#Esther Suckoo

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 10/4/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday, 4th October, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Mid Week Nation Newspaper (MWN).

THANKS NSRL – The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has started to pay its debt and is in a position to meet its financial obligations to suppliers once again. The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) will soon get its new fleet of trucks, and will even be looking to purchase additional equipment. Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler says Barbadians can thank the controversial National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) for that good news. Revealing he had been publicly maligned on social media for introduction of the tax but that national financial issues would still remain after him, Sinckler yesterday told the House of Assembly the NSRL was already reaping benefits that would help ease the country’s financial woes. (MWN)

FREE TO BORROW – Barbados now has access to over US$500 million in financing from the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) following a decision by the island to acquire more shares in the institution. This was revealed today by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler as he led off debate on the Latin American Development Bank Amendment Bill 2017 in the House of Assembly. While not indicating whether the country, which is facing significant financial problems, intended to seek a major loan from CAF, Sinckler said access to low-cost financing was now enhanced by the move to buy more shares. Offering some background to the measure, the Member of Parliament for St Michael North West said in 2015 Barbados joined the bank and purchased 3, 522 common shares in CAF for a value of $50 million. With this shareholding the island could borrow up to four times the value of its shares for domestic purposes and up to eight times for projects that improved integration. Sinckler revealed that Barbados was given the opportunity by CAF to increase its investments in the bank by an additional 1,080 shares, bringing the total investment to US$65.37 million. In this connection, he said the island had already borrowed $30 million for Berth 5 expansion at the Bridgetown Port, and $15 million for the purchase of new scanners for the Port and software for the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) to create a single platform to capture Value Added Tax, Land Tax, Inland Revenue and the Licensing Department’s revenue streams. Moreover, he told the House the tendering process was already under way for the single tax system and the acquisition of security scanners with both projects expected to be in place by year-end. The minister of finance further revealed that Barbados had accessed $35 million from the Latin financial institution for road improvement by the Ministry of Transport and Works, adding that additional funding for roads would come soon. He informed the House that Barbados had been well served by its participation in CAF because of the reduced financing costs and “simpler” bureaucracy when compared to institutions like the Caribbean Development Bank and the World Bank. (BT)

SINCKLER CONCEDES TO GROWTH OF LESS THAN 1% THIS YEAR – Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Chris Sinckler has conceded that the Barbados economy will not grow by two per cent this year. In fact, given the impact of Government’s “tight” fiscal programme, he told reporters that growth was more likely to be in the range of 0.5 per cent and 0.7 per cent in 2017, which is in keeping with the forecast made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) back in June. However, the jury is still out on the success of the measures, which included a controversial hike in the National Social Responsibility Levy, from two per cent to ten per cent amid protests from the island’s trade unions and members of the local business community who complained that the tax was simply too onerous. However, to date Government has been sticking slavishly to its programme with Sinckler reporting yesterday that “we seem to be on track, but we have to ensure that we keep the expenditures under control”. (BT)

LASHLEY RAISES CONCERN ABOUT COMPULSORY ACQUISITIONS – Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley today made a strong case for an overhaul of the Land Acquisition Act, as Government sought Parliament’s approval to abandon a 14-year-old compulsory acquisition at Weston St James. Back in 2003, the House of Assembly approved the takeover of the property owned by Ralph Griffith with a view to clearing the watercourse following the 1995 Weston floods in which well-known calypsonian Carew lost his life. However, Cabinet subsequently decided at a meeting on November 3, 2016 that it no longer required the land for the purpose for which it was acquired and agreed that it should be returned to its former owner. Today, Lashley said while the former Barbados Labour Party Government may have been acting in the country’s best interest at the time, the landowner was made to suffer as a result of the actions of the state. Lashley said his ministry and others had received numerous complaints from private citizens and businesses about such compulsory acquisitions, including the fact that they have had to wait lengthy periods for compensation. Lashley was adamant that displaced landowners should be paid in a reasonable time, suggesting that Government could negotiate compensation other than money given its current financial constraints. The Minister of Transport and Works however made it clear that citizens were not helpless, pointing to a 1999 case in which Parsons Pest Control successfully challenged Government’s compulsory acquisition of 17 acres of land. (BT)

LOWE: PROJECTS A FLOOD THREAT – Housing developments in uphill areas are creating a drainage headache for communities below and may in many instances be contributing to flooding in Barbados’ low-lying areas. So says Minister of the Environment and Drainage Dr Denis Lowe, who added that people were building on water courses, affecting how the water got from the high elevations to the run-off point. He claimed it was happening “all over Barbados”. He told the House of Assembly yesterday some people were constructing “without the permission of the Town Planning Department” while others were even challenging that department’s authority by starting a development and applying for building retention afterwards. Speaking on a resolution to abandon Government’s compulsory acquisition of land at Weston, St James, that had been deluged by the flood of 1995 that claimed the life of popular calypsonian Carew, Lowe said water flowed downhill at a rapid rate “because there are no adequate check dam systems that would slow down the pace of the water as it gets down to the lower elevations. (MWN)

HUSBANDS TO CHAIR CBC TALKS – Today’s meeting involving the Ministry of Labour, Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) will not be chaired by Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo. Instead, her colleague Senator Harry Husbands will be leading the talks, which are set to take place at 10 a.m. at CBC’s offices in the Pine, St Michael. The MIDWEEK NATION understands that Byer Suckoo will be out of the island. On Monday evening she sent letters to the BWU and CBC inviting them to attend the talks. (MWN)

STRIKING CBC EMPLOYEES TO GO BACK TO WORK – Striking workers at the state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) will be back on the job tomorrow, in what their union, the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) said was a show of good faith ahead of talks between the state broadcaster and the BWU, initiated by Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo. The union last night called off escalation of the protest over increments, after receiving an invitation from Byer-Suckoo for the meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow at CBC in The Pine, St Michael. However, BWU General Secretary Toni Moore said at the time the CBC workers would remain on strike for the seventh straight day pending the outcome of those talks, stating the union was being cautious because of broken promises by the radio, television and cable company. The BWU now says keeping the employees off the job while the talks were taking place would not be an act of good faith, therefore, it had a change of heart. Still all is not settled as the former union boss revealed that Byer-Suckoo would miss her own meeting, much to the BWU’s dismay. The minister had chaired the last meeting at which an agreement was reached on the payment of increments dating back to 2012. (BT)

‘NO NEED FOR LAWYERS’ AT ERT – People do not need an attorney for their cases to be heard by the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT). Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo emphasised this during an interview with the MIDWEEK NATION while speaking about upcoming changes to the ERT. She said the wait on lawyers from both sides had contributed to cases not being dealt with as expeditiously as they could be, and that matter was under review. “Because persons are relying more and more on lawyers when they come to the tribunal, there is often a delay because the lawyers have to be all available at the same time and I gather, as with our court system, that doesn’t always happen . . . . The tribunal is created in such a way that members of the public do not have to come with attorneys. (MWN)

BPA CONCERNED THAT 200 POLICE OFFICERS ARE STILL ACTING – Police officers here are hoping the appointment of Tyrone Griffith as the top cop in the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) will be the beginning of a wave of appointments of officers in acting positions. The Barbados Police Association (BPA) today said a staggering 200 cops had been acting in senior positions for much too long, some of them up to two ranks higher than their substantive posts. BPA President Constable Mervin Grace told Barbados TODAY while they welcomed the appointment of Griffith, who had acted as commissioner for just over four years, it was time for officers of lower rank to get their just due. Grace said the number of acting positions “is so great I can’t tell you”, revealing that there were officers acting from as low down the ranks as sergeant up to the third highest post of assistant commissioner of police. In addition, he said, the RBPF was short of over 100 police officers, making the acting situation even more burdensome. The BPA head said his organization expected Griffith to maintain the same high standards that he had been demonstrating since his acting appointment in June 2013. On January 11, this year 56 officers were appointed across the ranks of sergeant, station sergeant, inspector, assistant superintendent, superintendent, senior superintendent and assistant commissioner of police. Griffith, 62, joined the Force in 1975.  (BT)

BYE BYE KAIDEN – The innocence of a child not allowed to be contaminated by mundane matters, seemed frozen forever in the body of one-month-old Kaiden Dacosta Greenidge who was laid to rest today. The purity of the dead baby was reflected in the way he was dressed – in an all white suit – for his final earthly journey, and it was amplified by the fact that he was given an all white velvet casket. As Kaiden lay peacefully in the casket as though he were fast asleep, family members dressed in blue and white, with shirts proudly displaying photographs of the infant, huddled at the front of the Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church in Eden Lodge, St Michael for just one more lasting moment with the child. They joined the wider congregation in singing children’s hymns such as There’s A Friend For Little Children, Jesus Wants Me To Be A Sunbeam and When He Cometh, among others. It was an intimate funeral service for a baby, whose mysterious death on September 13 mere hours after he was left with carers at the Divine Day Nursery, had mortified his parents Petra Rouse and Silverson Greenidge. Kaiden was taken to the nursery at St Stephen’s Hill, Black Rock, St Michael on the morning of Wednesday September 13. Six-and-a-half hours later his parents received a call from the day care informing them that the infant appeared to be ill. Soon after, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His death triggered a police investigation as the parents demanded to know what went wrong. Police this afternoon told Barbados TODAY that a preliminary autopsy report concluded that the boy died of natural causes. However, Public Relations Officer Acting Inspector Roland Cobbler said lawmen were awaiting the final results of the autopsy to determine which direction their investigation would take. Therefore, he said no one could be held criminally responsible at this stage. Meantime, Child Care Board Director Joan Crawford, who has repeatedly refused to comment because of the police investigation, explained that private day care facilities were required to admit children no younger than six weeks old, accompanied by with a medical certificate, and with the parents’ approval. Government nurseries, she said, accepted infants from the age of three months. Crawford’s announcement appeared to support a suggestion by Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett that the baby might have been too young to be accepted at such a facility. (BT)

THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY DIES IN ROAD ACCIDENT – A 13-year-old boy is this island’s 19th road fatality. According to police, the teenager, whose name has not yet been released, was struck by a car driven by 59-year-old David Ash of Thorpes, St James. The accident occurred around 6:45 p.m., at Campaign Castle, St George. Lawmen say preliminary investigations suggest that the victim disembarked a minibus and was attempting to cross the road in front of the minibus when he was struck by the car being driven by Ash, who was overtaking the minibus. The teen was rushed to the state-run Queen Elizabeth Hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. Police are continuing investigations. The number of road deaths so far this year is almost double the total for 2016.  (BT)

POLICE PROBE VIDEOS OF ‘RECKLESS’ PSV DRIVERS – Two separate videos circulating on social media, which seem to show public service vehicle (PSV) operators engaging in reckless and dangerous practices, have caught the attention of police and transport authorities, as well as PSV owners. The videos emerged within the last two weeks, with one showing a route taxi racing through the River Terminal with its conductor hanging through the door of the vehicle while onlookers cheer, while the second shows a minibus packed to capacity, with at least three persons outside the door while the bus was in motion. Director of the Barbados Transport Authority Alex Linton told Barbados TODAY the authority was actively tracking the drivers involved and they would face the full brunt of the law. Linton urged the public to advise the transport authority whenever they see such behaviour exhibited by PSV operators instead of publishing footage on social media. (BT)

SHOOTING INCIDENT IN CANE VALE – Police are investigating a shooting incident which occurred sometime after 8:00 p.m., today at Cane Vale, Christ Church. During this incident, Rolando Sealy, 19, of Cane Vale, Christ Church, received a gunshot injury to his right bicep. He was transported to the QEH by private motor car.   Preliminary investigations revealed that Sealy was liming in the area with other men, when a motor car approached, and one of the occupants opened fire on the group before speeding away. Anyone who can provide any information to assist with these investigations is being asked to contact Oistins Police Station at telephone 418-2608, or 418-2612, Police Emergency at telephone number 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. All information received will be strictly confidential. (MWN)

MILLION DOLLAR CASE: CLERICAL OFFICER ON TRIAL FOR THEFT - The trial of a clerical officer, accused of stealing over a million dollars belonging to the Psychiatric Hospital, is currently underway in the High Court. The Crown is currently presenting its case against Anderson Ryan Ince of Hannays Road, St Lucy, who was earlier released on $100,000 bail after pleading not guilty to the charges back in 2006. It is alleged that sometime between August 1, 2003 and August 1, 2005,  Ince stole $1,118,500, belonging to the Black Rock, St Michael institution and vested with the Central Bank. He is also accused of laundering the funds. Attorneys Steve Gollop, Charmaine Delice-Hunte and Neil Marshall are representing the accused man while Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard is prosecuting the Crown’s case, along with Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale and crown counsels Oliver Thomas and Olivia Davis. Today, Madam Justice Michelle Weekes heard from Ince’s ex-fiancé, Marsha Gill, who said she met the accused man while working at the mental institution as a nursing assistant. Under questioning from the lead prosecutor, Gill said she knew that her fiancé worked in the administrative division of the hospital as a clerical officer. However, Gill said she did not know his monthly salary. She also revealed that they lived together in a three-bedroom rented house in St Joseph for approximately seven years and “shared [the rent] half, half”. During that time, Ince “gifted her” with a Toyota Platz motorcar, but Gill said she did not know who paid for the vehicle. “I assumed it was him . . . he gave it [the car] as a gift,” she said, adding that they also took a vacation between the 2003 and 2006. “We went to New Jersey by my sister,” the witness said. However, she told the nine-member jury she could not remember who paid for the tickets for she and her daughter, as well as Ince to travel, neither did she know the cost of her vehicle. She also revealed that Ince had purchased her engagement ring, along with wedding bands, but again she did not know the cost of the items. “I just went to look [at Columbian Emeralds] not to purchase . . . I did not look at the prices,” she said, while identifying the pieces of jewellery in court this afternoon. A previous witness – Angela Reifer who works at Columbian Emeralds International – told the court that she had identified in July last year several pieces of jewellery, presented to her by the police. Among them a three-stone pendant valued at US$3,000 with matching US$4,000 earrings; a five-stone princess cut diamond 14-carat gold ring, costing over US$6,000 and a gents diamond gold set in 14-carat white gold worth US$5,000. Under further examination, Gill admitted to being “curious” about how Ince could afford some of the items. However, she said Ince had told her he had a side job, even though she told the court she could not remember what that was. “[Discussions] about finances always brought noise . . . so I chose not to ask about finance,” Gill said. However, she admitted to being “shocked” after a search warrant was executed at their home and the jewellery and other valuables confiscated amid the investigations into alleged theft at the Psychiatric Hospital. A number of other witnesses have also given evidence, including Ince’s friend Terryann Badenock who told the court that the accused man had approached her “about something that would help me out in my financial situation”. After revealing to Badenock that he supplies the Psychiatric Hospital with vegetables, he reportedly asked her for her national insurance number, national registration number, the spelling of her name and address. Badenock was later shocked to learn from Ince that a cheque in the amount of $20,000 was to be deposited into her account. “I was not looking for that amount,” she said disclosing that a subsequent cheque of $15,000 was also deposited in the account, which she shared with her husband. However, she was subsequently instructed by Ince to write cheques to him for various amounts. The trial continues tomorrow at 10 a.m. (BT)

FATHER DID NOT ‘WILLFULLY’ CAUSE SON’S DEATH – Dave Anthony Searles has been found not guilty of willfully exposing his five-month-old son Ethan in a manner likely to cause injury to his health. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant handed down the sentence on the Cemetery Lane, Road View, St Peter resident in the No.2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today. She explained that the verdict was based on the fact that the prosecution was unable to prove that Searles “willfully” committed the act. Ethan’s lifeless body was discovered in the back seat of Searles’ car, which was parked outside his workplace in Brittons Hill, St Michael on December 5, 2012. Searles, who had denied the charge, was represented by attorney-at-law Branford Taitt Jr. (BT)

THIS IS ‘FOR LIFE’ – With tears in his eyes, Dave Anthony Searles walked out of the District “A” Magistrates’ Court a free man yesterday, five years after he had been charged in connection with the car death of his five-month-old son. But he has some advice for parents of newborn and young children: see the rear-facing cars seats and leave them in the store. “You see rear-facing car seats? If you are a person who is accustomed to a routine, it is a recipe for disaster,” he stressed. Searles, 48, of Cemetery Lane, Road View, St Peter, was originally charged with unlawfully killing Ethan Searles on December 5, 2012. That was subsequently withdrawn and replaced with the charge that being a person over 16 years, having custody of Ethan Searles, who was five months old, he wilfully exposed the child in a manner likely to cause injury to the health of the child. (MWN)

MAN ADMITS TO CUTTING COP WITH A RAZOR – Presentencing and psychiatric reports have been ordered on a 54-year-old man who today confessed to wounding a police officer two years ago. When Richard Carmichael Best of St Stephen’s Hill, St Michael appeared before Madam Justice Jacqueline Cornelius he pleaded guilty to wounding Police Constable Johnathan Ermay with a razor blade on September 10, 2015. According to the prosecutor, Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas, Ermay responded to a report of tourists being harassed in Trafalgar Square, The City and subsequently arrested Best for causing a disturbance. The prosecutor said it was while on the way to Central Police Station that Best reportedly made a swinging motion towards Ermay’s face, cutting him on the left side with a sharp object which was later identified as a razor blade. However, the officer was still able to subdue him, as two colleagues came to Ermay’s assistance.Best, who is being represented by attorney Vonda Pile, returns to the No.5 Supreme Court on November 14. (BT)

GLENN LEARNS THE HARD WAY – Calling him a “seasoned and unbending” criminal, Justice Jacqueline Cornelius today sentenced a 50-year-old St Michael man to eight years behind bars on firearm, ammunition and cannabis charges. However, Martin Robert Glenn of St Stephen’s Housing Area, Black Rock, only has two years and 295 days left to serve of that sentence, having spent 1,896 days on remand at HMP Dodds. Back in May 2016 Glenn pleaded guilty to possession of a .38 firearm, six rounds of ammunition and a quantity of cannabis after he was apprehended in connection with a burglary at Kew Road, Bank Hall, St Michael on July 24, 2012. Glenn, who has 11 prior convictions, five of which fall under the Firearms Act, apologized before Justice Cornelius in the No.5 Supreme Court in July of this year for his crimes, saying he had had a lot of time to reflect on his life and could no longer do the things he used to. However, in her ruling today Justice Cornelius pointed out to Glenn that his latest offences occurred only a year after he was released from prison in 2011 after serving a lengthy sentence on kidnapping and firearm charges. “[You] show yourself to be an obdurate offender . . . 11 previous convictions which extend over a period of 28 years are reflective of a seasoned, unbending criminal, who is unable to, or refuses to learn from the error of his ways,” the judge said as she imposed the sentence. Senior Crown Counsel Krystal Delaney was the prosecutor in the case. (BT)

HIGH HOPES – Barbados are really liking their chances at home. Coach Mike Sims has high hopes for the hosts at this weekend’s CARIFTA Triathlon Championships although many officials still don’t know what to expect from the inaugural meet. Sims expressed the sentiment ahead of Saturday’s start to the first ever regional age-group event at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex. “I don’t want to put any pressure on them, but I think we’re going to be surprised,” said Sims during yesterday’s press launch at the Barbados Olympic Association’s headquarters. (MWN)

EXCELLENCE SPRINGER’S ‘ONLY WAY’ – Springer Memorial Secondary School continues to be a beacon on the hill. This was stressed by acting principal Mitchelle Maxwell during the Government Hill, St Michael school’s 53rd anniversary Founder’s Day Service when past and present students, teachers and friends assembled on Monday. Maxwell described Springer as an incubator for many outstanding Barbadians in various fields, including athletics, an area in which they have won the most titles in the girls’ division in the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletic Championships since 1998. “Today marks the 53rd birthday of our beloved school, 53 years of growth and achievement, 53 years of sustained efforts in providing education in Barbados. Each day brings new accomplishments to Springer Memorial School. We are indeed thankful to God for His many blessings. We are mindful of the hard work and dedication which would have led to the establishment of this noble institution. The Springer Memorial School continues to be a beacon on the hill and those who traverse the grounds of this campus are reminded every day that excellence is the only way,” said Maxwell.  (MWN)

HELP NEEDED FOR FOOD PROGRAMME – The Barbados Youth Action Programme is struggling to keep its free breakfast service up and running. President of the charitable organisation, Lumumba Batson, said this was evident after visits to several schools and hearing repeated cries from children who started classes on empty stomachs. He said they had solicited help from corporate Barbados since January, but donations mainly came from members of the Wildey community and surrounding districts who placed money in a box at the village shop Peggy’s Place.  Batson said more was needed to keep the meals programme going after ten months in existence. “We know we can’t feed everybody but this is a start. We were also hoping that it would branch out to other communities eventually. Usually we go five days a week but we are thinking about cutting back two days because we are not getting the support that we need to keep it going,” Batson said. He said meals left back were given to senior citizens in the area. Batson was one of many people in the St Michael South East constituency who sounded off on the recent move of former Democratic Labour Party member Patrick Tannis’ recent move to the Barbados Labour Party. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks there are 88 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 5/13/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Sunday, 13th May 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via subscribing to Nation News Online, purchasing a Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

ELECTIONS: SPECIAL POLLING ON MAY 17 –Election day workers, including police, are to cast their ballots a week ahead of the May 24 general election. The announcement came in a public notice released at the weekend by Chief Electoral Officer Angela Taylor in which she said special polling will take place on May 17, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Following is the full notice released by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission. “THE GOVERNOR GENERAL, by Order, appointed the 17th day of May, 2018 as the date of the poll for election officers voting at the election to be held on the 24th day of May, 2018. The Supervisor of Elections, in accordance with rule 30(3) of the Rules for Conduct of the House of Assembly Elections set out in the Second Schedule to the Representation of the People Act, Cap.12, hereby gives notice that the poll of election officers including members of the Royal Barbados Police Force will be taken on THURSDAY THE 17TH DAY OF MAY, 2018, during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the following polling stations:-

Constituency                    Centre

City of Bridgetown              Donald Henry Auditorium, Bethel, Bay Street

St. Michael South              Dalkeith Old School

St. Michael East                Barbados Community College (Auditorium)

St. Michael South Central     Pax Hill Girl Guides Head Quarters, Belmont Road

St. Michael Central                 The Library, Combermere School

St. Michael South East        Church of the Nazarene, Collymore Rock

St. Michael North East   Grace,    Grace Hill, Moravian Church, Spooners Hill      St. Michael North                                          C.E.F Miracle Centre, Lodge Hill

St. Michael North West             Carlton Club House, Carlton, Black Rock

St. Michael West                    Bethany Evangelical Church, Eagle Hall

St. Michael West Central           Skills Training Centre, Belfield Pavilion, Black Rock

Christ Church West                Bonnets Resource Centre, Bonnets, Brittons Hill

Christ Church West Central          Christ Church Parish Church Hall

Christ Church South            Cuthbert Pilgrim Memorial Hall, Maxwell Road

Christ Church East Central          Garfield Sobers Gymnasium

Christ Church East               Waithe Memorial Auditorium, Providence,

St. Philip North                      Shrewsbury Methodist Church

St. Philip South                      Methodist Church, Rices

St. Philip West                        Wayne Daniel Pavilion, Brereton

St. George North                     Valley Resource Centre

St. George South                     Ellerton Community Centre

St. John                                  BRC Building, St. John’s Parish Church

St. Joseph                           Clifton Hill Moravian Church

St. Thomas                           Vestry, Sharon Moravian Church

St. James North                   Sion Hill Community Centre

St. James South          Caribbean Meteorological Institute, Husbands, St. James

St. James Central             Trents Community Centre

St. Peter                          Alma Parris Memorial School

St. Andrew                    St. Saviour’s Church Annex

St. Lucy             The William Donald George Parish Centre (Old St. Lucy’s Rectory)

(BT)

GRANT CRITICIZES BLP MANIFESTO – The worst manifesto ever! That was how first-time candidate for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Rodney Grant described the recently publicised manifesto of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). The St Michael South East hopeful, who has contributed to several manifestos in the past, made the declaration when he addressed party faithful at a spot meeting in Tweedside Road tonight. He charged that not only were many of the proposals nonsensical but they were potentially detrimental to all Barbadians. Meanwhile, St Michael North East candidate Patrick Todd described St Michael South Central candidate Richard Sealy as one of Barbados' best tourism ministers. And according to Todd, anyone who disagrees is "just jealous".  (SS)

SANDIFORD GARNER SAYS MP GAVE ST ANDREW 27 YEARS OF 'NOTHING' – What has he done for you lately? That was the question repeatedly asked by candidate for St Andrew Irene Sandiford Garner to residents of Orange Hill, St James. She was speaking at a Democratic Labour Party meeting Friday night where accused MP George Payne of doing nothing for the past 27 years. “When you want to represent people you have to ensure that their lives are better than you found them. If an individual did not work for you at 60, they can’t work for you at 70. You need energy, you need vision, you need intelligence. What has he done for you lately? What has he done?” She pointed out that when she first contested the seat in 2008 her slogan was “ready to serve”. However, she accused Payne of using the same slogan which made no sense because he should have been serving all along. “How can you sit in a seat for 27 years and wake up in 2018 telling the good people who repose their confidence in you that you are now ready to serve? What do they do to serve you? What do they do to earn the money that the State pays them? How does your representative pass that hardcourt that is not utilised and ask you for a vote? I am not your MP but I made sure that the Buccaneer works. Why, because I see the value of having those facilities for the youth. It is now refurbished. It now has air-conditioning. It now has 17 computers. I didn’t need to be a MP to do it. I just needed the will to ensure the minister responsible did it.” The DLP candidate said it wasn’t only Orange Hill that was neglected. “It burns my heart to know that I grew up in St Andrew and witness the MP allow the centre down there to run to ruins to the point where men were playing dominoes under a light of a lamp with no water borne facilities. It was not a problem for him to see the degradation of Belleplaine and come back to those people every five years asking for support. What type of conscience does that?” Sandiford Garner also said there was something very telling about the fact that five people are vying to represent St Andrew. “This constituency has about five people looking to unseat the incumbent, it tells you something is very wrong with that individual. One of them is from right here in Orange Hill. You have a very important decision to make for your future and for your children’s future,” she said. (BT)

LASHLEY STANDS BY DLP POLICIES – Minister of Transport Michael Lashley has appealed to the people in the St Michael East constituency to give Democratic Labour Party candidate Nicholas Alleyne “a chance” to represent them. Saying there was “no comparison” between Alleyne and Prescod, Lashley described Alleyne as “a Cadillac” and Prescod as “a donkey cart”. “I want you to give this young man a chance. He is a man for the future,” Lashley said in support of the DLP first-timer during a DLP spot meeting at Licorish Village Thursday night. A former Minister of Housing, Lashley was critical of the Barbados Labour Party’s record on housing and reminded his audience of a DLP policy of transferring National Housing Corporation Units free of cost, once the tenant had occupied the unit for 20 years and paid the rent during that period. Lashley warned the St Michael East constituents to beware of what he described as “fake promises” from the Opposition Leader Mia Mottley, advising his audience to “analyse” those promises against the policies of the Democratic Labour Party He referred to observations made by former Prime Minister Owen Arthur on BLP proposals to fix the economy and urged the Licorish Village audience to “take heed” of Arthur’s warnings that the economic policies proposed by Opposition leader Mottley were “unrealistic.” “It took Owen Arthur to come out in the Press to say that the policies they bringing to you would mash up the treasury, burn up this country.” Lashley pointed out that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart was also constantly reminding people that his government was stabilising the economy, protecting jobs and making sure that social programmes and access to social programmes continued for the vulnerable and the poor.  (SS)

BYER SUCKOO: DEMS PROTECT WOMEN – Don’t tell Esther Byer Suckoo and the women of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) they don’t protect women because they laugh at a joke about Mia Mottley. Byer Suckoo said she, Irene Sandiford-Garner, Kim Tudor and Verla Depeiza had been the targets of members of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and at no time did party leader Mottley stand in their defence. The candidate for St George South said she belonged to a party which had been protecting women all along and she had been doing the same for the past ten years. As the Minister of Labour, Byer Suckoo said, legislation on domestic violence, sexual harassment and child maintenance were all done under her tenure. In fact, she stated, Mottley was not in parliament when debate was held on the Domestic Violence Act. She said it was the norm to attack opponents in politics, but suddenly, that seemed to be changing. In endorsing St John candidate George Pilgrim, their general secretary, Byer Suckoo told the residents if he worked as hard for the party as he did for them, they would have a great representative. Earlier, Christ Church West Central candidate Stephen Lashley, who was born in St John, told the residents to reject the narrative that the BLP would win the constituency and send a strong message during the May 24 General Election.  (SS)

BLP TO TACKLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is promising a multi-tiered approach to dealing with domestic violence. The vow was made by former Minister of Energy Liz Thompson at a spot meeting at Savannah Road, Bush Hall, St Michael Friday night. "Domestic violence has reached epidemic proportions in this country, and the BLP is taking a zero-tolerance approach for domestic abuse tow ard women, children and men," she said.She added that the party intended to hold abusersaccountable, and intended to put a number of actions in place to help combat these issues.Some of the proposed solutions include anger management and conflict resolution classes, community-based counselling, safe houses for those abused with an equal space for men and restitution and compensation for abuse victims. "We are prepared to give men counselling and put them in programmes to make them feel better about themselves," she said. Meanwhile, Barbados Labour Party leader Mia Mottley said change was going to come.  "To borrow the words of Errol Barrow 'half a loaf is better than no loaf at all' . . . . Give us a chance to show you what we can do for Barbados, because in doing so change will come," she said. Additionally, she said the BLP would run a clean campaign. "We will keep things clean and focused on you. Come out on May 24 and vote. Change has come and we want back our Barbados," she said. (SS)

AIRPORT PRAYER ROOM PROMISE – The Barbados Labour Party is going to add a holy touch to the Grantley Adams International Airport if elected to office. Party leader Mia Mottley, along with candidate for St Michael West Joseph Atherley and City candidate Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, met yesterday with several worshippers at the Jumma Masjid in Kensington New Road, St Michael, following a worship service. And in responding to their concerns, Mottley confirmed that a BLP Government would be constructing a prayer room at the airport. “We cannot have an international airport without an area that accommodates meditation for prayer for all religions . . . . To that extent, therefore, if we want to ensure we walk the walk and not just talk the talk, we must be prepared to make those adjustments as a country which people come to from all over the world,” she added. Mottley said this was a “reasonable” request and one that was “too simple to be denied”. Additionally, the St Michael North East candidate noted that one of their first orders of business if successful in the General Election would be to address problems with Muslim women and photo ID. “With respect to the issue of photographs of the female members of the community, we recognise that we have to ensure that we meet the concerns of both the international security, but equally the concerns of your community and religion,” Mottley said. “To that extent, I give the commitment myself that within the first month in office, we will meet with members of the community and Immigration Department to ensure there is an acceptable protocol,” she added. (SS)

ST. JOHN MEMBER 'DISGRACEFUL' SAYS CLARKE – Mara Thompson will go down in the parliamentary history of Barbados as the five-minute woman, according to long-serving Barbados Labour Party (BLP) St George South representative, Gline Clarke. Speaking at BLP meeting in Massiah Street Tuesday night, Clarke said Thompson, who succeeded her late husband and former Prime Minister, David Thompson as the Member of Parliament for St John, was known for short speeches.  “The last representative in Parliament in Mara Thompson never lasted more than five minutes any time on the floor of Parliament. It is disgraceful,” Clarke said. He further noted Prime Minister Freundel Stuart’s “bloodline” attack on Opposition Leader, Mia Mottley at the DLP's meeting outside the Netball Stadium in Waterford on Sunday night is contradictory. “If you want to hear about bloodline, Thompson and his wife is bloodline and the Democratic Labour Party cannot come to you and tell you about bloodline because that is bloodline,” Clarke stressed.  (SS)

HIGH PRAISE FOR PILGRIM – Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for St John, George Pilgrim, has received a ringing endorsement from Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite. During tonight’s national meeting at Gall Hill, St John, Brathwaite, the candidate for St Philip South, likened Pilgrim to two former prime ministers who represented the constituency. Brathwaite said the party’s general secretary should not be seen in any lesser light than the late Errol Barrow, the founding father, and David Thompson. He said Pilgrim was more qualified than most, earning his degrees and opening a business when others were still looking for a job or were working on qualifications. Brathwaite said the “bright, articulate young man” not only had a vision for the people, he had a vision for St John and urged the constituency, which has been very loyal to the DLP, to give him a chance. Pilgrim also should not be counted out because he was not born there like the candidate from the Barbados Labour Party. (SS)

UPP READY TO BRING RELIEF – The United Progressive Party (UPP) is ready to rescue Barbados from the clutches of the labour parties. In its efforts to do this, its 23 candidates are ready to usher in a new creative industries-based “orange economy” and revitalise the island’s struggling fortunes. UPP leader Lynette Eastmond made this pledge to the public Saturday evening as she spoke at the party’s presentation of candidates in National Heroes Square, The City. “The Progressive Party is here to take Barbados out of labour. The United Progressive Party is here to tell Barbadians that, for the first time, we will be looking to own Barbados,” Eastmond said. “No longer must it be that one per cent of the population are to be owners of wealth in this country while the rest of us hold on, hoping to get a pick from somebody,” she explained. With the economy contracting by 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, Eastmond said the UPP could bring relief to the country’s economic woes by tapping into the creative sector, which she said was valued at $2.3 trillion globally. Instead of solely focusing on tourism, the party leader said, more emphasis would be placed on creatives and other sectors like agriculture, helping to diversify Barbados’ economy for the first time since 1980 and contributing an estimated $3 billion to the economy. While there was not a large audience gathered at National Heroes Square, many passers-by did stop to take note of what the UPP leader was saying. As she grabbed their attention, Eastmond said the new orange economy made plans to provide free tertiary education, cut the food import bill and cut the energy bill, among other plans. Having served as Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development under the Owen Arthur-led Barbados Labour Party Government from 2003 to 2008, Eastmond said she knew the way to make the plans work. “The question is how are you going to earn more money and the United Progressive Party is the only party that has come to you with an answer. “I know how to do it because I was there when it was being done in the international business sector,” she added. (SS)

UPP CONFIDENT OF WINNING ST JOHN – The United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate for St John Hudson Griffith is confident of capturing the majority of the over 5,000 votes in that rural parish in the May 24 general election. St John, which has long been a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) stronghold, is also being contested by the DLP’s George Pilgrim, Charles Griffith of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Cherone Martindale of Solutions Barbados and independent candidate Leroy McClean, who is also a member of the DLP. In the 2013 election, the UPP’s Griffith, who was then a member of the BLP, had captured 1,091 votes, losing to Mara Thompson, who copped 4,025 votes for the incumbent party. However, addressing his party’s launch in Heroes Square on Saturday night, he said expects to win the seat in the upcoming poll. “We are going to bring home this election from St John,” declared the former BLP representive who previously lost in both a by-election and a general election in St John. However, while boasting that he was the third person for the BLP to capture over 1,000 votes in the DLP stronghold, Griffith said he was pleased to be representing the UPP this time around, adding that the BLP’s candidate Charles Griffith “cannot pull it off”. “I have outlasted Mara Thompson in St John. I am the next rightful person to represent the St John constituency for the United Progressive Party,” Griffith added.  (BT)

CCJ ARRANGES UNPRECEDENTED SUNDAY HEARING TO CLARIFY RIGHT TO VOTE IN BARBADOS – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has responded with haste to an appeal from Barbados where a resident of that nation is fighting for his right to vote. The CCJ has set the hearing for tomorrow, May 13 at 11 a.m. Professor Eddy Ventose, a St Lucian national who has lived in Barbados for several years, is seeking to be included on the Barbados electoral register. He alleges that under the prevailing laws he is qualified and entitled to be registered. The Chief Justice of Barbados, sitting as a trial judge, after hearing arguments on the matter, had issued the order compelling the Chief Electoral Officer to allow Professor Ventose to be registered to vote. The Court of Appeal in Barbados on Monday, May 7 ruled that Professor Ventose was entitled to be registered to vote but stopped short of compelling the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to do so, instead the Court ordered the CEO to determine Professor Ventose's claim within 24 hours. Professor Ventose is asking the CCJ to declare that, as a person who satisfies the necessary requirements, he is entitled to be registered to vote and to order the CEO to enter his name on the final voters' list ahead of its publication this week. The Court’s decision on the matter will also affect other Commonwealth citizens, resident in Barbados for the relevant qualifying period, who are also claiming a right to be registered as voters under the Barbados laws. The application by Professor Ventose for leave to appeal came to the CCJ on Friday afternoon and, in light of the acknowledged urgency of the matter, the Court responded by scheduling the hearing for tomorrow, May 13. The President of the CCJ, the Right Honourable Sir Dennis Byron and the Honourable Messrs Justices Saunders, Hayton, Anderson and Barrow will hear the appeal. It was noted by the CCJ President, Sir Dennis Byron that the Curia court management system played a crucial role in allowing the hearing to heard in such an expeditious manner. The application for the appeal was sent to the CCJ after court hours and the Judges and Registry staff were able to access the documents remotely and quickly put in place the necessary arrangements to hear the appeal. As one of the ways that CCJ aims to be accessible, the Court has embraced the technology which enables the CCJ to have a virtual courtroom. For this matter, the attorneys will have the ability to appear from their Chambers in Barbados while the Judges of the CCJ have chosen to hear the matter in the courtroom. CCJ’s video-conferencing capabilities include a bridging solution where all parties can appear by using internet-connected computers that are equipped with a video camera and a microphone. By using this technology, there is greater flexibility in how matter can be heard, both for the CCJ and for court users. This also has the effect of ensuring that justice moves swiftly. The matter is being live-streamed, as are all the CCJ matters, from Courtroom 1, and the broadcast can be accessed at http://bit.ly/2GaJFlc or from ccj.org.  (SS)

BODY IDENTIFIED AS DAVID DACOSTA KING – Following the unnatural death of Onica King on April 14, David Dacosta King was investigated as a person of interest. On Thursday, April 19, the body of a male was discovered lodged in the rocks along the inner careenage. At the time of discovery, it was in a state of decomposition and further investigations were conducted to determine the identity. This included working closely with the family members of David King. The body was identified by a family member as that of David Dacosta King, the husband of Onica king, and following the positive identification, and the completion of the post-mortem his body was handed over to the family.  (SS)

MURDER ACCUSED REMANDED – Murder accused Adijah Jahmani Younge appeared before Magistrate Wayne Clarke at the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court today. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder and was remanded to Her Majesty's Prison at Dodds until May 15, when the matter will be heard at Oistins Magistrates Court.  (SS)

BOURNE AND HARPER REMANDED TO PRISON – Following an urgent plea from his mother, 21-year-old Hakeem Bourne will be assisted with the rehabilitation that he needs. Bourne, of 2nd Berly Land, Sayer’s Court, Christ Church, appeared before Magistrate Wayne Clarke in the District  ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today, charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding 48-year-old Terryl Sayers, of No 5052, Millennia Boulevard, Apartment 207, Orlando, Flordia, USA. Bourne’s mother told the court that the 21-year-old had a drinking problem and this was the second altercation he was involved in while under the influence of alcohol. “I think he needs to grow up . . . . I think he needs an environment of rehabilitation,” she said. On Friday, May 11, while in St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, Bourne got into a dispute at the entrance of the Old Jamm Inn Night Club over the entrance fee. After being removed from the premises by security, he armed himself with a glass bottle and threw it into the night club, resulting in Sayers receiving a laceration to her throat. Bourne was remanded until June 8, 2018. Meanwhile, Jason Omar Harper, of Rochampton Road, Jackson, St Michael, also appeared before Magistrate Clarke in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today.  He was not required to plea to the indictable charge of possession of a firearm without being the holder of a licence to do so. Harper was remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds until June 8, the date of his next court appearance.  (BT)

ON REMAND FOR FIREARM CHARGE – Jason Omar Harper of Rochampton Road, Jackson, St Michael appeared before Magistrate Wayne Clarke at the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court today.   He was not required to plead to the indictable charge of possession of a firearm without being the holder of a licence to do so. He was remanded to Her Majesty's Prison at Dodds until June 8 to reappear at the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court. (SS)

TWO HOUSES RAZED IN BLAZE – A substantial community effort in Fairfield, St Michael, could not save two houses from being razed and three more from being damaged. When a NATION team arrived at the scene of the blaze around 1 p.m., firefighters could be seen still battling the fire in an effort to save the nearby houses as the inferno had already claimed two homes, despite starting just 30 minutes earlier. A shaken Sophia Jaimangal, who lived in the larger of the two homes with five family members, said the fire started at her next-door neighbour’s house and quickly spread to hers. What made the ordeal more difficult for the Jaimangal family was the fact that the home was renovated just a few months ago. “I just realised I smelt smoke and when I looked through my bathroom window I realised the house next door was totally engulfed and mine would’ve already caught,” Jaimangal said. “There wasn’t really much we could’ve done and I recently renovated my home, it would’ve recently painted and stuff. The house caught quickly and everything was gone,” she lamented. “When I got out there, the older house was on fire and we couldn’t do anything to save that one. So we were trying to see what we could do to save the blue one,” one man called Spooner said. “I just saw the smoke and I ran up there and the family like they were in shock, so I just went and tried to help them get things out of the house,” another resident who went by the name “Sam” chimed in. Both said they were lending a helping hand but had to retreat when the heat and smoke became too much to handle. Other residents were seen filling up buckets and some helped the fire officers with their hoses. Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for St Michael West Central, James Paul, and Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate for the area Ian Gooding-Edgehill, both offered their sympathies to the family and said they would be assisting them in getting back on their feet. The number of people who were displaced was unknown up to Press-time.  (SS)

EXPERT READY TO SOLVE SEWAGE PROBLEM – As Minister of Health John Boyce assures the public that the injection wells will be ready by month-end, a sewerage system expert says there is no need for them and he could solve the sewage crisis in a matter of weeks. And, said Murray Chandler, the owner of Polly Septic Services & Equipment Rentals, this would be done without digging up the extremely busy Highway 7 to access the blocked lines. Chandler was one of hundreds of Barbadians who turned up at Accra yesterday morning to take partin the Future Centre Trust’s Walk To Take Back Our Coast. The South Coast sewerage system has been experiencing problems for more than a year caused by blocks and breaches in the network. “We are prepared to go in and clear the line, flush the line, inspect the line and put it back in order within one month. “I will have the lines cleared both here and up by RTs and the line by Bird’s Eye View, by the old Scotiabank right out to Big B Supermarket cleared, flushed and running again and I am going to clear the one by Kentucky within two weeks,” Chandler said. He stressed there need not be any disruption to traffic as his plan did not entail excavating the road to reach the sewer pipes. Chandler went on to dismiss the Barbados Water Authority’s (BWA) much touted 300-foot injection wells which are being readied to take millions of gallons of effluent so BWA officials could get to the blockage in the line. He believes that effluent should be pumped out to sea. “If you have 300 feet of rock, where you will be digging into the aquifer, you do not have any displacement of filtration to take place. “I would say the best way out is out to sea because the sea can handle that pressure. If we contaminate that [ground]water we will have to start drinking bottled water forever because once we make that mistake, we cannot go back and make any changes because it will be underground pollution that we cannot control,” Chandler declared. Meanwhile, Minister Boyce, who is the Democratic Labour Party candidate for the area and who was present at the start, said the injection wells would be ready to take effluent by the end of this month. “Once that is done, the engineering team and the repair team could have access to the pipe which carries the sewage itself,” he said. “The presence of sewage on our roads is something which concerns all Barbadians,” he noted. “We have certainly, at the Water Authority, been putting processes in place to mitigate that and the Ministry of Health continues to monitor the situation to issue the appropriate advisories, to take the appropriate action to make sure that threat to Barbadians’ health and lives is absolutely minimised and that people are aware of what we can do,” he said. (SS)

SEA BREEZE COMPLETES $17M REVAMP –The Barbados’ tourism product has been enhanced with the virtual reconstruction of Sea Breeze Beach House to the tune of almost $17 million. The West Coast property was showcased and officially opened to scores of tourism officials, tour operators and Government officials Thursday, and described as a transformed four-and-a-half star all-inclusive hotel. “We virtually re-built the hotel,” group general manager of Ocean Hotels, Patricia Affonso Dass, said. The investment was welcomed by Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy who stated that close to 7 000 rooms, a record high, would be available in Barbados by the end of 2018.      Affonso Dass said the new 44 luxury suites and 78 other rooms reflected a transformation of the property, in terms of its Barbadian and culinary appeal, substantial reclamation of beach areas and enhancement of its wedding and other services. A Bajan Rum Shop has been added, while lighting and Barbadian art aesthetics are included and an additional 60 staff employed. “We wanted to be sure that when our guests visit us at Sea Breeze Beach House that they feel a sense of connection to the island, the people, the local sounds and flavours and more than anything else felt they were ‘at home’ being cared for rather than served,” Affonso Dass told the function. Sealy stressed the value of a modernised tourism plant and increased rooms to grow the island’s main economic sector. While applauding the investment by Peter Defreitas, chairman of the three-hotel Ocean group, the minister said the island’s room capacity was expected to increase to 8 000 by 2020. “We are on an upward trajectory. This is good for Barbados. Tourism is still at the core of the economy,” Sealy remarked.  (SS)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 233 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles  #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 10/3/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday, 3rd October, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

STILL ON TRACK – Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler insists the economy is on course for a return to growth despite the most recent downgrade by Standard and Poor’s (S&P). In his first public response to the international rating agency’s decision last week to lower Barbados’ long-term local currency sovereign credit rating from CCC+ to CCC, Sinckler said yesterday that ratings were “not a management tool for Government in terms of fiscal programming”. According to Central Bank forecasts, he said, the island was likely to register between 1.5 and 1.7 per cent growth, falling short of the two per cent predicted prior to this year’s Budget. “Our expectation is that growth will continue and because we have a tight fiscal programme, demand is going to be constrained. Once demand is constrained in an economy like Barbados, it is likely that growth is going to come back,” he told the media on the sidelines of the St Michael Battle Of The West Primary School Quizz Competition at St Leonard’s Boys’ School. (DN)

WORRIED – Barbados’ troubling economy and Government’s last Budget have a number of corporate players and investors concerned. Some 90 per cent of those quizzed by real estate firm Terra Caribbean were “not confident the economy is on the right track”, while 92 per cent had a “negative view on the recent Budget”. Also, 88 per cent were “either very or somewhat concerned about devaluation” of the Barbados dollar. In the Terra Caribbean Investor Attitudes Survey 2017 findings, it was also revealed that 56 per cent of those responding to the survey had a negative view of the current real estate market. Only seven per cent were positive, with the remaining 37 per cent holding a “neutral” view. Twenty-five per cent said the outlook for the next three years “will improve”, 32 per cent expected it “will decline”, 25 per cent said it would “stay the same” and 18 per cent were “not sure”.  (DN)

ALL AT SUCKOO – The ongoing dispute between the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), its protesting workers and the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) is heading for a showdown with the Minister of Labour tomorrow. The sides will engage in crunch talks at CBC headquarters in the Pine to hopefully resolve the impasse which has seen workers, now supported by their Barbados Water Authority (BWA) counterparts, striking for increments promised to them by their employers. BWU general secretary Toni Moore promised the protest would continue until that meeting was actually held. She warned that not only would the union not be accepting anything other than CBC’s agreement to pay increments to all workers, but if the meeting did not go the union’s way, strike action would escalate. (DN)

DON’T RULE OUT THE DLP JUST YET : HAMMIE-LA – A former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) representative is confident that the incumbent party could pull off a third consecutive victory in the next general election, but he is warning supporters that it will not be a cake walk. Former DLP parliamentary representative for St Michael South East Hamilton Lashley, who also represented the main Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) in the House of Assembly at one point, and later sat as an independent before returning to the DLP fold, made the suggestion last night as he threw his backing behind three DLP newcomers. However, he acknowledged that some DLP supporters were disgruntled and apprehensive about leaving their homes to vote on Election Day, while appealing for support for Henderson Williams in The City, Rodney Grant in St Michael South East and Nicholas Alleyne in St Michael East. Meantime, Grant who recently replaced Patrick Tannis as the DLP’s candidate thinks the constituency could become a “model” one for the island. Grant argued that the people of the constituency must come together to address the problems which confront them and that “we cannot build a country through individualism. If there is one thing that will hurt us as a country, is individualism. (BT)

