Lil Durk Jury Enters Second Day of Deliberations, Seeks Charge Clarification
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Kendrick Lamar’s $100M Slavery Comedy Shelved by Paramount
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Kenneth Petty Produces Accuser’s 1994 Letter in Bid to Dismiss $20M Civil Suit
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What Is a Sound Clash? Rules, Dubplates & Legendary Battles
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Studio One: The Motown of Jamaica — A Complete History
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Dancehall’s Fingerprints on Afrobeats: A Complete Guide to the Genre’s Caribbean Blueprint
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Guyana Police Intelligence Chief Admits Shredding, Burning Records Tied To Arrest Of Mohameds
By Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now
News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Thurs. Sept. 10, 2026: The head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch intelligence unit testified today in a courtroom in Guyana that he shredded and burned records containing information about a US Marshal’s conversation with Azruddin and Nazar Mohamed following their October 31, 2025 arrest, a revelation that emerged during the ongoing extradition hearing against the two men.
Senior Superintendent Prem Narine denied defense lawyer Siand Dhurjon’s suggestion that the documents constituted the actual operational record of what took place the day of the arrest, but confirmed he destroyed the books using a shredding machine and by burning them at Special Branch headquarters in January 2026. “Well, I will put that to you that you’ve shredded and burnt the true operational record of what you did that day, which used to be in existence,” Dhurjon said. Narine responded: “No, I don’t agree with that.”
When asked whether any standing order or written policy required the destruction of the documents, Narine said he was obligated to destroy anything he personally considers secret. “Anything I consider that is a secret and should be destroyed, I do that… And for it to remain that way, I destroy it,” he testified. He initially cited the Official Secrets Act as his authority, then said he would need legal advice to clarify whether he was referring to a law or an internal police document. “I would have to get some legal advice on how to answer that. I’m not sure. I don’t know if I’m allowed to answer that,” he said. Prosecutor McKenzie told the court he was unsure what his own witness meant, and Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman noted that the head of Special Branch could not himself be “a signatory to a law.”
An unlogged conversation with a US Marshal
Narine also confirmed in court Thursday that he had permitted US Marshal Sandy Rao to hold a private conversation with the Mohameds, conducted in his view but out of his hearing, and that the conversation was never recorded in the Brickdam Police Station diary. Narine said he did not know what was discussed between the federal agent and the Mohameds, who are wanted in the US to face trial in a Florida federal court on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. The US Marshals Service is the lead federal agency for fugitive and extradition matters in the United States.
Defense raises political financing, prosecution alleges delay tactics
Azruddin Mohamed, founder of the WIN party, is now Guyana’s new opposition leader. (Photo by JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier in Thursday’s session, the defense argued that Nazar Mohamed’s role as a financier of his son’s WIN political party supports its broader claim that the extradition case is politically motivated. Prosecutor Glenn Hanoman separately expressed frustration with what he described as repeated attempts by the defense to delay the extradition hearing as long as possible. Azruddin Mohamed is Guyana’s current opposition leader.
NewsAmericasNow will continue following developments in the Mohamed extradition case.
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Digital Trade Nears $90 Billion In Latin America And Caribbean As Online Exports Surge
By NAN Business Editor
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Sept. 8, 2026: Digital trade is emerging as one of the fastest-growing areas of international commerce in Latin America and the Caribbean, with exports of digitally delivered services surging nearly fivefold over the past two decades to $87.7 billion.
The findings come from a new report released today by the Inter-American Development Bank, (IDB), World Bank Group and World Trade Organization, (WTO), which examines the expansion of trade ordered or delivered through digital channels and the opportunities still available to countries across the region. According to the report, Digital Trade in Latin America and the Caribbean: Connecting Markets, Powering Growth, exports of digitally delivered services climbed from just $18.5 billion in 2005 to $87.7 billion in 2024.
Yet despite that rapid expansion, Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for only 2 percent of global exports of digitally delivered services in 2024, pointing to substantial room for further growth. Under a scenario combining continued technological advances with an improved policy environment, the report estimates that digitally deliverable services exports could grow by as much as 7.9 percent annually through 2040.
Caribbean Economies See Opportunity
For Caribbean economies, the shift toward digitally delivered services could be particularly important because businesses can increasingly reach international customers without many of the geographic and transportation constraints traditionally associated with small island markets.
The report finds that digital services are lowering barriers to international markets and creating opportunities for small businesses, entrepreneurs and women-led firms, while artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies could further expand cross-border trade.
Foreign direct investment into digitally enabled industries is also helping build capabilities across the region, although significant gaps remain in digital infrastructure, connectivity, skills and financing.
Another major opportunity lies closer to home. Only 8.4 percent of exports of digitally deliverable services from Latin America and the Caribbean remained within the region in 2023, substantially below intraregional levels in Europe and Asia. The finding suggests there remains considerable potential to build stronger digital trade links among neighboring economies.
Infrastructure And Financing Remain Obstacles
The report warns that realizing the sector’s potential will require more than growing demand for digital services.
Among the barriers identified are inadequate digital infrastructure and connectivity, fragmented regulatory systems, limited interoperability between payment systems, customs and trade bottlenecks, shortages of digital skills and insufficient financing for innovative businesses. Fabrizio Opertti, manager of the Productivity, Trade and Innovation Sector at the IDB, said the region has made significant progress in digitally delivered exports but retains substantial untapped potential.
The report calls on countries to expand digital infrastructure, modernize regulations, improve cross-border payments, streamline trade procedures, strengthen digital skills and export promotion, increase access to finance and improve the measurement of digital trade.
For Caribbean businesses and entrepreneurs, the findings point toward a global marketplace increasingly less constrained by geography. But capturing a larger share will depend on whether regional economies can build the infrastructure, financing systems, skills and regulatory environment needed to compete.
The report was jointly produced by the IDB, World Bank and WTO and released on September 8, 2026. Read the full Digital Trade in Latin America and the Caribbean report
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Lil Durk’s Murder-for-Hire Case Goes to the Jury After Closing Arguments
The moment that’s been building for weeks is finally here. Closing arguments are done, and the jury now holds Lil Durk’s fate in their hands as his murder-for-hire trial enters its final stretch.