#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

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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 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

[thechasefiles]

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

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan News Cap 8/27/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Sunday, August 27th, 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 Sunday Sun Newspaper (SS).

INNISS TELLS COLLEAGUES TO HEED ADVICE ON THE ECONOMY - An outspoken Government minister has issued a stern warning to his colleagues and other policymakers to heed the advice of experts and take the action needed to bring about a turnaround in the country’s economic fortunes. Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss contended that while the advice is not always what politicians want to hear, it can be useful and should not be ignored. His comments came on the heels of regional economist Marla Dukharan warning at a public forum organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados (ICAB) on Wednesday evening, that painful remedies would be required to fix the ailing economy. She said government had to pick its poison now – whether a homegrown austerity programme or one from the International Monetary Fund. The former RBC Group economist submitted that based on similar experiences in the region, if the “reset button” is pressed now and necessary measures implemented to reverse the high debt, low reserves, wide fiscal deficit and falling international reserves, the island’s economic health could be stabilized within three years. Today, addressing an ICAB-organized international business update seminar at the Hilton Barbados Resort, Inniss said: “There may be those who may be critical of people like her and her comments, but I hold the view that we must listen to people like her. We must not shoot the messenger.” He said he was “satisfied that a part of the conversation of moving the country forward and a part of the action plan has to be, first and foremost, for people at my level and position to be willing to be fully engaged, listen and, more importantly, take some damn action to really transform this nation once and for all.” During Wednesday night’s event at which Dukharan spoke, president of the Barbados Private Sector Association, Charles Herbert called for decisive, fair and firm leadership as well as the political will to do what was needed to save the economy. He lamented Government’s lack of implementation as one of the major hindrances to correcting Barbados’ economic problems. (BT)

UNION-BUSTING - The Chief Labour Officer will investigate claims of “union-busting tactics” following a call from Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) general secretary Toni Moore to boycott Cost-U-Less. The disclosure came from Minister of Labour Esther Byer Suckoo who spoke to the Sunday Sun after Moore hit out at Cost-U-Less during the union’s annual delegates’ conference at Solidarity House yesterday. After hinting at exposing anti-union companies two weeks ago, Moore ripped into the retail giant over several issues, especially its decision to keep its store at Welches, St Thomas, open four hours after a national shutdown was recommended for Tropical Storm Harvey on August 18. Speaking following a stirring rendition of We Shall Overcome by The Mighty Gabby, the general secretary said the song encouraged the union that the “struggle” must continue against those who “wish to entrap workers in a form of modern day slavery”. (SS)

CUSTOMS NO CLOSER TO BRA FIT - Workers at customs and excise department still believe that the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) will be an uncomfortable fit for them. That is why the transition to the BRA, which has been a bone of contention for the past two years, has not been completed. President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Akanni McDowall, told the SUNDAY SUN that even before signing any option forms to secure transition over to Government’s main revenue collection agency can be considered, there’s still the unresolved issue of appointments. “Customs officers are still to be appointed after yeoman service. Many officers have been acting for extremely long periods without being appointed or without being given the opportunity to act in higher posts,” McDowall said. (SS)

TRADE UNIONS ISSUE WARNING ON NSRL - General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union, Toni Moore this morning used the platform of her union’s 76th Annual Delegates Conference to send Government a warning of sorts on its National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL). At the conference being held at the union’s Solidarity House Headquarters, she warned against taking the silence from the movement in the past weeks since the meeting of the Social Partnership, as a sign that they have accepted Government’s position. Her comments were echoed by President of the National Union of Public Workers, Akanni McDowall. who noted that the Freundel Stuart Administration was well aware that public servants had not received a salary increase in almost a decade, and, this year with the introduction of the NSRL, parents will find the cost of back to school to be more burdensome. Likewise, President of the Barbados Secondary Teacher Union, Mary Redman expressed dissatisfaction with the state of Trade Union / Government relations, suggesting that she has never seen it at this level. She told the annual delegates conference that the reality was that unions were being aggressively attacked, dismissed and insulted as being noisemakers, vagabonds and enemies of the state. Finance Minister, Chris Sinckler, in the Budget on May 30, announced that the NSRL, which was introduced in September 2016, would move from two per cent to ten per cent effective July 1.  He said then it would result in “increased revenue of $291 million for a full financial year and $218 million for the remaining nine months of the current fiscal year”. The NSRL was imposed on goods imported into Barbados and on domestically manufactured goods. It was designed to finance the burgeoning cost of health care on the island and to assist with maintaining a clean environment. Last month, unionized workers staged a work-to-rule and they were eventually joined by the Private Sector Association in a national protest march, in an attempt to force the Stuart administration to accede to a coping subsidy proposed by the unions. (BT)

MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN WAR OF WORDS - Conflict is brewing between the two offshore medical schools in Barbados. The three-month-old Washington University of Barbados (WUB) is accusing the American University of Barbados (AUB), which has been operating here for six years, of engaging in a smear campaign against WUB and “stealing” its students. The AUB has denied the claims and said its sole focus was on enhancing the school’s brand and promoting Barbados. An upset Gopi Venkat, chief executive officer of WUB, which is located at Casa Grande Hotel, St Philip, said that since a video surfaced three weeks ago of their former dean complaining about certain situations at the school, messages had been circulating on social media bearing the name of an official of the AUB and carrying its logo, saying that WUB was a fake medical school. (SS)

BROOMES: MIXED MESSAGES - Former Principal Jeff Broomes is accusing president of the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU), Mary Redman, of sending mixed messages concerning the marking of school-based assessments (SBAs). “For the last few years, the president of the BSTU has been telling her teachers not to correct SBAs, saying they’re not doing it, but now there’s a problem with the SBAs this year and [even though] the investigation has now started, she’s in the paper blaming CXC,” he said. “What has happened this year is nothing new and I suspect when the investigation is done, it will be a computer glitch.” Broomes was delivering the Astor B. Watts lunchtime lecture on Friday at the Democratic Labour Party’s George Street, Belleville, St Michael headquarters. (SS)

HOUSE PRICES ‘TO TAKE FURTHER HIT’ - Barbadians can expect house prices to drop by at least ten per cent in the next year or so, a well-known estate agent has said. Julie Dash of Hannah Properties was responding to a survey by an Australian removals company which put Barbados second in a list of least affordable places in the world to buy a house. Called The World’s Most (Un)Affordable Places to Live, the study by Assured Removalist combined recent worldwide data on average annual salary, income tax and average house prices in order to measure house affordability and found that the property market in Barbados was overpriced. Barbados was quoted at a house price to income ratio of 133.77 behind only the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea. (SS)

RETAILERS REPORT SLUGGISH BACK TO SCHOOL SALES - Bridgetown retailers are reporting sluggish business as Barbadians shop for the new school term which will commence on September 12. Store Coordinator at Cave Shepherd Broad Street, Mark Clarke told Barbados TODAY whereas customers in previous years would have bought five uniforms, they are being more conscientious in their purchases. Cave Shepherd is one of the retailers that have removed the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) at cash point in an effort to ease the burden to consumers.  However, consumers have not been coming out in their droves for the back-to-school season. The popular retail duty-free shopping store says it is offering discounts on school uniforms and supplies to drum up sales. Retailers such as Woolworth and Shopper’s Paradise have also been offering discounts. Store Owner of Shoppers Paradise Kiran Venasimaz said that 45-year-old retail store is trying to accommodate the needs of their loyal customers. She also revealed that some consumers started their shopping early by applying for layaway plans at the end of the previous school term. Managing Director of Woolworth, Martin Bryan, noted that shoppers are being more cost conscious, opting to browse for cheaper alternatives and purchase fewer items. Although his Prince William Henry Street store has seen a steady flow of customers, Bryan noted that people are shopping with a discerning eye. Meanwhile, supervisor of Shoe Locker, Jacqueline Maloney, noted that although the shoppers are feeling the weight of hefty taxation, they have no choice but to purchase the necessities. (BT)

DOTTIN: ACT NOW - The distribution of drugs is driving a parallel economy in Barbados. At the same time it is also fuelling crime and disorder. These strong words of warning from the island’s former top cop Darwin Dottin. “It is an issue that requires an urgent and sustained response”. Dottin made the comments while speaking to the SUNDAY SUN on the upsurge in gun-related crime which has been plaguing the country for much of this year. (SS)

SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP TO HEAR REPORT ON GANGS, GUN VIOLENCE - The social partnership will soon be getting an idea of just how serious gang violence and gun-related crime is in Barbados. Officials from the Attorney General’s Office are expected to make a presentation at the next subcommittee meeting of the Social Partnership next month. The presentation was to have been done last Friday but was postponed due to the unavailability of Minister of Home Affairs Adriel Brathwaite. That meeting was still a valuable one for the Social Partnership, as a special presentation on disaster management and preparedness was conducted by the Department of Emergency Management (DEM).  (SS)

JAMAICA – POLICE CONDEMN VIDEO SHOWING FEMALE OFFICER BERATING SUPERIOR - Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have expressed concern that a video being circulated on social media allegedly showing a female officer berating her superior for giving her a hard time, saying it does not reflect the professionalism of the Force. In a statement, the JCF said that the video will be investigated and the required mediatory or disciplinary action taken. It said that the video does not reflect the image, training and professionalism of the JCF and is encouraging members to access counselling services through the Medical Services and the Chaplaincy Services Branch. It said peer counsellors and volunteer chaplains are also available at all police stations. “If it is worthwhile, we will meet with both of them to see if we can come up with an amicable solution . . . but  sometimes, it’s best to separate both and have them in different locations. We deal with it on a case by case basis,” said the Chief Chaplain, Gary Budhoo Fletcher. (BT)

TWO TONS - It’s been almost 18 years since two Barbadians scored a century in the same Test innings. Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope did it yesterday to give West Indies the advantage over England after the second day of the second Test at Headingley, Leeds. Brathwaite, 24, scored 134 to complete his sixth Test hundred and third away from home, while Hope, 23, made an unbeaten 147 – his first Test century as the Caribbean side closed the day on 329 for five in response to England’s 258. It was the first time that two Barbadians passed three digits in the same Test innings since December 1999 when Sherwin Campbell and Adrian Griffith featured in an opening stand of 276 against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton. (SS)

TRIDENTS HOME LEG READY FOR TAKE-OFF - All systems are in place for the Barbados Tridents home leg of the Hero Caribbean Premier League, which bowls off on Tuesday, August 29 with a massive clash against Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval. Months of intense preparations will culminate in a week of exciting cricket and explosive entertainment, when the Tridents go in search of a spot in the playoffs with matches against St Lucia Stars (Aug. 31), Trinbago Knight Riders (Sep. 2) and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (Sep. 3). Barbados Tridents CEO, Jason Harper, believes the four matches will provide a fitting climax to the preliminary campaign of the tournament dubbed “the biggest party in sport”, and leave a lasting legacy for the country’s sporting culture. The four matches will bring together world class stars like Chris Gayle of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Eoin Morgan of Barbados Tridents and Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine of Trinbago Knight Riders, providing for a blockbuster line-up of cricketing talent. Off the field, excitement is also expected to be high quality with several initiatives being planned to ensure that that the Tridents home leg of the Hero Caribbean Premier League provides a varied and unparalleled entertainment experience. Tridents sit in fifth spot in the six-team standings on four points – just outside the playoff positions – and will use the coming games to secure their spot in the next round. The 2014 champions, Barbados Tridents will put on show the likes of captain Kieron Pollard, New Zealander Kane Williamson along with Morgan, who joined the squad in time for the home leg, and are confident of a positive outcome. (BT)

LOOK FUH POINTS TAKE TWO TITLES - Look Fuh Points have completed another successful hockey hunt. No points were at stake but they found a second straight men’s title while A Badd Connection (ABC) regained their women’s crown when the 32nd Barbados Hockey Festival climaxed last night. ABC prevailed 4-3 on penalties over Du Badd Crew in the women’s final at the Barbados Football Association’s AstroTurf, Wildey after a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation time. Look Fah Points (LFP) were emphatic 3-0 winners in the marquee men’s final over UWI Blackbirds, who also lost 2-0 to the same opponents in the 2016 championship match. (SS)

KING WINS ON PRO DEBUT - Barbadian boxer Keithland King has started his professional career with a bang. He defeated Rob Mitchell of England by a knockout at the Mark C. Marin Centre, Antilles School in the US Virgin Islands recently. When SUNSPORT caught up with King, he said he was happy to have had such a positive result in his debut match. “My original opponent pulled out at the last minute, but I went out there and gave it my best shot,” he said. (SS)