JOIN BLP TRAIN URGES MOTTLEY – Opposition Leader Mia Mottley is extending an open invitation to all Barbadians who are fed up with the ruling Democratic Labour Party, to come aboard her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) “train”. She made the call on Sunday evening as she, St Michael South East Member of Parliament Santia Bradshaw and other party faithful welcomed Bradshaw’s former DLP rival Patrick Tannis into the fold. Addressing the branch’s annual general meeting at Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary minutes before Tannis submitted his application to join the Bees, Mottley said: “If you feel as strongly as we do on how to fight bullying in this country, come and work with us. “If you feel as strongly as we do about education, come and work with us,” she urged. (DN)

‘DLP SWINE’ TANNIS TAKES NASTY DIG AT FORMER POLITICAL COHORTS – After casting out what little pearls he had before “swine”, prodigal son Patrick Tannis last night declared that he was back home to help the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) secure the next Government. The ordained minister said as much last night, as he willingly took up membership in the Opposition party, after contesting the last election on a ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) ticket. “I had to go and spend what little I had with swine. However, after seeing my political father, DeLisle Bradshaw, I came back home and a feast was prepared for me,” said Tannis, in an obvious reference to the biblical story of the prodigal son, who left in search of greener pastures but wasted all of his talents only to return home shamefully to ask for his father’s forgiveness. Last night, there was no shame evident on Tannis’ face, only smiles of contentment as he was greeted with open arms by Opposition Leader Mia Mottley and other key BLP officials. Before a large crowd of St Michael South East supporters at the Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School, Tannis, who was bedecked in red, filled out the party’s registration form to become the BLP’s newest member, before delivering a speech that was punctuated with some nasty jabs at the ruling DLP. (BT)

LASHLEY: MY HANDS ARE CLEAN – Former Minister of Housing Michael Lashley wants to make it clear that the Al Barrack fiasco, which ended up costing Government in excess of $100 million, did not occur under his watch. In fact, Lashley, who is the current Minister of Transport and Works, suggestedv during a ruling party meeting at Parkinson Memorial Secondary School last night, that his hands were clean since he was not even actively involved in politics when the contract for the Warrens Office Complex was awarded to the Vincentian building contractor. “In 1997 I was in every single court of law practising my profession. I was in the Magistrates’ Court, I was in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal,” said  the trained attorney-at-law, who has been the Member of Parliament for St Philip North since 2003. However, Lashley went on to suggest that the project, which was approved by the previous Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration, was embroiled in controversy from the start, while claiming that not only did Barrack Construction not pre-qualify for the project, but that its bid was $3 million higher than the four others received. Lashley also pointed out that an amendment had to be made to the Housing Act after it was discovered that the National Housing Corporation (NHC) did not have the legal power to construct office accommodation. “The rush was to tidy up the arrangement because since the NHC does not have the legal authority to go into building commercial buildings, it means that the whole contract was in a little problem,” Lashley said. Nine years ago the High Court ordered the then BLP administration to settle its $34 million debt to the contractor. However, this ended up costing Government more than four times that amount, with the current  Minister of Housing Denis Kellman reporting to Parliament last week that after making nearly $150 million in payments to contractor Al Barrack, Government was still leasing the Warrens complex from Barrack Construction Ltd. Speaking during debate on a $13.7 million supplementary vote to complete the payment of legal fees to Barrack’s attorneys  Sir Richard Cheltenham, QC; Sir Maurice King, QC; Sir Trevor Carmichael, QC; and Douglas Trotman, Kellman argued that these inherited expenses had proven burdensome to the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration. However, amid the difficulties, he gave the assurance that the DLP would seek to bring the entire Barrack saga to a close. (BT)

NEW BUILDING AUTHORITY COMING, SAYS LASHLEY – In the wake of two recent catastrophic hurricanes which devastated a number of sister Caribbean territories, a Government minister has acknowledged that this island’s building code is still in draft and does not yet have the force of law behind it. However, speaking during a political meeting of the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) last night, Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley revealed that a bill was due to go before Parliament shortly that speaks to the establishment of a Building Standards Authority. Lashley told the gathering at the Parkinson Memorial School that the authority would have oversight for buildings as well as responsibility for the establishment of an inspectorate. He also disclosed that Government was currently working on a Street Works Act which would ensure co-ordination with utility companies. Barbados has generally been spared the impact of the recent hurricane. However Barbadians, including members of the business community have been calling for the establishment of a regional building code, which includes provisions for safe building practices. (BT)

COMISSIONG ISSUES FRESH WARNING ON HYATT – Social activist David Comissiong is warning that Hyatt developer Mark Maloney’s Vision Development Inc could be wasting precious time and money if it proceeds with  work on the controversial project before the High Court issues a ruling on the matter. The US$100 million project is caught up in a legal battle between Comissiong on one side, and Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, as the Minister responsible for Town & Country Planning, and Maloney, on the other side. High Court Judge Sonia Richards in mid-August reserved judgment after hearing arguments from both sides on Comissiong’s suitability to challenge Stuart’s decision to grant planning permission for the 15-storey Hyatt Centric resort on Bay Street, The City. However, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy told the Democratic Labour Party’s luncheon lecture last Friday that the stalled project would get under way soon. While Sealy gave no further details, Comissiong warned that any work on the property before the judge announces her decision could turn out to be costly for the developer. (BT)

HOLD STRAIN – Minister of Education Ronald Jones is urging disgruntled invigilators who have yet to be paid by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) for work done since May, to hold strain a little longer and do not complain. The minister said he was confident any delay in payment from the regional testing body would be rectified soon and that workers just needed to exercise a bit more patience. In recent weeks Barbados TODAY has received calls from upset examiners, crying foul over being made to wait six months for the monies owed to them for invigilating during this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination. “I was counting on that money to buy things for school but it never came. We have things to do like everybody else and people make plans for their money and when that money doesn’t come through, it upsets everybody. I have been invigilating exams for the last five years and this is the first time that they [CXC] ever take so long to pay us,” one invigilator who requested anonymity said. Others said they were frustrated because their myriad calls to CXC had yielded little in terms of an expected time frame for their remuneration. However speaking to the media after a church service at Abundant Life Assembly in Bank Hall, St Michael this morning to mark the start of Education Month, Jones said he was aware of the situation, but saw no need for alarm as “CXC always pays it bills”. “I am not CXC and I have never been CXC nor am I the local registrar. Suffice it to say that CXC pays its bills so this might merely be an oversight and it is something which I expect would be corrected. So I don’t see that there is a need for persons to complain because they will get their money. CXC cannot abscond. They are primarily located in Barbados and they [invigilators] need to go back to CXC, and I am sure that they would get what is theirs,” Jones contended. (BT)

STORM VICTIMS STUDENTS COMING – Barbados’ school doors are open for Dominicans. At least 50 tertiary level students are coming to Barbados to complete their studies, which were interrupted when the Category 5 Hurricane Maria ravaged their island last month. The students, who are in the final year of their associate degree programmes, are set to enter the Barbados Community College within the coming weeks, once the Ministry of Education is able to secure all of the resources necessary to facilitate them.  This was confirmed by Minister of Education Ronald Jones, who was speaking to the media yesterday after a church service at Abundant Life Assembly to launch Education Month. Jones said his ministry was trying its best to facilitate Dominicans students at all levels once the requests were made. (DN)

EIGHT COPS CHARGED WITH ASSAULT – Eight officers of the Royal Barbados Police Force have been released on $3,000 bail after appearing in court today charged with assault. Rasheed Dawin King of #17 Husbands Crescent, St James is alleging that sergeants Feliston Gilkes and Darby Griffith, as well police constables Christopher Alleyne, Sherry-Ann Watkins, Dave Rock, Jason Leacock, Dave Griffith and Neal Grogan assaulted him at the District ‘E’ Police Station on July 1, 2017, occasioning him actual bodily harm. The officers denied the charge when they went before Magistrate Wanda Blair in the Holetown Magistrates’ Court this morning. They have been warned not to interfere with King, who is being represented by Andrew Pilgrim, QC, and Kamisha Benjamin. King’s lawyers, who filed the case, are expected to serve the accused officers with a number of statements, including his medical reports, ahead of the court hearing into the matter on April 5, 2018. (BT)

TWO MANY WIVES – A 47-year-old St Philip man has been fined $7,500, payable in three months time, after he admitted back in March to committing bigamy. Curtis Cadogan of 277 Emerald Park West pleaded guilty to taking Keisha Greenidge as his wife on August 25, 2012 even though he was still married to Ingrid Cadogan. When Cadogan pleaded guilty on March 23, Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale, who prosecuted the case, explained that the first wife was in the process of divorcing her husband, but the papers were never served on him, as she was unable to locate him after he moved out of their marital home. If Cadogan fails to pay the amount imposed on him by Madam Justice Michelle Weekes, he will spend three months at HMP Dodds. (BT)

TROTMAN SENT UP FOR A NIGHT – A 31-year-old man, who was recorded as having no fixed place of abode, will spend the night at HMP Dodds after appearing in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on two drug related charges. Chavon Kamar Trotman pleaded guilty before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant to possession of cocaine and apparatus on October 1. Trotman became jittery after police, who were on duty along Suttle Street St Michael, approached him. As a result of his behaviour, a search was requested, but before that could commence Trotman reportedly pushed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small Pringles tin, place it on a table, and stepped away from the container which had in a number of white stones, suspected to be cocaine, as well as some white residue. “Some is mine,” he reportedly said when asked to account for the drugs. Today, Trotman’s attorney Lani Daisley informed the magistrate that while her client was listed as has having no fixed place of abode he lived at Westbury Road, St Michael. However Cuffy-Sargeant said Trotman, who has no prior convictions, needed someone to verify that he stays at the address. He was unable to do so before the day’s sitting came to a close. Therefore, he was remanded until tomorrow when he returns to court. (BT)

HAYNES DENIES CHARGE OF ASSAULT – A 30-year-old St Michael man, who is accused of two serious offences, has been released on $7,000 bail. Paul Michael Nathaniel Haynes of Block 1C, Boundary Road today denied assaulting Coris Welch on September 5 and of using threatening behaviour to Colvin Bowen on September 21 which caused another person who was present at the time to fear for Bowen’s personal safety. There were no objections to bail when Haynes appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant. However the prosecutor, Sergeant Cameron Gibbons, urged the magistrate to attached conditions to Haynes’ bail. The accused man was warned to keep away from, and not communicate with any of the complainants. He returns to court on February 6, 2018. (BT)

HAZEL PLEADS GUILTY TO DRUG CHARGE – A 22-year-old man,who pleaded guilty to having cocaine paraphernalia in his possession, has been remanded to the Psychiatric Hospital. Police found the apparatus – a bottle which was cracked at the bottom and had a whitish residue in it – on Gills Road, St Michael resident Ron Darien Anthony Hazel while he was on Roebuck Street, The City last Saturday. “That is my pipe,” Hazel reportedly told police when he was asked to account for the bottle. When he appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today, Hazel however asked for help in curbing his drug habit. The magistrate informed Hazel that in order to get such assistance he would first have to be assessed by doctors at the Black Rock hospital. “I would like help . . . so I am consenting to go to the Psychiatric Hospital for assessment,” the unemployed man, who is not previously known to the law courts, said. He will make his second appearance in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on October 23. (BT)

TWO VEHICLES COLLIDE ON HIGHWAY – A young man is counting his lucky stars after walking away from a two-car accident. He was driving along the section of the ABC Highway between the Norman Niles and Clyde Walcott roundabouts when he collided with a van around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.  While the other vehicle was not badly damaged, the car received extensive damage as twisted shreds of the vehicle were spread across the highway and the dirt embankment where the car overturned. After about 15 minutes, and through the efforts of friends, the unnamed man was removed from the vehicle and was able to walk without assistance to an awaiting ambulance. (DN)

SHANE AND KYLE HOPEFUL – Barbadians Shane Dowrich and Kyle Hope will be keeping their fingers crossed that the selectors will keep faith with them when the West Indies squad for a short two-Test series against Zimbabwe is named this week. The Jason Holder-led West Indies outfit, who will arrive in Harare next week Wednesday, will play two Test series, both at Queens Sports Club. Former captain Chris Gayle, who has amassed 7 214 runs in 103 Tests at an average of 42.18 with 15 hundreds, has also indicated an interest in reviving his Test career but his fitness could rule him out of selection. Dowrich and Hope failed miserably on the recent tour of England when the home team defeated the West indies 2-1 in a three-match Test rubber. (DN)

JONES HITS CLASSY 63 IN TRIAL MATCH – Aaron Jones was unlucky not to make his first-class debut for the Barbados Pride franchise in last year’s Regional Professional Cricket League. He may have better fortune this time around after fashioning a responsible half-century on the opening day of the second Barbados Pride trial match at St Catherine’s Club, Bayfield, St Philip, yesterday. Jones, a stylish right-handed middle order batsman stroked nine fours in a classy 63 off 103 balls in 164 minutes as Kenroy Williams’ Team were dismissed for 182 in 56.5 overs against Kevin Stoute’s Team. In reply, Stoute’s Team reached 34 for three in 13 overs as young fast bowler Chemar Holder snared the scalps of openers Leniko Boucher and Shayne Moseley in a lively six-over new ball spell for 13 runs. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 89 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 5/10/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday, 10th May 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via subscribing to Nation News Online, purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

BUSINESS AND PLEASURE MIX FOR DEMS – Entertainment blended with some serious reflection on the Government’s tenure for last night’s Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Presentation Of Candidates, as it makes a bid to regain control of Government in the 2018 General Election. The 26 men and four women, who include five new faces, made their united appearance at the Bay Street Esplanade, St Michael, last night, alighting around 7:20 from the People’s Army bus emblazoned with the likeness of all 30 of them.  By 7:43 p.m., the parade of candidates, passing through a jubilant crowd of placard-bearing supporters, had settled on to the stage constructed across from the seat of political power, Government Headquarters. Earlier, Aziza, Scrilla, Stiffy, MrBlood and Mistah Dale entertained the crowd, with Mistah Dale and MrBlood performing the campaign song The People’s Army.  First speaker, Denis Kellman, candidate for St Lucy and Minister of Housing and Lands, defended the Government’s record in housing and promising, if re-elected, several new housing projects. He was followed by newcomer Kim Tudor who reviewed the social services delivered by the DLP against the great odds brought on by earlier economic hardship. While Minister of Commerce and St James South candidate Donville Inniss dealt with the party’s work in health, and international and small business, Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo, the St George South hopeful, reminded those on hand about the party’s work in increasing the minimum wage and laws protecting workers’ right. The night showcased the five political newbies – St Michael North’s Kim Tudor, St Michael South East’s Rodney Grant, City of Bridgetown’s Henderson Williams, St Peter’s Dave Cumberbatch and St Michael East’s Nicholas Alleyne. (DN)

NO WAY MIA – Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo has joined the chorus of criticism against a proposal by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to raise non-contributory pensions from $77.50 to $225 twice monthly. Byer-Suckoo, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for St George South, told a party meeting in neighbouring St George North she was angered by the campaign pledge which BLP leader Mia Mottley made at the launch of her party’s election campaign on Saturday night. “Many of you would have heard whenever the opposition mentioned national insurance they seem to have a choir singing that our national insurance isn’t safe and that it will run out in ten to 20 years. “It angered me when I could hear reports coming from a meeting two nights ago where it was suggested that pensions in Barbados are just going to suddenly increase in the next few weeks if they should take office. Tell me on God’s sweet earth how are they going to do that,” she said. Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur yesterday described the promise as madness, warning it would bankrupt the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), while Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler has led the DLP’s criticism of Mottley proposals, which include repeal of the National Social Responsibility Levy, reinstatement of free university education, the purchase of garbage trucks for the Sanitation Service Authority and buses for the Transport Board, and pay rises for public servants. Sinckler said the proposals would cost the Treasury $400 million, money he said that was simply not there. Still Byer-Suckoo said the NIS was sound, promising that pensioners had no reason to worry about their benefits, and boasting that “if we were to stop paying into NIS today there would still be enough money for a few decades because the investments are sound”. “The National Insurance Scheme over the last 51 years has been able to serve Barbadians of all walks of life. But that National Insurance Scheme has recently become the centre of a lot of political games. “In Barbados we have one of the best NIS . . . .It provides a range of services to you that many across the hemisphere do not even have,” she said. Byer-Suckoo said Barbadians were fortunate to have the benefits afforded to them through the NIS, many of which she claimed other countries did not provide. “We have for example, sick benefits. I am sure that almost everyone of you here have submitted at some point a sick leave form and you have had the benefit of getting your sick leave although you might not get it right away,” she told the meeting in Thorpes Cottage in support of fellow DLP candidate Jepter Ince. “We get unemployment benefits here. Our unemployment fund has done what social security systems around the world have not been able to do. It provides you with unemployment benefits for 26 weeks,” she said. Byer-Suckoo, who has responsibility for the NIS, said after the DLP administration realized the economy had gone into recession the unemployment benefits were extended to 40 weeks, but “the recession lasted for a while and we had to bring it back to 26 weeks”. “We also provided maternity benefits, which we have been doing for more than 40 years. There are many countries in the world where women do not receive maternity benefits. Even though we have gone through the worse we have been able to maintain maternity benefits,” she said. (BT)

MOTTLEY HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR – The incumbent Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) candidate for St James Central George Connolly today defended recent DLP attacks on Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader Mia Mottley, saying it was a case of her reaping what both she and her party had sowed. While making it clear that he would not be getting involved in any “cesspool” behaviour or “vulgarity” this political season, the businessman was adamant that as one seeking to take the reins of Government, Mottley had to be held accountable for her political stewardship. “Ms Mottley has put herself out as being messianic in this election cycle. She has become the face and the weight of the party [and] I think that people, knowing her and having a lot of questions related to the myriad of things she is involved in, that brings herself up to scrutiny once she put herself out there as being the person the country should rally around,” Connolly said following Sunday’s DLP campaign launch which was held in Mottley’s constituency and which has been met with mixed response from the electora te, including some who said they were taken aback by the behaviour of some of the DLP platform speakers, including Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett who criticized Mottley’s hair and dress and also described her as an “imposter” with an intellect as low as “Brandon’s Beach at low tide”. Without defending this particular attack, Connolly suggested that it was provoked. “The BLP has a history of being particularly brutal in the way it goes after candidates and I have sat with some of the candidates who have been on the receiving end of some of the most incorrigible and salacious comments by the Barbados Labour Party. “I mean, the Minister of Finance has been called a drug dealer, the Minister of Transport has been called a drug dealer, they have been called corrupt. Steve Blackett, it has been said that he is homosexual. I mean there are all sorts of crazy comments being made and these are people who are emotional creatures and sometimes when those comments are constantly thrown in your face, sometimes you get an emotional response and I believe what you saw on Saturday night, a lot of the vitriol, was an emotional response to continuous personal attacks on those individuals, but on a whole I would like us to get away from that completely. Are we going to do that? I don’t know, but that is something that I hope for,” he said, while wholeheartedly supporting the contribution made by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart at Sunday’s meeting at Waterford, just outside the National Stadium. “I think the points made by the Prime Minister were powerful in that ‘I am not one who supports coronations whatsoever and I don’t like people who believe they are entitled. I believe in a system of meritocracy and persons who think they are entitled always frighten me to hell away,’” the St James Central candidate said. He also supported Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler’s comments on the economic proposals presented by Mottley, whilewarning that Government would have to find $400 million in six months to support such “lunacy”. He also charged that the BLP was devoid of any workable ideas and that its proposed strategies were “incoherent”, while backing up Dr David Estwick’s position that the south coast sewage project was a “time bomb” which BLP stalwart Sir Henry Forde had warned since 1994 would explode since “it was a mistake to construct it in the way in which it was constructed”. Asked about his own chances and those of the DLP of winning the May 24 poll, the first time candidate said: “I don’t have a crystal ball, but certainly the DLP has a superior line of candidates and will retain the Government. I can’t tell you the margins, but in my gut I feel that the margins will be higher than what it is right now.” The BLP took 16 seats in the last election compared to 14 for the BLP, which subsequently lost two after former Prime Minister Owen Arthur quit the party and became an independent, and Dr Maria Agard of Christ Church West was kicked out of the party.   (BT)

WE HAVE HONORED THOMPSON’S VISION SAYS BLACKETT – Despite the international economic downturn over the past decade, the incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has managed to uphold the 2008 vision statement of late Prime Minister David Thompson that ‘Barbados is more than an economy, it is a society’. This was the contention of Minister of Social Care and the incumbent Member of Parliament for St Michael Central Steve Blackett, who is contending that in the midst of the challenges, the island still managed to ensure that its most vulnerable citizens did not suffer any adverse effects by maintaining its social services at a high standard. Speaking at a DLP meeting in Waterhall Land, Tudor Bridge, St Michael, the neighbourhood in which he grew up, Blackett said “when we came to office Barbados was facing a world recession, but we stood up to the task and made the necessary adjustments. “We ensured that the social services would continue to work well. With that in mind, we made sure that the first thing we did was to complete the David Thompson clinic in St John, which the previous administration had turned their backs on for all the years they were in office.” He also cited the DLP decision to provide free bus service to schoolchildren in uniform; the setting up of constituency councils, as well as improvements to the education system with additional nursery schools and sixth form secondary schools as other “social engineering policies” which worked under the current administration. Blackett referred to the David Thompson Memorial Classic football tournament as “not only a catalyst for sports, but also a stimulus package for the small business operators who sell food and other items at the matches”. The Minister of Social Care spoke of new facilities the Child Care Board had provided at the Nightengale and Farr’s children’s homes with assistance from the Barbados Children’s Trust and the Maria Holder Trust respectively, stating that that institution “is now operating at a first world level”. During the meeting, Blackett also noted some of his accomplishments during his tenure as representative for St Michael Central, including the refurbishment or reconstruction of 45 houses, providing water tanks for the squatters residing in the Belleview district, and the provision of natural gas for people in the Waterhall Land area. As Minister of Social Care, he said he looked out for the interests of both children and the elderly with the establishment of a breakfast programme for primary school children, and his annual Mothers Day event which catered to some 200 mothers in the constituency. He made a pledge to continue the work he has started, telling constituents “I have the experience, zeal and your interests at heart”. (BT)

WE WANT CHANGE – One of the most dependable Democratic Labour Party (DLP) seats ever is slipping from the party’s clutches and is set to be a political battleground this election, according to local voters. The DLP has had a firm grip on St Lucy since it became a single-member constituency in 1971, losing it just once – in 1981 when Roy Brathwaite of the Barbados Labour Party was victorious – before quickly regaining the seat in 1986 after just one term. In fact, the DLP had dominated the seat even during the days of double-member constituencies, sweeping St Lucy in three straight elections beginning in 1956. Its dominance has continued with the incumbent, Denis Kellman, having won five straight terms and is in search of a sixth. However, residents say what once seemed impossible could very well become a reality in two weeks time, as there are signs that the BLP’s Peter Phillips is breathing down Kellman’s neck. Phillips has lost to Kellman twice before, first in 2008 when he went down by 1,411 votes, before closing the gap to just 422 in 2013. When Barbados TODAY visited the area just outside Kellman’s Moon Town business a vocal Dave Jackson made it clear he was no longer buying what the long standing parliamentarian was selling, as he sressed what had become a regular theme today: change. “I strongly believe Peter Phillips will win simply because we want change. We [DLP administration] introduced a lot of taxes, the helmets for the bicycles, and it is time we introduce a new candidate for St Lucy,” the 51-year-old Jackson said. “Everybody down here wants change and it is time for change,” he added. Similar sentiments were shared by Jeremy Rollock of Clinkett’s Village, who made it clear he had “nothing against Kelly”. In fact, Rollock gave the incumbent credit for bringing “liveliness to a place which was once dead”, but said he has had enough of both major parties. “I have nothing against Kelly but I can’t say Kellman will win or Phillips will win, but I want a good man to win to represent St Lucy. There is a lot of work in St Lucy and nobody is doing it so I would like somebody independent to come and run and beat all two of them,” he told Barbados TODAY. “I am not saying Kellman don’t do nothing; he brought liveliness to a place which was once dead, but I believe we need change. Kellman was here long but we want a change so Philips stands a chance. Last election he didn’t lose by much, he doing better every year, and I would like a change.” Another resident, Deidre Cadagon, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the representative has handled the affairs of the parish, and she tipped Phillips to cause an upset come May 24. “I think Phillips is definitely in. Kellman isn’t really doing anything. There are so many things that need doing in St Lucy and he did nothing. He was supposed to fix roads and we saw nothing, so I feel Phillips will beat him, and the third parties they stand no chance,” she said in reference to Wayne Griffith of the United Progressive Party and John Carter of Solutions Barbados. “There is no place for Kellman,” Cadogan added. Others who commented but requested anonymity shared similar views, while some were simply apathetic. “Whoever get in I still have to get up and work the same way so it doesn’t affect me,” one resident said. Kellman, the Minister of Housing, this week said he was confident of retaining the seat “based on my track record”. He said he had dealt with “all these problems that have been highlighted in the constituency”, including roads, housing, agriculture and renewable energy, therefore he deserves a sixth term. He also indicated that the loss of support to Phillips last time round was a passing thing and he expected to reverse those losses this election. “I’m not worried about him because I understood the reason why that occurred. The world had gone into an economic slump and there are certain things the people were looking for that they did not see. It was more a bit of frustration, so now I don’t see anything at this point to be worried about,” he told Barbados TODAY on Monday after his nomination. However, residents such as Jackson today complained about the condition of the roads in the northern parish, with Jackson calling for this to be a priority for the next representative. “I would like to see us have better roads in St Lucy. I went to a meeting last night, I use to live there in 1992 and the roads are the same, nothing has changed. “I also believe we should have had this election five years ago. We gave them a chance and they hurt us in the last ten years. It is time to give Peter a chance,” he said. On the other hand, Rollock cited youth unemployment in St Lucy as a major concern. “Give the youth work. There are a lot of young people home on the blocks sitting down doing nothing. Give work to them. Nobody is doing it,” Rollock lamented.  (BT)

LESS TALK, MORE ACTION FOR ST. LUCY – Leadership matters. On that premise, says Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate for St Peter Colin Jordan, the people of Barbados should vote the BLP as the new government come General Elections on May 24. On Tuesday night, he was speaking at a meeting at Pie Corner, St Lucy, where candidate Peter Phillips is hoping to be the elected representative. He stated their current member of parliament Denis Kellman failed at fulfilling their requests after they have been loyal to the Democratic Labour Party for so many years. “He has made only promises to you and that kind of failed leadership must be rejected. It must be held to account and when it is, it will be found wanting and you will have the opportunity on May 24 to reject that leadership you have had to endure in St Lucy, and the country of Barbados has had to endure for the last 10 years. “You have to start looking out for you, you have to start looking out for your children, looking out for Barbados and make the right decision to reject failed leadership,” he said. Jordan said the BLP had to make a statement with their calling of press conferences for their water woes to be addressed by the current government and although they have been faithfully paying their taxes they have been forced to travel on roads that are not up to par. Also mentioned was persons having to drop out of university because they were no longer able to pay tuition fees, public transportation, housing and the decline of garbage collection in the north. “We had to do it because Peter Phillips and the rest of us recognized that water is not optional, water is not a luxury, water is a necessity. . . You can’t go to university anymore after you were told you would have a better life. “You have been paying taxes for years and the roads are getting worst, public transport is getting worst, garbage collection is getting worst and you are told that you should not be asking questions of your leaders. You ask for these things and you are told you are sucking on the nipples of the government as though the money the government is spending is not your money”. Jordan urged the people of St Lucy to vote the candidate who was interested in their advancement and Phillips’ was shown in an action such as taking food to people in the community every Sunday afternoon. (DN)

CANDIDATES PARTNER FOR GOOD OF PARISH –Two neighbouring Democratic Labour Party St Michael candidates are pushing community projects as part of their plans for their constituencies. St Michael West Central James Paul and St Michael North Kim Tudor joined up Tuesday night with spot meetings at Ulster Road and Denton Road, Grazettes, St Michael. They spoke about getting projects going in the areas that would highlight the skills of the young people and help to encourage entrepreneurship. “One of the issues I want to deal with is moving people from renting to owning. Some are waiting on titles from the Government and others have them and that has made them feel more secure and able to borrow,” first-timer Tudor said. She was also concerned about the elderly in the constituency admitting that there were many of them. As a result she was also looking to ensure there is adequate day care and residential facilities. On the other hand Paul said that young people in the community could take advantage of the tourism industry by marketing their skills there. He explained that by marketing their local brand and selling to tourists that could lead to increase spending and help to improve the economy while also providing young people with a livelihood. (DN)

SCANTLEBURY: TIME TO DISSOLVE DLP AND BLP – It is time for the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party to be dissolved. So said independent candidate for St Peter Lynroy Scantlebury after he had finished his nomination process at the Roland Edwards Primary School on Monday. “I personally believe that this should be the end of the DLP and BLP. St Peter has been neglected for the last 32 years and I don’t think either one of these two governments have realized what they have done to the citizens. “If the constituents are serious about doing something to better themselves the time is now. They can’t wait another five years,” he said. Scantlebury who was surrounded by his wife, father and siblings who came out to support him said today was their opportunity to make a change. He mentioned that if elected he would love to provide better roads on which motorists can travel as well as systems which would ensure the elderly and differently abled people were comfortable as well as educated. An issue which he also held dear was that of unemployment among youth in the parish of St Peter. “We are looking at youth development strategies for entrepreneurship. We have lots of young women and men here in St Peter who are currently unemployed and are on the roads on a daily basis,” he said. He also listed health care as a priority stating that he would be looking at making the Maurice Byer Polyclinic a 24- hour medical facility. (DN)

ST. MICHAEL SOUTH EAST SEAT A HOT TICKET – CROP OVER came early for St Michael South East. Parkinson Memorial students had themselves one big party, having been treated to colour, song and dance when their school played host to the spectacle that was Monday’s festive Nomination Day in that constituency. It was a near carnival-like atmosphere by the time Barbados Labour Party incumbent Santia Bradshaw had the school rocking to Peter Ram’s hit “All Ah We” before challenger Rodney Grant and his Democratic Labour Party supporters capped the proceedings with their community dancers. The day actually started off on a rather quiet note when returning officer Corey Archer and election clerk set up shop in the hall to an otherwise unsuspecting school body. And the subsequent arrival of Veronica Price gave no indication of the festivities to come, as the first-time United Progressive Party candidate was merely accompanied by proposer Roxanne Gill, seconder Sherma Riley and a handful of well-wishers. Solutions Barbados’ Francina Bourne had a similarly uneventful entry when she, party leader Grenville Phillips II and an equally small group of supporters including proposer Preston Lovell and seconder Carol Taylor came on the scene at 11:35 a.m. But that serene mood quickly gave way to a more festive one after Bradshaw’s eventual appearance was greeted with great fanfare. Landing in a sea of red almost an hour after her scheduled 11 a.m. appointment, the incumbent had most of the school chanting “hey, hey, hey, hey, hey” to Ram’s big hit while making her to the hall ahead of dad and former Cabinet minister Delisle Bradshaw. Grant played the legacy card too, having come with another former representative for the area in Hamilton Lashley with the support of St Michael South Central incumbent Richard Sealy. They, like Bradshaw’s contingent before them, attracted attention from students and teachers alike, who flocked to every possible vantage point with cell phones to capture the song and dance. Grant was proposed and seconded by Omar Pilgrim and Maria Phillips respectively while Rickala Green proposed Brashaw and Catherine Paul seconded her. (DN)

FIVE SET TO CONTEST ST. MICHAEL CENTRAL SEAT – Candidates contesting the St.Michael Central seat on May 24 will be more hawkish than ever, following one of the closest results in 2013 that helped the DLP to retain the Government. BLP candidate Arthur Holder, who was the first candidate to turn in nomination papers at the Combermere School yesterday,  said he and his team intended to be vigilant right up to the last hour of polling day. Incumbent and DLP representative Steve Blackett, the  Social Care Minister in the last Cabinet, also spoke of the need to be on top of the situation at all times and also disclosed that they intended to keep their eyes open and “ensure that all hatches are battened down”. In 2013, Blackett was returned to Parliament for a second term as he defeated a stunned  Holder by 39 votes to win a critical St.Michael seat for his party. Asked if he expected another close race, Holder said:  “I am ready and confident but we understand the need for scrutiny over the entire voting period. We will canvass to the end and keep our eyes open”. He also lashed the DLP administration for having “no record or accomplishments to speak of”  and suggested that was the reason they were speaking ill of the BLP. “They can only curse the BLP but we are not in that kind of politics. We are focusing on the policies to bring Barbados out of recession”. Holder, who entered the gates of the nomination centre at 10.20 a.m. with around 25 placard bearing supporters dressed in red, was nominated by 95-year-old constituent Beryl Bridgeman and seconded by Colin Mayers. His witnesses were Trinisha Farrell and Lisa Holder while his wife Ruth Holder and Campaign Manager Lana Moore-Phillips were also present. Blackett, dressed in a yellow DLP party shirt, walked with several similarly dressed supporters from his constituency office 600 yards away, and entered the nomination centre at 11.27 a.m. He was proposed by Clyde Chase and seconded by Jillian Watson, with Keisha Beckles and Ryvan Humphrey as witnesses. His wife Eleanor Blackett and campaign manager Ken Knight were also present. “I am as confident as ever. The response has been overwhelming and with God’s grace, I am looking to retain the seat. We have about nine spot meetings planned across the constituency and we will canvass right up to polling day,” said Blackett. Nomination Day at the Combermere school also saw the appearance of three first-time candidates, representing three of the new emerging parties on the political landscape.  Barbados Integrity Movement (BIM) candidate, Glenville Evelyn,  arrived at 12.30 with no fuss or fanfare, but with the four required backers and evidence of his deposit.  He was proposed by Kerri Mahon and seconded by Tamara Howell, with Wendy Mahon and Ezra Mahon as witnesses. An hour and a half later, it was the turn of UPP candidate  Apostle  Richard Barrow who also made a quiet entrance and exit, but assuring that he was in the race to seek to bring change to the suffering that Barbadians were currently experiencing. He was proposed by Barbara Edwards and seconded by Tyrone Forde with Gregory Barrow and Arundell Franklyn as witnesses. Robert Toussaint, a 48 year-old businessman representing Solutions Barbados, was the last candidate to turn in his papers at 2.50 p.m. and was proposed by Gail Smith and seconded by Sophia Nurse. Toussaint said he was receiving good response in the constituency in which he grew up and disclosed that he entered elective politics hoping to make a difference. “People are fed up with the establishment and so I entered the game to help”.  (DN)

NOTED INCREASE ON PRELIMINARY VOTERS LIST – As of the end of last month, 257 995 electors were on the preliminary list of registered voters, compiled by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission. The list had been printed at the end of April this year, and the cut-off date would have been a month earlier, on March 26. NATIONNEWS understands that though this is not the finalised list, it is 8 971 more than the number of registered voters in the 2013 elections and 8 971 more than the numbers who went to the polls in 2008. The final list for the May 24 General Election will be produced on May 18 and in the interim, residents are advised to visit the various centres to check if their names are present. Registration closed on Monday and no new names can be added. (DN)

CONNOLLY CRIES FOUL – Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate George Connolly today levelled serious allegations of voter padding in his St James Central constituency, while claiming that there were over 300 “transient voters” – including two priests and their sons who have not been resident in the constituency for nearly a decade – on the register. However, both the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and Connolly’s main opponent,  the Barbados Labour Party’s Kerrie Symmonds, immediately denied the allegations, even though Connolly was adamant that a problem exists – one that if not resolved before May 24,  could affect the final result in the constituency, which was won by Symmonds by a mere 68 votes ahead of the ruling party’s George Hudson back in 2013. “This is bordering on criminal,” he told Barbados TODAY in an interview today, while complaining bitterly that “there is a systemic movement of voters into the constituency during the election cycle. “In 2013, it was 609 persons and in this cycle we found 323 of what we call them transient voters, people who move into the constituency during the election process and have addresses elsewhere.” To compound this matter, the DLP candidate said another attempt was made last night “to move 60 more persons over, but the electoral office rejected them and informed us of the rejection”. In the case of the priests, whose names have been deliberately withheld by Barbados TODAY, Connolly said “they needed to be moved into I believe St James North where they belong” while pointing out that members of the family, who are aligned to the Opposition BLP, have not been resident in St James Central since 2009. He also revealed that the two sons were first-time voters and that the father was playing an intimate role in Symmond’s campaign. “The electoral office was the one who brought it to our attention . . . so this isn’t my team going out there, this is I’m seeing names on a register and when we check it against the national register, we see that they are actually living in Westport, Porters, St James,” he told Barbados TODAY while admitting that it was a tricky situation since some voters had multiple addresses “and if you can’t determine that they live elsewhere, they slip through the cracks”. When contacted this evening, Chief Electoral Officer Angela Taylor said she could find no evidence in her department to substantiate Connolly’s claims even though the DLP candidate said members of his campaign team had formally filed an objection with the EBC yesterday. Symmonds also told Barbados TODAY he was totally unaware of the charges made by Connolly and also denied knowledge of attempts by some 300 persons who live outside the constituency to be registered in St James Central ahead of the May 24 poll. “I think that Mr Connolly is searching in the dark in an act of absolute and abject desperation to find excuses for the inevitable lambasting that is certainly coming his way as a result of his incompetence in cleaning the electoral list and as a result of his laziness and failure to canvass the constituency,” Symmonds told Barbados TODAY. However, he cautioned that “no amount of red herrings can change the fact that there are electoral regulations which are still in place in Barbados and if he is alleging that there are 300 ‘transient voters’ then he should be able to name them, identify them, and have the Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Barbados deal with the matter”. In the meantime, Connolly is also alleging “mass vote buying” in the constituency, in particular in The Welches area, close to the Welches Primary School and in the area directly behind Jordan’s Supermarket on Jordan’s Road. “Those are the two areas where we are seeing wholesale distribution of cash to young men proportedly to support candidates,” he said. And while he was unable to present proof he said he was in the process of getting affidavits signed by constituents who observed the payment of voters in ‘hundred dollar bills”. Connolly also said he was prepared to have persons posted with cameras in the areas where the alleged vote buying was occurring. “Persons in my team actually chased one individual down Paynes Bay and across the beach trying to apprehend them [but] the person ran from them so this is a baptism of fire for me,” Connolly said. However, these concerns apart, Connolly remains confident that he can defeat Symmonds in St James Central and has been challenging constituents to show “one thing that the incumbent has done to move the community forward in 15 years”. “Everyone struggles. No one can say anything. However, I can be told several things that Goerge Hutson did,” he said. In response to the “mass vote buying” claims by his political opponent,  Symmonds said: “My answer to that is that he [Connolly] should try and spend less money”. He also accused the DLP first-timer of seeking public sympathy before his “electoral flogging” takes place.  (BT)

EBC DEFENDS INTEGRITY OF VOTERS’ LIST – The Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is stoutly defending the integrity of the electoral process, while dismissing allegations of discrepancies on the preliminary voters’ list of just over 256,990 people. In a clear-the-air news conference at the EBC’s Warrens, St Michael office today, Chairman John Haynes said he was “greatly disturbed” at “misinformation” and “mischief” being circulated in relation to the registration of voters. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) had complained last week that the preliminary list released by the EBC on May 2 was riddled with errors. BLP Mobilization Manager Lucille Moe told reporters that most of the concerns revolved around people who had either changed their addresses in the past, or had requested changes to their addresses. Moe claimed that there were cases where people who had changed their addresses prior to the 2013 election appeared at their old addresses on this year’s preliminary list. There were also charges that hundreds of people who registered this year were missing from the list. However, Haynes today expressed surprise at the claims, pointing out that the EBC had met with the media and all political parties to examine “all of what can be the possible issues pertaining to elections”, including voters’ registration, transfers and claims, to ensure they were aware of the process. “So we are very amazed now by the kind of propaganda that is being put out there to discredit anything that the while lauding the work of the EBC’s management and staff and the 30 officers who carry out investigation under “some very trying circumstances”. The EBC boss told reporters the electoral department remained “objective at all times” to ensure that the country maintained “the reputation for fair and transparent elections at all times”, adding that St Kitts was contemplating copying the Barbados model. In fact, he said the country continued to be held in high esteem in the Caribbean as well as internationally. “We intend to maintain our integrity throughout the world because this commission and this country has never had to ask for any observer missions to come in and see how we conduct our elections. So we have to make sure that we maintain that and we cannot have any agency or any person pull down the good name of the process or anything that is happening in this country,” Haynes insisted. Meantime, Chief Electoral Officer Angela Taylor explained that the first list was printed on April 30 – just over a month after the cut-off date of March 26 – and would therefore comprise all new registration and amendments to registrations up to January 31. “The legislation provides for a 19-day special electoral registration period after the preliminary list has been printed. So that notwithstanding that the last date for registration was May 7, we in the office would continue to update the register until May 16 and on May 18 we will publish and print the register for elections,” Taylor said. The supervisor of elections further explained that registration applications or changes made between March 26 and May 7 were still being investigated, but she gave the assurance that they would be on the list to be published on May 18, which would also reflect “all the newly qualified registrants who will reach their 18th birthday on May 24, election day”. Taylor said those who updated their addresses after the last election, when replacing identification cards, would have the new addresses reflected on the preliminary list. She also pointed out that residents who were renting could also pose a challenge, explaining that they sometimes changed addresses without advising the EBC. “I want to say that this department is not removing persons from the register. No one will be disenfranchised. All electors who are registered will be reflected on the register of electors. When an address is not confirmed . . . if the registrant is not found at the new address that is submitted, they remain on the register at the old address. No one is removed form the register of electors except their death has been confirmed by the registrar,” the chief electoral officer explained. She also advised the electorate against listening to canvassers, whom she said were not always familiar with boundary lines for constituency or polling districts.  (BT)

MAKE OUR DOLLAR GREAT AGAIN – A leading private sector official is calling for a discussion on the future of the Barbados dollar soon after the May 24 general election. Chief Executive Officer of Williams Industries Tom Hall today argued that the currency was not as strong as it once was, and this was the root cause of a lot of the country’s economic problems. “I see the currency of the Barbados dollar has been extremely illiquid and it is not functioning as a unit of exchange at the moment,” Hall told the 58th annual general meeting of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. “There are many good reasons why we have it pegged at two to one [to the US dollar]. All I am saying is, once the political environment of an election goes away there should be a sensible discussion about the best currency for us or how the Barbados dollar can become great again,” Hall told a panel discussion on The Path Back to Prosperity. He said the country had one of the lowest crime rates in the region, strong democracy and rule of law, and “things function generally” despite challenges, but insisted there were currently too many risks associated with the currency. “I think Barbados would take off if we would just de-risk that currency . . . .If you don’t have a liquid currency, you might love Barbados for all the reasons I have said, but it is going to be nagging at you, ‘am I going to get my money out?’ You have to be able to get your money out, you have to be able to have cash flow,” Hall said. The Williams Industry executive said his own company was having a “massive struggle” investing abroad because “the currency situation is so tight”. “When we want to invest out it is a massive struggle at the moment because the currency situation is so tight, it is almost impossible to invest out . . . It is a real struggle to get those tens of thousands of dollars out to join forces with some of the big hitters with whom we can build a business. Eventually once you invest out you get the dividend flow coming back in. If you don’t have that then we can’t grow . . . as a nation because we can’t expand brilliant companies, the brilliant people outside of our [current] market. So the currency is a real issue and I ask that it be looked at calmly in the next election cycle,” Hall recommended. The businessman also called for the much talked about Prevention of Corruption Act to be proclaimed as soon as the next administration assumes office, stating it would be an “excellent” first step, and would then require enforcement and continued support from “all the influential” organizations here. He also stated that given the size of the public sector it was critical for there to be financial transparency. Hall argued that for long-term economic prosperity, two years after the May 24 election Government should ensure that all state-owned enterprise had up-to-date audited financials to give Government and the public a more accurate picture of “how they have spent the public’s money”. “The state owned enterprise is less of a profit function but it still uses capital, it still needs to have the capital directed efficiently. So if you can do that and you can do the anti-corruption [legislation] those are two achievable things and whatever Government comes in would have those two things on their list and we can build from that,” Hall said. (BT)

SUGAR YIELD UP FOR FIRST 4 WEEKS – Despite the late start to the 2018 sugar harvest, Barbados has produced more tonnes of sugar within the past 28 days of grinding than it did for that period last year. Yesterday, Portvale Sugar Factory manager Raphael O’Neal said that after the first four weeks of grinding, they had produced 3 575 tonnes of sugar from 44 217 tonnes of cane, compared to 2017’s total 2 176 tonnes of sugar from 31 838 tonnes of cane. O’Neal explained that during the crop season, the Blowers, St James factory ground cane seven days a week, adding the factory was experiencing higher weekly sugar yields than last year’s. “This is one of the best seasons we have seen since 2010,” he said. “And when you factor in the factory efficiency, I would say we are doing well. Thus far we have produced 25 per cent of the sugar tonnage target.” On average, the factory was receiving just over 11 000 tonnes of cane and producing 900 tonnes of sugar. Last year, it received just over 9 000 tonnes of cane and produced close to 800 tonnes of sugar weekly. Before the commencement of the 2018 harvest, farmers were concerned that the late start might affect the sucrose content of the canes, but O’Neal said there was nothing to worry about. In fact, he not only reported it was taking fewer canes to produce sugar, but there was a significant drop in trash [unwanted materials]. At the end of the fourth week of grinding last year, it took 14 tonnes of cane to produce a tonne of sugar while this year, it only took 12 tonnes. In February, general manager of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company Ltd (BAMC), Leslie Parris, said there should be a ten to 15 per cent increase in canes and sugar because farmers were implementing good crop husbandry techniques. More than 131 000 tonnes of cane were delivered to Portvale last year and 10 134 tonnes of sugar produced. In spite of a major breakdown last month at the factory that caused one of the boilers to stop working for 15 hours, O’Neal said the plant was also operating more efficiently than last year. At the end of the first four-week period in 2017, it was at 66 per cent capacity compared to 86 per cent this year.  (DN)

THREE ADMITTED TO INNER BAR – Three of the island’s 17 newest Queen’s Counsel were admitted to the Inner Bar yesterday. And Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson has urged them to hold fast to the undertaking of being mentors, just as they were mentored as young lawyers. Husband and wife team of Supreme Court Registrar Barbara Cooke-Alleyne and Ramon Alleyne, who created history as the first married couple to become Queen’s Counsel, along with Acting High Court judge Alrick Scott, were admitted in a short ceremony where, in moving away from tradition, Deputy Registrar Joy-Ann Clarke read their letters of instruments in Supreme Court No. 5. Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite spoke on behalf of the Alleynes, while Sir Richard Cheltenham stood for Scott. Cooke-Alleyne and Scott will be otherwise engaged tomorrow, when the ceremony for the other 14 attorneys will be held. The three lawyers expressed their appreciation to those who had supported them throughout their journey.  (DN)

OFFENCE TO SELL LIQUOR ON ELECTION DAY – The public is advised that on Election Day, it is an offence to sell, offer, expose for sale or give away any intoxicating liquor at any premises in the constituency to which a licence has been issued under the Liquor Licence Act Cap 182. In addition, persons are reminded that it is an offence to supply intoxicating liquor to any person on the premises of a club at any time between the opening and closing of the poll. For more information on Election Day Regulations, persons should call the Electoral and Boundaries Commission at 535-4800.  (BGIS)

COPS CAN PREVENT PEOPLE FROM VOTING – A Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate in the May 24 general election is suggesting that the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) could interfere in the poll by using its legislative powers to prevent certain Barbadians from voting.

While not accusing the RBPF of plotting any such sinister moves, BLP candidate for St Michael Central Arthur Holder last night said it was possible for law enforcement officers to use the powers granted to them under the Police (Amendment) Act to force voters to stay home on Election Day, denying them the privilege of casting their ballots. “The amended powers of the police can allow the police in this country to visit your house on the 23rd of May, 2018. It is highly possible and probable that the police can come to your house on the 23rd of May, cordon off the area, and keep you there for 48 hours,” Holder, an attorney, told a BLP meeting in Back Ivy. One of the provisions of the recently amended legislation grants the RBPF the power to barricade an area and prohibit residents from leaving for as long as two days if illegal activity is suspected. “If they come the 23rd and they hold you and they cordon off that area for 48 hours, you know you can’t vote,” Holder stressed. The Police (Amendment) Act, which was enacted in January, increases “the statutory powers granted to the Commissioner [of Police] and the Force to protect the life and property of citizens of Barbados, to ensure peace and public order under the Act with the use of cordons and curfews”. Once there is sufficient suspicion, the amendments empower the Commissioner of Police to search any premises in a designated area between 5a.m. and 8p.m. and cordon off that zone, and “require a person to remain stationary and to refrain from doing any activity within the designated area” in the maximum two days of an imposed curfew. “Don’t think that this has anything to do with making Barbados safer for anybody because what has been done is to violate people’s constitutional rights,” Holder said on the BLP platform in support of St Michael East candidate Trevor Prescod. Former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) cabinet minister Joseph Johnny Tudor also addressed last night’s meeting at which he denounced his former party as “unrighteous” and “wicked” and endorsed BLP leader Mia Mottley. Donning a BLP red jacket, Tudor, who lost the seat to Prescod in 1999, declared that “history is going to be recorded in Barbados because with [the help of] this seat Barbados is going to have the first woman Prime Minister”, while he urged voters to rally behind his former political rival.    Tudor, who was ordained a minister of religion in 2016 and announced plans to begin preaching the word of God in 2017, told the Back Ivy crowd that God had summoned him back to “make sure that Trevor Prescod is returned to the House of Assembly” as the parliamentary representative. “God wants me to tell the truth, and the truth is that this is an unrighteous Government and they have a gall to come back to the people and ask you to return them to the House of Assembly,” the former DLP vice president said. (BT)

TEENAGER ON RAPE CHARGE – A male secondary school student appeared in court today charged with raping a female student at another school. The teenager, who appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the No.2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, was not required to plead to the indictable offence, which allegedly occurred on May 5, 2018. Prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim objected to bail while informing the court that two other persons were being sought in connection with the serious matter. Additionally, Pilgrim argued that the “nature and seriousness of offence and strength of the evidence” precluded the young man from being a good candidate for bail. Attorney-at-law for the accused, Veronica McFarlane, countered by noting the defendant’s age and lack of criminal history. After hearing both sides, Frederick agreed with the defence and granted the accused $3,000 bail. The teenager is scheduled to return to court on October 3, 2018. (BT)

MOTHER WASHES HER HANDS OF SON – After a desperate attempt to find her first-born son, in an effort to prevent herself from being remanded to HMP Dodds, a mother at her wits’ end washed her hands of the young man yesterday. Allison Gotip was back before Magistrate Douglas Frederick after he had issued a warrant for her arrest. This was after her son, 24-year-old Jakeel Stephenson Gittens, of no fixed place of abode, jumped the wall at Verdun House, St John, where he was undergoing treatment last Wednesday. Gittens had admitted having cocaine apparatus last October 22, as well as stealing ten bottles of beer worth $20 belonging to Black Pearl Party Cruises between October 20 and 21. He was originally remanded to the Psychiatric Hospital when he appeared in court on October 23, to determine his suitability for treatment at Verdun. After an extension at the Black Rock, St Michael hospital, and he was deemed to be a suitable candidate, he was released into his mother’s custody and granted $2 000 bail. However, last Friday, when the accused was absent from his scheduled court appearance, a warrant was issued for Gotip to present him, and the matter adjourned to June 1. Gittens appeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday, barefooted and looking unkempt. “Would you prefer your mother to go to prison? She came to court and wept tears, saying she had no money to pay the court, after I was going to take the money from her,” the magistrate told the man, asking if he had resumed using drugs. “I was in a bad space, Sir. It ain’t no drugs,” Gittens said, as he looked straight ahead while standing in the dock. “You betrayed her after she said she would give you a last chance at Verdun,” the magistrate said. Gotip, standing in the witness stand, told the court she visited every “drug hole” looking for her son. “He came by me on Sunday, had a bath, ate and I gave him bus fare,” she said, adding he had spent time with his younger brother who had been crying every day for him. In a raised voice she looked at Gittens and declared: “I am done! “In front of all these people, in this court today, I am telling you I am done. I was your last chance,” she cried. She told the magistrate her son had been giving trouble since age seven or eight. She said she worked three jobs while he was a student at St Leonard’s Boys’ in an effort to get a house away from the environment in which they lived. “You have crash-landed. You will go to prison and sit and wait until this trial starts,” the magistrate said. He revoked Gittens’ bail, relieved Gotip of her duty as his surety and remanded him until June 6.   (DN)

ANGRY EX – A man with a history of violence has been given six months at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds to cool his temper after pleading guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend on March 11. Sancho Bernard Boyce, of Allens Land, Cleavedale, St Michael, had previously denied assaulting Tishon Benskin and was remanded to prison after he was unable to find a surety to secure his bail. However, this morning Boyce changed his plea to guilty when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the No.2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. In outlining the facts of the case, prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim told the court that the accused was in a relationship with the complainant, which ended because the family did not approve. On the day in question, Boyce, who was released from prison a year ago after serving ten years for murder, saw the complainant speaking to a man. He grabbed her and demanded to see her cellular phone before pulling a knife from his waist and threatening the complainant. When asked to explain his actions, Boyce, while expressing remorse, said he never intended for the incident to occur. “I left home that night with no intention of doing anybody anything, I saw her with a guy and I got angry. The guy seemed as if he had a weapon so I stepped back and showed him that I had a knife in my waist. I tell them, ‘I coming back’, but when I came back they were gone,” Boyce said. Before handing down the six month sentence, minus time spent on remand, Frederick explained that he had taken into account Boyce’s history and the need to protect the complainant from possible future aggression. “A man should not be judged by his past, but you still have to take into account your history. You went to prison for killing someone. She took a chance to be with you, but the family disapproved. You should have proven that you were not that type of man, but instead you had a knife in your waist. “The family was right. She should have listened to her family. She is an idiot. I wish she were here so I could talk some sense into her,” the magistrate said. (BT)

CHASE FREED OF WOUNDING CHARGE – A Bayland St Michael man walked out of the No.2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today with a spring in his step, as the weight of a wounding charge was removed from around his neck. Micah Laron Chase, of Gully Field Avenue, Bayland, St Michael, who was charged with maliciously wounding Michael Dalrymple back in 2016, was told by Magistrate Douglas Frederick that he was free to go after the virtual complainant failed appear. Chase’s attorney, Andrew Pilgrim, QC, pointed out that the matter had been dragging on for sometime and that even though the complainant was previously warned by the police to appear in court, he had shown no inclination to give testimony in the two-year-old matter. (BT)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 235 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles  #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 5/24/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday 24th May 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Mid-Week Nation Newspaper MWN).  

TOUGH BUDGET TASK – With a general election months away, a Budget in five days, economic uncertainty on the horizon and time running out for tough decisions, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler is not a man to be envied, says a top World Bank official. Dr Daniel Lederman, the World Bank’s deputy chief economist with responsibility for Latin American and the Caribbean, admitted that all eyes were on Barbados and what decisions the Freundel Stuart Government would make over the next few months. “Everybody is paying attention to what is happening in Barbados,” he said. “The World Bank is a global institution and trust me, when I say there are many delicate situations around the world for a variety of reasons . . . but Barbados is certainly an economy that we have looked at historically as an economy that managed to prosper while being small by making tough policy decisions.” Lederman, who delivered the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) annual William G. Demas Memorial Lecture last night at the Sandals Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Village, conceded there was an ongoing battle in Barbados “between fiscal policy and the monetary anchor”. (BT)

BLP: REPEAL TAX CERTIFICATE LAW – The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) continues to blast a new law requiring a tax clearance certificate in order to complete property transactions and loans involving any form of property interest. In a statement issued yesterday in reaction to claims from the Barbados Bankers’ Association about a lack of clarity over the tax certificates, the party called for a repeal of the law. “We call on the Government for the urgent repeal of this legislation and for us to determine how best we can reduce the arrears both owed to and by Government, given the protracted economic recession of the last eight years.”  The BLP said that when the amendment was introduced two months ago, its position was that it would be the death knell of business in Barbados. (MWN)

BANKS HAVE RIGHT TO REFUSE SLOT MACHINE CASH – Commercial banks here are making it clear they will not risk their relationship with corresponding banks around the world to satisfy slot machine operators. President of the Barbados Banking Association (BBA) Donna Wellington today defended the rights of the financial institutions to refuse large deposits from these operators. “Each bank currently enjoys cordial relations with their respective correspondent banks and each bank will make decisions as to who they bank with and who they don’t. Banks are private corporations and they can choose their customer base and they do so based on the levels of risk that they are comfortable,” Wellington told Barbados TODAY Tuesday afternoon. (BT)

COB OFFERS SLOT MACHINE OPERATORS WAY OUT – Credit Unions have become the port of call for thousands of Barbadians. And now it seems that slot machine operators may just have to follow the lead. A day after Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite revealed that slot machine operators were having difficulty in depositing their money in banks over money laundering fears, chief executive officer of the City of Bridgetown Cooperative Credit Union (COB), Steve Belle, has opened a door for the business owners. “We are aware of issues that are confronting the financial services sector in relation to the matter that is being raised and we at the COB are willing to open up our operations to those entities . . . to actually having a place to place their funds,” he said in a phone interview yesterday. “Matter of fact, we have actually had one or two slot machine operators who have actually come into our operations in recent times and we’ve actually taken them through our processes to make sure any deposits they make with us, we are comfortable with.”  (MWN)

FLOW NETS 16000 SUBSCRIBERS - More than 16 000 mobile subscribers are currently enjoying Flow’s superfast 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. And that number is expected to double by year end. “In less than two months, just over 16 000 mobile accounts, both prepaid and post-paid, are enjoying the benefits of our 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. This means there are now thousands of Barbadians who are better equipped to leverage mobile connectivity,” said Flow Barbados vice president of technology, Nicole Layne. Layne was speaking as part of celebrations for World Telecommunications and Information Society Day in Heroes Square. Hosted by the Telecommunications Unit, this year’s theme was Big Data For Big Impact. Flow launched its LTE network in March, a move that ushered in the fourth generation of mobile telephony across the island. The company is also currently offering free SIM card swaps at its retail stores for customers with LTE-compatible devices. Customers are also advised to install the latest software updates for their unique device. (MWN)

NEW GUIDELINES FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR – The renewable energy sector here is expected to begin operating under new standards and policy guidelines by the end of this year. The Caribbean Community Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) is currently developing a set of efficiency and labelling standards for the sector across the region. The new guidelines form part of a wider renewable energy and energy efficiency project, designed to, among other things, help customers make good choices when obtaining a product or service in the sector. The minimum performance standards being developed will also apply to importers and retailers. He did not say if the revised policy would include penalties for those who did not adhere to the standards, but it would then be up to the each country in the region to implement and enforce the standards. The new guidelines will also make provisions for the testing of appliances, including air-conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers. Edwards said while standards were nothing new in the region, the renewable energy sector was quickly expanding without set national and regional sidelines. (BT)

SMART BUS CARDS COMING – The days of using cash for bus fare in Barbados may soon be a thing of the past for some commuters. Members of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Inc. and the Transport Authority of Barbados will be introducing a new smart card to workers and members of the public during a walk-through of the bus terminals and taxi stands in and around Bridgetown on Saturday. A source close to the association told the MIDWEEK NATION yesterday that the actual launch should coincide with the rollout of a pilot project for the Transport Implementation Project at the end of next month. Noting that several countries across the world had already gone the route of using a card to pay fares for public transportation, AOPT president Roy Raphael said the safety of both passengers and workers of public service vehicles played a major role in the move to go plastic. (MWN)

CHAOS EXPECTED AT GAIA AS LIAT PILOTS PLAN SIT IN - Grantley Adams International Airport is likely to become a mass of chaos and confusion beginning on Thursday as LIAT pilots have threatened to take industrial action if they did not receive their salaries by midnight Wednesday. President of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) Captain Carl Burke said in a statement the planned action, which will take the form of sit-ins at various airports and possible picketing, may run for at least four days. “All pilots are to report to work as normal. Do sign in to work, do not sign off on any flight documents, do not board any LIAT aircraft and take flight. You are to remain out of view from the travelling public until further instructed by a LIALPA executive council member,” Burke advised the pilots. He said all pilots, with the exception of those on probation, would participate in the protest. At issue is the late payment of salaries by LIAT, which has been mired in a financial mess for decades, and with which the pilots have had a volatile relationship. (BT)

FOUR SEASONS REBIRTH – The end could soon be in sight for the ‘naughty issue’ that continues to retard progress on the stalled Four Seasons project at Clearwater Bay, St Michael. Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said the legal issues that are holding back the project are likely to be untangled by the end of this year.    As he has done in the past, Sealy said precious little about the legal hurdles that have plagued the on-again-off-again multimillion dollar project. It was in February that Sealy had said that a group that was interested in the property was at “a very advanced stage” of negotiations with Government for concessions, and with the various legal interests, although he could not say when Government was expected to divest its interest in the 32-acre property. However, he was also cautious on the issue of a resumption date, stating then that it was not clear if all sides would get out of the legal maze in time for work to commence this year. The Central Bank of Barbados in January said Government was expected to take in $40 million from the sale of its interest in the Four Seasons property, which it took over after the developers had failed to attract the necessary funding. (BT)

300 COULD GO – Close to 300 workers at Almond Beach Resort may be on the breadline come April next year when work is expected to begin on the Beaches Resorts at the property at Heywoods in St Peter. The state-owned Barbados Tourism Investment Incorporated (BTII) said it would not renew its lease with Sandals Resorts International (SRI), the operators of Sandals and Beaches, when the contract expires next year. General Manager of Almond Resort Craig Smith told Barbados TODAY the initial lease was supposed to run for 15 months only, but three years later the BTTI continued to operate the property, causing much uncertainty year after year.  (BT)

$76M NIS PROJECT - The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) is pumping $76 million into the construction and/or refurbishment of five police station complexes across the island. Three of the four being built will be completed on time and on budget. Construction of the fifth, at Six Roads, St Philip, is yet to start. This has been revealed not only by the director of the National Insurance Department, Ian Carrington, but by Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, as they toured the new District “D” Police Station and Magistrates’ Court at Cane Garden, St Thomas, yesterday. They were joined by Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith and other high-ranking police officers, Supreme Court Registrar Barbara Cooke-Alleyne and some of her staff, Chief Marshal John Lovell and some of his marshals, as well as Barbados Labour Party Member of Parliament for St Thomas, Cynthia Forde. (MWN)

NO POSTERS PLEASE – Those who paste posters on the refurbished coral stone walls of the barracks of Central Police Station, beware. There will be cameras watching and those caught on camera could face prosecution. So said Tyrone Peters, one of the people behind the restoration of the 1925 building at the rear of Central Police Station on Tudor Street, The City. The commercial manager at Connoisseur Improvement Services Inc. was speaking as high-ranking lawmen toured the facility yesterday. It was part of a tour of three police complexes by Government, police and court officials. (MWN)

IN PAIN - The news that three students of The Lester Vaughan School will appear in court on Thursday to face charges for viciously attacking her daughter has evoked no response from Marcia Carrington. Not satisfaction, not anger, not revenge. The distraught mother has only one thing on her mind –– the long, painful road to recovery that her 14-year-old faces. “I am trying to cope the best way I can, I haven’t thought about who has been charged,” she told Barbados TODAY Tuesday morning. Three students will appear before the District ‘D’ Magistrate court in 48 hours, police have reported. Two girls – one 16, the other 15 – and a boy, 14,  have been charged with occasioning actual bodily harm. Wednesday will mark exactly one week since the gruesome video of students punching and kicking their colleague stirred up national outrage. (BT)

AG SUPPORTS CELL PHONE USE IN SCHOOL – A recent video –– filmed with a mobile phone – showing a mob of students at Lester Vaughan School attacking one of their peers in a brutal assault is not enough to sway Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite to reverse his support for legitimizing the use of mobile devices in schools. Brathwaite’s Cabinet colleague, Minister of Education Ronald Jones, plans to lift the nine-year-old ban of cell phones and allow students to freely take their devices to school come September, much to the dismay of the teachers’ unions. And the Attorney General seems resigned that there was little either the schools or Government could do to keep the technology out of the classroom. Earlier this month, President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union Mary Redman had appealed to Jones to reverse his decision, contending that these devices would only exacerbate the problem of gang activity and pose a major security threat to schools. However, Brathwaite was adamant that given the fact that cell phones are commonplace among youth culture, the answer did not lie in restricting phones and tablets, but in ensuring students use them constructively. (BT)

BYER-SUCKOO: STOP TAKING UNEMPLOYMENT FOR GRANTED – Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo is proposing that unemployed individuals who refuse job placement of counselling from the National Employment Bureau (NEB) should have their unemployment benefits discontinued. Under a revamped NEB, those who lose their jobs are required to visit the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to have their book stamped then taken to the NEB for a second stamp, at which time they are offered counselling and available jobs, before collecting unemployment benefits. The minister contended that Barbados was one of a few countries to have an unemployment benefit scheme, but that Barbadians were taking it for granted. This, she said, had to stop. The NEB is currently undergoing restructuring and institutional strengthening, which includes rebranding – the first in a series of initiatives to improve its image, quality and relevance. The employment agency will now be called the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service. (BT)

MOTHER’S COMPLAINTS LANDS TEEN ON CURFEW - The displeasure could be seen on the face of a teenager yesterday when a Bridgetown magistrate placed him on a daily curfew. Desean Henderson Phillips, of #13 Green Ham Road, Haynesville, St James, went before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant and pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis. The illicit drug, which had an estimated street value of $40, was found in his possession on May 21. When asked by the magistrate whether he had anything to say, Phillips replied: “No please, no Ma’am”. He was then referred to a probation officer who recommended that he perform 90 hours of community service. Phillips must return to court on August 25 for a progress report, and he was granted $1,500 bail with one surety in the meantime. However, it was the utterances of his mother that resulted in the curfew being imposed as a condition of that bail release. “I am not happy that he coming home at midnight,” she told the court, adding that she had spoken to the teenager about the situation numerous times. But Phillips told the magistrate: “I just outside breezing with my friends and stuff like that.” He further explained that all his friends were employed and could only “breeze” after 9 p.m., hence the reason for him returning to his mother’s home at such a late hour. “Well, you are now going to ‘breeze’ at home with mummy to avoid coming back to court on ‘stuff like that’,” the magistrate informed Phillips who was visually upset about the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. (BT)

NEWBURY FINALLY TASTE VICTORY – Newbury all stars recorded their first victory in the Barbados Netball Association’s Division 1 competition on Monday night. After losing four games on the trot, a determined Newbury held on in the few minutes before the final whistle, edging out Signia UWI Blackbirds ‘B’ 39-37 at the Netball Stadium. They were led by goal attack Charlene Jordan, who scored 30 from 46 attempts, and goal shooter Stacey Brewster, who netted nine of 14 shots. Newbury’s win sent the Blackbirds to their third loss of the season. (MWN)

YOUNG FOOTBALLERS CONTINUE TO EXCITE – Blenheim playing field, St Michael, was the scene of a number of exciting match-ups as action in the BICO-sponsored National Sports Council’s Primary Schools Football Tournament continued Friday. In Zone 7 action at Briar Hall, Christ Church, Regan Gibbons’ goal for Wills gave them a 1-0 win over St Lawrence. Azari Belle scored as Milton Lynch beat St Winifred’s 1-0. St Angela’s defeated Vauxhall 4-0. St Gabriel’s won 5-0 over St Bartholomew. In Zone 5, St Judes beat Cuthbert Moore 2-1. Ellerton defeated St John 2-0. In a Zone 8 Bayley’s and St Philip Primary drew 1-1 In Zone 1 St Lucy defeated Half Moon Fort 4-0; Boscobel and Gordon Greenidge drew 2-2; Roland Edwards beat Selah 1-0; and All Saints got over Ignatius Byer 3-1. (BT)

COMBERMERE VS FOUNDATION AGAIN – IT WILL be Combermere and Foundation again. The two schools that have clashed in many cricket finals at various levels in recent years will come face to face in another championship match tomorrow. This time it will be the final of the Barbados Cricket Association’s Everton Weekes Under-13 Competition, which will be played at Empire Club ground, Bank Hall. Both teams booked their places with convincing semi-final victories yesterday. (MWN)

BOGEY BROKEN: BAJAN GEMS FINALLY END 33-YEAR DROUGHT - Barbados stunned World number four Jamaica with a pulsating 43-41 victory last night, earning a 1-1 draw in the three-Test series and registering their first win over the Caribbean powerhouses in 33 years. Playing at the National Arena, Jamaica controlled the game for the most part and led 32-31 at the start of the final quarter but fell apart in the final quarter, as 12th ranked Barbados out-scored them 12-9 to pull off a sensational result. (BT)

CHELSEA SILVER – SILVER GILT. That’s what Barbados’ vibrant tropical blooms and the three facades of Where We Live were awarded at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show in London yesterday. Where We Live, the exhibit put on by the Barbados Horticultural Society, depicted three types of Barbadian dwellings – the chattel house, a plantation home and a luxurious seaside villa – each of which was fronted with greenery and flowers. The medal adds to the society’s impressive haul of ten silver gilt, one silver and 18 gold medals. It has been participating at the show since 1984 and last year won a gold. (MWN)

CONTROVERSY AS NIKITA RELEASES SONG ALREADY SUNG BY DEEVINE - Controversy has hit Crop Over early in the season.  Barbadian artiste Nikita released a song on Monday called Same Way with an official lyric video on YouTube for the Crop Over 2017 season. The writing credits list Trinidadian Jason "Shaft" Bishop, Scott Galt, Mike Hulsmeier and Nikita Browne. However, there is another song with the exact lyrics from start to finish called We De Same released in 2015 by DeeVine, a Bajan artiste based in Britain. Both songs from DeeVine and Nikita can be viewed on YouTube with no differences between the two except for the voices. Shaft is no stranger to Barbados music scene, having written for local artistes Lil Rick, Imani, Edwin, Peter Ram and Hypasounds, among others. The differences with the songs are just the riddim with Nikita's produced by De Red Boyz. Efforts to reach Nikita and Shaft were unsuccessful. (MWN)

1LOVE CONCERT ON AGAIN – For the first time, Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons will grace the 1Love stage with Machel Montano this Crop Over season. That announcement was made earlier today as the partial line-up for the concert being held on August 6 was revealed. Since there is no Cohobblopot, the concert will, as usual, fill the void for party lovers. It will be held at the Concorde Experience again. Machel, Bunji and The Voice flew in from Trinidad this morning to help in the reveal at the Crane Resort. They left for the airport later. Organisers of 1Love, Volume Entertainment, promises a show within a show and tickets go on sale tomorrow. During the next two months they will reveal more artistes who are on the bill. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks. There are 222 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 4/11/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday 11th 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

BRAIN DRAIN – A shockingly high level of emigration by trained Barbadian university graduates is beginning to hit businesses in the country. As Barbados continues to pump hundreds of millions of dollars annually into its education system, much of that investment is leaking right back out as the country feels the effects of a debilitating brain drain. Statistics indicate that the developed world is getting Barbados’ best and brightest. In the latest Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) quarterly economic report, the Washington-based institution said the country’s private institutions were now facing a challenge sourcing top-notch talent, while there appeared to be a mismatch of educational talent to the specific job requirements of many businesses. (DN)

WE ARE STUCK & NOT GROWING - The people of Barbados and the rest of the region have a sense of entitlement and a high degree of arrogance that get in the way of economic growth, according to an expert on strategy and innovation. Compounding the problem, said Dr Miguel Carrillo, the executive director and professor of strategy at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in Trinidad and Tobago, are high levels of uncertainty, low value proposition, low economic value activities and high debt levels. The academic sought to compare the region with China, saying the Chinese possessed “profound values” of “self criticism”, a suggestion that the region needed to catch up in this area. He added that unless the Caribbean “deeply and painfully” accepted its own vulnerabilities and flaws and “until we stop our sense of entitlement and start increasing significantly, our sense of accountability”, the region would not progress. Carrillo said he had little faith in the public sector to create value for a country, adding that Barbados and the region “lack of a clear economic strategy”. The strategy and innovation expert contended that “uncertainty is really taking over” the region, suggesting that this was because economic power rested with either the Governor of the Central Bank or the Minister of Finance. The Mexican national, who has headed the regional institution since 2009, warned that Barbados’ position as a tourist destination was “eroding” as it continued to experience severe competition from other destinations, and that the island had difficulty attracting and retaining even more visitors because of a lack of attractions. He charged that while Barbados and other Caribbean nations were experiencing increased cruise visitor arrivals, and were adding hotel rooms, this did not translate to greater economic returns.    Making it clear that he was not equipped to tell Barbados how to run its affairs, Carrillo said some important questions must be answered. “What is Barbados’ innovative, unique and national value proposition? What is it that we can offer to the world that is unique, different, singular, rare, difficult to imitate and difficult to substitute, and maybe even more importantly, generates tremendous value for our customers? What is it?” suggested Carrillo. (BT)

GLOOM - The foreign reserves picture appears to be getting gloomier, with noted Caribbean economist Marla Dukharan that in February 2017 the reserves had recorded “its fastest pace of decline” since November 2013. And the situation is not expected to get any better anytime soon, according to the RBD Group economist. In the April 2017 RBC Caribbean Economic Report, Dukharan quoted Central Bank data which showed that the reserves fell by 29 per cent in February when compared to the same period last year, to approximately $658 million – or about two months of import cover, “partly due to the domestic monetary base expanding 18 per cent year on year in February 2017 to $2.35 billion”. At the end of December 2016 the reserves stood at about 10.3 weeks of import cover or $681 million. It was the 21st consecutive month of declining reserves, the report said. In a supporting interview, Dukharan said this suggested that the underlying problem was “not temporary in nature”. Dukharan also cautioned that in light of chronically weaker US inflows, borrowing more United States currency now could make things worse in the medium to long term, adding that US inflows for projects were also largely temporary and would flow back out as materials and equipment were imported for the execution of those projects. She said it was difficult to imagine that Government would reduce reliance on the Central Bank and the NIS to finance its spending, given that the latest Budget made provision for a wider fiscal deficit for the 2017/2018 financial year. She said the most two recent downgrades of the island’s ratings “reflect the risk of holding Barbados Government debt, given unsustainably high fiscal deficits leading to weaker reserves and debt overhang”. And with general elections due within the next year, Dukharan said it meant things may not operate “normally” and therefore Government was less likely to exercise fiscal prudence and implement any major policy shifts that could jeopardize their chances of staying in power. (BT)

NOT RIGHT - Workers at the National Conservation Commission (NCC) are becoming increasingly agitated over reports that the statutory corporation had hired 170 new employees in recent weeks, three years after 200 workers were severed. Last July the Employment Rights Tribunal headed by Hal Gollop, QC, ruled that the 200 workers were unfairly dismissed when they were sent home in April 2014 as part of Government’s cost-cutting measures, and ordered compensation equivalent to 52 weeks’ wages. In addition, Government had agreed that the retrenched workers would be given first preference for any future vacancies within the state agency. However, multiple sources said not only were the retrenched workers ignored in this latest recruitment effort, but eyebrows were further raised upon discovering that many of the new employees hailed from the constituency of Minister of the Environment and Drainage Dr Denis Lowe. President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Akanni McDowall told Barbados TODAY the issue had been raised with the union, which was investigating the claim. He said if the allegation were confirmed it would certainly strengthen the union’s resolve to push for a salary increase for public workers. The NUPW has demanded a 23 per cent pay rise for Government workers, although McDowall recently said the union was prepared to compromise. In addition, the recently reelected union boss contended, that “when the workers were retrenched there was an agreement with the Government that those workers would first be considered if any job opportunities would later arise within the NCC. We don’t know if this is the case but we are still doing our investigations and if is not the case, we are certainly going to have an issue with that,” he cautioned. However, Lowe has strongly denied having any information about appointments at the NCC, telling Barbados TODAY he was neither familiar with, nor did he control the agency’s day-to-day operations, and was therefore unable to confirm or deny the claim. (BT)

QEH HIRES MORE STAFF TO DECREASE WORK LOAD – The country’s premier healthcare institution is hiring close to a dozen more professionals as it embarks on a 24-hour service in its critical diagnostic department. At the same time the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) anticipates saving more than half a million dollars in overtime annually as a result of the move. Chief Executive Officer of Dr Dexter James told Barbados TODAY Monday afternoon that when the eight staff already hired were added to the proposed ten, this would ease an overworked department and significantly slash or wipe out a financially burdensome overtime bill. He noted that areas such as the lab, the pharmacy, the X-ray department and even some support services required staff to work between 8.15 a.m. and 4.30 p.m., arrangements under which no 21st Century hospital could efficiently operate, he said. The chief executive insisted that some of the money now spent on overtime could be used to create additional posts, thus providing more extensive cover to the public on a 24-hour shift system. He explained that the hospital could not now change the terms and conditions of staff who have already transitioned from a statutory body to the current board, unless the workers’ representatives agreed to such change. Dr James said the hospital management met with the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) last Friday and it was agreed that the new arrangement would be reviewed next month. When contacted, Deputy General Secretary of the NUPW Wayne Walrond said the union wanted to have a proposal within the next month as to how the new system would work with the required resources. (BT)  

ALL AH WE IS ONE: PARTY PARAMOUNTCY – “Why would a governing party get so involved in the internal elections of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW)?”  That was the exasperated question of Akanni McDowall, the recently re-elected president of the NUPW, who was shocked by what appeared to be an orchestrated campaign by ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) operatives to block his team’s return to the helm of the union. On the Sunday prior to the union’s election, an entire DLP branch meeting was devoted to demonising the NUPW leadership. Similarly, a former president of the NUPW, and well known arch-rival to McDowall, Walter Maloney, was invited to deliver the DLP’s weekly Friday lunchtime lecture, during which he insisted that the NUPW should “work with the Government”. These developments reflect the central feature of the modus operandi of the DLP which my retired colleague Dr George Belle summarises as “party paramountcy”. For those too young to remember, the notion of party paramountcy is best associated with the People’s National Congress (PNC) of Guyana under the leadership of Forbes Burnham, in which all state and civic institutions – from the army, the credit unions, the university departments, the school boards to the Boy Scouts – were subordinate to the interests of, and existed as arms of, the ruling party. Under party paramountcy, the ruling party treats every national question as one in which the party’s interest should be placed above everything else. Thus, far from seeing a trade union election as a minor, low-level political activity outside the scope of party politics, those guided by party paramountcy would invest themselves heavily in its outcome, satisfied only with seeing “their people” occupying the key positions. No area is deemed as outside the scope of party control. This tendency towards “party paramountcy” is also seen in the unwillingness of the DLP to entertain any opinion which does not come from the “right person”. One sees therefore a party that listens only to itself, and views its legitimacy in the narrowest partisan terms. Branch activities become the only legitimate public forum. It is there that key policies are announced and where Government popularity is measured. Thus, in the midst of public debates about the economy and other critical issues, the DLP mounts a FACTS campaign amongst its faithful to provide political comfort to itself. Public policy is thus reduced to permanent electioneering. Once the minimum level of required support is assured, the rest of the country matters little, and democracy is stymied. The downside to party paramountcy, however, is that it invites civil society resistance. Every small defeat at civil society level becomes a huge political blow for the party, as witnessed in the re-election of the McDowall faction in last week’s NUPW election. Each small defeat weakens the morale of the party in the lead-up to the real election. (DN)

NEW RSS CHIEF OUTLINES PRIORITIES – The troubling issues of terrorism and cybercrime are high on the agenda of the new Executive Director of the Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS) Captain Errington Shurland. The former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force, who took up his new position on February 1 this year after 33 years of military service, told Barbados TODAY that RSS member states were grappling with significant security challenges, which also include drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. The new boss stressed that terrorism and cybercrime had the potential to threaten the region’s bread and butter tourism industry, and the RSS had a responsibility to ensure the Caribbean remained safe and attractive to visitors.  “ Shurland said the RSS would also be seeking the support of its international partners to combat drug trafficking, as the region is a major transhipment point for illegal drugs. He added that member states were working to develop legislation to address the proceeds of crime.  (BT)

WIFI SCHEME – With Government proposing to ban all music on public service vehicles (PSVs), the Alliance of Owners of Public Transportation (AOPT) is preparing to roll out a scheme that will otherwise keep passengers occupied. AOPT Chairman Roy Raphael told Barbados TODAY discussions were under way with a telecommunications provider to install Internet on the vehicles, with a pilot due to be launched soon. With modern mobile phones already carrying music players from which people listen to music, it was not immediately clear how an Internet connection would help in this regard, although passengers could watch music video streaming sites such as YouTube. It also was not clear if this would be a free service, or if users would be asked to pay a fee. Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley last month announced that “all music on PSVs will be banned” in proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act. Speaking during debate on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Lashley had linked students’ conduct to the “subculture” which he claimed was being fostered through the music being played on PSVs. Raphael Monday reiterated his organization’s support for the proposed ban, agreeing with Lashley that most of the music helped to promote bad behaviour. This notwithstanding, Raphael questioned why the law already in place was not being enforced. Another driver, who also asked not to be identified, said he would not be happy with a total ban because he enjoyed listening to the radio while making his rounds. (BT)

MORE LINING UP FOR BDF – Scores of Barbadians are applying for recruitment into the Barbados Defence Force (BDF).  Newly-appointed Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Glyne Grannum, says the BDF has been receiving an “overwhelmingly large demand” to join, from young men and women motivated by a desire to serve their country and communities. He told the DAILY NATION yesterday during a promotion ceremony for 19 members at St Ann’s Fort: “The young Barbadian men and women who come to enlist in the force, the message I get from them is they want to serve, they want to do something for Barbados and their community over and above themselves.” (DN)

VIRAL GYRATION - Videos of a group of students engaging in raunchy behaviour in a classroom have sparked fears of what could explode when cellphones are released in the schools come September. But the principal at the school where the incident occurred said there were already safeguards outlined in a report on the matter to head off any recurrence of what happened during that last day of the term. Several short cellphone recordings circulating on social media showed some junior students at Queen’s College gyrating on each other on the ground or standing in bent positions as other classmates cheered them on. Principal Dr David Browne said yesterday he was aware of the videos and action had been taken, including the summoning of parents of the offending students. (DN)

NOT GAY BASHING – Sex educator Ambrose Carter says he is not homophobic,but insists he has a right to air his disagreement with homosexuality.  Maintaining his position amid accusations that he disliked the gay community, Carter rejected this label. The Christian said his Pure Sex Centre was not trying to tell adults what to do in their bedrooms “unless we are asked”, but it was certainly not going to be silent when minors were being exposed to all types of sexual lifestyles. Carter, who is an HIV/AIDS counsellor, has come under heavy criticism for his claim earlier this month that the Health and Family Life Education programme being taught in secondary schools was turning Barbadian children into homosexuals. DN)

LOCKED OUT – The Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) is again going after clients for outstanding rent. An official source told Barbados TODAY the Government agency locked out some clients at Pelican Village Craft Centre on Friday due to non-payment of rent. The under-patronized location, which is likely to go under private management soon, is home to just over two dozen retail shops and over a dozen workshops, a restaurant and bar and an annex with an art gallery. Barbados TODAY was unable to get an official word from the BIDC authorities or Minister of Industry, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss on the development. Over the past three years the BIDC had threatened several times to take action against those who continued to renege on their payment arrangements. One industry player who did not want to be identified told Barbados TODAY the situation was extremely sad, adding that all the storeowners wanted was traffic to the Pelican Village so they could get the required sale to adequately and persistently pay their rent. “Pelican does not get the traffic at all,” said the source, adding that the vendors tended to make better sales at hotels and other locations. In fact, the source said some agents of the retailers in Bridgetown were going as far as to encourage tourists coming off the cruise ships to “walk straight to Bridgetown and don’t stop until you get to town”. The BIDC has about 12 industrial estates across the island comprising 70 commercial buildings and more than 300 separate units in the corporations buildings. (DN)

SEXUAL HARRASSMENT LAWS COMING – Legislation forbidding sexual harassment in the workplace is to be introduced before the next general election due early next year, according to Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo. Addressing a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) meeting at the George Lamming School Sunday evening, Byer-Suckoo said the problem was widespread, and affected the old and young, and both male and female workers. Therefore, she said, a Sexual Harassment Bill was its way to deter the practice. “It is a little bit controversial still, but this is a story I am working to make sure that we can tell before the bell rings [elections]. Byer-Suckoo emphasized that too many women, “men too, young boys, young girls” were being forced to choose between performing duties for the personal pleasure of their supervisors, or lose days off, or even promotions. She said it was a practice that had its genesis in slavery and lamented that it continued to this day. The new legislation, she promised, would “make sure that it cannot happen, that at least in our workplaces workers are protected”. Not for the first time, the minister also promised legislation protecting the rights of workers to enjoy their own social and religious pursuits without fear of discrimination. (BT)

COMISSIONG TO FILE NEW MOTION AGAINST HYATT – Political activist David Comissiong is seeking to strike another blow at the heart of the controversial Hyatt Centric Resort scheduled to be built on Lower Bay, The City. The attorney-at-law, who has already secured an injunction putting the brakes on the US$100 project, will Tuesday file an interim order suspending permission to build until the court can hear the substantive matter in a hearing scheduled for May. On March 22, Comissiong lodged the legal challenge in the Supreme Court to the construction, which, after several delays had won approval on February 15 from Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who has responsibility for Town and Country Planning. That injunction, which resulted in immediate suspension of permission until the matter is heard by the court, came as a major blow for both the developers and Government, who have been eager to get the project going, amid domestic economic challenges. Speaking to reporters immediately after filing the claim, Comissiong was adamant that the Prime Minister had acted incorrectly on the matter. He had based his claim on 12 grounds, including the failure of Government to have public consultations or to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the multi-million dollar beachfront development. The attorney had also argued that Stuart had relied on an outdated Physical Development Plan, even though Section 11(1) of the Town & Country Planning Act stipulates that the plan, which is now 14 years old, must be updated every five years. He also took issue with the 15-storey elevation, pointing out that the maximum height allowed for beachfront hotels was five storeys, compared to the seven storeys for non-beachfront tourist accommodation. Comissiong further noted that over the years applications for developments above the stipulated elevation were consistently turned down on the grounds that “such structures would negatively affect the visual amenity of the locale”. (BT)

TEEN: JAIL COULD DRIVE YOU MAD – A weekend behind bars was enough to make a 16-year-old appreciate his freedom and think twice about a life of crime.  “It was bad, sir, it mek yuh feel like yuh lost yuh freedom . . . . It would send yuh mad,” Kishmar Martin Alfred told Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Looking over to his friend, Shakeem Donte Shorey, Alfred, of My Lord’s Hill, St Michael, warned him about the place that became his home for the weekend. “You won’t like it there; it would mek yuh guh mad; that’s why I would keep away from crime,” he continued. (DN)

JAIL FOR TWO DRUG ADDICTS – Two drug addicts, with no fixed place of abode, will call Her Majesty’s Prison at Dodds home for the next few months after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine paraphernalia. Jason Omar Evelyn admitted before Magistrate Douglas Frederick that he had  apparatus in his possession yesterday intended for the use of cocaine. According to the prosecutor Station Sergeant Neville Reid, lawmen were on patrol along Walrond Street, the City when they spotted Evelyn coming from behind a business in the area with a haversack in his possession. He was stopped and it was at that point that police observed a clear plastic bag with vegetable matter, suspected to be cannabis, hanging from his pants pocket. As a result, the officers requested a search and a small bottle with a hole was found with residue on the inside. Evelyn who is known to the law courts, admitted knowledge and ownership when asked to account. Magistrate Frederick then sentenced Evelyn to nine months in jail even as he urged the convicted man to use to opportunity to clean up his act. In the other case, Sidwin Antonio Inniss was sentenced to six months in prison for possession of apparatus for the use of cocaine. He was arrested and charged yesterday after police were summoned to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital following a report that a man was being a public nuisance.  (BT)

GUN CHARGES - Two men were remanded to HMP Dodds after appearing in court charged with separate gun offences. It is alleged that Donnell Carl Smart of Block 3B, Haynesville, St James had in his possession a firearm and six rounds of ammunition without a valid licence. The 36-year-old who was charged last Friday is also accused of having 45 rounds of ammunition without the necessary legal documents. He appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the No.1 District ‘A’ Criminal Court and was remanded until May 5. However, he will face the Holetown Court Tyesday on the 45 rounds of ammunition charge as the offence was allegedly committed in the District ‘E’ jurisdiction. Smart was not required to plead to the indictable charges. The other gun accused – Rasheem Omario Powlett, of 6th Avenue, New Orleans, St Michael is charged with possession of two firearms and 23 rounds of ammunition without a valid licence to do so. He was not required to plead to the indictable charges, which allegedly occurred on April 7. The 24-year-old is also jointly charged with Corrie Cleophus Parris, 44, of Shop Hill, St Thomas with stealing a tarpaulin worth $65 belonging to Carlisle Catwell. Both men admitted to the robbery, which occurred on April 7. Powlett also pleaded guilty before Magistrate Douglas to possession of four grammes of cannabis worth $20. He was remanded to prison until May 5 while Parris was granted bail in the sum of $3,000, which he secured with one surety will also return on that date. (BT)

CAR THEFT ACCUSED DENIED BAIL – A bail application by one of two men who have been on remand since the weekend, was not enough to gain them their freedom Monday. It is alleged that 32-year-old Dwayne O’Neil Thornhill of Birch Path, The Pine, St Michael and 31-year-old Ishmeal Desroy Lennox Gilkes of Pioneer Road, Bush Hall, St Michael stole a motorcar belonging to Kimberley Forde sometime between June 1, 2016 and January 5, 2017. The two were not required to plead to the indictable charge. Thornhill is also separately charged with using the fraudulent registration number E3841 on Pickwick Gap, St Michael. When the two who first appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick on Saturday returned to the dock Monday morning, police prosecutor Station Sergeant Neville Reid strongly argued against their release. Reid revealed that he had spoken with the lead investigator on the case who informed him that his team was probing a number of similar matters based on information received. He stated that it was the prosecution’s fear that the accused men would interfere with investigations into the matter if granted their freedom. “Sir, attempts are being made to recover property and I believe if the accused are granted bail, they will frustrate those efforts. Police have also made a breakthrough in this case and also other matters,” Reid stated. However, in his application for bail, Thornhill stated that while he understood that the case against him was a serious one, the mentioned vehicle was “abandoned”. “It just so happen that the car has an owner. Garbage got an owner, Sir,” said Thornhill who disclosed that he was a mechanic. His co-accused remained silent. However, the magistrate pointed out that the charge against the two men may have come at an unfortunate time as “a lot of cars are being stolen” in Barbados at present. “Police are investigating those now and they arrest men with a car that has a fictitious number plate,” the magistrate stated. Frederick then ruled in favour of the prosecutor and remanded the two to HMP Dodds for another 28 days. They are scheduled to reappear in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on May 5. (BT)

ELDERLY MAN INJURED IN CHRIST CHURCH ACCIDENT - Eighty-three year old Mark Millington of Newton, Christ Church is said to be in stable condition at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after being involved in an accident along Welches Road, at its junction with Hythe Gardens, Christ Church. Police say around 9.20 a.m., Millington was involved in a collision with a minibus that was being driven by 66-year-old Albert Hollingsworth of Brittons Hill, St Michael. Millington’s car overturned and he had to be freed from the vehicle by personnel from the Barbados Fire Service. Millington sustained injuries to his right leg, hands and head. Hollingsworth and passengers on the minibus did not report any injuries. (DN)

BARBADOS OVERCOME GUATEMALA 2-0 – Darian King has led the Barbados Davis Cup team to an historic win and in so doing has moved to a career high 112th world ranking. For the first time in Davis Cup history, Barbados defeated Guatemala 3-2 and earned their place once more in the Americas Group ll final. After the opening day on Friday ended 1-1, a superb 6-3, 6-4 and 6-3 victory by King and Haydn Lewis in the doubles against Christopher Diaz and Wilfredo Gonzalez on Saturday set things up nicely to give the home side a 2-1 advantage in the tie. (BT)

WALES STRIKE BACK - Weymouth Wales responded to Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme’s (BDFSP) late triumph the previous night with an emphatic win of their own in the Digicel Premier League at the Wildey Astroturf on Sunday night.  The leaders overcame Belfield by a 3-1 scoreline, thanks to strikes from Hadan Holligan, Arantees Lawrence and Riverre Williams, while Henderson Richards notched a late consolation for Belfield. In another game, a beaver-trick from Dario “Ears” Harewood plus an Andre Leslie strike, propelled UWI Blackbirds to a 5-1 trouncing of bottom side Home Improvement Waterford Compton, who were well in the game following a Zinio Harris equaliser. (DN)

VENOM BREAKS DOWN MJ AGAIN - If there is an antidote for Mark “Venom” Griffith, Julian “Michael Jackson” White certainly hasn’t found it yet.  Griffith, the island’s top ranked player, maintained his dominance over the former number one by defeating him in a gruelling, riveting two-hour contest 21-15, 11-21, 21-16, 17-21, 21-17, to capture his fourth straight Massy United Insurance Clash of the Titans road tennis title before thousands of spectators on Sunday night at Dover, Christ Church. It was the second time Griffith had outlasted White in the final of the competition, after having also won a marathon five-setter in the 2015 finals at the Netball Stadium. And as happened on that occasion, his youthfulness which trumped the 48-year-old’s experience. (DN)

AMATEUR BOXERS SHOW OFF SKILLS – Bantamweight Jamali Breedy continues to impress at the amateur boxing level and on Saturday night at the Horace Phillips Memorial Tournament at the Kensington Oval Bond, he was simply a cut above the rest. So much so, that if one had diverted one’s gaze from the ring to exchange pleasantries with another fight fan, Breedy’s bout against Dominican Simon Joseph would have been missed. It took a mere 86 seconds of the type of relentless pressure that is his forte, not to mention a heavy left hand to Joseph’s solar plexus, to end the contest in the first round. That left hand had followed an equally potent blow to Joseph’s chin. Breedy, from the National Gym, would later receive the accolade of Best Boxer of the Tournament. (BT)

DOGS OWNERS RUSH TO REGISTER PETS - Dog owners have been rushing to get their pets registered following the fatal dog attack on January 28 that claimed the life of 74-year-old retiree Verona Gibson. Since that incident in Haggatt Hall, St Michael, more than 1 000 people have registered their animals with the Animal Control Centre. But even with this influx of people trying to get on the right aside of the law, it is felt that the number of those still in breach of the regulations far outnumber those who are doing what’s legally correct. Inspector with the Animal Control Centre, Peter Belgrave, said they believed more than two-thirds of the dogs in Barbados were unregistered, even though the official records showed more than 33 000 on register. (DN)

PASSENGER DRAGGED OFF OVERBOOKED UNITED FLIGHT – Not giving up a seat on an overbooked flight led to an upsetting scene on a United Airlines flight on Sunday night. Several passengers on United flight 3411 from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky, captured video as a man was dragged off the plane by authorities after he apparently refused to leave. Audra Bridges posted a 31-second clip of the incident on Facebook, which showed three men in black shirts and black baseball caps yanking a middle-aged man out of a seat. The men dragged him down the aisle, while someone screaming could be heard in the background. “Everyone was shocked and appalled,” Bridges told the Courier-Journal. “There were several children on the flight as well that were very upset.” The incident occurred after United asked passengers to give up their seats voluntarily for compensation. Nobody took the airline up on the offer, airline spokesman Charlie Hobart said. United CEO Oscar Munoz responded to the incident on Twitter on Monday afternoon. “This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers,” Munoz said. “Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened. We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation,” United then used a system to determine which passengers would leave the flight. “The system in place enables us to take a look at how long a customer will need to stay at an airport, for example,” Hobart said. “We also keep unaccompanied minors, we try to keep families together, we take a lot of factors into consideration.” United employees explained the situation to the man several times, but he still refused, Hobart said. Authorities came in and forcibly removed him from the plane. Some people took to Twitter to criticize how United handled the situation, while others weren’t sure of what to do. Merriam-Webster responded in a different way. The dictionary said it saw a 1900 per cent spike in searches for the definition of the word volunteer after the United incident.  (BT) 

That’s all for today folks. There are 264 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 10/12/2018

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 12TH October 2018. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

MIA TOPS BIG SPENDERS - Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley topped the 134 candidates who spent more than $2.4 million in Barbados’ May 24, 2018 General Election. According to the return of election expenses which was published on Thursday, Mottley spent $71 864, almost three times more than defeated Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate Patrick Todd in the St Michael North East constituency. The Solutions Barbados candidate Kemar Stuart spent $1 370.83. Overall, Mottley’s team from the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), which won all 30 seats, spent roughly $1.3 million. This figure is outside of what was spent by the party. Other big spenders from the BLP included Minister of Small Business Dwight Sutherland, whose $67 543.31 was second only to Mottley, about $16 000 more than former Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo. (WN)

EYE ON BERT – A watchdog committee, set up by Government but intended to be independent, has been appointed to ensure the IMF-supported economic recovery policy meets its targets, the Prime Minister has announced. The independent sub-committee within the Social Partnership with joint leadership from business and labour is to monitor Government’s performance on the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) Plan. The co-chairs of the BERT Monitoring Committee are Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association Edward Clarke and General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Senator Toni Moore. The sub-committee is made up of three members each from the labour unions and the private sector, as well as an independent representative from the Barbados Creditors Group, she said. Government will not form part of the Committee as the work of the Committee would be to monitor Government’s performance under the BERT programme, the Prime Minister said. The sub-committee, she stated, would report to the full Social Partnership and to the Barbadian public. The sub-committee is to begin meeting from mid-November, she added. (BT)

US$4 BILLION CUT – The Caribbean has been challenged to slash its annual US$4 billion food import bill by at least a quarter over the next five years by Prime Minister Mottley. Stating that the region was at war against both natural disasters and lifestyle diseases, the recently elected premier painted a sobering picture of despair should the region not be able to ensure food security in a time of emergency. Mottley, who was addressing the opening of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) 2018 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Wednesday evening, urged participants not to just have another talk shop, but to take the necessary steps to ensure food sustainability in the region. Noting that the Caribbean was vulnerable to the shocks of natural disasters, Mottley appeared to suggest the region lacked a plan to maintain food security should the Miami-Caribbean food supply chain be broken by hurricane. “It matters not that you can say food could come seven days, ten days or 12 days from elsewhere because you have a national security crisis in the first four or five days if supplies are cut off,” she declared. “What we face today is not a traditional war in the sense of World War II, but we face a war against our environment and we face a war among our population with respect to investment that we continue to make in our people, but with the decimation of too many of them from chronic non-communicable diseases,” she said. The Prime Minister said she refused to accept that it was beyond the capacity of regional economies to reduce the regional food import bill by at least 25 per cent over the next five years. “We cannot be serious about protecting our interest if we do not set ourselves that simple target. I have not said to reduce it by 50 per cent, I have not said that as much as I would like to see that, but it must be within our capacity to make a habit of success, and a habit of success means reduction and not increase of that bill,” said Mottley. She did not outline what policies her five-month-old administration had taken or planned to introduce to drive down her nation’s own $500 million-plus food import bill. While saluting development partners for “walking the road” with Caribbean economies over the years, Mottley said the region’s relationship with agriculture could no longer be based on a “plantation model”. “It has to change by first and foremost being able to attract technological solutions and innovation. In a land scarce country such as Barbados our future in agriculture must be based on a vertical yield,” she said. Mottley also pointed out that the time had come for the region’s “best and brightest” to pursue agriculture, while crying shame on what she called the “independence generation” for not replicating what was considered one of the most successful periods for sugar production in the region several years ago. Turning to the fishing industry, Mottley suggested that the region needed a cohesive plan to “treat to the protection and conservation” of coral reefs and other marine resources. Insisting that the time for talk was over as it relates to agriculture in the region, Mottley said given the advancement in technology and level of liquidity in the banking system it should be easier for the Caribbean to produce more to feed itself. “In [Barbados] our liquidity, our savings is at about US$4.5 billion, but the instruments available and the opportunity for investment regionally for agriculture are limited. Against that background therefore, I welcome the renewed emphasis for cross border investment,” said Mottley, adding that “it cannot remain on a platform or in a letter, they have to be given life, and to be given life it means that the integration of production within the context of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy is absolutely critical”. It would also require affordable regional transportation and greater accountability on the path of all stakeholders, said the Prime Minister. She said efforts would also require the World Trade Organization and other international entities recognizing “the reality of island life in particular as it relates to allowing small island developing states to protect local farmers to ensure food security in the event of climatic events. “To that extent there needs to be research with respect to international trade policy to allow us to be able to use food security as one of the primary weapons of defence for the protection of our agricultural sector,” said Mottley. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that Caribbean countries import US$4 billion in food annually – 50 per cent more than what it imported in 2000.  (BT)

SOL SALE ‘STRATEGIC’ IN REGION’S GREEN ENERGY PUSH - A leader in the renewable energy industry here has described as a strategic move oil executive Sir Kyffin Simpson’s decision to sell three-quarters of the operations of his SOL Group. With Barbados and the rest of the region ramping up efforts to move away from the use of fossil fuel to more renewable energy dependency, Vice President of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) Aidan Rogers said he was not surprised at the move by the region’s largest dealer in petroleum products. SOL, which once came close to purchasing state-owned oil importer the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL), announced Wednesday that it would initially give up 75 per cent of its operation in a deal with Canadian fuel petroleum products marketer Parkland Fuel Corporation, valued at 2.4 billion. In a joint statement, officials said “the SOL brands will remain in place, and the SOL business will retain key management and continue to be managed form the Caribbean”. They said the deal created an opportunity for Parkland to roll out its private level, loyalty programme and enhanced food offer, while providing that company with increased exposure to stable earnings across multiple lines of business and an opportunity to expand into other markets in the Americas. But Rogers told Barbados TODAY he believed SOL had made a strategic deal and reduced its likelihood of risks associated with declining market share. With the plan for Barbados and the rest of the region to expand the renewable energy landscape and reduce their reliance on fossil fuel, the fuel supply market would have to adjust its business model in the coming years especially within the next decade, he said. “As recent as 2016, the previous Government would have had a roadmap prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency that had indicated that by 2030 the country would be using close to 65 per cent less fossil fuel in its daily operations. This is a presentation made to the national task force on energy of which both SOL and RUBIS were represented there for that presentation,” said Rogers. “The move with SOL really entering into a deal is somewhat strategic. It increases its share [and] it spreads some of the risks, as it is now part of a bigger entity. But we see it as also being cognizant of the fact that this market will go through fundamental changes over the next decade. Not only Barbados, but every regional country is now looking to accelerate its renewable energy deployment and as we know SOL was the major play throughout the region,” he explained. Stressing that the plan to rely less on fossil fuel was consistent throughout the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Rogers told Barbados TODAY that once countries were serious about achieving the goals they have set, it was easy to see the long-term viability of the fossil fuel infrastructure coming under increasing threat. “It doesn’t mean that fossil fuel will fully go away but it means that things will get darker rather than lighter in terms of the fossil fuel business model,” Rogers explained. Under the Stuart administration, Barbados had set a target of generating 65 per cent of its power from renewable energy sources by 2030, and a 22 per cent reduction in electricity consumption by 2019. But under its revised National Energy Policy 2017 – 2037, Barbados had set a target of 100 per cent renewable energy usage by 2030. The target, officials say, would be achieved by increasing the island’s reliance on alternative energy especially in the areas of electricity generation and transport. A 100 per cent renewable energy policy would see Barbados moving from its current 944 Gigawatt/ hours (GWh) per year usage to between 2,000 and 2,400 GWh/year. Data showed that between 2006 and 2015, Barbados was importing an estimated 11,654 barrels of oil per day to meet its needs. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of solar photovoltaic electricity panels on buildings and a slower take up of electric vehicles. Already, Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams has indicated that Government was seriously considering more energy-efficient options to replace the fleet of Transport Board buses and Sanitation Services Authority garbage trucks. And with the removal of the road tax and implementation of a tax on fuel at the pumps, some officials have predicted that more companies and individuals will turn to electric vehicles. Only a week ago, leading telecommunications provider Flow announced that it would be using electricity to power several vehicles in its fleet in a move aimed at improving operational efficiencies while reducing its carbon footprint. (BT)

GOVTS PAYING UP – A CARICOM leader’s “shuttle diplomacy” appears to be prompting governments to clear arrears in contributions to the University of the West Indies (UWI) as the Vice Chancellor reports progress in recouping millions of dollars. Sir Hilary Beckles revealed this morning during a news conference at the Cave Hill Campus that the CARICOM leaders’ selection of Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Timothy Harris – a UWI Cave Hill alumnus – to negotiate settlement of the receivables with fellow prime ministers was working well. Harris’ role as emissary for the university to  negotiate strategies to have the governments settle their debts was now paying off, he said. And although Barbados is experiencing serious economic challenges, it is treating the money owed to the university as a national debt with a pledge never to renege on its financial obligation to the UWI, said the renowned historian and activist. “In the last four months, Prime Minister Harris has spoken to all the Prime Ministers. He has put in place a system where his office is engaging all of them to speak about how to get these receivables made available to the UWI. “So far he has made significant strides. A number of countries, especially in the Eastern Caribbean [have] paid significant blocks of revenue into to us as a result of his shuttle diplomacy,” Sir Hilary disclosed. The Vice Chancellor noted that the methodology which the university had presented to the Government leaders proposed that where they could not give cash, performing assets would suffice to strengthen the UWI’s balance sheets and improve future revenues. “After his engagement with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister [Keith] Rowley, who is a great supporter of this… in fact, in that meeting with the heads, Prime Minister Rowley is one of those who said ‘we have to make good… our financial relations with the UWI’. [Rowley] returned to Trinidad, he wrote a cheque, gave us some cash,” he said. Sir Hilary told reporters that Rowley also signed an agreement with the university to transfer a brand new state-of-the-art public hospital in Couva, East Trinidad as a performing asset. “Where we are now? The government and the campus at St Augustine [Trinidad] are working through a strategy to put a management system in place to run this public hospital so that the revenues would be streamed into the UWI. That is an example of the kind of model that we are looking for as well,” he said, adding that the hospital is an enormous investment in the university. The Vice Chancellor said he had no doubt his institution could find the management structure to put the hospital on the market and rake in much-needed revenue. He said that other Caribbean countries are working through other strategies. “So where we are? We are in a position at this moment where government by government . . . [is] working through either a cash injection to pare down receivables or there is negotiations around assets, primarily land and other performing assets. So we are in a better position today than we were a year ago or two years ago… and clearly, the governments have answered to our call,” Sir Hilary told reporters. He also disclosed that the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne has committed to writing a cheque every month for the next six months to the university. “And so said, so done. The cheque came in on time from Antigua and Barbuda. Let me tell you, the prime ministers are responding. We are celebrating those who can. There is a sense now of commitment,” the Vice Chancellor stressed.  (BT)

UNIVERSITY SCANDAL ‘AN EMBARRASSMENT’ – A leader of the 70-year-old, public University of the West Indies says the scandal surrounding an unaccredited, private medical school that hasn’t lasted two years is an embarrassment to higher education. While touting the UWI’s new global ranking among the top five per cent of universities and in Latin America’s top 40, Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles said his heart goes out to the mostly young Indian students who had been left stranded without food, electricity, water and money while chief executive officer of the St Philip-based Washington University of Barbados Rao Venkata Gopi remains in custody facing multiple counts of fraud. Sir Hilary, who was flanked by Principal of the Cave Hill Campus Professor Eudine Barriteau, expressed the need for stringent checks and balances in the establishment of educational institutions of all kinds and in the sourcing of foreign academic teaching staff to ensure they are above board. His comments came in light of reports that Gopi, who is currently on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, is also wanted by the law back in his native India. “The circumstance that has developed here is clearly an embarrassment to the university sector. We [UWI] are a public university dedicated to the advancement of our people in their multiple identities…the economic sector, the social sector. Anytime a university finds itself in the circumstance where it is before the law for losing track of the primary objective which is to educate people…it is unfortunate,” said Sir Hilary, who is also president of the 100-member Association of Caribbean Universities (ACU). “I have read the media coverage that these young people [Washington University students] are claiming that they have an ethical right to their education they have paid for. And my heart goes out to those young people. I am in deep sympathy with them. It is unfortunate that this circumstance has developed,” he told the news conference which was also attended by various faculty heads at Cave Hill. The UWI Vice Chancellor was also careful to distance the UWI from the Washington University of Barbados, which, while being given a charter by the Ministry of Education during the tenure of the then Minister Ronald Jones, had not been accredited by the education ministry’s Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC). Sir Hilary said he had no problem with the presence of for-profit universities in the Caribbean, but sought to make a clear distinction between those whose focus is the welfare of its people and those driven solely by financial gain. “UWI is not only excellent, but ethical because we pay very close attention to the welfare of our students, the welfare of our societies, our relationship with our stakeholders. And that alone will distinguish from many of these other institutions that are falling by the wayside and are finding themselves in difficulty with their hosts societies,” he said, adding that the situation involving the offshore medical school is a sad one. The UWI Vice Chancellor was also asked to describe what systems were in place to ensure that foreign academics who seek positions at the regional institution were bona fide. “We are a global university. We seek to recruit the best academics from around the world.  Our academic positions and our senior management are globally advertised because this is how we see ourselves. So we are global not only in terms of academic staff, but also our student population. We have students here at UWI from over 81 countries in the world and I suspect we have academics from probably even more countries. Clearly therefore, we have to have in place a structure of evaluating and monitoring of these things,” Sir Hilary told reporters. UWI scrutinises and even writes to institutions to validate and verify curricula vitae which are submitted to the university, he said. These checks and balances, he said, have unmasked charlatans from time to time. “Occasionally, I should tell you, we pick up a few skullduggers. We pick up a few things. This is a competitive world, and [in] our system, we spot them and we get them. Occasionally, every now and then one pops up that we have to say ‘what is this fraudulent attempt?’ So we do have a system in place to verify, to monitor and to check the potential opportunity for fraud in respect of presenting false document, false records… and it goes way down [to] false publications. We are on this 24/7 because this could be a threat to your reputation,” warned Sir Hilary. UWI works with other universities and university associations across the world to keep on top of the situation, the historian said.  (BT)

CULPRITS FOUND – Gases emanating from septic wells, mould, rotting student’s lunches and poor maintenance have been found to be the main culprits behind the environmental health problems found at the Lester Vaughan School, a Barbados TODAY investigation has found. A preliminary air quality assessment, among other findings and email correspondence between the principal and staff, obtained by Barbados TODAY suggest the school has just begun to wage war on mounting environmental problems. T oxic nitrogen dioxide and flammable methane gases are venting from drainage wells at the school, a preliminary report said. But the quantities of gas were not given, and the gases are naturally occurring substances creating by decaying matter in the wells. “Drainage wells with metal covers are venting nitrogen dioxide and methane gas. These gases are produced naturally by decaying vegetable matter. They will be sealed with heavy grease, which prevents them from venting,” said a preliminary report on air quality tests carried out on October 6. The findings were contained in one of several updates on the environmental problems issued by Principal Tanya Harding. But the gases are only part of a picture of a “dirty” and poorly maintained school, amid pigeon and cat faeces, fiberglass dropping from classroom ceilings, mould on furniture and ceilings, and worms in the playing field’s sandpit, according to the report and regular updates from the principal. “The school is dirty. Basically put, we got the school 20 years ago, and we did not maintain or clean the school in twenty years,” said a source close to the development who spoke to Barbados TODAY on condition of anonymity. But the sources comments are borne out by the findings of the environmental assessment: Lester Vaughn School has not been properly maintained over the years as dirt, dust and decay piled up ever since its doors swung open in 1999. “Several desks had decaying food. Form Teachers are asked to do regular checks of desk pockets,” the update said. “Damaged notice boards could affect those with allergies. These will be removed from classrooms. Fine dust in the corners of the room could affect those who are allergic to dust mites. This is being rectified with the scrubbing of floors.” Ironically, the school absorbed the St Leonard’s Girl’s School, closed over a raft of environmental problems nearly two decades ago. “Half of the staff compliment is on sick leave. You even have one teacher who was not there the entire term,” the source said. “You have a lot of respiratory issues at the school. You have people who come to school and in an hour or two cannot talk. “People who are on sick leave and come back and within an hour or two they have to go again. We even had a member of staff who was bleeding out repeatedly but because she has a [medical] condition [one assumes] that is what causes it. “So, it cannot be that you are fine when you are on vacation and from the time you step on the compound you have headaches, you might find that persons are gasping for air at some time, they are coughing,” the source told Barbados TODAY. Teachers vented their concerns on Tuesday, the source suggested, adding that “everybody seems to want it hush hush”. The health impacts had also begun to be experienced by students, who contacted their parents to collect them after they fell ill with headaches, the source added. When contacted, Principal Harding said that she was awaiting the details of the environmental report to determine the next step for the school, which has been closed for the remainder of the week to undergo industrial cleaning. “I cannot say too much and I am actually waiting for an environmental report which is going to be sent to the Chief Education Officer first. So, I am waiting for that to be sent and that would determine what happens next. So we are waiting for an environmental report and that is all I can say as I have not seen the report myself,” she told Barbados TODAY. Nitrogen oxide, with its pungent, acrid odour, can affect breathing, inflaming airways in healthy people, and can trigger asthma attacks. As it creates ozone, irritating eyes and worsening breathing issues. Although non-toxic, the more naturally occurring methane gas is highly flammable and can cause asphyxiation in high concentrations as it displaces oxygen. But there was no indication in the preliminary findings of high levels of the naturally-produced gases or imminent danger facing students or staff. The source also said the environmental issues had led to thousands of dollars in medical bills. Staff morale is at an all-time low,” the source said, adding that they are extremely frustrated with the way in which the matter is being handled by the school’s administration. However, the correspondence, spread over several weeks of the Michaelmas term indicate a principal who kept staff abreast of developments, issued findings of the environmental assessment, and the semblance of an action plan to tackle myriad problems. But it appears that some staff members are prepared not to return to the school should the planned environment cleaning fail come Monday, the source said. “Those . . . who cannot take it anymore [say they] have no intention of working under those conditions because we also have to think of the children who [they] are teaching, yes, but [teachers’] families as well.”  (BT)

QEH RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT CLOSING EARLY – The public is kindly asked to note that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Radiology and Medical Imaging Department, located on the ground floor of the main building will close at 12:00 P.M. on Friday, October 12, 2018, to allow staff to attend the funeral service of Ms. Marquita Daniel, former Clerical Officer, in the Radiology and Medical Imaging Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.  The Board of Management apologizes for any inconvenience caused. (WN)

TOWN PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO REOPEN NEXT WEEK –The Town and Country Development Planning Office will remain closed until Tuesday, October 16, and will reopen on Wednesday, October 17, at the Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St Michael. The department was closed as a result of environmental issues.   The Town and Country Development Planning Office apologizes for any inconvenience this closure may cause, and looks forward to serving the public from its temporary location. (BGIS)

MINISTRIES TO MEET ON YOUTH VIOLENCE – Several ministries are expected to meet next week to discuss the reasons behind the apparent escalation of violence among young people. The word came from Minister of Youth Adrian Forde as he expressed concern over this week’s stabbing of a schoolboy and the charging of five minors with several criminal offences. The minors – two aged 14 and the others aged 12, 13, 15 – and all from Brittons Hill, St Michael, appeared in the juvenile court at Cane Garden, St Thomas, on Thursday to face charges of robbery, burglary, theft and criminal damage. This was the second charge for the 12-year-old, who was also charged with burglary last month. “It is a concern for any Government of the day. We have to go back to mentorship programmes, whether it is mentorship in communities, at school, social workers, youth commissioners. We have to get every single person involved in young people’s lives directing them the right way,” Forde said. (WN)

CHURCH STEPS IN TO EASE VIOLENCE – In the terrifying aftermath of recent shootings in St Lucy, some church leaders there are moving to quell further violence in the northern parish. One priest has made bold to say that the church must now go to the notorious blocks while another minister has organised for police to visit with residents on how to safeguard themselves against the criminals. “We have to find some way to reach them [criminals]. A lot of them still have respect for the priest and I guest the church will have to get on the block, go among them. If they are not coming to us, we may have to go to them. Some of them just need a little help,” said Reverend Canon Curtis Goodridge of the St Lucy Parish Church. Goodridge and Minister Marcus Hinds of the Bethel Pentecostal Church which has two branches as well as some other church leaders in the parish have been in contact and discussing how to restore calm and peace to the area. While there have been no firm united plans Hinds has organised the meeting with police and residents for Sunday at his church in Greenidges on crime prevention. The Crab Hill area was rocked by and at times affected by shootings, one of which ended in the death of Crab Hill resident Dexter Lashley on September 30.  (WN)

SUPERSESSION –The High Court has ordered Superintendent of Prisons Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse to pay damages to one of his own officers who was wrongfully passed over for promotion to orderly officer in addition to being unpaid for working in that post for six years. The ruling, handed down by Mr Justice William Chandler since September 4, was in favour of Trevor Browne, president of the Prison Officers Association. But Browne, who sued his boss as the first defendant and the Attorney General as the second, will soon return to the judge to request a contempt of court order against Nurse, claiming that up to today, he had not benefited from the court’s ruling. “I will advise him to go back to the judge for a contempt of court order. That is what I am doing now,” consultant to the Prison Officers’ Association Senator Caswell Franklyn told Barbados TODAY this afternoon. The court ruled that the Browne – the claimant – was entitled to be paid the salary of an orderly officer during the periods of time that he worked in that capacity. “The claimant was wrongfully superseded by not being appointed to act in available posts of orderly officer between the period 4th April 2009 and 30th September 2015,” Justice Chandler ordered. The High Court Justice also declared that Browne merits being appointed to the post of orderly officer whenever a post next becomes available at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds. He further ordered that the Prison Superintendent pay as damages the difference between the salary of an orderly officer and the lesser salary that he was paid for all previous periods that he worked in the post, but had never received. Browne is also to be paid damages for the period he should have been appointed to act in available orderly officer posts, but was not so placed during April 4, 2009 and September 30, 2015. “In calculating the claimant’s gratuity and pension, the period of 4 April, 2009 to 30 September, 2015 shall be treated as a period during which the claimant acted as orderly officer. The Superintendent of Prisons shall immediately take appropriate action to facilitate the claimant being apointed to act in a post of orderly officer by the PSC [Public Service Commission],” the High Court ruled. Justice Chandler also ordered that the prison boss pay court costs to be agreed between the parties or be determined by the court. When contacted today, Nurse was unavailable for comment.  (BT)

COURT SEEKING FIVE PEOPLE – Howoreth Worrell, of Lot G Montrose, Christ Church is asked to attend the No.5 Supreme Court, which is sitting at the Cane Garden Municipal Complex, Cane Garden, St Thomas on Monday, October 15. In addition the following complainants are asked to contact the District 'A' Magistrates’ Court No. 2 by Monday:  Ryan Boyce – Andrew’s Tenantry, St Joseph and Central Close, Haynesville, St James.  Erma Haynes-Price – Tichbourne Cross Roads, St Michael,  Roger Meertino – Block 2B Nursery Close, Eden Lodge, St Michael,  Keith Belgrave – Barkers Gap, Deacons Road, St Michael. (WN)

WANTED: NEMOY SHANE HARVEY – The Royal Barbados Police Force is seeking the assistance of the public in locating a wanted man for questioning in connection with a number of serious criminal matters. He is Nemoy Shane Harvey, 30, of Half Moon Fort, St Lucy, who goes by the alias “Rat”. Harvey is approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a dark complexion, and a slim build. He has an oval face, low haircut, average eyes, a short nose, average ears and thick lips. He has a tattoo on his left arm of two masks with the words “laugh now and cry later”, along with a tattoo with the words “Mafia Business” and an image of a face smoking a cigarette. On his right arm he has a tattoo of the words “A-Team” and an image of a rifle on his bicep. Harvey is advised that he can present himself to the District ‘E’ Police Station accompanied by an attorney-at-law of his choice. Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Nemoy Shane Harvey, is asked to contact the Crab Hill Police Station at 310-7701, District ‘E’ Police Station at 419-1737, police emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. Members of the public are advised not to approach Harvey as he is considered armed and dangerous.  (WN)

HELP SOUGHT FOR SAWH – The Royal Barbados Police Force Family Services Unit needs to intervene in a case involving an accused teen, attorney-at-law Arthur Holder has said.  Holder made the comment today after the prosecutor, acting Station Sargeant Cameron Gibbons, said he was not renewing objections to the granting of bail for Zebulun Jahlani Sawh, of First Avenue, Greaves Land, Black Rock, St Michael. However, the prosecutor asked that conditions be attached to his bail. The 16-year-old is accused of damaging a motorcar belonging to Yogendra Sawh on June 1, 2018 as well as assaulting Anderson Lewis occasioning him actual bodily harm and damaging a window belonging to him on August 23 and assaulting Akeem Seymohorien on the same date. He is further charged with assaulting Lewis on August 27. “This is a matter that persistent criminal [charges] will not solve the problem. There needs to be some sort of intervention from the Family Services Unit of the police force. [This] involves family conflicts between father and son so there needs to be a different level of intervention . . . before it gets uglier than what is before you now,” Holder who is representing the accused Sawh told Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant. The prosecutor replied saying that he would inform the unit, which is situated at Black Rock Main Road, St Michael, of the situation. Sawh who returns to court on January 30, 2019 was granted $3,000 bail on two conditions – that he reports to a police station every Wednesday and to stay away from all the complainants until the matters are adjudicated. (BT)

TEACHER GRANTED BAIL – A 57-year-old teacher was granted $10,000 bail when she appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court today on a criminal charge. It is alleged that Gloria Idalia Burke, of Roach Village, St George, unlawfully and maliciously inflicted serious bodily harm on a schoolboy without a weapon. She was not required to plead to the indictable charge after Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant read it. There was no objection to bail and Burke was released and warned to stay away from the student. The accused teacher will reappear before Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant on April 22, 2019. (BT)

SECOND APPEARANCE – Murder accused 24-year-old Dave Fedel Aristide James and 34-year-old Verena Isilma Vasilka Cuffy made their second appearance in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court today. The two, of Wavell Gardens, Black Rock, St Michael, are charged with the September 7 murder of fish vendor Stephen “Molly” Small. They have been on remand since their first appearance before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant on September 13 accused of committing the indictable capital offence. They were again remanded to HMP Dodds until November 8. Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley appeared for both accused.. Meantime Cuffy, a fish boner, continued to maintain her innocence on the September 8 charges of possession of cannabis and cultivation of the plants while James, a labourer, made an appearance in the Traffic Court before Magistrate Graveney Bannaister today. He pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle along St Matthias Road, Christ Church, about 11:30 a.m. on September 1, when he had no driver’s licence and no insurance as well as driving without due care and attention. He was convicted, reprimanded and discharged on the charges. (BT)

TRUCK SLAMS INTO TWO HOMES – Shock was on the face of Kalah Alleyne as she tried to come to grips with a truck crashing into her home at Woodbourne, St Philip. Her car and the house next door owned by Lennon Browne were wrecked around 11.30 this morning which occurred when a truck delivering lumber lost control and crashed into the house of Alleyne and damaged the home of Browne. “I was about to open my front window when I heard this noise and I ran. I ran back in the house when I came out the gentleman was climbing through his window and the front part of my house was damaged, [along with] my car and I was extremely shaken up,” Alleyne told Barbados TODAY. It seems like Alleyne cannot catch a break from misfortune as only last week with the passing of Tropical Storm Kirk her entire house was flooded, she said. Now she is urging motorists to slow down on the stretch of the road from Foursquare to Woodbourne. “I would like people to stop speeding they are houses on this road and when you hit the corner people lose control of their vehicle. This is not the first time, things happen out here all the time due to speeding coming around the corner,” she said, adding that she lives with a sick relative who was on the phone at the time speaking with relatives from overseas. Alleyne said she has lost “thousands of dollars” in damage. “The whole gallery, the front door, the window, the car, the fencing, the gates – it is a lot of money,” she said. Onlookers said they ventured to the scene after they heard a loud bang. “I thought it was thunder. I peep outside and I saw the man jumping through from the window,” one woman said, as residents joined Alleyne in asking motorists to slow down in the area. “All of these houses get affected by the hitting already by some vehicle or the other,” she said. Browne also told Barbados TODAY that he saw water spouting from what appeared to be a burst pipe.  But, he would soon realize that the water he was seeing was, in fact, coming from his house next door to Alleyne’s. “My step lick off, the water meter gone and the gas meter gone,” he said. When a Barbados TODAY team visited Browne’s home workmen were replacing Browne’s broken natural gas line as onlookers stood surveying the damage done to the two houses. (BT)

‘PICK ME’ – Sir Curtly Ambrose, the bowler with the most match-winning efforts for the West Indies wants another spell. The legendary pacer is looking to lead from the front again having thrown his name in the hat for the job of head coach. Familiarly known as Ambi, he confirmed his desire in a telephone interview on Thursday just weeks after Stuart Law said he would step down at yearend to take over at Middlesex. “I can’t say if they are ready to take applications, but I know I would love to do it. So I plan to apply for the job because I’ve had my Level 3 coaching certificate for a long while now and if the job is offered to me I will gladly take it,” said the 55-year-old Antiguan, who is in Barbados doing commentary for ESPN on the Regional Super 50 Cup.  (WN)

CCC HURT PRIDE – CCC captain Carlos Brathwaite led from the front as he rocked Barbados with bat and ball. (Picture by Kenmore Bynoe.) Barbados had their pride dented yet again as Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) Marooners, all confidence and aggression, rolled over them by seven wickets in the Regional Super50 Cup at 3Ws Oval, on Wednesday. Sent in to bat, the Shamarh Brooks-led team were always up against it when they mustered a modest 174 on a slow pitch, which suited the varied four-man CCC spin attack of leg-spinner Keron Cottoy, off-spinner Jon Russ Jaggesar and left-arm spinners Linton Buchanan and Yannick Ottley. The spin quartet kept the brakes on the middle order after captain Carlos Brathwaite and fellow new-ball bowler Akeem Jordan had given away precious little at the start. CCC made light of the target, scoring at five an over with Kyle Corbin and the left-handed Kjorn Ottley blazing to 70 without loss in the 15th over. The stylish Corbin unleashed a series of delightful shots en route to 40 off just 46 balls, while Ottley, who was especially strong on the back foot, cracked 42 with two fours and three sixes. (WN)

KIRBY AND WEEKES BOW OUT – Barbados’ hope of a first Youth Olympic medal got slimmer on Thursday as Jack Kirby and Luis Sebastian Weekes encountered a tough day in the pool at the Buenos Aires games. Swimming in Lane 8 in the Boys’ 100 metres freestyle, Kirby never got his traditional quick momentum going and finished eighth in 52.29 seconds. Russian Jakub Kraska won the heat. The United States-based Kirby missed a spot in the finals of the Boys’ 100 metres backstroke by a few seconds, after clocking 56.67 seconds in finishing seventh in the second of two semi-finals on Sunday. He had qualified for the semi-finals after placing 15th overall but sixth in his heat. (WN)

70 IN 50 – For a couple hours on Wednesday some alumni of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus relived a brief moment of what it was like graduating from the learning institution some 10 to 50 years ago. One by one as their names were called, the who’s who of the Caribbean went up and collected their awards for their outstanding contribution in various fields. The 70 illustrious honourees included a range of men and women across the region ranging from judges, central bankers, former prime ministers, trade unionists, doctors, lawyers, professors, musicians, entrepreneurs and chief justices. They were awarded in a special ceremony which formed part of the school’s 70th anniversary celebrations. “This final list of 70 is by no means an indication that the UWI believes these persons to be the only outstanding graduates emerging from this hallowed hill. We are proud of, and value all of our graduates,” said Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the UWI, Cave Hill Campus Professor Eudine Barriteau. The former students attended the university between the 1960s and 2000s. Noting that UWI graduates continue to make impactful contributions to their households, community and countries, Barriteau said she was pleased that many of them were also making waves across the region as well as globally. The principal said the intention was that the university would be around for many more decades, continuing to produce citizens of high calibre. “We know not what is to come but you can be sure that the University of the West Indies and indeed, the Cave Hill Campus, will be here to train minds, find solutions and unleash the rich potential of all those students in all those classrooms throughout the campus and we intend to do this for generations to come,” said Barriteau. Two plaques bearing the names of the 70 awardees were unveiled at the entrance to the quadrangle on the main campus. Speaking on behalf of the honourees, former prime minister of St Lucia Dr Kenny Anthony described the moment as one of “intense and overwhelming nostalgia”. “Believe it or not, this generation of Caribbean leadership is also an assessment of the University of the West Indies, because in every island of the archipelago, graduates of the University of the West Indies are the persons who have held the levers of authority, power and responsibility,” said Anthony. “We are the ones who help to nurse these countries through very difficult periods of our economic and social lives. So I think if there is any statement about our contribution, that statement will be assessed against the history, which has shaped us and [the] history which we have created over the years,” he added. (BT)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 81 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 6/7/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday June 7TH2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

4.5 PAY HIKE – You can forget all about the National Union of Public Workers’ (NUPW) demands for a 23 per cent pay hike for its members. Those demands by this island’s largest public sector union have apparently died with the last Government. Today, the NUPW, which had been holding the feet of the Freundel Stuart-led administration to the fire for more than a year in support of its demands for a double-digit pay hike, made a major about turn on the issue. Barbados TODAY understands that after initially rejecting the significantly reduced offer from the new Government yesterday of a 4.5 per cent increase over three years, the union’s national council met today and approved the single digit salary offer, with only one council member abstaining and all others voting in favour of the proposed hike of two per cent in the first year, 1.5 per cent in the second and one per cent in the third for the 2016 to 2019 negotiating period. At the same time, the NUPW has no intention of relinquishing outstanding backpay covering the period 2011 to 2016. However, informed sources say they are prepared to put those talks on hold for the time being, as Government begins formal negotiations on a balance of payments support programme with the International Monetary Fund. Today, NUPW President Akanni McDowall was tightlipped on the offer, saying he did not want to circumvent the ongoing negotiations with the Ministry of the Civil Service. “We don’t want share the details until Government agrees to what exactly we are discussing because technically speaking we are still negotiating. So once Government accepts what the union is suggesting, which is in line with what they are offering, then we would explain to the public what the proposals are,” he said, while confirming that the union had accepted the latest pay offer from Government. However, the NUPW president said there would be certain conditionalities attached to the wage increase, which amounts to a major step down by the union from its pre-election pay demands. “We had a meeting this morning of the council to discuss the proposal presented to us by the Ministry of the Civil Service. Those discussions lasted for approximately an hour and we came up with a decision where we would look favourably on the proposal sent to us by Government. It is now up to the Government to determine whether or not they agree, but once it is finally agreed, public servants should be a little happier,” is all that McDowall would say on the current pay proposal. It was last December that the then Stuart-led Government had offered the union a $49 million lump sum payment that would have seen civil servants at the higher end of the salary scale receiving a two per cent payment for one year and those at the lower end a five per cent hike, based on a sliding scale. To sweeten the deal, the former Government had also proposed to make the payments tax free and devoid of any National Insurance deductions. However, the proposal still did not sit well with the NUPW’s executives who said the payments would have amounted to less than $2,500 per worker. This gave rise to demands by the union for $11 million more. A breakdown of talks followed with the NUPW opting to embark on industrial action last January to little effect and following the dissolution of Parliament in March, the Stuart administration announced that it would be ceasing all salary negotiations with the union given the poor state of economy. However, during the recent election campaign Mottley had promised that the first order of business would be to meet with the trade unions to secure a pay increase for the workers. At that time, the then Opposition leader had also declared that if there was no agreement within three months of talks, a cost of living allowance would be paid to every public servant. (BT)

THEY ARE ‘POLITICAL PROSTITUTES’, SAYS FRANKLYN OF THE NUPW – Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn has criticized the leadership of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) calling them “political prostitutes” over their acceptance of a paltry 4.5 per cent pay offer from the less than two-week-old Mia Mottley-led Government. Barbados TODAY understands that the union, which had been demanding a 23 per cent pay hike from the last administration, in a significant change of heart today agreed to a two per cent increase in the first year, 1.5 per cent in the second and one per cent in the third for the 2016 to 2019 negotiating period. The decision came during an hour-long meeting of the NUPW’s national council at its Dalkeith headquarters today. However, reacting to the union’s apparent U-turn, Franklyn argued that the membership of the NUPW ought to call the executive to account, while accusing the union’s leadership of using the workers’ plight to accomplish political ends. “Remember these were the same people saying that they wanted 23 per cent and that they were not backing down from that position. It reeks of nastiness and political nastiness at that. The [last] Government was unpopular and union tried to make it even worse. The membership of the NUPW needs to make their leadership give account,” said Franklyn in his typical unabashed manner. The Opposition Senator went further to accuse the NUPW leadership of using its influence to attempt to bring down the former Freundel Stuart administration, which was decimated in the May 24 general election in which it failed to hold on to a single seat. He also argued that had the NUPW’s offer been reasonable in the first place, workers would have received a pay hike a long time ago. “Maybe if the NUPW had offered Stuart 4.5 per cent they would have reached a settlement a long time ago. But they didn’t want a settlement, they wanted a change of Government. I too am happy that the Government has been changed, but at the same time I would not have done anything using my union to help to effect that because that is not our role,” said Franklyn, who is also the leader of the Unity Workers Union. “It is really shameful and the members need to call them to account. If they get into bed with this Government now, when this Government starts operating in manner they don’t like, are they going to get into bed with somebody else? They [NUPW] are prostitutes for political gain and God knows what else they going to get,” the trade unionist added. With the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Government in office for just two weeks, Franklyn also expressed suspicion over how quickly a deal was reached on this long running issue. “To come down from 23 per cent to 4.5 per cent is like dropping off a cliff. Everybody knew that the [previous] Government was mismanaging the economy and that the whole country was going to hell in a handcart, yet they [NUPW] insisted on 23 per cent. “I can’t say if this Government is being reasonable, but you can’t just settle in one meeting after elections. It smells like a bag of rotten shrimp,” he stressed. (BT)

DON’T BE DECEIVED BY MOTTLEY, WARNS DLP SPOKESPERSONS – The St George South branch of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has sought to warn the country that despite her clear mandate, Prime Minister Mia Mottley will not be able to deliver on the promises made in the recent general election campaign. These include a repeal of the National Social Responsibility Levy; an increase in old age pensions; a repeal of tuition payments for Barbadian students attending the University of the West Indies and a salary hike for public servants. In a post made this week on its Facebook page, a spokesperson for the branch, which is led by former Minister of Labour and Social Security Dr Esther Byer Suckoo, also accused Mottley of seeking to blame the former Freundel Stuart led Government for everything. “Clearly, she set about to deceive the people,” the poster said. “Well, we have her and her team now and therefore will have to tighten our belts. But in all fairness, do not blame the DLP for the policies which are about to be wrought upon this island by the Mottley crew,” the writer insisted. The DLP spokesperson also took Mottley to task over her handling of the 2017 International Monetary Fund (IMF) Staff Report, which she released to the public immediately after the BLP victory. The Prime Minister had expressed alarm over the contents of the report in which the Washington-based lending institution warned that the Barbados economy was slowing, following its recovery in 2016, reflecting an increased pace of fiscal consolidation and policy uncertainty, partly related to the recent general elections. It said that international reserves, which were already low, continued to decline. And while there is significant progress in reducing the high fiscal deficit, Government would fall short in meeting the ambitious fiscal adjustment targets set in the May 2017 Budget. “The adjustment, if maintained, will lead to a decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio, but debt will remain unsustainable. Further delays in privatization will lead to a continued decline in reserves, while large financing requirements remain a serious challenge,” the report added. However, the unidentified spokesperson for the party’s St George South branch said Mottley was well aware of the state of public finances while in Opposition. “[Therefore] for her to come and release the IMF Article 1V report the day after elections is a joke. She has had it in her possession for several weeks prior and even quoted from it during the campaign as proof of how bad the economy was,” the poster said, stressing that “as a parliamentarian she was acutely aware of the levels of foreign and domestic debt. “So to come now and behave as though this is all a surprise is an insult to all Bajans,” the poster added. Similar sentiments were expressed by former DLP Cabinet minister Donville Inniss about Mottley’s handling of the IMF report when he addressed a recent meeting of his St James South supporters. However, the former Minister of Commerce said while the BLP must be congratulated on its clean sweep of the May 24 polls, the ousted DLP had nothing to be ashamed of. “Even in the midst of such an electoral defeat we need not hang our heads in shame,” Inniss later told Barbados TODAY, while maintaining that “what we did was right and in the best interest of the island”. Nevertheless, the former St James South representative congratulated his opponent Sandra Husbands on her electoral victory, as well as Prime Minister Mottley who he said “has been given a clear mandate to govern and as such, I wish her all the best”. In terms of his own DLP, Inniss said “our first order of business as a party is to focus on rebuilding and rebranding,” adding that “I stand ready to help in that exercise”. Addressing his St James South supporters, Inniss said he would be eternally grateful to them for allowing him to be their parliamentary representative for ten years and gave the assurance that he would remain with them for the foreseeable future. “My relationship with St James South residents goes beyond party politics. I have learned a lot from them and will always be among my people,” he promised. (BT)

DOWN AGAIN – Barbados has been hit with the major credit rating downgrade Government said was likely after it suspended foreign debt payments to commercial creditors. But having lowered the island’s Long-Term Foreign Currency Rating to Selective Default (SD) yesterday, international credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) also warned that a default on Government’s local currency debt obligations was now “a virtual certainty”. “We could lower the local currency sovereign issuer credit rating to SD if Barbados fails to make debt service payments on its local currency debt or executes an exchange with bondholders,” it announced. S&P said it took action yesterday after Barbados “failed to make an interest payment due on its 6.625 per cent notes due 2035”. It said that payment was due on Tuesday. The rating agency revealed that Government’s next significant domestic bond maturity was the $100 million 4.375 per cent Treasury notes due on June 30. S&P said it believed the Mia Mottley administration “could miss payments on its foreign and local currency debt within the next three months”. Last week, Government announced the suspension of debt payments due to external commercial creditors. The authorities said they would “endeavour to make scheduled domestic interest payments, but domestic creditors will be asked to roll over principal maturities until restructuring agreements are concluded”. (DN)

BES HEAD SEES UPSIDE TO BARBADOS’ CREDIT DEFAULT – There is an upside to Government defaulting on its debt, says President of the Barbados Economic Society (BES) Shane Lowe. Lowe told Barbados TODAY that it could give the country needed “breathing room” to implement a much needed adjustment programme. However, he acknowledged that with the decision, Barbados was also exposed to tremendous risk. “The main benefit of a country defaulting on its debt is that it gives the country enough breathing room to implement a structural adjustment programme, normally under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” Lowe said. “This structural adjustment programme attempts to address the underlying cause of the problem driving the demand for debt as well as the balance of payments disequilibrium,” he explained. As part of a major plan to tackle the island’s massive debt of over 170 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and low international reserves of only US$220 million or seven weeks’ worth of import cover, newly elected Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Friday announced that her Government would be seeking balance of payments support from the IMF. Since then, a team from the Washington-based financial institution, led by Dr Bert van Selm, has arrived here for talks with key officials of the Mottley Government, as well as private sector and trade union officials. In the meantime, Government has decided to default on its foreign debt payments, a move that is expected to be followed by an adjustment by ratings agencies of Barbados’ credit rating to “selective default”.

