Category: CANA News

The Belize government says it intends to make public, the agreement its signed with the United States to act as a ‘safe third country’ for migrants as they seek asylum in the North American country.

Prime Minister John Antonio Briceño said the two-year deal, which still needs approval from the Belize parliament, will mean that migrants deported from the US could apply for asylum here instead of returning to their home countries. The US State Department called the agreement ‘an important milestone in ending illegal immigration’ and ‘shutting down abuse’ of the US asylum system.

The agreement applies to Central American and Caribbean nationals, except Guatemalans, and human rights groups in the US and abroad have strongly criticised such deals, saying migrants face the risk of being sent to countries where they could be harmed.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Francis Fonseca, said the document has already been shared with the clerk and Senators, insisting ‘it’s not a secret document.

‘They will be able to have that and debate it. I already made the point that there’s a process that this has to follow. We sign the agreement. But it has to be ratified by the Senate. So there will have to be tabled, it’ll have to be tabled at the Senate.

‘We’ve already sent it over to the Senate. It’ll have to be debated there. We will have to respond to any questions and concerns raised by the Senators, but there’s also another limb which will require that we amend our domestic legislation, right?’

Fonseca said, for example, the Refugees Act will have to be amended and that it will have to be taken to Parliament and ‘we will present that amended bill, and we’ll have an opportunity to debate that and discuss that.

‘So it’ll be a very open, transparent process. And then the final point is that, as I have said, and I said in my statement in the House on last Friday, this entire agreement will be underpinned by what we call operational procedures.’

He said that the signing was just the beginning of the process, and government has to finalise those operational procedures with the United States ‘and only when we have finalised that, when it has been ratified, when we have done the domestic legislation.

‘And we have finalised and agreed upon the operational procedures. Only then will the agreement take effect. So those steps have to be followed, and all of those steps will be very open and transparent.’

Fonseca said that this position is very clear in that ‘we have a statement of principles that govern our position as it relates to the operational procedures, which means that we will determine where, which countries of origin these people will come from for that.

‘In our case, it’ll be people from Central America and the Caribbean in Central America, with the exception of Guatemala, for obvious reasons. And then we will place a cap on the number of people who will be able to be transferred to Belize. And our position is that number should not be more than 10 people per annum.’

Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on social media that the agreement ‘includes strict security measures to protect Belize’s national security and sovereignty’.

‘The agreement gives Belize full authority to approve or reject transfers, limits eligibility to specific nationalities, and ensures comprehensive background checks, among other measures,’ it said.

Briceño said that for Belize it will be ‘more like a job programme, whereby people with certain qualifications can come to Belize’ and ‘participate meaningfully in our economy’.

But Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar Panton expressed ‘grave concern’ about the deal, saying it ‘could reshape Belize’s immigration and asylum systems, impose new financial burdens on taxpayers, and raise serious questions about national sovereignty and security’.

She said that the agreement will take effect after ratification in the Senate and not after the debate in the House of Representative.

‘However, there are critical omissions that raise more questions than answers. Again, I wish to reiterate the lack of transparency and accountability by this Briceno administration. This has become its hallmark, the same administration who promised to establish and uphold the gold standard for transparency and accountability in government.

‘The full text of the agreement has not been disclosed. The preamble to the agreement and some of the recitals has recently been shared with members of the Senate, however, the full text, the comprehensive text, including the annexes, transitional arrangements, technical assistance and cost sharing commitments have not been disclosed. The annual cap on numerical limits also remain unknown. How many asylum seekers will Belize be accommodating?,’ she added.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is warning of the possibility for catastrophic flooding and landslide impacts particularly in Haiti and Jamaica as a near stationary Tropical Strom Melissa moves closer towards these countries.

KINGSTON -Ten former Caribbean Community (CARICOM)leaders have reiterated the need for the Caribbean to be maintained as a zone of peace, saying that they are impelled to urge a pull back from military build up to avoid ‘any dimunition of peace, stability and development within our regional space that has the potential to pull the region into conflicts which are not of our making’.

ST. GEORGE’S – Former Grenada prime minister, Tillman Thomas, Friday said he believes that the Dickon Mitchell administration will make the ‘right decision’ as it contemplates a request from the United States to temporarily install a radar at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) and the deployment of US military assets on or near the island.

BELMOPAN – The Belize government says it intends to make public, the agreement its signed with the United States to act as a ‘safe third country’ for migrants as they seek asylum in the North American country.

ST. JOHN’S – Prime Minister Gaston Browne has told public servants that they can expect to receive the payment of arrears owed to them by December.

PORT OF SPAIN – The Canadian-based world’s top potash producer, Nutrien, shut down its operations here on Thursday, even as last minute negotiations to prevent the action failed, resulting in 600 workers being sent home.

SPORTS:

BOSTON – Bahamian VJ Edgecombe began his NBA career in historic fashion with a standout performance for the Phildadelphia 76ers that led them past the Boston Celtics here on Wednesday.

The authorities Friday said they had suspended the search for a boat captain, Philippe Daniel Jules, who went missing after reportedly falling overboard while sailing from Antigua to Dominica on Tuesday night. The Coast Guard said that the boat with five crew members and six passengers, had cleared Customs here on Tuesday and was moving towards Dominica ‘and somewhere between six and ten nautical miles northeast of Guadeloupe.Jules was either struck by the mast of the sailing vessel or he fell overboard as a result of trying to avoid being struck’.

The vessel was diverted to Guadeloupe, where it remains docked as authorities carried out search-and-rescue operations across nearby waters.

But after several days of aerial and marine searches, officials have now confirmed that the effort to locate Jules has been suspended.

The Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) Coast Guard has expressed regret that official notice of the incident was received only during the early daylight hours the following morning, resulting in a delayed response and reduced likelihood of a swift recovery.

FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF president, Victor Montagliani along with a six-member delegation from CONCACAF, touched down here on Friday for a one-day visit to the island.

While there, Montagliani and his team met with the Executive of the Dominica Football Association (DFA) and also paid a visit to the DFA’s Technical Centre in Stockfarm.

They also paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, where discussions were held regarding the need to work together to help develop football locally and regionally. Speaking during a welcoming reception, Montagliani said he was impressed to see the progress being made in football in Dominica.

‘.What’s really inspirational is when I come and visit my members, my football family, and see the tremendous amount of work that you do.

‘I know it’s not easy. We all know it’s difficult to keep pushing the envelope, whether its issues of infrastructure, resources, but you are moving the needle,’ Montagliani said.

‘.I see the results. Results are not about winning the World Cup or going to the World Cup, sure of course everybody wants to do that, but the reality is that what football really is, is a journey of a human experience and nothing embodies that more than your president.’

President of the DFA, Glen Etienne said the country was deeply honoured to host Montagliani and his team

‘Your leadership at CONCACAF has been outstanding and visionary under your stewardship.

‘Dominica has received tremendous support from developmental programmes and coaching education initiatives, to assistance in strengthening our competition and improving our football infrastructure,’ Etienne said.

‘You have been a true partner, one who continues to inspire us to build a football system that not only develops talent but also contributes to national pride, unity and community development.’

The main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) which has been urging the government to set a date for the next general election rather than hold a by-election, says it will decide later whether to contest the by-election set for November 24.

Earlier this week, National Security Minister, Wayne Munroe, said the ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP), has already decided on Darron Pickstock as its candidate for Golden Isles constituency that had been represented by Vaughn Miller since 2017 until his death earlier this month. He will be buried on Friday. Prime Minister Phillip Davis has said he wants the PLP to regain the seat ‘to continue doing what we have been doing.

But FNM leader, Michael Pintard told reporters that the party will soon ‘make an announcement’ on whether it will contest the by-election.

‘Out of respect for our brother, Vaughn, we have been careful with the kinds of events that we have done, but we will resume on Saturday, after we’ve laid our brother to rest,’ said Pintard, who had previously called on the government to call an early general election instead of spending money on a by-election.

‘In due course we are going to make an announcement,’ Pintard said when asked if the FNM will contest the by-election.

He said Brian Brown has been working the ground for nine years, describing him as ‘a remarkable community worker.

‘People have fallen in love with him. He and his team are revving to go, and while we know that the government has a difficulty going to a general election now to ask for a new mandate, though we believe they need one, we are going to make an announcement in short order, but our people are in Golden Isles, and they are on the ground.’

Nomination Day for the by-election has been set for October 31.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday announced the fixtures for next month’s CG United Super50 Cup, which will be played entirely in Trinidad.

The tournament will be played in a round-robin format over 11 days from November 19 to 29 at three different venues: the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA), Queen’s Park Oval (QPO) and Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground (UWI SPEC).

The six regional squads: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (TTRF), Barbados Pride (BF), Guyana Harpy Eagles (GHE), Jamaica Scorpions (JS), Leeward Islands Hurricanes (LIH) and Windward Islands Volcanoes (WIV), will battle for the top prize of US$100,000, with US$50,000 being awarded to the runner-up, while the 3rd and 4th placed teams will each take home US$25,000.

A new champion will be crowned following last year’s debacle, which saw the Barbados Pride and Jamaica Scorpions failing to take field in the final, resulting in CWI not naming a winner.

On the opening day on November 19, the Scorpions and Harpy Eagles will face off, with the Red Force and Barbados Pride clashing in the morning matches, while the Hurricanes and Volcanoes will take the field in for the afternoon contest.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has told public servants that they can expect to receive the payment of arrears owed to them by December.

Speaking at a town hall meeting on Thursday night, Browne, who is also Finance Minister, said that his administration intends paying also another salary increase to public servants next year, along with a planned rise in the national minimum wage. ‘I guarantee you that life is getting better for the majority of the people of Antigua and Barbuda, and we will continue to make sure that we empower the people of Antigua and Barbuda,’ he told the meeting.

‘In fact, this year we will certainly make sure we do a back pay hopefully by December for public servants. Next year you’re getting another increase again.

‘And by the way, next year, (we will) increase the minimum wage because we can’t brag that the country growing and developing and you don’t increase minimum wage, we working for you,’ Browne told meeting.

As of January 1, this year, the national minimum wage is none EC dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) per hour.

Browne did not provide specifics with regards to the payment of the back pay, but said that the additional details would be revealed in the coming days.

Last month, the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA) had called on the government to sign the long-overdue collective bargaining agreement and resolve outstanding payment issues by mid-October, or face picket action.

The union said that the agreement has been awaiting legal review at the Establishment Division, and the delay is unacceptable given that a new negotiating period for 2024 to 2026 should have already started.

Public servants had received a 14 per cent salary increase two years ago.

A High Court judge has set November 9 next year as the date for the start of the trial of a preacher and his wife, accused of sexually molesting their child over a three year period.

Justice Renae McKay Thursday set the date for the pair, whose names have been withheld to conceal the child’s identity. They remain on bail. Prosecutors allege that the 45-year-old preacher molested his stepdaughter along with the child’s biological 42-year-old mother in New Providence.

Allegations are that the man allegedly began abusing his wife’s then-15-year-old daughter in 2022, and the molestation allegedly continued until February 10, this year.

Prosecutors say the child’s mother participated in the sexual assaults on her daughter in 2024 and 2025.

President Irfaan Ali Friday said that the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, at her own request, would be proceeding on pre-retirement leave from October 27.

‘Today, Madame Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards requested my approval to proceed on pre-retirement leave with effect from Monday, October 27, 2025 and on early retirement. After due consideration, I acceded to this request’ ‘I take this opportunity to thank Madame Justice Cummings-Edwards for her long service to the Judiciary and the people of Guyana. I express my personal appreciation for her many years of public service, I wish her God’s blessings and that of the people of Guyana,’ President Ali said in a video statement released by the government’s Department of Public Information. (DPI).

Following two months of leave, Justice Cummings returned to her Chambers at the Court of Appeal this week as Chancellor of the Judiciary where Justice Roxane George had been acting in her stead.

Ali said that Justice Navindra Singh would continue to act Chief Justice and that he was earlier Friday sworn in as a member of the Judicial Service Commission.

The opposition People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is on record as expressing concerns about the political neutrality of Justice Singh.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a US$90 million loan to support improvements in the reliability and efficiency of electricity service in The Bahamas.

It said that this operation is the second in a Conditional Credit Line for Investment Projects (CCLIP) approved in 2020 to finance larger programmatic support to the energy sector and promote renewable energy in the country. The IDB said that this new operation aims to enhance the efficiency of electricity metering, optimize grid management, and strengthen the institutional capacity of the state-owned utility, The Bahamas Power and Light Company (BPL).

It will benefit approximately 352,000 people across New Providence and the Family Islands through installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and modern smart meters, at no acquisition or installation cost to users.

The smart meters will be equipped with prepayment functionality, allowing BPL customers to better manage their electricity usage in real time. This will be particularly beneficial to vulnerable populations, numbering about 41,000 people.

Residents in the Family Islands will also benefit from an improved monitoring system based on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology, which will enhance electricity-grid management in distribution and transmission networks.

The programme will develop a Geographical Information System (GIS) with digital mapping of existing electrical infrastructure. These developments will improve resilience with faster detection and restoration time, better emergency response, and enhanced quality of electricity service.

Furthermore, it will support enhancements to BPL’s data-management system, reinforce its medium- and long-term energy planning capabilities, improve financial management and corporate governance, and promote capacity building in information technology and big-data analytics.

The IDB said the programme will contribute significantly to the energy transformation reforms currently being implemented by the country, aimed at having more sustainable, efficient, and affordable delivery of electricity services.

The US$90 million loan has a 25-year amortization period, a 5.5-year grace period, and an interest rate based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR).