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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.

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

Pierre, addressing the two-day ninth Franco-St. Lucia Joint Security Commission meeting that ends here later on Wednesday, 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.’

Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre (second from left) attending the ninth Franco-Saint Lucia Joint Security Commission meeting in St. Lucia.

Pierre made reference to the death of K-9 Tyson, the police dog that had been instrumental in anti-narcotics missions across the island.

In July, police said they had launched a criminal investigation into the suspicious death of the highly trained police dog whose work in narcotics and weapons recovery played a critical role in national security operations.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mashama Sealy, said then that a post-mortem examination had been conducted, and investigators are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including examination of operational environments, forensic testing, interviews and a comprehensive review of recent K-9 deployments.

Media reports said that the dog, which had been donated by the French government had ingested a poisonous substance.

French Ambassador to St. Lucia, Francis Etienne, said his government had given St. Lucia law enforcement authorities a dog 10 years ago and that it had met a similar fate as Tyson.

He said he was now calling for increased protection for the only other canine within the police service and that this incident should be taken as a warning signal.

‘The demise of Tyson has weakened St. Lucia’s interdiction capacity despite the fact that another K-9, Voyou, donated earlier this year, is providing some valuable support,’ Pierre told the meeting.

‘We are heartened by the possibility of our French friends donating another K-9 or two to us and we await its arrival while the police continue to investigate fully the cause of Tyson’s death,’ he said, as he appealed for stronger resolve against organised criminal networks. ‘Let us strengthen our resolve to use all legal methods to rid our countries of the criminal elements that threaten our security and peace.’

The meeting here has brought together senior officials from St. Lucia and France’s overseas territories for discussions on border control and security cooperation.

Martinique Prefect, Etienne Desplanques, Attorney General of the Court of Appeal of Martinique, Patrice Camberou are among those attending the meeting that has so far focused on security and trafficking, as well as operational cooperation including technical equipment, and mutual support initiatives.

Discussions involved the review of radar surveillance systems, border protection measures, and challenges in deportation and immigration procedures. The authorities are also expected to discuss improving coordination between the borders, particularly in preventing ‘undesirable St. Lucians’ re-entry to Martinique and facilitating the handover of deportees wanted by St. Lucian police.

Attorney General Leslie Mondesir said the meeting builds on the last Commission meeting held in Martinique in December 2022.

‘At that meeting a strategic action plan was developed, including training, joint operational actions, provision of technical equipment, judicial cooperation, immigration and the formation of a restricted monitoring committee. This meeting here today further expands that prior discussion,’ he said.

Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel Wednesday set sentencing for Friday in a case in which a police officer was found found him guilty of discharging a firearm in a public place, stemming from a December 3, 2022 incident

Police Officer, Karim Warner, broke down in tears after the magistrate found him guilty of discharging a firearm in a public place.

The prosecution had said that Warner fired 12 rounds at a vehicle with with two occupants after a confrontation during an attempt to reclaim a leased vehicle.

The court was told that a male occupant of the vehicle had refused to hand over the car before shots were fired.

Warner had initially faced charges for discharging a firearm in a public place and assaulting both vehicle occupants. He maintained his innocence, entering not guilty pleas.

In February, the prosecution dropped the assault charges entirely and the situation became more complicated when the male complainant failed to appear for trial and formally withdrew from the case, stating he no longer wished to participate in the proceedings.

Despite these setbacks, Magistrate Emanuel continued with the remaining charge of discharging a firearm in a public place with testimony from four witnesses, including the female complainant, a taxi driver, police officers, and additional witnesses.

Following the prosecution’s presentation, defense attorney Andrew O’Kola mounted a no-case submission, contending that prosecutors had failed to meet the evidentiary threshold required to sustain the charges. O’Kola requested the case be dismissed outright.

But after considering the arguments from the state and the defence, Magistrate Emanuel rejected the no-case submission.

The Barbados government has hinted at the possibility of changes being made to the Economic Substance Act changing the number of the ways in which the island moves from being a nominal tax jurisdiction to being a preferential tax jurisdiction

Energy and Business Minister, Lisa Cummins, addressing the media launch of the Global Business Week 2025, said there is underway now a process of regulatory reform.

Minister of Energy and Business, Lisa Cummins; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Business, Kevin Hunte; and General Manager of Pan American Insurance, Michael Lucas, in discussion at the media launch of Global Business Week 2025 (C. Pitt/BGIS)

‘You’ve seen much of this happening since last year January, when we had the corporation tax reform. And I’m happy to share with you, if it has not already hit your desk, that the (new) Economic Substance Bill is going to be coming up for consultation on some changes that are going to come down the pipe.

‘Together with the International Business Unit and the Barbados Revenue Authority, we are going to be making some changes to the Economic Substance Act, and that will change a number of the ways in which we move from being a nominal tax jurisdiction to being a preferential tax jurisdiction, and that will have significant implications, in a positive way, for the global business sector,’ Cummings said.

Global Business Week will be observed from October 19 to 25, under the theme ‘Resilience: Adapting Transforming, Thriving’.

Cummins said business facilitation was now moving into a digitised space, noting that Business Barbados had partnered with Microsoft, and over the next eight months, expected to transition to a new digital platform.

She noted the importance of the creation of Business Barbados while acknowledging that it was not yet perfect and that the chairman of Business Barbados, Connie Smith and her team are steering this ship in the right direction, but it will take time.

‘ In rearing a child, you don’t change behaviour overnight. It takes some time, . training, and . reorientation, and that training and re-orientation have firmly begun in Business Barbados,’ she said, noting that the global environment is changing, and it is challenging because a slower and more fragmented world economy is being seen.

‘It’s reducing trade, closing borders and dampening investment. For Barbados, what this means is that there’s fiercer competition for mandates. We have, . under the treaty negotiating team for Barbados, this year, completed negotiations with Hong Kong in just one round of negotiations.

‘So, we have a new double taxation agreement with Hong Kong that is now going through the system., and.we have also completed, in another single round, negotiations with Curaçao. We have new double taxation agreements that I’m hoping that, together with the business community, we can merge into a bilateral investment treaty and create opportunities for global business to grow,’ she said.

Cummings urged all stakeholders to turn the challenges into new opportunities, and commit to unlocking growth, even in these most challenging economic times.

Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) president, Marlon Yarde, described Global Business Week as an opportunity to engage, connect, and reaffirm the value of global business to Barbados. He said Barbados remains a trusted business environment for international investors.

‘Our location, infrastructure, and skilled workforce make us competitive. Our stability and access to international markets make us attractive. This week is about reaffirming why investors continue to choose Barbados – and how we must continue to adapt and transform to thrive,’ Yarde said.

The chief executive officer of Invest Barbados, Kaye-Anne Greenidge, underscored the importance of the global business sector.

‘Beyond the critical role it plays in positioning Barbados regionally and internationally as a jurisdiction of choice, the sector is equally important to us here at home. It creates jobs for Barbadians, facilitates the transfer of skills, strengthens our professional services and contributes directly to sustainable economic growth for our country. These are real and measurable benefits that impact families, communities and the wider nation,’ Greenidge said.

She noted that Barbados is a preferred choice for the captive insurance business and ranks among the top 10 captive insurance domiciles globally.

President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons says the health care sector in Suriname has ‘deteriorated significantly’ in recent years outlining new initiatives to help reverse the situation.

‘Without a healthy population, a country cannot develop. Our goal is a healthcare system that not only responds to illness but actively protects and promotes health,’ President Geerlings-Simons said in her first annual address to Parliament.

President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons addressing Parliament

‘Health is not a privilege, but a right,’ she said, indicating that the health agenda for 2026 and 2027 would focus on prevention and primary care, digital care and data collection, healthcare financing and the State Health Insurance Fund among other areas.

‘Our Suriname, with its small population, carries a heavy disease burden, largely caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. But also communicable diseases, including HIV. Diseases that have long been under control elsewhere in the world,’ President Geerlings-Simons said.

She told legislators that these diseases claim the most lives in the country, putting a heavy burden on the economy, reiterating that prevention will be central to the implementation of government policy, ‘especially because prevention and the quality of care have deteriorated significantly during the past term’.

The head of state spoke of the high rates of suicide, domestic violence, and femicide in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, announcing national programmes to break down stigmas and expand mental health care.

In addition, additional investments are being made in prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care to reduce the high maternal and infant mortality rates.

She said Suriname is accelerating the implementation of electronic patient records, telehealth, and e-prescriptions and that space is also being created for traditional and alternative medicine, provided it is properly regulated and securely integrated into the system.

The president also acknowledged the significant outflow of doctors and nurses, promising improved working conditions, career development, and collaboration with friendly countries to temporarily deploy foreign medical personnel.

During her address, President Geerlings-Simons said that the government will activate a national housing fund in 2026.

‘Housing, as previously stated, is not only an economic sector, but also of great social importance. Especially during the period when oil revenues start coming in, land and housing will become more expensive.

‘Therefore, a special program will be needed to provide Surinamese people with access to housing during that period as well,’ Geerlings-Simons told legislators.

The United States has announced support for the Trinidad and Tobago government’s Dragon gas proposal with Venezuela saying it will take ‘steps to ensure it will not provide significant benefit to the Maduro regime’.

The announcement comes less than five months after the Kamla Persad Bissessar government, which came to office in Port of Spain on April 28, indicating that the gas deal was ‘dead’ after it had campaigned heavily against the proposal that had been initiated by the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, greetings Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar and her delegation in Washington on Tuesday.

‘.we will be foolish to not look elsewhere, and we should have started that search long ago; we should not have put everything into the Dragon gas,’ Persad Bissessar said then, adding ‘that is dead. The(PNM) kept it alive for 10 years, and if you couldn’t do that in 10 years, you cannot do it now,’ she said, adding that there could also possibly be oil and gas in Tobago’s territorial waters.

In a statement issued following talks between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Prime Minister Persad Bissessar on Tuesday, the State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, said that Rubio had ‘acknowledged the importance of energy security to Trinidad and Tobago’s economic prosperity and regional stability.

‘He outlined US support for the government’s Dragon gas proposal and steps to ensure it will not provide significant benefit to the Maduro regime’ emphasising the deepening relations between Port of Spain and Washington.

In a brief statement here following the meeting with Rubio, the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister said ‘we had some very important discussions for bilateral interests, and more will be discussed later.

‘We have some good news that we will share with you later. We head back now to New York City, and we look forward to meeting you at home,’ she added.

In April, the United States government revoked the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) license granted to Trinidad and Tobago to allow Shell, the National Gas Company (NGC), and contractors to explore, produce, and export natural gas from the Venezuelan Dragon Gas Field.

The license was valid until October 31, 2025, and enabled Trinidad and Tobago to pay for gas in various currencies and through humanitarian measures. On December 21, 2023, Trinidad and Tobago also secured a 30-year exploration and production license from the government of Venezuela for the Dragon gas field.

Washington had also revoked the Cocuina-Manakin license granted to Port of Spain on May 31, 2024.

Port of Spain had been planning to request an extension from Washington for a license granted to Shell and the NGC to develop the Dragon gas project in Venezuela.

The license, issued in early 2023, allows the companies to plan the project. The project aims to supply gas to Trinidad by 2027. The Dragon Field is located in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border with Trinidad.

Former prime minister, Stuart Young, who was also the minister of energy and energy industries in the previous two PNM administrations, said in a statement posted on his Facebook page that the announcement from Rubio with respect to Trinidad and Tobago is ‘consistent with what he told me when I was Prime Minister.

‘Amazingly, one of the first announcements of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar after she was sworn in was that Dragon was dead and that her government would be pursuing gas in Grenada, Guyana and Suriname. Now, in a not surprising complete about turn, the (ruling) UNC (United National Congress) is pursuing Venezuelan Dragon gas.’

Young said that the ‘success of cross border gas depends on many factors including, very critically, multilateral respect and diplomacy as the gas is owned by another state,’ adding ‘time is longer than twine’.

Pigott in his statement said that the meeting had also discussed the strong US-Trinidad and Tobago partnership, particularly on regional security and counternarcotics cooperation and Rubio commended Trinidad and Tobago’s steps to counter transnational criminal organizations and curb illicit narcotics and firearms trafficking.

‘The leaders also discussed efforts to restore stability in Haiti, including through support for the UN security council resolution authorizing a UN Support Office for Haiti and Gang Suppression Force.’

Free movement among nationals of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Barbados, Dominica and Belize came into effect on Wednesday, two days after a law facilitating such movement was passed in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament.

Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) that since 2009, already allow for free movement among the nine-member sub-regional grouping.

The four Caribbean Community (CARICCOM) countries decided to forge ahead with full-fledged free movement under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services, while other members of the 15-member integration movement work through their reservations.

The free movement means that, effective October 1, except where prohibited on the grounds prescribed by law, such as national security concerns, citizens of the four countries can travel to and work in each other’s countries for an unlimited period of time and can work on arrival, without needing a work permit.

They would also not need a CARICOM Skills Certificate, which previously defined the categories of workers who could move among the bloc and live and work indefinitely.

In Kingstown, the free movement was effected by amendments to the Immigration Restriction Act, which received bipartisan support.

The amendments also allow nationals of the OECS associated member states, namely the French Caribbean departments of Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Martin, to visit and remain here up to six months.

‘. persons born in those countries or born of individuals who are born in . any of those French overseas territories would be entitled to a six-month entry into St. Vincent and the Grenadines to enhance freedom of movement,’ Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, said while tabling the legislation in Parliament.

However, unlike under the CARICOM arrangement, employment is not permitted.

Gonsalves said that while the agreement among the four CARICOM countries included Belize, in practical terms, Barbados, located 100 miles east of SVG, would be the one of greatest practical importance to SVG.

‘Clearly, Belize is of historic significance because there’s a significant group of Garifuna, persons of Garifuna descent, who came out of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,’ he said, in reference to the descendants of indigenous Vincentians who were exiled to Belize in the 1790s after their chief, Joseph Chatoyear, was killed by British colonisers.

‘But clearly, the one where we have most people moving would be between St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados,’ Prime Minister Gonsalves said, adding that this would be of great help to Vincentians.

‘And many of us have constituents, people who currently, from St. Vincent, go to Barbados and they’re not supposed to work in the six months but sometimes they do work under the radar, but they are not very well protected, because they are not supposed to be working,’ he said.

Gonsalves said the converse is also true for Barbadians residing here, saying, ’employers often take advantage of them because they do not have the legal status.

‘Now, after October the first, they’d be able to go to Barbados and work – come out the plane and work there – in the way in which Grenadians can come here under the OECS arrangement or St. Lucians or Vincentians go there, Antigua, or St. Kitts.’

Also on Monday, Parliament passed a law ascribing contingent rights, such as the right to own property and access healthcare and other social services, to the CARICOM or OECS national to whom the free movement rights have been extended.

Gonsalves, however, emphasised that the free movement does not extend to people who obtain citizenship through economic citizenship programmes.

Dominica is the only country among the four CARICOM nations that have agreed to full free movement that has a CBI programme.

‘Well, you will notice how the common legislation here is formulated,’ Gonsalves said, noting that in CARICOM, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia have Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes.

Under the CBI, foreign investors are granted citizenship of the islands involved in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of these islands.

‘The other nine do not have. That’s why the formulation is as it is here,’ Gonsalves said, adding ‘this section applies to a person who holds a passport or a document establishing identity and nationally prescribed by law issued by a qualifying OECS state, evidencing that the person was born in the state, or is a descendant of a person born in the state or in another qualifying OECS state.

‘So that takes care of that particular problem,’ he said, referring to the CBI-designated citizens.

The Investment Migration Agency (IMA) says a significant number of foreign nationals granted citizenship of Grenada under the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) progrmme during the second quarter of this year, has come from the United States.

Data released by the IMA said that American accounted for 12 per cent of the 402 people approved as new citizens followed by persons from China and Nigeria, each accounting for 10 per cent.

The figures show that during the first three months of this year, one per cent of the 632 applicants approved for new citizenship were US nationals, making it the first time that Nigeria and China were not the top ranked countries.

The IMA said that other nationalities approved as citizens for the period came from Pakistan, the United Kingdom, The Philippines; Uganda, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Republic Of Congo, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Syria, Turkey, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti.

As of the end of the second quarter of 2025, a total of 893 new citizens were approved through the IMA bringing a total of EC$103.2 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) according to the June 2025 monthly fiscal report from the Ministry of Finance.

IMA chief executive officer, Thomas Anthony, in August announced that Grenada will be focusing on marketing the CBI programme to Africa and that a delegation would be visiting West Africa in October this year.

‘We have been exploring more African countries, more recently we were in Kenya in collaboration with the Nairobi Chamber of Commerce and at that event we have more than 100 individuals attending and we believe that we will see some fruit from that event,’ said Anthony.

Under the CBI programme, foreign investors are granted citizenship of Grenada in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of the country.

West Indies stand in T20I captain, Akeal Hosein has urged fans not to lose hope in the regional team following their shocking 2-1 loss to Nepal in their just concluded T20I series.

His plea came after the sixth-ranked West Indies demolished Nepal by 10 wickets in the third and final T20I on Tuesday to earn a consolation win after they were thoroughly outplayed by their 18th-ranked opponents in the first two matches.

Hosein, who captained the side in the absence of regular skipper Shai Hope, acknowledged that while their supporters had all rights to be discouraged after the loss, he said the team would get its act together leading up to the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, slated to bowl off in early February’I mean we owe everything to them. We’ve been disappointing them for a while now and hopefully we can sort of give them a positive message with such a clinical performance.

‘But as I’ve said in the past, we’ve really disappointed them and hopefully we can make that turn leading up to the World Cup,’ Hosein said.

Despite the embarrassing series loss, Hosein said he was very impressed with the way in which the Windies outplayed Nepal in the final T20I.

He also gave Nepal credit for preparing pitches which suited their strengths in the opening two matches of the series.

‘I’m happy to see them come out and give that sort of performance, the last game in the end of the series, losing two games up front, I think it was an excellent effort and clinical as well.

‘But I thought Nepal ticked all the boxes in this series. They batted well, they bowled well, and they fielded well and if I can go one step further, in winning a series I believe you have to do everything possible in your power, especially when it’s your home series,’ Hosein said.

‘And if you can look over the past three games, the first two games were definitely their home conditions, a surface that they are accustomed to, it was slow and low. And if you can see, once they secured that series, they came and they played on a green top, probably for experience or to get accustomed and it was a totally different match.

‘So, kudos to them, they used their home advantage pretty well and that’s why they are the winners here today,’ he added.

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.