Already, the value of the island’s international bonds, which carry a maturity date of 2019, 2021 and 2035, have plunged to about half their value, as investors seek to get rid of them. However, pointing out that several Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda, had chosen to restructure their debt in recent times, Lowe said the main benefit was a reduction in interest payments that allowed them to cut recurring expenses, improve their fiscal position, realize faster economic growth and lower their overall levels of debt. However, he warned that the key problem with a reprofiling exercise was the enhancement of financial sector vulnerabilities as institutions who own Government’s debt incur losses. The BES head also said there was the chance of reputational risk, loss of future access to the international credit market due to further credit rating downgrades and the potential for prolonged legal battles with vulture funds. “However, in the absence of access to international credit markets, a financing programme with the IMF provides a cheaper source of foreign financing to stabilize the foreign exchange reserves in the medium term,” he said. “The ability to regain access to international borrowing and reverse any deterioration in reputational risk will require a sustainable reduction in the Government’s debt. Ultimately, it will lead to the restoration of Barbados’ international credit rating to a more credit-worthy status,” he added. At the end of fiscal year 2017/18, the Government’s external debt obligations were approximately BD$2.7 billion or approximately 29.6 per cent of GDP while domestic debt, including that held by the National Insurance Scheme, was approximately 120.9 per cent of GDP. And while the country’s external debt has been declining since 2015 when compared to its domestic debt, it has become increasingly difficult to rollover foreign debt due to the island’s falling external credit ratings, which are now in junk status. While noting that external debt was an important source of financing that allowed small states to minimize the negative impact of new projects on their foreign exchange earnings, Lowe said Barbados’ debt problems were due in large measure to a slowdown in private capital inflows. “This reduction in capital inflows leads to a fall in foreign exchange reserves and makes it difficult to continue to pay for imports of goods and services as well as to make payments on external debt,” he said, while noting that the island’s foreign direct investment fell from US$316 million in 2014 to US$156 million in 2017. “This decline in FDI inflows, along with other factors, resulted in the international reserves falling from US$527 million to US$205 million between 2014 and 2017,” he explained. (BT)

ON EDGE – Local creditors are anxious to hear what path Government’s debt restructuring programme will take, following Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s announcement last Friday that her week-old Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration would ask local creditors to roll over principal maturities until restructuring agreements were concluded. Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) Charles Herbert confirmed to Barbados TODAY this afternoon that local creditors had “lots of concern” about the path Government was taking, adding that the main concern was the lack of details at this point. However, he quickly pointed out that they were not about to rush the process, since they wanted the officials to “get it right”. “I think there are lots of concern, but at the minute there are no specifics. So we don’t know whether the ultimate restructuring deal that will be recommended, will deal with all of our concerns,” said Herbert, moments after members of the private sector emerged from talks with visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials. Government’s overall bonds, loans and other financial liabilities are estimated at nearly US$9 billion currently, with more than two-thirds being domestic debt owed to local investors and banks. Barbados TODAY understands that there has been some concern that a harsh restructuring programme could create a number of risks to the local financial system. Herbert did not want to get into the specific concerns, but insisted that “everyone said clearly that we want to get it right the first time”. “Nobody can make specific comments or be specific about what they are worried about because you don’t know if what you are worried about is in the recommendation because there are no recommendations yet. There is nothing you can do until there is a firm proposal on the table. You can’t worry about the diagnosis until you hear the diagnosis. So we are all waiting to hear, but there is nothing to hear at the moment,” he explained. “What everyone said very clearly is that we want to get it right the first time. That is the experience of other countries. So we don’t want to rush it, we want to get it right. We need to let the consultants do their job, come back with recommendations and then there will be something to discuss. But right now there is just the knowledge that the consultants are in, there is something that they intend to do, but there are no specifics,” added Herbert, who described today’s talks with the IMF as “cordial and non-specific”. He explained that the meeting was simply intended to bring the IMF up to speed on the general spirit of cooperation that existed between the Social Partners – Government, labour and private sector – in order to formulate a national framework. Herbert said he understood the process leading up to a decision on a programme between Government and the IMF could take several weeks and the general consensus was that a viable framework was needed. “It is really just the beginning of the process that will take some time. There are a lot of creditors who are worried and therefore from that point of view, it is in our interest to get past the process as quickly as possible. But we have a lot of groundwork to deal with in getting it right,” he said. (BT)

US EXPERT: OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGION IN GANJA TRADE – Caribbean governments contemplating the decriminalization of the cannabis industry have been warned by one United States expert not to overtax the sector. Jamaica and Antigua already have decriminalized the use of small amounts of the herb for personal consumption, with the recently elected Mia Mottley-led administration in Barbados promising to consult with Barbadians on the decriminalization of recreational marijuana. Brian Staffa, chief strategist at the cannabis consulting company BSC Group, told officials attending Caribbean Week in New York this morning that while taxation may be necessary, governments must strike the right balance in that area. “The government often assumes that taxation is the cash cow and I just want to give a cautionary tale. While taxation can be one way, taxation directly on the product, directly on the operators that are creating it, and then at some sort of end of the sale perhaps with sales tax, that’s only one portion. “And I caution to not create too high of a tax burden because you will have a black market continue proliferating, and it will be harder and harder to regulate that programme if it’s too burdensome.” Equally important, Staffa said, was not to have too low a tax structure, because the programme would not be funded effectively. He noted that in the case of medical cannabis, there were funding alternatives, for example, low patient fees. “The big thing is be very cognizant of what the market will bear in your region, and perhaps take note of what black market pricing is, because your ultimate goal is to stamp out that black market, get everybody on to the regulated side because it is much safer, and it is much more beneficial to the local economy” he said. He explained that in the US where the use of cannabis was now legal, taxes could be as high as 40 per cent, which was proving “a little bit too high and causing some challenges in some states”. “Colorado is really seen as more of the bellwether in that it’s doing things a little better. Their taxation varies between 23 and 26 per cent, so it’s toward the lower side of that range, and as a general rule, Colorado is the most successful. “In 2017, in one year they took in $247 million in taxes and fees. That’s just the cannabis programme with which they can do whatever they want from it. And they’ve been putting that back to roads, schools, a whole number of things.” Staffa told the gathering of ministers of tourism and other industry officials that apart from taxation, there were several other revenue earning opportunities in the cannabis industry, the most important being research. “Research has been stifled throughout the world, especially in the US, for the last 80 years on cannabis. Mostly because of federal law that disallows it. If you’re looking to establish yourself as a research hub for cannabis, you could be the first to do so and the only other country right now that’s doing anything remotely close is Israel. They’re taking the lead and you can look at them as a great example, but no one else is doing it. Be the first,” he said. Transportation of people and tourists, as well as construction of buildings for cannabis businesses is another area to be looked into. “Often in the cannabis space and throughout the industry, it is a social responsibility that we see to be able to take some of the underperforming areas, maybe that ugly duckling building that no one else wants to do anything with, to purchase it at perhaps a little bit of a discounted rate and make that investment to be able to revitalize that area to turn it into something new,” he said, while suggesting that Caribbean brands, and the accompanying licensing opportunities should also be explored. “When you think of Blue Mountain coffee, it’s only coming from one area for it to be true Blue Mountain coffee . . . . There’s so much history, so much culture, so much heritage that can be built into these types of brands and then taken outside of the country and elsewhere, because people are going to come, they’re going to have that experience in your region and want to relive that over and over again,” he said. Another area that should not be overlooked, Staffa said, was the potential market for medical cannabis. “If you are open to the idea and you’re trying to understand how best to be able to capitalize on the medical cannabis tourism market immediately, as you’re developing your programme you must consider what we call reciprocity . . . where so long as the individual coming to your area has a legal right and a legal use in their home country or home state, to be able to use medical cannabis and they can provide that documentation, they will then be able to make that purchase in your country.” Staffa noted that as of May this year, there were 2.1 million medical cannabis patients in the US. He expects that number to increase to three million by next year, as new programmes in Florida and other states are now coming on stream. “We should be focused on the baby boomers and potentially that slightly older crowd that has that disposable income. And the great news is that the average medical cannabis patient in the US is 46 years old. Only 27 per cent are younger than 40 . . . which means they’re going to have a lot of disposable income and the means to travel and the desire to travel. “And one of the biggest aspects of this, when medical patients have found that cannabis works for them, they typically don’t want to give it up. They don’t want to leave it home, just like any other prescription that you won’t want to leave. ‘If you have a destination that is open for medical cannabis patients to come to to purchase legally, you’re going to open up a market that doesn’t yet exist,” Staffa said. (BT)

SENATE TO MEET ON FRIDAY – The newly appointed Senate of Barbados will meet for the first time on Friday. The main item for discussion will be the Constitution (Amendment) (No.1) Bill 2018which was passed yesterday in the House of Assembly. The motion was brought by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, clearing the way for Senators Rawdon Adams and Kay McConney to take their place in the Cabinet. They were not resident on the island for 12 consecutive months prior to their appointments. People who hold dual citizenship will also now be eligible. Adams, a financial analyst, is the son of former Prime Minister Tom Adams, while McConney is a consultant and former consul general to Canada. In tabling the motion, Mottley said the Constitution was framed in 1966 and it was time to make the changes so Barbados could "draw on our talent wherever it is found".  (DN)

UWI STUDENTS’ GUILD ON BOARD WITH MOTTLEY’S FREE TUITION PLAN – Newly elected President of the Guild of Students at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, Christian Attong has welcomed Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s announcement that students attending that institution will no longer pay tuition fees from September. He told Barbados TODAY the move should result in more students being enrolled at the learning institution and a return of the “buzz” that quickly faded when the former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration implemented its controversial policy back in 2014, requiring Barbadians pursuing studies at all the campuses of the UWI to pay tuition fees, while Government continued to foot their economic costs. This was met with an immediate outcry from university officials and students, with enrolment numbers instantly taking a plunge to 1,468 new students for the 2014 academic year, compared to 2,240 at the start of the academic year in 2013. It is expected that some 1,164 new students will enroll at the campus this year. However, leading up to its victory in the May 24 poll, the Mottley-led Barbados Labour Party promised to restore free tertiary education for Barbadian students attending the UWI, a pledge that was echoed at the opening of a new session of the House of Assembly on Tuesday. Delivering her Throne Speech, Governor General Dame Sandra Mason said, “my Government is committed to safeguarding our future generations and empowering them to have the best quality of life our country can give them. From next semester in 2018, therefore, it will pay the tuition fees for Barbadians to attend the University of the West Indies”. Responding to that announcement, Attong told Barbados TODAY “the Guild of Students under my leadership can safely rely” on those words, while disclosing that “unofficially, I have been in conversation with Government officials about the reinstatement of the ‘no tuition’ policy”. “As the President of the Guild of Students, I will always be in support of any Government, regardless of the party, that creates student-friendly policies, especially with tuition grants for Barbadian students,” Attong said. “We believe the more people enrolled in the university will always be more beneficial, not only to the Barbadian economy, but beneficial to the wider Caribbean region . . . . By adding more students to the campus, this will bring the buzz back to campus life, that was diminished in 2014, and Barbados at large,” he added. The student representative explained that it would also result in more activities on campus with the student clubs, societies, and associations’ events being better patronized. “In essence, these social interactions are critical for the development of our Caribbean region as it lays the foundation for inter-regional relations,” he stressed. Attong said he would be seeking to meet with the new Prime Minister as well as the Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw “regarding further discussion on the policy in which the Guild can give suggestions and recommendations for improvement”. “We also hope to build a strong working relationship with the Government in order for us to outline our expectations of each other,” he added. However, Attong, who was recently elected president of the Guild, said despite the restoration of the policy, the Guild would continue to assist students who were facing economic hardships in the form of scholarships. (BT)

FRESH COMPLAINTS ABOUT MOUNTING SEAWEED IN BATHSHEBA – The dreaded Sargassum Seaweed, which has been washing up on beaches across Barbados, is currently proving to be a nuisance for vendors, fishermen and tourists alike in Bathsheba, St Joseph.

On Monday, several sea turtles and other species of marine life had to be rescued by residents and workers from the Bellairs Research Institute, as the brown algae blanketed the picturesque east coast beach venue. And yesterday when Barbados TODAY visited the area, veteran fisherman Shirley Small, complained that “this is the worst time I have seen seaweed down here. “Right now I can’t go out and fish mainly because the seaweed is too thick. It will cause more damage to try to go out there, than to relax and let it come and go,” he said, adding that while “it has been a nuisance for the past three years, only yesterday we started to see all of this seaweed. “The rest of days were so nice, but after the tropical depression, we saw a lot of weed,” he said while making reference to a recent weather system that was threatening to dump heavy showers on the area. Also bothered by the irksome seaweed was beach vendor Jacqueline Holder, who complained that “the smell is really affecting me”. “I suffer with sinuses so as I inhale the horrible scent, it also affects my throat very bad. Sometimes it has me coughing a lot.” However, Holder, who sells jewellery on the beach, said she was currently taking the situation in stride until the seaweed, which generally comes and goes at particular periods of the year, vanishes again. “Between February and March is when we really started to see this influx, but the sea comes and takes it back out, so sometimes we only need a big wave,” she said. “It smells awful, but I don’t think we can really do anything about it. When you clean it up, it comes back again and it takes more than just a few people and rakes to remove it, because it is a lot of work.  You would have to stop the source of seaweed from the sea to get rid of it, but until then we have to live with it. It is Mother Nature,” she told Barbados TODAY. However, Small suggested that more could be done on the part of the authorities to control its spread to the island’s beaches. “We have to deal with it outside where we can get a couple boats and trap it out there [at sea], then we can put it on one spot to keep it from coming on the beach where it is a disaster,” he said. Also commenting on the situation was Victor Barnes, a first-time visitor from the United Kingdom. Barnes told Barbados TODAY he was concerned about the seaweed’s impact on the island’s main money earner – tourism. “I came to Barbados to see the beautiful beaches and the seaweed has really spoilt them, but it is nature so you can’t do anything,” he said, while suggesting that machinery should be readily available to clear the beach on a daily basis. (BT)

THREE LODGE PETITION AGAINST BUGGERY LAW – Three members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community have officially lodged a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Twenty-four-year-old Alexa Hoffman, a transgender woman, and the two other petitioners, a lesbian woman and a gay man who remained anonymous, officially made the stance before a small crowd in the moot courtroom, Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus moments ago. They are unanimously contesting Sections 9 and 12 of the Sexual Offences Act, which deals with buggery and serious indecency respectively, to be able to live their lives openly and as they see fit. Currently, as it stands, the law which is over 200 years old does not make allowances for people within the LGBT community to have consensual relationships between themselves, and further sees some acts between a man and a woman as a crime. If charged under this law, a person can face lifetime imprisonment.  The trio, were supported by Jamaican Maurice Tomlinson, senior policy analyst, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, and Canadian Yvonne Chisolm, pro-bono litigation counsel. (DN)

NURSE BARRED – The only time Psychiatric Hospital staff nurse Jason Jamal Phillips should be venturing onto the Black Rock facility should be when he is attending his disciplinary hearings. Other than that, District “A” Court Magistrate Douglas Frederick warned Phillips, who allegedly beat a patient, against going to his workplace until the conclusion of his case before the court. Phillips, 32, of Madison Terrace, Deacons, St Michael, yesterday denied he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Alden King, the patient in a video that went viral on social media, on June 2. Prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim did not object to Phillips being released but this prompted questions from Magistrate Frederick. “This was a matter that would have incensed the public and the public would be so incensed by this type of allegation that he might very well be in danger. Did you look at that? Did you look at the public interest in this matter? That the public might be so incensed that he could very well be in danger? That his protection might be necessary?” he asked the prosecutor. “I looked at that and I also looked at the fact that he did not appear to be a flight risk,” Sergeant Pilgrim replied. “I am not talking about a flight risk, I am talking about his safety in society. And not only that, but that he was in a position of trust and confidence being a trained person in trust and confidence of a patient, and the nature and seriousness of the offence,” the magistrate said. Frederick continued that he had had people appear before him on “some simple allegations” and the prosecution would point to the nature and seriousness of the offence as it opposed the granting of bail. “So what about the nature and seriousness of this offence, given the totality of the allegation?” he asked. But Pilgrim countered that every offence was serious and, while he was not downplaying the charge, “this was a matter that was being done summarily”. “But this is a serious matter. This is one that the public would be concerned about because it involves an allegation where he is said to have been in trust and confidence of the person whom he is alleged to have caused the allegation against,” Frederick said. Pilgrim then revealed he had a briefing with his superior and there was no aspect in relation to bail. “It concerns me because I am always hearing for matters that are less serious, I hear you say ‘the seriousness of the offence’ and ‘for his own protection’ and that sort of thing, but none of these submissions are raised here. But you have said you have consulted with your superior, so who am I to stand in your way,” the magistrate said as he prepared to release Phillips on $15 000 bail with a surety. (DN)

VIRAL VIDEO NURSE RELEASED ON BAIL – The male nurse charged for wounding a Psychiatric Hospital patient was released on bail when he appeared in the District A Magistrates Court. Jason Jamal Phillips, 32, of Madison Terrace, Deacons, St Michael, pleaded not guilty to unlawfully and maliciously wounding Alden King on June 2. Magistrate Douglas Frederick released him on $15 000 bail with a surety, forbid him from having any contact with the complainant, ordered him to report to Black Rock Police Station every Wednesday and adjourned the matter until October 30.  (DN)

BIG HAUL – A 35-year-old fisherman, who allegedly imported half a million dollars worth of cannabis into the country, has been remanded to Dodds until next Monday. Christopher Dave Johnson, of Martindale’s Road, St Michael, also faces charges of possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of 124.4 kilogrammes of the illegal drug sometime between March 19 and 23 this year. The accused was not required to plead to the indictable charges when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today with his attorney Leslie Cargill-Straker. Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim objected to bail given the quantity of drugs involved, the nature and seriousness of the charge and the fact that the accused was the subject of a police bulletin. However, Cargill-Straker submitted that her client was a fit and proper candidate for bail. “Being charged with 124.4 kilogrammes, does not mean that he is guilty,” she said. She also argued that the prosecutor never submitted that her client would interfere with any witnesses or the investigation “therefore the issue of public interest does not arise”. She also pointed out that her client had no previous convictions and no pending matters before the court. “Yes he did not turn himself in right away [as a result of] the bulletin because he was trying to pursue his rights of having an attorney. He is a Barbadian and does not have ties anywhere else,” she added. After taking the submissions into consideration, the magistrate granted Johnson bail in the sum of $250,000. However, up to the end of the day’s sitting his surety had not returned to court with the necessary papers to show that the bail sum could be honoured. The accused will therefore make his second appearance before Frederick on June 11. (BT)

ACCIDENT BLOCKS ENTRANCE TO SUGAR FACTORY – A police officer was involved in a collision with a recycling truck at the entrance to Portvale Factory, Blowers, St James, this morning. According to an eyewitness, the recycling truck was travelling towards Warrens and turned right into the factory. At the same time, the policeman, on a motorcycle, attempted to overtake and the collision occurred. Several factory workers and a passing driver stopped to render assistance. The road is blocked and police and emergency medical technicians have been summoned to the area. (DN)

FIRE GUTS DERELICT BUILDING – Fire gutted a derelict building before midnight. Fire officials responded to a call at 11:38 p.m. with two water tenders and seven officers from the Bridgetown Fire Station under the command of Station Officer Hinds. The fire involved a two-storey wall house. The roof was extensively damaged. The incident occurred at Dalkeith Road, Dalkeith, St. Michael.  (DN)

BARBADOS LOSES A CALYPSO GEM – The entertainment community has lost one of its gems. Charles Romeo Smith, a former calypso monarch, has died at age 71, throwing the fraternity into immediate mourning. Following a bacterial viral infection and spinal surgery in 2005 doctors had told him he might never walk again. However, Romeo had refused let that stop him from performing up until 2008 and remained supportive of the calypso art form even in the face of physical and health challenges. Today, Minister of the Creative Economy, Culture and Sports John King, who is himself a former calypso monarch, paid tribute to the outstanding calypsonian and songwriter. King said Romeo had a wealth of information and always sought to impart important life lessons on upcoming calypsonians. “In my own career he was there giving me a lot of advice, and also I would spend a lot of time in Queen’s Park for rehearsals. In watching him, I learnt so much,” King said. “One of the things he always mentioned to me was the importance of how you dress, and anyone who knows Romeo knows that he was always sharp,” he added. The minister of the Creative Economy, Culture and Sports also indicated today that his ministry, in collaboration with the National Cultural Foundation, would find some way to honour Romeo during the upcoming Crop Over festival. Meantime, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Stephen Lashley, in a glowing tribute, described Romeo as a cultural pioneer. Lashley said Romeo would be remembered for his significant contribution to the development and enhancement of the calypso art form in Barbados and beyond. He hailed Romeo as one of the veterans of his time, while noting the central role he played in the discovery and training of many Barbadian artistes and the profound impact he has had on Crop Over. The former minister also saluted Romeo as a committed member of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) as he recalled a recent picong he did with The Mighty Gabby in the lead up to the May 24 general election. “Romeo has left an indelible mark on the history of calypso in Barbados and we applaud his selfless contribution, even during times of personal difficulty. “On my behalf and that of my family and the entire DLP family, I extend deepest sympathy to his widow Cecily, family and friends,” Lashley said. (BT)

HOLLA BAK CONTINUES TO SOAR – Twenty-six-year-old Rico Holla Bak Goddard is continuing to develop hits even with his 2018 song for this year’s Crop Over Too Sweet amassing 14,154 views since being uploaded on YouTube on May 14th, 2018. He released the official Music Video for Too Sweet on YouTube on May 27th and it has received over 2 000 views thus far. Speaking to Bajan Vibes, Holla Bak said that 2017 was his comeback year. Despite the bittersweet element with Admiral Nelson, he was pleased with how Crop Over 2017 went for him as an artiste. “2017 was a comeback year for me after 2014 with my hit My Life which people know as Drinking Rum and Watching Girls. It felt like I was shelved, so 2017 was a year in which I told myself I need to be back on and I need to do a record that people cannot deny. Sweet Like Oooh was that record [the video amassed 36,000 views on YouTube since being released last year],” he said. He noted that after the controversy that surrounded him with Festival Stage, he received a lot of support from Barbadians. “There is controversy in everything that you do and that is a great thing. I appreciate that and I appreciate the support that people gave me. So for 2018, I just come to do music for my people,” he said smiling. Asked how he manages his success as he enters Crop Over 2018, he said that he remains true to who he is as an artiste. “I am always me. I am always myself… It is something magnificent, but I still believe that I have not done anything yet, so that is why I remain this way,” he stressed. Speaking about Too Sweet, he said that he was overwhelmed with the response the song has received thus far as his goal for 2018 was to give persons good music. “It is great because you could do a record and get that response when you actually release it. It is like WOW, I speak this and it manifests. I just want to give people great music; that is all I want to do,” Goddard said, adding that he had found the formula to provide quality soca music. “You have to be interesting, you have to have a very wild imagination. I found the formula as I was doing records that people love well [and] that I believe that people will love. For 2018, I am the formula, because I start creating what I believe in and people start to gravitate towards it. So that is the recipe,” he said. Holla Bak said that he wrote the song himself and his dream is to take Barbadian soca music to another level. “Crop Over means everything to me right now because I sacrificed my 9-5, my family for this. People told me that you cannot do this, you cannot do that, but I just knew I had something in me to contribute and offer to the world. Same way the Trinidadians [are] working to get their soca music to the world and [on] billboard, I want to be a person to contribute towards that,” he said. Contrary to popular belief, Holla Bak did enter his song Sweet Like Ooh in the 98.1 MQI Soca Royale Competition in 2017 but was displeased with the way in which he was treated by the National Cultural Foundation judges. “I was in the semifinals but my personal opinion on this is that you have to experience things to speak on it. My take on it is [that if you are being judged in a competition] for stage performance, stage presence, [and] for lyrical content, then I think at the end of the competition, if you are looking to build [the] artiste, then the artiste should know what they scored so that when they come next year, they would know where they have to improve. If you don’t let me know what I scored then how can I improve? It makes me [wonder] if this competition [is] here to build me. A lot of people did not know that I entered Sweet Like Oooh, which did not make it in. But at the end of the day it did not defeat the purpose because it was a good song,” he said.  (BT)

BACK TO SCHOOL FOR HOUSE OF SOCA – The House of Soca is ready for Crop Over. From earlier in the year, one of the island’s oldest calypso tents has been busy gearing up for the Sweetest Summer Festival. However, its preparation not only included dress and technical rehearsals, but kaisonians putting down microphones and going back to the classroom. Last Saturday at the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP) in Wildey, St Michael, several of its entertainers took part in a seminar facilitated by management counsellor Marqita Phillips. (DN)

RAHEEM SHINES AS ALL STARS TENT OPENS – Sunday’s night opening of the Cave Shepherd All Stars Tent at St Gabriel’s School was not the spectacular affair it has been in previous years. Still, there was much to recommend and to enjoy for the many patrons in attendance. One of the most impressive on the night was former Junior Monarch competitor Raheem with both of his selections De Bus Ride and Why Vote receiving very warm and encouraging response. The former song delivered at medium tempo was an object lesson for those inclined towards deviancy. He sang that the only way he would ever be on a prison bus was if he was the driver. His second song looked at a number of social issues and the reasons why an 18-year-old should go the polls. He delivered his songs well and was a picture of confidence in both of his appearances. Jude Clarke – who seems to have dropped his sobriquet Hee Haw – was also among those who impressed. His two selections Great and How Wrong Things Get Right were delivered with his usual high-quality rendition. The former song, in particular, looked to inform Barbadians that the process of nation-building was a collective effort. He sang that despite “the potholes in the economy” and that “nobody wants to lend we money” Barbadians were in the prevailing situation together and could only get out of it if they pulled together. Clarke is a class act. Making a return to the local calypso stage was Structure. The veteran calypsonian who is now resident in Canada delivered two numbers entitled Stenton Master and the lyrically strong Work. However, in both songs Structure and the band had difficulties keeping on the same page and in the latter in particular, they went their separate ways on a few occasions. However, Structure is a quality performer and it is anticipated that as he gets deeper into the season there will be greater cohesion between himself and the band. Donella was in excellent voice as usual with her selections We Aint Changing and Pray For The Children. She sang that despite the changes which might be made in Barbados across the political landscape there were some things that would never change such as Bajans’ propensity to litter, argue and eat pork. The songs were not outstanding lyrically but Donella’s beautiful vocals would make Baa Baa Black Sheep inviting. Colin Spencer was also in fine voice with Come Back Dear Father, a sweet entreaty to the Almighty to return to these shores. His treatment of the subject was well conceived. He gave a snippet from a song that is a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) apology and from the verse which he delivered there is every indication that it will be worth returning to the tent to hear the remainder. He quipped that he had to scrap a song which he intended to perform celebrating the DLP’s victory at the polls on May 24. He might have to keep that one under wraps for about another decade at least. De Slayer has shown promise for several years but seems not to be progressing and most of this stems from the fact that he is yet to turn up for the Crop Over festival with two strong songs. With his better than average vocal ability, the first time Slayer gets two solid songs he will go places. He won’t be this year with Trojan Horse and Peace. De Announcer’s ode to the festival entitled Crop Over was somewhat lacklustre both lyrically and in rendition. He ended the show in the second-half with the up-tempo Glad which was among other things a celebration of the DLP’s demise at the polls. This was marginally better than his first-half offering. Also performing on the night were Charisma who accredited herself well, Franswaa, Niqa, Sandman, Jael and Lynchie. The backing band was generally on point and emcee duties were shared by the comedic team of Jennifer Walker and Eric “Queen” Lewis. (BT)

SOCA IGNITION BRINGS DOWN THE ‘HOUSE’ – Soca Ignition was dubbed the unofficial, official start of the Crop Over Festival 2018.  The ‘Soca Kingdom’ as it was nicknamed, didn’t get started at the call time of 9 p.m. but got underway just after 10:30 p.m. However, DJ Tammy and John Doe kept the early birds engaged until the five-hour show got started, while Leadpipe and Saddis performed a full set of their biggest hits.  Kirk Browne picked up where they left off and kept the crowd entertained with help from the Dancing Africa group. The audience, made up of mainly mature persons, showed that they still had their moves as they danced the night away to performances from the star-studded line-up which included Alison Hinds, Sanctuary, Hypasounds, Red Plastic Bag, Lil Rick, Edwin Yearwood and international acts, Ravi B, Lyrikal and three-time International Soca Monarch Voice. Promotions officer at Starcom Network, Julie Jones told Bajan Vibes the event was a success after capturing a large crowd who packed into the Bagatelle Great House on Saturday night. She said they aimed to have 1, 800 persons attend. Jones said, “We are very excited about the show, this is the second installation of Soca Ignition. We had the first one in 2016 and we took a break last year but we are back with royalty.”  She said, “The response has been great, it really picked up in the weeks leading up because we really increased the momentum with the artist coming into the studio. We really let the people know it was a top-class event.” Some of the patrons at the event reported that they had a good time. One woman told Bajan Vibes “It was a great show and I will be back next year. My favourite artist was Voice.”  Another patron said, “Even though it started late, the show was a great start to Crop Over. I am definitely looking forward to the other events, it was good clean fun.” (BT)

KING BUBBA’S ‘ILLUMINATE’ WAS ELECTRIFYING – It was full steam ahead for the unofficial launch of Crop Over this past weekend, with the huge second-year deliverance of King Bubba Illuminate. After the well-attended first production last year, patrons were clamouring for another show from the “Bubbaling” artist. He promised and delivered, what was arguably the perfect start for this Crop Over season. Once again Illuminate, in association with SLAM 101.1FM, brought to us a fully featured lineup of local and regional performers, which included some of the biggest DJs currently operating on the Caribbean scene. King Bubba himself was on fire that night; his presence on stage backed up by his dancers from Riddim Tribe, proved effective amongst his fans in the crowd as he wooed them with all of his hits ranging from Calling in Sick to his new 2018 party starter Jiggle Jiggle. It was clear a lot of effort went into perfecting his presentation on stage during the night; with the use of flames, his numerous outfits and well-choreographed dance routines, Bubba truly put on a flamboyant show of his brand. As always, Peter Ram and Stiffy commanded the full attention of the crowd, with Peter Ram specifically teasing a controversial, yet crowd-pleasing song for the season. He was confident in the song being banned from the airwaves, and we here at Bajan Vibes have to concur. DJ Puffy with the assistance of Scratch Master serenaded the crowd for almost 30 minutes with rhythmic selections that moved through the Soca, Hip-hop and Dancehall genres. Teddyson John out of St. Lucia was the favourite during the night for many in attendance. With his own special genre of conscious soca song, the crowd was hanging off of his every beat as he had them grooving to all of his selections. His songs included the regional 2016 ‘Alez’ and his recent 2018 collaboration with Int’l Stephen dubbed ‘Vent’. Though these songs were obviously slower in tempo than other selections heard throughout the night, his energy on stage never skipped a beat when it came to controlling the mood of the crowd. This review of the night would be incomplete if we did not mention the King of the Dancehall himself, ‘Mr. Zagga’ Beenie Man. It comes to the surprise of no one that the music veteran wasted no time in igniting the crowd into a frenzy with all of his greatest hits like King of the Dancehall, Girls Dem Sugar and Toyfriend, just to name a few. Speaking to Bajan Vibes after the show, King Bubba thanked all the persons who contributed in any way to the success of this year’s event, saying that though it was sold out, he had no current intentions of shifting locations for next year’s iteration. “I like the exclusivity… if you couldn’t get in this year, you have to come next year, so it makes people buy their tickets early. But I plan on in the future, bringing another event in the heart of the season… that is the one I would target [the audience of] 5000 and up. But right now, Illuminate is exclusive. We cater to 1500-2000 people, and we are grateful for everybody being here and giving us a fantastic show.” (BT)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 207 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles  #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/29/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your newscap for Monday 29th January 2018. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

PM: AGAINST ODDS – The last ten years have not been easy, but the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) did it against the odds, says Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. Endorsing DLP candidate Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo during a St George South political meeting at Ellerton Primary School last night, Stuart said not only did the DLP “walk right into” a global economic meltdown, but it inherited at least three large-scale debts from the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), one of which was due this month. “For the last ten years we have been having to deal with crisis conditions,” he told the party faithful. “This is not an easy wicket on which to bat but we have been batting on it.” He noted Government had had to “look for $30 million to pay for a prison we didn’t build” after rioting inmates torched Glendairy Prison. Stressing he was not being critical of the Dodds Prison, the Prime Minister, however, said no one “has said up to now” whether it had been possible to restore or rebuild Glendairy while housing inmates at either the temporary prison at Six Roads, St Philip, or at Harrison Point, St Lucy.  (DN)

JONES: BELIEVE YOUR OWN – Minister of Education Ronald Jones has lambasted Barbadians who he said were quick to believe what outsiders said about the quality of the island’s water rather than local officials who had hands-on, everyday knowledge. Although he did not directly address the United States Embassy’s recent health caution pertaining to the use of local tap water, Jones reiterated that Barbados’ potable water supply, which was not connected to the sewerage system, was safe. The embassy recommended, through an advisory on its website last week, that its staff boil their drinking water or use bottled water after tests at some embassy residences had revealed “elevated levels” of bacteria in the tap water. The advisory did not state where the water tested originated, if it came directly from Barbados’ water supply or by way of water tanks connected to the said properties. The embassy, however, said it would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates accordingly. Jones, speaking at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College’s graduation ceremony on Saturday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, voiced a fear that Barbadians were not being as analytical as they were known to be. “There are persons on Facebook asking you, ‘Are our sewage system and water system one and the same?’, and then strangers to our shores don’t know that we do not use open-sourced systems, as if you go into New York or one of those massive catchment areas for water. So they have made mistakes in their analysis of our potable water and potable water supply – but Bajans believe it. “That frightens me because it says that there is something happening with the heart and the head of Bajans who hitherto were referred to as ‘the most sensible people on the face of the earth’.” Jones added: “But when myself and Senator [Harry] Husbands, at five minutes to 7 o’clock every morning discuss these realities . . . we are shocked as educators as to where our people’s heads are going and essentially on what is happening here.” The minister said he wasn’t trying to muzzle anyone’s voice, but did not want future generations to become dumb because of falsehoods and “fake news”. (DN)

GRENADIANS TO VOTE FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT ON MARCH 13 – Prime Dr Keith Mitchell Sunday night announced that he will ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament on Monday, Jan 29, paving the way for a general election on Tuesday, March 13. Addressing party supporters at a rally in the capital, Mitchell said Nomination Day will be on Tuesday, February 20. Election writs will be issued on Tuesday of this week. Mitchell has previously said he has no intention of losing any of the 15 seats his New National Party won in the 2013 poll to the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).  (BT)

PRIME MINISTER BERATES UNDP OFFICIALS; TELLS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS TO LEAVE – Prime Minister Gaston Browne has berated United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officials on the ground in Barbuda, accusing the organization of “opportunism”.Browne has also poured scorn on charitable organizations which have been working on Barbuda since the island was decimated by Hurricane Irma in September last year. During a visit to the hurricane ravaged island on Friday, Browne told the UNDP officials to remove stickers they had placed on a number of homes. The stickers, which displayed two logos, – one for the UNDP and one for the Government of China – were placed to indicate that the roof of the house was repaired with material from the UNDP procurement project funded by the People’s Republic of China. Browne first noticed the stickers while touring the homes for which repairs had been completed. “You can’t come and take credit for all the work that my Government did,” he told the UNDP officials. “It’s unacceptable. When we do all the work and then you come and put big signs on there as though you did everything, that is what is happening. You got to stop it. You can’t come and give few sheets of plywood and then go and take all the credit. You have to stop it.” Browne, who instructed that the stickers be removed, again raised the issue during the official handover ceremony where officials of the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, China and the UNDP were present. “So you cannot now offer a few sheets of plywood and then put a UNDP sticker on the building to suggest that it was done by the UNDP. That is opportunism. And I have directed that every single sticker on this building be taken down. I’m not trying to be controversial. But we do not want a situation whereby the domestic population gets the impression that the government is not making any contribution and that everything is coming from abroad,” he said. “And by the way, the UNDP is our employee. We employ them to do this. They’re not doing it for free. The people who we are to be grateful to are the donors – the Indian Government, the Chinese Government,” Browne added. The Prime Minister then called out charities on the ground in Barbuda, some of which he said are doing nothing. “And I want to tell you, other than seeing a few tarpaulins and some small generators, we have not really seen the value of their work. And I want to say to them if they don’t have any further value it’s time to leave. And whereas we accept assistance from all, when you come you must bring value,” Browne said. “Don’t utilize the plight of the Barbudans to raise funds internationally to support your own objectives while Barbudans are given a token assistance. We will not tolerate that type of behavior. And I say to all those charitable organizations, if you do not have significant value to bring to this country then you ought to leave,” Browne added.  (BT)

BARBADOS NEXT EU TARGET – Describing Barbados’ recent blacklisting by the European Union (EU) as unfortunate, Director of International Business Kevin Hunte expects the country to go one step further and to be removed from the EU’s grey list by the end of the year. Barbados, along with neighbours St Lucia, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago, was among 17 countries placed on the blacklist of tax havens last December, following ten months of investigations by EU officials. Last week, Barbados was removed from the EU’s list of non-cooperative tax regimes and placed on the grey list. That list includes countries which are not compliant with EU tax standards, but which have committed to changing their rules. Hunte told the Sunday Sun that it was a simple misunderstanding which led to Barbados being blacklisted. However, Hunte, who took over the post on August 15 last year, gave his assurance that Barbados would be working assiduously to ensure it was cleared from the grey list by the end of 2018. “So yes, it is good news that we have been removed from the blacklist, but we have to continue the work we are doing to ensure we meet all the standards, make whatever amendments we have to make, but all of this within the context of keeping Barbados positioned as a jurisdiction where we attract the best quality international financial services,” he said. “We have until December 31, 2018, to make all the changes that we would have committed to. I believe it is a realistic goal because it is not something the Ministry of International Business is doing alone. We have the Ministry of Finance involved, the Barbados Revenue Authority, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados, the Barbados Bar Association, we have the Barbados International Business Association, and we have tax consultants as well, and that is just to name a few.” (DN)

BARBADOS’ AMBASSADOR TO CUBA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS – Barbados’ Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba, Donna Forde, presented her credentials on Thursday, January 25, to Cuba’s Vice President of the Council of State, Gladys Bejerano Portela, Vice President Bejerano Portela expressed Cuba’s appreciation for the positive and fruitful relations which the two countries have enjoyed since establishing diplomatic relations in December 1972. The Vice President commended the Barbados Government on its nomination of Ambassador Forde, and expressed optimism about this new chapter in the ongoing engagement between the two countries. Ambassador Forde extended greetings from Barbados’ Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Maxine McClean, to their Cuban counterparts. Forde was responsible for establishing Barbados’ Embassy at Havana, and served as Chargé d’Affaires there for the past seven years. Prior to her posting in Cuba, she served at the Embassy of Barbados to the United States and the Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States at Washington DC, and to Barbados’ Permanent Mission to the United Nations at New York. The Ambassador has a Bachelors Degree in French and Spanish from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) Campus.   She completed post-graduate studies at Institut d’Études Politiques, Paris, France, and American University, Washington DC, USA.  (BT)

ERDISTON SETS EYES ON GLOBAL MARKET – Making Erdiston Teachers’ Training College an internationally acclaimed institution is a priority of new acting principal Dr Patricia Saul. In what she described as a revised mission statement, Saul said the college would provide quality training and professional development for educators, while advancing scholarly research and facilitating the delivery of programmes aligned with the educational needs of the society. She said this status could only be achieved by ensuring certificates, diplomas and degrees offered had currency across borders by securing full accreditation with the Barbados Accreditation Council. Saul, who spoke at the college’s graduation ceremony held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Saturday night, said the overall pass rate for the cohort was 84.4 per cent, which was just below the 90 per cent projected. Of the 119 graduates, 39 per cent received distinctions as opposed to the ten per cent projected. Some of the outstanding achievers were valedictorian Dexter Alleyne who earned a postgraduate diploma in educational leadership; Janet Inniss-Burke – outstanding performance in the vocational teachers’ training programme in adult education; Germain Arthur, diploma in education (primary), Damar Evelyn – postgraduate diploma in education (secondary), and Faye Beckles, postgraduate diploma in educational leadership. Saul said the college must quicken plans to have some of its programmes online to be more accessible to students worldwide. The educator also advanced the need for technology to be embraced in the classroom, and was supported by Minister of Education Ronald Jones. She stressed the college planned to continually push teacher training. (DN)

MISERY IN ST. MATHIAS – Forty years and counting. That was how long residents of St Matthias Housing Area in Christ Church said they had been having problems with burst pipes and overflowing wells with broken covers, causing them physical and mental distress. Stephen Streeks said for the last three weeks, a burst pipe some distance away resulted in a water flow which ran into a cul-de-sac a short distance away from his home. He also said he had to balance to access the sidewalk in front of his house. He told the DAILY NATION he was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance last week after he contracted gastroenteritis.  Eighty-year-old Norma Ashby, who lived opposite Streeks, claimed she was trapped by water which settled in front of her house. (DN)

DOG OUTRAGE – As outrage emerges over the conditions of service dogs belonging to a security company, one of the leading voices in animal welfare wants to see guidelines instituted for their care. Last week, photos showing two severely thin German Shepherds muzzled and riding in the back of a truck, in the sun, made the rounds on social media. The outcry was instantaneous, with some calling for people to restrict their business with the company. Chief inspector of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Wayne Norville, said it was high time updated animal cruelty legislation, as well as guidelines for the care and condition of service animals, were enacted. But the general manager of Amalgamated Security Systems Ltd, the company in whose truck the dogs were photographed, is insisting that the dogs were not deliberately ill-treated. Andre Coore told the DAILY NATION yesterday the company was in discussions with the RSPCA and had adjusted its “maintenance plans”. (DN)

NEW BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS – Mission accomplished for Gatorade Pinelands Future, new kings of the Second Annual Next Generation Basketball Under-23 tournament, as they successfully dethroned Mr. H Invest Station Hill Cavaliers 67-55 last night at the Warrens hardcourt in Jackson.  Captain by Final’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), Derion Hurley, Pinelands were runners-up last year to Cavaliers, therefore the much talked about rematch created quite the buzz when the championship match tip-off around 7:30pm yesterday.  The opening stanza was tied 11-11 but victorious coach Charles Vanderpool and his capable team of assistants that included Pinelands Senior Men’s Captain, Jeremy Gill along with Junior Moore were able to Marshall their younger troops, and build momentum to dominate 33-27 and 50-37 in the second and third quarter respectively. Pinelands point guard, Hurley had the second highest individual score of 18 behind a game high 28 points from power forward, Zachary Cave of the opposing team.  (BT)

CONTRACT BOOST – Twenty West Indian cricketers are benefiting from enhanced central retainer contracts. And for the first time, the contracts have been split into three groups – all-format contracts, red-ball contracts and white-ball contracts. Cricket West Indies (CWI) last night announced the list of players offered one-year contracts which were effective from October last year. While not revealing the value of the contracts, CWI chief executive officer Johnny Grave said the new arrangements would result in a better payday for the players. In a media release, CWI said under the new arrangement, the selection panel would be able to award up to 11 all format contracts and up to an aggregate of 11 red and white ball contracts to a maximum 18 contracts in total (not including development). It also said up to four new development contracts could also be offered to players in both red and white ball categories for those who are yet to fully establish themselves in the starting XIs and, therefore, not secured a full retainer contract, but are likely to be selected in the year ahead. (DN)

BOOKS BY BARBADIAN AUTHORS RECOGNIZED IN CASA DE LAS AMERÍCAS LITERARY AWARDS – Two books by Barbadian authors were among the top three in the Caribbean Literature in English or Creole category of the 2018 Casa de las Amerícas Literary Awards which were announced in Havana, Cuba, on January 25. Tracing JaJa (novel) by Anthony Kellman was the winner in this category, while Tell My Mother I Gone to Cuba (essay) by Sharon Milagro Marshall received honourable mention. Canouan Suite & Other Pieces (poetry) by Vincentian Philip Nanton also received honourable mention. The jury consisted of Elizabeth Nunez of Trinidad and Tobago, Jacob Ross of Grenada, and Emilio Jorge Rodríguez of Cuba. The judges described Tracing JaJa as, an intense work of historical narration based on real events, revealing one of the atrocities of British colonial history. Tell My Mother I Gone to Cuba chronicles the experiences of Barbadians and other British West Indies who migrated to Cuba in search of a better life during the early part of the Twentieth Century. Casa de las Américas was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959 to develop and extend socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the rest of the world. It was originally a publishing house and information centre, but has developed into the best-known and most prestigious cultural institution in Cuba. The literary prize has been awarded annually since 1960. The main award categories are poetry, short story, novel, theatre and essay.  (BT)

MORE GRAMMY SUCCESS FOR RIHANNA – Barbadian superstar Rihanna has added another Grammy to her collection. During the 60th annual Grammy Awards show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday night, Rihanna, who had previously won eight Grammys, copped the award for best rap/sung performance for her collaboration with Kendrick Lamar on Royalty off his album Damn. While accepting the award, Lamar quickly turned things over to the 29-year-old saying she “gassed me on my own song” and that the award “really belongs to her”. “Well thank you Kendrick for giving me this incredible opportunity to be on such a good record,” she replied. “I’m honoured to be able to do this with you.” Later in the show, Rihanna sparkled with energy as she performed her hit Wild Thoughts alongside DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller. The songstress lit up the room, as she showed off her killer dance moves in a fringe dress with a red flower pinned in her long locks. Singer Bruno Mars was the night’s biggest winner, copping six awards, including album of the year and record of the year (best track) for 24K Magic. Earlier, his song That’s What I Like won song of the year, the songwriting prize. Lamar won five awards, including best rap album and Alessia Cara won best new artist. (BT)

MARZVILLE IN FINALS – Omar Marzville McClurkin is back in the finals of the International Soca Monarch in Trinidad and Tobago. Marzville, who also made it last year with Bang Bim, is the lone Barbadian in the annual competition. Singing Give It To Ya, he will go up against 11 other entertainers, including reigning two-time champion Aaron Voice St Louis. The top prize is TT$300 000 (BDS$100 000) while the first and second runners-up will receive TT$200 000 and TT$150 000, respectively. Marzville told the DAILY NATION yesterday the news was sweet music to his ears as his bookings in the twin-island republic and elsewhere continued to increase. “The events are really coming in; it’s been a great season so far. When I got the news that I was in the finals, I was actually on my way to an event. So it’s a great feeling and a step further to even greater things,” he said. Marzville was a finalist in the Bashment Soca Competition and landed in fourth spot in the Sweet Soca Monarch during Crop Over 2017.  The Bang Bim singer did enough on Thursday night during the semi-finals where he went up against over 30 other competitors, including fellow Barbadian Damian Marvay, at the Forecourt, Queen’s Park Savannah. Marvay did not make it to the final round. Biggie Irie is the only Barbadian to have won the competition when he was crowned  in 2007 as the now defunct International Groovy Soca Monarch. The final round comes off on Fantastic Friday, February 9, in Port of Spain.  (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 336 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/24/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your newscap for Wednesday 24th January 2018. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by Mid Week Nation News Newspaper (MWN).

LAST LAUGH: FAILED STRIKE A STRONG MESSAGE TO THE UNION, BYER-SUCKOO SAYS – The island’s largest public sector trade union failed to inspire its members to join last week’s strike because civil servants saw through the union’s attempts at backing Government in a corner, according to Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo. In providing an analysis of the unsuccessful national shutdown, Byer-Suckoo all but dismissed the National Union of Public Workers’ (NUPW) effort as a joke, stating that it was pulling workers’ legs by demanding a 23 per cent pay rise for its members. However, the minister told Barbados TODAY the workers understood Government’s fiscal situation and sent a message to the union by defying its orders, and showing up for work. “I think a lot of people have been reading the situation well. At the end of the day Barbadians are intelligent people. The workers understand that anybody who could promise them at the end of the day that they would get a significant increase in salary is only pulling their legs for short-term gain. The workers understand this and they realize that this is not the time for industrial action,” Byer-Suckoo told Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of a meeting of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) St Michael West Central branch at Lawrence T Gay Memorial School on Sunday. In explaining the rationale for the January 15 deadline, NUPW President Akanni McDowall had told Barbados TODAY his union was cognizant that Parliament must be dissolved by the end of March of this year, therefore civil servants were not about to squander their chances of securing a salary increase by allowing the matter to drag on until Stuart finally decides to ring the election bell. However, Byer-Suckoo suggested that McDowall was in fact attempting to hold the DLP administration to ransom on the cusp of the general election, and it backfired. She further said the NUPW would be wise to return to the negotiating table and consider Government’s proposed alternative to the pay hike. “From the civil servants that I spoke to it is really an understanding that the union was only attempting to strike now because there is an election on the horizon and the Government would be forced to give into the demands because they wanted to get back in power. But we in the Democratic Labour Party are not going to make those promises and the risk of impacting the country in the long term,” Byer-Suckoo said. “They also realize that this notion that there has been no negotiations has to be corrected. It is not a case where the union came out and asked for one thing and Government said flat out, ‘no’. There has been some discussion about other things that can be offered though not in the range of the salary increase that the union would like at this time. At this point it might make sense to consider what is actually doable. I hope that now they have had the action and having seen the effect, maybe we can now get back to the negotiation table,” she stressed. The NUPW boss would not comment on Byer-Suckoo’s statement, choosing instead to refer Barbados TODAY to a press statement issued over the weekend. “The NUPW is committed to securing a salary increase for its members, regardless of the party in power, endorsement from other unions or the opinions of social commentators. Neither silence, contempt, award or reward will sway us to do otherwise,” the statement read. The union also disputed reports that the strike had been a failure, arguing in the statement that “initial reports indicate that our efforts were effective, based on the numbers of members who stayed away from work and the respective Government departments adversely affected”.  (BT)

NUPW TACTICS COMPARED TO DRIVE-BY SHOOTING – The pressure continues to mount on the island’s largest public sector trade union to back off from any further industrial action at this time to try to force the Freundel Stuart administration to meet its demands for a 23 per cent pay hike and a coping subsidy of $60 million. A two-day strike called by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) last Thursday and Friday, and its promise to continue pressing for an increase, have already been described by Government spokespersons as selfish, nonsense and badly timed. This morning, one of Barbados’ leading scholars was even more dramatic in his description of the NUPW’s negotiating tactic, comparing it to a drive-by shooting. “The tactics at this moment are a bit premature and misguided because you [NUPW] don’t have widespread union solidarity . . . and [are] not [considering] the realities of the economy.  So your 23 per cent, for example, or some of the policies associated with your coping mechanism are not on all squares with Government’s counter-suggestions. So, you want to be negotiating and not engaging in a proverbial drive-by shooting . . . because that’s not a negotiation. If you are going to pull those tactics, that’s a drive-by shooting,” Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) Dr Don Marshall told Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of a roundtable discussion to examine the relevance of the work of the late acclaimed regional economist Sir Arthur Lewis to the challenges of Caribbean development. The SALISES director said he was concerned about the way the NUPW leadership has been handling the salary dispute in terms of safeguarding the future of the trade union as an institution and its understanding of trade union practices. (BT)

BES HEAD: LOOK AT IMF TOO – Beating home drums alone will not do it, so Barbados should also consider outside help from an agency like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). New Barbados Economic Society (BES) president Shane Lowe said “the two – a home-grown solution and external help such as from the IMF – are not mutually exclusive and can go together”. The former Central Bank economist told the MIDWEEK NATION: “Ultimately, a home-grown programme, supported and financed by a multilateral lending agency of which Barbados is a member, can help to address the two key issues – reversing the slide in foreign exchange reserves and reducing the fiscal deficit to restore fiscal sustainability and improve Barbados’ externalcredit rating. Such action would then “improve the economy’s competitiveness while reducing inefficiencies, the cost of Government and the size of the fiscal deficit at the same time”, he added. Lowe, who is strategy and economic analyst at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, said it was also important for policymakers to “tackle the efficiency and effectiveness of many of its state-owned entities”. He elaborated: “Transfers to public institutions accounted for 23 per cent of Government’s total current expenditure in 2016/17 (as per the Central Bank’s October 31, 2017 press release).” In terms of the economic forecast for this year, Lowe said “economic growth will likely slow in 2018 as the anticipated growth in tourist arrivals just offsets the persistent weakness in consumer demand for goods and services from the full effects of the May2017 budgetary measures and any additional measures which may be imposed to further reduce the fiscal deficit. (MWN)

BARBADOS AMONG 8 JURISDICTIONS REMOVED FROM EU LIST – Eight jurisdictions have been removed from the European Union's list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, following commitments made at a high political level to remedy EU concerns. Barbados, Grenada, the Republic of Korea, Macao SAR, Mongolia, Panama, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates are moved to a separate category of jurisdictions subject to close monitoring. On January 23,  018, the Council agreed that a delisting was justified in the light of an expert assessment of the commitments made by these jurisdictions to address deficiencies identified by the EU. In each case, the commitments were backed by letters signed at a high political level. The decision leaves nine jurisdictions on the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions out of 17 announced initially on December 5, 2017. These are American Samoa, Bahrain, Guam, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Palau, Saint Lucia, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago. The list also carries recommendations on steps to take to be de-listed. The EU's list is intended to promote good governance in taxation worldwide, maximising efforts to prevent tax avoidance, tax fraud and tax evasion. It was prepared during 2017 in parallel with the OECD global forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes. Whereas the list is to be revised at least once a year, the working group responsible for preparing it (the 'code of conduct group') can recommend an update at any time. Jurisdictions that remain on the list are strongly encouraged to make the changes requested of them. Their tax legislation, policies and administrative practices result or may result in a loss of revenues for the EU's member states. Pending such changes, the EU and the member states could apply defensive measures. Today's decision was taken without discussion at a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, by means of an amendment to its December conclusions. The eifhr jurisdictions are moved from annex I of the conclusions (non-cooperative jurisdictions) to annex II (cooperation with respect to commitments taken). (MWN)

WESLEY HALL SMOKED OUT – The Ministry of Education has promised that it will act to ensure the Wesley Hall schools do not become another Louis Lynch Secondary School. Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry, Harry Husbands, issued the warning after memories of that controversial saga were triggered as hundreds of students had to take refuge on the Passage Road Playing Field in St Michael when smoke coming from the chimney of a nearby business caused respiratory issues for staff and students of the Junior and Infants school yesterday morning. The majority of the junior school’s 522 students and 39 staff, and the infant school’s 351 students and 28 employees were forced to make the trek. It was the third such incident for the term at the King Street schools. “The ministry is deadly serious about protecting the interest of the staff and the students at both of these schools and we intend to do all in our power to safeguard their interest,” he said while standing on the compound of the junior school, which opened in 1884. (MWN)

CUSTOMER PROTESTS SUV ‘TREATMENT’ – Within the space of a year, Curtis Rogers has taken his 2015 Mazda BT-50 to McEnearney Quality Inc. (MQI) 11 times. Angry and frustrated that MQI was refusing his request for a new vehicle, the 30-year-old picketed outside the car dealer’s Wildey, St Michael office yesterday morning for just over three hours. Not even a decision by management of Republic Bank to ask Rogers to move his vehicle off its property could halt his efforts, as he parked it a short distance away, just outside Luther Thorne Memorial Primary School. His protest, which saw him draping signs reading This Vehicle Is No Good over the vehicle, brought traffic to a crawl as motorists slowed to take notice. Rogers told the MIDWEEK NATION the SUV, which he bought for $104 000 in May 2015, was still under a three-year warranty. (MWN)

AG: NO NEED TO PANIC – The Royal Barbados Police Force now has expanded powers to implement two-day curfews or a so-called “special investigation period” in response to serious violence, in the use of cordons and to stop and search. The additional powers are being granted under the Police (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which was piloted in the House of Assembly yesterday by Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs Adriel Brathwaite. However, the Opposition Barbados Labour Party, through former Attorney General Dale Marshall, has warned Government the bill could infringe the rights of citizens. Brathwaite told the Lower Chamber the bill would allow lawmen “to protect life and property”, though he maintained that crime in the country had not reached the stage where residents needed to panic.  (MWN)

MURDERERS APPEAL TO CCJ – Two Barbadians convicted of murder will today challenge the ruling of the Court of Appeal on the constitutionality of the mandatory death sentence before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The case, which will be heard at the court based in Trinidad and Tobago, is a consolidation of appeals from Dwayne Omar Severin and Jabari Sensimania Nervais, who were sentenced to death in separate murder trials. Severin, formerly of Crane, St Philip, was found guilty of killing Virgil Barton, on November 30, 2009, near his home at Lucas Street in the same parish. In February 2012, a 12-member jury found Nervais, formerly of 3rd Avenue, Sisnett Road, Bannister Land, St Michael, guilty of murdering Jason Ricardo Burton on November 17, 2006. Burton lived at Perseverance Drive, Jackson, St Michael. Both were sentenced to hang. Last May, acting president of the Court of Appeal, then Justice of Appeal Sandra Mason, dismissed the appeals of Nervais and Severin. She said Parliament would have to make the necessary changes to Section 2 of the Offences Against The Person Act, if the death penalty were to be placed at the discretion of sentencing judges. Late Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Leacock, who appeared on behalf of the Crown, said the ruling confirmed the 2003 decision of the Privy Council that judges should not be the ones determining whether the death penalty was unconstitutional. Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim, who represented Nervais, said he would appeal to the CCJ to bring closure to the death penalty issue. The case will be streamed live.  (MWN)

TWO CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH GOLDEN SANDS ROBBERY – Police have made a major breakthrough in their investigations of the armed robbery that occurred on Saturday, January 6, at the Ixora Bar & Restaurant, Golden Sands Hotel, Maxwell Main Road, Christ Church.  The investigation, lead by Major Crimes Unit, resulted in two men being arrested and charged. They are 22-year-old Hakeem Zoe Isiah Robinson of #24 Bartletts Tenantry, Sergeants Village, Christ Church and Akeem Ricardo Bourne, also 22 years old, of #2, 5th Avenue, Wildey, St Michael and #385 Emerald Park West, Six Roads, St Philip. The pair were jointly charged with aggravated burglary (Ixora Restaurant situated at Golden Sands Hotel, January 6), aggravated burglary (residence of Emmerson Trotman, January 3), robbery of Emmerson Trotman (January 3), and eight counts of endangering lives by discharging a firearm in a public place whilst at Ixora Restaurant (January 6). Hakeem Robinson faces additional charges of burglary (residence of Donna Atherley, January 12), aggravated burglary (residence of Lee and Princess Johnson, between January 15 and 16), robbery of Chad Wright (January 8), serious bodily harm of Chad Wright, January 8), use of firearm (January 8), possession of a controlled drug to wit: cocaine (January 16), possession of a controlled drug to wit: cannabis (January 16), possession of a controlled drug to wit: cocaine with intent to supply (January 16), and trafficking of a controlled drug to wit: cocaine (January 16). The pair is expected to appear in the Oistins Magistrates Court tomorrow. (MWN)

WOMAN REMANDED AFTER LOSING SURETY – A woman in her late 20s, who had been out on $7,500 bail for over two years, lost her freedom today. An inconsolable Crystal Nadeen Grosvenor, of No 412, London Bourne, Towers, St Michael, was remanded to prison after she was unable to get another surety to post bail. Her substantive surety withdrew today, telling Magistrate Douglas Frederick she no longer wanted the responsibility and claiming that Grosvenor was not complying to certain bail conditions. The accused has maintained her innocence of cannabis and cocaine charges leveled against her and a co-accused since July 29, 2015 . She will return to the No.1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Friday in another attempt at bail. (BT)

LABOURER ORDERED TO PAY FINE - A 34-year-old labourer has one month to pay the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court a $1,500 fine. The amount, which carries an alternative eight-month prison sentence, was imposed on Dwayne Tyrone Williams, of Olivies Gap, Tudor Bridge, St Michael today. He pleaded guilty to possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of 60 grammes of cannabis on January 22. Law enforcement officers were in the Searles area of Tudor Bridge, St Michael when they found the illegal drug in Williams’ possession. “I find that marijuana through a track this morning,” Williams reportedly told police at the time. Today in the docks, Williams, who is known to the law courts, apologized before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant for his actions and asked that a fine or community service be imposed. His wish for a fine was granted on the trafficking charge and he was reprimanded and discharged on the other two offences. (BT)

KIRBY GETS SECOND GOLD – Golden boy Jack Kirby delivered again as Barbados finished second in Zone 1 when the inaugural Union Americana de Natacion (UANA) Swimming Cup ended on Sunday at the Coral Springs Aquatic Centre in Florida. Kirby won his second gold medal of the meet when he set a new Barbados record of 26.63 seconds while winning the 15-17 Boys’ 50-metre backstroke. He also landing an “A” qualifying time for the Youth Olympics. On Saturday, Kirby, who attends Baylor University in the United States, won the first gold medal when he finished first in the 100 metres backstroke in a national record and Youth Olympics “A” qualifying time of 56.34. The Youth Olympics are set to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October. Barbados earned 181.50 points to finish behind Mexico, who amassed 870 points. They were among the 22 countries participating from the Central American and Caribbean (CCCAN) zone. Overall, Barbados placed fifth, ending the meet with seven medals – two golds, three silvers and two bronze. (MWN)

KIRTON OFF TO CANADA FOR QUALIFIERS – Young Barbadian batsman Nicholas Kirton has been selected to represent Canada in the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The 19-year-old left-handed batsman was spotted by Canada’s coach and manager Ingleton Liburd during a series of practice matches at the 3Ws Oval, Cave Hill Campus against a select UWI/Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) team, late last year. Kirton scored an impressive century during one of the matches after which Liburd immediately expressed an interest in having him join the team, on their journey towards qualifying for the World Cup. UWI and CCC head coach, Floyd Reifer said he was delighted that Kirton has been given an opportunity to experience playing at an international level. “Since joining the UWI Blackbirds cricket programme, he has certainly taken advantage of all the resources available to develop his game – the coaching, facilities and modern, high-tech equipment,” said Reifer. The former Barbados batsman and West Indies’ captain said Kirton, who also captained the UWI Twenty20 team to the title last year, had worked extremely hard on his game. “His work ethic and dedication must be commended. He possesses leadership qualities that we continue to harness in the UWI programme. Nicholas is the youngest captain at UWI to win a national T20 title. He is certainly a player we will continue to groom for the future,” noted Reifer. As a result of his selection, Kirton, who also captained the Barbados Under-19 team in 2016, has taken a semester’s leave from UWI to pursue his exploits in the international cricket arena. He will return to join the Sagicor UWI Blackbirds for the 2018 Barbados Cricket Association’s season. In last year’s season, Kirton, who is also a useful off-spin bowler, scored three half-centuries while scoring 287 runs at an average of 26.09 in nine matches. (MWN)

MARZVILLE AND MARVAY THROUGH TO SOCA MONARCH SEMIS – Local artistes  Omar Marzville McQuilkin and Damian Marvay are through to the semi-finals of the International Soca Monarch competition.  This is both artistes’ second time in the semis.  The announcement was made on Monday afternoon in Trinidad and Tobago.  They are among 35 semi-finalists hoping to make it through to the finals in hopes of dethroning two-time monarch Voice. That list is less than half of the semi-finalists making it through last year. It was reported that fewer artistes entered the competition this year because of a drop in prize money. Last year seven Bajan artistes made the cut. The semi-finals will take place on Thursday at the Savannah in Port of Spain from 6 p.m.  (MWN)

GOSPEL THRILLER – Thousands of Barbadians had their minds made up, and they had no intention of missing the Errol Barrow Day Sunset Concert at Kensington Oval. In the section of the Oval made available for the concert on Monday evening, there was standing room only as scores of gospel lovers packed the venue to sing and dance for the Lord. American gospel artiste and minister Donnie McClurkin was the headline act and the vocal powerhouse did not disappoint. The Grammy Award winner entered the stage around 7:30 p.m. and warmed the crowds up with a Caribbean medley, which was well received. He then thrilled the audience with songs such as I’ve Got My Mind Made Up, Days Of Elijah, Agnus Dei and Only You Are Holy. During the evening, many of the patrons used their mobile phones and waved them in the air. The bright white lights that lit up the dark skies were mesmerising. There was also a sense of warmth and brotherliness in the crowd amidst the worship. Many held hands and raised them as they sang and prayed fervently for the safety, healing and prosperity of the nation. There were a number of Barbadian acts on the ticket, including the Gospelfest Dancers; winner of last year’s Richard Stoute Teen Talent Contest, Trinity Clarke; Alison Norville, and Pastor John Yarde, who performed during the earlier hours of the show. Members of veteran gospel band Promise held their own as they reminded the audience why they became a household name with songs like Stand Up And Tell Me If You Love My Jesus, Everybody Ought To Know (Who Jesus Is), I Am Under The Rock and Oil In My Lamp. The Barbados Gospelfest Association, in connection with the St Michael North West Development Foundation, organised the concert.   (MWN)

That’s all for today folks there are 341 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/19/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your news cap for Friday 19th January 2018. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by Weekend Nation News Newspaper (WN).  

NOT OVER YET! – A national shutdown order issued by this island’s largest public sector trade union appeared today to have had a rather lukewarm effect on the state sector with all major Government services remaining open for business. From early this morning the state-run Transport Board’s bus service was up and running and while truckers at the Bridgetown Port reported a late start to operations there, both the island’s air and seaports suffered little to no noticeable disruption, amid the national protest by the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) over a breakdown in talks for a 23 per cent salary increase and other pay demands. It was also business as usual at Warrens Tower, the Treasury Building – which includes the offices of the Barbados Revenue Authority – and at Baobab Tower, which houses Government’s statistical services, as well as departments of commerce and the corporate registry. However, some secondary schools were affected with Combermere forced to shut its doors early at 11:45 a.m. due to the unavailability of teaching staff. As members of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) showed strong solidarity with the NUPW, operations at The Ellerslie School, Lodge School and Grantley Adams Memroial were also impacted. With that said, NUPW officials, who were quiet all day, offering no public comment, privately indicated that they were preparing to ramp up action tomorrow in their desperate bid to get Government to meet their pay demands, even as their sister union, the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), appeared to have taken a more conciliatory stance in the ongoing pay dispute. (BT)

SOFT IMPACT – There was no severe impact at Government offices across the island following yesterday’s start of the National Union of Public Workers’ (NUPW) proposed two-day industrial action. Our reports showed it was business as usual at most public departments, after the shutdown appeared not to have the expected participation. The Combermere school was affected as members of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) appeared to have given the NUPW their support. Efforts to reach president of the BSTU, Mary Redman, were unsuccessful while member of the union’s executive, Leslie Lett, declined comment. Yesterday the Barbados Workers’ Union offered verbal support to the NUPW arguing that public workers deserved an increase in salary. There was no word from the Barbados Union of Teachers or the Police Association, the two other major trade unions. The NUPW on Monday called two days of “protest and resistance”, following Government’s failure to respond to its January 15 deadline for a 23 per cent wage increase for public workers, who did not have an increase for almost a decade. The union’s general secretary Roslyn Smith said the workers needed to stand together in solidarity to show the Freundel Stuart administration the seriousness about their cause, adding that the state needed to “call a meeting or put something in writing. “January 15 came and passed and we do not have anything from the Government side, whether verbal or written, and as a result the order was given that workers stay away from work for two days,” she said yesterday at the union’s Dalkeith, St Michael headquarters. But the union’s action received some push-back from Minister of Labour Senator Dr Esther Byer Suckoo who said while she understood the unions’ concerns, Government simply had no money to meet increase salaries at this time.  “There is no recovery plan for Barbados, whether home-grown, whether we go outside to look at a recovery plan, there is no way forward for Barbados if the Government of Barbados increases its wage bill at this time,” she said, stating that she hoped common sense would prevail. She added Government was aware of their frustrations. “If they have not heard from the representative of the Ministry of Civil Service, it is because the Ministry of the Civil Service cannot, and I am not at liberty or authorised to speak for them, but I would imagine if the Ministry of the Civil Service has not budged it is because there is nowhere for [them] to budge. They have no wiggle room.” Economist Marla Dukharan commenting on the NUPW’s action during yesterday’s Starcom Down to Brass Tacks radio call-in programme said given the state of Government’s finances, however justified the increase maybe, the public purse really can’t afford it. “I’m saying even if they grant the increase what you would see is further pressure on the reserves and the more pressure you have on the reserves is more pressure on the exchange rate itself,” the regional economist added. When contacted last night for an update on how successful the action was, Smith said no update would be given before today, but indicated that from all reports it had been a success. Meanwhile general secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Toni Moore, said they agreed with the NUPW but the two unions had different demands and she called on the Minister in charge of the Civil Service for an urgent resolution. (WN)

IMMIGRATION TO BE ROCKED BY SIX-WEEK PROTEST – Immigration officers stationed at the headquarters on Wharf Road, The City are making good on their threat to take industrial action to press for a move from the condemned facility. The officers today decided to begin working half day for the next six weeks, beginning next week, to force the Freundel Stuart administration to expedite their relocation to the repurposed Barbados Tourism Investment Inc (BTI) car park on Princess Alice Highway in Bridgetown. Upset at the repeated delays in Government’s plans to move them, the immigration officers last Friday threatened to take action to prove that they were fed up with the environment. Following the announcement Government had appealed to the officers to hold strain until March. However, General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Roslyn Smith told Barbados TODAY this afternoon that a combination of broken promises, the number of workers who have fallen ill as a result of the current environment, and a lack of progress on the new office had become too much for the officers to bear. “We had a meeting on Wednesday and the staff also went to the new building this morning at 8:30 and did a walkthrough so that they can see the progress for themselves. It was after that walkthrough that they decided from next week that they would go into work and they are going leave at half day. They have also decided that they are going to do that until the building is finished, which is supposed to be on the 5th of March,” Smith said. (BT)

POTHOLE DILEMNA – A senior official in the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) is defending his department in the face of persistent complaints about the state of the island’s roads. In response to the raging debate about potholes, MTW’s Deputy Chief Technical Officer Phillip Tudor told a Barbados Association of Professional Engineers-organized meeting last night that the problem was one of a lack of money and ageing infrastructure and equipment. “We are fighting with an ageing infrastructure. Most of the roads in Barbados are over 40 years old,” he said, while acknowledging that ten to 15 years after a road is laid there should be some form of “intervention”, ranging from simple maintenance to total reconstruction. However, he reported that up until recently his department had been denied much funding and was left with no choice but to fix old roads with a few old pieces of equipment. “About a couple weeks ago I was invited to sit on the panel and I said, ‘no’ because what I have to say, honestly I may lose my pick, but I decided to say it [anyways], because it needed to be said. “We have been requesting more money to buy equipment . . . [but] it was only in this last Estimatesthat we were told go ahead, order the equipment. So now we can order equipment,” he said. The BAPE meeting was the first in a series organized by the island’s engineers with the aim of getting input on the way forward in addressing the pervasive pothole problem. At the end of the series, a panel of engineers will compile a report and submit recommendations to Government. Tudor, who was a member of the audience said he was speaking reluctantly, but revealed that because Barbados’ old roads did not get the technically correct interventions, owing to a lack of funds, much money was spent on recurring patchwork. (BT)

PSV OWNERS TO DISCUSS THEIR FUTURE – Owners of privately-run public service vehicles (PSVs) will meet next week to chart the way forward for the sector, which has been asking the Freundel Stuart administration for duty-free concessions on imported parts, and an increase in bus fares to keep them in business. PSV operators, who have also been accused of consuming alcoholic beverages while on duty, playing loud and vulgar music, insulting passengers who complain and engaging in other lawless behaviour, will also be updated during the meeting on recent proposals submitted to Government regarding their future. The details of the proposal to be discussed at Monday’s meeting at the Barbados Community College were not immediately clear. However, the joint committee representing PSV owners and operators had written to Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler in June last year demanding duty-free concessions and no less than a 50 per cent fare rise, which would the fees passengers pay from $2.00 to $3.00. (BT)

BETTER FLOW – Determined to hold on to the title of leading telecommunications provider on the island, Flow Barbados has responded to the increasing calls from customers for better service and speedier resolution of issues. In keeping with its promise to deliver an improved level of customer service, the telecommunications company has made a “significant investment” in a brand new Customer Experience Centre at its former retail store at Windsor Lodge, St Michael, which was officially launched today. The company has hired 20 new agents, who have gone through an intense seven weeks of training to prepare them for their new role. Managing Director of Flow Barbados Jenson Sylvester told Barbados TODAY he was confident the “solutions centre” would improve the overall experience of customers who encounter billing issues, service faults and have general queries. The ‘Action in Satisfaction’ campaign, which was launched recently, is a multi-pronged initiative aimed at inspiring employees to constantly deliver high quality service experience. “[It] is really more than just a short-term campaign, it is an evolutionary process for how we engage with our staff and by extension how we engage with our customers,” he said. Following Liberty Global’s £3.5 billion takeover of Flow’s parent company, Cable & Wireless Communications, in 2016, the company has remained in a state of transition, highlighted by various appointments and investments. Sylvester said while the local telecoms market remained very competitive, the acquisition has given Flow more “breadth that gives us access to scale and content that they deliver across the world”. Sylvester opted not to say what additional investments were on the cards for the Barbados market, but said he was satisfied with the investment in the network upgrades over the past couple of years as they were bearing fruit. (BT)

RESLIFE AT LAST – The new court-approved firm set up to replace the collapsed CLICO International Life Insurance was formally launched this morning with assurances that the value of policyholders’ investments has been restored and safeguarded, despite changes to the contractual terms and conditions of several of their policies. Chief Executive Officer Cheryl Senhouse told a press conference at Courtyard by Marriott in Hastings, Christ Church that Resolution Life Assurance Company Limited (ResLife) would preserve cash levels, while still ensuring all policyholders realize the intended benefit of their policies over the long term. ResLife will begin monthly payments to annuitants at the end of next month. The ResLife executive also said that due to the changes to the contracts, life insurance policyholders would not be permitted to surrender their policies for a four-year period, while there will be restrictions to access to cash surrender values through policy loans. Senhouse also assured that despite the changes, all claims and maturities arising from life policies from 1st January, 2018 will be processed and paid as soon as they were approved. The ResLife executive announced that a number of amendments were also made to annuity policies such as surrenders and partial or full withdrawals, while making it clear this would not be permitted before the date of maturity of the policy. The chief executive officer also revealed that individuals who bought the investment product – the Executive Flexible Premium Annuity (EFPA) – would be treated separately, with the principal amounts of each of these policies converted to a ten-year annuity at a fixed interest rate. Repayments will be made according to a set schedule over the same period, Senhouse said, adding that non-individuals such as corporations and charities who purchased the EFPA would also be treated separately. These will be issued a preference share investment in the parent company, and ongoing management of this group of investors will be handled by the parent firm, she explained. Senhouse said deposit administration funds also underwent some changes, but trustees would be informed directly. However, she cautioned that active policies remained in effect subject to continued payment of premiums to ResLife at Worthing, Christ Church from January 23, but could be made at Surepay outlets in the meantime. The ResLife executive also disclosed that payment of cash surrender values to those who gave up their policies would begin in 2022 and would be phased over seven years through to 2028, and that claims for individual and group medical policies would continue to be paid as usual. (BT)

SAVED FROM THE BEES – The quiet district of Harlington, St Philip, was thrown into panic as two residents had to literally run for their lives after they came in contact with a swarm of bees a stone’s throw away from their home yesterday. It was around noon that 59-year-old Jude Barrow found himself in a sticky situation when he attempted to dump the contents from a grease trap he had cleaned from his home on to nearby bushy area. His aunt Ira Barrow, who tried to help him, was also stung, but it was he who sustained more than 50 stings and survived to tell the tale after he got medical treatment.  “When I was walking going over the road to dump the water I walk straight in a hive of bees. I did not know they were there. Nobody did,” he recalled. Jude said he ran directly for a nearby pipe as he fanned to rid himself of the insects. It was his frantic running that attracted his aunt’s attention. Soon after, she too felt the wrath of the buzzing insects. The elderly woman said they turned on her as she tried to “lick them offa he. I had to run then and leave he. I end up falling down and then they bite me up too. But then my grandson [Shakir Barrow] light a sheet to create some smoke and that’s when they moved off and then I get the chance to get up and go inside.” When the WEEKEND NATION paid the rural community a visit, Jude had just returned from Four Roads Medical Clinic about three miles away, where he was treated. Shakir was not home at the time, but both victims said it was his action – lighting of the material in which he draped Jude – that caused the bees to take flight. Ira was stung on her right eye, resulting in swelling and Jude had bloodshot eyes. He also displayed the marks from the stings across his face and torso. Jude said when he realised what was happening, the death of Nicholas Shepherd at Marchfield, St Philip, who died after he was attacked while picking mangoes, last June, came to mind. Residents are now calling for the removal of the hive and the debushing of the area, which overlooks a quarry. Both Keisha Barrow and Thelma Pollard said they made several calls to the police, the Ministry of Health, the Barbados Fire Service, and other bodies, which they thought were relevant. They said since the land was private, it would cost them hundreds of dollars to remove. (WN)

VIOLENCE IS FOREIGN TO BARBADOS, INCE SAYS – In the wake of the high profile Boxing Day murder of a cousin of Barbadian superstar Rihanna, Government Senator Jepter Ince yesterday said the level of violence that has gripped the country in recent times was foreign to Barbados. Addressing the congregation at the  New Testament Church of God’s centennial celebrations at Abundant Life Assembly, Bank Hall, St Michael,  Ince said he was particularly concerned about the number of young people who were losing their lives to violence. “It would be remiss of me if I did not point out to the fact that we are living in perilous times that see mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends weep over the loss of loved ones to violent acts, many of whom do not live to realize the superb talent within them. Brethren, this is not the Barbados that we want to pass on to our children; this is not the heritage to which we are accustomed,” Ince said. Ince, who represented Minister of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Ecclesiastical Affairs Steve Blackett at the event, promised that the ministry would introduce programmes that would benefit the island’s youth. “These young impressionable minds are our future and we need not, indeed we cannot, give up on those who are left behind. Rest assured the ministry will continue through the various departments to play its part by focussing on relevant programmes to meet the needs of these young persons,” Ince said. The senator said the church and Government had similar missions to ensure everyone enjoys a good quality of life. “Like the church, the Government is called to serve diverse groups of people and remains committed to uplifting and improving their lives by providing and improving equal opportunity for all citizens to achieve an achievable and sustainable standard of living,” he said. Barbados recorded 30 murders last year, 23 of which were gun-related. (BT)

UNLUCKY BLOW – A nine-member jury today began hearing evidence in a wounding case against a St Lucy man. Shakiel Akeem Connell, otherwise known as Shaq, of Fryers Well, Checker Hall, is charged with causing serious bodily harm to Pedro Benn on October 19, 2013, with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him. He is also accused of inflicting serious bodily harm on Benn on the same day. Under questioning from Senior Crown Counsel Krystal Delaney, the alleged victim testified that he was at a karaoke session at Half Moon Fort, St Lucy that evening and was walking through the crowd, to claim a dance from a woman, after getting a standing ovation for his performance, when he accidentally “butt shoulders” with a man. When the man reacted he responded by saying “everything cool” and was in the process of turning when he felt “a cuff swing from behind me”. When he turned around again, he saw Shaq who he knew from being in Speightstown and they “tangled”. Benn said they were separated, but another man, who he identified as Rasta, also hit him with a bottle in the face. He subsequently went home but was later taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by a cousin where he was told that he had suffered a broken jaw. Benn maintained that he had no difficulties with Shaq prior to the incident. However, the accused man, who was 19-years-old at time of the incident, asked Benn how he was sure that he was the one who hit him in the face. “You were the person that make the swing that connect,” Benn replied. Dr Shantel Young-Boyce, an emergency medical practitioner, was the one who examined Benn at the QEH’s Accident & Emergency Department five years ago. She said Benn had a swollen face and what looked like a deformity to the left jaw, which was as a result of severe force to the face. The broken jaw, she said, had hindered his ability to feed himself and had caused severe pain. He was referred to another specialist who subsequently performed surgery. The case, which is before Madam Justice Pamela Beckles, continues tomorrow in the No. 5 Supreme Court.  (BT)

LOAN FUND LOSES DEFAULT CASE – The Student Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF) has failed in its bid to go after a “guarantor” for default of a student loan. On January 11, High Court Judge Olson Alleyne dismissed a claim brought by the SRLF Management Committee against Bernard Chase after finding that the fund could not prove that Chase signed the deed to repay the money, on default of the loan. Chase, who was represented by Roger Forde QC, was one of two defendants whom the SRLF alleged signed as “guarantors” on a $50 000 loan agreement on behalf of Cherise Harewood, now O’Grady in 1997. O’Grady has never repaid the loan which stood at $137,175.75, including cost and interest in 2010 when the case was first filed in court. It now stands at close to $180 000. The legal action was brought against Chase, the other defendant, and O’Grady, in 2010. Chase challenged the legal action on two grounds: that the statute of limitation had expired and that he did not sign the contract and, therefore, was not bound by it. While Forde argued that the statute of limitation was six years, attorney for the SRLF, Edmund Hinkson, submitted that it was 12 years. The judge accepted the 12-year period, ruling: “After due consideration, I have determined that the claim is not statute-barred.” In relation to the loan contract, Chase denied that he signed the document, saying he was not in agreement with certain aspects of it. Furthermore, he testified that he was not in Barbados on August 13, 1997, the date the SRLF was claiming that he signed the document. He also produced his passport showing he was in the UK between July 31, 1997, and September 1, 1997. After hearing evidence from a loan officer, who described the man named Chase, who signed the contract as a “tall dark guy with dreadlocks” and two handwriting experts, Nola Murphy and Patrick Sealy, Justice Alleyne concluded that the SRLF had not proved its case.  “I am not satisfied that the claimant has proved its case,” the judge said. “Rather, on the evidence adduced, I am persuaded that it is more probable than not that Mr Chase did not sign the document. He has established, to my satisfaction, that he was beyond this jurisdiction on the date that the claimant maintains that it was signed in his name.” Justice Alleyne also accepted the evidence of handwriting expert Patrick Sealy: “Mr Sealy’s evidence lends credibility to his assertion that the disputed signature is not his. “I have concluded that the claim against Mr Chase is not statute barred, but the claimant’s failure to establish that Mr Chase signed the disputed document must result in the dismissal of this claim. “If not him, then who?” the judge asked. “That question may forever lurk in the mind of the curious. It might never have arisen had the claimant required proof of identification from the signer and kept some record of that proof. Therein lies the moral of this case.  The claim against Mr Chase is dismissed.” (WN)

MAN STEALS TC FROM LESC – A St Michael man, who stole a television from the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC), has three months to pay a $1,500 fine to a Bridgetown Court if he wants to avoid spending three months at Dodds prison. Tristan Patrick Albert Joseph must also be on his best behaviour for the next six months. If the 27-year-old, of Marine Road, Bush Hall, St Michael, breaches the bond imposed by Magistrate Douglas Frederick he will have to spend three months in prison. According to the prosecutor, Joseph stole the television, valued at $1,499. 99, as well as a flash drive from the LESC building, located on Government Hill, on January 1. The television usually sits on a stand in the lobby of the building, but it was placed in another location to accommodate patrons at an Old Year’s night event. However when officials made a check on January 5 they discovered the item missing. A further check was made of the CCTV footage and a man was seen boldly walking out of the building with the television tucked under his arm, before placing it in the cab of a pickup truck and driving away. Investigations were conducted which led to a search warrant being executed at Joseph’s residence. The two items were recovered. Today in court Joseph took full responsibility for his actions as the items were found at his house. However, he said that “a man tell me to carry it home, he going [to] come for it. It was not to sell”. (BT)

FOUR MEN ACCUSED OF STEALING POWER TOOLS – Four men, who allegedly stole several power tools, were granted bail when they appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today. They are 52-year-old Mark Anderson Franklyn, of Jordan’s Lane, Nelson Street, St Michael; 50-year-old Junior Orlando Sobers, of Licorish Village, St Michael; 42-year-old John Patrick Haynes, of Rock Hall, St Thomas and 50-year-old Denis Rodney Beckles, of No. 37 Golden Rock, Pinelands, St Michael. The accused men, who are separately charged with stealing equipment belonging to Williams Equipment in December last year, pleaded not guilty to the offences. The prosecutor did not object to bail for Franklyn, who allegedly stole a demolition hammer worth $4,559 on December 11, 2017. However, he must now report to Central Police Station every Wednesday and Friday before 10 with valid identification following his release on $5,000 bail. Meantime, Sobers was released on $3,000 bail on a charge of stealing a power washer worth $4,400 on December 22, while Haynes, who is accused on stealing a generator worth $6,707 on December 30 and another worth $3,500 belonging to Innotech Equipment Inc on January 2 this year, was granted $5,000 bail. However, the prosecutor, Station Sergeant Neville Reid objected to bail for Beckles, who is accused of committing four offences. It is alleged that he stole a demolition hammer worth $4,559 belonging to Williams Equipment on December 7 as well as a generator worth $6,707 on December 20. He is further accused of stealing a demolition hammer worth $1,785 belonging to C&A Tools and Equipment Limited on December 12 and of dishonestly disposing a generator on December 19, knowing or believing it to be stolen. Reid argued that Beckles should be remanded to prison as he was already on bail from the No.2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court for a similar offence and there were fears that, if released, he would reoffend. The prosecutor also referred to the accused man’s antecedents, which he said showed a propensity for committing crimes of dishonesty. However, Beckles’ attorney-at-law Andrew Pilgrim, QC, argued that there was no need to remand his client as all the aforementioned property had been recovered. He further argued that the pending case against Beckles was of some “vintage” and as such did not hold any weight under the circumstances. Pilgrim also rejected the view that his client was likely to abscond, saying he had an “excellent record” of keeping his court dates. After weighing the arguments of both sides, Frederick ruled in favour of the defence and granted Beckles $10,000 bail which he secured with one surety. All four men will make their next appearance in court on April 18. (BT)

CARPENTER ORDERED TO PAY DRUG FINE – A 36-year-old carpenter has two months to pay a $750 court fine. If Dwayne Irvin Calderon, of Lot 2E, North Close, Wildley, St Michael, fails to do so, he will have to spend two months in jail. The fine was imposed by Magistrate Douglas Frederick after Calderon pleaded guilty in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court to having $15 worth of cannabis in his possession on January 17. The illegal drug was found in the door panel of his car after he consented to a police search, while at Sugar Bay Beach, Hastings, Christ Church. “The weed is mine,” he allegedly told the officers at the time, when asked to account for the cannabis. However, his attorney Mohia Ma’at told the magistrate today that his client was “very sorry” for his actions. The lawyer also appealed for a lenient sentence given that Calderon had “fully cooperated with police and had not wasted judicial time”. In response, Frederick pointed out that Calderon had several run-ins with the law for drug offences; had been slapped with several fines and had also been given several suspended sentences. “He will soon run out of chances,” the magistrate warned, as he imposed yet another fine on Calderon. (BT)

BOOTED OUT OF DOLLARS – Well, footballers need money too. At least one man doesn’t think it’s fair to suspend footballers from the Barbados team for appearing in out-of-season tournaments, considering those same competitions put money in the players’ pockets while the national programme doesn’t. Former Barbados Football Association (BFA) general secretary Chris Graham expressed the view after national captain Mario Harte, Mario Williams and Renaldo Trim received suspension letters for playing in the then unsanctioned Henderson Williams City Soccer Classic. “At the end of the day football is amateur in Barbados and the national team doesn’t pay our players so it is hard to deprive persons of money because everyone needs to make a living and survive in Barbados,” Graham told WEEKENDSPORT. “I am not about out of season tournaments eh, but I am about these players benefiting and we are not at a stage where we can stop these out of season tournaments because football here is amateur and the national team has achieved nothing significant for as long as Barbados has been playing nor does it contribute financially to a player’s welfare,” he said.  (WN)

BROOKS STROKES WAY TO TON – The silky stroke play and tender touch of the stylish Shamarh Brooks was on show at Kensington Oval yesterday as the Barbados Pride captain gracefully logged his fourth first-class century. The 29-year-old Brooks attractively fashioned a polished unbeaten 104 while steering Barbados Pride to a pleasing position of 261 for two off 90 overs on the opening day of their final-round Digicel Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day match against Jamaica Scorpions. His knock was adorned with 15 fours off 206 balls in 280 minutes and would’ve certainly impressed West Indies’ selector and former Guyana batsman Travis Dowlin, watching in the President’s Box. (WN)

LAFF-IT-OFF TREAT FOR STUDENTS – Four hundred students will be treated to Bajan comedy at its best when they head to the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre to watch a special edition of Laff-It-Off. The students who attend public and private secondary schools, the Barbados Community College, and are enrolled in Operation Triple Threat, will be accompanied by their respective theatre arts teachers for this year’s production under the theme Size Roun’. This year’s show will feature 19-year-old actor Kyle Cozier and Dario Walrond, who are both making their stage debut, as well as regulars Peta Alleyne, Janine White, and Angelo Lascelles. Alleyne has been with the production for 30 years. Producer of Barbados’ longest running theatrical production, Ian Estwick, told WEEKEND BUZZ that each yearfor 12 years they had looked forward to welcoming the students to Laff-It-Off and to seeing their reactions. “Even though we don’t get feedback directly from the students, we do hear from their teachers. We look forward to having the students attend because it benefits us. After months of rehearsals, it gives us the opportunity to play to an audience before opening night and make sure we are on point in terms of our timing and our delivery. “We also hope that it sparks their interests and they want to join the production either as part of the cast or the crew, as the show has been playing for more than 30 years. As a matter of fact, two of our newest members, Kyle and Dario, attended the show when they were students and we have them with us today. The students will see what they are being taught in action and it bodes well for the future of Laff-It-Off and theatre in Barbados,” Estwick said. After the show students are required to submit critiques for their theatre arts course. The show opens to the public tomorrow and plays for ten nights only.   (WN)

That’s all for today folks there are 346 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 11/20/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Monday 20th November, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Daily Newspaper (WN).

STUART’S CHALLENGE – Spill the beans, Dale Marshall. That’s the call from Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) spokesperson on crime Dale Marshall who on Saturday alleged that corruption in Barbados had reached startling levels. Marshall made the disclosure at a BLP press conference where he said “corruption appears to be at an unprecedented level” and said Prime Minister Stuart should have been “ashamed” to defend the 1929 Prevention of Corruption Act as “adequate to deal with today’s problems”. But last night at the Alexandra School, Stuart tore into Marshall, saying any parliamentarian who could say “empirically” that “corruption has reached unprecedented levels is basically saying not only that corruption exists, but that he knows who the corrupted are, because you can only say it is on the increase if you know who is causing the increase”. He called on Marshall to take his information to the Director of Public Prosecutions so people could be brought before the law courts. “I challenge Mr Marshall tonight, if you know where the corruption is and who the corrupt people are, I challenge you to assert the powers of your personal convictions and put your person where your mouth is. “Do not come to me and I would not advise that you bother the Commissioner of Police with it either. Go to the Director of Public Prosecutions whom no one can instruct and demonstrate to Barbadians, for a change, that you are prepared to stand up and defend the right of this society and protect its values,” he declared as those drawn from the St Peter and St Lucy constituencies cheered him on. He also urged Marshall to show he was willing to appear before any court to back up his claim that people had been open to corruption. “I can afford to challenge him because I know the (person) I am talking about,” Stuart said to rousing applause. “He cannot do it. But what he can do is drop remarks and drop these general statements in the hope that something would stick,” the Prime Minister declared, urging Marshall to take up his challenge. He further urged the BLP to take the media on a tour of the multimillion-dollar house it was alleging Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler had built in Rolling Hills, St George, since, he said, the allegation, which was circulating on social media, came from the “polluted lagoon” of the BLP. Stuart however refused to take any questions from the DAILY NATION after the meeting, particularly on the sudden announcement of St John Mara Thompson’s decision not to contest the next general elections. (DN)

POOR HANDLING OF MARA’S EXIT – Political scientist Peter Wickham says the impending exit of Member of Parliament for St John Mara Thompson was handled badly by the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration.  “I really don’t think that is an appropriate manner to handle something as serious as representation,” he told the DAILY NATION. Thompson, who has been representing St John since January 2011 when she won a by-election following the death of her husband, Prime Minister David Thompson in 2010, announced last Tuesday, just before entering the House of Assembly for the day’s sitting, that she would not be running for St John. “The whole thing was handled very badly by Mrs Thompson the representative,” Wickham said. “If we use as a point of comparison the departure the former representative of Christ Church West Dr William Duguid when he intended to leave, an announcement was made not only to the constitutents, but he also gave the party an opportunity to stage-manage the whole process a lot better,” he added.  (DN)

BANKS TIGHT FISTED – The banking industry is under attack again for clinging to its money and not lending to various sectors for developmental purposes. The most recent criticism has come from church leader Bishop Dr Marlon Husbands, of Sanctuary Empowerment Centre, who lamented that even the church was facing difficulty in getting bank funding. Earlier this month, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur chided commercial banks for not bankrolling innovation as he spoke at Innovate Barbados 2017. He said Barbados’ financial system was very liquid but functioned in a highly risk-averse manner, and was largely devoted to underwriting consumption. Husbands said the banks’ actions were part of an overall decline in respect for churches across a “new Barbados”. He was delivering the sermon yesterday during a service marking the NATION’s 44th anniversary, as well as the Ministry of Transport and Works’ recognition of World Remembrance Day For Road Traffic Victims at the Country Road, St Michael church. (DN)

BARBADOS BELOW WORLD SKILLS STANDARD – Barbados is below the world skills standard. This was revealed by Executive Director of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) council Henderson Eastmond. “It is time to revisit our national TVET policy both in the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education. We have to look at things differently, because if countries are going to push level one and level two in the [secondary] schools and we are now pushing level one and level two in tertiary institutions then you can see where we would be falling,” Eastmond said Friday during a ceremony at the TVET office in Hastings, to present participants in the World Skills Competition with their certificates. The Executive Director said that Barbados failed to place at the competition held in Abu Dhabi last month, which resulted in its classification as falling below the standard along with 11 other countries.  However, he noted that this was a problem throughout Western countries. “Western countries, with the exception of Switzerland and Brazil, did not feature at all. It says something about our educational system, we have a traditional educational system that supports academic above the technical skills,” Eastmond said. “These countries like Korea have invested heavily in their TVET systems and the fact is that when people leave school they can leave school with a technical diploma equivalent to what the polyclinic is putting out.” Eastmond believes that skills and better training can help to maintain the standard of living in the country. (BT)

BVTB ONLY ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE FIVE PER CENT OF APPLICANTS – Only 115 of the 2313 applicants this year for the top seven programmes at the Barbados Vocational Training Board (BVTB) could be accommodated. Director of Training Henderson Thompson shared the numbers in his report at the BVTB’s graduation ceremony last evening. “Bar and Restaurant, 585 persons applied, BVTB can only accommodate 13 trainees. International Cooking, 433 persons applied, BVTB can only accommodate 18. Care of the Elderly, 300 persons applied, the programme can only accommodate 16,” Thompson said. The situation was the same for Housekeeping, Electrical Installation, Heavy Duty Truck Driving and Cosmetology. “The deficit between the number of applicants and the number of trainees accepted is a serious matter and this is why the BVTB continuously calls for land, purpose-built buildings and equipment,” Thompson said, noting that specialized training requires purpose-built space. Meantime, the BVTB, a newly registered institution with the Barbados Accreditation Council, is expanding in many ways. Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo announced that the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Rural Development has responded to the request for land and she hopes the process of expansion is one which will run smoothly. “The Barbados Vocational Training Board continues to fulfil its mandate to train and certify persons for employment to the extent that today it is hosting its second graduation for the year,” Byer Suckoo. “The graduation earlier this year presented the CVQ award to over 180 persons, today 221 graduands sit before me,” she said, adding that she was heartened by the BVTB’s achievements thus far. The Minister added that the demand for vocational training has certainly increased and as a result, the Ministry will assist in obtaining more space and more resources.  (BT)

LOOK OUTSIDE BIMAP FOR PARTNERS – With more than four decades of management training under its belt, the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP) must tap into new partnership opportunities outside the island. The suggestion has come from Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, as she delivered the featured address at BIMAP’s 39th graduation ceremony on Saturday night at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. Applauding the 1 452 graduates and BIMAP on their achievements, McClean called on the 45-year-old institution to look to such places as Sub-Saharan Africa to branch out. She said that region in particular was rife with opportunities for training in management development services. “To illustrate, I have selected a random agency with which such a partnership can be explored. The African Management Services Company (AMSCO) is a Pan-African private sector development agency that provides customised training solutions. It focuses primarily on partnership-driven capacity and service development to assist African SMEs (small and medium/micro enterprises). AMSCO is also the implementing partner for the African training and management services project of the United Nations Development Programme. “To demonstrate the real potential of doing business with Africa, let me share some additional things. Africa has 60 per cent of the world’s remaining arable land and millions of dedicated farmers who can benefit from the assistance in the area of managing their businesses. This, of course, will ensure the enhancement of commercial agriculture and agro-processing,” she said. McClean touted the Human Resource Development Strategy of Government, initially rolled out between 2013 and 2016, which she said could be adopted and adapted for any exploration of international business opportunities. She explained that the overall objective of this strategy was to support the Government’s effort to increase competitiveness, promote sustainable growth and poverty alleviation. Its main objective was to strengthen the country’s human resource capacity, aid in the reduction of unemployment and the increase of productivity in the workplace. “In essence, I see a situation where BIMAP, partnering with a team of local institutions and consultants, can deliver services which contribute to similar human recourse development strategies, in this case in Sub-Sahara Africa,” she added. (DN)

LASHLEY SAYS PSVS MUSIC MUST STOP – Government will be cracking down on those who habitually flout the island’s traffic laws, and Transport Minister Michael Lashley  said yesterday that he has public service vehicle operators in his sights. Addressing a Barbados Road Safety Association church service marking World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims at the Sanctuary Empowerment  Centre on Country Road, Lashley pointed out that PSV operators play music in their buses though there is a law against it. Contrary the norm in Barbados for many PSV drivers to play music in their vehicles while transporting passengers, Lashley said to much applause, “the Road Traffic Act in its present form rules out the playing of music on public service vehicles”. “There is a law. It means that we have to enforce these laws,” he added, citing Section 44 of the regulations. Lashley’s reminder that this law already exists comes against a backdrop of him presenting to Parliament last Tuesday a Bill with comprehensive changes to the Road Traffic Act as it exists now. He however made clear at the church service yesterday that his proposed amendments do not affect the already existing Section 44 of the regulations. The Minister bemoaned what he sees as “the creation now of a Barbadian that believes that he can disrespect authority, disrespect the institutions that we’ve built so far, values and principles enshrined in our constitution, and values that we were taught not only by church but schools and families and persons in the communities and that it is all well and fine, that there is no law, there is nobody that can stop them”.  (BT)

COCAINE WORRY – More Barbadian drug users seem to be turning to the “white lady” as the new drug of choice, and a former drug counsellor is saying education and interdiction are the ways to the stop the trend. In recent weeks a number of people, who have appeared before the District “A” Magistrates’ Court, have confessed to cocaine possession, or have spoken about being cocaine users who had relapsed countless times after they were caught stealing. Their numbers seem to have outstripped those who have been charged for marijuana, and it is a trend that has caught the attention of a former high-ranking drug counsellor. The drug counsellor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there has been a definite increase in cocaine use within the last three to five years “based on what we are seeing in court reports and also in the people reporting to drug treatment facilities like Verdun House and CASA (Centre for Counselling Addiction Support Alternatives)”. (DN)

FATHER SEEKING REDRESS REMANDED – The fallout from an alleged case of bullying has landed the father of the victim in Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds. Police public relations officer, Acting Inspector Roland Cobbler, confirmed that Trevor Callender, 43, of Unity Lane, Gall Hill, Christ Church, was charged with assault and trespassing on the premises of Christ Church Foundation School. Callender appeared in the District “A” Traffic Court on Saturday and was remanded for two weeks. He will reappear in the Oistins court. Information suggested that Callender’s son, who was in second form at Deighton Griffith Secondary, was attacked by a group of students from neighbouring Foundation School outside the Church Hill, Christ Church school two Fridays ago. A voice message circulating on social media, in which the author was asking for help, suggested that Callender went to both schools to represent the interest of his son, and that the principal of Deighton Griffith called the police because he “raised his voice”. DAILY NATION investigations revealed that Callender caused a disturbance at both schools and police were called in, but it was at Foundation that his actions escalated. (DN)

POLICE MAKE BREAKTHROUGH IN INVESTIGATIONS INTO SILVER HILL SHOOTING – Police have made a major breakthrough in their investigations into the shooting death of 34-year-old Andrew Prescod of Welches, Oistins, Christ Church. A 22-year-old St Michael man is currently in custody assisting police in their investigations. Prescod and two females, 21 and 29 years old respectively, were shot while liming in Silver Hill, Christ Church with other persons on Saturday, October 21. Prescod was shot in the head, the 21-year-old female was shot in her right knee and the 29-year-old female was grazed by a bullet on her chin. They were all rushed to hospital where Prescod died a day later. (BT)

TRIO TO FACE THE COURTS MONDAY FOR BUCKLEY PLANTATION ROBBERY –Three men are expected in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 20 in connection with the November 9 robbery of the supervisor / manager of the Buckley Plantation. Charles Bynoe, 64, was attacked and robbed as he returned to the planation with wages and payroll for employees. During this incident, Bynoe was shot in his left foot as the assailants fled the scene with a large sum of money. Police have identified the three men now in custody as 30-year-old Jermaine Kenneth King of #274, 4thAve, Windward Garden, St Philip; 30-year-old Ramon Jamar Goodridge of Waverly Cot, St George; and 30-year-old Damien Andre Collymore of Carmichael Tenantry, St George. (BT)

SIXTH MAN CHARGED IN KADOOMENT DAY SHOOTING INCIDENT – Police have arrested and charge a sixth man in connection with the Kadooment Day shooting incident which left 23 people nursing gunshot wounds. Shakeem Romario Clarke, 22, of Golden Ridge, St George has been charged with 23 counts of endangering life and one count of violent disorder He is expected to appear in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 20. Elijah Copeland, 17, of Chase Gap, Halls Road, St Michael; Raheem Grimes, 17, of Chadderton Road, Carrington Village, St Michael; Tristan Alleyne, 22, of Westbury Road, St Michael; Diego Rayshawn Wilson, 17, of Spencers Gap, Baxters Road, St Michael; and 21-year-old Tosharo Ricardo Rouse, of Murphy Pasture, Chapman Lane, St Michael were all previously charged in connection with the incident. (BT)

A GRAND FIGHTBACK – Defending champions St George South produced arguably the comeback of the tournament to date after scoring twice in a minute to force extra time and subsequently prevail on penalties against St John, when the final night of the round of 16 action in the David Thompson Memorial Constituency Councils Football Classic was played at Belleplaine on Saturday night. The holders eventually triumphed 3-0 on penalties, after the scores had been locked at 3-3 following normal time and neither could be separated after an extra half-hour. Goals from Deago Gittens, Romario “Pete Pete” Harewood and Akeen Rouse had given St John what looked like an unassailable lead going into the final three minutes, with St George South’s sole reply coming from Romario Drakes. (DN)

SQUASH LEADS TO VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY – Local squash player Amanda Haywood has attained a full scholarship to the University of Virginia. The 17-year-old St Michael School student, who will be studying finance, told SUNSPORT she was grateful. “I’m very glad, grateful and thankful for this opportunity because it’s kind of a lifetime opportunity to get a full scholarship for four years. I’m also very excited to go to Virginia,” she said. Haywood, captain of the Barbados girls team that won 35th Caribbean Area Squash Association Junior Championships in Guyana earlier this year, explained that it was said that the way she presented herself as an individual and as an athlete would have allowed her to be considered for the opportunity. The squash player, who also has a passion for badminton, said she was aware numerous opportunities were going to present themselves during that four years and she was open to them since they were capable of allowing her to grow as an individual and in her sport. With more than six months at home before she leaves in August 2018, she is hoping to compete in some tournaments next year. She added because she would be playing squash at university didn’t at all mean that she was not going to still play badminton. Haywood added that now was the time to play since it was expected to be even more challenging balancing her studies and training.  (DN)

CERTIFIED OLYMPIANS – Now sportsmen need a medal to be recognised at the Olympic level. All Olympic athletes, including those from Barbados, can now use the post nominal designation of “OLY” at the end of their names in recognition of their sporting achievements. Two-time Bajan Olympian Freida Nicholls broke the news yesterday as a board member of the World Olympians Association (WOA) that officially launched the designation during last week’s eighth International Athletes’ Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland. “This initiative by the World Olympians Association is designed to provide Olympians with the professional recognition that they deserve,” reasoned WOA president Joel Bouzou. “By participating at an Olympic Games, Olympians have achieved something unique, and for that, they must be recognised. They are true leaders and role models in society and act as ambassadors of the Olympic movement”. A post nominal designation like PhD and MBA, the OLY recognition can be used on official documentation, CVs, business cards, letters and social media.  International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, a German medal-winning fencer at the 1976 Olympic Games, was the first to actually receive the designation just last week. The WOA’s executive board members were the next ones conferred with the designation, making Nicholls one of the first Olympians to be presented with the new certificate of recognition. Bajan athletes seeking to receive their OLY designation can simply go to the WOA’s website under the section “Olympians” and fill out a very short registration process. The WOA will then send the registration to the IOC for a background check before emailing the applic nt with their certificate of recognition that they can download for personal use. All Olympic athletes are eligible for the designation once they have not been found guilty of an anti-doping infraction or have a criminal record. “Being an Olympian, regardless of how one placed, is a globally acknowledged accomplishment,” explained Olympic bronze medal sprinter Obadele Thompson. (DN)

FOGGING SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 20 TO 24 – Officers of the Vector Control Unit of the Ministry of Health will continue fogging exercises in parishes throughout Barbados next week, in an effort to control the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

On Monday, November 20, the team will be in St Lucy spraying Checker Hall, Checker Hall Tenantry, Fustic Village, Sutherland, Shermans, Half Moon Fort, Clinketts Gardens and environs. They will also fog Thicketts Plantation in St Philip and surrounding areas on that day.

On Tuesday, November 21, the exercise continues in Christ Church in Wilcox Hill, Thyme Bottom, St Bartholomew, Parish Land, Thornbury Hill, Pegwell, Pegwell Boggs, Pegwell Gardens, Gibbons and neighbouring districts.

On Wednesday, November 22, the team returns to Christ Church to fog Lower Amity Lodge, Rendezvous Hill, Brewster Road, Worthing Main Road, Bamboo Ridge, Craigg Road, Beckles Road, Harmony Hall, Maxwell Hill, Kendall Hill, Maxwell Hill Development, Maxwell Hill with Avenues, Cane Vale, Valley Ridge and environs. 

St Michael will be targeted on Thursday, November 23, specifically Valerie, Brittons Cross Road, Beckles Road, Villa Road, Laynes Road, Scott’s Gap, Highgate Gardens, Collymore Rock, Burke’s Land, Eversley Road, Brittons New Road, Reece Land, Flagstaff and surrounding areas.

Fogging continues on Friday, November 24, in the St Michael districts of Lodge Crescent, Opal Court, Pearl Drive, Duffin Court, Topaz Drive, Sapphire Drive, Emerald Drive, Friendship, Friendship Terrace, Lowland Drive, Green Hill, Mahaica Gap, Lewis Gap, Storey Gap and neighbouring districts.

Fogging will be carried out from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. daily, and householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Persons with respiratory problems are advised to protect themselves, and children should not play in the fog.  (DN)

YOUNG MALE ENTREPRENEURS TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT – The Bureau of Gender Affairs on Saturday showcased some of the positive efforts being made by men at the International Men’s Day Exhibition and Symposium held in Queen’s Park Steel Shed. The exhibition highlighted young entrepreneurs in agriculture, agrotechnology and the service industry. Acting Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Senator Harcourt Husbands commended the Bureau and others men’s organization for bringing the initiative to fruition. Members of the Men’s Educational Support Association, the Anglican Men’s Association of Barbados, Men’s Health And Educational Support Group, the UWI Youth Development Programme, the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute and the TVET Council were some of the entities who organized and participated in the exhibition. Recognizing the importance of the theme Making a Difference for Men and Boys, Senator Husbands said that it was imperative that the public not lose hope because of the negative images of the island’s young males. (BT)

ST LUCY OVERCOMES – It was all for gran. Shortly after being announced as the Most Outstanding Parish Ambassadors for 2017 at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on Saturday night, Daimon Rock, who along with partner Jennice King took the fifth title to St Lucy, could not control his emotions. Yes, he was overjoyed at continuing the winning tradition in the family started by uncle Tito, who took the prize for Most Outstanding Ambassador in 2001, followed by a fourth place by brother Dario last year, but the feelings ran far deeper than that. Rock said thoughts of his late grandmother, Eudine Rock, came flooding back and he could not contain the tears. “She used to bring me to this show every year, every year . . . . I did it all for her. I feel good but I just remembering her all the time,” the still worked-up Rock told reporters. As for the beaming King, it was a case of perseverance paying off. “I try so many years to get in this programme and I was never successful. And then this year I finally got in, and we faced so many challenges this year . . . . We worked so hard and I just feel good that we won this award,” she said. On their way to being crowned, the new champs also copped prizes for Best Parish Project and Productivity. In what was a keen rivalry before an enthusiastic and supportive audience, the team from St Lucy beat Francois Carrington and Keshanna Leacock from St Joseph into second. The St John combination of Kyle Prescod and Leah Howell placed third, while Reeko Deane and Shaneika McAllister of St Peter were fourth. The St Joseph team also copped two second spots in the categories of Best Parish Project and Best Project Presentation. There was no open disapproval of the winners, but there were some who felt the Christ Church team of Shenise Marshall and Raymond Thomas, who took the top prize for Best Talent Presentation and Best Formal Wear, should have placed in the top four. A most anticipated section of this show is the parish talent and there was widespread approval for the people who took the top prizes. With her Dress Code of helmet, bullet-proof vest and chastity belt to protect all the important parts, it was clear that Tamia Reece of St Michael would be in the running for prizes. She ended up with Most Original and a third for the Spirit Of The Nation Prize. The Stringed Brotherhood was outstanding in the instrumental version of Gabby’s Emmerton and deserved the prize for Most Impactful Performance. The trio also walked away with a second place in the Spirit Of The Nation. Young Akea Burton performed like a veteran and belied her age and she, too, got a deserving first prize in the Spirit Of The Nation category for her cover of Shirley Stuart’s Walk Away From Love. Co-emcee Mark Anthony had a Steve Harvey moment during the announcement of one of the categories, but it worked for good. He announced St George for second prize in the Best Attendant category, and Paula Harris was forced to walk away empty-handed after shaking the hand of presenter Steve Blackett. Harris would return a short time later in winner’s row, however. The second spot was awarded to Jacklyn Broomes of St Thomas. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 45 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 10/25/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday 25th October, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

PM IDENTIFIES AREAS SPAIN COULD GIVE ASSISTANCE TO BARBADOS – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has identified renewable energy, tourism and culture as possible areas of collaboration between Barbados and Spain. Stuart made the comments recently when Spain’s new Ambassador to Barbados, Javier Fernandez Carbajosa, and Honorary Consul, Mandy Chandler, paid him a courtesy call at Ilaro Court. Explaining that renewable energy was very important to Barbados, the Prime Minister pointed out that the island was in the process of creating a green economy, which would require Government to invest more heavily in renewables. On the point of tourism, he said there was greater scope for people-to-people contact and he would like to see an increase in Spaniards visiting these shores. He also suggested that Barbados’ tourism infrastructure could benefit from “Spanish input”, indicating that this could boost arrivals. Stuart stated that Barbados was trying to develop its cultural industries and expressed the view that a Memorandum of Understanding with Spain could be developed in this area. Barbados and Spain established diplomatic relations 37 years ago, and the Prime Minister noted that while a Double Taxation Agreement was in place, the time had come to improve the relationship. Ambassador Carbajosa said he was ready to undertake any necessary process to push bilateral relations. He agreed that Spain could assist in the areas of renewable energy, cultural exchanges and tourism, disclosing that about 75 million tourists visited his country last year. (MWN)

‘GOVT INCHING CLOSE TO IMF OR DEVALUATION’ – The Freundel Stuart administration could soon be left with one of two hard choices to make if its sources of private sector financing continue to dry up. So warns economist Jeremy Stephen, who is suggesting that the only feasible options left are for Government to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or some other international funding agency, or face up to a devaluation of the Barbados dollar. Stephen was reacting to confirmation given today by some of the island’s major investment firms, including Sagicor Asset Management Inc, Royal Fidelity Merchant Bank & Trust and Fortress Fund Managers, that there was now a decreased appetite for Government securities out of fear that the country could soon default on its debt. Principal and Consulting Actuary with Eckler Ltd Lisa Wade also warned today that given the current situation in which the Stuart administration was struggling to bring its finances in line amid an overall debt of about 140 per cent and a high fiscal deficit of about six per cent of gross domestic product, “either bills won’t get paid, or taxes would have to be raised”. And with Barbadians already complaining about for heavy taxation and with more than 60 per cent of Government’s financing currently coming from the private sector, Stephen said the writing was already on the wall in terms of the direction in which the country was headed economically. “It is either the IMF or some other form of international funding, or devaluation,” he told Barbados TODAY, explaining that “if Government cannot finance its activities it would have to devalue, or rather the Central Bank would have to print more money, which would force devaluation. (BT)

NIS BLACK OUT – One of Barbados’ leading actuaries today cried shame on the authorities, saying the lack of transparency within the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was “worrying”. In light of recent assurances given by Minister of Labour and Social Security Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo that the island’s social security scheme remains financially sound, Founding Principal of Eckler Limited Charles Herbert today demanded hard proof in the form of a copy of the latest actuarial review. However, he said despite repeated requests for a copy of the official document in order to carry out his own detailed analysis, to date he has not been able to access it. “The National Insurance [and Social Security] Act actually gives a mandatory date for them to have audited accounts and for them to be laid in Parliament. So it is just one more case where we are actually breaking the law,” Herbert told participants at the fourth annual Eckler investment review seminar at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre today. “We have a board of directors [of the NIS] who are mandated to produce audited accounts. They don’t produce them by a long shot and they are not fired,” he lamented, while revealing that he had sent “countless” unanswered emails to the Director of National Insurance. “My emails to him are not returned. The Minister of Labour, who is responsible, tells us that we can’t get it until it is laid in Parliament, but that won’t take long . . .  . It is not fair that these reports, required by law, they are prepared and we are not given access to them,” stressed Herbert, who is also chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association. The findings of the 15th actuarial review, made public last month by Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo, revealed that reserves in the National Insurance Fund (NIF) could be depleted “as early as 2045 under the pessimistic scenario, or as late as 2074 under the optimistic scenario”.  While Byer-Suckoo gave the assurance that the fund remained safe, the report pointed out that if Government debts are excluded from the NIF, “depletion of reserves is projected to occur in 2033”. The report, which looks at the period 2012 and 2014, said the Fund’s reserves grew from a revised $3.9 billion at the end of 2011 to $4.7 billion at the end of 2014. The 68-page document also revealed that at the end of 2014, the NIF had $565.7 million in un-invested assets, comprising of $121.7 million in cash, bank balances of $223.7 million from contributions receivable, and $220.3 million from accounts receivable. However, Herbert is demanding greater transparency within the NIS, including disclosure of the names of persons comprising its nine-member tripartite board. He is also concerned that Government may not be paying contributions for public sector employees. The changes, he suggested, would include an increase in pensionable age and a hike in contributions. As a result of pension reform started in 2003, the pensionable age has been increasing by six months every four years from January 1, 2006, until it reaches 67 in January 2018 for un-reduced pension. (BT)

PAY PUSH – The dark cloud of industrial action is once again looming over the Freundel Stuart administration, with the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) warning that it has had it up to its neck with the myriad broken promises to restart the stalled public sector wage negotiations. NUPW President Akanni McDowall told Barbados TODAY that the Prime Minister’s promise, made during the televised meeting of the Social Partnership at the Hilton Barbados Resort on August 11, to quickly restart the protracted pay talks, has not been kept, even though the union has formally written to the Ministry of Civil Service demanding that they return to the negotiating table by October 31. “We have given the Ministry of Civil Service until the end of October to respond and if they don’t do it we will then take industrial action. We have to ‘up de ting’ because they have not even acknowledged our letters,” said McDowall. He recalled that the Prime Minister had initially promised at the ruling Democratic Labour Party luncheon on July 23 to review the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) at the end of September with a view to determining whether Government would be able to afford the proposed pay hike, or a subsidy demanded by the unions, to help public servants cope with the taxing NSRL until the two sides agree a deal on pay increases. It is a position which Stuart repeated at the August 11 national consultation with trade unions and employers. And in view of Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler’s recent pronouncement that the NSRL had raked in $50 million in the three months since it was increased to ten per cent from two per cent, the NUPW, which has demanded a 23 per cent pay rise for its members, is insisting that Stuart must keep his promise and pay up. Speaking in Parliament earlier this month, as he introduced the National Social Responsibility Amendment Bill 2017, giving legislative teeth to the NSRL increase, Sinckler said the controversial levy had raked in $50 million between July 1 and September 30, adding that this figure did not include the Value Added Tax earned on the levy. It is based on these upbeat figures that the union is sticking to its wages demand for civil servants, who have not had a pay rise in nine years. (BT)

CLICO PROJECT BLAMED FOR FLOODING – Member of Parliament for St James South, Donville Inniss, is blaming the unfinished CLICO development for extensive flooding in the Crystal Heights, St James area.  “In the last couple of weeks, at least three of the avenues have become impassable. This is really attributed to water running off land belonging to CLICO. The residents are really suffering as a result of the old CLICO fiasco. The development now has been left unattended and areas cut for roads in the extensive development provide a major path for water to run off the land onto the road, and quickly gets to the point where cars driving find it difficult to pass,” he said. Inniss noted that at least 20 residents had been stranded and unable to get to their homes because of the Crystal Stream Road being impassable due to high levels of water. “When developers are doing their construction work, they must be held to the highest possible standard. Too often we have seen private developers doing projects, and then when the work is finished and the houses are built, then it becomes a major burden on the state to go in and correct deficiencies.  (MWN)

FLOOD WATER MISERY – Roads flooded all over the island. Long traffic lines snaking along major highways, byways and roads in and out of The City. The major bus stand in Fairchild Street bursting at the seams, even as some children at a secondary school were left stranded. Then there was the sight and smell of raw sewage being washed over the street – again! – in the Hastings, Christ Church area. These were all a consequences of the sustained rainfall Barbados experienced yesterday, as the island was placed under a flood warning in the evening. A statement from the Met Office said: “The interaction of an upper-level trough system and a passing tropical wave has been generating some pockets of moderate to heavy showers, periods of rain and isolated thunderstorms.” It added that this was not only expected to continue today, but to intensify. Rainfall was expected to be about three to five inches. At Crystal Heights in St James, around 20 people were stranded and unable to get to their homes because the road was impassable due to high water levels. Parliamentary representative for the area, Donville Inniss, pointed fingers at the incomplete CLICO development in the area. (MWN)

4 YEARS FOR CHEEK SHOTS – Troy Antonio King trawled the streets of Bridgetown slapping women on their buttocks and running off when they confronted him. Yesterday, the man who used the acts to fulfil his sexual fantasies was jailed for four years when he reappeared in the No. 2 Supreme Court. However, because he has spent almost three years on remand, King will only serve one year and 58 days. King, of Free Hill, Josey Hill, St Lucy, was back in court for sentencing after pleading guilty, in May 2016, to indecently assaulting three women on May 21, 2014. He confessed he assaulted a fourth on June 8, 2015, shortly after he had been released on bail for the three. Justice Michelle Weekes, who imposed the sentence, said she had taken into consideration all mitigating and aggravating factors. “Even though the women did not suffer any physical effects, the violation suffered is significant and disconcerting and the adverse effects cannot be minimised,” she declared. The judge said her starting point for each was four years out of the maximum five years. However, she explained she had given the indecent assaulter a year off for the guilty pleas on those three offences, but did not apply any to the fourth offence because “that was committed while [King] was on bail”. Justice Weekes said she had also considered that King had spent 1 038 days or two years and 307 days on remand. King will spend 58 days in prison for the offences that occurred on May 21, 2014, and one year and 58 days for the one in June 2015. He was also ordered to receive psychological and psychiatric counselling while in prison. The matter was prosecuted by Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas. The court had heard that one of the complainants was entering Cave Shepherd when she noticed a man, who turned out to be King, standing by the door. Her hands were full and one of her friends opened the door for her. As she entered, she felt someone squeeze her buttocks. After the shock wore off, she asked King if he was an idiot. She moved towards him but he ran. That same day, another woman was on her way to use the washroom in Cave Shepherd when she felt someone slap her on her buttocks. She confronted the man, who ran away. However, that woman identified him from the store’s camera footage. Later that day, King squeezed and slapped a woman’s buttocks as she was walking along Fairchild Street. More than a year later, in June 2015, the fourth woman was walking along Cheapside when she felt someone squeeze her buttocks and say “it felt good”. That man, King, escaped through the yard of St Mary’s Church but was eventually picked up by police. He was identified by the women. He told investigators he did not have a girlfriend to fulfil his fantasies and that after each occasion he masturbated.  (MWN)

HARD TIMES FORCE BROTHER’S HANDS – He was trying to play the doting father but a lack of money stood in his way. So when Lamal Valance Whitney saw his sister had left some pieces of lumber and her tablet at the house, he decided to sell them to buy diapers for his five-month-old child. “I did only want enough money to buy pampers and things,” he said. He sold the 20 pieces of lumber, which were valued at $864, for $100, and he pawned the $350 Samsung tablet for a “Grantley”. However, Whitney will be away from that child for the next six months after he was jailed for that time by the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Whitney, 24, unemployed, of 3rd Avenue, My Lord’s Hill, St Michael, confessed he stole the pieces of lumber and the tablet, which belonged to his sister Lizieanna Mapp sometime between September 11 and October 9. “I know I do wrong but I did going through some real hard times and I love my son,” he declared. The many-time convicted burglar admitted that his sister, the same one from whom he had stolen the items, had previously employed him in her store despite his convictions. However, Magistrate Douglas Frederick noted Whitney’s sister must be tired of paying his fines and bailing him out. As he examined Whitney’s file, the magistrate noted that the thief had numerous convictions for burglary, had spent three years in jail for them, and was released and then found himself back in court. His last offence was for drugs, for which he was fined $1 500 in a month or six months in prison. That fine was unpaid. “She must be at the end of her wits,” the magistrate said. “She gave you a little job even though you got house-breaking charges. Then she bought lumber to repair the house and you stole it from her.” As he imposed the six-month alternative for the unpaid fine and six months for the theft, both of which will run concurrently, Magistrate Frederick told Whitney: “You say you were trying to help the baby but now you are away from it for six months. “Reflect and change your ways. You are killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Your sister is that golden goose.” Prosecutor Station Sergeant Neville Reid said Whitney and his sister lived at the same house. She had bought some lumber to repair the house and had relocated while the repairs were being done. She returned in October to find the lumber and her tablet missing. Her brother later admitted to police he had stolen the items. (MWN)

DRUG TIME – A former Barbadian footballer and his British girlfriend, a restaurant manager who has been described as a “greedy grandmother”, were both jailed last week for a total of 24 years for their involvement in smuggling cocaine into London from Barbados and for money laundering. Ortis Derek Ollivierre, 45, of Maxwell, Christ Church, a former outstanding striker for Pride of Gall Hill football team, was sentenced to 12 years while his British girlfriend, Gillian Weldrick, 53, also received 12 years. Weldrick, the manager of an upmarket Italian restaurant, met Ollivierre in 2015 while on vacation in Barbados and was said to have been assisting him in smuggling cocaine to Britain, where she would undertake selling it. She was arrested last year at Manchester Airport, where she went to pick up co-conspirator and drug mule, Barbadian Andrew McCollin, who was intercepted by police with £115 000 (BDS$302 858) worth of cocaine taped to his body. He pleaded guilty to importing cocaine and was sentenced to four and a half years. Ollivierre was held when he arrived at Gatwick Airport last May. The pair were convicted at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, of conspiracy to import cocaine and money laundering offences after a trial. It was revealed that Ollivierre, who was described as a notorious womaniser, usually persuaded his lovers to assist him in his drug smuggling operation. However, Weldrick was said to be the first woman who actually financed his drug trade, having wired £16 000 ($42 136) to him to buy the illegal drugs. The cocaine was found to be 70 per cent pure with the rest thought to be made up with potentially lethal adulterants.   Prosecutor Nicola Gatto told the court that Weldrick met Ollivierre while she was on holiday in 2015. She added: “Both played a leading role in bringing the drugs from Barbados into Huddersfield for Weldrick to sell commercially. They were in a relationship between July 2015 and September 2016 and Weldrick sent £16 400 (BDS$43 190) over to aid Ollivierre in buying the drugs. “Text messages found on Weldrick’s phone showed she was responsible for dealing with the drugs once they landed at Manchester airport. It was very unsophisticated, poorly executed and frankly, if you wanted to get away with it, you did a very poor job,” the prosecutor stated, adding that the plan was for them to be running their own enterprise. Judge John Potter branded Weldrick “foolish, selfish and greedy”. He told Ollivierre, who had previous convictions for possessing class B drugs with intent to supply in 2009, 2010 and 2011: “You would get into sexual relationships with women and persuade them to do something similar.” The judge ordered the Barbadian deported after serving his sentence. MIDWEEK NATION investigations revealed that in 2009, Ollivierre was arrested in St Lucia and charged with possession of controlled drugs, intent to supply and attempting to export controlled drugs. Police here said they had no information about Ollivierre’s recent arrest and conviction. (MWN)

HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTRE LAUNCHED – The University of the West Indies (UWI) registered yet another major achievement with the launch this morning of its Sagicor UWI High Performance Centre at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex. The cricket High Performance Centre is a bilateral partnership financed by Sagicor. During his remarks Vice-Chancellor of UWI, Sir Hilary Beckles, took aim at Cricket West Indies (CWI) and its president Dave Cameron for backing out of what was once a tripartite partnership involving UWI, Sagicor and CWI. According to Beckles, the university has always maintained that the relationship had to be inclusive of UWI and CWI and efforts to persuade Cameron to re-enter the tripartite arrangement have proved futile. The distinguished historian and professor who has written several books on West Indies cricket over the years and is in the process of publishing another very soon entitled Cricket Without A Cause – Fall and Rise of the Mighty West Indies Test Cricketers, explained that the relationship between UWI and CWI has been a formula for the better part of 60 years but highlighted the fact that because change was not easy to conceptualize, the relationship had been a turbulent one. (BT)

BRILLIANT BISHOO – Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo sliced through Zimbabwe to end with a nine-wicket match haul as West Indies easily brushed aside the hosts by 117 runs inside four days to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series, yesterday. Having set the African side an improbable target of 434 on the turner at Queens Sports Club, the Windies bowled them out for 316 in their second innings, with Bishoo picking up four for 105. The 31-year-old finished with figures of nine for 184 – the second-best bowling effort of his career – to earn Man of the Match honours. Part-time off-spinner Roston Chase finished with two for 61. Brendan Taylor had earlier top-scored with 73 while Hamilton Masakadza stroked 57 and opening partner Solomon Mire, 47, as Zimbabwe initially put up resistance. (MWN)

DWAYNE SMITH ACCUSED OF LYING – West Indies cricketer Dwayne Smith, who admitted texting the word “sexy” to the team masseuse while she was massaging him, has been accused of lying to the court about his teammate Chris Gayle’s interaction with her. On day two of Gayle’s defamation case today against Fairfax Media for a series of articles published in 2016, Smith was asked by the barrister for Fairfax, Matthew Collins, if he had seen Gayle expose himself to the masseuse Leanne Russell in the change rooms at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval during the 2015 World Cup. Gayle is attending court but did not give evidence today. Yesterday he vehemently denied Russell’s allegations and said they had hurt him deeply and damaged his reputation internationally. Smith agreed he was in the changing room and saw Russell but denied he saw Gayle pull up his towel and expose his penis. He also said he did not hear Gayle ask Russell “Is this what you are looking for” when she entered the change room and said she was looking for a towel. “That did not happen,” Smith said. “That is something I would remember if it happened.” Smith also denied seeing an email from team manager Richie Richardson to all players after the incident, which said Russell had been made to feel “uncomfortable” by some of the players. “I suggest to you that the evidence you gave [on] the observation that Gayle partially exposed his penis was false evidence, what do you say?” Collins asked. “No,” said Smith. The journalist who wrote the first of the stories in question, the sports editor of the Age, Chloe Saltau, told the court that after the “firestorm” in the media over Gayle’s on-field comments to TV presenter Mel McLaughlin in January 2016, she received a tip that Gayle had behaved inappropriately with other women in sport. Saltau said an acquaintance sent her a Facebook message saying she had a story about Gayle. The woman who sent that message was Russell, who had met Saltau and was a colleague of her husband’s. Saltau called Russell and they began a discussion about writing her story, which was about Gayle’s behaviour towards her while she was working as a team masseuse in 2015. Russell told Saltau she thought the story was relevant in light of the McLaughlin interview. Saltau told the court Russell said the “catalyst” to tell her story was that the McLaughlin interview made her “physically sick”. However, Russell did not want to be identified by name or by profession, Saltau told the court. Under cross-examination from Gayle’s barrister, Bruce McClintock SC, Saltau said she trusted Russell as a source. McClintock asked if Saltau had not asked herself whether Russell was a “fabulist”. Fairfax is defending the articles on the grounds they were true. Saltau gave detailed evidence about the lengths she went to to check the story, get legal advice and get comment from Gayle’s personal management. Saltau said her colleague in Sydney, Steve Barrett, also approached the West Indies team manager and media manager for comment. The acting editor of the Age at the time was Mark Forbes, Saltau told the court. (BT)

BOWLING CHANGE – A slight change in the area of bowling may make competing in the Guardian Group Herman Griffith Competition easier for young bowlers. During yesterday’s media launch at the Guardian Group Headquarters Collymore Rock, coordinator Shirley Clarke said rebowling wides and no-balls in the same over was quite taxing for young players. “The main reason for the rule change is at this stage of development of these young boys, they should really be bowling a certain amount of balls in one match which is about 24 balls and right now they are bowling 30. “With the extra balls with the wides and no-balls, obviously you carry it even further and sometimes it’s very frustrating for the bowlers when they bowl like 10, 12 and 15 balls per over. Then they have to come back and bowl another over and that can really deter that person from playing the game. (MWN)

ART SPLASH REFUSES RACISM CLAIMS - A war of words about alleged discrimination has broken out between a South Coast café and a local artist. Matthew Murrell, in a Facebook post dated October 20, accused managing director of ArtSplash Centre, Billy Hosford, of being discriminatory towards him. The artist charged that Hosford accused him “of taking up space” while he was a paying customer of the Hastings, Christ Church establishment, as well as damaging property on the premises. Murrell admitted he frequented the centre, sometimes all day, because his girlfriend Ro-Ann Mohammed was the head chef and it was convenient for him to do his work from there. However, management of ArtSplash has refuted these claims. When the MIDWEEK NATION contacted Murrell via Facebook yesterday, he said he was told not to speak anymore about the issue publicly. “I’ve been advised not to blow up too much . . . . Preferably just online publications and not traditional media houses. It’s already an overwhelming level of exposure. Also, once my girlfriend leaves and finds another place of employment, we will consider speaking to a wider reach . . . . I’m just trying to take the right course of action going through this climate,” his message read. At the café yesterday afternoon, Mohammed was on duty and three customers were inside. Hosford said he had put up a statement regarding the issue on the ArtSplash Centre’s Facebook pageand had no further to comment to make. The post stated that they “have never discriminated against any customer, service provider, vendor or anyone else for their race, religion or any other attribute”. “. . . We reject these accusations and will continue to provide the high standard of service which the people of Barbados are accustomed to getting at ArtSplash Centre,” it added.  (MWN)

ENTERTAINERS TREAT CHILDREN – Entertainers Nikita, Anderson MrBlood Armstrong and Adrian Green all went back to the classroom yesterday. They didn’t go to sing their ABCs, but to read books to scores of children at St Luke’s Brighton Primary as a part of Scotiabank’s I Read For Fun literacy project. The bank’s initiative got a kick-start yesterday at the St George school. Thanks to Astrape Finance and non-profit organisation Hands Across the Sea, Scotiabank was able to donate books, bookshelves, carpeting, posters and fans for the students’ comfort. Gordon Walters, St Philip, St Matthew’s, Half Moon Fort and Bayley’s primary schools also benefited from the 1 800 books donated. Each school received 300. Scotiabank’s marketing manager Keisha Humphrey thanked the entertainers who she said quickly accepted the invitation and brought excitement to the children as they read. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks there are 68 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 9/30/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Saturday, September 30th, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Saturday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

NO IGNORING S&P: ACTING PM RESPONDS TO LATEST ECONOMIC DOWNGRADE –Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy says the recent downgrade by international ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) should not be ignored. At the same time, Sealy does not expect any tourism fallout as a result of  S&P’s lowering of the long-term local currency sovereign credit rating on the country to ‘CCC’ from ‘CCC+, while affirming its long-term foreign currency sovereign rating at ‘CCC+’. However, even though S&P has said that the outlook on both long-term ratings is negative, Sealy does not expect the latest downgrade to have a direct impact on the vital tourism sector. In fact, delivering the weekly Astor B Watts lunchtime lecture at the Democratic Labour Party’s George Street headquarters on Friday, he pointed to a number of current and pending investments in the sector, arguing that while it was expected that investors would look at the country’s overall investment grade, he did not see it causing them to hold back. The Acting Prime Minister said he was satisfied that Government had been creating the enabling environment for investment in the sector, though he was not prepared to dismiss the downgrade out of hand. (BT)

CARNIVAL CANCELS CRUISES – Tourism industry players dependent on the cruise industry have had the wind knocked out of their sales. Carnival Cruise Lines announced the cancellation of the Carnival Fascination’s cruises to Barbados for September 24, October 4 and 11, due to the damage Hurricane Maria caused to San Juan in Puerto Rico, home port for Carnival and other major cruise lines. The fact that something was amiss showed up as early as Wednesday when the familiar sight of the ship’s red, white and blue funnel standing out against the skyline was missing at the Bridgetown Port. Chief executive officer of Foster and Ince Cruises, Martin Ince, whose company is responsible for handling many cruise lines coming into Barbados, confirmed they had been advised about the cancellations by Carnival.  (SS)

NOT BUDGING: HEIGHTENED PROTEST NOW SEEMS INEVITABLE – It now seems inevitable that workers at two statutory corporations will be off the job in the not too distant future. This as a bitter pay dispute between management of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation(CBC) and the Barbados Workers’ Union remains deadlocked. Amid feverish last ditch efforts by the Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer -Suckoo to broker an agreement this morning, both sides appeared to be digging in their heels, with the BWU today threatening to call out its members at the neighbouring Barbados Water Authority (BWA) headquarters over the vexed issue of payment of outstanding increments. As the CBC workers picketed the compound of the state broadcaster this morning, there were loud shouts of “speak the truth” after the corporation’s management issued a statement in its evening newscast on Tuesday night to the effect that while workers may be legally entitled to receive increments, such payments must fall within the existing salary scales. Management is however contending that any payments outside of the existing scales would be “tantamount to salary increases”, which, according to Section 20 (c) of the CBC Act, can only be granted by the minister responsible, which in this case is Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. At a press conference this afternoon, CBC Chairman Peter Earle also reported that the strike, which is now into its third day, has had limited effect on the operations of the state broadcaster with only 25 per cent of workers currently off the job and the radio, television and cable station’s programming largely unaffected. However, when pressed by Barbados TODAY, the CBC chairman admitted that the threat of escalated industrial action was cause for concern. (BT)

CLASSES DISRUPTED AT ST LEONARD’S BOYS’ – Classes ended abruptly today at the St Leonard’s Boys’ School, after more than 30 of the 70 teachers at the Government-run institution called in sick, in apparent protest over the dismissal of a clerk typist. It was just yesterday that President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman served notice during a news conference at the union’s Belleville, St Michael headquarters of possible protest action in support of the terminated worker, and today the union seemingly delivered on its threat. After more than a third of the teaching staff failed to show up for work, school was dismissed today at noon – just after lunch – instead of the customary 2 p.m. However, up to 1:30 p.m. several students were still milling around the school compound, waiting to be picked up, as parents were seemingly caught off guard by the early closure. When approached by Barbados TODY,  Principal Joseph Maynard refused to comment on the situation. And in the absence of an official comment from Redman, another union official warned that today’s action was just the “first stand” against the school’s board of management, the principal and the Ministry of Education. The source explained that the clerk typist at the centre of the dispute had been employed at the Richmond Gap institution for three years before she was “unfairly dismissed” on August 31, 2017. The official also said that over 40 members of staff had written on her behalf calling for her reinstatement. However, the school board has had at least two meetings without addressing the dismissal. The source, who did not want to be identified, also suggested that under Maynard’s leadership, the school was in disarray. “The leadership skills are very poor and it is chaos. That entire school is chaos,” the source said, while disclosing that the timetable for the new term had only been finalized this week. “This is week three and the timetables should have been done at the end of last term and because of all the nonsense going on, as a manager and as a leader, the timetables were only fully constructed by the end of this week,” the teacher complained. (BT)

SCHOOL SYSTEM FALLING SHORT, QC PRINCIPAL WARNS - Amid rising crime and violence, a leading educator is suggesting that the school system is failing way too many of this region’s young people and that teachers must take their fair share of the blame for society’s problems. “With all the troubles we have in teaching and the teaching profession I look forward to the day of the teacher’s service commission . . . you need a system of which you can regulate and put terms and conditions on those who enter the system, conditions for entry and exit, if you don’t do your job, leave,” suggested Principal of Queen’s College Dr David Browne, as he zeroed in on the issue of education and its role in development as he delivered a guest lecture at the Rotary Club of Barbados West’s Tuesday night meeting. The principal also advocated for more soft skills to be taught at secondary schools, while lamenting the high number of students leaving school every year without certification. “As practitioners you fail if 70 per cent of the people you are teaching fail in getting certification,” Browne said, while suggesting that educators should be constantly thinking about their craft and presenting solutions to problems. The principal further suggested that on the whole more needed to be done to ensure that Barbados gets more value for the money spent on public education. Browne argued that the recent surge of violence was not surprising. In fact, he suggested that crime and violence had been on an upward spiral since the 1980s. However, he said it was the responsibility of citizens to bring the situation back under control. (BT)

OPEN ARMS – Barbados has embraced almost 20 schoolchildren from those Caribbean islands ravaged during the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria and given them a chance to attend school here. Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for schools Joy Adamson told the SATURDAY SUN the ministry was trying to accommodate the schoolchildren as best they could. “Anybody who comes into the island and wants to get children into school goes through a process,” Adamson said in a telephone interview yesterday. “There is a registration process that we have here especially for those persons and we obviously talk with them and try to see what is the best location for them, then we contact the schools to see if there is space to accommodate them,” she added.  (SS)

DOCS TO THE RESCUE – As Dominica continues to pick up the pieces after being hit by Hurricane Maria almost two weeks ago, healthcare providers are bracing for more health issues. While some healthcare facilities across the island are operating, the Princess Margaret Hospital remains the only place to handle some critical patients.

When a Saturday Sun team visited the Accident & Emergency Department, Dr Chaynie Williams, head of Barbados’ Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Accident & Emergency, was halfway through her 12-hour shift. “The pools of stagnant water are cause for concern. We have not had anyone come in with dengue or anything of the sort yet, but I anticipate we will soon. Same as the rodent-borne illnesses. The piles of garbage building around the country . . . . Something has to be done about them otherwise there will be lots of sick people around,” she said. (SS)

SKERRIT’S FURY: PM RATTLED BY CRITICS IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE MARIA – With Dominica still struggling to pick up the pieces after it was battered by Hurricane Maria on September 18, a rattled prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit on Friday turned his wrath on certain unnamed elements in the country who, in his estimation, were seeking to undermine the recovery effort. Instead of his usual update on the relief efforts, the prime minister used much of this morning’s daily media briefing to lambaste those persons who he said were using social media and other methods to spread false information about Dominica in light of the storm. “This talk about food supplies and partisanship with food supplies and politicians are the ones dealing with the delivery of food supplies, this is total nonsense,” a visibly upset Skerrit said at the briefing, which was carried live on social media. “As the prime minister of this country, I sleep on the floor. As the prime minister of this country, I bathed this morning from a bucket of water. I don’t eat corned beef, I don’t eat sardines, so where the hell am I going to put corned beef or stock up sardines at my home or anywhere else?” he demanded to know. Skerrit explained that while relief supplies were coming in, there were limitations in terms of places to store the supplies in communities because every single home in the country was damaged during the passage of Maria, which also claimed 27 lives. He also made it clear that the distribution of supplies was being managed by the international aid agencies. “People who are seeking to undermine the government’s effort of bringing relief and bringing aid and bringing restoration of services to our country, need to stop it,” he said. “We can’t be going out there on social media, on the radio and elsewhere and making these unfounded, baseless, malicious allegations. It’s not going to hurt me and this thing must stop. Because it’s really p*****g me off that there are people out there talking a bunch of nonsense about food supplies. (BT)

WATSON TO ISSUE APOLOGY TO GOVT MINISTER MICHAEL LASHLEY - Omar Shawn Watson, of Maxwell, Christ Church, has agreed to issue a public apology to Minister of Transport Michael Lashley. Watson, who first appeared in court back in November 2014 charged with the offence of malicious communication, told Magistrate Elwood Watts in the Oistins Magistrates’ Court today he would issue the apology via social media. The charge stemmed from a message, which appeared on social media three years ago, which was said to be menacing in character and caused Lashley annoyance, distress and anxiety. (BT)

SERIAL BURGLAR – A 23-year-old man, who is known for breaking into houses, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. Kemar Dorian Clarke of Ashby Alley, Nelson Street, St Michael appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today where he pleaded guilty to a charge of entering the home of I-zion Clarke as a trespasser on September 4 and stealing a $350 bicycle, a $45 bicycle pump, a $75 belt and a $150 bottle of perfume. The homeowner reportedly returned home on the day in question to discover that the kitchen window, which he had closed, was open and the items missing. Police later executed a search warrant at Clarke’s home where the items were found. Today, even before Clarke’s lawyer could mitigate on his behalf, the magistrate revealed that the accused had spent time in prison for breaking into homes. However, attorney Mohia Ma’at sought to explain that his client was a “heavy user of marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine” and that “he got into all of this because of grief”. The attorney further explained that his client was “devastated” after his grandmother, who he was close to, passed away back in April at the age of 98. However, Frederick was not willing to entertain this excuse. He suggested that “fellas come and use any excuse [but] grandmothers are sticklers to rules” . “I think he [Clarke] is a danger to society as it is and he is a danger to himself because he may break into the wrong person’s house and he won’t be here. In fact he is a danger to anyone who has a house. He is not learning and he came back here charged with three offences,” Frederick added. Clarke is also accused of entering the home of Jean Ori as a trespasser on August 28 and stealing a pair of bangles worth $300, a bracelet worth $260, a slave band worth $300, two watches worth $400, a necklace and earring set worth $640, a necklace worth $200, a $100 chain, ten pairs of earrings worth $350 and four rings worth $250. He also alleged to have entered the home of Joshua Hall on the same day and stealing a laptop valued $1,485 and a tablet valued at $299. However, he denied committing those offences. In his own plea for leniency, Clarke told the magistrate that he needed help “before it gets any worse. Psychiatric help with a nurse or something so”. However, the magistrate informed him that he could get the help if he so desired while at Dodds prison in St Philip. “I still will come back out and do the same thing,” Clarke then declared, adding “well, well, well, God don’t sleep”, to which the magistrate replied: “Why you think you are here?” He returns to court on October 27 to answer to the outstanding offences. (BT)

PLEASE RELEASE ME, BEGS GRIMES – After suggesting that he was not worried about the consequences of refusing to perform 140 hours of community service, a 20-year-old man returned to court today begging for a second chance after spending time on remand at Dodds prison. “I can’t handle it Sir, please, I am very sorry for displaying my awful behaviour. I really can’t handle it in prison, that time killing me,” Schifo Romario Grimes of Pilgrim Road, Christ Church told Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the District ‘A’ Court today. Grimes had pleaded guilty back in February to possession of cannabis and was given “a golden opportunity” which he did not grab with both hands. In August an official from the Probation Department, which oversees community service, told the court that Grimes had no desire to complete the hours allotted to him and also had no regard for the consequences. In fact, Grimes had completed only five hours of the service despite being issued with several warning letters over his failure to report to perform his duty. When he appeared in court via an arrest warrant, Grimes told the magistrate he was not interested in the community service. However, today he had an obvious change of heart. “There [jail] ain’t no place for me. I honestly can’t stay in jail. People just coming round me . . . taking my things. I am not a bad boy, Sir. I just asking if I can get another chance to prove myself. I begging you. I can’t handle it please,” Grimes pleaded. His mother, who was present in court, also told the magistrate that her son “did not give no trouble” but just would not do the service. “All the good boys end up here,” the magistrate stated, as he gave Grimes his second chance at community service. “Thank you your honour,” a grateful Grimes said as he left the court to return on December 8 for a progress report on his community service. (BT)

SMITH TO GET HELP WITH DRUG HABIT – A 20-year-old man was today transferred from HMP Dodds to the Psychiatric Hospital for an assessment. On Wednesday, Antonio Daren Smith of Spruce Street, The City, St Michael pleaded guilty to possession of apparatus for the misuse of cocaine and was remanded to prison by Magistrate Douglas Frederick to reappear today for sentencing. However, Smith, who was arrested by police on patrol on September 27 after a cracked bottle with white residue suspected to cocaine was found in his possession, made a formal plea for help to fight his drug addiction. “I want to know if I can do something that could help me like Verdun House. I get addicted by a fella . . . I started by smoking marijuana,” Smith revealed. However the magistrate informed him that he would have to spend three weeks at the Black Rock Hospital for an assessment to be made of his suitability for drug rehabilitation. “That’s no problem Sir. Today Sir?” an anxious Smith asked. He returns to court on October 20. (BT)

JAMAICAN HAIRDRESSER SENT OFF TO DODDS – A 21-year-old Jamaican hairdresser, who is accused of importing two kilos of cannabis into Barbados, has been remanded to Dodds prison. Patricia Stephanie Rose of No.2 Springfield Road, Morant Bay, St Thomas appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today charged with possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of the illicit substance after she was nabbed at the Grantley Adams International Airport on September 27 with three packages of the drug in her handbag. She was remanded to prison until October 5 after the prosecutor, Sergeant Martin Rock, objected to her bail on the basis that she may abscond, given that she is a non-national with no concrete ties to Bridgetown. (BT)

BLANKED – West Indies failed in their bid to end their English summer on a high when they suffered a heavy nine-wicket drubbing in the final One-Day International of the five-match series today. Defending 288 at the Ageas Bowl, West Indies were put to the sword by Jonny Bairstow who belted an unbeaten 141 and fellow opener Jason Roy, who hammered 96, as the hosts marched to their target off 38 overs to complete a 4-0 series win. The pair put on 156 for the first wicket before Test captain Joe Root, who ended unbeaten on 46, added a further 138 in an unbroken second-wicket stand with Bairstow to see England to their 16th win over the Windies in their last 22 ODI meetings. (BT)

DERRICK GARRETT’S FINAL PLAY – A caring man, a loving father, devoted husband and a no-nonsense individual, were among the many qualities attributed to late Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) president Derrick Alphonzo Garrett, during his funeral service at the Christ Church Parish Church this evening. Garrett passed away on September 14 after a two-year battle with cancer. And this afternoon, scores of persons, including members of his family, the basketball and other sporting fraternities, members of the Guardian Group where he worked, friends and acquaintances, packed inside and outside the church. Sports administrators such as outgoing Barbados Olympic Association president Steve Stoute, assistant director of sport at the National Sports Council, Mona Alleyne, former Barbados cricket manager, Hartley Reid, former teacher and entertainer Mac Fingall, all joined Garrett’s wife Ingrid, mother Valda Pinder, sons Darren and Derrick Jr., sister Denise Holder, mother of West Indies captain, Jason Holder, to pay their final goodbyes. (BT)

BIGGER RUN BARBADOS – The Cave Shepherd Run Barbados Marathon Weekend is expecting to see an increase in competitors at this year’s event. This was revealed by event director Zary Evelyn during yesterday’s press launch at the South Beach Hotel. “We are expecting growth this year to be around 20 to 25 per cent and that is despite the fact that the Caribbean has gotten a bad press with the hurricanes. "A lot of people out there that were interested in coming to Barbados for the marathon have been calling and emailing and want to know how you guys [Barbados] are recovering so it took a lot of getting the message out there that Barbados is ready for everyone to come in and enjoy the marathon weekend,” Evelyn said. (SS)

CHANGES MADE TO THIS YEAR’S NIFCA – Changes have been made to this year’s National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA), with the announcement today of the creation of a new “semi-professional category” of competitors. Chief Cultural Officer at the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Alison Sealy Smith made the revelation during a NIFCA press briefing at the Haggatt Hall offices of the Ministry of Culture Sports and Youth, at which she reported that planning for this year’s festival began back in early June. The NCF official also said that  following “an in-depth critical analysis of the last ten years of its Performing Arts component” it was decided that an additional category would be added. Winners in this category will be eligible for a yearlong BIMAP course to study for a certificate in management studies at a value of $2,500. Sealy-Smith also announced that this year’s Performing Arts finals will take place at the Major Noot Hall at the Combermere School instead of the Frank Collymore Hall, which is under renovation. And while the NIFCA Gala is set to return to its original home at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, the Visual Arts Exhibition will be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre where its opening will be twinned with the Literary Arts Gala as part of an Evening of the Arts celebration. This year’s NIFCA semifinalists will be announced next week, ahead of the first semi-final on October 7-8 at the Lester Vaughn School. (BT)

NAIL BITING FINALE – There’s no better way to describe Sunday’s finale to the inaugural Richard Stoute Talent Contest for differently abled persons than thrilling. It was a nail-biter. Plain and simple. One of the most keenly contested competitions Barbados has seen in a very long time. So much so, that even after all 16 performances on the night, I’m sure many who packed the house at the Divi Southwinds Resort in St Lawrence Gap were scratching their heads in wonderment about who would be named the eventual winner. The competition saw eight contestants, who suffer from physical and visual challenges, blow everyone away with their fantastic talent and skills. At the end though, it was calypsonian Granville Carter that emerged as the best of the best and he walked away with bragging rights, a huge trophy and $2 000 cash for his efforts. (SS)

That’s all for today folks there are 92 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 9/5/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday, September 5th, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

I’M NO TRAITOR! ARTHUR HITS BACK AT STUART OVER WORKING CLASS COMMENT - Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur did not take too kindly to being branded as a traitor to his working class roots by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. However, rather than going on a tirade, an amused Arthur suggested that the Prime Minister had bigger problems to worry about, such as a collapsing economy and rising crime. In an address at the opening gala of the ruling Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) 62nd annual conference at the George Street St Michael auditorium last Friday night, Stuart suggested that Arthur had betrayed his working class roots when he handed the reins of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to Mia Mottley. In fact, Stuart charged that he had said as much to Arthur – who has often referenced his humble beginnings as the son of shopkeepers – in a private conversation. However, in his usual biting style, and barely able to contain his laughter, the former Prime Minister, who said he had no recollection of such a conversation, told Barbados TODAY there was no way Stuart would have broached such a subject with him and emerge to recount those details with such nostalgia. “If I had a one on one conversation with the Prime Minister he would not want to go out and talk about it in those terms. I do not recall the conversation but if someone in a conversation had referred to me as a traitor to my class, I would have spoken to him in such harsh and muscular terms that he would have fled from the scene, whether he was a Prime Minister or not. So I don’t see how Freundel Stuart could now make people feel that he could call me a traitor to my class without me dealing with him in the appropriate manner,” Arthur said. However, the former Prime Minister resisted the temptation to comment on Stuart’s background and “what I think of his relationship to the class from which he came”, saying the Prime Minister was saved by the fact that the article would be widely read, including by children. “It is only because children read the news that I won’t tell him what I think of his relationship to the class from which he came. I don’t think he could be held up as any model for any young people from humble origins. I only wish he could bring the same kind of aggression and signs of life to the other matters that confront the country,” Arthur stressed, noting that if Stuart wanted to attack Mottley, there was no need to involve him. “This is unprovoked nonsense by a man who obviously is distracted by the overwhelming nature of the problems that he is faced with,” said Arthur, who led the country through a period of economic stability from 1994 to 2008. “If Freundel Stuart wants to attack Mia Mottley that is his prerogative, and I expect him to do so, but leave me out of it.” Twice since last November, Arthur was forced to state he was in good health after rumours circulated on social media and online, that he had died. In ridiculing Stuart’s comment, the former BLP leader said it appeared that the Prime Minister had believed the rumours and therefore thought he would be unable to respond. “It seems that he probably heard that I had died and therefore I would be in no position to defend myself. So rather than focus on the very serious, imposing and massive issues facing the country, including a collapsing economy, including crime and violence stalking the land on a scale that we have never seen before, including shootings in quiet and strange places, rather than dealing with the very dangerous drift in the affairs of the country, he obviously thought it was best to pick on a man who he heard has died,” Arthur said. In his address to the DLP faithful, Stuart all but described Arthur as a traitor for not seeing fit to elevate someone from his own class to the BLP leadership, handing it back instead to the “elitist influences that have always controlled it”, seemingly suggesting that Mottley had nothing in common with the working class. “You got the opportunity to lead the BLP in 1993 and ran it for 15 years,” Stuart said in an address geared at rallying his base. “And this is what I have against you, because after 15 years of leading the Barbados Labour Party, given your origin and the support that went into your foundation, when you were ready to give the Barbados Labour Party you had not brought along anybody from your class to whom you could hand it, you had to hand it back to the conservatives. “I said to him, as far as I am concerned, that is a blotch on your record,” Stuart said, adding that he would now take on the mantle to shield Barbados from “an arch-conservative in the Barbados Labour Party”.  (BT)

STUART IS A DESPERATE MAN, SAYS WICKHAM - Prime Minister Freundel Stuart’s attempt to introduce classism into the general election campaign is nothing short of desperation, according to political scientist and pollster Peter Wickham. In an address on Friday night to Democratic Labour Party (DLP) faithful at the opening gala of the party’s 62nd annual conference, Stuart charged that former Prime Minister Owen Arthur had betrayed his working class roots when he handed the reins of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), the country’s older political party, to Mia Mottley, something he said he had raised with Arthur in a private conversation. He also promised to “explain the present leader of the Barbados Labour Party” to the Barbadian public during the campaign. However, while stating that Stuart had to do what he thought was necessary to win the election, Wickham said playing the class card was a desperate thing to do. The pollster, whose survey in June found that Stuart could muster only eight per cent support compared with 52 per cent for Mottley, came to the BLP leader’s defence, insisting that labelling her as a conservative was a perception that was far from the reality. In fact, he said Stuart was peddling a rather emotive issue to diehard DLP supporters, hoping it would resonate. Wickham dismissed arguments that only members of the working class could toil tirelessly to promote the interests of their class, pointing to two of Barbados’ former leaders, whom he said had not come from the working class, but had done a lot for the country. The leading Caribbean pollster delivered a damning critique of Stuart’s address, saying it was proof that the Prime Minister was living in a world of his own. In Stuart’s world, he suggested, “the Democratic Labour Party is well qualified, is ready and is strong”, and none of the major issues confronting the country really exist. The June opinion poll found that the BLP had 51 per cent support, while support for the DLP was at an all time low of 11 per cent. Satisfaction with the DLP Government at the time was at 3.3 out of ten compared to 5.3 for the BLP, while 71 per cent of Barbadians said they would like a change of Government, compared with 48 per cent when the Government last changed in 2008. (BT)

KICK ‘EM OUT - Minister of Commerce, International Business and Small Business Development Donville Inniss says he is prepared to give some financial services and international business companies the boot if that is what it takes to protect Barbados’ reputation. With the sector facing increasing scrutiny and mounting threats of international sanction, Inniss said it was important to maintain Barbados’ good name as a preferred jurisdiction in which to do business. His comments came in light of tax reforms from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the latest of which is a multilateral convention to prevent base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). BEPS, considered a harmful tax practice, is defined by the OECD as tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations. International business and financial services jurisdictions also have to grapple with ring-fencing rules, a practice in which companies financially separate portions of their assets or profits for various reasons without necessarily being operated as a separate entity. Addressing the recent What Businesses need to Know about Base Erosion and Profit Shifting and Double Taxation Treaties seminar at the Savannah Hotel, Inniss said in relation to the new tax rules local authorities were engaging with the OECD forum “almost on a bi-weekly basis looking at templates provided and determine what changes need to be made in Barbados regime regarding the sector. Stating that Barbados was still addressing issues that were raised before BEPS, Inniss said for too long “we have been talking about the issues” and now was the time for decisive action “in terms of what the new international business and financial services sector will look like. Acknowledging that the financial services sector was also under scrutiny by the European Union, Inniss said Barbados was not prepared to throw its hands in the air, even while adding that BEPS was “good for Barbados”. The minister questioned why Invest Barbados, the agency tasked with promoting the sector, did not fall under the ministry of international business, while expressing concern about the way the sector was being marketed, insisting the current approach must change. (BT)

ACTUARIAL REVIEW FINDS NIS UNDERPERFORMING - An actuarial review of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has highlighted the much criticized delay in claim payments and tardy annual reports and financial statements as major challenges facing the scheme. However, while blaming “a backlog since 1998” for the absence of financial statements, Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo is promising greater transparency. According to the 15th annual actuarial review, which highlights the National Insurance Fund (NIF), Unemployment Fund and Severance Fund as of December 31, 2014, there were “several service and reporting challenges” that were of concern. It said given the significant investment made in an administration and information technology system over the past 15 years, the NIS office was “underperforming what would reasonably be expected in delivering timely benefit adjudication. The NIS has a staff complement of about 300, about 280 of whom are appointed, while the remainder are on contract. According to the 68-page review, delivered last Friday at the Ministry of Labour, “the NIS has not issued NIF annual reports since 2009 and has not submitted to the minister audited financial statements since 2004”. However, Byer-Suckoo said the auditor general now had financial statements up to 2012 to be audited. She said the NIS board continued to “monitor the situation so that where adjustments are necessary they are made”, adding that transparency was necessary to help alleviate any fears regarding the scheme. She said the delay in paying claims and pension benefits experienced during the reporting period was as a result of IT-related challenges when the NIS was making the switch to a new system, and not due to a lack of funds. The report also pointed to the need for the preparation of “good governance guidelines”. (BT)

TIME TO REVISIT THE ROLE OF THE CBC - Seeing that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who also happens to be the minister responsible for broadcasting, was yesterday given a full hour on the public television service of the state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to make a “live” broadcast of his speech to the annual conference of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), will the same opportunity be afforded to Opposition Leader Mia Mottley when she makes a similar address to the annual conference of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) next month? Though Mr Stuart holds the office of Prime Minister, his address yesterday was not delivered in that capacity. Though the speech did address issues of public importance, like crime and the economy, Mr Stuart spoke in his capacity as president and political leader of the DLP before a largely partisan audience. Many Barbadians previously have expressed concern over Mr Stuart’s seeming preference to speak on matters of public importance at party meetings and other events, instead of following the tradition of making nationally-televised addresses, either from his office or the studios of CBC which are seen as politically neutral ground, as happened to be the case with his predecessors. As the DLP’s annual conference was a strictly party event as distinct from a Government event, another pertinent question which arises is whether the DLP actually paid the cash-strapped state broadcaster for the air time. If that was not the case, then it would be interesting to find out who gave authorization for the broadcast. Either way, party spokesmen should set the record straight, lest the accusation is made that it was a case of abuse of public resources for partisan political promotion. Fair play dictates that since Barbados is moving into election mode, the Opposition BLP should be afforded the same opportunity to get its message out to a national audience in real time so that Barbadians, after having heard the direction the DLP is taking, would be in a position to equally hear about the kinds of policy initiatives the BLP is proposing to address the serious economic, social and political problems facing the country. The smaller parties, such as the United Progressive Party and Solutions Barbados, should have the same privileges extended, albeit on a smaller scale. Such would satisfy the requirements for the existence of a level playing field. Continuation of the use of CBC for partisan political purposes underscores a need for revisiting the original role of the state broadcaster. Is CBC a Government broadcaster where its main function is giving lopsided emphasis to highlighting issues from the perspective of the Government of the day? Such would qualify CBC as a Government broadcaster. However, if other interests not necessarily supportive of the incumbent are granted the same access to air their views, CBC would qualify to be defined as a public broadcaster, the existence of which is wholesome for democracy. CBC is at a cross roads where its future is concerned. It is an opportune time for a comprehensive review of the Corporation to be carried out to determine if it should stay and, if so, in what form or alternatively, whether it should be abolished as the Allen Chastenet government did recently in the case of Radio St Lucia. It would be good to cleanse CBC of political influence, and assert its editorial independence so that it can begin to function as a true public broadcaster. And true public broadcasting, which is insulated from undue political or any other influence, is the kind of genuine public broadcasting which makes a real difference. (BT)

BABY CALL - Minister of Education Ronald Jones isn’t the only Government official worried about the island’s declining birth rate. Addressing the 76th annual Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) delegates’ conference at the weekend, Director of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Ian Carrington warned that Barbadians needed to have more children as a means of safeguarding the island’s social security scheme. He explained that the island currently has an “aged” population and that the ratio of young workers to those of pensionable age had moved from seven to one when the Scheme was first started 50 years ago, to three to one in 2017. According to the last census released by the Barbados Statistical Service in 2013, the island’s total population stood at 277,821. And as far back as 2014, Jones has been sounding the warning that Barbadian women needed to have more children, to counter the problem of falling birth rates. Last year, Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett also joined the Jones chorus of concern, while announcing that by 2025, citizens over the age of 60 would make up 20.4 per cent of the island’s population. While echoing these concerns, Carrington underscored the recent decline in the country’s labour force. He told union delegates, including former BWU General Secretary Sir Roy Trotman, now consultant to the current General Secretary Toni Moore, that NIS reserves currently stood at $5 billion, with the majority of funds having been invested. Carrington therefore suggested the fund was not in danger for at least another eight years, even if there were no streams of income coming in from contribution and investment income. The other alternatives which the NIS director said were available for investment were in the area of local investment, namely through Government instruments, real estate or by loaning commercial institutions money or equity. However, he lamented that “when you look at the local stock exchange, there are not many options there for the NIS since with all the mergers and acquisitions, the options make for slim picking. In terms of investments in real estate, he questioned: “When I go and I put a quarter of this $5 billion in real estate – brick and mortar – and I need cash and you don’t have a rental stream equivalent so that I could pay, am I going to take down some bricks and mortar and pay?”  (BT)

ST LEONARD’S AGAIN - Five months after the entire board of the St Leonard’s Boys’ School resigned, one of the contentious matters has resurfaced. And now the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has stepped in and is threatening industrial action over the firing of a clerk typist at the all-boys Richmond, St Michael secondary school. This follows repeated complaints by school staff over the actions of a “political appointee”, including the sacking of the clerk. Yesterday, days before the scheduled start of the school year, NUPW assistant general secretary Wayne Walrond said industrial action was very likely to follow if the matter involving the clerk typist was not rectified. Today that officer – who does not want her name revealed – on the advice of the union, is expected to turn up for work at the school after receiving a termination letter dated August 29. She had worked in the post since September 1, 2014, with her contract being renewed yearly, but said the actions of the “political appointee” had forced her out. “We are very dismayed at the lack of process and natural justice. If this happens, then all [similar] public officers could be dismissed,” Walrond told the DAILY NATION as he also expressed disappointment at the treatment of the officer.  (DN)

GUILD STEPS UP TO HELP UNIVERSITY STUDENTS - When the new semester begins this month, at least 50 Barbadian students will benefit from financial assistance from the Guild of Students of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, as it makes good on a promise to help struggling students meet tuition costs. Guild President Kai Bridgetwater told Barbados TODAY the decision to absorb the tuition fees for some students was the Guild’s way of being proactive. Since the Democratic Labour Party administration stopped paying tuition costs for Barbadians four years ago, many students have complained of finding it increasingly difficult to meet the cost of their education at the university. This situation was compounded by the university announcing that effective next month, tuition fees at the Cave Hill Campus in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education, and Science and Technology would move from $5,625 to $6,000 annually, while tuition fees in the Faculty of Law would increase from $8,808 to $9,000. Fees for Faculty of Medical Sciences remained unchanged. This immediately prompted Bridgetwater to announce plans to help some of the struggling students. He said all systems were now in place for the guild to fulfil that pledge to deserving students. Bridgewater said the Guild has also revamped its welfare programme, committing an extra $15,000 to help students who were having a difficult time buying groceries and paying their rent. Government has rejected a proposal to pay the increased fees announced by the university, which would equate to approximately $1.5 million. The Guild had hoped that Government would have agreed to deduct that amount from the over $94 million it owes the tertiary learning institution. However, Bridgewater said he would have a second chance to make his case in about a month, after he collects data to prove that the current and prospective students are genuinely in need of assistance. (BT)

NO RECORD AFTER ‘10 YEARS’ AT QEH - Collins Jones is feeling a pain in the pit of his stomach and he wants the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) tocure it. The pain is as a result of the mental anguish he says he is going through after discovering that the QEH has no records of him having worked there as an orderly for ten years. The 64-year-old said the situation had left him in shock. “I worked at the QEH from 1973 to 1983 as an orderly and I also played cricket for them, but the QEH is telling me they have no record of me ever working there,” he said, insisting that during that time he was appointed.Jones discovered this anomaly when he returned to Barbados in February after spending 33 years in the United States. (DN)

MCDOWALL REJECTS GUN CLAIMS - THE PRESIDENT OF the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is standing firmly behind customs officers in the face of persistent unsubstantiated claims of their complicity in the importation of illegal guns.  “The customs officers I know, which is practically all of them, are very honest, very sound, very fair, very firm people. They uphold the law of this country to the hilt,” Akanni McDowall told a public forum last Thursday night on the topic How Can We Stop The Guns From Coming? “There’s absolutely no evidence to show that these officers are engaged in any kind of illegal activity and until we can get evidence, until I can see something referred to me that says ‘yes, these officers are doing something that is illegal’, then we really should not be discussing the issue of customs officers assisting or bringing drugs into the island.” He also said that the NUPW had not been opposed to the use of cameras at the Bridgetown Port, but rather harboured some concerns. Furthermore, he suggested that the majority of guns were not coming in through the port but rather via the country’s porous borders.  (DN)

BARBADIAN VICTIM OF SHOOTING IN NEW YORK - A Barbadian man was shot and killed in New York last night. David Dottin, 49, was reportedly liming outside with a group of people when someone drove through the Herkimer neighbourhood shooting. His aunt Marcia Dottin told NATION NEWS her nephew was struck twice in the head. His two sons, Dason, 16, and Davion, 11, were with their father when the fatal incident occurred. David has been living in the United States for about 35 years. His mother Anna, also lives in New York. (DN)

DEATH HITS HOME - The senseless murder of 49-year-old David Dottin in New York on Sunday night has left his Barbadian family shaken to the core. Dottin, who grew up in Thornbury Hill, Christ Church, before emigrating to the Big Apple, died after being shot in the head in Herkimer Place, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, around 8:45 p.m. while with his two young sons. He was rushed to the NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, but was later pronounced dead. News of the former Parkinson Memorial Secondary School student’s murder quickly reached family members in Barbados, sending them into mourning. Yesterday, tearful aunt Marcia Dottin spoke to the DAILY NATION at the family home. She said news of David’s sudden death had sent shockwaves through the family, who had grown accustomed to having him return home at least three times a year. With gun violence escalating here, Dottin said she had tried to filter the constant crime reports happening in the country. However, she said David’s slaying had brought the issue right to the family’s doorsteps.  (DN)

JAMAICA – CASH FOR GUNS JAMAICA PM ANNOUNCES SPECIAL $100M FUND FOR RECOVERY OF WEAPONS, AMMUNITION - Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday announced two major rewards programmes for the arrest of wanted men and the recovery of illegal guns and ammunition following a tour of Mount Salem — the community first declared a zone of special operations (ZOSO). Speaking at a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister West in Montego Bay, Holness said the Government will be providing a $100-million fund for information leading to recovery of guns and ammunition. He told journalists that people who call Crime Stop on 311 and give credible information about the location of guns and ammunition islandwide can benefit from the reward programme. According to Holness, information leading to the recovery of rifles/submachine will be $150,000; semi-automatic pistols and shot guns $100,000; revolvers $75,000, while explosives and ammunition are negotiable. The other crime-fighting initiative, Holness said, is the Fugitive Apprehension Fund. Under that fund, the Government will be providing $20 million for information leading to the arrest of the country’s 20 most wanted criminals. The list of wanted men, he said, will be published by the security forces in “short order”, adding that Crime Stop will manage the fund and pay out the rewards in accordance with their standard protocols. Meanwhile, Holness announced that the Government has declared a moratorium on establishing possession where an illegal firearm is discovered on a premises in a ZOSO. This, he stressed, will last for five days, starting yesterday. He pointed out, however, that the moratorium will not apply to firearms or ammunition found on a person. Earlier, the prime minister, accompanied by National Security Minister Robert Montague, Attorney General and Member of Parliament for St James North Western Marlene Malahoo Forte, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Dr Horace Chang, and senior members of the joint forces visited several communities in the Mount Salem area. He said the visit was very useful as it gave the National Security Council a chance to see how the operation was working and to get a feedback from citizens. He said, although there were some concerns from the residents, most of them were satisfied with the operation. And, during the tour of Piggott Street and Crawford Street in Mount Salem, the prime minister told the residents that the operation was about facilitating and empowering them. (BT)

BAN ON IMPORTATION OF DRONES REMAINS IN PLACE - The public is advised that Government’s ban on the importation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones, remains in place until March 31, 2018. In addition, a temporary exemption will be considered on a case by case basis for drones which are imported and exported immediately after usage. This prohibition on drones, which took effect on April 1, 2016, was implemented to allow the authorities to complete a legal framework, which is now at an advanced stage, to govern the use of these devices and determine the number in operation in Barbados.   (BT)

SUPER WANDERERS - Barbados’ oldest cricket club are the Barbados Cricket Association Super50 Cup champions for the first time in the competition’s 42-year history. CounterPoint Wanderers captured the 50-over title when they trounced four-time winners Crane Resort St Catherine by 93 runs in the final at the Windward Club in St Philip yesterday. Appearing in their third final, Wanderers, who won the toss, amassed 228 for nine in their 50 overs with left-handed opener Shayne Moseley fashioning a responsible 101 off 145 balls. Moseley struck four fours and three sixes and shared an important 98-run fourth-wicket stand with his former Combermere teammate Jonathan Drakes, who made an attractive run-a-ball 52 with three fours and two sixes. In reply, St Catherine dramatically collapsed from the comfort of 112 for one to 135 all out in 40.2 overs. (DN)

BAJAN BAPTISM - Two superb performances that netted them 19 goals were exactly the winning formula Barbados’ senior women’s football team needed as they gear up for the Windward Islands Tournament in St Lucia later this month. The Lady Tridents, playing host to the newly refashioned Turks and Caicos women’s side, first delivered a memorable 10-0 performance on Friday evening at the Wildey, St Michael, AstroTurf in the first of two International friendlies. Yesterday evening they returned to entomb their opponents with a demoralising 9-0 victory. (BT)

Clobbered! - Opening batsman Evin Lewis smashed 97 runs from 32 balls to guide the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to an easy 10-wicket victory in the final match of the Barbados leg of the Caribbean Premier League at Kensington Oval last night. Set a modest target of 128 to win the match, Patriots scored 129 without losing a wicket. Their runs were compiled at the amazing rate of 18.4 per over, the highest run-rate in the history of T20 cricket to reach the total from a mere seven overs, as the left-handed Lewis tore the Tridents’ bowlers to shreds. (BT)

HURRICANE IRMA STRENGTHENS AS FLORIDA DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY - Hurricane Irma, barreling toward the Caribbean and the southern United States, was upgraded to a powerful Category 4 storm on Monday as islands in its path braced themselves. Hurricane advisories were issued for territories that dot the West Indies, including parts of the Leeward Islands, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in preparation for the intensifying storm that could pummel the area with life-threatening wind, storm surges and torrential rain by Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). A Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale means sustained winds of 130-156 miles per hour (209-251 kph) with “catastrophic” outcomes, including uprooted trees and downed power lines, water and electricity outages, and significant property damage causing uninhabitable conditions, according to the Miami-based hurricane center. Irma, now packing 130 mph (215 kph) winds, also threatens the U.S. East Coast and Florida, which on Monday evening declared a state of emergency. The hurricane center expects Irma to reach southern Florida on Saturday. The NHC cautioned that it was still too early to forecast the storm’s exact path or what effects it might have on the continental United States, but warned of likely effects to hit some areas by later this week. Irma will be the second powerful hurricane to thrash the United States and its territories in as many weeks. Residents in Texas and Louisiana are still reeling from the catastrophic effects of the deadly Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 25 and dumped several feet (meters) of rain, destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Irma is forecast to strengthen over the next 48 hours and could “directly affect Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, and Cuba as a dangerous major hurricane later this week,” the NHC said. In preparation for the storm, the economically struggling Puerto Rico government on Monday declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. The island of about 3.4 million people has 456 emergency shelters prepared to house up to 62,100 people. To help residents prepare for the storm, the Puerto Rican government activated a price freeze on basic necessities, including food and water, medicines, power generators and batteries. American Airlines, which last week was among several U.S. airlines with operations affected by Hurricane Harvey, protectively canceled nine flights scheduled for service in Saint Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis Sept. 5-6.  (BT)

That’s all for today folks there are 118 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan News cap 9/2/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Saturday, September 2nd, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Saturday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

MINISTER BEGS DEFAULTERS TO PAY NIS DEBT - Private sector entities and self-employed individuals owe the National Insurance Fund in excess of $300 million, and Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo is urging the defaulters to pay up. She said while Government was in the process of implementing another waiver on interest programme to encourage those who owe to clear their debt, her ministry was also exploring the possibility of giving the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) more teeth to go after those who refuse to meet their obligations to the fund. Byer-Suckoo made the disclosure today during a news conference to release the findings and recommendations contained in the 15th actuarial review of the fund. Together, Government and the private sector owe the NIS approximately $650 million. “Persons who owe the National Insurance need to come and address those arrears. The Government of Barbados is in discussion with the National Insurance as to how they can do this,” the minister said. Pointing to the success of the last interest waiver programme which saw the NIS collecting $11.9 million from about 147 employers, and waiving $7.8 million in interest between October 2016 and March 2017, Byer-Suckoo said another one was being contemplated for this year. This, she said, was expected to be approved by Parliament when it convenes later this month. It is estimated that only between 20 and 25 per cent of self-employed individuals make NIS contributions. Byer-Suckoo said besides the interest waiver and legislative changes, the NIS was also looking at various “arrangements and packages” to encourage self-employed individuals to make payments. These, she said, included offering online payment options, flexibility in payment schedules, the option of lump sum payments, and the possibility of self-employed individuals paying only “for what they need. NIS Director Ian Carrington said he expected a new interest waiver to produce similar results to that which was achieved the last time round, adding that most of those coming forward at that time were small businesses. In relation to what public sector entities owe the NIS, Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler had announced that Government was in the process of embarking on a swap programme with the fund to offer Government paper for the equivalent of the close to $300 million it owes through statutory corporations. (BT)

NIF ‘secure’, says Byer Suckoo - While it is still owed more than half a billion dollars, the National Insurance Fund (NIF) is safe and secure. That assurance came from Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development SenatorDr Esther Byer Suckoo, who spoke yesterday at a press conference, where the 15th Actuarial Review of the NIF, Unemployment Fund and Severance Fund of Barbados was revealed. Byer Suckoo maintained that the NIF was neither cash-strapped nor under threat based on the report which covered the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. She said the sustainability of the NIF was tied into Barbados’ economic growth and once the country’s economy kept on a path of sustainable growth the fund would be stable. (SS)

NIS SAFE FOR NOW REVIEW PREDICTS RESERVES COULD RUN OUT IN 2045 - Despite a sharp decrease in the number of contributors to the National Insurance Fund  (NIF), Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo is confident of its viability. According the 15th actuarial review made public on Friday, in 2014 the fund’s expenditure surpassed contribution income for the first time since 1997. In releasing the report today, Byer-Suckoo said a part of the long-term viability of the NIF would depend on the growth rate of the struggling Barbados economy. However, the Minister of Labour said there was no need to panic as the fund remained adequately financed and was able to meet its current obligations. The actuarial review found that the fund’s reserves could be depleted “as early as 2045 under the pessimistic scenario, or as late as 2074 under the optimistic scenario”. Adding that expenditure would exceed contributions each year starting between 2028 and 2045, and the pay-as-you-go rate would be between 27 per cent and 37 per cent, the report said those assessments were based on Government debt being redeemed as scheduled at full face value. However, the 68-page document, which gave the review and recommendations based on the period 2012 to 2014, with some considerations between January 2015 and September 2016, said should Government restructure any debt held by the NIS through reducing the face amount and/or yield on Government papers the outlook of the fund would be worse. (BT)

CAR SALES DOWN - Car sales at major dealerships have taken a beating since the National Social Responsibility Levy increased. In fact, according to sales and marketing manager at McEnearney Quality Inc., Margaret Hoyte, sales for the month of August were significantly down. McEnearney Quality Inc. is the agent for Mazda, Kia, BMW, Ford and Mini. In an interview with the SATURDAY SUN, Hoyte admitted that the NSRL – which was increased from two per cent to ten per cent on July 1 – had significantly affected the company’s sales, while increasing the price of cars by between $3 000 and over $20 000. “Sales are extremely low. So far for the month of August we are nearly 40 per cent below in sales,” she said. (SS)

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION REPORTS PROGRESS IN UNGRADED CXC RESULTS - Following recent controversy over ungraded Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) results, the Ministry of Education has reported significant progress in the investigation. This confirmation came today from Ministry officials who stated that while there had been concerns in several sections of the community, the Ministry was satisfied that the schools, officials of CXC and officers of the Ministry had undertaken the steps necessary to ensure that all candidates who had met the criteria for the award of certificates would receive their grades. According to a statement from the Ministry, “a variety of reasons underpin the circumstances in which some candidates were awarded ungraded results in the preliminary results issued following the correction of examination scripts.” It was however noted that the “CXC has been very cooperative and accommodating” in facilitating the review of ungraded results, and was continuing to work with the Ministry to ensure that all candidates who had satisfied the three components of assessment for the award of certificates receive those certificates. The statement concluded: “The Ministry wishes to publicly commend CXC on the professional and expeditious manner in which its officials have addressed the various concerns raised as a result of this year’s examinations.” (SS)

RAMSAY WANTS TIERED APPROACH TO CRIME FIGHTING - Senior Research Officer in the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit (CJRPU) of the Ministry of Home Affairs Kim Ramsay is recommending a tiered approach to tackling crime. And she said the first step was to identify the trouble spots and disband the criminal elements in these areas. Ramsay joined National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) President Akanni McDowall, Member of Parliament for St Michael West Central James Paul and reformed gangster Mario Bruce in a discussion organized as part of the Man Talk series of the Men’s Fellowship of the Cave Hill Wesleyan Church. In the discussion themed How Can We Stop The Gun From Coming? Ramsay said the island’s education system would also have to be carefully scrutinized to ensure at risk youth do not fall through the cracks. The researcher spoke of people engaging in criminal activity after they are kicked out of school, a issue raised earlier this week by criminologist Yolande Forde in an interview with Barbados TODAY. She said the did crime problem did not emerge suddenly, and it could not be solved overnight,  adding that the fight against crime required a sustainable approach, commitment, political will and adequate resources. Her sentiments were shared by McDowall who said that in the short term, once the high crime areas were identified, the necessary resources should be allocated to those areas. Meantime, Paul suggested that communities, families and individuals needed to work together to devise strategies to bring an end to crime. For his part, Bruce noted that  Barbados was a society rooted in abusive families, broken homes and broken relationships. He explained that children tend to gravitate towards the areas where they feel a sense of love. (BT)

BE LIKE CUBA - More police, more courts, more judges and more firepower will not arrest Barbados’ spiralling crime problem, and neither can the country look to the political directorate for answers, social activist and attorney-at-law David Comissiong has advised. Instead, he proposed, the authorities should focus on prevention to tackle the scourge. Suggesting that the island was in a “profound and deeply rooted crisis”, the outspoken activist said there was more behind the upsurge in gun violence than meets the eye. He blamed the vexing problem, which has sparked a strong outcry from the public for Government to do more, on a “civilization crisis”. Noting that the crisis was also manifesting itself in neighbouring Caribbean countries, including St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and The Bahamas, Comissiong pointed out that the crime scourge was not a factor in Cuba where the value system was far different. Comissiong was adamant that the solution did not reside with politicians, as he took issue with Member of Parliament for St Michael West Central James Paul for pouring doubt on recent revelations from Acting Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith that as many as 14 gangs existed in the Black Rock community, a trouble spot in the constituency that Paul represents. Against this backdrop, Comissiong stressed that Barbadians had to take action themselves and suggested they start with the education system. Lamenting that too many children were leaving school after 12 years dejected and dysfunctional, he called for a major overhaul and urged key sectors to team up to correct the problems. (BT)

‘NO PROOF CUSTOMS OFFICERS ARE CROOKED’ - If there is evidence to support claims that customs officers are the one bringing guns into the island, arrest them. This from the President of the National Union of Public Workers Akanni McDowall to the top ranks of the Royal Barbados Police Force and others who have suggested that the officers were complicit in the entry of illegal weapon into Barbados. Acting Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith has said that border control officers were wittingly, or unwittingly, allowing illegal guns into the country. There has been mounting public concern over escalating gun crimes here, with firearms having been used in 21 of the 25 murders committed so far this year, according to police. McDowall said he shared the view that the drugs and guns entering the island were not coming through the ports of entry, but rather through the porous areas on the island, “We have a country and island that is surrounded by water. It therefore means that there are many access points around the country. There is a possibility that these guns could be coming through any of these points. “There are many access point around this country and for us to single out that the guns are coming through the ports of entry without any kind of evidence is really unfair. I know we say it without thinking about the consequence . . . it is really unfair to those officers who man the ports of entry,” McDowall said. However, he was quick to point out that if at any point there was evidence that officers were supporting the criminal activity in this country, “I support wholeheartedly as a unionist and the president of NUPW that that officer be disciplined to the fullness of the law. “I will not support officers engaging in illegal activity, but similarly I will support officers who do an honest day’s work,” he said. (BT)

POLICE: NO NEED TO PANIC - The Royal Barbados Police Force is up to the task and committed to solving gun crimes. And in the wake of two young men, 23-year-old Renaldo “Conan” Gittens and 21-year-old Rico “Sad Face” Burgess of Eastpoint, St Philip being gunned down at Marley Vale, St Philip on Tuesday night, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Erwin Boyce, is urging Barbadians not to get too worked up about the current situation. We are on top of the situation in terms of the investigation process. And, yes, we want to assure the public that they will be free of crime, but at the same time there is no need to panic. Responding to a query as to whether the force could match the high-powered weapons out on the streets and allegedly used by the perpetrators, Boyce said the police will not be engaged in “shooting games”. (SS)

BODY BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF MISSING BRIT FOUND IN ST GEORGE - A body believed to be that of 49-year-old British national Steven Weare was found early this morning at Hillside Garden, the Mount, St George. However, there has been no official confirmation from police who remain mum about the identity of the Caucasian male found. Police have said the death was unnatural. Weare, a resident of Newcastle Plantation, St John, was last seen in the car park of Burger King at University Drive, Black Rock, St Michael. His week-long disappearance startled the residents of the Newscastle, St John community, who referred to the Brit as quiet and businesslike. When Barbados TODAY visited his home on Monday, neighbour Margaret King was hoping he would return safely as this was the first time that the peaceful neighborhood had experienced such an incident. “Nothing so never happened up in here yet, “King said at the time. Police are asking anyone with information that can assist with their investigation to call  Police Emergency 211, Crime Stoppers at 1800 –TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. All information received will be strictly confidential, lawmen said. (BT)

WEED ‘FARMER’ SLAPPED WITH $5,000 FINE - Magistrate Douglas Frederick imposed a $5,000 fine on a St Michael man whom he said had graduated into a cannabis “farmer”. Shane O’Neal Mayers of Odessa McClean Drive was today found guilty of the July 6, 2013 offences of possession, possession with intent to supply, trafficking and cultivation of $10,000 worth of cannabis. “You were given chances in the past, but you are not learning. You started with a little, now you have graduated to growing; looks like you are a farmer,” Frederick told Mayers as he asked him whether he wanted to spend more time in prison. “Everybody does make mistakes,” the man replied. “Twenty eight days were enough, Sir. I don’t want any more.” Mayers has six months to pay the fine or he will spend six months in jail. (BT)

CAR TROUBLE WOMAN ENDS UP BEFORE COURT FOR DAMAGING VEHICLE - Not only does 25-year-old Shakira Kristina Williams have to stay away from the father of her child and his girlfriend, but she will have to compensate the man for damaging his car. Acting Magistrate Sandra Rawlins imposed the bail condition and compensation order on the Block 1C, Bagatelle Gardens, St Thomas resident today after she admitted that she twisted the windscreen wipers, broke both mirrors and left scratch marks on the bonnet and one of the doors of Tony Jones’ car. The incident occurred on August 19, when Jones’ girlfriend had driven the vehicle to work. Williams, who had turned herself in to the police after the incident, said little to Acting Magistrate Rawlins when the matter was heard today in the District ‘A’ Court. But prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe disclosed that Jones had paid for the repairs to the car, which amounted to over $2,500. Williams was granted bail in the sum of $1,400 to return to court on September 5 when the victim is also expected to appear to present his receipts. (BT)

‘SPOUSE’ CAN INHERIT - The “outside woman” can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has ruled that a single woman who cohabited with a man for five years just before his death has the right to inherit from his estate. The court handed down the decision yesterday in the case Smith v Selby, where it held that Katrina Smith should be considered the spouse of her late partner, Barbadian psychologist Albert Michael Selby. The court found that the definition of spouse, under Barbados’ Succession Act, is a single woman who has cohabited for the statutory period of five years immediately preceding the death of her cohabitant partner. (SS)

KATRINA SMITH WAS SELBY’S SPOUSE, CCJ RULES - This Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has advised local judges to stop holding up cases in order to conclude interim appeals related to the same matter. The Trinidad and Tobago-based CCJ declared its position today as it handed down its ruling in the case of Smith versus Selby, which clarified the definition of “cohabitant spouse”. The CCJ, Barbados’ final appellate court which replaced the British Privy Council, “dissuaded the use of this practice except in circumstances where it was necessary after a full consideration of the relevant factors”, the regional court said in a release. In its ruling, the CCJ held that Katrina Smith should be considered the spouse of her late partner, Albert Michael Selby. The court found that based on the definition of spouse under Barbados’ Succession Act, a single woman who has cohabited for the statutory period of five years immediately preceding the death of her cohabitant partner has the right to inherit from him on his death, provided he was a single man. The matter, which was filed at the CCJ in March, centred on the interpretation of the Succession Actwhich states: “For the purposes of this Act, reference to a ‘spouse’ includes a single woman who was living together with a single man as his wife for a period of not less than five years immediately preceding the date of his death.” The CCJ examined the legislative regime that existed prior to the Act and noted that before its enactment, the law excluded the survivor of a cohabitational relationship from benefiting on the death of the partner who had not left a will. Smith and Selby had been living together from 2002 until Selby’s death in 2008. Selby had no children, was predeceased by his parents, and survived by his siblings, including the respondent Albert Anthony Selby. In coming to its decision the regional court set aside the earlier ruling of the Barbados Court of Appeal and all orders for costs from the courts below. The CCJ declared that Smith was the spouse of the deceased and ordered Anthony Selby to pay $20,000 in costs. The final appellate court said the nine years that elapsed since Selby’s death was inconsistent with the overriding objective to resolve disputes justly and expeditiously, and that delay inevitably caused distress as no one had been appointed to administer the dead man’s estate. As a result, the CCJ sought to give a ruling as speedily as possible, considering the matter had been filed at the court in March this year. Commenting on the ruling, one of this country’s well-respected lawyers explained that more often than not, interim appeals are mere applications of convenience and had no real effect on the outcome of the case, either in fact or in law. The attorney said an application for an interim injunction was one such legal tool, admitting that some lawyer resorted to this practice because they knew it would delay the substantive matter before the court and generally frustrate the efforts of the other party. Some of the more high profile cases currently held up by way of interim appeals include the US$100 million Hyatt Centric Resort which is proposed to be built at Bay Street, The City and the appeal against the freezing of the $2.5 million assets of former CLICO Holdings executive chairman Leroy Parris. (BT)

‘SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGES ON HURRICANE IRMA ARE FALSE’ - Weather officials here are pleading with Barbadians to be careful with the information they share about weather systems and their possible effects on the island. Two messages have been circulating on social media, one suggesting that Barbados and the rest of the region would be hit by Hurricane Irma, while the other is believed to have been sent by someone purporting to be an official attending a Department of Emergency Management meeting, stating that the weather system, which is now Hurricane Irma, was making an uncharacteristic turn southward and on that trajectory it would directly impact the island. Acting Senior Meteorologist Sabu Best in dismissing those claims advised that no matter how enthusiastic people may be, they should avoid spreading misinformation. At 5 p.m. today the centre of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 18.8 north, longitude 39.1 west. Irma was moving toward the west near 13 miles per hour and a turn toward the west-southwest was expected tomorrow. Maximum sustained winds were near 120 miles per hour with higher gusts. Hurricane force winds were said to extend outward up to 25 miles from the centre and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles. Best said there was some uncertainty about the projected path of the storm because the two main models used to track its progress, the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), were at odds regarding the system’s projected path. (BT)

USA - HURRICANE IRMA COULD BE NEXT WEATHER DISASTER - While much attention remains on Texas and the destruction left by Hurricane Harvey and its historic rainfall, powerful Hurricane Irma is rapidly intensifying in the open Atlantic and poses a major threat to the Caribbean and potentially to the United States next week. Irma is a classic “Cape Verde hurricane,” a type of hurricane that forms in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands (now known as the Cabo Verde Islands), then tracks all the way across the Atlantic. Cape Verde storms frequently become some of the largest and most intense hurricanes. Examples are Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Hurricane Ivan. Hurricane Irma is forecast to continue to strengthen as it moves westward over the next five days, and the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center puts a dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Irma on the doorstep of the Caribbean by the end of the five-day forecast on Tuesday afternoon. A strong high-pressure ridge to the north of Irma, over the Atlantic, is steering the storm to the west and limiting the wind shear in the upper levels of the atmosphere, which has allowed the storm to grow so quickly. Wind shear is like hurricane kryptonite, and prevents storms from forming or gaining strength. Unfortunately, Irma will remain in a low-shear environment for the next several days, so there isn’t much hope that Irma will weaken any time soon. There is considerable confidence that Hurricane Irma will track to the west through the weekend and then take a slight jog to the southwest early next week in response “to a building ridge (of high pressure) over the central Atlantic.”From there, the forecast becomes a lot less clear, with some major differences among some of the key models meteorologists use to forecast hurricanes. The differences are so drastic that one prediction has Irma sliding harmlessly back out to sea, while in another, it makes multiple disastrous landfalls in the Caribbean and likely hits the United States after that. Irma is still more than 1,700 miles east of the Leeward Islands, and any impacts from the storm wouldn’t be felt until Tuesday or Wednesday for the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. The forecast picture should become clearer after the weekend. Bottom line is Hurricane Irma is already a powerful hurricane and looks to only become more so. Those with interests in the Caribbean and southeast US coast should pay close attention to the forecast. (CNN)

HELPING HAND . . VENEZUELA OFFERING MILLIONS IN AID FOR HARVEY VICTIMS - Venezuela’s cash crunch and the bad blood between that South American country and the United States has not stopped it from offering five million in aid to hurricane victims in Houston, Texas. Less than a month after the US announced its latest round of sanctions against senior officials, and President Donald Trump went as far as threatening military action, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced the aid offer. The money, which would go towards building homes and shelters in Houston, wouldn’t come directly from Venezuela, however. Arreaza  explained that it would come through Citgo Petroleum, the Venezuela government-run oil company with a refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. Under US sanctions, Citgo cannot send money back to Caracas in any case, so the Nicolás Maduro administration won’t be losing out on funds it had access to. However, it is unclear whether the US government will take up the offer. Harvey caused catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas, damaging or destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Up to this morning the death toll had risen to at least 40, with officials fearful that with the floodwaters finally receding, that number will rise dramatically. Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25, and over a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain as the system meandered over eastern Texas and adjacent waters. This is not the first time that Venezuela has offered aid to hurricane victims in the US. In 2005, Citgo offered US$1 million in disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as food, water, fuel and other assistance, but the then George W Bush administration rejected it. In that same year, former President Hugo Chavez established a programme to supply subsidized heating oil to lower-income Americans via Citgo. That initiative served more than 1.7 million people across the country. (BT)

L’OREAL SACKS TRANSGENDER MODEL AFTER RACIST COMMENTS - French cosmetics giant L‘Oreal sacked its first transgender model to appear on a British advertising campaign after she described all white people as racist on Facebook. London-based model Munroe Bergdorf had announced on her Facebook page on August 27 that she was to be part of the French cosmetics brand’s new advertising campaign celebrating diversity. In an online message that later appeared on Friday to have been deleted, Bergdorf said, according to the Daily Mail newspaper: “Honestly I don’t have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people.” L‘Oreal’s UK unit said on its Twitter page it had decided to terminate her contract: “L‘Oreal champions diversity. Comments by Munroe Bergdorf are at odds with our values and so we have decided to end our partnership with her.” In a post on her page on Friday, Bergdorf criticized the Daily Mail article and sought to defend her comments, which she said were a reaction to the violence of white supremacists in Charlottesville in the United States. “When I stated that ‘all white people are racist’, I was addressing that fact that western society as a whole, is a SYSTEM rooted in white supremacy – designed to benefit, prioritize and protect white people before anyone of any other race,” she said. (BT)

‘SAFE’ FOOTBALL - Minister of Social Care Steven Blackett says tight security will once more be in place to ensure the annual David Thompson Memorial Constituency Councils Football Classic preserves its reputation of being free of violence. The Classic kicks off in two weeks (September 17) at the Usain Bolt Complex and according to Blackett, there should be strong police presence at the tournament, which will feature 76 matches over the next three months with the final slated for December 10 at Kensington Oval. “This tournament normally makes the difference as part of the out of season apparatus when it comes to football. There have been instances of violence in other tournaments but it has never been the case with the Thompson Classic and I am hoping that continues,” Blackett said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The police is principally the body responsible for keeping law and order in Barbados and I would think without our prompting them for a football tournament of this magnitude, the police will do what they have to do,” he said. (SS)

OLYMPIA’S GIFT TO BARBADOS - Local bodybuilding fans will have their Christmas gift in November. That’s because the emperor of the sport, Phil “The Gift” Heath, will give a posing exhibition at the Darcy Beckles Invitational Classic slated for the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on November 11. Former Barbados champion Roger Boyce, the chief administrator of Erin Promotions, the show promoters, said that to have the muscle marvel would be the crowning glory for the annual event which will be celebrating its tenth edition. “Heath is the king of the sport. He is the best of the best. I am overjoyed to have him. The contracts have been signed. It’s a done deal,” said Boyce. (SS)

LIL RICK GETS NEW RIDE - Party Monarch Lil Rick now has the keys to his brand new set of wheels. In July the entertainer successfully defended his title, to earn his sixth win with the song Energy, copping the the top prize of a fully loaded Mazda 3. Today at MQI's Wildey, St Michael offices, the entertainer collected that prize after he was greeted by representatives of the company and the National Cultural Foundation. (SS)

That’s all for today folks there are 120 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase