday.

He was speaking as a visiting team from the Dominican Republic explored opportunities for sustainable sargassum management in Barbados.

Carter said the equipment would be placed in the water and use floating booms and mesh to help prevent fish and turtles from being drawn into the harvesting system.

‘It is just to get the sargassum out of the water through a pump system, so that this sargassum can be used later for biogas and stuff like that,’ he said.

The Sargassum Seaweed Collection Unit, part of the Ministry of the Environment, is considering River Bay in St Lucy as a possible location for the first pump harvester. Skeetes Bay in St Philip is also being assessed.

Carter said River Bay’s relatively calm conditions make it more suitable for the equipment, while rougher seas at Skeetes Bay could present logistical challenges.

The proposed approach would allow sargassum to be harvested before it reaches the shoreline, where its removal can contribute to coastal erosion.

Meanwhile, about 150 workers are deployed daily to clear sargassum from beaches across the island. Carter said approximately 3.6 million pounds of the seaweed had been removed from Barbados’ beaches so far this year.

Among the most challenging locations are River Bay, Skeetes Bay and Long Beach in Christ Church.

Carter said some beaches, including Enterprise, also known as Miami Beach, have gone several weeks without being cleared, creating frustration for beachgoers and seaside businesses.

He said the authorities are continuing to examine ways to harvest and utilise the seaweed, including its potential use in the production of biogas and other products.

The Trinbago Knight Riders Women reached 145 for six in 20 overs, batting first against the Guyana Amazon Warriors Women in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League Final at Kensington Oval here on Thursday.

KNIGHT RIDERS WOMEN 145-6 in 20 overs (Sushma Verma 39, Shika Pandey 27, Marizanne Kapp 25; Shabnim Ismail 2-18)

Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and colleagues, led by Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, have written to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), demanding a ‘thorough, transparent, and comprehensive’ federal investigation into the numerous incidents of Black people found hanging across the country. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Wednesday that the letter follows a series of deaths that raise ‘suspicion of foul play given the role of lynching in American history.

‘The growing number of Black people found hanging in public is a national crisis,’ said the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, pointing to a recent report that documented more than 70 modern-day lynchings in the United States between 2000 and 2025.

In 2026 alone, Clarke said there have already been at least 10 reported hangings of Black people.

She said they were as young as 18 years old and lived in different parts of the country, including Mississippi, Michigan and New York.

Clarke said many families have publicly questioned the conclusions of local and state investigations.

‘Inaction by the federal government is tantamount to complicity,’ says the letter addressed to Attorney General Todd W. Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel. ‘This is part of the legacy of racial terror in the United States, and this neglect has long-term consequences.

‘Not only are innocent lives lost, but lynching inflicts deep traumatic and psychological wounds on family members, neighbors, and the entire black community,’ it adds, noting that Congress enacted the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in 2022 ‘to ensure the DOJ and FBI are empowered to fully investigate suspicious deaths and hold individuals accountable.

‘It is incumbent upon you to do just that,’ the letter continued, demanding ‘a thorough, transparent and comprehensive federal investigation into every hanging death of a Black individual across the United States.

‘At a minimum, each investigation, with permission of the decedents’ families, should include an independent autopsy, an audit of local and state law enforcement investigations, review of physical and testimonial evidence, and a final report submitted to Congress explaining the agency’s findings,’ the letter urges.

It also calls for ‘robust data collection that tracks the hanging deaths of Black people transparently and systematically.’

‘We would appreciate the opportunity for our offices to connect with your teams at regular, scheduled intervals to share updates, feedback, and concerns from the broader community, as appropriate,’ the lawmakers requested.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors Women defeated the Trinbago Knight Riders Women by two wickets in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League Final at Kensington Oval here on Thursday.

KNIGHT RIDERS WOMEN 145-6 in 20 overs (Sushma Verma 39, Shika Pandey 27, Marizanne Kapp 25; Shabnim Ismail 2-18)

WARRIORS WOMEN 149-8 in 19.3 overs (Chedean Nation 39 not out, Chloe Tryon 32, Tazmin Brits 22; Deandra Dottin 2-19, Karishma Ramharack 2-27, Shikha Pandey 2-33)

The Government has signed a loan agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to support the Jamaica Rural Water Supply Programme. The US$36-million project, financed largely by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), is expected to enhance access to potable water for more than 40,000 residents through six water supply schemes spanning five parishes.

The programme will support water-supply improvements in the parishes of St. Mary; Trelawny; St. Elizabeth; St. Thomas and St. Ann.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, says the financing represents continued progress in the Government’s efforts to expand access to reliable, utility-grade water, particularly amid increasing pressure on the nation’s water resources.

Speaking yesterday’s signing ceremony at the Consulate General of Jamaica in Miami, Holness noted that Jamaica is experiencing prolonged drought conditions caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, with below-average rainfall leading to water restrictions in several communities across the island.

As a result, he said the initiative will help expand access to piped, centrally managed water supplies, noting that it represents continued progress in the Government’s efforts to provide utility-grade water to Jamaicans.

The Prime Minister indicated that utility-grade water currently reaches between 75 and 80 per cent of the population, with the National Water Commission (NWC) serving more than two million Jamaicans through over 400,000 customer accounts.

He explained that persons outside the NWC’s utility-grade network are not necessarily without water, as they may be served by municipal, private or other systems, pointing out that the goal is to expand the reach of centrally managed water services across the island.

Based on this, Holness said the systems, which will be handed over to the NWC upon completion, must be built to the Commission’s standards for operation and maintenance.

He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to achieving universal access to utility-grade water, noting that the decision to partner with the CDB was driven by the institution’s development mandate, technical support and financing capabilities.

‘We are edging closer to achieving universal utility-grade water access in Jamaica. Every year, we are making investments of this nature,’ the Prime Minister said.

Additionally, Holness said the loan forms part of the Government’s fiscal envelope and is not anticipated to create any fiscal risk.

Meanwhile, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, described the project as a critical investment in Jamaica’s water resilience, particularly in the face of increasingly severe weather events.

He noted that many of the targeted communities have outgrown the capacity of their existing water infrastructure and require systems that can support their continued growth and development.

‘This investment gives them, not just a chance to survive the changing climate, but a genuine chance to economically thrive,’ the Minister maintained.

Samuda noted that Jamaica’s approach to water access prioritises reliability and quality of service, rather than merely the availability of a water source within a specified distance.

He assured that the project will improve the reliability of water service for residents already connected to the utility network, while extending utility-grade water access to additional persons.

Samuda advised that the programme will include upgrades to existing treatment facilities, transmission and distribution lines, the construction of three large community tanks with a combined capacity of approximately 800,000 gallons, and several lift stations, noting that ‘these are large-scale rural water projects.’

Meanwhile, CDB President, Daniel Best, underscored the importance of reliable water access, noting that safe and affordable water is essential for social well-being, economic opportunity and sustainable development.

He pointed out that many rural communities across the Caribbean continue to grapple with water shortages, service disruptions, ageing infrastructure, inadequate storage capacity and weak distribution systems, challenges that are being exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.

‘The Jamaica Rural Water Supply Project is about far more than pipes, pumps and reservoirs… it is about improving lives,’ Mr. Best declared.

He noted that improved water services will benefit households, schools, health facilities, farmers and businesses, while strengthening communities’ resilience to climate-related challenges.

Best said the CDB is supporting the project through concessional financing from its Special Development Fund, in keeping with the Bank’s commitment to investing in resilient infrastructure and improving livelihoods.