MINISTRY OF CULTURE EXTENDS CONDOLENCES ON PASSING OF CARIFESTA EXHIBITOR - The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the CARIFESTA Secretariat have confirmed the death of Petal Frank of Guyana. They have also extended sincere condolences to her family and the Guyana contingent to CARIFESTA on her passing. An Independent exhibitor at the CARIFESTA Grand Market at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Frank fell ill on Wednesday and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she passed away on Friday as a result of diabetic complications. The authorities said the CARIFESTA family is saddened on the passing of Ms Frank. (BT)

A PLAYGROUND OF LESSONS - Tradition versus progress through education, the rites of passage from a boy to a man, nature verses nurture, family conflict and the roles of each member are some of the themes explored in the play Playground. Written by Dr Frank McField, Cayman Islands' “most accomplished playwright” and staged at the Frank Collymore Hall on Thursday night for CARIFESTA XIII, the play suggested several lessons during Act 1, which left members of the audience wanting to see more. (Let me say here that only one act was done because of the limitations of CARIFESTA, in terms of time.) Nevertheless, the props, costumes, scenes and the actors did a really good job in getting the messages across. The concerns and hopes of Lucille (Merta Day) were conveyed, the trepidation of her young son Willie (Aiden Watler), whom she wanted to better his chances by being educated in England, and the nonchalant but adamant resolve of her husband Tom (Matt Brown). (SS)

OF MASKS AND DRUMS AT PELICAN - Thursday night's showcase at Pelican Craft Village had all the elements of a great event. Fantastic weather, skilful acts, and a sizeable crowd that was ready, ramped up and raring to sample some of the rich culture of sister nations St Kitts and Nevis along with Antigua and Barbuda.

When one of the CARIFESTA XIII fringe events got underway, though a bit late, people of all ages, races and social backgrounds were already situated on steps, walls or whatever vantage point they could plant themselves to take in the evening’s proceedings. First for the night was a dramatic piece by the Poinciana Theatre Productions out of St Kitts called When Man Mek Woman Heart Like Iron. (SS)

CARIBBEAN DANCE - Local talent Dancin’ Africa and Jamaica’s L’Acadco were awesome as they lifted a large crowd at CARIFESTA XIII Dance Caribbean! In The Contemporary at the newly refurbished Wildey Gymnasium on Thursday night. Dancin’ Africa opened the night with a piece entitled Black Lives Matter, an energetic and poignant depiction of the horrors inflicted on Blacks throughout history. The stifling of black consciousness and speech and societal suffocation ended with the dancers casting off dampening white cloaks and freeing their taped mouths. The scaffolding on the stage evoked physical and psychological memories of slavery and also projected scenes of hanging and crucifixions. Ironically, those “slaves” on the scaffold helped to lift some of the modern-day sufferers from their oppression.  (SS)

HALL DOCUMENTARY CAPTIVATING - All eyes were locked onto the screen at the Olympus VIP Theatres yesterday as scores of people showed up to watch the movie Hall. The thrilling documentary told the tale of notorious Barbadian fugitive Winston Hall who was one of four men charged with the murder of plantation owner Cyril Sisnett in 1985. Unlike the other men, Hall was able to make many daring escapes from maximum security, often sending the island’s law enforcement agencies on several manhunts.  During his time on the run, Hall was able to make it as far as the Grenadines and he even made Trinidad his home during one of his stints on the run.  Yesterday, from around 2 p.m., there was a capacity audience at the cinema as some people had to be turned away. Those who were fortunate enough to get a seat could not take their eyes away from the screen. They laughed, and looked on in amazement at Hall’s elusiveness. By the end of the local documentary, produced by Hall-e-wood, everyone gave the production a round of applause.  (SS)

That’s all for today folks there are 127 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 6/6/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday 6th June 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

HIGH SICK LEAVE CLAIMS TOO COSTLY – The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) paid out $24 million in sick leave claims at the end of 2016 and Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo has embarked on a mission to remedy the problem. Speaking at a church service marking the 50th anniversary of the National Insurance Department at the St Michael’s Cathedral yesterday, Byer-Suckoo said she has already begun to petition the island’s medical practitioners to think twice before prescribing sick leave. She lamented that the large volume of sick leave claims had also created a backlog of “unacceptable delays in processing”, but assured that the NIS would ensure Barbadians received their benefits. Some 54, 000 people benefited from last year’s sick leave payouts and Byer-Suckoo urged Barbadians to adopt healthier lifestyles to fight off the epidemic of non-communicable diseases, which she suggested, was a major contributor to the number of sickness and disability claims being processed by the National Insurance Department. (BT)

BUSINESS FOLK MUST TELL OF CHALLENGES – Entrepreneurs have been asked to tell their stories so as to inspire those who want to pursue a similar journey. This came from general manager of the Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT), Cardelle Fergusson, during the launch of Evolving Business, its official magazine, at the Barbados Manufacturers’ Exhibition (BMEX) at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Saturday. Fergusson said the motivation behind the launch was that there were many persons interested in becoming self-employed, but one of the obstacles was ignorance of the process. She therefore thought that if current entrepreneurs could tell the stories of how they got started, some of their challenges and the benefits of becoming entrepreneurs, it would motivate and possibly empower others to pursue their goals. (DN)

LEGAL SHIFTING – More people are opting to have their civil suits settled through arbitration and mediation, rather than go through the long drawn-out court process. According to a number of prominent lawyers, many have been seeking such recourse to avoid the lengthy delays rampant in the administration of justice. Queen’s Counsel Hal Gollop told the DAILY NATION: “It is not unknown that several matters in the civil courts have gone on for in excess of ten years. That cannot be a happy situation for someone seeking justice . . . . Justice delayed is justice denied.” Alternative Dispute Resolution is an option that has often been mooted by Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson. Last July, Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite revealed that a pilot project had resulted in 75 per cent of matters being settled outside of court. (DN)

TOURISM PUSH – Barbados has begun the process of improving its tourism product to meet the demand of visitors. This assurance was given to cruise ship executives by chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA), Dr Kerry Hall. She said her department was engaged in research designed to bring ordinary Barbadians engaged in tourism ventures into the mainstream of the industry, and was also working on exploiting new forms of attractions for visitors. Hall, addressing a recent town hall meeting of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) at Hilton Barbados, was responding to calls from key executives from major cruise lines and the FCCA for Barbados to create new areas of interest for visitors. (DN)

MESA CALLS ON DADS TO PLAY THEIR ROLE – THE MEN’S Educational Support Association (MESA) is calling on men to step up to the role of fatherhood because it is critical in the development of a child. The organisation is also insisting that the system be structured to facilitate men’s access to their children so they could meet their parental obligations. These were some of the burning issues raised at a MESA meeting last week at The St Michael School which looked at The Indispensable Role For Men In The Parenting Journey. Panellists were former chairman of MESA, Ralph Boyce; parent Orlando Lorde, and deputy chairman of MESA, Sean Fields. (DN)

MARCH AGAINST BEACH PROJECT – Three years into a protest against plans to set up a breakwater off Sandy Lane beach, St James, activist and surfing instructor Samuel Inniss is still standing firm on his position. He continued his objection to the proposed beach regeneration project yesterday, when a group of six, including Inniss, marched with placards from the area of Holetown Police Station to Sandy Lane beach. Inniss is charging that the proposal to have a barrier built out into the sea to protect the coast from the force of waves will eventually contribute to damage of the existing reef and lead to erosion of the neighbouring Paynes Bay beach. He said he heard the project would take effect in September. (DN)

BUS DRIVER ESCAPES INJURY AFTER COLLISION - Transport Board bus driver David Best escaped injury after being involved in an accident along Fairchild Street, in the vicinity of Tistal Laundry and Dry Cleaners around 7:30 a.m. today. Best, 55, of Clevedale Road, Black Rock, St Michael was the lone occupant of the bus at the time of the incident. According to police, Best was trying to avoid hitting two men who were fighting on the road, when he lost control of the bus, collided with two parked vehicles and then crashing into the building housing Tistal Laundry and Dry Cleaners. Police are continuing their investigations. (BT)

POLICE INVESTIGATE STABBING INCIDENT – A 20-year-old St Michael man is nursing injuries following a stabbing incident this morning. Reco Kirton of Spruce Street received three stab wounds to his right side while he was in The City around 7:45 a.m. According to police, Kirton was walking along Fairchild Street with his girlfriend, when he was attacked and stabbed by a man. The man fled the scene while Kirton made his way to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by foot for medical attention. Police have appealed to anyone with information about the incident to contact the Criminal Investigation Department at Central Police Station at 430 7175 or 430 7167; police emergency 211; Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or the nearest police station. Investigations are continuing. (BT)

RUBIS SERVICE STATION RESUMES OPERATIONS AFTER FIRE LAST NIGHT – Panic broke out at the Rubis Service Station, Harmony Hall, St Michael after a vehicle caught fire around 9:20 last night. Quick action by fire officers, however, brought the blaze under control and no one was injured in the incident. Police public relations officer Acting Inspector Roland Cobbler told Barbados TODAY the alarm was first sounded after smoke was seen coming the vehicle, a 2008 Toyota van, driven by Harry Clarke of Fustic Village, St Lucy. It subsequently burst into flames and was destroyed. No one was injured in the incident. Police are continuing investigations. (BT)

TRADEWINDS GEARS UP – Authorities have fallen short of their call for 1 000 volunteers, but say all is still set for the launch of Exercise Tradewinds 2017 today. Exercise co-director Major Carlos Lovell told the DAILY NATION yesterday they had only recorded around 700 of the requested volunteers to take part in the week-long regional, multi-agency, multi-national security and disaster management exercise. However, he said more people were expected to fall in line. “We have one or two other organisations who have also committed volunteers, so I don’t know what the final number will be, but right now we have around 700 and we will be able to work with those. I am pleased with the response of the public; they have come out in a way I have not seen for any other military event in Barbados,” he said. (DN)

TWO LONDON ATTACKERS NAMED BY POLICE – SOURCE: BBC NEWS: Two of the men who carried out Saturday night’s terror attack in London have been named by police. They said Pakistan-born Khuram Butt, 27, of Barking, London, had been known to police and MI5 but there had not been any intelligence about an attack. The other attacker was Rachid Redouane, 30, from Barking, who police said had claimed to be Moroccan-Libyan. The pair and one other man were shot dead by police after killing seven people and injuring 48. They drove a hired van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in the area around Borough Market. A vigil was held at Potters Field Park near London Bridge on Monday evening to remember the victims. NHS England said 36 people remained in hospital, with 18 in a critical condition. Redouane, who was a chef, also used the name Rachid Elkhdar. He had not been known to police. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said: “Inquiries are ongoing to confirm the identity of their accomplice.” He said the investigation into Butt had begun two years ago but “there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly”. He added: “Work is ongoing to understand more about them, their connections and whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else.” Butt featured in a Channel 4 documentary last year about Islamist extremists with links to the jailed preacher Anjem Choudary. The attacker, who had older siblings and was married with at least one child, could be seen in the programme arguing with police officers in the street. An online CV seen by the BBC shows that Butt had achieved an NVQ Level 2 in business administration. He went on to work in an administrative role for a company called Auriga Holdings, based in East Ham, which manages Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets. He had also worked for London Underground for just under six months as a trainee customer services assistant, before leaving in October last year, Transport for London said. Butt was the sole director of a now-dissolved company called Kool Kosmetics. (BT)

AG URGES ADULTS TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE –Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite has publicly rapped the Barbados Cricket Association and the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS) for failing to settle differences, which led to the abandonment of the Sir Everton Weekes Under-13 Limited Over Final. Citing the development as a poor example of conflict resolution, Brathwaite appealed to adults and parents to better demonstrate how to resolve their differences to influence how the island’s youth handle their disputes The BCA pulled stumps on the May 25 final between Combermere and the Christ Church Foundation School after the BAPPSS boycotted the deciding game, citing greivances related to changes to regulations governing the 2017 domestic cricket season. (BT)

PSYCHIATRIC TAKE T20 – Psychiatric hospital Sports Club etched their name in the annals of local cricket history yesterday by becoming the inaugural champions of the Barbados Cricket Association’s Twenty20 Shield Competition. The Black Rock institution hung on to get the better of a nail-biting finish at Kensington Oval over Lords Sports Club of St. Lucy to be crowned champions of the shortest format among teams from the lower divisions. Asked to bat first, Psychiatric battled their way to 119 for nine before dismissing Lords off the last ball of the final over for 115. The triumph continued a successful sequence of championship victories for Psychiatric, who are also defending champions of the prestigious 40-over Shield for junior clubs. (DN)

PROVIDING A VOICE FOR THE DEAF – Eight aspiring entrepreneurs are seeking to provide a voice for the deaf community via a new media venture. Operating under the business name of Broad Street Media, the eight young people, who are all deaf, recently completed a special digital media programme catering specifically for the deaf community. The inaugural course was a joint project between the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports’ mainstreaming programme and the National Council on Substance Abuse. Some of the members had their business on display at the just-concluded Barbados Manufacturers’ Exhibition (BMEX) and also took the opportunityto speak about their thrust into media. (DN)

BARBADIAN CHEFS PREPARE A RANGE OF DISHES FOR ALL PALATES – Barbados has finished the team competition at the 2017 Taste of the Caribbean Competition in Miami. Out of a mystery basket, they had three dishes to prepare and have put a range of tastes and flavours before the judges from the savoury to the sweet. For the starter, the team rolled out curry chicken and spiced plantain roulade, roasted bell pepper coconut sauce and piña colada crumble. This was followed by a main course of herb coated Bajan rubbed certified Angus inside skirt medallion, Bajan seasoned pork sausage, aromatic sweet potato with smoked herring, curry cream cheese stuffing, spicy beef gravy, eggplant churney, pumpkin ginger brulee and spinach coral tuille. For those who like it sweet, dessert comprised nut dusted molasses chocolate pop, sorrel pipette, cinnamon crusted choux filled with rum and raisin cream, passion fruit cilantro gel, citrus coconut cream and guava gelle. Individual members of the team will also be going after honours in the annual competition. (DN)

OFFICIALS PLEASED WITH GROWTH OF CROP OVER HERITAGE TOUR – Barbadians are becoming more interested in learning about their heritage and how their ancestors lived, producer of the Crop Over Heritage Bus Tour Alison Sealy-Smith has said. Speaking to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of yesterday’s tour, Sealy-Smith disclosed that the response to the event now in its fifth year was overwhelming. The acclaimed actress was particularly pleased that new presentations used to bring the historic stories to life appeared to be a hit with participants. The tour took hundreds of Barbadians on an entertaining and informative journey, telling them bittersweet stories of molasses and rum. The tour commenced at Cavans Lane, The City, a former burial ground for slaves. Participants first observed a minute of silence for the African slaves who died before a brief introduction from lead tour guide Morris Greenidge. The presentation on the slaves’ arrival was so captivating, especially the monologue by young Saniyah Braithwaite, that it left some members of the crowd dabbing tears. The tour then went on to Sunbury Plantation, St Philip for the party at the Great House. From there it was on to Foursquare Rum Distillery, where the crowd learnt the story of the evolution of the rum enterprise. The next stop was the Newton Plantation, a former burial ground for enslaved blacks. The tour then concluded at an old Bajan Rum shop in The City. (BT)

WINNER TAKES ALL – The winner-takes-all model stays. So said Yello Media Group chief executive officer (CEO) Collin Francis as he responded to a question about the current prize model of the Bashment Soca competition. He told those present at the launch of the 2017 Yello Phenomenal Friday competition that it was a different model from those in the current entertainment arena. “We had a lengthy discussion about it. The team of 4D and I met and the thinking behind it is that the first prize is for a winner. We believe that if the artistes out there really want to be No. 1, there really is no room for second, third or fourth place. There is only room for No. 1.” (DN)

ENCORES FOR ALL STARS – Ronnie DE ANNOUNCER Clarke is back. Receiving two encores for Vote and one for Bashment Soca, he could easily be considered the A-lister when Cave Shepherd All Stars Calypso Tent pitched last Saturday night in the Ann Johnson Auditorium of St Gabriel’s School. Appearing on stage close to midnight in a large, black plastic bag with an X on the front and the word VOTE on the back, he energised the large audience, making them sit up, listen and sing along to his admonition to go the polls and vote in the next general election. This, instead of opting out of choosing the party they want to govern the country. (DN)

That’s all for today folks. There are 214 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase