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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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stephaniefchase · 7 years ago

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Bajan Newscap 12/12/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Tuesday 12th December, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Daily Nation Newspaper (SS).

BWA: PLEASE BARE WITH US – All apologies. That’s what the Barbados Water Authority’s (BWA) general manager is offering to those affected by the sewage crisis on the South Coast and to Barbadians in general as he begged the country to “rally round” the BWA. Keithroy Halliday’s apologies come in the wake of Chicken Barn having to close its South Coast restaurant until further notice as a result of the constant overflows of sewage onto the Worthing, Christ Church property. Flanked by the manager of the BWA’s Waste Water Recovery Programme, Patricia Inniss, and director of engineering Charles Leslie, Halliday was speaking at a press conference at the South Coast Sewage Treatment Plant on Sunday afternoon. “I would like to comment not just to Chicken Barn, not just to the residents and business community in that catchment area but to Barbados on the whole. Regardless of blame, regardless of liability, we are empathetic and the situation is certainly regrettable,” he said. “If it has not yet been said, the Barbados Water Authority at least wants to express their regret and to say we are sorry,” he added. “We are sorry to the national community that we were not able to respond in a better time frame given the realities we were faced with. “Whether justified or not, at the end of the day, we appreciate and understand the difficulties that most workers and most residents have to face on a daily basis in that particular area.” Halliday said the BWA crews had been working tirelessly, driven by “national pride”, to try to bring a resolution to what he called a “national crisis”. And he has asked for Barbadians to be patient with them and rally round the BWA. “We want to say to everyone that we still need your patience. We still need for you to work with us. We still need for you to rally around the Barbados Water Authority as we try to make this right, recognising that there are no quick fixes.” Halliday said the BWA was hopeful it could bring some relief and a return to normalcy in the short term with a view to correcting it, once and for all, eventually.Meanwhile, Inniss, described the sewage overflows onto Chicken Barn as unfortunate. However, she said the manhole from which the sewage was seeping was not one of the BWA’s but belonged to Chicken Barn and was not bolted down “so that there is the rising of the manhole when the lines are charged”. She said the BWA was in discussion with the management of Chicken Barn to be able to install a back flow preventer which would alleviate the problem. That back flow preventer had been on order for two months now. She added that the Chicken Barn property was, however, sanitised daily, as were other businesses affected by sewage overflows. On Saturday, management at Chicken Barn closed the Worthing outlet until further notice. (DN)

SEWAGE LEAKS “HAZARD TO PUBLIC HEALTH” – The man at the helm when the South Coast Sewerage Project was being built warns that the current situation with sewage water flowing in the streets should be treated as “a public health emergency”. Dr Hugh Sealy, project director at the Sewerage and Solid Waste Project Unit from 1994 to 1997, said yesterday: “If you have raw sewage discharged through manholes in the street, that is a public health issue that has to be dealt with. You are going to have pathogens in that water.” Referring to the putrid water flowing through manholes on the South Coast, Sealy said: “You have cars passing through that water spraying that water up into the air . . . It is not a healthy situation and the Government should be treating it as a public health emergency.” Sealy told the DAILY NATION the South Coast Sewerage Project was designed, constructed and commissioned under the Ministry of Health in the 1990s and then transferred to the Barbados Water Authority for operation and maintenance. (DN)

SEWAGE PAIN – The stench of sewage is causing patrons of one south coast restaurant to stay only long enough to view the menu. However, two restaurateurs in the area yesterday told the DAILY NATION they had faith in promises by the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) that the problems associated with South Coast sewerage system were being addressed and would soon be fixed. Food and Beverage director of Paul’s Enterprises, Laura Gault, and owner of Tapas restaurant Alfredo Giovine, said the doors of the Lucky Horseshoe restaurant in Worthing and Tapas on Hastings Main Road would remain open while they continued to manage the situation and do everything to make patrons comfortable. The doors of the popular Chicken Barn were closed on Saturday, but Galt said the sewage water was flowing next door on that property and only overflowed to the yard of Lucky Horseshoe periodically. (DN)

WORTHING POST OFFICE CLOSED – The Postmaster General regrets to advise the public that the Worthing post office is closed with immediate effect until further notice due to an on-going environmental problem. Mail delivery will not be disrupted. Customers are advised that postal business can be conducted at any of the other 17 post offices across the island. From December 14, customers wishing to collect registered mail or parcels are asked to go to the Brittons Hill post office. This inconvenience is sincerely regretted and the postmaster general thanks you for your understanding. (DN)

APOLOGIZE MIA – Former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate Hutson Griffith believes he is deserving of nothing short of an apology from the Mia Mottley-led Opposition party, which he said went all out to publicly humiliate and betray him after he turned in its best showing ever in St John in the 2013 general election. “I get over one thousands votes, the third person to do so in St John,” said Griffith, while pointing out that despite losing to the ruling Democratic Labour Party’s Mara Thompson for the second straight time, he had almost doubled the 583 votes he had captured in the 2011 by election. Griffith also acknowledged that the rural constituency has been a DLP stronghold since 1958, but suggested that he should have been given more credit by the BLP for increasing its popularity in St John and closing the political gap somewhat between 2011 and 2013. However, “to add insult to injury”, Griffith said when it came time for the BLP to confirm its candidates for 2018 race, he was the only BLP incumbent that was presented with five challengers on his slate. “It is strange because it was a seat that has never been won by the Barbados Labour Party and I really felt insulted,” he told Barbados TODAY, while stressing that his candidacy in St John was on the ascendency and that even though the BLP never really expected to win that seat, the party had performed much better there in the last election than in areas in which it has traditionally had a foothold. “I was told to go and run in St John with the expectation that the party was going to win the other constituencies and everything was going to be fine, but as fate would have it the people that were supposed to win the seats did not win,” he told Barbados TODAY, while pointing out that in St James South, which was a BLP stronghold up to 2008, the party’s incumbent candidate Sandra Husbands only had one challenger to contend with. On the other hand, Griffith, who pulled out of last year’s BLP nomination process at the last minute, said he was made to learn at the eleventh hour that there was a move afoot to oust him. “One of my five challengers called me and asked me if I was running again and I told him, ‘yes I was still running’. I accepted the respect which that one individual showed, but the rest of the process was an insult to me,” he told Barbados TODAY, adding that “as far as I was concerned they could keep that seat”. The former BLP representative, who has since quit the party and is now running on a United Progressive Party (UPP) ticket, also suggested that “I would have to be an idiot to have five persons come up and challenge me”, while blaming Mottley and other senior party officials for the intense internal rivalry that saw a number of “people start walking bout in St John”. “I made the decision to tell Barbados Labour Party to keep St John and go from around me because of the political foolishness that is going on,” he told Barbados TODAY, while stating that he felt “humiliated and betrayed by the BLP leadership. “They have no respect! Absolutely none! The Leader of the Opposition has not written an apology to me yet. I was telling the Barbados Labour Party that they need to stop, something is wrong with the message they are sending about how they treat people but nobody wanted to hear me. The people they had to win the election in 2013 come and sit down on the bench with me like players that get sub in a football game . . . . The BLP owe me an apology man,” Griffith exclaimed. However, Griffith, who was speaking on the sidelines of Saturday’s UPP meeting in St Andrew, insisted that his decision to run on the UPP ticket had nothing to do with any bitter feelings towards the BLP. “For the record, my UPP association has nothing to do with that. My decision to run in St John was strictly on principle over the madness that was going on in St John politically. “I was invited to the UPP following a conversation and since then the United Progressive Party has been growing under the leadership of Lynette Eastmond,” he said, while echoing a number of the sentiments expressed by fellow UPP candidate and former BLP representative for St Michael South Central David Gill, who lost the BLP St Michael South Central nomination to economist Marsha Caddle. Following his loss by 29 votes in October 2016, Gill immediately decided to quit the party, while charging that the process was rigged because the BLP hierarchy did not want him around anymore. (BT)

UPP CANDIDATE: DON’T SHUT THE PEOPLE OF WHITE HILL OUT – United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate for St Andrew Roli Roachford believes the people of disaster-prone White Hill should be given a say in their own future. Speaking to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of the launch of her candidacy at the Village Inn Bar in Shorey Village, St Andrew on Saturday night, Roachford charged that the residents had been left out of Government’s decision making, three years after they were essentially cut off from the rest of the island. Following heavy rains in 2014, the main access road leading into White Hill was officially condemned due to a problem of land slippage. Since then, large cracks have also appeared in a temporary road that was constructed in the rural community, with Government announcing last month that it was now looking to abandon the area as a housing settlement altogether and to continue the relocation process that began in 1999 by transferring homes to Farmers, St Thomas. However, this decision was met with derision by residents. However, Roachford, in sympathizing with the Stuart administration, acknowledged that there was no easy fix to the White Hill problem. She also said while her party recognized the urgency of community’s plight, it was yet to devise a policy position on the matter. “It really must be so hard for the people up there. We are working on the policy for the people up there but it is a very tricky situation because you are also dealing with the geographical layout of the land. You have to also deal with the emotions of people who have made that area their home for all of their lives and nobody wants to move away from home. “At the end of the day you want to keep the people happy and at the same time you thinking of their safety. We don’t want a situation where something happens to someone and the appropriate emergency services cannot reach that person because of the road problems. At the end of the day White Hill residents just want to live like everybody else,” she stressed. (BT)

BARBADOS OFFERS FRESH ASSURANCE AS IT AMENDS TREATY WITH MAURITIUS - On the heels of last week’s blacklisting by the European Union (EU), Barbados has amended its Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with Mauritius. The change to the DTA, which was originally signed in 2004 and came into force in 2005, was approved by this country’s Ambassador to the United States Selwin Hart and his Mauritius counterpart Sooroojdev Phokeer. The amendment provides for the exchange of information on taxation between the two countries. On signing the document, Ambassador Hart noted the commitment of the Government of Barbados to meeting international standards of transparency and on effective exchange of information on taxation, especially with all of its treaty partners. It is expected that the protocol, once ratified, will add value to an already well-established reciprocal and mutually beneficial framework in matters of international taxation between Barbados and Mauritius, whose economies are similarly dependent on tourism and international financial services. Barbados and Mauritius established diplomatic relations on December 14, 1974. In blacklisting Barbados last week, the EU said “Barbados has a harmful preferential tax regime and did not clearly commit to amending or abolishing it as requested by 31 DECEMBER 2018.” (BT)

BARBADOS COMMITS TO ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR BY 2025 – Barbados has become the ninth Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to commit to a regional initiative to free Latin and America and the Caribbean of child labour by the year 2025. Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo symbolically handed over the signed agreement to the Regional Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, during the Organisation of American States (OAS) XX Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour held here from December 7 to 8. This now brings to 28 the total number of participating countries in the initiative that seeks to accelerate the rate of reduction of child labour in the region and by 2025 to eliminate all forms of child labour, the ILO said in a statement released today. Barbados has so far ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as ILO conventions 138 on the minimum age for admission to employment and 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. However, while 16 is the minimum age established for employment, official estimates done in 2014 suggested that the incidence of child labour, involving minors between five and 14 years of age, was 3.5 per cent. As part of its efforts to combat the problem, Barbados has established the National Committee for Monitoring the Rights of the Child, which seeks to generate recommendations on policies that favour the rights of children and sensitizes communities on the matter. However, among the challenges is the creation of lists of light work and dangerous work for minors. The other CARICOM countries taking part in the initiative are the Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. (BT)

MUM’S CRY – Armed with a knife, a woman set out to kill a man whom she trusted, but whom she suspected of indecently assaulting her young daughter. Overcome with emotion as she stood in the dock of the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court yesterday, the tearful 35-year-old mother of five did not hold back when she was told by Magistrate Douglas Frederick the stab wounds she inflicted could have been fatal. “I was angry. I wanted to kill him,” she promptly responded. “Well, I’m really glad that you didn’t kill him,” was the magistrate’s response. The housekeeper had moments earlier pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously wounding the middle-aged St Michael man on December 9. (DN)

MOTHER’S RAGE - “I duh want to kill him!” This was the cry of a young mother in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty to wounding a 54-year-old man, charged with indecently assaulting her 11-year-old daughter. The 35-year-old mother, who lives in a St Michael community, stabbed the accused man “three times” about the upper body on December 9. According to the prosecutor, the mother and daughter were regular visitors to the accused man’s home as they are neighbours. However, around 6:30 p.m. last Saturday, the girl went across to his house for something to eat and when her mother went searching for her, she found the child hiding in a wardrobe in the man’s bedroom. This discovery angered the mother who immediately left and returned moments later armed with a knife and accompanied by the child’s father. She then stabbed him in the upper arm and shoulder even as she told him “he wanted killing”. Station Sergeant Neville Reid said the father also intervened and was now being sought in connection with the attack. With tears streaming down her face, the mother told Magistrate Douglas Frederick that both she and her daughter were practically raised in the man’s house. “She learn to walk in that house,” she said, while expressing disbelief that he would actually sexually assault the minor. “I never expected nothing so from this man,” she added, even as she admitted that she took the law into her own hands. “I duh want to kill him, I duh want to,” she declared. The accused man meantime told the magistrate that he had suffered three stab wounds, including one to the back. He also revealed that “the girl was there on the bed”. This comment led the magistrate to ask, “you good in your head?” “I believe so,” the accused man replied. It was then that more of the story emerged. The mother explained that her neighbour’s house was usually unlocked, but on the day of the alleged incident, it was shut. “Why all of sudden all the doors lock? He come to the door wrap in a towel . . . and run in the kitchen . . . and she hiding, she doesn’t do that,” the woman said. The magistrate chastised the man for having the child in his bed even as he told the mother that she needed to be more circumspect about her daughter’s whereabouts. “You have to be more careful. Times have changed . . . . But I don’t know many other persons in your situation who wouldn’t have done what you did,” Frederick told the mother. He then ordered a pre sentencing report into the woman’s life as she was not previously known to the court. She was granted $2,500 bail and is expected to return to court on March 16. In the meantime, the accused man, a mechanic, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which allegedly took place on the aforementioned date. However, the prosecutor objected to bail based on the serious nature of the accusation leveled against him, the strengthen of the prosecution’s evidence, the age of the victim, the close proximity in which the parties live and for his own safety. But in his own defence, the accused said he did not believe he would have any more problems with anyone else. He also reported that he was currently working on two cars which were “currently pulled down” and had to be completed. He also submitted that he could “ leave the neighbourhood to make peace, I don’t have to live there”. However, the magistrate, in rejecting his application, said it was best to “let things settle down” and remanded the accused to HMP Dodds until Friday. (BT)

MAN ADMITS TO HAVING IN ‘A FEW DRINKS’ BEFORE ASSAULTING GIRLFRIEND – A 44-year-old man admitted to assaulting his girlfriend of 17 years when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today. However, Franklyn Curtis Carew, of Hill Road, Bank Hall, St Michael, said he could not remember “exactly what happened” on December 8, when he assaulted Shonette Lorde, occasioning her actual bodily harm. According to Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim reports had been made to the police in the past of Carew consuming alcohol and being abusive to Lorde, who is the mother of his two children. Lorde was watching television last Friday when an argument ensued after Carew exited the bedroom, which resulted in him hitting her on the head. “I had a few drinks on Friday . . . I can’t remember exactly what happen . . . . I apologize, I accept [I was wrong] I am sorry,” Carew said. However, Lorde who was in court, told Magistrate Douglas Frederick she was fed up with her partner’s behaviour and wanted him to move out as he had an anger management problem. “My mother lives around the corner from me and when he starts to act out I go there and breeze out, but I can’t take it anymore. He is a miserable person,” Lorde said when asked how she had managed with him for the past 17 years. Carew, who returns to court on April 20, has been ordered to undergo counseling following a recommendation by a probation officer. (BT)

FINED $500 FOR CURSING COP – Renaldo Peter Fenty might have been correct when he told a police officer that the taxes he paid helped to pay his salary. However, the manner in which he did so led to him being arrested. When the 39-year-old first mate on a ship, of Apartment No. 3, Harts Gap, Christ Church, appeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday, he pleaded guilty to telling Constable Kenrick King: “I does pay your . . . salary, ya j . . . You is a j . . . ,” on Sunday. When asked by the magistrate what motivated him to speak to the officer in such a manner, Fenty apologised, saying his actions were out of character. “I was out of line, out of character and I am not proud of what happened. I want to apologise to the officer and I want to apologise to the Royal Barbados Police Force,” he added. The apology was accepted by prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim. Fenty’s attorney Janielee Kelly also told the court her client was remorseful. In asking for a bond to be imposed, she said while it was an extremely serious matter, no violence was used. In giving the details, Pilgrim said police were in the area of Pierhead, The City, on Sunday around 7:20 p.m. conducting operations when they had reason to stop three motorcyclists. Their actions led to a large crowd gathering. Fenty was part of that crowd which became boisterous. He uttered the words to police and when they approached him and asked for his name and address, he refused. He was subsequently arrested. Magistrate Frederick told him while it might be true that his taxes helped to pay the salaries of police officers, he could not behave in that manner. He made Fenty pay $500 in costs in one week with an alternative of seven days in prison. No conviction will be recorded against him. (DN)

JAMAICA: NINE SHOT AT FUNERAL . . . TWO PRONOUNCED DEAD ON ARRIVAL TO HOSPITAL – Mere hours after the Sunday Observer reported that officials at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) were celebrating not having any gunshot-related deaths at the institution for the month of October, a gun attack at a funeral on Windward Road put a damper on their jubilation. The gun attack took place yesterday at the King’s Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church during a funeral service for a vendor who had been stabbed to death in downtown Kingston. Reports from alleged eyewitnesses are that men opened gunfire outside the church injuring mourners. Up to press time last night the police Corporate Communications Unit was unable to provide information on the shooting incident. In fact, the commanding officer for the east Kingston police, superintendent Robert Walker, told the Observer late last night that investigators had just finished processing the crime scene at the church while others were still on location at KPH. Yesterday, the injured individuals were rushed to the hospital, resulting in pandemonium as most of the people who were at the funeral for the vendor, who has been identified as Boysie, accompanied them to the medical facility. When news broke that one of the gunshot victims had died. The victim’s friends, relatives, and those who had left the funeral to offer support at the hospital wept openly. One woman, who was inconsolable, sat on the sidewalk outside the hospital grieving while another stomped her feet, declaring: “It will not end that way.” It is alleged that the gun attack is a result of an ongoing feud between rival factions from West Street and Luke Lane in downtown Kingston. As to why the attack was carried out at the funeral, one man who spoke on condition of anonymity said Boysie was not a “bad man” and he was well-respected, so it was widely known that those at odds would have attended his funeral. According to the man, it presented the perfect opportunity for conflict. Another individual said he is anticipating that yesterday’s incident will result in a bloody Christmas. (BT)

TRINIDAD: MOM KILLED, DAUGHTER CRITICAL - A 44-year-old mother of two was killed and her daughter and three other people were injured, after a gunman opened fire in a Manzanilla bar on Saturday night. The attack, which left Savatri Narine dead and her 18-year-old daughter Nirrmalaa in critical condition at hospital last night, has thrown the entire village of Plum Road into mourning, with villagers saying they had never experienced such brutality in the quiet agricultural village. Bar owner Bobby Ramsaran, a relative of the victims, and patrons Kurt Browne and Ivan McKenzie were also injured in the attack, but were all treated and discharged. According to police reports, ten patrons were liming at the bar around 8.15 p.m. when the younger Narine had a conversation with a relative who had joined them at the bar and was having a drink. She went outside with the relative and returned inside the bar, but minutes later the relative came back inside armed with a gun and fired several shots at Nirrmalaa and her mother. Nirrmalaa, who was standing next to McKenzie at the time, fell to the ground, as did her mother, who was nearby and tried to escape. Other patrons scampered for safety, some hiding under tables. Retired police sergeant Clyde Bobb, who lives at the back of the bar, which is located on the same property as the family’s home, told T&T Guardian he was sitting outside his home when he heard three gunshots before hearing screaming coming from the bar and people also running into the establishment to see what had happened. He said when he ran to the bar he saw the Narines on the ground covered in blood. Bobb said the 60-year-old gunman allegedly had an argument with Nirrmalaa over a vehicle he lent her, which he took back after raising an issue about a relationship she recently started. Bar owner Ramsaran, who is Savitri’s brother, said his sister did not deserve to die in such a manner. He said she worked hard to earn a decent living. He added, however, that the other people in the bar were lucky to escape since the gunman fired several shots indiscriminately. Gangadaye Ramsaran, mother of the deceased, said her daughter celebrated her birthday a few days ago, adding she was still in shock over the attack. The suspect, who was a PH taxi driver and also did odd jobs in the community, surrendered to Manzanilla police around 6:40 yesterday. He was interviewed and subsequently transferred to the Arouca Police Station. Investigating officers from Homicide Region II Arouca said they believed the shooting stemmed from a love triangle that went sour. The murder of Narine took the murder toll to 468 for the year. (BT)

BERMUDA: NO TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, YES TO CANNABIS – The victory for same-sex couples in Bermuda who earlier won the right to get married in the British Overseas Territory has been overturned. Parliament has passed the Domestic Partnership Act 2017, which replaces same-sex marriage with domestic partnerships that can be entered into by both gay and heterosexual couples. The decision came in the same parliamentary sitting in which a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis was passed with the support of the government and opposition sides. Back in May, puisne judge Charles-Etta Simmons ruled that the Registrar-General could not reject an application by gay couple Winston Godwin and Greg DeRoche to marry in Bermuda, and that the common law definition of marriage as between a man and a woman was “inconsistent with the provisions of the Human Rights Act as they constitute deliberate different treatment on the basis of sexual orientation”.

However, after five hours of debate, 24 MPs voted in favour of the legislation that home affairs minister Walton Brown said would provide same-sex couples with a raft of legal rights but prevent any further same-sex marriages. Ten MPs voted against the bill. Among those who opposed the bill were the shadow minister of National Security, Jeff Baron, who said it was a “very flawed and, frankly, shameful bill”; and opposition leader Jeanne Atherden who said the parliament was taking away rights that had been granted to communities of individuals who want to start families. The Centre for Justice said it was disappointed that the government chose to roll back full marital equality. The bill now requires passage by the senate. Meantime, the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill to decriminalize possession of less than seven grammes of cannabis was also passed in the House of Assembly. While possession of that quantity of the drug will not lead to sanctions, police will still be able to seize any amount of cannabis. There will also be regulations for substance abuse education or treatment for those caught with the drug. (BT)

TV UMPIRE IN HOT SEAT - Black Caps batsman Colin de Grandhomme thought he may have just got away with one. Not so lucky, it turns out. The hard-hitting all-rounder was eventually, correctly, dismissed lbw for 22 during the final session of the third day of the second Test between New Zealand and the West Indies yesterday. But not without drama. A bizarre DRS decision by TV umpire Ian Gould had confusion reigning at Seddon Park. De Grandhomme was wrapped on the pad by fast bower Shannon Gabriel and the West Indies appealed for lbw, with umpire Rod Tucker giving a decision of “not out”. The tourists called for a review, Gould looked at the Snicko technology, which did not show evidence of an inside edge, and instructed Tucker to stay with his original decision. Just one issue. Gould forgot to check “ball tracking” for the lbw. So as Tucker was signalling the not out decision, and the West Indian players had their arms up in protest and confusion, Gould interrupted the umpire and acknowledged his mistake. He indicated that he would indeed need to look at “ball tracking”, which would determine if the ball struck de Grandhomme in line with the stumps and whether it was going to go on and hit them. It indeed was, so Gould gave Tucker the go-ahead to change his decision. So up went the finger, and de Grandhomme was on his way. He was the sixth New Zealand wicket to fall, with the score at 212 at the time, and the Black Caps holding a 364-run lead. By stumps, the home team looked on course for victory, as West Indies, set 444 to win, were reduced to 30 for two with opener Kieran Powell completing a pair. Resuming the third day on 215 for eight in their first innings, West Indies added just six runs before being dismissed for 221, to concede a lead of 152 runs. The Black Caps then scored at a decent clip to declare at 291 for eight in their second innings, with the outstanding Ross Taylor gathering an unbeaten 107 to join Martin Crowe and current captain Kane Williamson at the top of New Zealand’s century-maker’s list with 17. Left with 40 minutes before close, the Windies lost the left-handed Powell without scoring for the second time in the match when he was squared up by left-arm seamer Trent Boult and caught low down at third slip. Left-hander Shimron Hetmyer stroked three fours in a run-a-ball 15 before loosely driving pacer Tim Southee to Neil Wagner at short extra cover. Earlier, New Zealand needed just 17 balls to finish off the Windies first innings, with Boult bowling Miguel Cummins and Shannon Gabriel in successive deliveries to end with four for 73. West Indies struck early when fast bowler Cummins, who finished with three for 69, removed Jeet Raval for four in the eighth over with 11 on the board, as the left-hander bungled a pull and gave the bowler a return catch. However, Williamson hurt the Windies with an urgent 54, helping lift the Black Caps to 96 for two at lunch. Williamson faced 64 balls and struck eight fours, adding 31 for the second wicket with opener Tom Latham (22) and 58 for the third with Taylor. Cummins broke the stand in the second over after the interval, shattering Williamson’s stumps with a searing yorker before removing Henry Nicholls cheaply for five, but any hopes of engineering a New Zealand collapse were scuppered as Taylor took control. Dropped on 35 by Hope at gully off Gabriel, Taylor made the most of his reprieve. DN)

ST. GEORGE SCORE AGAIN – St George South produced another riveting performance to clinch a second successive title when the final of the David Thompson Memorial Constituency Councils Football Classic unfolded at Kensington Oval on Sunday night. Goals either side of half-time from “Mr Reliable” Romario Watson and Dario ‘Ears’ Harewood, propelled the St George men to a 2-0 triumph over St Andrew, who picked the most inopportune time to lose their first game of the tournament. An exciting opening to the much anticipated final saw either side create a string of half-chances, as both custodians were called into early action during an end to end first few minutes. St Andrew managed to settle the better of the two sides thereafter, and squandered a brilliant opportunity to go ahead after they had completely monopolised possession while in the ascendancy. (DN)

LOVE PEACE & TRIUMPH – It was joy and good tidings for the Rusty Bubble-sponsored Peace and Love players as they received an early Christmas gift of $4 000 for winning the second Triumph 50s Dominoes Tournament at Sandy’s Place in Black Rock on Sunday night. The team, comprising a number of former QEH slammers – including captain Sherry-Ann Dawson, Anderson Belgrave, Suzette Hinds and Anderson Powers – finished with the lowest combined score of 899 points. Other team members were Kirk Davis, Daneisha Brathwaite, Lionel Rock and cricket photographer David Blenman. The Generals, with Hamilton “Hammie” Durant leading from the front, along with his wife Charmaine Durant, Ralph Bailey and Delisle Parris, were second. They gained 1 009 points and earned $2 000. Friendimes, last year’s runners-up, came third with 1 052 points and collected $1 200, while RM Cleaners finished fourth on 1 091 points to collect $800. Last year’s winners HIBI were knocked out in the quarter-finals. Sponsor Mark Bynoe of the Triumph wholesale store in Tudor Bridge, thanked the players for their support and said he was so overwhelmed by the response that he plans to sponsor the tournament again next year. (DN)

LODGE CROWNED CHAMPS – The Lodge School created history when they celebrated their first National Sports Council Senior Schools Knockout title in 24 years, compliments a hard-fought 69-65 victory over the Combermere School this afternoon at Pinelands Court. (BT)

LODGE SALUTE – Three Lodge School old boys have had their legacies immortalised with the naming of two school buildings. Long-standing sports administrator Owen Estwick, personal assistant to late Prime Minister Errol Barrow, Earl Glasgow, and the first black headboy Major Sam Headley were all honoured by their school yesterday. The brand-new Estwick and Glasgow Auditorium and refurbished Sam Headley Pavilion were officially unveiled during a three-hour ceremony at the school in Society, St John. The naming of the structures came after the conclusion of phase three of the school’s $40 million refurbishment, six years after phase one was completed and two years after ground was broken for the auditorium. (DN)

BRAVE FIGHT ENDS – Two-year old Takyla Lynch who stole the hearts of Barbadians with her brave fight against a rare disease has sadly passed away. Takyla, who was known for her lion heart and an angelic smile suffered from spinal muscular atrophy type 2 (SMA II), an inherited condition that affects the muscles. She was the first known case of SMA in Barbados. For parents, Patricia Hunte and Anthony Lunch, daughter Takyla was a gift. However, when she was four-months-old, the couple began to suspect their daughter wasn’t developing like most babies her age. “I got worried, I took her to doctors and heard babies develop differently, but I was told at four months that she was a lazy baby,” the 32-year-old mother told Barbados TODAY in an interview back in August. By the time their little girl was eight months, doctors confirmed their worst fears: Takyla was diagnosed with SMA II. According to medical experts, children with the disease can have trouble controlling their head movements, sitting without help, and even walking. In some cases they can have trouble swallowing and breathing as the disease progresses. As a result, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was the child’s virtual home. There she was hooked up to several machines – tracheostomy for breathing, a gastrostomy tube in her side for feeding, and a ventilator. Takyla’s fight quietly ended last Wednesday. She will be laid to rest on Saturday. (BT)

FRANCINE TREAT – Singing Francine was arguably the highlight of Sunday’s Carols By Candlelight. From the time MC Vic Fernandes introduced the Barbadian legend in what was her first performance during Christmas in Barbados, the adults and children started dancing and singing to a seasonal favourite Parang Parang. By the time she started singing Hurray Hurrah with its infectious hook line “aiieeee”, even more people were dancing and singing along. The 74-year-old calypsonian gave a great performance, treating the audience to songs off her albums Christmas is Love and Merry Christmas from Francine including Christmas in My Land and Christ is the Reason. It was interesting watching the children interact with her and sing along to songs that are older than they are. The hundreds of people attending the 22nd edition of the annual show hosted by the Rotary Club of Barbados were also wowed by 11-year-old singers Chia Scantlebury and Trinity Clarke, who performed Hallelujah and Let It Go, respectively. The girls received rousing applause from the audience, who seemed to have taken up every iota of space while sitting on blankets, chairs and comforters on the lawns or standing on the paved paths of Ilaro Court, the Prime Minister’s official Two Mile Hill, St Michael residence. The Mustardseed Kids were a hit with the audience. As they performing for the tenth year, first with Nikita, who did Kimberley Inniss’ It’s Christmas FaLa La La La, and later with Kymorhi Trotman, the candles were lit across the venue creating that flickering, magical glow that never gets old no matter how many times it happens. Pianist Rhea Drakes and her band were a welcome addition to this year’s line up. They played Carol Of The Bells with God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen and vocalist Tameisha Cozier sang Don’t Save It All for Christmas Day. It was a great performance. Also showcasing their talents were the DGM (Do Good Music), who sang O Holy Night, This Christmas and God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen before they ended their set with an instrumental version of Red Plastic Bag’s Maisie, featuring Romario Wilkinson in the lead on saxophone. The pre-show entertainment included the Daryl Jordan Secondary School Steel Band and Poonka’s Ruk-a-Tuk International, which put patrons in the mood as they entered and settled into their spots. Prime Minister Freundel Stuart gave a short address and reminded everyone Christ was the reason for the season. He also congratulated the Rotary Club for “institutionalising” Carols By Candlelight, noting that people looked forward to attending each year. He also spoke of the club’s “massive and substantial contribution” to the society and said not all of their “good is advertised”. Rotary Club president Paul Ashby thanked patrons, entertainers and club members and said that through donations the club was able to assist in areas that relate to children, autism, seniors and medical needs. The show came to an end after a robust sing-along led by Tamara Marshall, Clarke, Scantlebury and Cherece Richards who led the audience in 11 of the songs of the season. (DN)

JUS-JAY THROUGH TO 2018 RED BULL 3STYLE WORLD FINALS – Disc jockey Justin Jus-Jay King will be carrying the Barbados flag in the Red Bull 3Style World Finals VIII next year. He was named as one of three wild cards this morning in the competition which will take place in Krakow, Poland. Barbadian Andre DJ Puffy Parris won the 2016 staging of the global event. Jus-Jay made the announcement on his Instagram page and noted that he will be representing Barbados and “the entire Caribbean”. He also credited Rihanna with giving Barbadians the hope that they can excel globally in music. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 19 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 4/6/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 6th April 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via subscribing to Nation News Online, purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (DN) or via Barbados Today (BT).

IT’S A CIRCUS – A circus atmosphere with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart as the ringleader, has “led to the recent establishment of a political party for sex workers”, political scientist Peter Wickham has charged. Wickham today said the announcement this week by adult entertainment consultant Charles Spice Lewis that he was about to launch the Political Prostitutes Party (PPP) – made up of people in the sex industry – to contest the 2018 general election was all part of a mockery being made of the electoral process. And he placed responsibility squarely at the feet of Stuart, whom he said has sunk the process of choosing this country’s leaders into the “realm of the absurd” by his refusal to name an election date even after the automatic dissolution of Parliament on March 6. “We have gotten into the realm of the absurd and I think the fact that we are having this conversation is evidence that we have stepped into that realm a long time ago,” the pollster told Barbados TODAY this morning. “We are already in an historic period where we are going now on a month that Parliament has been dissolved and the Prime Minister has not indicated when the election is going to be called and that is the most absurd thing. So this matter of a prostitutes party is all consistent with the circus that we are now,” he stressed. The issue of prostitution and politics has become a major talking point here since Natalie Natlee Harewood, then a well-known prostitute, announced last month that she would challenge for The City seat in the next election, due by early June. Lewis was named as campaign manager for Harewood, who, a week after her stunning announcement, disclosed she was quitting the sex selling trade to pursue her political ambitions. The two have since parted company, with Harewood posting an angry message on social media yesterday, denouncing Lewis for conceiving the PPP, which he said was inspired by the public reaction to Harewood’s run for office. However, Lewis is not being taken seriously, not just by Wickham, but also by Dr George Belle, himself a political scientist, who often dismisses third parties. “I don’t think anybody should make a serious comment on that, so I am not going to do that. I have already spoken to the issue of third parties and I am not going into anything that anybody comes out with on the spur of the moment. If they want to be taken seriously then let them establish the party first and only then I may consider commenting on them. There is no point just going down the road talking foolishness,” Belle said. In confirming the establishment of the PPP, Lewis yesterday told Barbados TODAY he had been receiving quite some interest from potential candidates interested in representing the interest of “the prostitutes, strippers, you name it”. “I have already received a number of messages from individuals who are interested in becoming candidates. I now have to conduct interviews but I am looking for people with certain qualifications. Certainly they have to come from the adult entertainment industry, whether a former prostitute, stripper, exotic dancer, webcam performer, that is the number one criteria,” he said. (BT)

POLLSTER PREDICTS UPP WILL CRUMBLE BEFORE ELECTION – Political Scientist Peter Wickham is predicting further defections from the United Progressive Party (UPP) before the upcoming general election, after one of its candidates jumped ship to join the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Linda Field, who was due to contest the St Lucy seat, quit the party with a few parting shots at UPP leader Lynette Eastmond. Wickham contends that the party was formed out of hatred for BLP leader Mia Mottley, and argued it would fail to hold on to many of its candidiates if it does not change its raison d’être. “Remember that these are parties designed to attack an individual. So if you set up your institution around an aversion to Mia Mottley, people who support that cause will support you but a lot of those candidates are not committed to an anti Mia cause as the founders of the party are,” Wickham told Barbados TODAY this afternoon. “This is a reflection that the rubber has started to meet the road in terms of the political action. Those parties have a good social media presence and communicated and conveyed the view that they were stronger than they are, but once they get to the real politics, which has started, it is difficult for them to be sustained,” he added. The regional pollster contended that while many of the UPP candidates might have signed up believing they would go all out to win the upcoming election, they would come to realize that this was not the party’s major objective. “These candidates joined a party because they expected to win and when they see that they are not getting people over to their side and that all they are doing is splitting the vote, a lot of them are going to fall by the wayside. I expect that by the time we get to the end a lot more of them are going to drop out. This politics is hard. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money and for you to invest that time and energy for vendetta that someone has with Mia Mottley is not going to be easy,” Wickham said. Field, who was the second candidate to drop out after the party booted Charleston Taylor over his position on the decriminalization of marijuana, was critical of Eastmond and the party’s structure. “Unfortunately, I have come to realize that the UPP is not a serious political organization. It has no structure [and] communication with the leadership is limited to WhatsApp and Facebook. Frankly, I don’t think that Ms Eastmond has what it takes to lead and I want to make a difference,” she said. This prompted UPP Christ Church East Central candidate Ogeji Dottin to rush to Eastmond’s defence, describing Field’s comments as “surprising and unfortunate”. “Linda’s statements are not necessarily accurate. The party has a structure, we have our headquarters and we have our regular meetings. We do make use of the technology to communicate and find it a little interesting that Ms Field would attempt to make these sweeping statements to discredit the organization and to discredit Lynette, who most of the candidates have a great deal of respect for,” Dottin said. However, Wickham told Barbados TODAY there was no question that Eastmond was not leadership material. “The first time we ever had her name mentioned in the context of leadership is now. When we had the last public opinion poll I don’t think a single person mentioned her as an alternative leader. As a matter of fact David Comissiong had more support as a leader than her. I don’t think that she even sees her own self in that light,” Wickham said. (BT)

NCC DENIES IT HAS BEEN REHIRING WORKERS – The National Conservation Commission (NCC) is again rejecting claims it has been rehiring workers since retrenching some 300 in 2014 as part of Government’s public sector cost-cutting exercise. General Manager Keith Neblett told Barbados TODAY this afternoon reports suggesting that the state agency was bringing back workers were “definitely not true”. “We are not rehiring any workers. As people go home, we replaced them. That is not any rehiring. We have been doing that for more than a year or two. It is nothing unusual. All we do is replace people as they go home. If you call it rehiring, call it rehiring,” Neblett said. “If you retire or die. That is basically it,” he added in explaining when workers are brought in. At the same time he refused to say how many of those who had retired or died had been replaced, or if any more would be replaced anytime soon. However, a person who is soon to begin working with the statutory agency told Barbados TODAY the NCC would begin hiring in two weeks. In April last year, the NCC announced the appointment of 103 workers with effect from the beginning of that month. At that time, Minister of the Environment and Drainage Dr Denis Lowe had sought to set the record straight following a meeting with newly appointed workers and the NCC’s Board of Management at Almond Bay Caterers. “Since the retrenchment, we lost 87 workers due to retirement, death or other means. We took a position in concert with Government’s position not to hire additional persons . . . .We have only hired eight people so the story that is being told is untrue that the Commission has hired 170 people. That is a myth,” Lowe emphasized then. In addition, he had stated that the NCC had satisfied all its obligations to retrenched workers, with many of them even receiving letters of recommendation from the state agency to pursue and chart new career paths. The state enterprise is currently entangled in a legal fight with The Crane Beach Resort over beach access amidst a public outcry over what is being seen as efforts by the hotel to privatize the beach. A number of protesters converged on the beach last Saturday, declaring “dah beach is mine”, a line from the hit song Jack by veteran calypsonian and Cultural Ambassador Anthony Gabby Carter, who has accused the luxury resort of evicting vendors from the beach last month. Sean Alleyne, the hotel’s general manager, had told Barbados TODAY the dispute was not with the vendors but with the NCC, which he blames for granting licences for vending on lands owned by the resort, and which he threatened to sue. But in response, the state entity, which is responsible for managing and regulating parks and beaches, has since declared there are no private beaches in Barbados. Neblett also disclosed that a survey would be conducted shortly to determine once and for all, where beach land begins and ends. (BT)

FUMES FROM QUARRY STILL BIG PROBLEM – The flames that engulfed the reduced Lower Estate Quarry are gone, but months later fumes, likened to an acrid, chemical smell, are still being experienced by residents in its environs. Residents of Lower Estate, St Michael, and also Airy Hill and Rowan’s, St George, are questioning why. At The Palm, Lower Estate, St George, a father of a four-year-old son and five-month-old babies said he had to take the babies over to a grandmother’s house out of fear of having them in that environment. While choosing not to give his name, the young man who recently completed his house and moved in November last year said: “It is good that we have the grandparents nearby that we can take them over to, but the up and down, back and forth is not ideal,” he said. A few houses away Montex Miller said after her son spent so much to build a house, they could not enjoy it and were like prisoners since they had to keep their doors and windows closed all the time. She said the smell was really bad last week and over the Easter weekend it was almost suffocating. Her five-year-old grandson had been affected by a cough, runny nose and sneezing, while she had to use antibiotics and nasal spray. Candace Depaul who also lives at Rowans, St George, said the fumes and whatever gases were emanating from the quarry were affecting her health. “I get home about 9 p.m. and leave home at 6 a.m., but from the time I get home I get hoarse from a sinus drip that stops once I am back at work”. However, one Airy Hill resident called for patience while the owner Anderson Cherry dealt with the matter: “He [Cherry] said he is going to move it, but it can’t just happen so.” While refusing to give her name, she questioned why Barbadians were so quick to jump on the bandwagon and crucify each other. “If it was a white man, them did not going to be getting on so, we too like to fight we own. I aint fretting myself; I will give him some more time to get the situation sort out,” she said. However, businesses in the Lower Estate industrial area said their staff was being affected and they had to be footing the cost to keep the work environment amenable. Euclyne Holder of Carter’s General Store said they had to pay a local company to clean the filters three times a week and was also tasked with purchasing air fresheners to spray in the store’s aisles. Even after that he said they noticed a fall in sales. Holder said he had a cashier on sick leave, and though they were trying to keep staff comfortable, on days when it is very unbearable some staff had to leave early. Annalise Corea, office manager of Crane & Equipment Ltd, said they had to install an air purifier, which also had to be cleaned every three weeks instead of the recommended two months. She expressed concern about staff who worked outdoor and only had dust masks for relief. Supervisor at the quarry, Glenroy Bispham, who has been doing daily videos which he shared with the media and other stakeholders, said the only thing going into the quarry was rock and soil, which they used to cover the area where the fires had occurred. However, owner of the quarry, Anderson Cherry, said they were working daily with the relevant ministries to have the matter resolved. “I believe it will come to an end soon,” Cherry said. Cherry said they had written the Ministry of Health to get an extension on the four weeks they were originally given to remove the waste from the quarry. This week they were cutting up metals to be packed in containers and shipped out of the island. The tyres will be removed afterward. (WN)

PEACEMAKER DIES AFTER BID TO PART FIGHT – An elderly peacemaker collapsed and died metres away from his home after attempting to part a fight on Wednesday night. An eyewitness said almost a dozen people, including young children, teenagers and parents were in the brawl, which started on the compound of the O’Level Institute and continued on the road near the National Housing Corporation’s Country Park Towers. Robert Quinton, 70, died at 1st Avenue, Alleyne’s Lane, Passage Gardens, St Michael, and another eyewitness said he was kicked moments before he fell. The animal lover had been trying to rescue a teenager. Antonia Alleyne told the Weekend Nation if you were cold, her father probably would have offered you the clothes off his back. The father of 11 once worked at the School Meals Department before becoming a security officer. Yesterday, from the verandah of his home, a very hoarse Alleyne was still trying to come to grips with her dad’s sudden passing. She wasn’t surprised he tried to help someone out, especially since the girl involved in the fray was his friend’s daughter. She often stopped at the house after classes. Still, Alleyne was surprised he intervened in the brawl. “If you are stranger and you wanted something to eat, he would give you, but going in the midst of a fight . . . that’s not something he would normally do,” she said. “We were standing here and he was talking to me about going to buy [dog food] . . . but then he went over there to see what was happening when he realised she hadn’t come over yet.” Alleyne did not leave immediately and checked to see if her children were safe. “So when I got there, I saw what he was doing and then I started to quarrel with him and say, ‘You too old for this; why you in the mix of this?’,” she recalled. “Every time he took the girl out of the fight, she kept turning around and going back,” his daughter said. She added after her father walked away from the crowd, she spotted the teenager and told her to go home. “After I turn my back to my father, the woman from next door tell me ‘you father fall down’. So I can’t say he get kick ’bout, because I didn’t see any of that.” Police investigations into this matter are continuing. (WN)

PETITION TO STOP CASE AGAINST MUM – More than 700 signatures have been garnered for the petition launched by the African Heritage Foundation calling for Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard to discontinue the case against Felisha Holder who was charged with reckless driving resulting in death. In mid-March, Holder was charged with causing the death of her 11-year-old son Abijah Holder-Phillips in the June 25, 2015 crash at Coverley, Christ Church. President Paul “Simba” Rock, said the foundation was hoping to get 5 000 signatures by African Liberation Day, May 25, at which time the petition will be delivered to Babb-Agard and followed by a rally in Queen’s Park. Rock called for the case against Holder to be discontinued on the ground that back in 2012 the structure at Coverley was deemed illegal and unsafe by the Town and Country Planning Department. Quoting a document from the Ministry of Transport and Works file No. 3221 Vol. 4, Rock said it was recorded that “the entrance is not well designed, and it utilises the hard shoulder which, as designed, creates a challenge for motorists”. He questioned why the contractors had not been “called to task” or why the Town and Country Planning Department had not removed the structure as they had done with other illegal structures. Keturah Babb, trustee of the foundation said, “There is provision for the DPP to use his or her judgement and discretion in proceeding with a case, and we think that on moral and technical grounds this charge should be discontinued.” Babb called for sensitive reporting on the issue, hoping that what is carried in the media did not lead to more hurt for Holder and other family members. The petition was launched online and Rock said a signing would be held at headquarters on Two Mile Hill, St Michael, on April 28, National Heroes Day. (WN)

MURDER ACCUSED SAYS SORRY FOR EXPOSING WIFE – He filmed his naked wife and then distributed the video to all and sundry. Yesterday Applon Ishmael Ithamar Parris said he did it out of frustration. “I apologise for my behaviour,” the technician of Taitts Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, told the Oistins Magistrates’ Court. “It was done out of frustration. I should never have embarrassed my wife,” the limping man, who had been shot by police, added. Parris, who was charged with the murder of Constable Shayne Welch on March 26, had just confessed to using a computer – a smartphone – to send an electronic communication that was obscene and intended to cause distress to his wife Diana Parris to whom he intended its contents to be communicated on March 26. He was not required to plead to the murder charge. Parris was also charged with unlawfully assaulting Acting Station Sergeant Leslie Arthur with intent to prevent his lawful apprehension, in District C’s jurisdiction on March 27, as well as entering Grethel Payne’s house, between March 26 and 27, and stealing a cell phone belonging to her, in District E’s jurisdiction. He did not plead to those charges. Magistrate Elwood Watts told Parris the charge for sending the obscene video was the “kind of offence that should attract a custodial sentence”. “Your wife naked on social media? You should have been more sensitive than that,” the magistrate told Parris as he ordered a pre-sentencing report on the video charge. The magistrate remanded Parris to HMP Dodds. The accused will appear at the District “C” Magistrates’ on April 10; at the District “E” Magistrates’ Court on April 12, and he will reappear on May 3 at the Oistins Court. Prosecutor Station Sergeant Rudolph Burnett said Parris and his wife Diana were having marital problems and, as a result, she became involved with Constable Shayne Welch who lived in Kingsland, Christ Church. It was around 5:30 a.m. that Parris broke into Welch’s home and videotaped his wife naked in bed at Welch’ home. He then sent that video out, with his Samsung smartphone, to a number of people. (WN)

PARRIS REMANDED TO DODDS – Murder-accused Applon Ishmael Parris has been remanded to prison. The 26-year-old of Taitt Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael appeared before Magistrate Elwood Watts at the Oistins Magistrates’ Court today charged with the March 26 murder of Constable Shayne Welch. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was remanded to HMP Dodds until May 3, 2018. Parris pleaded guilty to malicious communication and was sentenced to three months in prison. He was not required to plead to a charge of assault to prevent lawful apprehension as this matter was a District 'C' matter. It was adjourned to be heard by that court on April 10, 2018. Parris also faces a burglary charge. He was not required to plead to this matter which will be heard in the District 'E' Magistrates’ Court April 12. (WN)

FEUDING BROTHERS – A 27-year-old man, who allegedly stabbed his brother, was granted $10,000 bail with strict conditions when he appeared in the Oistins Magistrates’ Court today. Tremaine Renaldo Nathaniel Gill, of Wilson Village, Lodge Road, Christ Church, was not required to plead to the charge that he wounded Damian Gill on April 1 with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him or to do some serious bodily harm to him. Station Sergeant Rudolph Burnett objected to bail for the accused on the grounds that he had charges pending before the court and the complainant was still hospitalized at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. However, Gill’s attorney Andrew Clarke told Magistrate Elwood Watts that his client was self-employed and was complying with all the conditions previously imposed as it relates to other court matters. The lawyer said based on his information the injured brother was up and walking. He also submitted that his client was willing to make other living arrangements as the two resided in the same household. Watts ruled in favour of the defence and granted Gill bail on condition that he reports to the Oistins Police Station every Wednesday before 9 a.m. with valid identification. The accused must also be off the streets from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily and must reside other than with his brother. Gill returns to court on May 8. (BT)

DOG OWNER FINED $400 – The man whose Great Dane and bull mastiff dogs mauled an 81-year-old woman as she was walking through Brighton Crescent, St Michael, earlier this year, was fined when he reappeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday. But it’s up in the air whether Christopher Maurice Straker will get back the two dogs, which were confiscated by the Animal Control Unit in January. The court heard that January was not the first time the Animal Control Unit had been called for and had confiscated the dogs. Officers from the unit had done so once before. Yesterday, the 45-year-old contractor of No. 18, Brighton Crescent, St Michael, changed his plea and confessed to two counts on the charge, under the Dog (Licensing And Control) Act, that on January 19 he unlawfully permitted the dogs to be in a public place, Brighton Road, when they were not on a leash or a lead. Magistrate Douglas Frederick, who said he took into consideration the man’s early guilty pleas and that it was his first offence, fined Straker $200 forthwith for each dog or seven days in prison. The fines were paid. The maximum fine under the act was $250 or three months for each dog. Straker then inquired if he could have his dogs returned but Magistrate Frederick explained that was not in his purview and he would have to make a request to the Animal Control Unit. Prosecutor Sergeant Edwin Pinder, who outlined the evidence, said 81-year-old Enid Small, a Barbadian-Canadian who was on one of her many visits to the island, left her Brighton Crescent home in January to go for a walk. On her way back home, an hour later, she saw two dogs, which ran at her. (WN)

SMITH ADMITS TO STEALING BUG SPRAY AND LUNCHEON MEAT FROM POPULAR – A 49-year-old unemployed woman will spend the night at HMP Dodds after pleading guilty to theft. Alicia Sheldene Smith, of Block 1E, North Close, Wildey, St Michael, admitted to entering Popular Discounts on Spry Street, The City, on Wednesday and stealing a can of insecticide, two cans of luncheon meat, a pack of chicken seasoning and a bottle of mayonnaise. The prosecutor, Sergeant Edwin Pinder, told Magistrate Douglas Frederick that Smith, a “recognized shoplifter”, was kept under observation when she entered the supermarket around 1:30 p.m. She reportedly picked up a shopping basket and placed it on her wrist along with two other plastic bags before she was seen taking up items and placing them in the basket, as well as in one of the bags. She then proceeded to the cashier where she paid for what was in the basket and tried to exit the store. However, Smith was stopped and searched and the police were called in after the items were found. “These ain’t come from in here,” Smith declared when asked to account for the items. However, CCTV footage showed otherwise. Smith’s attorney Mohia Ma’at told the magistrate that she was a mother of four children and only one was employed. He also suggested that the items taken were things that could be used by her family. However, the magistrate pointed out that he had earlier convicted, reprimanded and discharged her on a theft charge last December. He then remanded Smith to the St Philip penal institution until Thursday when she is due to know her fate. (BT)

JAMAICA: $300M IN FAKE GOODS SEIZED, SIX PEOPLE ARRESTED – The police raided two stores operated by Chinese in downtown Kingston yesterday and seized what they described as fake brands valued at more than $300 million. But the operation, carried out by the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime (CTOC) Investigation Branch, angered some people who said they had no problems with the goods and that they made a living by buying products from the store for resale. Six Chinese nationals — five men and a woman — were taken into custody during the operation that commenced about 9 a.m. at 84 and 88 Princess Street. Head of CTOC, assistant commissioner of police Fitz Bailey, who was at the scene, said both stores had what appeared to be counterfeit products of various brands. “We have identified a significant amount of counterfeit products — shoes, Adidas, Nike, Louis Vuitton, you name the brand — and so we are in the process of seizing those items, which is going to take us a good while,” Bailey told reporters outside the stores. The seizure, he said, is part of efforts by CTOC to clamp down on counterfeit goods across the island. “We have a mandate, and wherever our information leads us, wherever we get the evidence, we are going to pursue, whether it’s breaches of the IP (Intellectual Property) legislation or any other legislation. We will pursue persons who are in breach of the law,” Bailey said. However, while the police conducted the operation, a number of people who said they were among the stores’ customers fumed. “Mi come fi buy something and a bare police. Mi come fi buy crepe fi sell back. Mi cyaah buy America crepe fi sell back, it is too expensive and it nuh good neither,” said a vendor who gave her name only as Meme. The woman, who said she has four children, told reporters that she has been vending for decades and has been purchasing items from the Chinese for a long time. “Mi cyaah read and mi nuh have no O’ level; mi nuh have nuh dis, mi nuh have nuh dat. It send mi pickney go university. A it mi live off of; mi buy a every store as long as mi can get it. Chiney a don, mi love dem. Mi cry fi dem. If dem head hurt dem, my head hurt mi too. Without dem mi cyaah live,” Meme complained. “Without the Chiney mi cannot live, mi a tell you from mi heart; you know the reason why? Mi get all credit from dem; nuh black people nah trust mi nothing. Although unnuh [police] say a rubbish, a nuh rubbish fi wi, a good, good things. A inna Chiney wholesale mi buy dah shoes yah and look pon it. Mi wear it; I don’t know weh I don’t do with it. Dem fi low dem,” she said, taking off her shoes to show reporters. Meme, who was adamant that nothing was wrong with trading in illicit goods, said that the Chinese give customers the opportunity to purchase “name brand” goods. “Explain to us wha wrong, wah wrong with Chiney coming here and buying. Wi cyaah buy a America, yuh know how much people never wear a real Adidas or a Reebok until when Chiney come in, so how Chiney fi wrong fi do business?” she asked, eliciting support from other people. Another woman, Kamesha Morgan, who was wearing a pair of Nike sneakers she said she had purchased from one of the stores two years ago, insisted that as soon as the stores are reopened she will be shopping. (BT)

GALE STORM – Kyle Gale has created quite the storm. Former Olympian Victor Houston appears to be at odds with local track and field officials over Gale being stripped of his CARIFTA gold medal after questioning the validity of that disqualification. The 44-year-old Houston expressed his concerns in a Facebook chat while arguing that Jamaica’s protest of Gale stepping on the line came long after the Bajan quarter-miler already received his 400 medal. But Athletics Association of Barbados vice-president Noel Lynch cleared the air, having explained that video evidence is permissible at any time under the new rules of track and field. “I’m not sure if Victor is totally familiar with the rules and how they’ve changed, and this is not just for track and field, but if you have video evidence then you are free to bring it to the officials’ attention long after the fact,” Lynch clarified. “I think the situation is such that if that evidence was even brought a year later then Kyle would be stripped of his medal then too. And what happened was that Jamaica immediately mounted the protest after they had video evidence that Kyle stepped on the line. “The officials would’ve sat in their room and looked at their own video evidence that clearly showed he indeed ran on the line, and more than once; so it was brought to our attention. so the disqualification stood up,” he added. The contention comes less than a week after Gale captured the hearts of all Bajans by clocking a sensational 47.07 seconds in the 400 metres to shatter Usain Bolt’s Under-17 boys’ record. But Gale visibly crossed lanes on at least two occasions, although it wasn’t immediately spotted by the officials on track as no flags were raised during the race. The news then broke a day after Gale was disqualified when Jamaican officials provided video evidence of the infraction. However, Houston, who serves as an assistant coach at Missouri State, took issue with the ruling for several reasons. “There are so many red flags about this DQ that he should never lose his medal. You have 30 minutes after a race to protest. That did not happen,” wrote Houston in the post. “His medal was given about an hour after the race so no protest could have been filed because the medal would not have been given during the protest. After a medal has been given you can’t take the medal back unless the kid was tested positive for PEDs, and he was not.” “The official did not see it and put up a yellow flag. If a Jamaican team member had film from the stands it is not admissible for an official protest. The Bahamian officials should have never listened to that protest after the medals were given because the time frame to protest had already passed,” he added. Lynch refuted Houston’s understanding of the rules though, saying that any type of video can be brought forward as evidence while explaining there is no time frame on the stripping of medals. “In the world of sports nowadays everyone has a camera so no one is trying to allow people to get an unfair advantage when technology can be used to get things right,” said Lynch. “As I explained, the protest and disqualification was brought to our attention and we had none other than Esther Maynard present there as an ATO (area technical official) and she saw there was irrefutable evidence that Kyle stepped on the line more than once.” (WN)

BUMPY START FOR BAJANS – The Gold Coast hasn’t proven lucrative so far. Team Barbados really went down under yesterday after suffering a rough start to the 21st Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. None of the squad’s squash players advanced to the medal rounds of singles play, while triathletes Jason Wilson and Matthew Wright both placed outside of the top 20. Competing in a sprint triathlon, Wilson finished five minutes behind eventual gold medal winner Henri Schoeman of South Africa to place 23rd in a time of 58 minutes and 14 seconds. Wright came in 32 seconds later to end up in 25th overall. Squash players Shawn Simpson, Meagan Best and Amanda Haywood then all bowed out in the round of 32 in their respective singles draws. Haywood defeated Caroline Laing 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 5-11, 11-7 in the previous round only to lose 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 to Laura Massaro five hours later. Reigning two-time Caribbean women’s and US Open junior queen Best also lost in straight games (11-5, 11-1, 11-8) to Alison Waters of England. Simpson took a game off of Guyanese Sunil Seth before ultimately falling 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4 in 27 minutes. Barbados didn’t fare any better on the tables, as the men’s table tennis side dropped their Group 3 fixture 0-3 to Singapore. Tyrese Knight lost 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 to Shao Feng Ethan before Mark Dowell fell 11-1, 11-8, 11-9 to Xue Jie Pang.Dowell then paired with Kristian Doughty to lose the doubles to Pang and Feng 11-2, 11-3, 11-4. Best, Simpson and Haywood are slated to return to the floor today for the consolation singles rounds, while the men’s table tennis team face Mauritius in their second Group 3 match. Olympian Alex Sobers will swim in the third heat of the men’s 200 metres freestyle before Barbados face the top-ranked Australians in a Pool A netball encounter. (WN)

BARBADOS UNDER-15 CRICKET CHAMPS AGAIN - Barbados repeated as champions of the West Indies Under-15 Cricket Tournament after defeating Guyana by four wickets in their decisive top-of-the-table fifth and final round match at Kensington Park on Wednesday. The young Barbadians ended with 26.2 points while Guyana were second on 24.5 with host country Jamaica third on 13.2, followed by Windward Islands (12.6), Trinidad and Tobago (12.4) and Leeward islands (7.7). It was Barbados’ fifth title at this level following triumphs in 1997 in St Lucia, 2004 in St Vincent, 2012 in St Kitts and last year on home soil. (WN)

BAJANS CHAMPIONS AGAIN – For the second night this week a large crowd of sports fans and family is expected to turn up at the Grantley Adams International Airport to welcome home champion performers. On Tuesday it was the turn of the CARIFTA team, and Thursday night the Barbados junior volleyball squad returns after retaining their Cazova Under-21 crown in Suriname on Tuesday night. The Bajans defeated pre-tournament favourites Haiti 25-10, 25-17, 25-16 to become the first country in the 11th edition of the tournament to win and repeat without dropping a set. It was somewhat of a surprise considering that all of the coaches from the other four countries had tipped the first timers Haiti to take the top spot. Barbados had also launched this year’s tournament on Saturday night with a straight-sets win over Haiti, who held the upper hand 22-15 in the opening set but hardly threatened afterwards. Best spiker Jean Phillips Byol played with great venom throughout the event. However, with all of the Barbados juniors boasting experience in their respective division one teams, the champions showed their worth in neutralising the French connection. Cousins Akeel Oxley and Ashe Oxley relished the setting of number one playmaker Chad Callender to stun Haiti easier than the first clash. The blocking of Akeil Williams proved crucial in maintaining Barbados’ dominance. Captain Brandon Callender, twin brother of Chad, played a good all-round game, while Kadeem Morris once again was solid in attack as well as with his ground play. By targeting Byol and shutting him down at the net while blasting Haiti’s shocked net and ground defence, Barbados muscled their way to a facile win in the opening set of the finals. Sticking to that game plan, the Bajans sauntered to victory and the title, although Haiti made some late surges to get back into the contest. In addition to claiming the overall title, Barbados snatched four of the eight individual awards. Akeel, who won the schools’ MVP for Christ Church Foundation last week, was voted MVP at Cazova. His cousin Ashe was voted Best Outside Power Hitter while the Best Blocker was awarded to Williams. Callender was elected Best Setter. The victory was extra sweet for coach John Stuart, assistant coach Elwyn Oxley and manager Valmay Stapleton, who have all captained champion Barbados squads at the Cazova level. It was sweeter still for Oxley as he is the father of Ashe and the uncle of Akeel.‘Spectacular performance’ “What made this tournament interesting as well was that Barbados, in the last junior championship, won without losing a set and came back and defended without losing a set. That in itself is a spectacular performance,” said former Caribbean MVP Elwyn Oxley. “These boys put down one of the best performances I have witnessed of any Barbados team, particularly in their wins over Haiti.” The young champions, who return from South America Thursday at 9:45 p.m., have booked tickets for the Norceca Under-21 tournament to be held in Nicaragua in June. (WN)

NO LOVE FOR BUJU IN T&T –The concert is 13 months away but already the LGBT community in this country is expressing its displeasure with Reggae singer and one of dancehall’s stalwarts, Buju Banton’s schedule visit to T&T in 2019. It has resolved there should be no promoting of artistes who promote violence against against LGBT people. In the past some of Banton’s lyrics spoke directly and violently against homosexuality. When asked to confirm if this displeasure was true, Colin Robinson, director of the Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), said, “Why wouldn’t LGBT people be concerned about Buju performing here? If there are folks marching at Parliament and the Hall of Justice every Friday who don’t want to share our country with us, why would it be a surprise that LGBT people aren’t happy to share our country with Jamaican homophobes?” At the same time Robinson cleared up any concerns of a grand plan being circulated on social media, to stop the artiste from performing in T&T. He says, “CAISO isn’t part of any local plans, if they exist. The visit is 13 months away. We have enough work to do here and now. And I have no idea if Buju will still be the person he was when he gets out of jail.” Robinson noted T&T has had robust responses to irresponsible hate speech in the past, some by the state itself. “Rayad Mohammed was charged for saying the things Buju sings about the Prime Minister’s family, Mavado was banned for his violent lyrics, the Equal Opportunity Commission is not afraid to take a hate speech case, he says, whether it comes from a teacher or a musician.” He said artistes like Banton should use their influence to promote upliftment, peace and love and should make meaningful donations to causes that fight for the rights of people regardless of the category. Banton born Mark Anthony Myrie would have expressed his views on the topic of homosexuality in his 1993 smash dancehall hit titled ‘Boom bye bye.’ The chorus, “Boom bye bye inna batty bwoy head, rude bwoy no promote no nasty man dem haffi dead,”spoke of death being the reasonable penalty for homosexuality. The song though still quite popular in the Caribbean cannot be played on Jamaican frequencies. It has remained controversial over the 27 years since its release. And is an offence in countries like Canada, the US, UK and other countries in Europe where LGBT people have gained some acceptance and legal protections. Upon his release from prison in December of this year, Banton is carded to make his first ‘freedom’ appearance in T&T at a concert date set for April 22, 2019. The ‘Wanna Be Loved’ singer’s nine-year sentence for drug trafficking in 2009 will end on December 8, 2018. During these nine years at the McRae Correctional Facility in Georgia, Banton obtained a Master’s degree in music. The grammy-award winning singer and songwriter’s marketing team led by Jodian Ebanks told the Jamaican Observer during a press conference held on March 25 aboard the Love Harmony Cruise, the artiste was excited about getting back on the road and to performing. She explained T&T was chosen for his first place of concert only after colliding schedules with Jamaican artistes originally billed for Banton’s release concert in Jamaica didn’t allow for it to go as planned. In 2006, Time magazine called Jamaica “the most homophobic place on earth.” Angeline Jackson, human rights activist and executive director of Quality Citizenship Jamaica (QCJ), wrote in 2015, “Jamaica’s ‘anti-sodomy law’, a holdover from British colonial rule, criminalises “the abominable crime of buggery” and acts of “indecency” between men.” She said few had been convicted under the law, but many use it as pretext for unfairness and violence. Broadcasting companies have cited it when refusing to air ads promoting tolerance and respect for LGBT people. And dancehall music artistes have used it to justify violent homophobic lyrics. The T&T Guardian tried to contact the T&T promoter responsible for bringing Banton to T&T next year to get his views on the concerns of the LGBT community, but all efforts proved futile. (BT)

SOCA STRAIGHT UP AT DAQUIRI BEACH – PURE VIBES! That pretty much summed up the highly anticipated show Gimme Soca which came off last weekend. From as early as 8 p.m., soca lovers started to assemble at Daiquiri Beach, Bay Street, St Michael, for what was expected to be a spectacular Saturday night, given the proposed line-up. The featured international and local artistes did not disappoint. To set the pace, local artistes Hypasounds, Mole, Scrilla, Jawga De Champ and Fadda Fox got the crowd going. Though rain threatened at times, the soca junkies were able to jam without interruption. The first of the overseas acts was Motto out of St Lucia, who joined Fadda Fox for a performance of Shell Down That. It went from St Lucia to Trinidad, the Land of the Humming Bird. Lyrikal did Cloud Nine, Dip and Roll and Loner. Soca princess Patrice as usual was the one the crowd was waiting on and she did not disappoint. Dressed in a very eye-catching jeans outfit, Patrice joined Lyrikal to perform their duet Criminal Wine and the two put down some dance moves that had everyone’s full attention. She also did Old And Grey, Big Girl Now and Like It Like This, which was originally sung with Kes. Patrice, who is very popular in Barbados, also got up close and personal with the crowd during Sweet Fuh Days. Shal Marshall, performing his 2018 hit song Splinters, then hit the stage to further hype the crowd and as it sang along. Up next was Voice, the three-time International Soca Monarch. He really just needed to stand centre stage, let the backing deejay run his track and the crowd was quite content in singing his mega hits Year For Love, Cheers To Life and Far From Finished for him. Of course, he didn’t let them sing alone. He faced some technical difficulties during his set, and even temporarily left the stage. The slight glitches were fixed and he returned to give the cheering crowd more. Skinny Fabulous closed out the show with hits like Party Start, Push It, Watch Thing, Monster and When The Lights Go Down. At the end of his performance, mirroring the end of last year’s show, Skinny invited all artistes back on stage to sing parts of their songs to allow the still hyped crowd a chance for one last jam. (WN)

ZULU GOES STAR GAZING – Band launch season is here. Before scores of spectators recently at the Daphne Joseph-Hackett Theatre, Queen’s Park, Zulu International Inc. made its intentions known that it is one of the bands to watch. It was the first band to reveal its Grand Kadooment costumes for the upcoming Crop Over Festival. This year, the self-proclaimed “fun” band’s theme is Hidden In The Stars and each of its nine sections is titled: UWO (Unidentified Wukking Object), Supernova, Nebula, Milky Way, (Black Hole) SagiA, Comet, Aurora, Stargazers, and Apollo. General Manager Aundrea Wharton said male revellers would lead three sections of the band for the first time, a deliberate effort to separate the sexes, based on their theme. “The celestial objects that we were depicting for the females didn’t seem to fit with the males at all in terms of the nature of masculinity. So given that, we are studying celestial objects . . . we let the guys be the ones who would have been able to explore these phenomena – Apollo and Stargazers,” Wharton said. The team of designers include lead designer David Dewer and Natalie Fonrose of Trinidad and Tobago and Kat Gittens and Janiece Springer of Barbados. “We have made a real effort to give local designers an opportunity to showcase their talent. “So we have given the opportunity to two Barbadians to produce for us this year and they have done a great job,” he said. Grand Kadooment will be held on August 6 this year. (WN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 270 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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stephaniefchase · 7 years ago

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Bajan Newscap 7/19/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday July 19th 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 Mid Week Nation Newspaper (MWN).

PM BUDGES – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has agreed in principle to a meeting of the Social Partnership, as pressure mounts on his administration to roll back some of the austerity measures announced in the recent Budget. However, he is yet to set an official date for the talks which come amid rising tensions between his Government, unions and the private sector over the measures. President of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) Charles Herbert told Barbados TODAYTuesday night that confirmation of the planned meeting was received late Monday. However, he made it clear that the talks were in response to a request made by the private sector, and not the island’s trade union leaders, who last week issued an ultimatum to the Prime Minister to accede to their demands for tax relief within 48 hours or else. However, the Budget has been met by a major public outcry from the private sector and the island’s four major trade unions — namely the Barbados Workers’ Union, the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, The National Union of Public Workers and the Barbados Union of Teachers — which have been anxious to return to the negotiating table with Government. In the absence of such talks and a seeming determination by Government to ignore the wishes of the workers’ representatives, the unions have ordered their members to embark on a public sector go-slow and work-to-rule which has so far not achieved its desired effect. In the meantime, President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry Eddy Abed has welcomed news that the Prime Minister has agreed to meet in principle with members of the Social Partnership, saying there was a general understanding by all parties of the time sensitive nature of the discussions. Amid the ongoing protest by the unions, he also made it clear that the unions had no axe to grind with the private sector. The unions are yet to respond to the latest development. However, earlier Tuesday afternoon, NUPW executives met with top officials of the umbrella Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations (CTUSAB) for talks described by NUPW President Akanni McDowall as cordial. This followed a complaint lodged by the union over statements made by CTUSAB trustee Hartley Reid to the effect that the country’s largest public sector union was “always a problem in CTUSAB” and that the NUPW had defaulted for up to two years on its subscriptions. However, in a release issued by CTUSAB, General Secretary Dennis De Peiza made it clear that the opinions expressed by Reid at a lunchtime lecture given by the ruling Democratic Labour Party last Friday were “not those of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados”. (BT)

SAY YOU’RE SORRY, INNISS TELLS UNIONS – Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss wants an apology from the island’s trade unions currently involved in a row with Government over the contentious National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL). However, Inniss said the apology should be directed at the membership of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, the Barbados Union of Teachers, the Barbados Workers Union and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), which have ordered a go-slow in a bid to force the Freundel Stuart administration to reduce the tax, or offer a coping subsidy. The minister charged that far from working in the employees’ benefit, the trade unions were “very anti worker [and] perhaps they are the ones that should apologize to their members for some of the things that they have been saying and doing…I think most well-thinking Barbadians appreciate that the State has to raise taxes,” he said. “Now you march and you get militant because you want Government to remove a levy. But there is still great ambiguity about what it is the unions are proposing as an alternative to the levy because you know that the State has to raise funds to pay the salaries of your members of the union, who are employed in the public service. If the State is now deprived as an income stream to pay your members, then what happens?” Inniss queried. However, Opposition legislator Gline Clarke has defended the unions’ right to protest, with the Member of Parliament for St George North telling Barbados TODAY the workers’ representatives had to do what was necessary to get their message across. “If they see that there’s a need for them to ‘up d ting’ as they put it, once it has been cleared with their membership . . . in a free democracy like Barbados, workers have the right to protest in their own way, in a legal manner . . . [for] out of protest change will come,” he said. (BT)

UNION’S DEMANDS THREAT TO ECONOMY – Long-standing Member of Parliament Denis Kellman has attacked the trade union movement over its demand for a 50 per cent cut in the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL). Kellman, the Minister of Housing and Lands, has charged that the unions were being used by the Opposition Barbados Labour Party and he suggested that their demands could help destroy the economy. “The trade union movement has allowed the opposition to fool them that [they] could come and ask a government to reduce revenue and at the same time increase expenditure. That is what you call total madness and that’s the recipe for destruction of an economy and that’s a recipe for all Barbadians now to march,” the St Lucy representative said. His argument in the House of Assembly yesterday came a week after four trade unions – the Barbados Workers’ Union, the National Union of Public Workers, Barbados Secondary teachers’ Union and the Barbados Union of Teachers marched in protest of the new tax measures, among them a 400 per cent increase in the NSRL. The unions subsequently advised member to go on a go-slow in further protest. During debate on the Offshore Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2017, in the House of Assembly yesterday, Kellman told legislators that members of the Democratic Labour Party could not agree to any measure that could “destroy country Barbados”. (MWN)

NO SPITE IN THIS PARTY SAYS UPP LEADER - Chairperson of the fledgling United Progressive Party (UPP) Lynette Eastmond has dismissed suggestions that her organization was formed to “spite” any existing political group, charging those who made the claim were “ignorant”. The former minister in the previous Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration made it clear on Sunday that the formation of the UPP, which was launched this year, had been in the making since 2010. She refuted the “spite” claims during a public meeting in Eden Lodge where her party launched its St Michael North political candidate, Maria Phillips. “You would have a set of ignorant people walking around trying to say that you start a party to spite somebody,” Eastmond said. “There are some people in Barbados who are so arrogant that they believe that you would start a political party to spite them.” She did, however, refer to the Opposition Barbados Labour Party and the ruling Democratic Labour Party when she charged that the best-qualified and most capable people were being discouraged from entering the political arena. “There is something that politicians have done to Barbados: It is to make you feel that politics is so dirty – and, indeed, they make it dirty – that you are not to get involved in it . . . . This is what the two political parties have done,” she said. However, stressing that there was nothing inherently nasty about politics, Eastmond said it was “the people that make it so . . . . because the whole idea is there is supposed to be a political class, and the people in that political class are to protect it for people like them and for their children”. The UPP chairperson said that as a result of what she sees as protection of the political class, the ordinary people of Barbados who have the right to be political candidates were dissuaded from throwing their hat into the ring. Eastmond further contended that money was being used to exclude ordinary Barbadians from politics. “Politics has become the most expensive thing to engage in. That is another way to keep Barbadians out of politics. You make it as expensive as possible,” she argued. As an example of those expenses, Eastmond said that to stand a chance, a candidate must “plaster” the entire country with posters and billboards. However, she suggested that spending “millions of dollars to put paper on a pole” was a waste of money. “By the time the posters start going up you know who the candidate is. So why spend all of that money?” Eastmond questioned, insisting that the real reason candidates were forced to spend was to keep certain people out of politics. (BT)

MORE TAXES IN STORE - UPP CANDIDATE – United Progressive Party for St Michael North, Maria Phillips has accused Government of maintaining full employment in the public service in order that there are enough Barbadians available to be taxed. Further she said that this current wave of taxation including the recently jacked up National Social Responsibility Levy will either be kept for an extended period or new taxes introduced when Government realises that these tolls are not working. Phillips, and attorney-at-law, made the accusation yesterday during the UPP launch of her campaign in Eden Lodge. “This government has oppressed you, taxed you,” she told the small crowd. “Government is taxing you to pay expenditure and they are holding that bucket because they still will not meet it, “ she continued “what they are doing is saying we are going to try to keep people employed, but don’t be deceived, the employment is so that you can continue to be taxed”. “At the end of the year when they have not met that expenditure, what are they going to tell you again?… They will tax you again,” she said. Against the back drop of many economists including officials of the International Monetary fund advising government to cut the size of the public service as a means of reducing expenditure, Phillips charged, “they have said ‘we need to cover a deficit’ but they are employing people so that they could pay taxes”. “Where there is bad administration you will not get money in the Treasury to pay your debt, to ensure that people are going to have their basic needs,” she contended and added, “you have a Government who does not know how to create policies that will cause the nation and the people of this nation to arise in strength. “I want to apologise for the politicians that have used you, that have oppressed you, but that have not built you so you can be a great people and that you can put Barbados on the map.” (BT)

SUTHERLAND CALLS FOR A FUEL PRICE RETHINK – As pressure mounts on Government to reduce its contentious National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), one Opposition Member of Parliament is calling on the Freundel Stuart administration to rollback the increase in the excise tax on fuel. In his May 30 Budget presentation Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler announced that the excise tax on gasoline would increase by 25 cents per litre from 74 cents to 99 cents, and by 24 cents on diesel from 20 cents to 44 cents, in an effort to raise $50 million in revenue. As a result, gas is now to be sold at $3.05 cents per litre and diesel $2.25 per litre. However, St George South representative Dwight Sutherland pointed out today that when the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration demitted office in 2008, the excise tax on gasoline was 36 cents per litre and on diesel was 20 cents per litre, despite the price of oil soaring at US$100 per barrel. Speaking during debate on amendments to the Offshore Petroleum Act in Parliament, Sutherland therefore argued that it was unfair for Government to subject residents to an increase at a time when the price of oil was about half what it was in 2008. He further argued that any losses which the BNOC would have occurred as a result of a high subsidy were “recovered way before this excise tax reached 94 cents per litre”. He also pointed out that along with the increase in excise on fuels, businesses will be dealt a hard blow with the implementation of the two per cent levy on foreign exchange transactions, as well as the increase in the NSRL from two to ten per cent, which were also among measures announced in the recent Budget with a view to raising over $500 million in revenue. However, there has been a huge public outcry against the measures with the island’s major trade unions currently staging a ‘go slow’ in protest of the higher taxes from which they have been demanding relief. As the unions await word from the Prime Minister on the matter, Sutherland today called on Stuart to give an explanation for the energy increase, saying residents simply “cannot afford to be paying such high prices for diesel and gasoline at a time like this. He argued that instead of hiking fuel prices, Government should “move swiftly” to increase the number of electric vehicles on the island. (BT)

GRANT WANTS FAIRPLAY FOR ONLINE PROVIDERS – Barbadians engaged in the shared accommodation business must pay their fair share of taxes. Insisting on this, chief executive officer of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA), Rudy Grant, yesterday repeated his position that those Barbadian entities operating through online accommodation providers such as Airbnb should be made to operate on “a level playing field”. He also again called for mandatory registration of such facilities. “I believe that the issue is broader than Airbnb. The truth is that there are a number of other entities that are also providing accommodation that are not registered,” Grant said, adding, “we at the BHTA believe very strongly that there needs to be regulation for all of those entities that are providing accommodation for visitors.” While he had no problem with hosts offering accommodation for just one week in an entire year, Grant observed there were other people consistently providing accommodation to visitors. “We do have a concern in relation to brand Barbados. “We have to ensure that the appropriate standards are in place to properly regulate this very important industry; we have to ensure the persons who are providing accommodation services are adhering to certain minimum standards.” (MWN)

CLICO CUT OFF FROM DIVIDEND FUNDS – Cash-strapped CLICO International Life Insurance Company Limited has found itself cut off from about $1 million in funds. As Barbadian policyholders continue to be frustrated by their inability to recoup money from the failed insurer, St Kitts-based Eastern Caribbean Home Mortgage Bank (ECHMB) has been withholding dividends due to CLICO. Authorities here have been pursuing a “Barbados first” solution. But the Midweek Nation learnt that mortgage bank, which is partly owned by CLICO but is also one of the insurer’s creditors, has initiated its own fix. On March 14, 2007, The Home Mortgage Bank of Trinidad and Tobago sold its 20 000 shares to CLICO Barbados, giving CLICO a 7.44 per cent shareholding. The Home Mortgage bank subsequently purchased an Executive Flexible Premium Annuity worth $3.7 million. These “term deposits” matured in October 2009, about eight months after CLICO collapsed. Two years later the Home Mortgage bank was informed that CLICO had been placed under judicial management. Individual policyholders and investors, not institutional annuity holders have been prioritised in the process. Investigations found that not only has the Home Mortgage bank accepted that it was unlikely to recover the full debt, if any, from CLICO, but it decided not to pay dividends to the Barbados-based company. (MWN)

NOT THE USUAL RUSH – Tropical Storm Don didn’t exactly send Barbadians scampering yesterday. Even before the Barbados Meteorological Services discontinued the storm watch just after 2 p.m., the usual hustle and bustle and last-minute rush by Barbadians to purchase the necessary items from hardware stores, gas stations and supermarkets was evidently missing. When a team from the MIDWEEK NATION visited some of those businesses, there was no evidence that a tropical storm was even approaching. The usually jam-packed aisles in Carter’s General Store in Wildey, St Michael, were quite empty. Rows of flashlights and batteries – which are usually hot commodities – stood untouched on the shelves, as shoppers went about their usual business. Assistant manager at the branch, Phillip Field, said while the shelves had been stocked and preparations had been made to facilitate a late rush, he was yet to see any increased traffic. (MWN)

ROAD WORKS - The Ministry of Transport and Works is moving to address some of the pedestrian problems on highway 2A at Westmoreland, St James. Deputy Chief Technical Officer Phillip Tudor led a team of technocrats to get a first-hand view of the challenges pedestrians encounter crossing the highway intersection. “We will take a look at the junction to see what they can do in the interim. We are looking at either for the long term, [traffic] lights or a roundabout . . .,” but in the short-term road markings to hopefully alleviate some of the problems at the junction,” Tudor said. A number of road fatalities have been recorded at Westmoreland, the most recent being last Wednesday. Mary Downes, 61, died after a collision between two trucks caused one of them to veer to the side, fatally striking her. (MWN)

OZONE: NO FIXED-LINE SERVICE – The island’s newest telecommunications company, Ozone Wireless Inc., says it turned down an offer for it to acquire the fibre network assets that came out of the merger of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus International Inc. more than two years ago. And it has indicated it has no interest in offering fixed-line services at this time. When the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) issued its decision on the CWC acquisition and merger with Columbus back in March 2015, it included 14 conditions, including that the merged company divest one set of the fibre cables in the zones where the LIME and Flow networks overlapped. It was found there were 55,000 homes with an overlapping network that should have been offloaded to a new market entrant. Ozone’s Director of Network Operations Glenn Thorpe told Barbados TODAY his company was approached to take over the assets, but it declined to do so because it was simply not interested in fixed-line operations. Ozone, which was issued with a licence three years ago and officially started its operations on Monday, offers only mobile services. (BT)

‘IT WAS HELL’: MENTAL HEALTH EMPLOYEE CLAIMS HE WAS WRONGFULLY INSTITUTIONALIZED – A suspended employee at the Psychiatric Hospital is claiming “unfair treatment” as well as “wrongful” detention by authorities at the mental health institution last month. Nursing Assistant Curtis Grimes, who has been working at the Black Rock hospital for the past 11 years, has retained attorney-at-law David Comissiong as his legal counsel and is now threatening to sue the institution for subjecting him to “seven days of hell”. “I want somebody to pay for all the hell that I went through . . . .Coming out of this situation I would like to get myself in a better economic position. I think my pain was worth about $10 million because of all that has happened,” said Grimes, who is also challenging his indefinite suspension from work. In a memo dated June 14, the hospital’s authorities accused him of “misconduct of a serious nature”. The memo explained that the 36-year-old nursing assistant had been absent from duty without leave or approval; had threatened a fellow officer; had failed to perform the duties assigned him and was negligent in the performance of duty. Grimes was also accused of engaging in disorderly conduct in contravention of the public sector Code of Discipline. “Owing to the nature of the allegations, it is my opinion that the public’s interest is best served by you ceasing to function in your position,” the memo signed by acting Hospital Director David Leacock and copied to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and the Chief Personnel Officer states. When contacted by Barbados TODAY this morning, Leacock refused to comment publicly on either Grimes’ detention or his suspension saying, that “if Mr Grimes himself in anyway chose to share the information with you, that is his right as a citizen, but we in turn can’t divulge any information”. However, Barbados TODAY has been reliably informed that Grimes’ behaviour is now well documented at the mental health institution where there have been several reports of violent and aggressive behaviour towards staff and management. Sources with intimate knowledge of the situation also disclosed that one recent violent incident, which took place at the hospital, was the source of litigation and that the injured officer, who is now forced to use a cane periodically, has since opted for study leave. However, Grimes’ attorney still believes the Government-run institution has a case to answer. Grimes’ situation is also of concern to the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), which in a letter dated June 6, had formally requested a meeting with the hospital’s authorities on his behalf to discuss a number of concerns. These include the manner in which officers are placed on leave, unfair restrictions on the use of the nurses’ lounge, lack of training for staff, the inconsistency in rostering for night duty, failure to issue uniforms, physical working conditions and claims of unfair treatment and discrimination. In the meantime, Grimes has admitted to being involved in an altercation with the mother of his child on June 14 – the same day he was suspended from work. The woman reported the matter to police and Grimes was subsequently sent to the Psychiatric Hospital for an evaluation. While not going into full details on the incident, Grimes said he was upset about the clothes the toddler was wearing and the fact that her mother had handed her over to him without any shoes. And though admitting that the situation subsequently got out of control, Grimes said he did not behave in an aggressive manner to either the police or the mental health officials. He said he was therefore surprised to be thrown into “an eight by 11 cell” in the maximum-security ward at his very place of work. To matters worse, he said all of this was done without so much as a medical assessment by a mental health officer, which he deemed to be contrary to the hospital’s own procedures. Grimes also complained that after he was initially placed on observation for 72 hours, he later found himself between a rock and hard place as he was left with no choice but to sign off “voluntarily” on his own extended stay at the mental hospital. The only other option, he said, was for him to be “medically recommended” by his doctors for detention; therefore, he said, he went with what seemed at the time to be the lesser of two evils. However, he maintains that he is of sound mind and has no history of mental illness, while insisting that at no point during his institutionalization was medication ever given to him. (BT)

WOMAN DIES AFTER BEING SHOT AT ATM - POLICE have released the name of the woman who was shot last night as she attempted to use an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) at University Drive, Black Rock, St Michael. She is 58-year-old Colleen Beresdean Payne of Lodge Hill, St Michael. Payne was attacked and shot by two men around 9 p.m. She was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and later succumbed to her injuries. Police are appealing to anyone with information about the incident to contact the Black Rock Police Station at 417-7500, or 417-7505. Police Emergency 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, or the nearest police station. Lawmen have also advised members of the public to adhere to a number of safety tips when using ATMs.

Avoid using an ATM after dark. If you must, choose one that is well lit and not in an isolated location.

As you leave the ATM, be aware of anything suspicious. If you think you are being followed, go to an area with a lot of people and call the police.

Try to avoid using an ATM by yourself, take someone you trust with you, or only use an ATM when others are around. (BT)

DEATH CHILLS – In what appeared to be a premonition of sorts, the uncle of Colleen Payne of Lodge Hill, St Michael warned her before she left for home last night not to visit the automated teller machine (ATM). Two weeks earlier, Payne’s younger sister Ella Nowell had issued the same advice about going alone to the ATM at night. However, an unassuming Payne failed to heed that advice and it cost her her life as she was gunned down last night as she attempted to use the ATM at Royal Bank of Canada on University Drive, St Michael. She later succumbed to her injuries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Today, Nowell said she was in shock, but most of all she was angry that her sister had not listened. The grieving sister said as soon as police arrived at her house last night asking if she knew Payne, she realized something was wrong. Nowell described her late sister as a stellar woman who loved children. She worked at the Nightingale Nursery for over 30 years and was looking forward to retirement in two years’ time. Not only was Payne a pillar of strength in her community, she was the same to her church, the Black Rock Seventh Day Adventist Church, where she served as Pathfinder Club Director. At the time of her death, she was preparing for a youth camp, which was set to begin on Thursday. Today, Pastor Dayle Haynes told Barbados TODAY he was still in shock over Payne’s killing, saying the church had lost a great member. People living near the bank said last night’s deadly attack was the latest episode of rising crime in the area, and they were now living in fear. Another resident who runs a business from his home and often uses the same banking machine, said the fact that the killing happened so close to home had sent “chills down your spine”. He told Barbados TODAY he would either have to cut down on business hours or improve security. Police are appealing to anyone with information about the incident to contact the Black Rock Police Station at 417-7500, or 417-7505, Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, or the nearest police station. (BT)

RBC SADDENED BY TRAGIC ATTACK ON CLIENT – The banking community has expressed condolences to the family of Colleen Payne. On Monday night Payne was shot to death while conducting business at the ATM at Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC) University Drive, St Michael branch. In separate statements, president of the Barbados Bankers’ Association, Donna Wellington, said her thoughts were with Payne’s family, while managing director of RBC Barbados, Robert de Silva, said the bank was deeply saddened by the tragic attack. De Silva said the bank was working closely with the Royal Barbados Police Force as they carried out investigations. “The safety and well-being of our clients is of paramount importance to us and we are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation by the police,” the bank director said. Payne’s death has given rise to concerns about the security systems at ATMs, many of which require little to no effort to gain entry. (MWN)

PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY DALE MARSHALL QC, MP - Yesterday’s murder of another innocent brings the number of murders in Barbados to 18 thus far for 2017. For the whole of last year we had 21 murders. In the last two weeks only, we have had four homicides. This is not a numbers game, since each life lost through murder is one too many. However, the statistics do serve to paint a picture of what life in Barbados has come to, and that picture is very far from pretty. Peace of mind, safety in our homes and the stability which we enjoyed as Barbadians now seems to be vanishing fast. The fear of crime has now reached crippling proportions, so much so that Barbadians are feeling under siege and, increasingly, feel unable to go about this country to work and play as they choose. Peace and stability are also of significant economic value, since any gains made by any government will quickly be wiped out if we lose our reputation for being a safe place to live and to do business. This is not about scoring political points. Increased violent crime in our society does not benefit anybody. It is a scourge that has to be eliminated for the safety and peace of mind of all Barbadians regardless of their partisan perspective. Therefore, together, we must win back our streets and our communities. We must strain our every sinew to wrestle our Barbados from the growing criminal element. But in any national cause, the Government must lead. We therefore call on the Government, and especially the Prime Minister and the Attorney General to immediately set about prioritizing the fight against illegal firearms on our streets as many of the murders committed involved the use of these weapons. Our Parliament does not need another debate on law and order. What Barbados needs is action on the part of the Government. And we need it now, before another innocent life is taken. The Barbados Labour Party has gone on record as being willing to support extraordinary expenditure in areas affecting the public health and the security of all Barbadians from criminal elements. I take this opportunity to reiterate this position. As a postscript, I wish to remind the Government that as the Opposition, we represent constituents too. We therefore have the interest of all Barbadians at heart. When we were in government, it was the policy of the office of the Commissioner of Police to share the crime statistics with the then opposition Democratic Labour Party. Of late, that practice was honoured more in the breach than anything, and since August 2016, it has stopped completely. There is no property in data and I call on the Royal Barbados Police Force to resume the sharing of the crime statistics with us immediately. The Barbados Labour Party extends our condolences to the family and love ones of all those who have tragically lost their lives to violence. (PR)

FAMILY FEUD – A longstanding row between two brothers has landed one of them in trouble with the law. Roger Julien Forde of Eversley Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael pleaded guilty when he appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the No 2 District ‘A’ Criminal Court to assaulting his brother Kevin Forde on July 14, 2017. On the day in question, the accused returned home to find that a kitchen extension that he was building was knocked down. In an immediate fit of rage, Roger picked up a piece of wood, striking the complainant on his forearm and on the right side of his head. The accused man also told the court that he had complained to police on several occasions for his brother and had also verbally warned him more than once. However, after hearing his side, the magistrate said she would need to speak to the complainant before handing down her decision. Roger was therefore released on $3,000 bail with one surety and ordered to return to court on September 19, 2017. (BT)

GREENE ORDERED TO STAY AWAY FROM SMART – A St Philip man has been released on $2,000 bail after pleading not guilty to using threatening words to a female. Recardo Alphonso Greene of 108 Golden Palm Drive, Fortesque Development appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant Tuesday morning in the No 2 District ‘A’ Criminal Court charged with threatening Shornell Smart on July 17, 2017. It is alleged that Greene told the complainant, “I would barely shoot you in you face yuh fat c***.” As part of his bail conditions, Greene was ordered to stay away from Smart or her place of employment. However, he protested saying that Smart plies her trade close to where he catches the bus to go home. But the magistrate sought to impress upon the accused that there was more than one route to the bus terminal, just as there was more than one route to prison. Greene is scheduled to return to court on September 19, 2017. (BT)

ANGRY BUSINESSMAN TAKES MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS – A 60-year-old small businessman has been granted $1,000 bail after pleading guilty to assault. Junior Norman Wood appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the No 2 District ‘A’ Criminal Court Tuesday morning charged with assaulting Junior Weekes on the June 24, 2017. In explaining the facts of the case, Sergeant Cameron Gibbons said the complainant owed the accused money and on the date in question Wood went Weekes’ residence armed with a cutlass. This led to an altercation between the two men. However, while pleading guilty to assault, Wood maintained that he never touched the complainant and that the “offence was out of character”, but he said he was tired of “getting the run around from Weekes”. Both men have ordered to return to court on Thursday in a bid to settle their financial dispute. (BT)

CHERUBIN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO DAMAGING HOUSE – A St Michael man has been granted $3,000 bail after pleading not guilty to damaging a house. Fabian Peter Cherubin of Hinds Hill appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the No 2 District ‘A’ Criminal Court Tuesday morning to answer the complaint brought by homeowner Sherry-Ann Cherubin-Carew. The incident allegedly occurred June 22, 2017. Cherubin is also charged with conducting himself in a disorderly manner within the hearing and sight of Maureen Lorde and in a manner which caused harassment, sometime between May 15, 2017 to June 5, 2017. He is slated to return to court on October 11, 2017. (BT)

CELL PHONE THIEVES REMANDED – Two St Andrew men charged with stealing 18 cellular phones from Bhana & Sons store have claimed that hard times drove them to commit the criminal act. Kadeen Vaughan of Belleplaine Road and Errol Nathaniel Boxhill of Coggins Hill pleaded guilty to the offence when they appeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant in the District ‘A’ Court Tuesday morning. The men, who are jointly charged, are also accused of entering the store as trespassers on July 17, 2017 and stealing a speaker and a portable charger which when combined with the 18 cellular phones are valued at $9,399. In outlining the facts of the case, Sergeant Cameron Gibbons told the court that on the day in question police received the call about the incident and later saw the two men on Magazine Lane. The suspects apparently ran off but were later apprehended with haversacks containing the stolen items. In an attempt at explaining his actions, Vaughan who has a prior conviction for a similar offence, said he desperately needed the money. “I was home and Boxhill tell me that he have a scene to go on. I have no family and I thought it was going to be a good idea. I needed the money; I have nothing, not even a bed to sleep on. Even when the police took me to my house and see the condition I living in they start feeling for me, nobody in family helping me ma’am,” said Vaughan, who admitted to court that he had skills in tiling, but no money to buy tools. However, the magistrate was not moved by Vaughan’s testimony. In fact, she told the accused man that “it seemed as if he was waiting on someone to give him something”. As for Boxill who has no priors, Cuffy-Sargeant agreed to grant him bail. However, the 22-year-old could not come up with a surety after he had earlier told the court that he was also going through a rough financial patch, which was compounded by a child on the way. “How are you going to support your child? You want your child to be supported from stolen goods?” the magistrate asked Boxill, adding that “the whole idea was a stupid one”. Both men were remanded until August 16, 2017, at which time they would be sentenced. (BT)

SPORTS MINISTER REMEMBERS BOXING ICON SAM KING – Sports minister Stephen Lashley has described late champion boxer and veteran trainer, Sam King, as “a key sports personality upon whose efforts the discipline of boxing was built in Barbados”. King died last month at age 90. In a statement issued today, Lashley said that King would be remembered for his “gentle Christian nature” and for his “quiet but impactful approach to guiding numerous young boxers to achieving excellence in boxing at the local and international levels”. He further noted that during King’s 14 years at the National Sports Council, he was instrumental in introducing boxing at the primary and secondary schools levels. “This redounded to some of his boxers graduating to represent Barbados at the Olympics, another achievement for which the late Sam King must be credited and commended,” Lashley stated. According to the Minister, King remained steadfast in his resolve to ensure the continuity of the sport for over three decades. This included his “invaluable contribution to the development of professional boxing in Barbados”, which inspired many young persons to become involved and remain in the sport. Lashley extended his sympathies to King’s family on behalf of himself, his Ministry and the Government and people of Barbados, adding: “As a hardworking and dedicated boxer, coach and mentor, Sam has served his country well. May the memory and legacy of Mr. Sam King live on in the hearts and minds of Barbadians…may he rest in peace.” (MWN)

PINE REMAINS UNBEATEN - The champs are still unbeaten. Almost unchallenged too. Sade Clarke scored eight of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, as Preferred Insurance Brokers Pinelands kept their perfect record intact via Sunday’s 68-60 victory over Cougars in the No.1 Beauty Supplies and Beauty Exchange Women’s Basketball League at the Barbados Community College. It was the fifth straight win for the defending league champions, who capped a perfect first round showing by brushing aside a previously unbeaten Cougars side in the highly anticipated top-of-the-table clash. The victory came just one week after an even more impressive 18-point rout of former 12-time queens Fusionz Boutique Lady Cavs. (MWN)

SPRINGER READY FOR CPL – ROOKIE Barbados Tridents’ all-rounder Shamar Springer is ready for action in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which bowls off next month. Springer, who delighted the world with his “chest roll” dance move at last year’s ICC Under-19 World Cup, said he is hoping to perform with distinction. “I am motivated by having the ability to perform well on the cricket field, to see people smile and connect with them. I look forward to doing great things. My goals are to do well for myself, my team and win the tournament,” Springer said. “You can expect some good performances – once I get the chance to play – and some entertainment as well. I’m thinking about another dance move, but I’m not certain of it yet,” Springer was quoted as saying. This will be Springer’s second year with the Barbados Tridents outfit, captained by West Indies T20 star Kieron Pollard. “I never thought that I would be able to reach this stage so quickly so it’s just a matter of maintaining it and improving,” he said. Springer said he is hoping to benefit from being in the same dressing room as players like New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson and other international cricketers. “He is one of the best batsmen in the world right now and I think I can pick his brain a bit and gain some tips from him. Just watching and observing what they do, I can add to my own game and make it better.” The CPL starts in St Luciaon August 4, but the Tridents will play their opening matchin Fort Lauderdale the following day against theJamaica Tallawahs. (MWN)

That’s all for today folks there are 165 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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Bajan Newscap 6/10/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Saturday 10th June 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Saturday Sun Newspaper (SS).

ELECTION WARNING – A leading political scientist says the outcome of Thurday’s election in the United Kingdom (UK) is a clear rejection by the electorate of the Conservative Party’s austerity programme. George Belle also warned that the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) here in Barbados would also face similar rejection at the polls, in light of the $542 million austerity package presented by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler last week. However, Britain’s Conservative Party still managed to hold on to power after forging a coalition arrangement with the Democratic Unionists following last night’s inconclusive result. He further sought to compare the policies of the ruling DLP with those of the Conservatives in the UK, charging that both parties were practising the same politics of “despair”. On the other hand, the retired Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, argued that just like the Labour Party in Britain, the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has come to be regarded by the electorate as the party of “hope”. In support of Belle’s argument, political strategist Reudon Eversley, said the recent surge by the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party was a revolt against austerity. In Barbados’ case, Eversley argued that the DLP, which has been pushing austerity programmes for the past four years, was likely to suffer the effects of a revolt. Also commenting on the UK result, Head of the Department of Government, Sociology & Social Work Dr Tennyson Joseph argued that the good showing by the Labour Party was proof that the socialist agenda was still relevant. Addressing the political future of May, he said she would most likely resign or face a challenge from within her own Conservative Party. Political scientist and pollster Peter Wickham said Thursday’s vote indicates that May could not secure a swift and effective exit from the European Union for Britain. (BT)

LYNETTE’S CHANCE – She was soundly beaten on the last three occasions she dared to take on ruling Democratic Labour Party’s (DLP) nationally-proclaimed “pit bull” Dr David Estwick in St Philip West. However, based on the current sentiments being expressed by some of those same constituents, Lynette Eastmond, who has since quit the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and recently formed her own political party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), could be in with more than a fighting chance this time around — that’s if she is not too afraid of being caught between Estwick’s violent bark and the untested political bite of the BLP’s newcomer John King. The latter is best known nationally for his singing ability, especially in the calypso arena. However, it would seem, based on the responses given by constituents to the Pulse of the People team yesterday, that both he and Estwick will have a tough time convincing residents, who are already singing the blues, to give either of them their support this time around. The general sense we got was that the harsh economic realities of the day were weighing heavily on the minds of this group of rural constituents, who are simply sick and tired of hearing the same old, same old tune coming from DLP and BLP politicians alike. This is why Eastmond, a former Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development in a previous BLP Cabinet, is even a consideration at this time. With the UPP leader yet to announce her political riding, her pathetic political record of three successive loses against Estwick in 2003, 2008 and 2013, could actually give her the edge in St Philip West on this occasion with residents currently clamouring for representational change. BT)

THREE MORE IN CAPS RING – A building contractor, a security guard and a pastor are the latest to throw their ‘caps’ in the political ring ahead of general elections due here by next year. With the three additions, the number of candidates representing the Citizens Action Partnership (CAP) has risen to 13. Building contractor Victor Knight is slated to go up against the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) incumbent John Boyce and the main Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) representative Ralph Thorne in the constituency of Christ Church South. Security guard Peter Rock has taken on the mammoth task of trying to unseat Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley in the St Michael North East constituency, which she won by just under 2,000 votes in the last election, while businessman and pastor Richard Barrow will tackle the DLP incumbent Steve Blackett for the constituency of St Michael Central. Speaking at a press conference this week at Haggatt Hall at which the announcement was made, CAP Leader Wendell Callender revealed that his party would not be contesting all of the 30 seats at stake in the next election. He explained that due to limited finances, the party would be capping off its participation at 22 candidates, in the hope of replicating the 1961 election victory by then Premier Errol Barrow, whose DLP had only contested 15 of the 24 seats at the time. The leader of CAP, which was launched here in February as a coalition of fringe parties, said amid limited resources it would be concentrating much of its efforts in the St Michael constituencies. Callender who is confident of victory, believes his party’s chances are as good as any at the polls and is promising to put an end to political victimization. He has also vowed to unite Barbadians in effort to return the country to an economic growth path. However, Callender offered little in terms of an actual plan to steer the country out of its present perilous economic situation, highlighted by the recent free fall of domestic foreign reserves which plunged to $681.1 million, or 10.3 weeks of cover at the end of last year. Gross Government debt, which requires servicing to the tune of over $300 million annually, also remains high at 106 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, with the overall deficit said to be in the order of $537.6 million. When asked to comment on the $542 million package of bitter fiscal medicine prescribed by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler during last week Tuesday’s Budget, the CAP leader responded saying: “We are not in a position to do anything about that, we are not in a position to set Government policy.” (BT)

QUESTION MARK OVER MOTTLEY’S LEGAL CERTIFICATION – A question mark continues to hang over Opposition Leader Mia Mottley’s qualification to practise law in Barbados, even after her valiant attempt last week to put the matter to bed. During her three-hour long Budget reply in Parliament, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader held up a set of personal documents, which she made a record of the House, to prove she was an attorney-at-law of good repute. Her attempt to clear the air came after Minister of the Environment Dr Denis Lowe had openly challenged her in the previous Budget debate to “bring proof” that she was qualified to practise law here. At the time, he had also warned Mottley that if she could not present the necessary proof of her legal certification, she could face either a $5,000 fine or 12 months in jail for practising law illegally. However, while sidestepping Lowe’s challenge, the Opposition Leader has presented her October 1983 application to study at the famous Middle Temple Inn in Britain. She also shared a certificate of character endorsed by late Prime Minister, National Hero and Father of Independence, Errol Walton Barrow, as well as photocopies of her CXCs and GCEs certificates, which accompanied her application. Mottley also tabled in the House what appeared to be a cover note, dated April 27, 1984, and signed by a Kavita Daftary, which made reference to the photocopies of her academic certificates and the fact that she was a student of the “London School of Economics and Political Science, reading for the LLB”. She also brought proof that her application to Middle Temple had been approved. However, there was no copy of a law degree among the documents presented in the Lower House. However, BLP stalwart Sir Henry Forde, QC, who had introduced Mottley to the Bar, has already admitted publicly that Mottley did not attend any of the law schools in the Caribbean administered by the Council of Legal Education, prior to being admitted to the Bar of Barbados. However, when the controversy over her qualifications first erupted last year Sir Henry strongly argued that this fact did not preclude her from practising law in the region. According to Barbados’ Legal Profession Act, Appendix 2 of the second schedule relating to the qualification of a Barrister-at-law, section 2 states: “No person who has joined any of the Inns of the Court of the United Kingdom after the 31st December, 1984, shall be deemed to be qualified, by virtue of his having been called to the Bar of England, to practise law. Miss Mottley was admitted to the local Bar in 1987. (BT)

LAWMAN CALL FOR SEX REGISTRY – WIth a record number of rape cases being reported in the first four months of this year, a senior lawman is calling for the establishment of a sex offenders registry in Barbados. Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police William Yearwood wants the information to be made available to the public. According to statistics, up to April of this year there had been 32 reported rape cases. It is the highest number of rape cases recorded since 2013, when there were 26 cases during that period. It is also 14 more than the cases recorded for the same period in 2016. (SS)

141 TEACHERS APPOINTED – Almost 150 primary school teachers left the Erdiston Teachers Training College (ETTC) with huge smiles on their faces yesterday afternoon after receiving their letters of appointment. The initially nervous 141 teachers were summoned to attend a 2:30 p.m. meeting in the ETTC’s conference room with Minister of Education Ronald Jones; Chief Education Officer Karen Best; Permanent Secretary June Chandler; Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education Harry Husbands, and several other senior officials. However, their anxiety soon turned to happiness after they were told the reason for the meeting. Best said that since December of last year, 262 teaching posts had become vacant. She said another batch of teachers would also be receiving their letters of appointment “in the coming weeks”. (SS)

FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS – A veteran social security specialist believes that not enough women are fighting for their rights. Stephen Strickland, a retired officer at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), wants women’s rights champions to speak out more on matters that really matter. Case in point, maternity leave and maternity grants. Although he didn’t state it, Strickland suggested that the awarding of maternity grants may be imposed strictly on the basis of morality. Speaking on the topic NIS – More Than A Contribution, It’s Your Life Line, at the weekly Astor B. Watts Lunchtime Lecture at the Democratic Labour Party’s headquarters, George Street, St Michael, yesterday, he explained that as it stood a maternity grant is paid where the mother of the child is not working and she is making a case on the father of the child. (SS)

MAKE THEM PAY – Retired senior clerk at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Stephen Strickland, believes it is time that legislation was drafted to require that all self-employed persons contribute to the NIS. Explaining why this was so important, in an interview with the Saturday SUN after he delivered yesterday’s lecture at the Astor B. Watts Lunchtime Lecture at the Democratic Labour Party headquarters, George Street, St Michael, Strickland maintained it wasn’t to “get at” self-employed people but to protect their futures. To further highlight his point, he told the story of a self-employed friend, who when he turned 60 suffered a stroke. Since this man had not paid contributions to the funds he could neither receive invalidity nor old age pension. (SS)

STUDENTS HURT IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT –Two children were were hurt in an accident along Black Rock Main Road, St Michael today. The boys, a five-year-old and a nine-year-old, both students at the Eagle Hall Primary School, were struck by a motorcycle in the area near the Psychiatric Hospital around 3:30 p.m. Witnesses said the younger boy bore the brunt of the impact. They were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment. (SS)

WINDIES KHANED – The fragility of the West Indies team to quality spin was cruelly exposed as they were embarrassed by Afghanistan at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium Friday night. Afghanistan had won on four previous occasions when leg-spinner Rashid Khan had picked four wickets or more. But Friday night brought him one of his tougher challenges: he had only 212 to defend on a sluggish St Lucia surface but that only seemed to spur him on. The talented 18-year old finished with 7 for 18 – the fourth-best haul in ODI history – and West Indies were bowled out for 149. The 63-run victory for Afghanistan, their first in this format over a Full Member other than Zimbabwe, exposed the ineptness of a West Indies unit struggling in their quest to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup. (BT)

LAKERS, CAVS IN KNOWOUT FINALS - The rivalry that defined basketball for a decade is about to be played out again on the big stage. Age-old adversaries Station Hill Cavaliers and Lumber Company Lakers are set to play yet another title game after comfortably advancing to tomorrow’s Co-operators General Insurance Premier League Basketball Knockout final. Playing at the Barbados Community College on Thursday, Lakers used a decisive 22-11 fourth-quarter run to put away pre-season favourites Urban Vybz St John’s Sonics 78-63 before the young Cavs completely annihilated reigning league champs Orange 3 Pinelands 93-64. It’s just the latest prized fight in a long line of them between the two heavyweights, who faced off in three previous knockout title contests (2005, 2008, 2012) and five play-off series between 2007 and 2014 including three league finals (2007, 2008, 2010). (SS)

LADY CAVS, REJOIN LEAGUE – They’re back! Basketball’s big dynasty is hoping to get back to winning ways quickly, as 12-time league champs Fusionz Boutique Station Hill Cavaliers are set to make their much-awaited return to the No.1 Beauty Supplies and Beauty Exchange Women’s League. Fusionz Boutique owner Yusuf Hagee officially handed over the gear earlier this week, highlighting the ending of the club’s surprising year-long hiatus from the women’s game. “I had to return for the love of the game and to bring back some much needed competition to the Women’s League that was sorely lacking last year,” said veteran centre Astrid Alleyne. (SS)

MASTERS FOOTBALL A HIT BUT – If there is one thing many of the participating teams of the International Masters Football competition have in common it is the love for carnival vibes. The just concluded 21st edition of the tournament at Wanderers Ground, the Mecca of masters football, attracted a number of teams from England and United States of America who told Barbados TODAY they looked forward most to rolling back the years of playing good football, socializing and having a grand time while drinking lots of Banks Beer who are the official title sponsor. According to many of them this is the best-organized masters tournament in the world. However they would like to see a few changes being made and among these are additional sponsors and an improvement in outfields. Pete Browning, a member of Cockney Rebels, said they have been to several international tournaments around the world in places such as Antigua, Arizona and Las Vegas but none beats the wonderful atmosphere each year they experience when visiting Barbados. This year the organizers attracted over three thousand persons at Wanderers and in so doing pumped an estimated $2 million dollars into the economy with hundreds of visitors to the island. This year the English team Cockney Rebels switched from Over-40 to Over-50 and Browning was pleased with their efforts. He said they would continue to return and participate in memory of Stewart Dyer who originally formed the team previously know as British Airways. Era, the reigning masters champions of Trinidad and Tobago, returned for their second outing in Barbados and one of the committee members, Rafer Ross, called for more sponsorship and the advertisement of sponsorship products around the Wanderers Ground where the final is held on an annual basis. Meanwhile manager of the victorious over-40 Vincy team, Michael John, said the officiating could be a lot better and hoped to see that improvement being made for the 22nd edition next year when they return to defend their trophy. (BT)

DOWELL HOLDS COURT – Two former national volleyballers, Marissa Dowell and Anicia Wood, provided the biggest entertainment when the Touch of Class Women’s Road Tennis Tournament 2017 continued at the Deighton “Pa” Roach Tennis Facility, Bush Hall, on Thursday night. With contrasting backgrounds and obvious height difference, former libero Dowell scored a come from behind win over six-footer Wood 21-18, 16-21, 21-18 in the Novice section. Wood had looked impressive with her long reach and smooth attack carrying her to an 11-4 advantage in the first game. Dowell then implemented remarkable defence with impressive counter attack, forcing Wood into making numerous unforced errors to lock the scores at 16 and 17 before taking the opener. Both players traded points in the second game from eight up to 14 before Wood went on the attack again to even the contest. But, after battling up to seven-all, Wood crumbled, for the shorter Dowell to take the decider to advance to the next round. (SS)

SHIRT GIFTS FOR YOUTH CLUB - PINELANDS YOUTH SOCCER Academy has been given a leg-up through the Jason Roberts Foundation (Grenada) in conjunction with Derby County’s winger Nick Blackman. Blackman’s advisor, Leon Mann, explained to SATURDAY SUN how the partnership came about, and where they were headed with the project. “We’ve managed to accumulate these shirts through a charity appeal in the UK. A Derby County support group called the Punjabi Rams, came together with Nick to appeal to football fans to donate football shirts that can be given to those most needed, particularly young people on the island of Barbados,” he explained. Blackman, whose father is Barbadian, has visited the island for the past five or six years to connect with family and island. (SS)

BRINGING SEASHELLS TO LIFE – Dave Jackson has no formal training in making sea craft, but as it turns out he never needed any. The self-proclaimed naturally gifted man simply set his mind to do it one day and that was it. When a SATURDAY SUN team passed him in “Moontown” in St Lucy, he explained how it all came about. “I’ve been making craft for two years now. I was just here in the market sitting down and I saw some shells on the beach and I decided to make lamps,” he said. From there what followed was a process of trial and error – and “skill”, as Jackson put it – and he was on his way. Not content to stop with shell lamps, however, Jackson soon broadened his horizons. “I started curing starfish too. I got my own special method to do it, which make them hard. I could tell you but then . . . ,” he said. Jackson said he was now looking into the best way to put bulbs in the cured starfish to make them glow. (SS)

CROP OVER IN THE CITY – Starcom Network Crop Over City will be in your face and in your ears throughout this year’s festival. The venture will be taking the Crop Over spirit to a radio audience, those online and the traditional print publications for the entire duration of the festival. Programme Manager for Starcom Network, Ronnie Clarke, said the Crop Over City brand was created from a need for Starcom Network and the Nation Publishing to get together and create the atmosphere for Crop Over. He said the two companies are located in The City of Bridgetown and, “it was necessary to link our presence in the capital with the Crop Over festival so people would understand that we are central to what happens visually and orally with Crop Over.” (SS)

Celebrity and cultural ambassadors to promote CARIFESTA XIII – The public will get a chance to meet and discuss aspects of CARIFESTA XIII with a number of well known celebrity singers and performers who have been selected as ambassadors for CARIFESTA. These ambassadors have already started their engagement promoting the festival among their fans and peers on social media. The meet and greet will take place on June 15 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in the food court of Cave Shepherd on Broad Street. DJ Puffy, the Reigning Red Bull DJ World Champion leads the list of popular personalities who will make appearances at various events over the next three months to promote the Caribbean Festival. Peter Ram, the multi-crown soca star as well as the young and upcoming soca artist / radio announcer Nikita are among the celebrities who will be heard on radio and seen on television as they encourage participation in this bi-annual festival. Many across the region have already seen the face of Alison Hinds, the Caribbean Soca Queen in some of the CARIFESTA commercials which have already been produced to promote the ten-day festival. Other popular personalities selected include song producer and prime time radio announcer and DJ Bubbles; radio announcer, DJ and soca artist Salt and syndicated regional radio show host and MC Barry Hype. In addition, there are also a number of cultural ambassadors who represent the many disciplines to be showcased at CARIFESTA this year.

They include:

Sheena Rose – Visual Arts

Shakirah Bourne – Literary/Film Arts

Juliana Inniss – Visual Arts

Ireka Jelani – Visual Arts

Yolanda Holder – Theatre Arts

Alison Sealy-Smith – Theatre Arts

Winston Farrell – Literary Arts

Jennifer Ophelia Walker – Theatre Arts

Jennifer Sealy – Dance

Rene Blackman – Dance

Peter Anderson Edey, CEC, BSM – Culinary Arts

Alison Chapman-Andrews – Visual Artist

These ambassadors will be able to promote the festival and answer questions from the various stakeholders who may wish to get involved or desire to know more. It promises to be a festive afternoon at Cave Shepherd as the ambassadors meet customers at the store. Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley, who has responsibility for the implementation of the 2017 festival, as well as festival director Andrea Wells will also be on hand to meet and talk about plans for the upcoming Festival. CARIFESTA XIII presents an opportunity for artistes to meet; showcase their talents and creativity; share their achievements; enhance their skills and network with each other. It is a forum in which artistic achievements and creativity in the region can be evaluated and reflected upon in a constructive and educationally focused way. CARIFESTA XIII is aimed at facilitating individual personal development through the enriching experiences that are acquired through cultural expression. It provides a stimulating cultural experience for participants and visitors alike. It represents an effort to bring people of different views and backgrounds together to celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of the region. (SS)

That’s all for today folks. There are 204 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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Bajan Newscap 3/13/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Monday 13th March 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT) or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ - It was a sea of red in Bridgetown on Saturday as supporters of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) chanted “Enough Is Enough”. The March of Disgust started in Jubilee Gardens and made its way through The City as shoppers, store owners and workers watched from the sidelines. People from all walks of life came out with their placards criticizing the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and their management of the country. Residents from the drought-ridden areas such as St Peter and St Joseph also made a stand demanding water. A large group from White Hill, St Andrew was also present, calling for solutions to their problems and a change of Government. (BT)

GONE WITH THE WIND - KERRIE SYMMONDS is feeling a breeze of change in Barbados. And when it passes, he hopes Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and his entire Cabinet will be blown by the wayside, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) MP told a large crowd on Saturday night. The St James Central MP ramped the partisan crowd into a frenzy at the climax of the Opposition-led “march of disgust” titled Step Up If Yuh Fed Up that began and ended in Jubilee Gardens, The City. He told them why he thought Barbados would be better off without the current Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration. The rally also included entertainment by Biggie Irie, Peter Ram and TC. (DN)

PILGRIM IT WAS A RENT A CROWD - The ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is charging that Barbadians were paid to participate in yesterday’s national March of Disgust organized by the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP). Speaking on a local radio programme this morning, DLP General Secretary George Pilgrim charged that yesterday’s march, which is said to have attracted about 10,000 people, really was a reflection of how money can influence an election. “Based on my knowledge, people were offered money to come and march,” Pilgrim said on Starcom Network’s Down to Brass Tacks programme. “The fact that people were willing to turn up to the march and receive a gratuity for just turning up speaks [volumes] of what Barbadians should fear going into the next election,” he said. Pilgrim further claimed that the BLP has opened “a call centre” with paid staff to mobilize people for the march. “The amount of people that were called yesterday for the march, there had to be a call centre in place. That is one thing I want to thank and congratulate the party on, it’s assisting Barbados in reducing the unemployment figure. “It is clear to me that the amount of people that were employed over the last five days that they have made a significant contribution to that [reducing the unemployment figure],” he stressed. Pressed to substantiate the claim, Pilgrim responded: “The supermarkets were bursting on Friday.” BLP representative Dale Marshall, who was also a guest on the programme, rubbished the claim. He explained that the party got volunteers from every single constituency to man telephones at its headquarters. “I know because some of my young people went down to party headquarters and manned telephones. They do it during the general elections, they are not paid a cent. Not a person was paid for this so-called call centre,” Marshall insisted. Pilgrim also alleged that Barbados was being sold out by the Opposition BLP, while warning that as far as the ruling DLP was concerned “Barbados is not on the auction bloc”. He said: “If Barbadians took note of what has been occurring in Barbados they have to ask themselves, . . . ‘who ultimately stands to benefit if Barbados is auctioned . . . by the Opposition?” “They cannot deny that they are telling investors not to invest in Barbados,” Pilgrim said. However, Marshall took issue with the suggestion, saying for the DLP to even allege that yesterday’s mobilization had cost “vast sums of money that the BLP could only get it off the ground if they sold out to the highest bidder is rubbish. The St Joseph Member of Parliament pointed out that political parties in Barbados get a small subvention from Government. Therefore he said: “We all have to go out there and approach our base. There are old ladies who contribute $10, there are some individuals who will contribute more and . . . the reality is that until we reach the stage where political parties in Barbados are funded by the state we have to go out there and we have to get contributions,” Marshall said. Meanwhile, the Leader of the newly-formed United Progressive Party Lynette Eastmond said there was need for a serious discussion about election campaign funding. “I don’t know that there are any rules in place with respect to maybe a rent a crowd, but there certainly are laws in place with respect to the bribing of electors, and individuals who bribe electors and those who receive those bribes are committing a criminal offence under the legislation in Barbados.” she warned. (BT)

RUBBISH - The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) yesterday accused the Opposition of paying people to march with them on Saturday. The accusation, fiercely denied by senior member of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Dale Marshall, was made by general secretary of the DLP, George Pilgrim. The two, along with chairman of the newly formed United Progressive Party (UPP), Lynette Eastmond, and Grenville Phillips II, of Solutions Barbados, were taking part in Starcom Network’s Sunday Brass Tacks post-mortem on Saturday’s Step Up If Yuh Fed Up “march of disgust” and rally in The City. “Yesterday’s march shows us how money can influence an election,” Pilgrim said. (DN)

MIXED REACTION TO BLP-LED MARCH – The Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is pleased with the turnout for yesterday’s national March of Disgust, which party spokesman Dale Marshall says has “rattled” the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administration of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart. “I can’t see that they’d be sitting in their homes today and be thinking that the Barbadian electorate is continuing to be passive, that the Barbadian electorate is continuing to be satisfied with the decline in our standard of living, our economy,” said Marshall, in reflecting on Saturday’s BLP-led march and rally, which culminated in Jubilee Gardens, The City, and is said to have attracted about 10,000 people. However, two of the island’s newest political groupings have sought to downplay the success of yesterday’s event. Former BLP Cabinet Minister Lynette Eastmond, who is the leader of the United Progressive Party, and Grenville Phillips II, the leader of Solutions Barbados, were both guests on Sunday’s Starcom Network’s Down to Brass Tacks programme, along with Marshall. “Elections are won constituency by constituency and how each constituent feels about their current representative,” cautioned Eastmond, while pointing out that the BLP has had “three stabs at mobilizing people to make it appear as though Barbadians actually support the Barbados Labour Party”. “I think in the two first marches it was a bit appalling that the BLP was not able to even mobilize its base, because if you think of the 30 constituencies by how ever many members, they really should have had more people on the street in the two first attempts. In this third attempt, I think they were able to mobilize their base and they worked very hard at it,” she said, explaining that “there are a number of individuals who got telephone calls, even one of our candidates got a call about coming to the march. “So the BLP really did put a lot of effort, a lot of money, into ensuring that it got its base out and I think it managed on this occasion to get its base out, which I think is excellent.” However, Eastmond said the party needed to acknowledge that there were several Barbadians who came out yesterday to march but who had said quite pointedly, ‘we are not here to support the Barbados Labour Party, we are here to say that we are not happy with the various downgrades, we’re not happy with the debt situation, we’re not happy with the lack of growth etc.’ (BT)

DO NOT VOTE FOR BLP - Founder of the new Solutions Barbados party Grenville Phillips II. Also reacting to yesterday’s BLP-led event, which the ruling DLP has dismissed as “a reflection of how money can influence an election”, said his party was in the business of providing solutions to the myriad of problems plaguing the country. “We have not asked people to come out and march because the others can do that. So the BLP has come and they’ve asked people to march and they’ve marched. And I encourage people, ‘go and march, just do not vote for them’. “The gravest error they could make is to go and vote for them,” he said. “We’ve heard our politicians telling us we’re doing well, but it’s easy to say that when you’re spending other people’s money. But now the IMF [International Monetary Fund] is giving the report card and they’re saying that we’re doing abysmally bad,” the Solutions Barbados leader said. Just last week, the island suffered two downgrades at the hands of Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s which have expressed concern about the island’s ballooning debt of 111 per cent of Gross Domestic Product and its falling international reserves, which plummeted below the recommended 12-weeks of cover to less than $700 million last December. The international ratings agencies also warned that the situation not only poses a threat to the stability of the Barbados currency — which currently trades two to one against the United States dollar — but that it could put the island at high risk of debt default. Phillips suggested that both the ruling DLP and the Opposition BLP were to blame for current poor state of the country’s economy. “We published our solutions about two years ago and we said, ‘BLP adopt these solutions’ and they were not done. I said, ‘DLP do the same’ and they haven’t done it. Almost two years have gone by [and] they have not adopted any solutions or even discussed them with us,” he lamented. (BT)

COALITION OUT TO BREAK DUOPOLY - A new political coalition has been formed. The Citizens Action Partnership (CAP) has been created as an umbrella group for anyone looking to run in the next general elections outside of the two established political parties. Partnership chairman and former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Christ Church East Member of Parliament, Wendell Callender, speaking at the movement’s launch last week at Sky Mall, called for an end to the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and BLP duopoly. “I’ve gone to all kinds of people, whether they be doctors, lawyers, teachers or vendors. We have spoken to them and we know how they feel about the leadership of Barbados,” he said. (DN)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STILL A CONCERN – Domestic violence continues to be a “real” problem in Barbados. Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett spoke to the issue just before he and his wife Eleanor joined hundreds who turned out in support of the Life In Leggings march from Queen’s Park through Bridgetown and back on Saturday. “That is principally why we, as a Government, moved to amend the Domestic Violence Protection Order Act to give it more teeth, and give the police wider scope, wider powers, to assist in wrestling this scourge to the ground,” Blackett said. The vocal marchers carried placards and chanted as they walked along the short route to get their messages across. Several of them spoke to the fact that hitting and loving was not a mix that should be tolerated. (DN)

WARRENS DUMP SITE DISCOVERED – An illegal dump site was found right under the nose of the Ministry of the Environment on Saturday. Hidden in plain sight in the middle of the busy commercial centre of Warrens, St Michael, it held all of the waste one would expect in an out-of-the-way gully or cane field. This included fridges, stoves, mattresses, old tyres, the rotting carcass as well as bones of a long-dead animal, in addition to mounds of discarded household waste. The ministry’s headquarters are located in the Warrens Office Complex next door. The mess was discovered by the eagle eyes of a first form boy, who spotted what looked like a washing machine through the tall grasses of an open lot. (DN)

DIRTY HABITS - VISITORS ARE TAKING to social media to talk about the dirty state of the island. And the negative reviews are driving the gatekeepers of the Barbados Brand – the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA) – to step up education and guilt trips to drive Barbadians to curb their filthy garbage disposal habits. Chief executive officer of the BTPA, Dr Kerry Hall, made the comments as a clean-up campaign, spearheaded by the Clean Bim programme, removed 415.89 pounds of garbage, in an hour, from a small section of Warrens on Saturday. Stressing that Barbadians should and must clean the island for themselves and then for their guests, Hall said the BTPA had been receiving the negative reviews from the visitors with whom the entity spoke and reading them on social media. (DN)

OISTINS MARKED OUT FOR CHANGES – Oistins Town and its environs in Christ Church are in for major changes based on the draft amendment to the Physical Development Plan 2017. This was revealed at the sixth and final town hall meeting to discuss the amendment held at Oistins Bay Gardens on Saturday. Among the plans are a waterfront pedestrian walkway and relocation of the bus terminal to the inland side of Oistins main road to accommodate a new waterfront park and civic centre. The Berinda Cox Fish Market jetty is being considered as a facility to link Oistins to Bridgetown and other locations on the South and West Coasts by water. Foundation School and Christ Church Parish Church would also be incorporated into key community spaces, while upgrades are on the cards for portions of Maxwell and Enterprise that form part of the Oistins Community Plan. (DN)

TEEN SAVES VISITOR - On Saturday, a 17-year-old’s beach outing with friends took an unexpected turn when he spotted an unconscious visitor and her frantic husband by her side on Browne’s Beach, St Michael. After finding out that the woman, Ann Freeman, had swallowed large amounts of water while diving, Dre Brown’s training instinctively kicked in and he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her. Dre, a former Princess Margaret Secondary School student and a Barbados Youth Service (BYS) recruit, is an aspiring fireman, and spent part of his weekend completing the required number of hours for community service. “We had to cut down some trees at Codrington College and after community service, we attended the beach and had some fun and played sport. When we were on the verge of going home, I passed and saw a husband with his wife and she was lying unconscious, so I basically attempted what I was taught to do,” he recalled of the Saturday incident. (DN)

LOW NUMBERS CONCERN ISCF – The once thriving Inter-school Christian Fellowship (ISCF) has seen a dip in numbers, especially at the secondary school level. Speaking to the DAILY NATION after a service yesterday to mark the start of ISCF Week at the First Baptist Church, Constitution Road, The City, field worker Carson Atherley said the drop in numbers might have to do with the “growing trends today”. He revealed that primary schools accounted for about 2 500 members, secondary schools for between 250 and 300, and between 80 and 100 members were at the tertiary level. “Students are not as keen about spiritual matters as they were before. A lot of other things are vying for students’ attention, even in schools,” Atherley said. (DN)

DOMINICA AIRPORT RE-OPENS - Operations are back to normal at the Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica following a temporary closure on Saturday due to inclement weather. The Ministry of Public Works and Ports said the airport had to be closed due to widespread flooding. Heavy rains also caused landslides and led to the collapse of a Bailey bridge in Macoucherie, along the west coast of the island. (BT)

THREE INJURED AT SILVER HILL - Police say three men were injured during a shooting incident at Block 3D, Silver Hill, Christ Church last night. The victims — all from the same area — were reportedly among a group of men who were liming on the block around 10:50 p.m. when a number of loud explosions were suddenly heard. During the commotion, 32-year-old Randy Went of Green Hill, Silver Hill was shot in his right rib and right forearm and 38-year-old Adrian Cox of Maxwell Hill in his right foot. A third man, 21-year-old Devon Rowe of Block 3D, Silver Hill, suffered a laceration to his right hand. Rowe was subsequently transported by private vehicle to FMH medical centre where he was treated and discharged. Cox was taken by private vehicle and Went by ambulance to the state-run QEH, where they are both listed as stable. Police are asking anyone with information that can assist them with this investigation to contact the Oistins Police Station at 418-2612, 418-2608, Police Emergency at telephone number “ 211”, Crime Stoppers at 1-800 –TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. They say all information received will be treated as strictly confidential. (BT)

POLICE INVESTIGATE ST JAMES ACCIDENT - Two men were injured in a two–car smash up at Lower Carlton, St James that occurred around 6:45 p.m. They are Ryan Browne, 30, of Denton Road, Grazettes, St Michael and Wilfred Francis, 60, of Sion Hill, St James. Both Browne and Francis received injuries to the right hip, feet and hands. They were transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by ambulance. Browne and Francis are said to be in stable condition. Police are continuing investigations. (BT)

GUTSY KING FALLS TO MONFILS – He didn’t get the win, but Darian King certainly won the hearts of many. The king of swing may have turned in his best performance yet, having shocked the tennis world by taking the first set off No. 10 Gael Monfils before ultimately falling to the Frenchman in Saturday’s second round at Indian Wells. Playing in his very first ATP Masters event, the 131st ranked King made the appearance memorable, defying the odds to take an early lead until the heavily favoured Monfils won 12 of the last 13 games to pull out a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory in the BNP Paribas Open. It was a gutsy effort to say the least from the 24-year-old Bajan ace, who took the court against his first top ten opponent less than a month after stunning former world No. 17 Bernard Tomic at the Memphis Open. (DN)

‘POLLY’ AND TINO BURY HATCHET – Three years after a bust-up during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Kieron Pollard and Tino Best find themselves on the same side. Pollard was Barbados Tridents captain and Best was a member of St Lucia Zouks in 2014 when there was a row between them at the teams’ hotel after a match at Kensington Oval where Best was involved in an on-field spat with Tridents batsman Shoaib Malik. Moments after Best was snapped up by the Tridents during the 2017 player draft last Friday, Pollard said the incident was behind them. “As human beings, you get past certain things,” he told NATIONSPORT on a Skype link-up. (DN)

CONNELL DELIVERES DESPITE WEATHER –The weather conditions made it difficult for those seeking to reach the CARIFTA Games qualifying standards at the inaugural Junior Stars track meet at the National Stadium on Saturday. The impressive Hannah Connell of the Foundation School was the lone athlete to meet the standard once again in the Under-18 Girls’ 100 metres hurdles. Though not as quick as the previous week’s 13.89 seconds clocking at the national junior championships, the promising Velocity athlete ran clear of the 14.35 standard, finishing in a time of 14.18 seconds. She was followed home by Velocity’s Dominique Lafond in 15.21 seconds. (DN)

THOMPSON AGAIN TOP UMPIRE – Up-and-coming Elite Division umpire Dave Thompson received the perfect birthday present on Saturday evening. For the second year running, he was the recipient of the President’s Award at the Barbados Cricket Umpires’ Association’s (BCUA) awards ceremony held at Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union headquarters, Belmont Road. Thompson, who was also BCUA president Gregory Brathwaite’s choice for the coveted award last year, celebrated his 32nd birthday on Saturday. Brathwaite cited Thompson’s high work ethic, commitment to the cause and willingness to continue learning as among the attributes that influenced his decision to confer the accolade on the former Benfica off-spinner who first signed up for the BCUA training course in 2012. (DN)

HAITI SAYS FAREWELL TO FORMER PRESIDENT RENE PREVAL - Thousands of Haitians gathered on Saturday to say an emotional final farewell to former President Rene Preval, 74, the country’s first democratically elected leader to peacefully transfer power to his successors. In two hours of religious and civil ceremonies, bishops and family members remembered the soft-spoken former agronomist as a man of simplicity who held the country’s farmers in high regard. “Many people have said that my father did not like to speak too much. In effect, that is true,” said Patricia Preval, his daughter. Rene Preval, who died on March 3, had an understated style, a marked contrast to the fiery oration of his one-time friend, former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, or the showmanship of his final successor, Michel Martelly. Preval will be best remembered internationally for leading Haiti in the immediate aftermath of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people. His daughter also said that, despite serving as a prime minister and later a popular two-time president, politics did not even interest him. “Politics was a means to development, (that) was what he loved,” she said during a speech in which her voice occasionally cracked with emotion. Yet local politics were not completely absent from the funeral, in which Preval’s casket stood in the center of a stage draped in Haiti’s blue and red flag. Current President Jovenel Moise’s speech at the end of the service was met with jeers, as some said it resembled more a campaign speech than a eulogy. Preval’s body was buried on Saturday afternoon in his hometown, Marmelade, in the north of the country. “He wasn’t a bad president… he wasn’t a liar,” Anna Lamartiniere, 64, said in the stands before the service. “He did good work for the country, he built roads.” (BT)

QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH MESSAGE – IN HER MESSAGE for Commonwealth Day, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II reflects on this year’s theme of ‘A Peace-building Commonwealth’ and the onward journey of The Queen’s Baton Relay. “This Commonwealth Day, a baton will set out from Buckingham Palace and begin a long and extraordinary journey. Over the next twelve months, the Baton will visit people living in the nations and territories of our Commonwealth family in every continent and ocean. Carried on its way by thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds, by the time it reaches its final destination, The Queen’s Baton will have brought together through its route and symbolism, almost 2.5 billion people who share the special connection of being Commonwealth citizens. Contained within the Baton will be a written message that will be opened and read at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next year. However, there is an even more powerful message to be seen and experienced as the Baton passes from hand to hand, from seashore to mountaintop, through cities, towns, and villages. It is the message of a peace-building Commonwealth. The cornerstones on which peace is founded are, quite simply, respect and understanding for one another. Working together, we build peace by defending the dignity of every individual and community. By upholding justice and the rule of law, and by striving for societies that are fair and offer opportunities for all, we overcome division and find reconciliation, so that the benefits of progress and prosperity may be multiplied and shared. As members of the Commonwealth family we can find much to be thankful for in the inheritances we have received from those who came before us. Through consensus and cooperation great things have been achieved. We can find further reward and fulfilment by continuing to collaborate with others in a spirit of goodwill to build a peaceful and abundant future for all Commonwealth citizens.” (DN)

That’s all for today folks. There are 293 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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stephaniefchase · 8 years ago

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Bajan Newscap 2/11/2017

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

OWEN’S PUPPETS –Former Minister of Energy Elizabeth Thompson is pointing an accusing finger at her ex boss by implying that he was behind the island’s newest political party as a means to get at Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader Mia Mottley. Thompson, who served as Minister of Energy and Environment in the Owen Arthur-led BLP administration, Friday launched a broadside at Arthur and Lynette Eastmond, who yesterday launched the United Progressive Party (UPP), mere weeks after reportedly stating she was a member of the BLP and was not involved in any other political movement. Eastmond, who contested and lost the last three general elections on a BLP ticket, was introduced as the chairman of the new party, something that Thompson did not allow to go unnoticed in a lengthy Facebook post. “I found the fact that the person who led the interview was described as chairman and not party leader, most interesting,” she wrote. “It will be interesting to see who they attract and what their platform is. This group [is] united by dislike of the leader of the BLP and sharing common bonds in their inability to win seats or nominations.” The former minister led a stout defence of Mottley, with whom she served in the Arthur Cabinet, suggesting that the current BLP leader had survived Arthur’s every attempt to get rid of her. Having failed, Thompson said it had become obvious from Arthur’s recent utterances that he had resorted to forming a party of disgruntled BLP politicians as his latest effort to humiliate Mottley. “OSA [Owen Seymour Arthur] did not manage to get rid of MAM [Mia Amor Mottley] by abusing her publicly; he did not accomplish it by not going to Parliament; he did not accomplish it by being silent on important national issues; he did not accomplish it by threatening to leave and then actually leaving the BLP. “So when in recent weeks, almost coinciding with talk of the new party, he was again engaging in serious national discourse in a way that we know he is fully capable of doing . . . finally, he has revealed his latest hand, or should I say, his instrument. If this is the new game, then the UPP is the United Puppets Party . . . or the United Political Puppets.” This notwithstanding, Thompson held out hope that Mottley and Arthur would put their differences aside and “unite for the sake of the country”. She said they did not have to be friends, they “just have to work together for the greater cause of country and citizen”. Otherwise, she said, the UPP would be an asset to the incumbent Democratic Labour Party, which is currently struggling to maintain Barbadians’ faith in its ability to govern. “If I were FS [Freundel Stuart, the Prime Minister], even if I was contemplating an early election, I would sit back, give the UPP time to pull BLP supporters, give them time to raise finance and candidates, wait for the Old BLP and the New BLP to start cannibalizing each other and their leaders,” she said, even while insisting that the country needed “strong, visionary, competent people, united to take the country forward and utilizing skills, intellect and experience”. (BT)

DON’T TOUCH THEM –The Freundel Stuart administration is being given a stern warning not to touch certain state entities if it ever were to go on a privatization drive. Barbados’ Ambassador to the Caribbean Community Robert Bobby Morris Friday said some statutory bodies were simply too important to be placed in the hands of the private sector. Privatization has been a vexing issue since the 2013 general election campaign, and with the economy continuing to struggle, leading economists, including former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, have been pushing Government to divest the statutory corporations. The administration has largely ignored this advice, other than the announced agreement to sell the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited to the Sol Group for $100 million. Morris admitted that a number of state agencies were draining Government’s resources and should be sold. However, he said there were those that served a public good, and they ought to remain under Government management. He made specific reference to the Child Care Board, the National Sports Council, the Barbados Vocational Training Board, the Public Utilities Board, the Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Welfare Department, asking “can we put that out to private sector? I believe not”. The historian lauded the performance of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority, created after the disbanding of the Barbados Tourism Authority, as examples of reformed state entities that work well. He also described planned changes at the National Cultural Foundation as a good move. However, he suggested that some serious restructuring was needed at other state entities to get them functioning at their optimum. (BT)

GO AFTER PRIVATE SECTOR –Barbadians’ docility and submissiveness allow the private sector to get away with ignoring their financial commitments to the country, one accountant has charged. Secretary of the Institute of Internal Auditors’ Barbados Chapter Krystle Howell Thursday night told a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Bridgetown at the Goddard’s Training Room on Fontabelle it was time for Barbadians to stand up and demand from local businesses money which they owe Government. To prove her point Howell made reference to the last report from the Auditor General which showed that a number of companies owe Government over $500 million as at March 31, 2015, and that sustained attempts to recoup the outstanding funds had failed. She said it was an indication that some private sector companies would “rather see the country go down” than take up their responsibility. Speaking on Information in Today’s Society: Impact and Consequences, the auditor did not limit her concerns to the private sector. She also challenged Barbadians to speak out on some Government decisions, including the printing of money by the Central Bank and Government’s high spending on imports. She said Barbadians should stop “sitting back and just watching it happen and saying, ‘it is not my fault I am not getting involved in that’”. Pointing to the recent uproar over potholes, she said in order for things to improve here, Barbadians needed to become assertive. (BT)

MORRIS: TREAD CAREFULLY WITH PAY DEMANDS - Former trade unionist Robert Bobby Morris says while he is prepared to leave the final decision on any salary increases to both Government and his former colleagues in the labour movement, the Freundel Stuart administration should proceed with extreme caution on such proposals. “As I say, I don’t like to interfere with these things,” Morris told Barbados TODAY right after delivering Friday’s Democratic Labour Party luncheon lecture at the party’s George Street, Belleville, St Michael headquarters. However, he said: “If Government looks at the situation and that increase could worsen their situation, worsen the deficit that they plan, erode further the debt situation they have, the Government would have to make a decision and to come to the people and say, ‘listen, I would like to do that but not at the expense to be putting pressure on [Government].’” The retired labour leader further warned that “the matter was not an emotional thing at all”. In fact, were pay increases left to him, they would all be based on some performance factor. “I would love to see the day when all salary negotiations, private and public sector, have a performance factor related,” he stressed. Morris, who spent approximately 30 years in the trade union movement, also pointed out the private sector pay hikes were only given to workers “where it can be afforded”. He also said that even though workers in the public sector had not received a pay rise in a number of years, it did not mean they were not receiving bigger pay packets, since some had been receiving annual increments. However, as the island’s largest public sector union, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) prepares to meet with temporary public officers here on Monday to update them on salary talks with Government, President Akanni McDowall is contending that Government can afford to pay public workers a salary increase. “We don’t believe that Government does not have enough money to pay public servants. We just believe that Government is mismanaging the money that it has,” McDowall told Barbados TODAY Friday evening, while insisting that civil servants had been made to suffer too long. (BT)

CBC STAFFERS “SICK” - Some of the staff at the lone state-run television station were sick yesterday, and it had to do with money. But the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s general manager said the number of those who called in sick had no impact on the operations of The Pine, St Michael facility. Reports were that staff at CBC had staged a sick-out in protest over long-delayed wage negotiations. Shop steward Kent Jerson declined to comment and referred the SATURDAY SUN to the Barbados Workers’ Union. Efforts to reach the BWU’s senior assistant general secretary Orlando “Gabby” Scott or deputy general secretary Dwaine Paul were unsuccessful. (SS)

MORE NURSES NEEDED – President of the Barbados Nurses’ Association (BNA), Joannah Waterman, is calling for the nursing complement at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to be increased. Shortly after her installation as the new president at the BNA’s 80th annual general meeting, Waterman signalled to Minister of health John Boyce she would be agitating for an increase in nurses at the goverment’s health care institutions, as well as for improved working conditions and remuneration, during her term of office. The minister was not present at the meeting at Accra Beach Hotel but Waterman nonetheless directed her remarks to him. “We are cognisant of the current economic climate . . . but as the largest, most mission-critical population in the health sector, we deserve to have our needs adequately addressed,” she said. (SS)

HYATT APPROVED - The final decision on the controversial Hyatt hotel on Lower Bay Street, the City will be announced in two weeks, official sources have said. The sources told Barbados TODAY that approval had been given by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart for construction of the multi-million dollar development to begin, and Town Planning officials were simply putting the finishing touches to the agreement before the announcement is made. According the officials, lawyers have advised that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was not required under the Town & Country Planning Act, therefore there was no reason for any further delay to the US$100 million Hyatt Centric Resort. Social activist David Comissiong had demanded that an EIA be done before permission was granted to the developers of the 15-storey property, and had threatened a lawsuit to prevent construction from beginning unless the study was done. Stuart had announced at the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry luncheon on January 25 that “within the next seven days I expect to be in a position to give planning permission” for the project. He had also said he expected “all of the outstanding pre-conditions would have been satisfied” by the time he was ready to give the go-ahead. It was just yesterday that Comissiong had claimed that important legal conditions had not been met at the time the Prime Minister made his announcement. Armed with a document obtained from the Town Planning Department’s registry, the attorney-at-law pointed out that several segments of the form had been left blank. “It is worthy of note that none of these conditions were satisfied when Stuart gave the assurance that approval would be given in another seven days, but could have been the outstanding pre-conditions that would have to be satisfied within the seven day period,” Comissiong charged. (BT)

UNITY CALL TO STOP ECONOMIC ROT - Barbados has the ability to pull itself up by its own bootstraps in order to stave off any worsening of the local economy. And it is against this background that the Barbados Private Sector Association is appealing to all sectors to join ranks to come up with solutions to the problems that threaten the island’s economic health. “We believe that local circumstances are entirely within our control and that we have the capacity to resolve the problems confronting us,” said the association in a statement yesterday. “We have two huge advantages that can help make this happen. First, our size. In a small country like Barbados we can turn things around quickly. Secondly, the vast, but largely untapped intellectual potential of our people, both at home and abroad. (SS)

EASTERN PULL –St. Philip it is! The eastern parish is still the fastest growing parish when it comes to residential homes. Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins said a steady stream of Barbadians have been making the parish their home since the 1970s in spite of several recent large housing projects in the neighbouring Christ Church approved by the Town and Country Development Planning Office. He pointed out that in Christ Church a development at Staple Groves was recently completed and within the last six months permission was granted for a development of turnkey (contractor-designed) houses at the Ridge, an area just east of Edey Village. That project involved more than 700 houses and there is another project in the vicinity of the Blackman Gollop Primary School expected to have more than 100 housing units when completed. (SS)

CHARGE THEM –"Backyard tattooists" who prey on schoolchildren should feel the sting of the law. That view was expressed by tattoo artist of over 20 years Ryan Gaskin, who said there could be a link between the underground market and the growing number of school-aged children getting "inked". Recently the head of the Barbados Association of Guidance Counsellors, Saul Leacock, raised concerns over the trend, noting that some teens were sporting visible tattoos and multiple piercings. He encouraged parents to be more vigilant about their children’s dress and conduct at school. Gaskin said unlicensed tattooists, informally known as "scratchers", should face charges and or jail time for conducting business with minors, which he said was a form of assault. (SS)

IT WASN’T ME –Murder accused Damien Lecoursey Reveira could know his fate next week. Madam Justice Jacqueline Cornelius adjourned his murder trial until next Monday, after the 27-year-old who is charged with the shooting death of 31-year-old Anderson Ashby more than six year ago, addressed the court and defence attorney Andrew Pilgrim, QC said he was not calling any witnesses. “I don’t know anything about any set up, Ma’am. All I know about is selling a gun, Ma’am. These men kill this man and they are home on bail and I am here fighting for my life this morning, Ma’am,” Reveira said in an unsworn statement from the dock of the No. 5 Supreme Court. It is alleged that Reveira killed Ashby in a gun deal gone wrong on October 9, 2010, on the Belfield playing field in Black Rock, St Michael. Principal Crown Counsel Elwood Watts is prosecuting the case, which is being heard by a 12-member jury. (BT)

JAMAICAN WOMAN JAILED FOR IMPORTING DRUGS WORTH $50,000 – A 38-year-old Jamaican woman is to spend the next 18 months in jail here after pleading guilty in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court to importing four kilogrammes of cannabis with an estimated street value of Bds$50,000. Roseanne Rocky Simmons was also sentenced by Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch to a further 18 months in prison for possession of cannabis, after she was unable to pay the required fine of $5,000 for each of the two drug offences. However, her sentences will run concurrently. Simmons was also reprimanded and discharged for the offence of trafficking and convicted, reprimanded and discharged for the offence of possession with intent to supply. The visitor, who arrived here on Wednesday from Jamaica via Trinidad, was caught with five taped packages containing the illegal drugs in a false top of her suitcase. (BT)

MAYERS ON AMMO & GUN CHARGE – A 20-year-old man will reappear in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in 28 days on firearm and ammunition charges. Shoiad Akimian Jaleel Mayers, of Long Gap, Spooner’s Hill, St Michael, was remanded to HMP Dodds Friday when he went before Magistrate Douglas Frederick to face the two indictable charges. The offences allegedly occurred on February 5. Mayers, who was not required to enter a plea, was represented by attorney-at-law Romain Marshall. He returns to court on March 10. (BT)

FRAUD, THEFT CHARGES –A MAN ACCUSED of pretending to be a prison officer and an agent of the Director of Public Prosecutions has ended up in jail on remand. Cleve Anderson Hoyte, 48, of Brighton, St George, appeared in the District “C” Court on both fraud and theft charges yesterday in connection with $70 000. He is to appear in two other courts on the charges. When he went before the District “C” Magistrate’s Court, Hoyte was not required to plead to the indictable charges that he dishonestly obtained $800 from Felicia Thompson by falsely representing that he was a prison officer, Mark Reece, and was assisting in the bail for her son Akeem Thompson who was on remand at HMP Dodds. (SS)

PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION FOR CLARKE –An unemployed man who is listed as having no fixed place of abode, will call the Psychiatric Hospital home for the next three weeks at least. Justin Dave Clarke pleaded guilty to entering Rezults Auto sometime between February 8 and 9 as a trespasser and stealing shock absorbers worth $300. However, the facts of his offence were not read in court today by prosecutor Sergeant Martin Rock after Magistrate Douglas Frederick realized that the 29-year-old was “not tracking” and was slow to answer questions asked of him. He has to be assessed and observed at the Black Rock, St Michael facility and will return to the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on March 3. (BT)

FISHERMAN CONFESSES –A fisherman who has been on remand on three drug charges, Friday admitted to committing the offences that occurred almost four years ago. Shirland Holder of Bathsheba, St Joseph pleaded guilty in the No. 5 Supreme Court to possession, importation and trafficking of 227.5 kilogrammes of cannabis on the night of May 3, 2013. Principal Crown Counsel Anthony Blackman told the court that lawmen, acting on information, ventured to Tent Bay, St Joseph on that date and took up various vantage points on a cliff. Using night vision equipment, they spotted motor vessel M416 with the name Madeline approaching the bay from a northerly direction. The vessel which had two occupants stopped a short distance from the shore and, according to Blackman, the men were seen throwing some bulky packages into the sea. One of the men then jumped into the water and started moving to shore with some of the packages that had been tossed overboard. The bundles were then pulled ashore, about 25 metres away from where officers were located. The vessel piloted by the other man then turned and sped off. As police made their presence known, the man who later identified himself as Holder tried to run away but was apprehended. When the packages were examined in Holder’s presence and found to contain vegetable matter, he was asked to account for having it and he told lawmen: “Officer, it is weed, I know.” He was also asked what he meant by “weed” and he replied: “Marijuana.” Holder was taken into custody and told of his right to an attorney. “I ain’t worrying with the lawyer now. I just want to lie down and catch myself,” replied Holder who declined to give a written statement. “You hold me pun de scene, I ain’t giving no statement.” The Crown’s representative also told the court presided over by Madam Justice Jacqueline Cornelius that Holder also identified the vessel the following day. “I know de boat well. . . . That is the boat we bring de weed on,” said Holder who was subsequently charged. Friday, a prison officer informed the court that Holder had already spent 1,377 days on remand at HMP Dodds. Justice Cornelius then ordered a pre-sentencing report in preparation for sentencing. The 50-year-old returns to court on May 5. (BT)

FORDE THE FASTEST – Harrison College, one of the most revered schools in Barbados, held their annual sports day yesterday, and with Jonathan Jones, Aren Spencer, Layla Haynes and Caleb Massiah leading the way, are poised to be a major force at the Secondary Schools Championships. The tag of fastest boy at the school went to Division 2 athlete Julian Forde, a member of the champion house Dalton. Forde, clocked the fastest time of the day in the 100 metres, racing across the finish line at the school ground on Crumpton Street in 11.43 secs. The smooth-striding Forde sprinting to the finish line well clear of Armstrong’s Jide Griffith to the delight of spectators. (SS)

SOARING SPARTANS - THE SPARTANS are generally known to be warriors, and Cumberbatch Spartan Striders (Green House) showed that they were cut from that cloth at Alleyne School Sports yesterday. At the sports day held at the National Stadium, there were also four records broken in the 200 and 400, and the 4x400 open races. Jadon Holligan of Cumberbatch Spartan Striders clearing the bar during the high jump to earn himself the title in the Under-17 Division. (ss)

KING’S HIGH POINT –DARIAN KING has recently been getting the better of Victor Estrella on the court. And now off of it, too. King is now the highest rated men’s player in the Central American and Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC) region after finally going past Estrella in the recent ATP rankings. It’s the first time King, ranked No.139 in the world, held the honour. His Dominican Republic counterpart owned that position for a number of years after cracking the world’s top 100 in 2014. However, the 36-year-old Estrella dropped 60 spots this week, falling out of the top 100 and landing 17 places behind King at No.156. (SS)

FLORETTE THE ONE TO BEAT - The Suzanne Miller-owned smart three-year-old filly Fleurette heads a small field of six in Saturday’s Grandstand Posse And Bubba’s Sports Bar Trial going 1570 meters. Fleurette won her most recent start on January 14 in the Michael Parravicino Memorial Breeders Stakes And Trophy defeating the useful colt Zip Code. The Victor Cheeseman-trained animal will be looking for two stakes in a row, but standing in her way could be the talented 3-year-old colt Black Rock. Black Rock, owned by Suzanne’s husband Luther G Miller III and trained by Jonathan Simpson is coming off a second place finish on January 14 going the sprint trip of 1100 meters. Post time for the first race Saturday is 1 p.m. Selection for the feature race the Grandstand Posse Trial are Fleurette, Black Rock, Butterfly and De Girlz Dem Sugar in that order. (BT)

MARVAY & RAM IN ISM FINALS - Marvay's name IS on the lips of many in Trinidad and Tobago. The first timer has made it into the finals of the International Soca Monarch competition in the twin-island republic. Marvay was rushing to a show when contacted and manager Katrina Chandler couldn't contain her excitement when speaking to NATION ONLINE. "I was pretty confident that Marvay would make the cut. His song is huge, his fan base is growing by the minute. He is forever humble and genuine and I believe that is what the Trinis love about him. Let's not forget that voice! I expect him to do well. He is ready for the big stage." The list, just released, has on 22 finalists and another Bajan, Peter Ram, joins Marvay to make the final count. While Ram is no stranger to the soca scene, Marvay is a fresh face in that genre. His popular Know The Face placed him second in the Sweet Soca Finals for Crop Over 2016. Ram's Good Morning was also a monster hit for 2016 and is being used by at least three pan bands for Panorama 2017 in Trinidad. King Bubba FM, Marzville and Biggie Irie were the other three Bajans in the semifinals held last week. Marvay's co-manager Ingrid Holder said: "I'm very happy for Marvay. I want the Bajan posse to come to Trinidad and support on Finals night February 24. (SS)

Well that’s all for today folks. There are 323 days left in the year ;) Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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stephaniefchase · 8 years ago

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Bajan Newscap 1/20/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily newscap for Friday 20th January 2017. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT) or by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

IT’S NOT US IN THIRD PARTY! - Propaganda. That’s how some familiar faces in politics reacted to reports that they had joined forces with a newly formed third party called the Barbados Integrity Movement (BIM). “I am not a member of any new political party. Unless they expelled me, I am still a member of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP),” former Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister Lynette Eastmond told the WEEKEND NATION yesterday. The attorney-at-law who served as Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs under an Owen Arthur-led Government said she was still very much a political enthusiast and was looking forward to the next general election. “Everybody should be involved in politics,” she said, while declining to speculate on the outcome of the next polls. (WN)

PM READY TO TALK - Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says the time has come for “full and frank discussions” on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME). “We have to look at what we have achieved, what remains to be achieved, what are the existing enabling features that can assist us in achieving and what are the disabling features that can stand in the way,” said Stuart, who is the lead spokesman on the CSME within CARICOM’s quasi-cabinet. We have to see where our strengths, weaknesses and opportunities are, and be prepared to deal with any threats to the achievement of our objectives,” he added during a recent meeting with CARICOM officials, led by Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, at Ilaro Court. The two-and-half-hour meeting was held to update Stuart on the status of the implementation of the CSME, as CARICOM leaders prepare for their 28th Intersessional Meeting in Guyana next month. While acknowledging that the CSME was a journey on which regional governments had embarked, Stuart warned that “this will never be a destination where at some stage one can say that the labourer’s task is over”. He also cautioned that “free movement of people will never work perfectly in this imperfect world”. However, the Prime Minister said CARICOM should not allow random challenges to divert its attention from what it has achieved. “We do not give ourselves enough credit for what we have achieved; we judge ourselves based on what we have not achieved,” he said while insisting that significant work had already been done.He also suggested that the region was more closely integrated today than at any other time of its history while stressing Barbados’ commitment to the CSME. “From its pursuit and realization, we cannot afford to retreat. Barbados believes the pursuit of this ideal can benefit the region,” he said. (BT)

ENOUGH TALK – Recent assertions by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler that the dollar was not in danger of devaluation, the economy was growing and the country would be getting some favourable economic news shortly, are not enough to quell the concerns of the private sector. President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Eddy Abed told Barbados TODAY while he would welcome any positive news on the economy, there were still worrying concerns in the private sector about the foreign exchange levels and Government’s high debt. “Any positive economic data from a reputable source would be welcomed by the private sector of our country. However, our concerns about foreign exchange levels and Government deficit remain worrisome. “Unless Government can demonstrate that they have cut their expenditure in a sustainable manner so that our deficit as a percentage of GDP [gross domestic product] is no more than our growth rate, the news will not be enough to restore confidence immediately,” Abed said. Sinckler on Tuesday had made it clear there was no way the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) would devalue the local currency, stating he would rather resign first. And with the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) suggesting that the economic situation was so dire that the DLP-led administration would be turning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout programme, Sinckler said that was not the case. He suggested that contrary to Opposition rhetoric, the economy was growing, revealing that a report compiled by his ministry with support from the IMF had found that the situation was not as dire at BLP was portraying. However, Sinckler’s comments are also not sitting well with economist Jeremy Stephen, who has suggested that his threat to resign if there is a devaluation could be interpreted in two ways – either that the Minister of Finance was willing to make the tough calls at the expense of his political career, or that he was bracing for the inevitable and was intent on delaying the hard economic decisions. With general elections due here by next year, the President of the Barbados Economic Society (BES) said it remains to be seen which of the two scenarios would become a reality. (BT)

MORE FOREIGN INVESTMENT NEEDED – The Freundel Stuart administration is being warned that the economy will continue to struggle unless foreign direct investment picks up. In fact, General Manager of the umbrella organization for local credit unions Anthony Pilgrim is further cautioning that despite record arrivals last year, not even the bright spot in tourism would be enough to revitalize the struggling economy. The head of the Barbados Cooperative and Credit Union League Limited (BCCULL) said Government must get the pending capital projects going without further delay. “Tourism has been performing reasonably well, but one of the big issues seem to be FDIs, foreign direct investments. We need to get those projects going, we need to attract more foreign investment. Until we do that, I think we will continue to be under some pressure in terms of the foreign reserves,” Pilgrim said. The credit union leader said he was waiting with bated breath for the latest economic review from Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados Dr Delisle Worrell, in order to find out if the projected growth targets had been met and what are the prospects for 2017. “But the economy certainly continues to be challenged,” he said. Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler told Parliament this week Worrell would present his latest report on the economy next Tuesday.(BT)

DOUBLE TAKE - When the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL) is sold Government is expected to rake in more than double what was speculated as the sale price. Reliable sources informed the WEEKEND NATION that Sol, owned by Barbadian business mogul Sir Kyffin Simpson is prepared to pay Government US$100 million for BNTCL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Barbados National Oil Company Limited (BNOCL). That offer is US$28 million more than what Sol’s rival Rubis Caribbean was prepared to pay for control of the company. As questions are raised about the BNOC/Sol deal and its impact on competition in the oil distribution business, the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) on Wednesday confirmed that it would launch an investigating to ensure that there were no breaches of the Fair Competition Act and that the sale was in the interest of consumers. (WN)

OIL STINK - There is no rationale for Government’s decision to sell off the family silver – the Barbados National Oil Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL), said leader of the People’s Empowerment Party (PEP) David Comissiong. The attorney-at-law argued that the oil company was one of the most profitable state-owned corporations and should not be placed in the hands of the private sector. In a statement last week, BNTCL’s parent company the Barbados National Oil Company Ltd (BNOCL) revealed it had signed an agreement with the Sol Group for the sale. Officials are yet to disclose the details of the deal, including the price and terms, neither have they submitted the relevant documentation to the Fair Trading Commission for its approval. Up to a year ago the oil company was valued at more than $70 million, although Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler had said in his Estimates presentation in 2015 that Government had projected earnings of $75 million to $100 million. However, recent investigations by Barbados TODAY revealed that Government could take in as little as $60 million from the agreement. What is more, the BNTCL was profitable and has been contributing approximately $60 million each year to Government’s purse. Comissiong, who said he was still researching the deal, would not comment on the earnings or valuation, but said he was certain the BNTCL was one of the most profitable state entities, and it made no sense selling it to the private sector. While the Kyffin Simpson-led Sol Group is yet to comment on the planned deal, the main competitor, Rubis Caribbean, has voiced strong objection to it. Chief Executive Officer Mauricio Nicholls warned in a statement last week the sale would hurt his company’s business and affect domestic fuel prices. BNOCL said under the agreement it would continue to source, import, own and distribute gasoline, diesel and fuel oil to the local market. (BT)

COMMISSION STILL NOT SETTLED ON HYATT - If attorney-at-law David Comissiong had his way no more hotels would be constructed on beaches here. “Barbados has already done too much building of physical structures, including hotels on the best beaches of the country. . . .We are in the process of spoiling some of the best physical assets that our country possess,” Comissiong told Barbados TODAY as he again threatened to go to court to prevent construction of the controversial 15-storey Hyatt Centric Resort unless a proper environmental impact study is done before permission is granted to the developers. The social activist, along with the National Trust, has opposed the planned $100 million project on environmental grounds from the very beginning, and last August he threatened legal action if the project was not subjected to a comprehensive environmental impact assessment that included wide public participation. Comissiong today repeated the threat in the wake of a call yesterday by real estate and property management magnate Andrew Mallalieu for the construction to go ahead, and a statement last week by Director of Caribbean Consultants Ltd James Edghill that he was “comfortable” the project would start this year. Edghill’s company is one of the firms to be involved in the much-touted Carlisle Bay, Bay Street, Michael hotel development. Referring to the case in which Justice Pamela Beckles ruled against the Immigration Biometric Regulation 2015, nullifying Government’s attempt to fingerprint Barbadian travellers, Comissiong, who had brought that lawsuit, said all he wanted was for Government to follow the right process. (BT)

NEW $8M ASPHALT PLANT – There is a new player in asphalt manufacturing and road paving in Barbados, and that company wants a piece of the action on the Highway 1 repaving project set to be done by CO Williams Construction. Cemix Asphalt, which is part of the Bess Mining group operated by businessman Bjorn Bjerkhamn and other partners, has just launched the $8 million high-tech asphalt plant at Black Bess, St Peter. Company officials believe the development could not have come at a better time, as the country struggles to maintain its expansive but ageing road network. In an exclusive interview with the WEEKEND NATION, Jason Edwards, general manager of Cemix, and Roger Gill, general manager of Infra Barbados, two key executives in the new company, said Cemix Asphalt had the capacity to produce up to 160 tons of the material each hour and was well placed to fill the current void on the island. (WN)

$6 MILLION TO STAGE EVENT, SAYS LASHLEY - It’s costing Government about $6 million to stage CARIFESTA XIII later this year. But Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley says the price tag associated with the regional cultural festival should be seen in the context of the economic returns the cultural industries could provide the island. Lashley was speaking at a press conference to announce Government’s plans for the staging of the festival from August 17 to 27. Barbados last staged CARIFESTA in 1981. “When we talk about the investment in CARIFESTA, oftentimes people miss what we are talking about,” he told members of the media yesterday. (WN)

POTTERY PERIL – POTTERY IN Barbados may be on the decline. While there are still talented potters creating beautiful works of art, interest and participation may be waning. At Earthworks in Edghill Heights, St Thomas, staff said the season was not to the level they were accustomed to but speculated everyone was spending less, while potter Kaye Hinkson said pottery was dying as youth were not taking part. However, veteran potter John Springer, of Chalky Mount, St Andrew, said he still had hope but realised there was a need to take the craft further with a dedicated teaching facility. (BT)

CHEFETTE CLOSING CITY BRANCH – Fast food chain Chefette is closing one of its City branches from today but there will be no layoffs, it said. In a press release yesterday the restaurant said its Fairchild Street, location was closing since the lease was not renewed by landlord, the Barbados Workers’ Union Co-operative Credit Union but workers would be transferred to other outlets. The non-renewal of the lease, Chefette said, was due to the credit union expanding its offices from the second floor above the operation. “Despite the Fairchild Street closure, Chefette will retain all 31 of its employees from that location and transfer them to other locations across Barbados to preserve their jobs,” the release stated,. “We thank our loyal customers who patronised our Fairchild Street restaurant over the past 20 years and now focus our efforts to retain all of our 31 staff from that location and continue to expand with the upcoming opening of our new Lancaster, St James restaurant before the end of summer 2017,” the release quoted managing director Ryan Haloute as saying. The Lancaster restaurant means that Chefette will return to St James after the closure of its Holetown operation in September 2008. The latest branch will create employment for 50 more people taking Chefette’s staff count to approximately 850. (WN)

NO BICO DELIGHT - Any hopes of leading local ice cream manufacturer BICO collecting any of the $11.2 million in damages recently awarded by the High Court have quickly melted away by an appeal. Late last month, the court awarded judgment to BICO as a result of a fire over seven years ago which destroyed its manufacturing plant, forcing the company to cease production of the frozen desserts here and instead manufacturing it in Trinidad and Suriname. After the blaze on August 18, 2009, BICO sued Qual-Tech Services, the firm which was servicing its boilers at the time of the fire, for more than $14 million in damages. Today, just over a month-and-a-half following the court judgment, BICO’s Executive Chairman Edwin Thirlwell was doubtful the company would receive the money any time soon. Asked if he was prepared for the long haul, the BICO boss skirted the question, stating it was up to the directors to act in the best interest of the company. In a separate press release issued today, the executive chairman said there was no certainty as to when any cash would be forthcoming.However, he said it was important to appreciate the fact that the recent court decision was not the end of what had been a long and difficult road for the ice cream manufacturer since the fire. With respect to the future possibilities for the resumption of ice cream manufacturing in Barbados, Thirlwell said, the company was in no position to consider this option in the short-term. (BT)

NEW JAPANESE ENVOY TO BARBADOS- New Japanese ambassador to Barbados Teruhiko Shinada says he is eager to present Japanese culture to the citizens of Barbados. During a courtesy call on Barbados TODAY this morning, he also said he looked forward to greater cooperation in the area of sports, as Tokyo prepares to host the 2020 Olympic games. Shinada, who has already held discussions with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Stephen Lashley and representatives of the Barbados Olympic Committee on the upcoming games, said he was also very focused on promoting cultural exchange. Tokyo, which already had consulates in Trinidad and Trinidad, formally opened its embassy in Bridgetown last year. Ambassador Shinada said based on its own experiences, Japan was in a good position to assist the region in tackling issues such as climate change, the environment and disaster management. During the courtesy visit, the Japanese envoy also shared some of his experiences since arriving in Bridgetown last October. “I’m still new here but I want to say that I am enjoying [it] very much, people are very friendly, very good food, the climate is very good for swimming,” said Shinada who has made the time to sample the local cuisine and enjoy Barbados’ attractions. “I’m kind of a gourmet, so I tried the local menu like flying fish cutter. I have experienced for the first time, green bananas,” he said, adding that he also sampled cou cou and flying fish, which is the national dish. The envoy is also pursuing his passion for sailing. (BT)

NEW BARP HEALTH PLAN - A new health insurance scheme negotiated by the organization that champions the well-being of Barbadians aged 50 or above will offer greater benefits than the Golden Health Insurance Plan cancelled last year by the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL).Details of the plan are to be released on February 1. However, President of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) Ed Bushell told Barbados TODAY the new plan would offer members options and benefits such as GP Connect, a programme which aims to support better clinical care by opening up information and data held within the electronic systems of general practitioners for use across health and social care. Only about 2,100 of BARP’s over 40,000 members had been part of the ICBL health plan. (BT)

JONES HAPPY WITH CALM AT COMBERMERE - No news is good news. This is Minister of Education Ronald Jones’ take on the resettling of students and staff at Combermere Secondary School at Waterford, St Michael. The school reopened its gates at the beginning of the school term after prolonged closure due to environmental concerns. Two weeks into the term, Jones told Barbados TODAY there had been no complaints after an environmental team carried out extensive rehabilitation work at the school. Teachers had walked off the job last November after complaints of a foul ordour, dizziness, itching and burning. While the source of the recurring environmental issues – which had plagued the school for over a year – were not narrowed down to a single culprit, the environment experts advised that testing the effectiveness of the sweeping measures put in place required a return to normality at the learning institution. (BT)

ST JOSEPH SLIPPING – Horse Hill, St Joseph, is galloping away and the people there are along for the ride. The issue of land slippage is not a new one in the area and has already claimed the St Joseph Parish Church, which has been closed and deconsecrated after the infrastructure started to fall apart. So what of those who live in the area of the church? People like Cleophas Gamble and Malcolm Carter are not happy at all and are living on hope and prayers. “These houses are moving all the time. All the tiles cracking up and I have to patch the cracks in the ground but I try not to think about it – if anything happens, it happens,” said Gamble. (WN)

‘MISSING’ OWNER HINDERING REPAIRS - When the rain falls, Frank McClean’s home and the area around it become a swimming pool. The 79-year-old Six Men’s, St Peter, resident lives in a dilapidated house with a leaky roof and inoperable front door, a house he said he had been trying to get repaired for years. “I spoke to the RDC [Rural Development Commission] and people came and took pictures and everything but never get back to me. When the rain falls, the roof does leak. I want help real bad but I can’t get none,” he said. McClean lives at the end of a track which he said was almost impassable during rainy weather. He also wished there was better lighting as the area was pitch black at night. (WN)

FAMILY IN SHOCK - Following the brutal murder of a young father, his grandmother is calling for an end to the violence in Barbados. Brenda Lewis, of Fairview, Christ Church, is placing everything in God’s hands following the killing of 22-year-old Romario Lewis (below), who was found lying face down in Highland, Foursquare, St Philip, yesterday morning around 2 o’clock. This is the first recorded murder in Barbados for 2017. Lewis received not only multiple gunshots but also what appeared to be stab wounds to the upper body. (WN)

SAMMO WANTED - Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 28-year-old man, who is wanted in connection with serious criminal matters. He is Jamar Leroy Ifill, alias Sammo, whose last known address was Gall Hill Development #3, St John. He is about 5’7” in height, slim built, of dark complexion, with average eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His hair is medium length and plaited. He has a number of tattoos, including,“06 -12-11”, two stars and ‘RASHONE’ on the back of his right hand; ‘20-11-09’ and ‘TREVIONE’ on the back of his left hand and ‘SAMMA’ on his left hand. “Ifill is advised that he can present themselves to the police accompanied by an attorney-at-law of his choice,” lawmen said in a bulletin issued Thursday night. Police also appealed to anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the Oistins Police Station at telephone number 418-2612, or 418-2658, Police Emergency at telephone number ‘211’, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or the nearest police station. “The public is reminded that it is a serious offence to harbour or assist wanted persons; any person caught committing this offence can be prosecuted,” the bulletin added. (BT)

MISSING MAN FOUND - Police say 26-year-old Elwin Baptiste of Bath Land, St John, who was reported missing on Monday, has been traced and is safe. No details were provided, but in a brief statement on Thursday night The Royal Barbados Police Force thanked the public and the media for their assistance in this matter. (BT)

BAJAN NABBED WITH DRUGS AT JAMAICA AIRPORT - A 32-year-old Barbadian national was on Tuesday charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act after he was held with ganja at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. He is Troy Jackman, a technician, of Husbands Garden in Barbados. Reports from the narcotics police are that about 2:15 p.m., the man checked in for an outgoing flight destined for Barbados and during security checks, his luggage was searched and ganja weighing approximately 6.3 pounds was found. Police say the man will be interviewed in the presence of his attorney and is expected to be charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and taking preparatory steps to the export ganja. He is scheduled to appear before the St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday, January 25. (BT)

DEACONS WOMEN CHARGING THROUGH – After enduring a poor league season, knockout champions Flow Deacons are showing that they will not be surrendering their Goddard Enterprises Limited senior volleyball title easily. When the action continued at Oldbury on Wednesday night, Deacons thrashed former queens Chargers 25-20, 25-15, 25-13, with the high jumping Shonte Seale leading the winners’ assault. With the preliminaries winding down, Deacons are keeping pace with league queens Pan American International Insurance Warrens as they both hold perfect records. Deacons and Warrens will clash on Sunday in a game that will decide who will take the top spot in the semi-finals. (WN)

BACK THE WOMEN - Women’s cricket is on the rise in Barbados and the Caribbean and can be a career opportunity for those who want to play the game. But 2016 National Sports Council’s Coach Of The Year, Vasbert Drakes (below), is calling for more support for the West Indies players. “I would encourage anyone [who] has some females and want to get them involved in ladies cricket. I think potentially they have a great opportunity to actually make a career out of the sport,” said Drakes in an interview with WEEKEND SPORT. “But we definitely need the support from the stakeholders, the organisation and from everyone to get on board and continue to support the ladies’ cricket and try to grow [it] into a brand that everyone in the world would want to be associated with,” Drakes added. (WN)

EXCITING COASTAL SERIES ENDS – The final day of the Coastal Series at the 81st Mount Gay Round Barbados Regatta concluded in spectacular style today with sunshine, a good working breeze up to 17-18kts, and a relatively flat sea. The 15nm course took the fleet out to the west, followed by a long windward leg to Oistins, not far off South Point. The conditions made for a particularly exciting conclusion to the series with results in some classes going down to the wire. Notably the Multihull class between Silver Bullet sailed by Bryn Palmer (Barbados Cruising Club commodore), and Concise 12 (Diam 24) – Jack Trigger, Oliver Mellor, John Hunter-Hamilton, and Victoria Akhurst had one win apiece, going into the final, so it was all to play for Thursday. The 60nm Mount Gay Round Barbados Race is taking place this Saturday. There will be a staggered start commencing at 7 a.m. For further information reference can be made to [email protected]. (BT)

RED HOUSE WIN AGAIN - IT WAS a case of déjà vu at St George Primary School sports day yesterday when Red House retained the title for the third time in a row. At the end of the meet at the National Stadium, Red House had amassed 375 points and Green House were second with 349 points. The only difference from last year’s meet was that Blue House and Yellow House swapped places for third and fourth places – Blue finishing with 313 points and Yellow with 266 points. There was a tie for both victrix and victor ludorum with Shonica Small, Jaquaelah Mounter, Jaquan Pilgrim and Zachary Wall, who all finished on 30 points. The Red House girls were victorious in both the field events and relays, and while they conceded defeat in four of the races, Green House was no match for them with Mounter, Small and Daniya Watson dominating the field. On the boys’ side, Zachary Wall of Green House was dominant, winning the Under-9 boys 80, 100 and 150 metres and helping his team win the 4x100 relay. Jaquan Pilgrim, of Yellow House, won the 400, 200, 100 metres and helped his team finish second in the 4x100 relay in the Under-13 division. (WN)

ROAD TENNIS - ADRIAN “DAN” SKEETE seems to know proper pork. The southpaw is in sweet sow-sharing form, having handed out two more Wednesday night to advance to the quarter-finals of the AOne Supermarkets Lance Bynoe Veterans Road Tennis Tournament. Taking centre stage at the Rubis Sports Club in Brighton, Skeete was particularly dismissive while hitting Leroy Best off the court in easy 21-8, 21-6 victories. It came just four nights after he also “sowed” Glen “Chicken” Harris in the last game of a routine 21-15, 21-8 win. (WN)

There are 17 Days until Girlfriends Expo & Arts Festival (February 4th & 5th) and you can purchase your tickets from Ticket Pal. Well that’s all for today folks. There are 345 days left in the year ;) Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news.

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 3/29/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 29Th March 2019. 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).

ARMING SECURITY OFFICERS ‘TOO EXTREME’ – A call to arm security officers is being shot down by experts, as well as the police. While many businesses are being encouraged to invest in more security equipment and personnel, especially following the brazen fatal shooting last week Thursday at Sheraton Mall, Christ Church, where there are no armed guards, equipping every security officer with a gun is getting the thumbs down. “Under the law, security officers are not allowed to carry firearms unless they are working cash-in-transit (moving money) or if they have a licensed firearm, as you’re supposed to have your firearm on your person 24/7,” said security consultant Randolph Hackett. However, he warned that a firearm was not supposed to be used unless in cases of self-defence and not in the execution of the duties of a security officer. He also said there were certain locations where personal firearms were banned. (WN)

YOUTH AND CRIME CONCERNS – One noted economist is making a link between the high levels of youth unemployment in Barbados and the upsurge in crime. Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Justin Ram said on average approximately one in four young people were unemployed in the region, and this was a worrying trend that needed to be arrested urgently. Focusing on Barbados, Ram told the 10th Domestic Financial Institutions Conference at the Central Bank on Thursday, that the crime situation was a particularly concerning one. “Across our borrowing member countries unemployment continues to be a real problem. Some of our countries have unemployment in excess of 20 per cent. In Barbados it is [just under] 10 per cent. But a real important issue for us to remember is that one in four of our young people is unemployed, and this is on average. In some of our countries it is as high as 50 per cent,” said Ram. Noting that persons living in Barbados are particularly concerned about the homicide rate per 100,000 population, Sam said if the trends continue the country could end up with even higher rates of murders. So far for the year Barbados has recorded 20 murders, just eight fewer than it recorded for the entire 2018 period. In 2017 the country recorded a total of 31 murders. “This is all related back to this – if young people don’t have anything meaningful to do then they will find something to do in their time, and we have to be paying particular attention to this,” warned the CDB economist. At the same time, he urged authorities to pay close attention to the dwindling population. Stating that it could create serious problems for the future of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Ram said it was a situation that the CDB was also concerned about. “This is quite concerning. In Jamaica we expect to see, by 2100, a 50 per cent decline in population. In Barbados we are estimating about a 10 per cent decline in population. Folks, it is important for us to pay particular attention to this now because it will bite us particularly hard if we don’t do something about it,” he said. “You have to think about who will pay for those pensions. In this population decline there is a significant proportion of that population who will be older and retired and we have to think about what is going to be the dependency ratio,” he warned. Ram advised that “it is not only about having more children”, while pointing to the influx of Venezuelans in Trinidad & Tobago, hinting that importation of labour could be part of the solution. “We have to ask ourselves what do we need to do in order to arrest this declining population, and it is not only about having more children,” he said. He said while Barbados continued to make strides in several areas, some challenges exist including the need for improvement in the access to finance for micro and small enterprises, and ensuring everyone had access to “good education”. He also pointed out that gender inequality remained a concern, a lack of workforce skills training based on employers’ needs, lack of adequate data, and too few citizens and private sector involvement in the financial system. “We certainly need to have financial sector reform . . . we also need to ensure that there is good regulatory autonomy that when the regulator decides to do something there is no real political interference there. That is particularly important. And we need to ensure how we get productive investment opportunities,” said Ram. According to him among the measures needed in Barbados and other Caribbean countries, were the development of the junior stock exchanges, development of more investment options, greater global integration, greater financial inclusion and more innovation and increased technology use. (BT)

HOLLIGAN IS NEW UPP CHAIRMAN – Everton Heru Holligan will lead the United Progressive Party (UPP) for at least the next year. Holligan beat out Ambrose Grosvenor and Wayne Griffith for the top post following the completion of online voting to elect a new Executive Committee to serve from 2019 to 2020. The UPP’s former chairman Lynette Eastmond who did not seek re-election was voted in as vice-chairman. Eastmond, who founded the party in 2016, had said she would not be contesting the top post as she thought it would be appropriate to give as many people in the party as much exposure as possible. The remaining members of the committee comprise general secretary Wayne Griffith; assistant general secretary Raquel Gilkes; chief financial officer Ambrose Grosvenor; assistant chief financial officer Edison Bynoe and Ria Riley who was elected public relations officer. In a press release to announce the new committee, the UPP said one of Holligan’s goals would be to change the political landscape in Barbados. “Mr Holligan is deeply honoured to take up the post of chairman and carry on the mandate of the UPP and continue this progressive movement. He also thanked the outgoing executive management committee for their stellar work over the past year,” the statement read. “The new chairman indicated that our journey is one to change the political landscape of politics in Barbados and hopefully also inspire the region to function differently in the political arena.” The statement went on to add that “the voting population is surely disenchanted with the present way in which politics is practiced as it shows a disconnect with the reality of the public experience.” (BT)

PAINFUL RESTRUCTURING – One veteran banker has likened Government domestic debt restructuring plan to that of “an axe in the heart of banks”, while giving a strong indication that commercial banks will no longer be willing to take on Government debt, other than what they are mandated to by law. Chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Limited Ronald Harford suggested that banks would be even more skeptical about investing in Government paper, following the deal reached with them last year. He was speaking while taking part in a panel discussion at the 10th Domestic Financial Institutions Conference at the Central Bank on Thursday under the theme Repositioning Barbados’ Financial Sector. “Banks have to revisit their thinking about lending to Government. I think the goal that the Government has, of having a debt to GDP of 60 per cent is going to visit them [banks] in their needs to access capital from today . . . [and] the banks are going to take a view that if they are going to lend to Government the debt to GDP must not exceed 60 per cent,” said Harford. “So the vast majority of the islands will not be able to access capital from the banking system, they will have to go to the CDB [Caribbean Development Bank], IMF [and others] to finance their debt, and that is a lesson that came home very clearly and has sunk into the psyche of the banks in the region,” he said, as he pointed out that the banks lost heavily on a number of Government securities in the region. In its 2018 annual report published last December, Republic Financial said that increased provisions resulting from the impact of the Government default and subsequent restructuring of its debt had resulted in a $22 million decrease in the profit of its Barbados operation after tax. As at September 30, 2018, the bank’s commercial banking subsidiary had made a total provision of TT$727 million for its exposure to the Barbados Government. “When in negotiating the restructuring of the debt, the Barbados Government could say to the banks if you lend to a country whose debt to GDP exceeds 140 per cent, you can’t be serious about getting back all of your money, that was like an axe that went into the heart of the banks. We will need to be [wiser] about how we go forward, it is a very strong and brutal lesson that we have learned,” said Harford. As at December 2017, commercial banks were required by law to hold 20 per cent of their deposits in stipulated Government securities and at September last year, commercial banks had a total of $180.7 million in Government debt. Back in September, Government had announced that it had reached a debt restructuring deal for domestic holders of Government debt, while promising that a similar deal for external creditors would be announced in the not-too-distant future. Under that deal, which was finalized for domestic debt holders in last October, the majority of loans were swapped for new debt instruments, with lower interest rates and a longer period over which they would be repaid. However, external creditors have been adamant that they were not prepared to take a similar deal, while presenting Government with their own proposal. Economist Dr DeLisle Worrell, who is an advisor to a group of external creditors, had revealed last December that “a proposal, which meets the Central Bank’s foreign reserves needs, and at the same time, is acceptable to the holders of US-dollar denominated debt, is now in the hands of the Prime Minister and her advisors”. While the details of the proposal have not been made public, Government is seemingly sticking to its original offer. Meanwhile, a central banker is indicating that the March 31 deadline, which Government was working towards winding up negotiations and coming up with a mutually beneficial debt restructuring deal with external creditors, is no longer a reality. Responding to questions at the Domestic Financial Institutions Conference at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle on Thursday, Acting Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Michelle Doyle-Lowe said with March now coming to an end no new date has yet been identified for Government reaching a deal with external creditors. “We are already at the ending of March. It is a negotiation and ultimately our ideal is to have it wrapped up because obviously it is creating unnecessary or additional uncertainty. But at the end of it there has to be some coming together of minds as to how we move forward,” said Doyle-Lowe. “Remember we are dealing with international investors where their holding of Barbados Government debt is a very small element in their overall debt portfolio, but we know that at some stage we want to be able to partner with entities again and go back to the international capital market. So it is important how we proceed on these matters. So ultimately, there is no definitive date that I can say to you it will be completed by X time. Our ideal is that it be wrapped up sooner rather than later,” she explained. About 20 per cent of Government debt is external. “I think it is important to understand that there is a difference in perspective between your average domestic investor and the foreign investor. So it really relates to what they consider to be their stake and what they want to contribute to the reprofiling and overall exercise for Government to reposition itself,” Doyle-Lowe said. “Part of it is related to them trying to understand where our economic fundamentals are at and what form the domestic exchange would have taken. But ultimately it is a case of creating some balance between them (external creditors) feeling comfortable that they are not bearing more than they want to in terms of the brunt of the external exchange versus what we need to achieve by way of repositioning the external debt,” she explained.(BT)

FOOD PRICES TO INCREASE – Farmers are predicting that the price of locally-produced food will rise sharply as production costs go up. Small farmers in particular, say they have found themselves at a crossroad. They must either evolve or exit the vital industry after the most recent announcement of an increase in commercial water rates. Farmers have been crying out ever since the Garbage and Sewage Contribution levy, announced during Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s mini Budget last June started cutting deeply into their profits. During last week’s Budget, the Prime Minister announced that from May 1, commercial entities would have to pay $4.66 per cubic meter for up to 40 cubic meters of water and $7.78 per cubic meter for usage in excess of 40 cubic meters. Against the odds, many farmers have committed themselves to the supply of locally-produced food. However, the most recent announcement has left some agriculture workers, particularly livestock farmers who rely on a heavy supply of water, concerned that they may not be able to compete with similar products imported from developed countries. “If Government doesn’t protect domestic products and if you don’t have food, we have lost a part of our anatomy as a nation. If we develop a pattern here in Barbados where the importer is king and not the farmer who lives in the country, we have a problem for future generations,” argued young farmer, Mikkel Rogers who specialises in pig farming and root crops. “When you look at the cost of water and the water tax implemented in the mini Budget in 2018, that was difficult for us . . . now if you are a commercially rated customer and you grow a crop like lettuce, which requires a daily supply of water and the cost of that lettuce used to be $2.00, now you have to go to the consumer with a higher price. “So in the supermarket the cost of lettuce may have to increase by a dollar to accommodate the rise in costs, while the price of romaine lettuce from overseas remains the same,” he said, adding that countries like America, Canada and England had the resources to subsidise their agricultural inputs and drive up production, while reducing the cost of the products on supermarket shelves. Rogers added that farmers would now have to find more tactful ways of getting the same production, while using less water. He also suggested developing desalination plants or rainwater harvesting and using emerging techniques like reverse osmosis. “We farmers have to be innovative and I am not going to just blame the Government. The recent measures are going to hurt us as farmers, but we have to find new ways to beat the system,” he said. CEO of the Barbados Agricultural Society, James Paul earlier this week predicted that some farmers who were now operating at “break even” could “go under” due to the increased cost of the important resource. “The water bill has gone sky high and I definitely have to use a lot of water,” said 47-year-old Junior Foster, a pig farmer with over 30 years of experience. He said since the introduction of the GSL, his bill has increased by almost $200 per month and would increase even further when the new measure is implemented. Foster however told Barbados TODAY that he would never consider giving up on farming. “This is my livelihood so I’m not thinking about closing right now. Some of these farmers around here are part time. Agricultural work is always difficult regardless of which Government is in power, but certain measures have been put in place and they will either make us or break us. “But I just can’t pack up and shut down just like that. If you are a 24-hour farmer, the farthest thing from your mind is closing down, whether you’re into livestock, food crops or whatever,” he said. Rico Dyall, a 23-year-old, who started farming at the tender age of 15, specialises in the cultivation of kale, but also grows beans and peppers. Dyall said he would continue to press on despite the challenges, but admitted his business was under pressure from all angles. “Sometimes supermarkets don’t want to pay the price charged by the farmers and try to make us bring down our prices and I can’t do that if I have water bills and all kinds of bills to pay. I can only give them according to what I pay to produce the crops,” he said. “The prices are definitely going to go up. I am hoping that the people who usually like to support local farmers, will continue to do so.” (BT)

LIAT’S FATE – There is a very real possibility that regional carrier LIAT could be grounded for good. The airline’s fate now rests with trade unions, who were given until 5 p.m. this evening to report back to LIAT’s management on whether their workers would be willing to accept a pay cut. A well-placed source told Barbados TODAY that during an almost six-hour meeting at the Hilton Barbados yesterday with Prime Minister Mia Mottley and chairman of the LIAT shareholder governments, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, trade unions agreed to a six per cent pay cut in an effort to keep the regional carrier afloat. However, those trade unions, which also included the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), said they would first need to report back to their membership before any agreement could be reached. The source said if the trade unions and LIAT management failed to reach an agreement by 5 p.m. this evening, the airline could collapse. “Today at 5 p.m. is do or die. LIAT’s finances are so dire that if they do not come to an agreement to allow for savings for the shareholders, which would keep LIAT viable, the airline could fold,” the source explained. The source further explained that the timeline given was critical as Barbados’ financial year ends on March 31. The source said officials in the Ministry of Finance were working “around the clock” so that in the event an agreement was reached, an emergency injection of funds would be made available to support the cash-strapped airline. If that money is not accounted for this financial year, Barbados, the main shareholder, will be unable to inject any funds into LIAT due to IMF restrictions, the source said. In a telephone interview with Barbados TODAY from St Vincent just after 9 p.m. – four hours after the reported deadline had passed – Gonsalves, who was in a meeting, said he had not yet heard of any further developments. “I don’t know if they have sent anything to the CEO of LIAT . . . but I am in a meeting right now,” he said. When contacted, Roy Morris, Press Secretary to Prime Minister Mottley confirmed that the trade unions had asked to report back to their membership at the end of yesterday’s meeting. “The meeting really was to try to achieve certain agreements from staff that would allow the airline to proceed on a restructuring programme given its dire financial position. That meeting achieved certain results, but the unions needed to go back to their membership to get certain proposals that were hammered out in caucus here, ratified since a number of them had said they were not authorized by their membership to alter at that stage and hence were given a timeframe within which to return information on whatever they agreed to the shareholders,” Morris said. (BT)

TEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER – Nineteen-year-old Kadeem O’Brian Clarke has been charged with the murder of Graeme Addison Norville. Clarke, of Johnson Road, Workmans, St George is scheduled to appear before the Oistins Magistrates’ Court on March 29, 2019. Norville,22, was shot and killed on February 16, 2019 at Rock Hall, St George. The deceased was recorded as the country’s 11th murder for 2019. (BT)

TEENAGER RELIEVED OF HIS GUN �� Yet another teenager has been remanded to prison in connection with gun and ammunition charges. Carl Leslie Hinds Jr., 19, of Lot 49 Lodge Crescent, Lodge Hill, St Michael got an automatic 28-day stint at HMP Dodds starting today when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick this afternoon. It is alleged that Hinds had a firearm and four rounds of ammunition in his possession on March 27, 2019. The accused who returns before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’s Court on April 25, 2019, was not required to plea to the indictable offences. (BT)

CAREER CROOK REMANDED – Pleas and tears of an unemployed 58-year-old woman who admitted to a theft charge were not enough to prevent her from being remanded to Dodds. “Give me one more chance please, please, I don’t want to go to jail,” Earlinda Alesha Maughan, of Lot 30 Neil’s Tenantry, St Michael said as she pleaded before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant today. It came moments after she admitted to stealing four glasses frames worth $600 belonging to Haroon Chothia on March 27. She entered the establishment known as Mobile King located at Kensington Mall on Fontabelle with a black haversack around 1:10 p.m. However, her actions as she walked around the store caused another customer to become suspicious and reported her behaviour to Chothia who then went to check the display where she had been seen. The property was discovered missing, Maughan was quickly apprehended and the police called in. A restitution order was granted for the items to be returned to the owner. “I had a bad past. I know that I did this act but right now I am taking care of my mother and I suffer from gastroenteritis,” said Maughan who has quite a history before the court. “I asking you to give me a chance. I don’t want to go to jail that’s the honest truth. Just give me one more chance please, please, please,” the middle-aged woman added before she began to cry. She was remanded to the St Philip institution to return to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on April 25 for sentencing. (BT)

BABY BRINGS GUILTY PLEA – Now that a 42-year-old man knows he has a new baby girl at home, he threw in the towel and pleaded guilty to importing a quantity of marijuana into the country. Anderson Dacosta Clarke of Drax Hall Hope, St George also admitted before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant to possession, possession with intent to supply and possession with intent to traffic the illicit drug on August 9, 2018. Clarke has been on remand since his first appearance in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in October last year. He has maintained his innocence for the past four months. Today, however, he told Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant that the reason he did not “go before the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and plead was that my girl was pregnant . . . my baby girl born on March 6 and . . . I really wanted to see the little girl. I am sorry for wasting the court’s time.” After listening to his explanation Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant adjourned the case until April 1 when Clarke will be sentenced after the facts of the offences are revealed. (BT)

A HEAD THING – His declaration of wanting to “plead guilty to bursting de man head” today earned a 25-year-old man who is already serving time at Dodds, an additional six months behind bars. Daniel Denaro Reece, of no fixed place of abode, was at 1st Avenue, Bank Hall, St Michael on November 13, 2018, when he came across Jody Farnum. According to Sergeant St Clair Phillips, Reece approached Farnum and struck him in the head with two stones, knocking him to the ground before fleeing the scene. He was later charged for assault occasioning actual bodily harm to which he pleaded guilty before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today, three months after he denied the offence. Reece explained from the dock of the No.1 District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court that he wanted to deal with other matters before the court in a bid to focus on a case in the High Court. However, he told Magistrate Frederick that he committed the act because he believed the guys in the area were searching for him. “It was a setup. He was trying to get me set up so the group of men would chop me up. At the time I was smoking dope and breaking into people places and I broke into the wrong person place,” Reece said, as he asked the magistrate to take into consideration the sentence he was already serving at Dodds Magistrate Frederick said that could not be done in this case. “Not in this case. Not following the callous manner in which you said it, ‘ I want to plead guilty to bursting de man head’. But you did the right thing,” said Frederick who informed Reece that the sentence would run consecutively to any he is now serving. The accused man explained that his current sentence would be completed in July this year. “Can you make it concurrent sir because Verdun [House] still interested in treating me,” he stated. Frederick, however, explained to him that was not the case and read out a report from the drug rehabilitation centre. It said that citizens of Barbados were afforded two Government-sponsored rehabilitation attempts in any 12-month period and Reece had already had his quota. The report also stated that he had discharged himself from the programme and as such “would not be eligible for Government-sponsored admission until August 27, 2019”. Further, if he was desirous of being interviewed for possible re-entry before that date he would have to pay $16,500 for the 90-day primary stage of the programme. Reece returns to court on April 25. (BT)

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/29/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday 29th January 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

PUZZLING MOVE – Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s recent appointment of former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin as a crime consultant to the current Commissioner Tyrone Griffith has raised a red flag from ex-Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite. Last Friday Mottley told a press conference at Parliament Buildings that Dottin was being brought back to the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) to lend “his skills” to the crime fight. While the Prime Minister did not elaborate, her Attorney General Dale Marshall later explained that Dottin, who was sent on administrative leave during the previous Democratic Labour Party administration’s tenure amid allegations of illegal wiretapping being carried out by the Force, would be advising Griffith on crime matters. Dottin had denied the wiretapping allegations. Two members of the Special Branch had given sworn affidavits to the Police Service Commission that they had carried out the wiretappings under instructions. Those officers have recently been transferred from the Special Branch. “I believe that this will be an opportunity, first to welcome the former commissioner back in the area of lending his skills in helping us deal with the issue. The current commissioner has welcomed him and has welcomed the advice of the former commissioner because he recognizes that many of these issues have presented themselves in Barbados society in the past,” Marshall said on Friday. However, former Attorney General Brathwaite is not buying that. “I find it difficult to support such an appointment. What does it say about the deputy and other Gazetted officers,” Brathwaite told Barbados TODAY this afternoon. He also saw the return of Dottin as having an adverse impact on the morale of the constabulary. “I can only see such an appointment undermining the confidence that the rank and file and the ordinary man in the street have in the [present] commissioner who in my opinion has been doing an excellent job in tackling crime in this country, [while] repairing a fractured police force which he inherited,” Brathwaite warned. This development comes on the heels of a frightening spike in gun violence which is responsible for five of the eight murders so far and a decision by the Prime Minister to relieve Home Affairs Minister Edmund Hinkson of those duties related to law and order and reassign them to AG Marshall. Meanwhile, the former Attorney General has hit back at Government accusations that the police force was starved of resources under his watch, resulting in the present crime situation. “It is not true. Yes, we had certain measures in place that all ministries were impacted. But over the last three years, if my memory serves me correctly, the [then] Minister of Finance made it quite clear, that when it comes to law and order that we would not be compromising this society by [being] forced to cut back within the ministries [the AG’s Office and Barbados Defence Force (BDF)],” he added. He recalled that the former Minister of Finance had told the commissioner during the time of the last Democratic Labour Party Estimates he would get what he requested. “The police were given the resources that they required. They didn’t get everything that they would have liked. No ministry gets everything that they would like. But it is untrue to say that they were starved of resources and that impacted on their ability to solve crime because they were solving crimes all along,” the ex-Attorney General told Barbados TODAY. Brathwaite also conceded that he would have liked to see more police officers on the streets and an increase in community policing. In further defending his stewardship as Minister in charge of the police, he said he had discussed with the commissioner removing officers from doing clerical duties to undertaking actual crime-fighting. “Certainly as Attorney General and certainly as an administration, we didn’t put our hands up in the air and said we could not do anything to arrest the issue of gun violence in this country. We identified what was required,” contended the former legal advisor to the DLP Government. He insisted that his administration did more training for officers during the tenure of the present commissioner than was done in the three years previous. Barbados TODAY reached out to former commissioner Dottin for comment, but he declined to speak at this time. Another former commissioner Grantley Watson said he was not in a position to comment as yet, while his predecessor Orville Durant said he was not touching the issue of Dottin’s appointment. “You are dragging me into the political thing and all of that . . . I don’t want that. I have had enough of that in my life,” declared the ex-top cop. Barbados TODAY also sought to hear from Sir Elliott Belgrave, who, as then Governor General, was called upon by the Police Service Commission (PSC) to sanction its recommendation that Dottin be sent on administrative leave. However, Sir Elliott refused to be drawn into any discussion on the Dottin issue, insisting that he was retired. When contacted, president of the Barbados Police Association (BPA) Mervin Grace made it clear that Dottin’s appointment was not an issue for its members. “He is there to consult to the commissioner of police on the matters in relation to the crime situation, not the other internal running of the force,” Grace said. This would mark the first occasion in modern Barbados’ history that a retired police commissioner has been brought back to serve as a consultant/advisor to a sitting commissioner of police and/or Government. (BT)

UPP WANTS ANSWERS ABOUT EX- COP’S ROLE – The United Progressive Party is demanding Government provides greater details on the consultative function to be performed by former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin. As a matter of fact, head of the UPP Lynette Eastmond says she is puzzled as to what unique services the retired lawman could bring to the table, suggesting that the move could be construed as questioning the competence of current Police Commissioner Tyrone Griffith. She also called on the Prime Minister to state how much, if any, was Dottin’s consultancy going to cost the taxpayers. “I don’t have any idea what former Police Commissioner Dottin’s role is meant to be. I don’t think that was outlined. I have had no reason to believe our current Commissioner of Police [Tyrone Griffith] isn’t up to the task,” said Eastmond During Mottley’s press conference on Friday, Attorney General Dale Marshall provided rationalization for leaning on the expertise of Dottin, noting that the current Commissioner of Police has welcomed the input. “I believe that this will be an opportunity for us to welcome former Commissioner back into the area of lending his skills to helping us to deal with this issue. The current Commissioner has welcomed him and has welcomed the advice of the former Commissioner because we recognize that many of these issues have presented themselves to the Barbadian society in the past,” he explained. Griffith also spoke at the media briefing on Friday but he did not address Dottin’s return Marshall further pointed out that “these kinds of spikes are not unknown to Barbados, but perhaps more importantly [the move to bring in Dottin] is a demonstration of the fact that every single Barbadian, former police officers, have an opportunity and a role to play in dealing with these issues.” However, this morning Eastmond revealed that she was far from satisfied with the Attorney General’s explanation. She pointed out that based on her knowledge as an officer of the court, the police are in desperate need of forensic resources and suggested that area should receive first priority. “The police force itself needs additional resources in terms of their crime detection, gathering of evidence and maintenance of evidence. I don’t know if the former Commissioner is going to bring any of those services. Maybe he is going to do research to see how we could improve the current force, but we need to know what his role is,” said Eastmond, who called on either the Prime Minister or Attorney General to spare the country the guessing game. Eastmond made it clear that she was not impressed with the rest of the Prime Minister’s plan to combat the worrying issue of gun violence. Describing it as a public relations exercise, Eastmond charged that Mottley’s remedy for the gun violence scourge, which has claimed five lives and injured 13 persons, was essentially a mop-up exercise rather than an actual fix. “We do not believe that the measures go far enough to get to the root of the issue, especially as it relates to guns. As a friend once told me, you don’t get a mop and bucket to fix a leak. So, to have additional soldiers to deal with a situation that currently exists does not stop the rot at the core. Having soldiers and police officers walk through communities is just optics, it is PR, we really want to get to the root of the problem,” said Eastmond, who was speaking at a press conference this morning held at the Courtyard Marriot Hotel. The UPP leader contended that the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) was in power for almost a year and therefore had no excuse for coming with a strategy that only scratched the surface of the issue. “We should have received something that was better structured. Any structure that is put in place to deal with this issue has to take into account, not just police officers whose mandate it is to deal with crime when it occurs, but it must also involve personnel who deal with prevention of crime and community issues and early intervention,” she stressed. (BT)

DRAWDOWN – Government has received another US$49 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as representatives from the finance institution prepare to visit Barbados next month to ensure the country is meeting its agreed targets. But having received US$98 million of its US$290 million IMF loan, in addition to US$175 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the authorities stressed Barbados’ “underlying international reserves position . . . remains fragile”. Despite this concern, which partly relates to the unresolved foreign commercial debts issue, the Mia Mottley administration said “the roll-out of the various fiscal reforms contemplated under the Barbados Economic Reform and Transformation (BERT) plan and the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the IMF have been progressing as planned”. That’s what Government outlined in its latest “creditors update” dated January 23, 2019, released ahead of tomorrow’s 2018 economic review and 2019 outlook by the Central Bank. It came as the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department predicted Barbados’ economy would decline by 0.5 per cent this year, with consumer prices forecast to increase by 4.2 per cent. (DN)

PM AND CARICOM MEET WITH UN GENERAL SECRETARY – Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is part of the CARICOM delegation which is meeting today with Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela, and request assistance in resolving the issue. Ms. Mottley has been invited to participate in the meeting by Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr. Timothy Harris, who is also Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis. Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley, and CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, are also part of the discussions. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Jerome Walcott, and Chair of the CARICOM Caucus at the UN, Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson, are also part of the delegation. Several Heads of Government of CARICOM and Foreign Ministers met in a special emergency session last Thursday to discuss the current situation in Venezuela. They agreed that the long-standing political crisis, which has been exacerbated by recent events, could only be resolved peacefully through meaningful dialogue and diplomacy. In this regard, the Heads of Government offered their good offices to facilitate dialogue among all parties to resolve the deepening crisis. The Heads of Government have already called on external forces to refrain from doing anything to destabilize the situation in Venezuela, and called on all actors, internal and external, to avoid actions which would escalate an already explosive situation to the detriment of Venezuelans. (BGIS)

GOVT TO TACKLE CLIMATE CONCERNS – Locating utilities underground has been identified by Government among a list of priorities requiring urgent attention to address climate change and protect communities and the economy from natural disasters. The point was raised by Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment Marsha Caddle, at a round table with senior Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) executives yesterday to identify priority areas on climate change and resilience. “Compared to larger countries, the Caribbean is now seven times more likely to be hit by a natural disaster, with the average estimated damage six times higher,” Caddle said. In addition to highlighting the target of a fossil fuel-free economy by 2030, Caddle noted the importance of supporting the early resumption of essential services, “such as through undergrounding of cables or enabling water to be delivered without the grid”. Upgrading of the island’s network of climate resilient shelters and identifying new approaches for financing and insurance were among matters the minister identified needed urgent action. (DN)

BWA DOING THE DIRTY WORK – The ongoing work on sewage lines running to and from the Graeme Hall sewage treatment plant truly give weight to the saying: “It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it”. From early Saturday morning to yesterday evening, Barbados Water Authority (BWA) workers were on the job, in shifts, repairing a 24-inch gravity line which handles sewage going to the plant, work the men assured would be completed yesterday. Alongside United States-based subcontractors, the workers were replacing the lining of the sewage line from the entrance to the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary in Worthing, Christ Church, to near the old Scotia bank, and flushing the system. The men said there was a lot of criticism being levelled at them but the public failed to understand how difficult the job was. “We work in tight spaces surrounded with faeces. We’ve come across condoms, pampers, towels and even US money. People just don’t know the things that you can find down here. “We work through the elements and what people don’t know is [that] there are a lot of springs which feed into the sewage line as well as seawater, so we sometimes end up in waist-high water,” said supervisor of joining, Sheridan Grosvenor. The senior BWA worker said the job was not for the faint-hearted and assured the men were not slacking. “We do this because we love our jobs. It’s a challenge but my team likes challenges,” he said. As for the next step, the men said it was best to speak to consultant Dr John Mwansa, who once was the BWA general manager. However, efforts to reach Mwansa were futile. (DN)

BWA STILL WORKING ON PUMPS AT APPLEWHAITES – Barbados Water Authority (BWA) crews continue emergency repair work tonight, to replace pumps affected by a power outage at its Applewhaites Pumping Station. Thus far, one pump has successfully been replaced and is working once again. Work is currently underway on the second. Once both of these pumps are back in operation, the BWA will regain fifty per cent of the production from this facility. This will allow more water to be put back into the distribution network which will in turn reduce the number of districts experiencing water outages or low pressure. While residents in some districts may continue to be affected overnight, the BWA remains committed to assisting the remaining affected areas via water tanker while the emergency repair work continues. The Barbados Water Authority sincerely apologises for the inconvenience these outages have caused its valued customers. (DN)

DANGER GONE – The controversial structure which once served as the entrance to the Villages in Coverley, Christ Church, is gone. And while the African Heritage Foundation (AHF), which had lobbied for its removal is pleased it is no longer there, they now want the charges against a mother who was hauled before the courts after her son was killed when her vehicle collided with the structure, dropped. President of the AHF Paul Simba Rock told Barbados TODAY he was glad motorists traversing the Adams section of the ABC Highway no longer had to worry about the dangers of the protrusion, however, he said the organization was still very peeved that Felisha Osula Holder continued to face a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, following the death of her son on June 26, 2015. Almost three years after the accident in which 11-year-old Abijah Holder Phillips lost his life, Felisha Osula Holder was charged with the offence. He said the organization had sent a petition to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution calling for the matter which has now been moved to the High Court to be dismissed. “I am glad it has been removed and that a safer structure has been built so that it is no more a danger to others. But I don’t want people to forget that a young man’s life was lost,” Rock said. “We are still very peeved and bewildered that the only person brought into account for the accident is the mother and not the developer.” Rock said what was especially worrying was that then Opposition Leader Mia Mottley had joined in the call for action to be taken against developer Mark Maloney but since her election as Prime Minister he had not heard her voice on the matter. “Before this accident occurred, based on what the Town and Country Planning Department had said, that structure was illegal and it remained there and a young man lost his life. A mother is now paying for something she should not be,” Rock said. “This is unfair and since winning the election Mark Maloney has not been called into account for what happened.” Meanwhile, president of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA) Charmaine Roland-Bowen is over the moon that Maloney has finally come good on his promise to remove the contentious protrusion. While that area has now been completely blocked off, a roundabout has been constructed to ensure a safe exit and entrance to persons entering the residential area, as well as those traversing that stretch of the highway. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Bowen said she was happy to see alternative arrangements had been made. “That posed a serious threat as there were a number of collisions, including a death which would have happened there. By moving it, it increases the measure of safety for persons using that area of the road. The roundabout is a good move. We believe it is a lot safer and you’re at less risk because it is a safety measure which will allow persons to slow down and it is a good improvement for what has happened there,” Roland-Bowen said. She said the improvements were particularly timely, following the relocation of hundreds of students from the Ross University School of Medicine to Coverley, which meant there would be increased traffic in the area. However, Roland-Bowen said there were still some areas which needed to be upgraded for the safety of motorists. She pointed to stretch of road leading from the Henry Forde roundabout at Newton, Christ Church, that she said needed “some remedial work done”. The BRSA president also called for the government to replace a number of streetlights on the highway which were not functional and posed a serious threat to drivers. (BT)

‘VIOLENT ATTACKS DEEP-ROOTED’ - The National Organization of Women (NOW) is calling on authorities to take a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the bizarre string of violent events which last week claimed the lives of three women in less than 48 hours. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Marsha Hinds, the outspoken public relations officer of the National Organization of Women (NOW), drew a comparison between the country’s onslaught of violence, the economic situation and dysfunctional families. She argued that with the triad of problems all present in Barbados, an increase in violence against women was likely to follow. “It’s not really strange when you understand the trajectory of Barbados’ crime situation and the relationship that I at least think there is between the crime situation and things like unaddressed family situations and of course the economic situation overall. “When you get those three things together, the crime trajectory, the economic situation and the family dysfunction that is still very closely linked, it is not very surprising that women are caught up in the statistics with the respect to death,” she said. Last Monday the body of a woman suspected to be that of Dr Sarah Sutrina, a University of the West Indies lecturer was found near River Bay, St Lucy, and another woman identified only as “Joanne” was discovered within hours at Northumberland, also in St Lucy. Following that incident, 69-year-old Martha Agatha Doyle was killed while at the Vauxhall Senior Citizens home. The deaths make up three of Barbados’ eight murders, which occurred within the first three weeks of 2019. However Hinds, in her analysis said she believed many of the brazen killers are “problematic” individuals, whose inclination to violence was not only directed toward those regarded as their enemies. “So really you’re talking about unaddressed issues that people have and take account for softer crimes. Intimate partner crimes, violence toward children and animals, so in that context I am not at all surprised that women would make up some of the victims because all types of crime are related and those are the kinds of discussions I think that we have to have and the linkages that we have to understand if we are serious about addressing the situation,” she said, adding that, “violence doesn’t only start with a man going out there and murdering another man. The individuals who perpetrate crime are not just problematic when they go out and shoot somebody. They are problematic full stop.” Hinds argued that interventions are needed from a young age before the ‘problematic’ individuals develop into more menacing societal figures. “We see them, for instance, coming through the school system and causing disruption there. Many of them are known to the court before they before they get into these serious crimes,” she said. While acknowledging that she respected the ongoing police investigations and did not wish to cast definite judgments on the cases, Hinds added that “generally the cases point to some of the overarching concerns that we continue to try to educate people about with respect to culture, value of women and the way that we interact with each other in the society. I think that we have to pay attention to that . . . we have to understand the very deep-rooted challenges that really drive the crime situation in Barbados,” she stressed. The issue of violence against women was also raised repeatedly over the weekend at the Miss Big and Beautiful Barbados Pageant. Tonia Husbands, Director of the pageant said in addition to the many challenges facing plus-sized women, the issue of violence is one which women of all backgrounds needed to have addressed. “Violence against women is unacceptable, regardless of whatever the situation. I am so glad that at least one of my contestants highlighted it tonight,” said Husbands. (BT)

MAN TO BE CHARGED WITH THREE MURDERS – Police might have a suspected serial killer on their hands. Barbados TODAY understands that a man is presently in police custody in connection with the brutal killings of at least two females and one male. He is expected to be charged for these murders soon. The man is being held in relation to the deaths of two women whose battered bodies were found in St Lucy within the space of 24 hours last week. One body was discovered at River Bay with significant injuries to her head on January 22, while the body of the other woman was found lying on her back next to an abandoned car in a bushy area at Northumberland on January 21. The suspect is also being questioned in connection with the 2018 murder of 68-year-old Tyrone Austin of Free Hill, St Michael, whose body was discovered in a track near the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, Cave Hill, St Michael on December 18. Austin’s head was also said to have been bashed in. (BT)

FIRE WARNING – For the first 25 days of the year, the Barbados Fire Service has responded to 173 incidents, 134 of which were fires. Of those fires, 105 were grass or rubbish. This has led the fire service to again appeal to Barbadians to stop burning rubbish and find other ways to get rid of it. Speaking on the sidelines of the relaunch of the SAFE programme at the St Ambrose Primary School, Cypress Street, The City, yesterday, fire officer Andrew Taylor, from the Research and Planning Unit, said the fire service was becoming more concerned about the numbers being reported. “We want to encourage persons to desist from indiscriminate burning. Sometimes when our officers go to the scene, some people would say to them that they were trying to get rid of rubbish and the pests. “Between 2015 and 2016, we had three to four houses being damaged due to persons burning rubbish or grass. Only last year, a house was lost in St Lucy due to someone burning rubbish and [it] got out of control,” he said. (DN)

TEEN ACCUSED REMANDED – An 18-year-old accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl has been remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison, Dodds, St Philip and will return to court next month. He is Tristan Nathaniel Leacock, of Flint Hall, Welches, St Michael, who appeared before acting Magistrate Anika Jackson in the District ‘A Magistrates’ Court. He was not required to plead to the indictable charge of having sex between November 1 and 30, last year with the teen. Prosecutor, PC Kenmore Phillips in asking the court not to grant bail, noted the nature and seriousness of the offence. Defence counsel Lennox Miller however spoke of Leacock’s previously clean record, adding that he was not a danger to anyone. (BT)

‘QUIT WHILE YOU CAN’, MAGISTRATE TELLS BOWEN – It was a one-off situation which won’t happen again! So said 27-year-old Shaniko Bowen, of Clarke’s Road My Lord”s Hill, St Michael before Magistrate Graveney Bannister in the Traffic Court as he pleaded guilty to having cannabis and for not wearing a helmet, on January 27, 2019. Bowen said he was running late for work and asked a family member to give him a ride. According to prosecutor, Kevin Forde, when police officers were on patrol on Government Hill, St Michael, they saw Bowen, a pillion rider without a helmet. They stopped him and told him about it. When they searched him, they found 1.77 grams of vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis in the form of two rolled cigarettes in his pants pocket. Bowen said he was sorry. The magistrate told him since he said he didn’t have a drug problem, “Quit while you can and don’t let it go deeper.” He was convicted, reprimanded and discharged. “Don’t let it happen again,” Magistrate Bannister warned him. (BT)

‘DABBLING IN DRUGS’ – A Bridgetown magistrate yesterday warned a young man that he was going down the wrong path, and urged him to “never let greed or success encourage you”. Magistrate Graveney Bannister, presiding in the Traffic Court also told Chad Roosevelt Eljai Chase, “You have to be more responsible. This time you’re getting an opportunity to pull your socks up.” The 23-year-old shopkeeper of 137, 6th Avenue West Terrace, St James, had pleaded guilty to having cannabis on January 27, 2019, as well as various traffic offences including not being the holder of a driver’s licence; not having a driver’s licence; and failing to comply with traffic signs. According to prosecutor, PC Kevin Forde, police officers were on patrol on Tudor Street, Bridgetown, when they saw a motorcar with two male occupants approaching them and one of the occupants was Chase. He said when Chase was searched two quantities of vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis were found. The police officers also found out that Chase had no driver’s licence, no insurance and the registration plates were not affixed correctly on the vehicle. Chase, who was represented by attorney-at-law Harry Husbands admitted that he never had a driver’s licence adding that he had a permit but missed the date last September. His counsel, in urging the court to be lenient, said that Chase, a national footballer, was currently seeking to have that matter regularized. The court also learnt that Chase, a recreational user of the drug, is the holder of seven CXC’s and is a graduate of the Barbados Communiuty College. The magistrate told him “You have a job that can expand to its full potential, why are you dabbling in drugs?” Urging him to watch the company he keeps, the magistrate said,” Don’t put a damper on your life.” Chase apologized to the court saying he was sorry. The magistrate fined the first offender $1,000 for having no insurance or 100 days in jail and convicted, reprimanded and discharged (CRD) him on the other matters. (BT)

HAYNES WARNED TO STAY AWAY FROM STORE – At 59, Karen Ann Haynes admitted to a court that she is a recovering drug addict and is looking for a job. She made the confession when she appeared before Magistrate Graveney Bannister in the Traffic Court and pleaded guilty to stealing powder and eyeliner worth $16 from No. 1 Beauty Supplies, on January 26, 2019. Haynes, of Garden Land, Country Road, St Michael, also admitted that marijuana was her drug of choice, adding “I don’t have a drug problem anymore. I have been off for about a year.” In reprimanding and discharging her, Magistrate Bannister warned: “Stay away from No 1 Beauty Supplies. Do not venture there. Go and find honest work.” (BT)

DEADLINE FOR INTERIM COACH – Richard Pybus will be gone by October. Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave said the interim head coach probably won’t be under consideration for the full-time post after reaffirming the board’s position of hiring someone from within the region. Grave made the comments after CWI received heavy criticism for giving the English-born Pybus his third high-ranking job in just over five years. “At this stage, I don’t think Richard is thinking longer than September. India are coming directly after September, so I believe Richard will be our head coach for the remainder of this tour, the pre-World Cup tour to Ireland, the World Cup and then the visit by India,” said Grave. “After that point, I don’t think he would be considered as head coach. It’s been clear, certainly for me, considering the discussions I’ve been privy to, that he is interim coach until September. “There’s a strong feeling on the board, and I wouldn’t say it’s been formally discussed, but everyone is aware of the fact that West Indies have had real success at that level with a Caribbean coach, but I don’t think that’s a philosophy just for the head coach as there’s a desire to get Caribbean people working in cricket at all levels and not just within the CWI headquarters,” he added. (DN)

LIONS MAUL WARRIORS – Saturday night’s “Big Rematch” T20 cricket clash at the Weymouth Sports Complex turned out to be a mismatch as Starcom Network/Nation Publishing Conquering Lions inflicted a crushing defeat by 66 runs on the Vincy Warriors Caribbean Connection. It was sweet revenge for the defeat suffered when the teams met last October. The Lions’ blitzkrieg was built around electrifying half-centuries from experienced power hitters Alcindo Holder and Dwayne Smith before captain Derick Bishop snapped up three early wickets to disarm the Warriors whose innings never got out of the trenches. Starcom’s programme manager Ronnie Clarke completed the demolition in spectacular fashion, grabbing the last two wickets, both bowled, in three balls. Holder and Smith entertained the bumper crowd of over 5 000 with pugnacious knocks that saw them pummel a combined total of eight fours and ten sixes as the Lions, invited to bat, sprinted to 173 for seven off 20 overs and Warriors hobbled to 107 in 17.3 overs. Summarised scores: Starcom Network/Nation Publishing Conquering Lions 173-7 in 20 overs (Alcindo Holder 59, Dwayne Smith 59, Jamal Smith 20; Gonzalo Hooper 2-15, Devon Dabson 2-39). Vincy Warriors Caribbean Connection 107 17.3 overs (Jamal Yearwood 17, Jamal Harewood 12; Derick Bishop 3-15, Ronnie Clarke 2-6). Conquering Lions won by 66 runs. (DN)

COLERIDGE AND PARRY CLOSED FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK – The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has advised that the Coleridge and Parry School, at Ashton Hall, St Peter, will be closed from tomorrow, Tuesday, January 29. It will remain closed for the rest of the week to allow authorities to address an environmental problem there. The Ministry regrets any inconvenience this closure may cause. (BGIS)

TEACHERS IN HAITI REMAIN OFF THE JOB – Teachers at a secondary school in Haiti have vowed to remain off the job until the authorities make good on the promise to pay outstanding arrears and appoint new teachers dating back to several years. The teachers at the Faustin Soulouque High School, who began their industrial action on January 14, vowed to continue even though students have been staging street demonstration demanding that the teachers return to the classrooms. The teachers are demanding the payment of outstanding salaries for the period 2013-2015, the appointment of teachers to who work in the classrooms and payment for teachers who have not been paid for many months. In addition, they are calling on the authorities to respect the rights of students who have clashed with police during their street demonstrations. The teachers, who held a sit-in at the prosecutor’s office of Petit-Goâve, on Monday, in protest at the threat made by the Commissioner of the Government, Fourjy Pierre, that any teacher who incite students to participate in any form of violence would be arrested. The teachers have also denounced statements and threats as well as the smear campaign they claim being orchestrated by the local authorities. (DN)

BEACHES ANNOUNCES CLOSURE OF FACILITIES IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Sandals Resorts International (SRI)-owned Beaches Resort Villages and Spa has confirmed the “indefinite” closure of its facilities in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) from January 2021. Media reports here had indicated that shut down is linked to a multi-million dollar tax bill which is in dispute, with the TCI government. “Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa will be closed from September 3rd to October15th in 2019 and from September 7th to October 22, 2020, and then for an indefinite period from January 2021,” the resort said in a statement. “Guests travelling between now and January 2021 that are not impacted by these closures will receive the vacation experience that we have become known for. All features and facilities of the resort will be open and operating per usual. “For impacted guests, we are committed to making this as seamless as possible by allowing them to change their travel dates to Beaches Turks & Caicos or travel on their original travel dates to one of our other locations in Jamaica …at no additional cost, including airfare change fees. Guests may also choose to travel to any of our 16 Sandals Resorts,” it added. Media reports said that the government taxes owed by the hotel are in the vicinity of US$60 million and that discussions to settle the matter have been ongoing for some time. In the statement, the resort noted “the upcoming closures of Beaches Turks & Caicos are the result of several critical and long-standing issues which have impacted our operations over the past several years. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers and look forward to welcoming them back soon.” (DN)

BEAMING BEAUTY – Hadiya Marshall is the winner of the 2019 Miss Big and Beautiful competition. The attractive 26-year-old medical doctor won the contest from eight other entrants at the Sea Rocks Dome, Maxwell, Christ Church last night. The contestants were judged in the categories of talent, formal wear, lingerie and casual wear. Marshall performed a dance in the talent segment. Here, she is crowned by last year’s winner Gale Ann Williams. (BT)

MARZVILLE ONLY BAJAN IN SEMIS – For the third consecutive year, Barbadian soca artiste Marzville will be vying for the 2019 Fantastic Friday International Soca Monarch. The Give It To You singer has made it to the semifinals of the extremely competitive soca competition. Known locally for his versatility and sweet and bashment soca hits, Marzville whose real name is Omar McQuilkin, is the only Barbadian contending for the competition. With 2019 marking the return of the power and groovy soca categories, he will be vying for the groovy soca title with his 2018 single Wuk produced by Dj Spider and Sir Fingaz. The song has been well received on the Trinidadian airwaves. He will be going up against 22 semifinalists. Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Marzville said he was excited to make it to the semifinals and wave the Barbadian flag high. “It feels really good because this is another year making it. . . I’m the only Bajan to be in the semifinals out of all the contestants in both competitions. “It means now I have to show that no matter how much numbers are in the competition from Barbados that we are still powerful . . . I have to show the strength of Barbados,” the Gas It Up singer said. “I’m going to put on a good show,” he added He will be departing for the twin-island republic on February 2 for the semi-finals which will be held February 10 at the Arima Velodrome, Arima, Trinidad and Tobago. Fifteen contestants from the semi-finals will compete in the finals on Fantastic Friday, March 1. (BT)

BISHOP MAXWELL ENTHRONED – The final episode in the extended process of appointing a new Bishop was finally concluded with the enthronement of the Right Reverend Michael Bruce St John Maxwell this evening. The 14th Bishop to hold the position, Reverend Maxwell’s enthronement service at the St Michael’s Cathedral, symbolically started with the Bishop standing outside of the door with his Chaplain and knocking three times. “Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord,” he said to Dean of St Michael Cathedral, the Reverend Jeffrey Gibson, who, standing on the inside, unlocked the door after the third knock. The symbolic gesture introduced the large congregation at St Michael’s row to their new Bishop who was welcomed into the fanfare of trumpets. “I, Michael Bruce St John Maxwell, by divine permission Bishop of Barbados, having been duly appointed and confirmed, make my request to you, Very Reverend brother, that I be conducted to the Bishop’s Seat in the Cathedral Church of Barbados, there to be inducted, installed and enthroned according to ancient usage and prescriptive right,” said Maxwell as he offered himself for service. To which Reverend Gibson replied: “Michael, our Right Reverend Father in God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we, the chapter of your cathedral church, together with the people of this diocese, bid you welcome to your cathedral church of St Michael and All Angels.” The symbolic Anglican service continued with a number of prayers, the Reading of the mandate, the examination conducted by the Canons, the Archdeacon and the Dean and finally the oath. During the final step, the new Bishop swore to observe and defend the rights of the church and the diocese. He also promised to lead, “with truth, justice and charity, not lording it over God’s heritage, but in all things endeavoring to show myself a servant and an example to the flock.” The new bishop was then introduced to his ‘flock.’ On Saturday evening, scores of people gathered at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex to witness the ordination of Reverend Michael Bruce St John Maxwell following his appointment last November by the regional House of Bishops. It occurred after elections between with the Dean of the Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels, the Very Rev. Jeffrey Gibson and the rector of St George Parish Church, the Rev. John Rogers ended in a deadlock several times. (BT)

MA CARMEN REACHES 100 – Lilian Carmen Batson, affectionately known as Ma Carmen, celebrated her 100th birthday today with family, friends and the Governor General of Barbados Dame Sandra Mason. The retired labourer, mother to six children – two boys and four girls – is also grandmother to 21, great-grandmother to 17 and great-great-grandmother to four. A former employee of Kendal Plantation in St. John, Ma Carmen was born and bred in that same neighborhood until she moved to Montrose, Christ Church. The matriarch of the Batson family told the media she “worked hard, hard” in her heyday and even at 100 years old she maintains an active lifestyle. There wasn’t a job Ma Carmen wasn’t willing to do. During the day she worked the cane fields and in the late evenings she grew produce to sell on weekends at the Cheapside Market. Her daughter Mavis Batson was overcome with emotion as she recalled how her mother singlehandedly raised and sent all of her children to school. Two of them received vocational training and four proceeded to secondary school and later tertiary-level educational institutions. “My mother was so little and the baskets [for the cane] were so big – she was so strong. Even though she would work seven to seven she would leave and come out, plant canes and in the hard times when there was little field work, she would come out at night and plant cabbage and lettuce so she could take it to the market whenever,” her daughter recalled. Batson, who is her mother’s fifth child, described her mother as “a loving, gentle, caring and giving person”. Overwhelmed as she talked about the sacrifices her mother made for her family, Batson shared that she always prayed that her mother would make it to a century. She revealed that they often cruised and vacationed together. Despite suffering a heart attack, the centenarian continues to be very independent and lively. Batson revealed that her mother remained a devoted member of the Christ Church Parish Church where she was active in the Mothers’ Union and the church army. She instilled in all her children and their offspring the value of pray and belief in God. Her steadfast faith was evident as she erupted in a chorus of Ketch A Fire with the Governor General. “She made sure that we had a good education and we went to church. We didn’t ask if we could go to church, we had to go to church,” Batson emphasized. “On Old Year’s night, she prays from 12 o clock to 6 o clock in the morning . . . all night long.” The centenarian’s eldest grandchild Waveney Rouse said that Ma Carmen was “a praying grandmother”. Rouse pointed out that her grandmother’s teachings and unyielding faith were embedded in her family. “I would always pray to God that she would make 100. I wanted that and I asked God for it,” Rouse stated. (BT)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 336 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/22/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday 22nd January 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

UPP NOT DAUNTED BY DEFECTORS – The United Progressive Party (UPP) may now be left licking its wounds after three of its former candidates left to join the Opposition. However, the relatively young political party said it was not daunted and would continue to “build strong” and represent the interest of Barbadians. In a Facebook post the UPP, which failed to capture a seat in the last election, in which the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) took all 30 seats, said it expected that Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley would form a new political party. It was on Saturday that Atherley announced a team he said would speak on behalf of the Opposition on national issues. He stressed that the announcement was not the launch of a political party, but said that would come in due course. Maria Phillips, Bruce Hennis and Paul Forte, who ran under a UPP ticket in the last election, were part of the 13 members named among the Opposition team. The UPP described the move as an interesting one, stating that its members had the freedom of choice. “As expected, Joseph Atherley is forming a new Party. As you know Atherley contested the election under the BLP and in a surprise move crossed the floor to sit in the Opposition seat. Three of the individuals who appear in the media photograph contested the last election under the UPP banner. To the best of our knowledge and belief they have left the UPP. “The development is an interesting one for those who study politics as Barbados seeks to build a multi-party democracy. The UPP in a statement immediately after the last election gave its candidates the freedom to choose,” it said. The party, which is led by attorney-at-law Lynette Eastmond, said it would continue to build strong and continue to represent the interests of all Barbadians. “It is clear that there is a certain amount of discontent among Barbadians as they are not seeing the transparency and access which they were promised during the last election. “The UPP has made it its business to keep its channels of communication open with all parties and will continue to do so in the interest of Barbados,” the UPP added. Atherley, who was elected to the House of Assembly on a BLP ticket, formed a one-man Opposition mere days after the May 24 general election. He had named two Opposition Senators – Crystal Drakes and Caswell Franklyn, who were also named as spokespersons for the Opposition on issues of national importance. He said three more people would be added to that group of senators at a later date. His Opposition group also consists of former Solutions Barbados candidates Scott Weatherhead, Alan Springer, Irvin Belgrave, Rev John Carter and Paul Gibson. There are also Sylvan Greenidge from the Barbados Integrity Movement and lecturer Dr. Philip Corbin and Akil Daley. “This is, for me as Leader of the Opposition, a proud moment. I believe it is for our country a historic moment,” Atherley said on Saturday. (BT)

GUNS SEIZED – Less than 24 hours after Attorney General Dale Marshall announced measures to fight rising gun crime, police seized three guns and an undisclosed amount of ammunition from an illegal fete in Montrose, Christ Church. The NATION was reliably informed the operation took place in the very early hours of Sunday morning. In addition to the three revolvers and ammunition, knives and scissors were also seized and several men were detained for questioning in connection with the discovery of illegal drugs. When a NATION news team visited the area yesterday, residents said they were unaware of the incident. Stepped-up police patrols have become very visible since the upsurge in gun-related activity. (DN)

BODY FOUND AT VAUXHALL SENIOR CITIZENS VILLAGE – Police are on the scene of another unnatural death. Initial reports indicate a woman was killed tonight at the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village, Vauxhall, Christ Church. (DN)

UPDATE: POLICE INVESTIGATE HOMICIDE AT SENIOR CITIZENS HOME – Police have taken a man into custody for questioning as they commence investigations into the death of an elderly woman at a senior citizens home in Vauxhall, Christ Church. Police were called to the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Home just after 6 p.m. on Monday January 21 for reports that one of the residents there had been injured. Acting Senior Superintendent of Police at the Southern Division Bruce Rowe said on arrival, officers found the body of an elderly woman who had died of suspected stab wounds. “There is a person in custody assisting us with the investigation but we will not disclose any names at this time because of the fact that we have to notify family members,” Rowe said. The superintendent confirmed that the man in custody was also a resident at the home. (BT)

BODY FOUND AT RIVER BAY – Around 5:40 p.m this evening police responded to River Bay St Lucy, where they discovered the body of an adult female. Investigations are continuing. (DN)

POLICE CONSTABLE PASSES AWAY – On Sunday, 20 January about 8:40pm, police at Crab Hill, viewed the body of police constable Donette Cadogan, 41 years of Apartment #1, Josey Hill, St. Lucy. She reportedly complained to a sibling of feeling unwell and subsequently collapsed and died. (DN)

TEEN MISSING AT ‘HOT POT’ – What began as a boys’ night out for three friends, turned into a night of tragedy. Teenager Lindy London, of Cottage Crescent, St George, is now missing after a trip to the popular “Hot Pot” area of the Brighton Beach in St Michael. The 18-year-old met up with his two buddies for a planned lime after his church’s evening service. The three friends, including St Auburn Blunt, of Hothersal Turning, St Michael, were enjoying the beach outing when London encountered difficulty with strong currents. He was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday and members of the Coast Guard and Marine Unit have been searching for him since then. On Sunday as the search was underway, Blunt returned to the beach around 9 a.m. hoping for an outcome that would bring him closure before he left after 5 p.m. (DN)

PETERS SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES – Barbados recorded its first road fatality. 24-year-old Mario Peters succumbed to his injuries around 11 p.m. last night. Peters, was on his way home and was involved in an accident with a ZM van in front Harbour Lights on Bay Street on January 4. He leaves to mourn his three-year-old daughter, his parents and his four siblings. (DN)

FAMILY MOURNS FOR MARIO PETERS – Gail Peters is trying to be strong for her family. But being strong is difficult after losing your 24-year-old son. In Bayville, St Michael, at the family home of the late Mario Peters, scores of family members and close friends gathered to lend support to his grieving parents, Junior and Gail Peters, who were forced to watch as their son’s life changed in a matter of seconds. “It is not an easy thing for the family,” said the deceased man’s mother, who told Barbados TODAY, “This is the first incident like this that has ever occurred in the family and we are really trying to support one another . . .” Mario’s head was severely injured when his motorcycle collided with a taxi on January 3 just outside the Harbour Lights Night Club while he and a friend were riding along Bay Street. He was knocked unconscious but remained alive and unresponsive for the next 16 days, until he quietly passed away just after 11a.m. on Sunday following days of treatment in the surgical Intensive Care Unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). “We are all trying to cope with this very tragic news. It’s not a situation like he was ill and passed away. It was sudden death,” said his mother, who throughout the interview remained very composed. The grieving woman however admitted that the days following the accident had been very “traumatic” for the family, “even watching him in the condition that he was in from then,” she said. The “loving” man, a former student of Arthur Smith Primary and St Leonard’s Boys would battle for his life for more than two weeks as family and friends hoped and prayed that he would emerge from his comatose state. Although he did not, his mother told Barbados TODAY that while her son’s death was unexpected, it happened while doing what he loved. “His love was a motorcycle. At the time [of the accident] he was riding what they described as a Honda 80, a small motorcycle. But he always had a love for motorcycles,” she said. In fact, she revealed that Mario, “who could ride a bicycle, from before he could walk properly,” had proven himself a very adventurous person from a young age. “From as young as I can remember, Mario was always a person who was into activities. He always had a bicycle and by age five or six he was a member of DC Wheelers [a biker group based in the Pine, St Michael,” she said. Mario, who worked at his father’s electrical business, was said to have been very good with his hands and “could pick down and put up things very easily.” The 24-year-old father was described as having “a very strong but a loving personality,” especially for his family and his daughter, three-year-old Kamaria Peters. “He loved his daughter and I know his greatest wish would be for us to take total care of his daughter until she reaches adulthood and we are going to make sure of that,” his mother promised. Mario also leaves to mourn his three brothers – Dale, Denny, and Theo Peters along with his sister, Christiana Peters. (BT)

INFRARED THE COOL WINNER – The Caribbean’s most celebrated female trainer Liz Deane dominated the Coolmore Home Of Champions Raceday yesterday at the Garrison Savannah by delivering three winners. In the process, Deane etched her name in the history books as Sir David Seale’s Brigadier Wood gave herwin No. 600 in a stellar career. However, that feat would play second fiddle to the results of the 20th running of the Coolmore Home Of Champions Stakes And Trophy won by Infrared. The Raizman brothers’ horse, six-year-old Infrared, under jockey Jalon Samuel, brought much-needed joy to the hearts of his supporters as he easily cantered home. Ceroc and Voldemort went to the lead leaving the 1 800 metres starting point as Infrared gradually got into gear. He easily gained control midway down the homestretch first time around and opened a gap on Ceroc and Voldermort. (DN)

PACKED OVAL – There will be bumper crowds at Kensington Oval for this week’s opening Test between West Indies and England. That’s because few tickets are left for the first three days. Barbados Cricket Association president Conde Riley said tomorrow’s opening day had already been sold out. “The demand for tickets is huge. I spoke to Cricket West Indies commercial manager Dominic Warne, who confirmed that the first day has been sold out. I can tell you that the second and third days are 90 per cent sold. I am really happy with the enthusiasm surrounding this Test match. “As you know the last Test between the two teams at Kensington, we won in three days so I am cautiously optimistic we can do well,” he said. Riley says there are thousands of British visitors here for what will be the 54th Test match at the world famous ground. (DN)

‘WI CAN DO IT’ – Defeating the third-ranked cricketing nation would be a feather in West Indies’ cap. That was the view of both Shai Hope and Kemar Roach during a media briefing ahead of tomorrow’s opening Test against Englandat Kensington Oval. Speaking at the Oval yesterday, Hope said he was aware they were viewed as having little chance of winning but were capable of doing so as long as they made the effort. “We know that we are so-called underdogs but if we play our cricket we are going to beat these guys. It’s about using my experience and trying to put my best foot forward. “I think coming off of that loss weeks before and knowing the series was at stake and what they were saying about us, we just motivated ourselves and used that as a big motivator to put up a big performance,” he said. Hope, who made his debut in Barbados back in 2015, was eager to play in front of his home crowd, including family and friends with a personal goal to make as many runs as possible to ensure the team is in a good position. (DN)

TRAIN ATTRACTION LAUNCHED – Barbados’ first train pulled out of the St Nicholas Abbey station after the last train blew its whistle 81 years ago. Approximately 100 tourists and visitors filled the three covered open air cabs earlier this morning on board the Badger, a diesel operated locomotive. Following the hour-long trip, many of the patrons said they were thrilled with the attraction and hoped to return when the steam engine will be added to the train next month. (DN)

CENTENARIAN: DROP THE GUNS - Barbados’ newest centenarian, Tabitha Maynard, is pleading with the youth to put down the guns. While celebrating her milestone yesterday at the Ebenezer Pentecostal Church in Airy Cot, St Thomas, the birthday girl made an impassioned plea for an end to the recent rise in gun violence. “I beg them to stop the shooting, put down the guns and stop the stabbing up [of] each other and turn to the Lord. It’s not worth it. Learn to live in love,” she implored. Maynard, who offered up much praise and thanks to the Lord for allowing her to reach 100 years, said Jesus was the secret to her long life. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 343 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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nakeddeparture · 6 years ago

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Is Scotiabank, Barbados, a Criminal Organization, or is it just Business as Usual?

BARBADOS (Naked Departure) -- SCOTIABANK -- Some years ago, I reported about a fraud transaction perpetrated on Scotiabank by Mark B.A. Thompson (member of the Rotary Club of Barbados West), wherein he forged the signature of a payee and cashed a $5,000.00 check at Scotiabank. The Payee was not an account holder at Scotiabank. Mark B.A. Thompson was never prosecuted and the bank never settled the matter of fraud against the payee! Other reports coming out of Barbados have warned against banking or doing business with Scotiabank.

Now, while selling off default mortgages to a (foreign) debt collector can be seen as doing good business (nothing personal), one still needs to keep a keen eye on Scotiabank as its dark, underhanded practices are becoming clear! Naked Departure

Kammie Holder wrote (January 9, 2019):

30 cents on dollar is what Scotia Bank has sold its mortgages at to a Mexican company oh what a #FireSale. I hearing about so many of #ScotiaBankBarbados clients about to loose their homes. Some of these distraught clients have reported the Bank's hard stance to collect arrears and their inability to the show empathy or negotiate an amicable resolution. Why encourage a client to borrow up to his or her limit according to their Debt Service Ratio then cut them off when they fall on hard times? Avinash Persaud Philip F. Corbin Grenville Phillips Neval Greenidge David King I know 3 persons who contacted me who are in a predicament and I am wondering if this is a Barbados Sub Prime Fiasco.

My advocacy unfortunately is for environmental justice and I cannot lead every fight. Roy Hurley Douglas Trotman Lynette Eastmond Laticia Bourne Frederick Alleyne#NoEmpathyFromScotiaBank In one case a person with a mortgage of some $300,000 was given an additional attractive line of credit of an additional $100,000. Persons mortgage is current but Line Of Credit is behind thus bank has made a move to sell $300,000 house to recover the Line Of Credit. What will this customer be left with in this buyers market? #BarbadosForeclosures on the increase. By: Kammie Holder

https://barbadostoday.bb/2018/05/21/bajan-mortgages-gone-to-mexico/?fbclid=IwAR0MWjvTfs_ZAiQ9IXiNJ6cBfxCy9Kn7gm_q_fuLWEjmWK7owoxyf19XM00

#mark b.a. thompson #scotiabank #fraud #mortgage sale #default mortgage

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thechasefiles · 6 years ago

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/23/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday 23RD January 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

DLP, UPP BEMOAN COUNTRY’S DIRECTION – As Barbadians are called on by the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to reflect on the life of Errol Barrow, the United Progressive Party (UPP) is arguing that Barbados is currently in a “mid-life crisis”. In a short Errol Barrow Day message yesterday, president of the DLP Verla De Peiza called on Barbadians to reflect and apply the lessons of Barrow’s life “to ensure that what we are doing at this moment can impact just as significantly on the generations to come”. She also called on citizens to come up with ideas that could be shared to improve in the development of the country. “What we recognize though is that each one of us as a people and as a country, has a responsibility to this country. What can we do to make ourselves better as a collective? That will be the focus of what we wish to reflect on as we work through this week as we take our initiatives forward and bring them to the country,” said De Peiza. However, in a letter to the ‘Father of Independence’, the UPP recalled his achievements including the implementation of free education, a national insurance and social security scheme, school meals, improvements in the health sector and his contribution to the island’s independence. At the same time, the UPP, in its Facebook post, recalled that the DLP had lost every seat in the May 24 general election, as it questioned the direction in which the country was currently heading. “With democracy so active you would believe that Barbados is heading into a future based on the foundation of education, pride and industry. Unfortunately, the story of modern Barbados has veered sharply away from your vision,” the UPP said in its letter to “the Dipper”. “We are witnessing a culture which doesn’t value education and its potential benefits and the squandering of this opportunity by many who have achieved accreditation. The severe lack of critical thinking in the management of the country’s affairs at all levels has led to a downward trend in the rating and recognition of Barbados as a leader amongst developing nations. This seems to be as a direct result of greed and a lack of understanding of the principles established by the founding fathers,” the UPP said. The party, which is led by Lynette Eastmond, a former Barbados Labour Party government minister, said despite the abolition of slavery and colonialism “at the legislative and societal levels”, it was still evident “at the psychological level”, even among our educated elected leaders. The political party said it was evident that there was no intention by authorities to empower Barbadians through economic enfranchisement. “Every election cycle sees a return and deepening of the relationship between parties and the class of wealthy whose contribution to national development must equate with contractual expectations. In the meantime, many of our people celebrate only in political tribalism and fleeting handouts. “Furthermore, the foundation of our economy has been eroded to the point where the new norm is the celebration of the acquisition of foreign loans, disbursement of crown lands at an undervalue and the arrival of new garbage trucks. This economic enslavement keeps our nation in the doldrums of development and demonstrates the lack of visionary leadership once associated with regional leaders such as yourself. We are currently at 50 plus years of independence in a mid-life crisis as our national leadership has been contaminated by the influences of Neo-colonialism and blinded by post-independence partisan agendas,” the UPP added. The UPP said in its letter to Barrow that Barbadians were more about politics than transparent good governance, adding that this defied the legacy he tried to create for the country. “We must find the motivation to correct this downslide but with so many bought into the false narrative we fear for the future,” it said. “We in the United Progressive Party believe that you would be pleased at the development of a party which sees true empowerment as the next big step in our democracy. Our leaders have a vision which is consistent with yours,” it added. Former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Member of Parliament and representative for Christ Church West, Dr. Maria Agard, who is now a member of the UPP, commented on the Facebook post, saying Barbadians have lost the notion of the “big idea, having been conditioned and bullied into celebrating mediocrity”. “We now clap for shady governance once it has been packaged in the right PR narrative, seemingly unable to separate the sleight of hand from the outcomes. We must strive for progress where morality and ethics are fundamental planks of that progress,” said Agard. “As for the Dipper’s vision. He must be weeping into his ashes to see that the free universal education that he fought for has been used to enrich a select few as we sell our brilliance, our skills, our services cheaply to moguls as their employees, while scorning the indigenous entrepreneurs who struggle to forge a legacy of wealth independent of the trappings of the plantation,” she added. (BT)

PARTY SEEKING MONETARY BENEFITS – One of Barbados’ leading political scientists believes the new political party which is soon to be introduced is being assembled for purely financial gain. Head of the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) Peter Wickham has thrown cold water on the possibility of Opposition Leader Reverend Joseph Atherley forming a “legitimate” political party. On Saturday at a press conference, Atherley, a former member of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) introduced a team of 14 persons, whom he said would speak on behalf of the Opposition on national issues. And while he indicated that it was not the launch of a political party, he said that would occur in due course. However, Wickham told Barbados TODAY he believed the party was only being formed to get the quarter million dollar subvention granted to political parties by government. “I’m not impressed. It sounds to me like a party that is formed in pursuit of a cause, the cause of course being the fact that they can benefit from the $250 000 set aside for political parties. Frankly, I’m not understanding the philosophical relationship between the individual parties. It seems like a group that was just drawn together on the basis of convenience,” Wickham said. “You have people for example like the senator, the economist, who has indicated that she is not political, but notwithstanding she is now a senator in a political party. “I’ve never heard Caswell Franklyn speak of his political allegiance to any central philosophy that resolves around Reverend Atherley. And then we look at Reverend Atherley himself, who was a sworn member of the BLP up until a few months ago, who said he was leaving that party even though he identifies with a lot of the principles. “An individual who won his seat largely on the coattails of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, having previously lost it on two occasions. It doesn’t appear as though the party has any legitimacy quite frankly, and I don’t know that if it were to face the polls it would receive any attention.” Wickham said the manner in which the party was formed was questionable adding that he did not get the feeling that it was being established to serve the public’s interest. “It just seems to be a party cobbled together in support of a financial cause. I wait to be persuaded that it is different, certainly if it is different I would be pleased, but quite frankly I’m not seeing anything in it that tells me this is a genuine, legitimate, political organisation that has been formed to pursue a cause that is central to a philosophy that is expressive like the BLP or the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). I’m not seeing it,” Wickham maintained. He, however, said he believed those persons selected to speak would be given an ear by the media, similarly to members of Solution Barbados and the UPP [United Progressive Party]. While Wickham said he would love for Atherley to call a by-election to see if his constituents in St Michael West would return him to office on a different seat, he said it was not expected. “I would love if he did, but I know he’s not going to. Reverend Atherley is no fool and he understands that if he goes back to the polls he would be obliterated because he knows his own weaknesses and vulnerability so he won’t do that. “But I think on principle it would be a good thing for him to do, because if he did that it would clarify any misconceptions that persons like myself would have…but in the meantime, we are left to wonder about his legitimacy,” Wickham said. (BT)

‘JUST ANOTHER GROUP OF BEES’ – “A grouping of disgruntled former Barbados Labour Party (BLP) members.” This is how the president of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Verla De Peiza, has described Opposition Leader Joseph Atherley’s recently-named shadow cabinet. At face value, Atherley’s Opposition group appears to be a melting pot of candidates from several parties who contested the general elections last May. However, De Peiza charged that upon closer inspection she realised that many of the persons chosen were affiliated at some stage with the ruling BLP administration. “Perusing the names, I see exclusively disgruntled past members of the Barbados Labour Party. None of those persons are in line with the ideals that our party stands for,” said De Peiza, accounting for the fact that apart from the DLP, the new political group was able to attract defectors from most the parties that contested the last election. Among the political parties represented are Solutions Barbados and the United Progressive Party (UPP) and the Barbados Integrity Movement. The DLP president told Barbados TODAY that her party was on the verge of launching its own shadow Cabinet. She explained that this new group would consist of persons who have expressed an interest in representing the party, which failed to retain a single seat when it was ousted from power by the BLP. “We have not named any candidates, so we definitely cannot say that this group will be future candidates. Right now, we have a mixture of persons who have indicated their interest . . . and there are several more besides them and we are presently going through our process but with regards to the shadow group, that is going to be announced very soon,” she said. It was on Saturday that Atherley announced a team he said would speak on behalf of the Opposition on national issues. His two Opposition Senators, Crystal Drakes and Caswell Franklyn, are to be spokespersons for the Opposition on issues of national importance. He said three more people would be added to that group of senators at a later date. The Opposition group also consists of former Solutions Barbados candidates Scott Weatherhead, Alan Springer, Irvin Belgrave, Rev. John Carter and Paul Gibson. Sylvan Greenidge from the BIM, lecturer Dr Philip Corbin as well as Akil Daley, have also answered Atherley’s call. “This is, for me as Leader of the Opposition, a proud moment. I believe it is for our country a historic moment,” Atherley said on Saturday. However, De Peiza made it clear that she has no intention to be dismissive of the new political grouping and she was adopting a wait-and-see approach before making any judgment on their relevance. “We will never be dismissive of anyone’s attempts to represent the country, but I believe that time will speak to their effectiveness. We have to see what their plans are and how they treat to the issues facing the country,” she said. The former DLP senator also did not rule out the possibility of collaborative efforts between the DLP shadow Cabinet and the Opposition group, providing that their concerns and objectives overlap. “We will work with whomsoever meets our own philosophical objectives. At the end of the day it comes down to doing what is best for the country,” she explained. (BT)

WEST COAST WARNING – The mess that took place on the south coast cannot be allowed to float to Barbados’ platinum coast. According to Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Kerrie Symmonds, the sewage crisis that severely affected the south coast would wreak havoc on Barbados’ bread and butter if it touches the west coast where the island’s upscale properties are located. Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Department of Emergency Management St James Central Emergency Organization, held at Queen’s College School Hall, Sunday evening, Symmonds said that Government sees the south coast crisis as a disaster. He said the crisis which affected the coast for three years resulted in Barbados’ major source markets issuing public health advisories to their citizens. Pointing out that Barbados was experiencing financial difficulties, Symmonds said the country has had to rescue itself from the mess created by the south coast sewage disaster. “The country also now had to turn its attention to Bridgetown because the Bridgetown situation was borderline, about to become as bad as the south coast. And the fact of the matter is that while you have wrestled those two we have to turn our attention eventually to the west coast and begin from scratch. It is the platinum coast because that is where the most expensive part of the tourism product is found. “The properties that at this time of the year are being rented at the start at $2,000 United States dollars per night, at the lowest level and at the highest level can run into $30,000 or $40,000 United States dollars. But if you destroy that coast, then I need not tell you that you destroy the economy of Barbados,” he warned. Symmonds also indicated that the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration intended to have all future Government bonds include a natural disaster clause. He said such a necessary move would allow the state to put a two-year pause on the payment of interests and principal on those bonds, that gives Government the elbow room to finance rebuilding processes without having to incur debt to do so. Symmonds explained that the clause would help Barbados which is already in a precarious and dangerous position of being the third most indebted country in the world, to be able to carry another generation of Barbadians forward, even if there was a national tragedy. “In the event of a disaster taking place, for example, and heaven forbid, that Barbados was confronted with the tragedy that confronted Dominica, or the tragedy that confronted Barbuda, those kinds of tragedies would confront a Government with the requirement, to have to finance the rebuilding process by incurring debt. Remember, Government must continue. “So when that tragedy happens and you lose 80 or 90 percent of your housing stock, Government can’t just sit down and do nothing. You have to go into the international market and you have to borrow money. And where it is still possible in the domestic economy, you’ve got to borrow more money, so you go to entities that still exist, even if only in law, like the National Insurance Scheme, to put yourself in a position to do the rebuilding,” he said. Noting that the matter of ensuring Barbados is physically and financially ready to deal with the aftermath of a national disaster had not escaped Cabinet’s attention, Minister Symmonds said that even though the public’s purse does not have sufficient funds to correct it all at once, the time has come where the country must recognize that fundamental parts of the island’s utilities infrastructure needed to be repositioned. “For example, the overhead wires which are used by the Barbados Light & Power (BL&P), which are used by the telephone company, we have to be very aware of the impact of a major hurricane on that infrastructure. “I go back to the point of departure. We are not in a financial position now to do it all at once. But as we go forward, part of the corrective process, and certainly the thinking of the Government is that we must now use the opportunity where it arises, when it arises within reason, because it is a heavy financial commitment, to begin to place some of that overhead infrastructure underground,” he said. Symmonds said that whenever a hurricane affects a country, as was clearly seen when major hurricanes devastated several Caribbean territories in 2017, power lines fall and meet flooded waters, putting residents at major safety risk. “The telephone pole has fallen and the wires are on the ground, people do not know what is in a four-foot or three-foot flood zone of water so they walk through the water because they don’t know that there is livewire underneath there and then they get shocked and electrocuted. This has happened time after time across this region, and part of what we must do in terms of preparing ourselves in terms of disaster management, is to fix that situation,” Symmonds said. (BT)

CAHILL ISSUE NOT DEAD – The ghost of the controversial Cahill waste to energy project has apparently returned to haunt the new Mia Mottley Government. This morning Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, expressed surprise that legal issues surrounding the $700 million plasma gasification project, which was dumped by the then Freundel Stuart administration, has resurfaced three years later. “There has been some communication to Government from some new entity representing that agency. I can’t say if it is a lawsuit but it appears there is some element of Cahill in the business and politics of Barbados. The presence of Cahill and its agents is still very much here,” lamented Prescod. It was last Tuesday that Prime Minister Mottley revealed in Parliament that Government received legal correspondence from a successor entity, seeking to assert legal rights in the abandoned project. “Yesterday I received a letter from the successor entity to Cahill seeking to claim legal rights against the Government of Barbados,” Mottley said charging these were “contracts signed under the cover of night before the Cabinet of Barbados got to see them”. This morning Prescod opted not to go into detail about the nature of the redress being sought nor any possible financial exposure to the taxpayers of Barbados. While in Opposition the BLP had demanded clarity on the details of the agreement between Government and the Guernsey-based Cahill Energy in March 2014, which resulted in a huge outcry from the public. According to then Minister of the Environment, Denis Lowe, the decision to halt the multimillion-dollar project, which was to be based at Vaucluse, St Thomas, had taken into consideration events in London and other places, which had revealed that waste-to-energy operations and plasma gasification projects had shown up significant flaws. “So I assure the public today the Government ain’t going nowhere with that option. It can’t do it, not after the fact that so many Barbadians made their voices heard and told their Government ‘be cautious, hold back on this thing’. We don’t understand it enough. There are other options we can explore. The Government of Barbados would have to be absolutely collectively mad to move ahead on an option where there is global evidence that there are flaws with the technology,” Lowe said back then. Minister of Energy Wilfred Abrahams, who was an Opposition Senator at the time and a lawyer for groups opposed to the construction of the waste-to-energy plant, cautioned that Government would have to fork out a “substantial sum” in penalties for breaching its agreement with the Guernsey-based energy firm. He claimed back then that there was a “done deal” in place, which called for Government to provide all of the garbage needed for plasma gasification. Abrahams also said Government had ensured that the necessary legislation had been passed in both Houses of Parliament for the acquisition of lands at Vaucluse, St Thomas for the project, for which he contended the country could not meet the garbage requirement and would, therefore, have had to import waste. “The minister needs to say what is the Government of Barbados’ exposure, and as a consequence, yours and my exposure as taxpayers, for breaching this Cahill contract,” Abrahams argued. He had charged that the Stuart administration had previously denied entering into the agreement with Cahill and only admitted to it when they eventually announced that the project was dead. “They [Government] went recklessly, irresponsibly, selfishly, under the cover of darkness and entered an agreement that they refused to accept, up to the time the minister said they were no longer going ahead with it,” argued Abrahams. (BT)

FOCUS ON DOING BUSINESS BETTER – Government is on a mission to improve this country’s ranking on the Doing Business record in an effort to attract more investment. Word of this has come from Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment Marsha Caddle, who announced today that a Doing Business subcommittee is to be established in that regard. Addressing the first Planning and Development Bill stakeholder review for 2019 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Caddle said once approved by Cabinet, this subcommittee would work closely with a Competitiveness Council to ensure Barbados climbed the Doing Business ranks and measure up more favourably among the best. “This is not to have general discussions about productivity and ideological and philosophical discussions about competitiveness . . . but these committees are to get to the business of improving the doing business rankings, not just so they look good on paper, even though that is important to help drive investment to the country, but improving these indicators so that Barbados works for Barbadians and those who want to come and live and work here,” said Caddle. “So we have made a commitment to get to the root and the heart and nuts and bolts of what is impeding business and investment in the country,” she said. Caddle said she was not satisfied with how Barbados measured up against its Caribbean neighbours in the latest Ease of Doing Business Report. Barbados was ranked 129th out of 190 countries in the 2018 Ease of Doing Business Report, a slight improvement over the 132nd position in 2017. “We looked across the indicators that were measured . . . and in the rankings, dealing with construction permits for Barbados, it is ranked 154, so it is the second worse after Haiti. Now my colleagues from Town and Planning will say it is question of how the data is collected, how it is compiled and that may be so. “That is one of the reasons we are establishing a Doing Business subcommittee of Cabinet. Once approved, that will be supported by a competitiveness council, which is a smaller subcommittee of our private sector and trade union colleagues and other parties that will make up that committee,” she said. Caddle said the review and reform of the Town & Planning legislation formed a major part of that plan which is tied to the overall Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, which she insisted was more than just fiscal adjustment. “It is, at its base, about transformation. And we cannot adjust our way out of this crisis that has been a longstanding one in this country, we have to grow and transform our way out. So what it means is that the powers of government are not simply tax and spend, we have to use all the powers of government as legislator to bring about the kind of growth that we want to see,” she said. Also high on the agenda for the first half of this year, she added, was the establishment of a corporate registry to better facilitate individuals and companies that wish to live and invest in Barbados. Caddle also revealed that Prime Minister Mia Mottley would soon be giving details about planned developments for the island’s southwest corridor – from Oistins in Christ Church to Fitts Village in St James. The details could come as early as Friday. She said Government has identified some areas including buildings and properties that “something must be done about”. “This is not just about the action that government takes, it is also about how we can develop public/private partnerships and encourage the kind of investment that is needed in particular in the City,” said Caddle, adding that plans were in the pipeline to make Bridgetown into a “work and residential centre” again. Last month Mottley announced that her plans for the miles of prime real estate, at least from the Savannah Beach Hotel to the former Four Seasons development would include the construction of about a dozen new hotels. (BT)

MINISTER URGES BUSINESS OWNERS TO APPLY FOR LOAN – Government’s election promise to assist hundreds of fledging business owners with trust loans, has resulted in success for some, but has also highlighted the tremendous difficulties faced by others struggling to make a profit in tough economic times. Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland revealed that government has so far disbursed $1.6 million to almost 400 small business owners across the country, since the end of October when the program was launched. While visiting five of the successful recipients on Tuesday, Minister Sutherland said another 800 applicants had not yet received money from the fund, but promised that the initiative was far from finished. “Annually we will be putting in $10 million so we know we are nowhere close to our threshold as yet, but we are getting there. It was a successful launch,” said Sutherland, who added that Tuesday’s visit was intended to send a strong signal to the country’s entrepreneurs. “This government is indeed very serious about building out the capacity and the role they play in terms of adding to our Gross Domestic Product… and also to make sure that we don’t only provide the seed capital, but that we put the necessary infrastructure in place to make these businesses successful,” he said. David Harewood, a vendor at the Constitution River Terminal and owner of Liz Catering has been lauded as a success story, after he managed to fully repay the $5000 trust loan given to him last November, while turning a profit. With the money, Harewood invested in a new, health food product and invested the remainder in his pastries. While showering praise on government for its new program, he encouraged “serious” entrepreneurs to get involved. “You have to be serious about what you are doing,” said the longtime vendor. Harewood said he was finalizing plans to get another $5000 trust loan from government to assist in the further expansion of his business. “I plan to get a little warehouse and do the same thing, but my products will be different, my products will be way different,” said the determined businessman. At Victoria Street in the heart of Bridgetown, Naquita Alexander, owner of clothing store La Flam’s, revealed that she was very impressed with the simple process for acquiring the trust loan. She said the loan came in the nick of time and she was able to acquire new stock for the Hennessy Artistry show. Since then however, she said business had been extremely slow, while adding that much of the stock, which was bought with the money from the loan, is yet to be sold off. Naquita further stressed that journey as a small business owner has not been easy and often required tremendous sacrifice. “Coming to work from nine to five and getting no sales. That was really hard, especially when you have to pay the bills at the end of the month and everything keeps piling up because you’re trying to hold on to the business. I’ve been doing this for 11 years,” she said, while adding that, “going to work for someone else would not be an option, because you create debt when you have a business and the pay [as an employee] would not be substantial to pay off your debt.” Minister Sutherland added that in addition to seed capital, many entrepreneurs needed training on how to get the most out of their investments. He added that the much-needed assistance would come from the Financial Literacy Bureau as soon as Friday in the form of a workshop. “It’s not just financial training but also marketing and customer service. We find one of the challenges in this country relates to customer service and we believe if you get repeat customers, it augurs well for your business.” The minister added that the majority of applications for trust loans were coming from stakeholders in services, apparel, agriculture and sporting sectors, but called on members of other key industries to come forward as well. “We would like to see those people in the renewable energy sector and the creative economy. Those are the ones that we will be pushing to come on board, because we need to build out the cultural industries as well,” he said. (BT)

WE WILL FIND YOU – Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland has issued a warning to small business owners who have received government’s trust loans, but have no intention of repaying, that government will find them. During his visit to some beneficiaries of the loan today, Sutherland revealed that he was already recognizing a trend where some recipients have shown an unwillingness to repay the up to $5000 loans and who, since receiving the loan could not be found. The loan scheme was launched last October. “There are some people who are in the minority that we are having challenges with in terms of finding them,” he said, while also stressing that such persons were in the minority and “at least 99 per cent” of the persons who would have accessed the loan have repaid. Nevertheless, Sutherland warned that the worrying trend needed to be stamped out. “We [government] have ways and means of recovering our money and I as the minister and indeed the trust fund unit manager will put the necessary systems in place to ensure that we recover the money. “We trust you and we want you to trust yourself . . . the persons who would have accessed the loan and would have benefited in terms of enhancing their business, we want you to do the right thing and repay the loan,” he said. Sutherland acknowledged that in light of the “challenging times”, some business owners may encounter difficulty repaying, but cautioned against dodging government’s loan officers. “At least call the trust loan officer, manager or whoever and say to them ‘we cannot pay this month or I can only pay a small portion of what I am supposed to pay.’ We will work with you,” he promised, “but do not come and take the money with the view that you are not going to repay. We don’t want to go that route. We are here to grow businesses,” he said. Sutherland further stressed that not every successful applicant would be given a $5000 loan because the amount of money loaned would be based on need and on the ministry’s analysis of each business. “If you need $3000 in your business and we analyze that you only need $3000, we are not going to give you $5000. It is based on need and not want, because we have other persons here who really would like to access the funding. We will assess your need and we will give you the funds accordingly,” he said. (BT)

WOMEN SLAIN – The discovery of the bodies of two females over the last 24 hours, about a mile away from each other in St Lucy, has left residents shaken up, shocked and police on the hunt for their killer(s). Around 9:15 a.m. today, the lifeless body of an unidentified female was found lying on her back next to an abandoned car in a bushy area at Northumberland, St Lucy. Police spent several hours combing the bushy area for clues, and investigating the wounds about the body. Police spokesman Station Sergeant Michael Blackman told members of the media who gathered at the scene that wounds were found about the body of the woman who is believed to be in her 60s. “The information that we got came from a resident in the area. The road is pretty lonesome but there are residents who traverse the area from time to time,” Station Sergeant Blackman said. Meanwhile, police are also conducting investigations into the discovery of an unidentified adult female body at River Bay, St Lucy. The body of that woman who lived just a short distance away from where she was discovered around 5:40 p.m. wearing a blue shorts and a grey tube top. There were significant injuries to her head, according to sources. Station Sergeant Blackman told members of the media that police were still in the process of identifying the woman found at River Bay. However residents told Barbados TODAY that the woman’s name was Joanne and that she lived with a partner and two young men. Residents described the woman as a quiet, pleasant and polite individual whom they said did not deserve to die in such a “terrible” way. They said she had been living in the area for about two years. “If she needed anything she asked and I find that people were always willing to give her. She always walked and kept to herself, and never troubled anybody. Her death has left the community in shock and people wondering what could have gone wrong,” one resident said. When contacted, an immediate family member of the deceased told Barbados TODAY that Joanne had not been in contact with relatives for a while, and indicated that they were unable to speak about the deceased. She was reportedly last seen on Friday. The neighboring River Bay and Northumberland communities were quiet when Barbados TODAY visited the areas today. While the majority of residents had gone to work or school, those at home were trying to come to grips with the quickly unfolding developments. A group of elderly women expressed outrage at what they described as an attempt “to paint a bad picture of St Lucy”. “We don’t get these kind of things going on down here. All these people trying to do is to paint a bad picture of St Lucy. I really hope the police find whoever kill them two women. “I don’t know what going on in Barbados, look at that woman get she throat cut at that old people home last night,” one of the elderly women commented, referring to the third murder at a nursing home in Christ Church. Police are appealing to anyone with information on the two matters to contact them with information. Lawmen are also continuing investigations into the death of Martha Doyle, who lived at Unit 2A at the Vauxhall Senior Citizens Village, Vauxhall, Christ Church. Doyle’s throat was said to have been slashed by a male resident on Monday evening while at the home. The Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs has launched an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Doyle’s death. Minister Cynthia Forde, expressed regret at the demise of the 69-year-old and extended condolences to family of the deceased, and to the residents and staff of the Senior Citizens Village. “As we await the outcome of the investigations, both by the Royal Barbados Police Force and ourselves, we have taken immediate steps to provide counselling, facilitated by Network Services, for the residents and staff. “I would wish to assure the families of residents at the village, as well as the general public, that we give high priority to ensuring the safety at all our facilities including this centre, and if necessary, even further steps will be taken to safeguard the continued welfare of residents,” Forde said. The Vauxhall Senior Citizens’ Village is home to 38 residents, 19 men and 19 women, aged 46 to 83 years old. It provides housing for independent living as well as persons who require assistance. (BT)

LIVING IN FEAR – The discovery of four bodies – three women and a man – in the space of 24 hours has thrown some residents into a state of unease. Two of the women, who could not be identified immediately, were found in St Lucy – one at River Bay and the other at Northumberland, just a few minutes driving distance apart. The other female was identified as 69-year-old Martha Doyle, a vendor and resident of the Vauxhall Senior Citizens’ home in Christ Church who died there. Police believed that the proximity and closeness in time of the St Lucy women were mere coincidence. Hours later they had not released the identities of the two victims as they had not been positively identified because of extensive injuries. The gruesome discovery had the country and residents in the north on edge. Residents said they believed the woman who was found in River Bay, around 5:40 p.m. on Monday, was well known in the area, with one of them saying he got worried after last seeing her four days ago. (MWN)

PROBE INTO VENDOR’S DEATH – Martha Agatha Doyle, who was found dead at the Vauxhall Senior Citizens’ Village in Vauxhall, Christ Church, on Monday night, is being remembered fondly for her personable character and love for vending. Doyle, 69, lived in Free Hill, Black Rock, St Michael, before moving into the home. According to residents in Free Hill, Doyle, said to be Vincentian-born, lived in that area from the 1980s until about two years ago. She was much patronised for fruits and vegetables as she sold a variety of produce for a living, setting up shop at a small shed close to the Psychiatric Hospital on Black Rock Main Road. Lincoln Connell, a long-time Black Rock resident and one of her customers, said she was a friendly and polite person who always greeted people with a smile. “I knew her for about 30 years,” he said. “She always used to sell in the area. You know that being on the street her ears would always be out there, so she always knew what was going on. She used to sell fruits and vegetables, but after a while sales weren’t too hot so she started selling ornamental plants. In fact, I last saw her on Friday when she was getting ready to leave and go home. (MWN)

ANOTHER MURDER – Police were tonight investigating the murder of Barry Taylor of Shop Hill, St Thomas. The 35-year-old was found beside the road at Cane Garden with stab wounds, not far from the Lester Vaughan Secondary School. Taylor’s bloody and lifeless body was discovered at approximately 6.30 p.m. (BT)

HOT-HEADED HUSBAND – There is a law against posting some things on social media and a young husband found that out today, when he admitted accidentally posting nude pictures of his spouse. Jamar Thomas, 33, of Bartlett’sTenantry, Sargeant’s Village, Christ Church, pleaded guilty to the following charge, that on December 25, 2018, he used a cellular phone to send a message that was indecent or obscene and he intended to cause or was reckless as to whether he caused annoyance, inconvenience or distress to his wife, Alika Thomas. Prosecutor PC Kenmore Phillips, in outlining the matter to the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court presided over by acting Magistrate Anika Jackson, said that the couple had been married for four years, and on Christmas Day last year, they had an argument about Thomas taking up his wife’s phone and reading the messages. According to the prosecutor, Thomas discovered her carrying on a conversation with a male and nude photos of herself were placed on WhatsApp. His wife reported the matter to the police and Thomas turned himself in on January 19. Thomas said that prior to the incident, he had phoned his sister and complained that he was doing all the work and his wife got angry, started to shout and took up his tablet and told him “What is yours is mine and what is mine is yours.” In turn, he said he took up his wife’s phone and said “What is yours is mine and what is mine is yours.” Among other things, Thomas saw some stuff on his wife’s phone including nude videos with his son in the background and he was upset. He said he meant to show them to a woman who counsels them, his head was hot and he sent them on WhatsApp and he later tried to take them down but was not successful. Thomas said he was sorry that it was on social media. The acting magistrate told Thomas “I have taken into account your early plea of guilty at the first opportunity and you have not wasted the court’s time.” With a warning to “walk the straight and narrow way”, the acting magistrate imposed a fine of $1,500 which must be paid by May 24, or he will spend six months in prison. She noted that Thomas’ reputation would now be tarnished at age 33. (BT)

DAMAGED CAR COSTS WOMAN $2,500 – A Christ Church woman readily admitted damaging a car and threw herself at the mercy of the court. Sharon Yvette Harris, 47, of Bartlett’s Tenantry, Sargeant’s Village, today pleaded guilty to damaging a car belonging to Anas Vanzario of Brighton, Black Rock, St Michael, on Errol Barrow Day 2019. Acting Magistrate Anika Jackson, after hearing evidence in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, ordered a three month sentence which was suspended for a year. In addition, she imposed a $2,500 fine which must be paid in three months or Harris will spend three months in prison. Prosecutor PC Kenmore Phillips, in outlining the matter, said that Vanzario lent his vehicle to Harris’ “significant other” and on the day of the incident he and Harris were in the vehicle on Golf Club Road, Christ Church, when she took a knife from the car and attempted to stab her friend. He got out of the car, and Harris took a hammer which was also in the car and swung at him and it struck the car window in the front passenger area and shattered it. She took another swing at her friend and shattered another window. Her friend went to the police who later picked Harris up at the scene. When asked if she had anything to say, the accused said “There was no knife involved in the argument ,” adding that her friend had a hammer and when it dropped, she picked it up and swiped at him and the hammer struck the vehicle. Harris told the court “I was swiping at him, I damaged the car. I will pay for it. I remained until the police came. They asked me if I did it and I admitted it.” The acting Magistrate asked her if she realised the seriousness of the matter, noting that if the hammer did not strike the car, it would have struck her friend and Harris said she understood. Before handing down sentence, the acting magistrate noted that Harris had not been before the court in ten years and said: “I have taken into consideration your early plea of guilty. You have been contrite and you mitigated that you understand the seriousness of the matter.” (BT)

STOUTE FINED $750 FOR $22 IN WEED – Although there’s talk about medical marijuana in Barbados, this drug is still illegal in this country. This reminder came today from acting Magistrate in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court Anika Jackson, after 20-year-old, Daniel Antonio Shaquan Stoute, of Lightfoot Lane, St Michael, pleaded guilty to having $22 worth in cannabis on January 20. The acting Magistrate pointed out “In Barbados, cannabis is still an illegal drug, despite discussion about medical marijuana.” In outlining the matter to the court, prosecutor Sergeant Carrison Henry said that police were carrying out investigations into another matter and while going through Greenfield, St Michael saw Stoute. Among other things, the prosecutor said that while conducting a search of the young man, they found 12 greaseproof wrappings containing vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis, in a bag in his pocket, and when asked about it, he told them, “Dis is my weed, I had it to smoke.” He was fined $750 in two months or he will spend two months in jail. Stoute also pleaded not guilty to another charge, that on January 19, 2019, he unlawfully assaulted Tarique Charles of King William Street, St. Michael. That matter was adjourned until May 13, 2019 and bail was granted in the sum of $750. (BT)

BAILEY TAKES HIS CASE TO APPEAL – A man who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter six years ago, today told the Court of Appeal he believed his sentence was excessive. In fact, Edward Fitzpatrick Bailey told judges Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson and Justices Kaye Goodridge and Margaret Reifer that ten years in prison would have been a suitable punishment. That was one of the 23 grounds under which Bailey, whose last address is Cane Vale New Road, Christ Church, argued saying that Madam Justice Maureen Crane-Scott had erred in law during his trial and sentencing. Bailey was 42 years old at the time when he was charged with murdering 24-year-old Ricardo Small, formerly of Kendal Hill, Christ Church, on January 15, 2009. The facts revealed that Bailey walked up to a route taxi in which Small was a front seat passenger while it was in Gall Hill, Christ Church and fatally shot him, sending persons scampering. A 12-member jury found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter on May 24, 2013 and he was subsequently sentenced by Justice Crane-Scott. Bailey began his appeal on November 21, 2018 and he reappeared before the three-member panel today in the Appeals Court. Clad in a white shirt, black tie and black pants, the convicted man argued that Justice Crane-Scott had made several errors during the trial which adversely affected him. He accused the judge of “entering into the arena” by certain comments and rulings and that she also obstructed him during his cross-examination. According to him, the judge had also erred in law by deflecting questions and assisting the Crown’s witnesses. He said Justice Crane-Scott had failed to exercise her discretion by withdrawing the case from the jury after hearing evidence which was prejudicial to him. Additionally, Bailey told the Court of Appeal that the trial judge had failed to adequately put his defence to the jury; had failed to analyze the evidence of a witness and that she had failed to direct the jury in relation to oral statements. He also pointed out that Justice Crane-Scott incorrectly dismissed his no-case submission, despite glaring inconsistencies in the Crown’s case. Bailey maintained that the evidence given by the Crown’s two key witnesses had not been reliable saying the prosecutor’s case collapsed because of “indescrepencies” in the evidence. “It is not that I did not commit an offence, but not the offence for which I was convicted,” Bailey said. As it related to his sentencing, Bailey charged that the trial judge had not taken all of the mitigating factors into consideration before handing down her ruling. He said she has “missed” several of those factors including the fact he had acted in self defense, that the now deceased man had a propensity for violence and that he Bailey, had received an “excellent” probation report. Bailey said the trial judge had ruled that a starting point of between 18 to 22 years was adequate. “The sentence is excessive…I believe that the judge should have started with at least ten years,” he said. However, he was quickly reminded by Justice Goodridge and Sir Marston that a firearm had been used and that he had shot the deceased in a crowded public service vehicle in broad daylight, which they said were notable aggravating factors. Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale will respond to Bailey when the appeal continues on March 13, 2019. (BT)

MORE ROOM AT OVAL – Boosted by over 7 000 English visitors, including the popular Barmy Army, a record number of spectators are expected to converge at Kensington Oval for today’s start of the Test match between England and West Indies. With tickets virtually sold out for all the major stands such as the 3Ws, Greenidge And Haynes and Hewitt And Inniss for the first three days and the demand increasing, a new temporary stand and bleachers area were hastily put together yesterday. They were assembled between the electronic scoreboard and the Cozier, Coppin and Short Media Centre, and are expected to accommodate an additional 600 local spectators. Costing a mere $30, these tickets were being swiftly snapped up by Barbadians, who were unable to purchase tickets when the sales booth at Kensington opened earlier this month. Kensington Oval has a seating capacity of just over 11 000, but that number will be increased as the PowerX4 Beach Party Stand was being extended to accommodate 1 500 more patrons. (MWN)

HOLDER IN ICC’S TEAM OF THE YEAR – Heartened by being selected to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test Team Of The Year 2018 Windies captain Jason Holder – the lone West Indian picked – says he would be happier if his performances result in more victories. The 27-year-old Holder was chosen in the Test team captained by India’s prolific batsman Virat Kohli after enjoying an outstanding record-breaking year. Holder snared 33 scalps in six Tests in 2018 at an average of 12.39, the best by any fast bowler with more than 30 wickets in the last 100 years.His performances saw him leap to third among the all-rounders and tenth in the ICC Test bowling rankings. “It is still my ambition to be the No.1 all-rounder in the world, but as I said before, I think I would feel a lot better being the No. 1 all-rounder in the world and the West Indies ranking at No. 2 or No. 3 in the overall ICC rankings,” Holder told NATION SPORT yesterday at Kensington Oval after the Windies’ last training session before the first Test against England starting today. The lanky six-footer has now taken 86 wickets in 35 Tests at an average of 28.50, with four of his five five-wicket hauls coming in consecutive Tests last year, but he wants to see a more collective effort from his teammates. “I think if we move together a bit more as a side, it feels a lot more pleasing to have individual success,” Holder said noting it is something they have spoken about during team meetings. (MWN)

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The Chase Files 8/23/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 23rd August 2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing Daily Nation Newspaper (DN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

DONVILLE FACING 20 YEARS – Former Minister of Commerce and International Business Donville Inniss could spend up to 20 years in jail and fined up to BDS$1 million if convicted of bribery charges in the United States. Inniss has a date with destiny in a New York courthouse at noon today, when he will be arraigned on three counts of money laundering. The Eastern District of New York’s press officer John Marzulli told the NATION on Wednesday that based on New York law (18 US Code 1956), the former Member of Parliament would face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in a federal prison on each count. Thursday’s arraignment will be heard by US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, at which time Inniss can enter a plea. (DN)

NO COURTESY – Courtesy Garage has been fingered as the car dealership that so bothered Prime Minister Mia Mottley that she ordered home a team that was in Europe in search of secondhand garbage trucks for the Sanitation Service Authority. Mottley told a meeting on Sunday night the group had to dump those plans and return home because of some suspicious activity by an uninvited guest. She explained that “pursuant to a board paper” the group from the SSA and the Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification had gone abroad to examine used garbage trucks, but “a certain car company’s representatives happened to be at every location that the group went to”. “When the Attorney General and I found out we told the minister ‘tell them to come home the next day because I need to know how a private sector group that was not a part of the Cabinet paper could be there at every location,” the Prime Minister told a St Michael South East constituency meeting. “The Minister and I and the AG have agreed that is not the kind of Government we want to run,” Mottley added, while suggesting the unnamed representative’s attendance was no coincidence. She did not identify the representative or the company. However, an official source has told Barbados TODAY the representative was from Courtesy Garage, whose Regional Product Manager Sam Gaston could not be reached for comment. The source said the firm in Europe has recommended that Government acquires Volvo vehicles, which are said to be internationally-recognized dump trucks. “The company offered refurbished trucks free of cost to Barbados on condition that when things return to economic stability, the Government would give it the business,” the source said. There had been claims on social media that waste hauler and owner of Jose Y Jose Liquid and Solid Waste Management Inc Anderson Fatchild Cherry, who is abroad undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness, had been the person to whom the Prime Minister was referring. However, Cherry today told Barbados TODAY, “not me”. The SSA had also called an emergency meeting to get to the bottom of the issue. Mottley had hinted that the local firm may have had inside information on Government’s plans. When contacted for an update on investigations into the matter, Minister of the Environment Trevor Prescod said he preferred to grant the Prime Minister the courtesy to speak, since she was the one who made the initial remarks. (BT)

UPP-STAGING DEMS – With the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in rebuilding mode, the two-year-old United Progressive Party (UPP) is moving to break the two-party grip on Barbadian politics, UPP leader Lynette Eastmond has told Barbados TODAY. And it has begun its own rebuilding effort by dropping its entire slate of 23 candidates who stood for Parliament in the May 24 elections and is starting afresh. With her political party gaining a meagre 1.3 per cent of the popular vote, the former Barbados Labour Party minister and senator who became founding chairman of the UPP, has suggested the party might never have a better opportunity to catch up to the major contenders on the political landscape. “It is a case of us now taking advantage while one of the two major parties is wounded and is now seeking to rebuild,” Eastmond said, referring to the DLP, which suffered an embarrassing loss in the general election, securing only 22 per cent of the votes cast and failing to win a single seat. The DLP has since elected the twice defeated Verla De Peiza as president. Political pundits have argued that De Peiza was placed at the helm to jump-start the process of bringing new blood into the 63-year-old party following the 30-0 decimation in the election at the hands of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). A number of party stalwarts, including former Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, former Minister of Education Ronald Jones and former Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett, have announced their retirement from politics. Additionally, the party was rocked by scandal earlier this month with the arrest of former Minister of International Business Donville Inniss, who is set to answer money laundering charges in New York tomorrow. Eastmond, a four time losing candidate, and who was elected to lead the UPP for another year when the party held its inaugural conference last Saturday, acknowledged that taking advantage of the DLP’s wounded state would require hard work. “Our thinking is that we are in a very good position, but it does require work. It is true that we contested one election, but a lot of dedication and commitment is now required over the next four years. I believe that I have a team that is up to that task and we believe that we are in a better position given the outcome of the last election,” she told Barbados TODAY. But the party has retained none of the 23 candidates who contested the election three months ago, Eastmond said, suggesting that would-be UPP candidates would need to canvass on their own steam in order to get the nod from the party when the selection process begins. “Our position is that at the end of the election, seeing that none of us were successful, all of the seats are open again. Individuals who are interested in running again are being told that they can identify the seat that they are interested in and start working in that seat. If the person had won a seat then their case would have been the strongest but at this point all candidates would have to go through a selection process again,” the UPP leader said. She could not pinpoint a timeframe for candidates to be confirmed. “I can’t give an exact date but suffice it to say we have to give the candidates enough time to court their constituents. So, the sooner the better, but anybody interested in running should start working from now,” she added. In a general election that saw a record number of ‘third’ parties and independents contesting the 30 seats that would all be snapped up by the BLP, the UPP came in a distant fourth place in the popular vote, behind the business-oriented Solutions Barbados. Of the 150,141 voters who cast their ballots on May 24, the UPP polled 1,965 votes, less than half that 4,188 votes secured by Solutions Barbados. The Democratic Labour Party, suffering the worst defeat in Barbadian electoral history, received 33,985 votes, while the Barbados Labour Party’s landslide victory reaped an historic 74.58 per cent of the popular vote with 111,968. (BT)

REGISTRATION FOR JANUARY CXCS OPEN – The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has advised that registration for the Caribbean Examinations Council’s January 2019 examinations begins on Monday, September 3, and will close on Monday, October 1. Registration takes place between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, and forms are available from the Examination and Assessment Section of the Ministry of Education, Elsie Payne Complex, Constitution Road, St. Michael. They can also be accessed online at the Ministry’s website, http://mes.gov.bb. Those registering must bring the relevant fees; a Barbados identification card, driver’s license, passport or certified passport size photograph as evidence of identification; and a blue/black ink pen when registering. In addition, the CSEC examination fees, which are payable in cash on registration, are as follows: entry fee, $36 per candidate; subject fee, $36.50 per subject; and the local entrance fee, $30 per candidate. The local entrance fee covers all examinations which the candidate may be writing in May/June 2019. All fees should be paid in cash to the Finance Section of the Ministry Mondays to Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Subject entries with a School Based Assessment component will only be accepted from ‘Resit Candidates’. The Ministry advises candidates that it will not reconcile or adjust clashes of subject papers, so they should consult the timetables for the respective examinations before registering. A copy of the timetable is posted on CXC’s web page, www.cxc.org. There is also a link to this web page from the Ministry’s website. (BGIS)

TIME TO APPLY FOR PENSIONER’S REBATE – The Barbados Revenue Authority is advising pensioners that they can now apply for the Pensioner’s Rebate on their 2018 to 2019 Land Tax Bills. The Authority is therefore requesting that only new applicants should apply by either downloading the form from the Authority’s website at www.bra.gov.bb, or by visiting any of the Authority’s offices located at the Treasury Building, Bridgetown; Weymouth Corporate Centre, Roebuck Street, St Michel; Southern Plaza, Oistins, Christ Church; Warrens Tower II, Warrens, St Michael; or the Holetown Public Centre, St James. All existing pensioners have already been processed in the Authority’s system. All applications should be made no later than Friday, August 24. (BGIS)

HOSPITAL’S BACTERIA INFECTION ‘ERADICATED’ – Last month’s outbreak of a serious bacterial illness has now been fully eradicated, officials of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) revealed today. And the head of the hospital’s infection control team, Corey Forde, is praising the hospital for the capability of detecting the disease, known as Burkholderia Cepacia Complex. While outbreaks are commonplace in hospitals around the world, the QEH could boast of having one of the region’s best hospital surveillance systems, and was a regional standard-bearer of best practice, in infection control, he said. And the hospital has become the Caribbean’s standard-bearer for control and detection of these outbreaks. “It is not unusual for outbreaks but the most important thing is how it is dealt with. Our surveillance system at the hospitals is top-notch. We are able to identify outbreaks quickly and then act accordingly. We have had recorded outbreaks and we have dealt with them quite well . . . . Many countries in the Caribbean don’t have a surveillance system and we have been assisting some of them in getting theirs in place,” said Forde. He was speaking to journalists after the Pan American Health Organization handed over three Samsung Galaxy Tablets to the QEH this morning. The QEH confirmed that eight cases of Burkholderia Cepacia Complex were diagnosed in six weeks. At the time several measures were taken to bring the situation under control, hospital officials had said then. The bacteria, said to be most harmful to persons suffering with kidney disease or a weakened immune system, are usually found in soil and contaminated water. Patients diagnosed with the condition were separated from the general population and treated, amid stepped up health surveillance at the hospital, the QEH infection control chief said. The speed with which the hospital handled the outbreak was testimony to efficiency of the health institution’s counter measures, he declared. (BT)

CONTACT NUMBER AT GERIATRIC HOSPITAL – Family and friends of patients at the Geriatric Hospital who wish to visit while renovations at the Beckles Road institution are taking place, are asked to telephone the Nursing Administration Unit at 228-2597, so that they may be directed to the appropriate ward. The rehabilitation project, which started last Monday, is expected to last five months. (BGIS)

PAD CLOSURE STALLS UNION – Closure of the E. Humphrey Walcott Building has halted discussion on appointments and promotions within the Public Service. The building at the corner of Culloden Road and Collymore Rock, St Michael, was closed intermittently since July 20 to treat bed bugs. However, the chemicals used reportedly caused severe reactions among staff and it has now been “closed until further notice”. The Personnel Administration Division, the Ministry of the Civil Service and the Unemployment Section of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) operated out of the building. The Unemployment Section is now at the nearby Frank Walcott Building. Acting general secretary of the National Union of Public Workers, Delcia Burke, told the NATION they were scheduled to meet with PAD officials on August 3, but the bed bug issue had caused it to be postponed. (DN)

SORROWFUL SMITH – A 53-year-old man, who pleaded guilty to two offences involving firearms, has not only apologized but has sought “forgiveness” for the wrong he has done. Anthony Alonza Smith of Clement Hall, Airy Hill, St Joseph issued the apology before Madam Justice Pamela Beckles in the No. 5 Supreme Court today. He had previously admitted to having possession of a firearm as well as for unlawfully and maliciously engaging in conduct that placed Jeremy Young in danger of death of serious bodily harm on April 1, 2012. “I am very sorrowful for my actions and I throw myself at the mercy of the court. I also apologise to my country, my family and . . . the victim . . . whom I have known for lots of years. “[It] was a severe misunderstanding that led to anger, the anger led to a mistake and the mistake was this incident . . . . [I ask for] forgiveness . . . for myself. I ask from this court and the victim . . . I ask forgiveness from everyone concerned,” Smith told the judge. Reading his written address, Smith, who is represented by attorney-at-law Sian Lange, went on to tell the judge that he was a father of three children the youngest who was now 12-years-old. Smith also pointed to his own health battles. “Madam Justice, I am a farmer by trade and many days my sweat and tears are . . . unto this sacred soil in the parish of St Joseph. Madam Justice, prison and the toils of life place an impact on my health…. I have deteriorated to a state where I need two operations. This is due to having a cyst and an abnormal growth and a hernia . . . . . Madam justice please have mercy on me,” Smith pleaded. His attorney submitted that, while the crimes were “very serious”, her client had several mitigating factors that should be considered when imposing sentence, including his guilty plea. “He does not pretend he is a perfect person [as he has a case] of short temperedness [and] at no time tried to deny that this situation was a mistake”. Lange went on to say that Smith had been well behaved in prison and had “no incidents of violence while on remand”. (BT)

KING FALLS SHORT – The comeback kid didn’t have another of those rallies left. Darian King’s latest Houdini act fell just short, as Barbados’ best tennis player couldn’t pull off another great escape in Wednesday’s heart-breaking first-round exit in the US Open qualifiers. Eyeing a great come from behind victory while trailing 5-1 in the third set, rain briefly stalled King’s comeback bid before Gerald Melzer eventually steadied himself for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory on Court 8. It was a depressing defeat to say the least for the 26-year-old Bajan ace, who was looking to repeat last year’s magic when he made a storybook run to his first ever main draw appearance at a grand slam. But there was no fairytale ending this time, as an inconsolable King sat in his player’s chair unmoved several minutes after the completion of the match. (DN)

MAPLE MASTERS MARCH TO SEMIS – Defending masters champions Maple and three other teams qualified for the semi-finals after yesterday’s tense action in the 33rd Barbados International hockey festival. In the battles which were staged exclusively at the football Astro Turf, Maple lost an early skirmish to another semi-finalist ABC 1-0. However, later in the evening Maple fought Bluez Ole Sticks in driving rain and heavy puddles to emerge 1-0 winners. All Stars advanced to the semis with a 1-0 win over the Islanders while the Y’s Guys proved smarter than Bluez Ole Sticks beating them 1-0. Over at the hockey turf All Stars and the Y’s Guys drew love all and ABC and Islanders fought to a similar deadlock. (DN)

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