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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 4/20/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 20th April 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via subscribing to Nation News Online, purchasing Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN) or via Barbados Today (BT).

BODY FOUND AT HELIPORT – Police are currently in the area of the Bridgetown Heliport investigating the discovery of a body. Police say they received a report around 2:30 p.m. that a body was lodged between some rocks just off the water. The discovery was made by someone who was fishing in the area. No further details are available at this time. An update will be provided once more information is received. (WN)

PRESCRIPTIONS AND REFILLS TO BE HONOURED UNTIL JUNE 30 – Effective Monday, April 23, drugs affected by changes to the Barbados Drug Formulary, will continue to be available to patients under the Barbados Drug Service’s Benefit Scheme until June 30. Both new prescriptions and valid refills will be honoured during this period. The announcement came today at the conclusion of a meeting between the Ministry of Health, the Barbados Drug Service and stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, it was revealed that the Barbados Drug Service will reimburse the cost of these items to the private pharmacies during this period. The period provides an opportunity for doctors to transition patients to the new medications. Patients have been advised to consult with their medical practitioners, pharmacists or the Barbados Drug Service to determine if the medications they are currently taking are still on the Formulary. The changes to the Formulary, which occur every two years, are made on the advice of a team comprising local experts, doctors, pharmacists and members of the Drug Formulary Committee. According to the statement, the changes are based on “regional and international guidelines, and are made in the interest of good patient care and to provide the best medication available” The Ministry of Health gave the assurance that it would continue to work with its partners to monitor the situation “to ensure that we can continue to meet the health needs of the people of Barbados in the most effective manner”. (WN)

ST PETER AND ST JOSEPH CLINICS SUSPENDED TOMORROW – The public is advised that regularly scheduled clinic services at the Maurice Byer Polyclinic, Station Hill, St Peter and the St Joseph Outpatient Clinic will be suspended tomorrow, Friday, April 20, to facilitate the hosting of a health fair at the polyclinic. Additionally, there will be no Extended Hours Service. According to the Ministry of Health, arrangements are in place to handle any emergencies which may arise. The health fair, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will feature a range of activities including presentations on health topics, screening for non-communicable diseases, Zumba and other fitness sessions. Everyone is invited to attend the free event. (WN)

COMMISSIONG CALLS ON GG TO INTERVENE ON ELECTION HOLD UP DATE – As the country drifts towards the end of the 90-day constitutional deadline for a general election, social activist and attorney-at-law David Comissiong is calling on Governor General Dame Sandra Mason to put an end to the “governmental stasis”. Comissiong said Dame Sandra was not obligated to wait on Prime Minister Freundel Stuart to set a date for the poll, constitutionally due by early June, arguing that the Constitution allowed for the Governor General to exercise her discretion once the provision for the automatic dissolution of Parliament was triggered. In written correspondence to Barbados TODAY, Comissiong pointed to the fact that Parliament was dissolved on March 6, and that Section 62 (1) of the Constitution makes it clear that “after every dissolution of Parliament the Governor General shall issue writs for a general election of members of the House of Assembly returnable within ninety days from the dissolution”. He further explained that Section 32 (1) (b) of the Constitution “also tells us that our Governor General does not have to wait upon or to be advised by the Cabinet or the Prime Minister” in relation to “any function which is expressed in whatever terms to be exercisable by her in her discretion”. “A plain and literal reading of Section 62 (1) of the Constitution suggests that this duty of our Governor General to set the date for a general election is a duty that is exercisable by her in her own discretion,” Comissiong said, while going on to ask: “What is the Governor General was waiting for.” The attorney suggested that if Dame Sandra, who served as a judge on the Court of Appeal, were in doubt about the wording of the various sections, she should go to the Supreme Court for clarification. He therefore called on Barbadians to let their voices be heard on this matter as major institutions were breaking down while country remains in a state of “political limbo”. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) recently made a similar call, with George Payne, the party’s chairman, contending Dame Sandra needed to act in order to protect the country’s integrity. “You are dealing with a man who does not make any decisions,” Payne told a BLP meeting in St Michael South about Stuart. “The Governor General also has a responsibility, taking into consideration the state of affairs of this country at this particular point in time . . . . The Governor General has the absolute discretion of issuing the writs for election. At this particular point in time [Stuart] could scotch back and say, ‘it is not my fault, it is the Governor General. The Governor General is the person who is supposed to call the election and the Governor General has refused,’” the BLP chairman had said. (BT)

PUPILS FORCED OUTSIDE – An environmental issue forced children from two classes at the Catherine’s Primary School outside yesterday. The children of Infants A and Reception took classes under a tent next to the school hall, where the issue was said to be. The school principal, who did not wish to be named, said the situation was under control. “I have reported an issue to the ministry and I am giving them the opportunity to deal with the matter. In the meantime, we have accommodated the children under a tent so teaching can continue. The children are already accustomed to outdoor classes, and should bad weather come, they will be accommodated,” he said. However, parent Simon Clarke was less confident in the actions of the school. He said it was like they were keeping a secret. “I heard a rumour this morning that the children were outside, so I came to see for myself. There was no communication from the school, and to my mind there is no solution in sight to the problem,” he said. Clarke said he understood that since March 1 the ministry had been made aware of the issue, which appeared to centre on animal droppings, fungus and dust, but to date noting had been resolved. He said parents had been finding out via tip-offs, which was not good enough. “I heard the teachers are suffering health challenges, so sooner or later so will the children. I was told they might cordon off the area, but then where will the children go? Many parents are still unaware of what’s happening here but from March to now seems like a reasonable time in which to make us aware,” he said. Clarke said he was planning action by writing to the Ministry of Education himself as he said he was not satisfied after speaking to the principal. Attempts to contact Chief Education Officer Karen Best were unsuccessful. (WN)

UWI SOURCING MORE FUNDING FOR STUDENTS – With several of the contributing governments affected by harsh economic times the 70-year-old University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus is looking to new revenue streams to assist poor students who cannot afford the tuition fees for the campus. Come April 28, the Cave Hill Campus as part its anniversary celebrations will be staging "a blue riband and red carpet gala" in association with the Elliott and Loretta Belgrave Scholarship Trust on its grounds to set up a scholarship to assist those deserving students. Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, Professor Eudine Barriteau, made these disclosures on Tuesday while speaking to members of the media in the conference room at Cave Hill Campus. Barriteau said the $500 per ticket gala will be held under the distinguished patronage of Governor General Dame Sandra Mason who is an alumna of the Cave Hill Campus. She said that the gala has attracted the endorsement and active support of a constellation of regional and international "stars" and several prominent citizens and they were anticipating a successful event. "We look forward to spending an enchanting evening. One which we look forward to spending with a wide and varied array of the UWI community including alumni, friends, and well -wishers, including corporate and individual donors, all lending their support to the very worthy cause of raising funds for scholarships for our most needy and deserving students," she said. During the press conference it was disclosed that for the past two years faculty members have been making monthly contributions from their salaries to an "Adopt a Student Fund" for needy students.. Cultural Ambassador Anthony Mighty Gabby Carter and calypsonian Anderson Blood Armstrong have also thrown their support behind the event. In a brief presentation the Mighty Gabby said that since its establishment in 1948 the university has done a lot for the region and has touched almost every family in the Caribbean. "All you have got to do is to look and see how far the region has advanced since 1948. Not advancement in terms of material things, but in terms of education overall. When I heard about this fund raising event, I could not think of a better fundraiser than this one. If we can get our people educated we will see a drop in crime and more people engaging in the arts and sporting disciplines. It hurt me when I heard that the student population dropped from 8 000 to 5 000. I would do anything to support this cause." Meanwhile, Blood said that after being in the entertainment industry for the past 35 years he felt he should give back something to the country and he recognised the importance of education even though he supports emphasis being placed entrepreneurship. (WN)

SOME MEN RESENT WOMEN’S SUCCESS – A successful woman can be a threat to the average man. That was the point made by executive director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Pamela Coke-Hamilton to Soroptimist International Barbados at its 55th annual general meeting on Monday night at Accra Beach Hotel & Spa. She said the challenges women faced in business were not separate from gender-based violence. “A lot of men resent the fact that when women become more successful, they have a stronger voice, and it’s not an accident that when women become more independent; they are also subject to more violence. So we can’t separate the two,” said Coke-Hamiltonin her address entitled Challenges For Women In Economic Empowerment In The Caribbean. Coke-Hamilton, who called for the names of the abused to be known, invoked the name of domestic violence victim Onica King, who died fatally last Saturday afternoon in The City. “Her name was Onica King and her voice was silenced like so many others. The thought I had was, would it be possible for maybe Soroptimists here to get a list of the names of those women who’ve been silenced? . . . Publish it and [let] somebody with a beautiful voice read it, record it and give them a voice and let people know their names. “They have names. They’re not just some other woman who got killed by some angry man that felt like he owned her,” she said to an audience that included Dame Maizie Barker-Welch, United States Ambassador Linda Taglialatela and patron of the Soroptimists, Dr Frances Chandler. (DN)

PSV LEADER DEFENDS BUS FARE INCREASE – Head of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport, Roy Raphael, has defended the recent rise in bus fare for schoolchildren on public service vehicles (PSVs). The children were required to pay $2 on all PSVs from the start of the new school term on Tuesday. They still ride free on the state-owned Transport Board. Addressing the issue on yesterday’s Down To Brass on Starcom Network with host Corey Lane, Raphael said PSV operators had no other option as the figures just weren’t adding up. “I called to clear the point on the bus fare issue. Let me make it clear that bus fare in Barbados is $2 across the board, and over time, what we would have been doing as responsible owners is charging schoolchildren $1.50, which we could no longer absorb because of high insurance costs, high court costs and so on,” he said. “Our vehicles are very old – we have some dating back to 1984 – and insurance can rate for a third party from $17 000, so at this time our profits aren’t allowing us to continue in that vein. We have made countless attempts to the Ministry of Transport and Works [and] the Ministry of Finance to give us duty-free concessions on our vehicles and we are at the point where we don’t know if we are going to get it.” Raphael said the operators were not breaking the law. “We had a meeting with the relevant authorities to make sure that we are well within our rights and we are. So we said effective [Tuesday], that schoolchildren will now have to pay $2 across the board. We said to our drivers and operators to be responsible as well and if a child doesn’t have the $2, not to leave them stranded by the road.” (DN)

FIRE DESTROYS TRANSPORT BOARD BUS – Police are conducting investigations into the circumstances surrounding a fire onboard a Transport Board bus. It occurred around 5:50 a.m. today along Porters Road, St James as the bus made its way to Speightstown with 15 passengers on board. “The bus was stationary at a bus stop when the driver was alerted by passengers of smoke coming from the rear of the bus. The driver switched off the engine, investigated and saw the smoke, he tried to extinguish the fire in the engine compartment by use of the fire extinguisher,” police public relations officer Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss said. The Barbados Fire Service was summoned and one tender and three personnel responded and extinguished the blaze. Two passengers complained of smoke inhalation and discomfort and opted to seek private medical treatment. The bus was destroyed but there was no reported damage to any other property. Vehicular traffic was temporarily diverted at Porters road junction. Police are at the scene and investigations are continuing. Anyone who can provide information to assist with these investigations is asked to contact the Holetown Police Station at telephone 419-1701. (DN)

FAMILY PLANNING NEEDS MILLIONS – After being badly affected by a fire over the weekend, the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA) will have to seek millions of dollars to restore its offices. Chief financial officer Sonya Alleyne told a press conference at the Barbados Diabetes Foundation, Warrens, St Michael, yesterday that because of the medical services provided, it would take at least five $5 million to get the organisation running again. The fire destroyed a significant portion of the operations, and made the remaining buildings on the old Ministry of Health property at Jemmotts Lane unusable. Twenty-four employees and more than 30 clients were impacted. However, Alleyne said staff would be reassigned and there would be no job losses. Acting executive director Anderson Langdon, president Ruth Phillips, director of clinical services Dr Shanae Gill and brand champion Kirk Brown were also present. “We are unable to continue business as usual due to this tragedy. Several critical services have been impacted, including breast lump removals, prostate and cervical cancer screenings, screening for gender-based violence, the Adolescent Young Mothers Programme, our schools programme and antenatal care delivery,” Langdon said. Gill said there were 12 000 visits and over 76 000 services provided to clients last year. To accommodate requests the association has set up an appointments hotline at its temporary location. Gill said they were working on fundraising activities and expressed her gratitude on behalf of the BFPA to the Ministry of Health, Brown and other agencies who lent support. (WN)

BYS PARENTING WORKSHOP COMING – The Barbados Youth Service (BYS) will assist in the facilitation of an upcoming parenting seminar and workshop. The seminar and workshop, will be held on Saturday, April 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Almond Beach Resort, Heywoods, St Peter, under the theme Strengthening Communities through Effective Parenting: Our Children, Our Investment. According to coordinator and social work intern at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Ashanki Doughlin, the session is geared towards assisting in the fostering and building of relationships through “quality connections between parents/guardians and their children or wards”. The workshops and seminars will specifically target parents and guardians of BYS trainees, as well as those enrolled in the Endless Possibilities Programme and the Community Technology Programme of the Community Development Department. Some of the topics to be discussed are: Managing the Social and Sexual Dynamics of the Adolescent; The Economic Management of Your Household; and The Impact of the Male Presence within the Family. (DN)

NEW SHELTER SOON FOR HOMELESS WOMEN – Work is expected to begin next month on a long-awaited shelter for homeless women and children. “In the month of [May] we will be breaking ground for a shelter for females and children, because currently we do have women and children on the streets,” Kemar Saffrey, the founder and president of the Barbados Vagrant and Homeless Society (BVHS) announced this morning at a seminar at which he received donations from students of the Graydon Sealy Secondary School, the Codrington School and Springer Memorial School. Thirteen charities were presented with cheques from students who took part in the last Scotiabank/Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation $20 challenge, at this morning’s seminar at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business. Saffrey told the students the BVHS had seen an increase in the number of homeless people this year, when compared to 2017, continuing a trend that began in recent years. So far this year 26 new homeless people have sought support from the charity, Saffrey said, bringing to approximately 500, the number of clients on file, up from about 380 two years ago. The eight-year-old BVHS has been pleading with Government since 2016 for help in finding a home for vagrants. Back then Saffrey had indicated that he would meet with the Minister of Housing and Lands Denis Kellman and Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler to push for a permanent home for the organization. It was also in 2016 that the organization had launched its “dollar drive” as part of its “Building a Future for the Homeless” campaign aimed at raising $1.7 million for a new building to accommodate the rising number of vagrants seeking assistance. After accepting a $20,000 donation from CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank last year as part of a planned $100,000 donation over a five-year period, Saffrey had again pleaded with Barbadians for more support as the organization continued to contend with reduced operating capacity at its Tudor Street location. During this morning’s event S affrey did not say where the new home would be located, nor did he provide further details. However, he promised “to take your funding and definitely put it to that use to make sure that these persons on the street would not have to spend night after night there, but they would have now, a shelter that will be provided”. He also said the BVHS was hoping to purchase a building by the end of this year, that would be retrofitted for homeless men. The BVHS’s website said the charity has taken 113 people off the streets and assisted 80 women and children and 373 men since its inception in 2010. The organization feeds approximately 120 people every week. (BT)

A REVITALISED AGRICULTURE SECTOR KEY TO RECOVERY – Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr Esther Byer Suckoo, has proffered the view that the island’s future economic recovery is hinged on revitalised and strategically developed agriculture and fisheries sectors, operating to international standards. She made the suggestion while addressing a stakeholder consultation for the Skills Needs Assessment for Agriculture and Fisheries sectors at Savannah Beach Hotel on Monday. The Minister reasoned that this recovery “required the sector to be set within an enabling environment that is, in part, characterised by the supply of the right mix of human capital that has relevant skills and competencies that would increase the productivity and competitiveness of agricultural enterprises”. “It would also require an environment that continually promotes and nurtures the youth’s involvement in farming, fishing and agro-processing as a means of sustaining the growth of the sector,” Senator Dr Byer Suckoo added. The Minister said at present, there is limited information on the current supply of farmers and other relevant agents in the agriculture and fisheries sectors. It is also unclear, Senator Byer Suckoo added, how many farmers received any formal training in agricultural science, the skills set required of livestock farmers versus crop producers, their educational background and whether any specific education and training opportunities were needed. “There is limited information on labour market needs and skills deficits. Do the farmers and fishermen have all the skills necessary to efficiently run their operations? As employers, is production compromised by the unavailability of certain competencies in the pool of workers available? Given advances in aquaponics and other non-traditional farming methods, green energy, or even animal genetics, are there any skills needed by agricultural producers to embrace these advances in technology?” The Labour Minister queried. In this regard, the Senator said the skills needs assessment was just one of the initiatives her Ministry would employ to promote a demand-driven education and training system under the Barbados Human Resource Development Programme. “Previously, small stakeholder consultations provided some guidance on the trends and developments in the sector and emerging skills needs. However through this initiative and also through employer surveys conducted under the Ministry of Education’s Skills for the Future Project, we have sought to target a wider cross-section of stakeholders to better identify the needs of employers and the markets in general,” she added. The Labour Minister expressed the hope that this research would inform the decisions of education and training providers, both formal and informal, on programme planning, curriculum design and programme delivery. During the session, stakeholders were presented with findings from consultants Hans Bekkers, Jehroum Wood and Ann Southall. (WN)

TWO FISHERMEN IN VENEZUELA – Two Barbadian fishermen who were missing at sea have been found. The Barbados Coast Guard confirmed that the vessel Pearlita was found in Venezuelan waters and two men believed to be Kurt Watson and Michael Hawkesworth were rescued by Venezuelan authorities and taken for medical attention. Coast Guard Operations Officer Sub Lieutenant Alexander Kellman said they received information about 11 p.m. Wednesday night from Venezuelan authorities that the Pearlita had been discovered six hours earlier. It had apparently run aground in an area called Sebastopol. Two men who were rescued are with the Venezuelan Coast Guard. According to Kellman, the Barbados Coast Guard is monitoring the situation and awaiting word as the Venezuelan authorities will attempt to refloat the vessel. There is no confirmation as to when the two men or the boat will be returned to the island. Kellman said the Venezuelan authorities would be conducting investigations why the Pearlita and its crew were in the area. Principal Fisheries Assistant Philip Jackman said he had no official confirmation from the Coastt Guard at the time he was contacted. However, he said, when they were informed of a rescue, the normal procedure would be for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to liaise with authorities in the territory where the rescue had taken place. Meanwhile, June Haynes is thankful her prayers were answered and that her adoptive brother Hawkesworth and Watson were rescued. “We lifted them up in church last night (Wednesday) and I thank God, “ said Haynes. Watson and Hawkesworth left for a fishing trip onboard the Pearlita on March 26 and sent out an appeal for help about a week later. Up to Wednesday, there was no word of the two men and sisters June and Marlene Haynes were becoming increasingly anxious. When contacted, caretaker of the Pearlita, Randolph Blackman, said, “of course I am happy. You don’t have to say that twice”. He said attempts were being made to have them flown in by air. (WN)

HIT AND RUN VICTIM DIES - The pedestrian who was injured in a hit-and-run accident last month passed away today at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Forty-five-year-old Ronald Knight of Exchange Hill, St Michael was struck from behind by a green Suzuki Vitara as he walked along Bibby’s Lane, St Michael on March 11. He received multiple injuries and was listed in critical but stable condition. Police had appealed to anyone who witnessed the accident or who could provide any information to assist in the investigation, to contact the District ‘A’ Police station at 430-7242 or 430-7246, the Operations Control Room at 430-7100 or any police station. (WN)

GRIEVING FAMILY – We want justice. This is the plea of friends and family of Ronald Knight, who died yesterday after being struck by a Suzuki Vitara sports utility vehicle on Sunday, March 11, while walking along a road in Bibby’s Lane, St Michael, metres away from his home. The 45-year-old handyman had been detained at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital since the incident. He passed away around 4:40 p.m. Knight was unable to breathe on his own and was attached to machines with a tube in his throat. He also suffered a broken spine and other bones. The mood was sombre at his Exchange Hill community Tuesday night. Eldest daughter Shakila Wilkinson, 21, speaking in a soft voice, said her father was a loving man who had a close relationship with each of his six children. Her ten-year-old sister Aaliyah, said she would not be able to tell her father which secondary school she passed for after sitting the Common Entrance Exam next month. Their mother Antoinette, Knight’s girlfriend for over 20 years, was not at home. Knight has three other children, Shaquoia, 16, A-Ryhianna, 13, and Shaquan is 18 while Knight had a grandchild: two-year-old Shariya. Neighbours also expressed sorrow at the passing of a man cherished for his community spirit. Neighbour and close friend Krystal Wilkinson said the family was depressed and his children were taking it the hardest. To date, no one has been charged. (WN)

LAWYER FIGHTER TO THE END – A true warrior and fighter. That was how attorney Kathy-Anne Trotman was described by Rev. Arlette Waterman during her funeral service at the Ebenezer Methodist Church, Ebenezer, St Philip, on Thursday. Trotman, 49, became a household name when she and her husband, attorney Douglas Trotman, joined forces to press Government to approve her medicinal marijuana request for palliative care, after she was diagnosed with Stage II triple negative breast cancer in 2015. “Kathy was a true Christian woman who fought for what she believed in . . . . She would have fought like Paul and never gave up even until her last moments on Earth. She fought ill health, social obstacles, even spiritual battles, and legal fights,” Waterman said. Tributes flowed for the mother of six as Governor General Dame Sandra Mason, judges, magistrates, lawyers, politicians, family and friends paid tribute her. Douglas, Kathy-Anne’s husband of 14 years, eulogised his wife as the epitome of strength that kept the entire family together. “When Kath was diagnosed, she said she would not have chemotherapy or radiation. She said she would fight naturally, and use other Western medical methodologies. We journeyed to Vancouver [Canada] on two occasions, [before] she took her fight public for the use of medical cannabis. “The system responded sluggishly, but Kath kept fighting and I fought with her. Eventually we got a prescription for her to use medical cannabis from Dr Harley Moseley III,” he said. He said that she was his rock, and together they made a great team. “We thought we had time . . . . This has been difficult for all of us, but Kath kept to a single promise; that she would indeed cleave to her husband . . . . Kath, I love you, we will all miss you, and we know you will be with us every day. I saw the power of prayer, and I now must search my burning bush,” he said as he began to cry. (WN)

TNT - BOY CHOPS OFF MOTHER'S HAND – A 15-YEAR-OLD form three Presentation College student, in a fit of rage, yesterday chopped off his mother’s right hand and then chopped her several times on the back of the neck after an argument at their Waterloo home. The teen, who was in his school uniform, with blood splattered over his shirt, was found in a daze at the nearby Waterloo Cremation site. While being escorted to a police van, he began weeping and told police he was sorry. He said, “I did it because my mother took away my cellphone the night before and I found it was unfair.” The boy was taken to the Brasso Police station, which has a detention centre for juveniles. The boy was at his Butler Village, Carapichaima home with his mother who is a nurse, early yesterday when they argued over her decision to take away his cellphone. The teen took a cutlass and chopped off her right hand at the wrist. He then chopped her several times on the back of the neck. As he left the house, his father met him and asked why he was not at school and why his clothes were soiled. The boy did not respond but rode off on his bicycle. When his father went upstairs to the bedroom, he found his wife semi-conscious and bleeding, with her severed hand on the floor. He called a neighbour, who put the hand in a bag of ice. The injured woman, a nurse for several years, told her neighbour and husband what to do to stop the bleeding. She was taken to the San Fernando Hospital, treated and warded in critical condition. Yesterday, she had emergency surgery to have her hand re-attached and to save her life because she had lost so much blood. Police led by Sgt Boxer and including PC Gibson, interviewed the boy’s father, who told them his son had been acting strangely within recent weeks, and they suspected he was using drugs. His cellphone was taken away as punishment, but his father expressed regret over the move and believes his wife would not be fighting for her life if they had not done so. Investigators said yesterday that they would have to await advice from police legal officers before the boy is questioned. Brasso police station is a juvenile booking centre and he will remain there until Legal Aid assigns a state-appointed lawyer to speak with him. Only after that will police be able to interview him. If he is charged he will appear before the children’s court in Fyzabad. Yesterday, Central Division police described the incident as the most incredible for the year and said it reflects what society has now become. Head of Central Division Snr Supt Inraj Balram said the incident was very disturbing. “It is appalling for a 15-year-old who is attending a prestigious school to resort to that kind of violence against his own mother. I am pleading with people who have troubled children to seek counselling for them,” Balram said. Education Minister Anthony Garcia said the ministry received a report from School Supervision personnel on the chopping. Garcia said the information he had was that the incident occurred after the mother scolded her son about his school work. He said the ministry is mobilizing all necessary resources and experts from the Student Support Services Division of the Ministry will provide counselling and intervention for teachers and students of the suspect’s school. The Division will also extend similar services to the student’s relatives. (BT)

WOMEN’S CRICKET NOT EQUAL TO MEN’S – Though women’s cricket in the West Indies has come a long way, more needs to be done to ensure it is seen equal to the men’s game. So said librarian Margaret Broomes during the Barbados Museum & Historical Society’s lecture entitled Women’s Cricket In The Caribbean on Tuesday night at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed. “West Indies women’s cricket is still not viewed in the same light and is very much unequal to the men’s game. Cricket in the West Indies is still viewed as a man’s game. “Women’s cricket is played separate and not seen as West Indies cricket but two separate games,” she said. During her presentation, which is the sixth in the series of 12, she mentioned that that inequality trickled down from women’s cricket in the 1960s and 1970s when it experienced a lack of funding, poor facilities and very little media coverage. Broomes explained that some progress was made when the women’s team gained success by capturing the ICC World Twenty20 title in 2016, in the same year in which the men’s and Under-19 teams were successful. These accomplishments resulted in greater media coverage and more women even came out to support the game. “Surely the structures and programmes put in place helped the women. There is need to continue to build and improve on these structures. . . Fans were given the opportunity to realise that women’s cricket is a serious sport played with talented ladies. There is a need to keep this momentum going for the ladies. The women are now seen as heroes and as a result young girls may be more inclined to choose cricket as their sport,” Broomes said. However, she mentioned that total equality depended on the realisation by the powers that be that the sport was worthy. “It depends on the West Indies Cricket Board (now Cricket West Indies) and how they perceive women’s cricket. The men are sponsored; the women are not sponsored. It seems as though the women are a liability to the cricket. They are playing better but they are not being recognised for their efforts only the men. “The men have been sponsored for many years and up to now the women cannot find a sponsor in the same way . . . . Some of the women also feel because it started as a working class sport was the reason why they weren’t being sponsored because they never had anyone to speak out on their behalf,” said Broomes. (WN)

XHOSA BAND VOWS BETTER FOR 2018 - Xhosa Barbados is promising to make amends with masqueraders this year after a disappointing 2017 performance. The Grand Kadooment band, now in its fourth year, launched its 2018 theme Circle of Life to curious patrons at the National Conservation Commission’s Botanical Gardens on Sunday. Last year, Xhosa won the top prize for Large Band of the Year, Best Party Band and Most Colourful Large Band, but it was heavily criticised for its distribution and road experience. Band Leader Jeremy Nicholls revealed that the organisers went back to the drawing board for 2018 to figure out where they went wrong. “The team has looked at the overall experience. We were successful in 2015, 2016 [and] we looked at what changed in 2017 and tried to make sure that we stopped those things from happening again,” he said True to Xhosa’s mantra, We Don’t Pose, We Party, the band launch was also a cooler fete with a deejay line up consisting of Jus Jay, Mali Fresh & Scott Le Roc, Infamous & Boom Mafia and DJ Kareem. The gardens were packed with patrons eager to see the nine sections from Circle of Life: Bloom, Phoenix, Ari, Ceres, Aja, Anake, Lignum Vitae, Reaper and Teratai. The theme explores the journey and the rebirth of Xhosa Barbados and examines the deities that guide and control fate, whether successes or failures. Nicholls indicated they were expecting at least 900 masqueraders to be jumping down Spring Garden Highway on August 6, however, he was committed to ensuring that Xhosa Barbados delivered on the carnival experience. “My main focus is not the number of people, but [our] quality of the service. It is about making sure the experience matches the brand,” Nicholls said. “We are definitely ready to go on the road, the product is going to remain the quality people expect it to be,” he added. Band designers include regional artists Marlon Smart, Christian Boucaud, Tanya Duncan, Rawle Permanand, Humzee, Whitney Shand, Simone Nielson, Keisha Als and Sherise Stewart. (BT)

KRAVE THE BAND IN A FIGHTING SPIRIT FOR 2018 – What happens when colour and creativity collide and are energized with spectacle? We get the Year of the Savage of course. At their weekend launch, the five-year-old Krave the Band signalled its intentions to bring the full action, no posing, to this year’s Crop Overseason. The stage was set early in the proceedings with strong showings from the selected DJs, DJ Psalms and Mad Russian to name just a few, and it was left up to the organizers to deliver what was promised – action with energy. With section names such as Headhunter, Pagan, Mesoa, Iskaba, Witch Doctor, Beautiful Savage, Forbidden, Chameleon and Rituals, it was not hard to see why they chose such an aggressive theme for this year’s festivities. Krave was out to fight, and fight they did. The sections had a distinctive Native American and African tribal flavor to the designs which were personally appealing. Witch Doctor’s individual costume, with its interesting arrangement of blue, red, and orange feathers dominating the headpiece and leg fixtures, certainly grabbed some attention. But it was the neck garb which resembled a giant centipede that took the breath away. I look forward to seeing Barbadians this year facing their sworn enemy while playing mas down to Spring Garden. The spiked headpiece of the Head Hunter’s costume is a showstopper, exuding raw, visceral, aggressive energy. If Head Hunter was the showstopper, the queen of the band costume must be the grand finale – loud, potent, and it “slayed”. It was obvious the piece was not exactly ideal to wear for the whole day, however in terms of exclusivity, and the sheer looks of it, Krave certainly has a crowd pleaser on their hands. Speaking to Bajan Vibes after the launch, CEO and bandleader Avery Hackett had strong words for his competitors this year. “It’s been a crazy journey, coming from a place where we know nothing about mas, to a point where we understand it, appreciate it, and you live for it. We have been laid back on how we treat the market, our competitors, and how we view carnival in Barbados, so this year we wanted to say, let’s go back home… let’s take the gloves off.” Now that Krave has signaled its intention this year to be serious with Crop Over, it will be interesting to see how other band leaders respond to the challenge. Can they too be savage? (BT)

THE LITTLE MERMAID WOWS PATRONS –This weekend’s staging of The Little Mermaid by Operation Triple Threat (OTT) was nothing short of amazing. The young and the young at heart filled Frank Collymore Hall each night for an exceptional production – a tapestry of singing, dancing and acting of a classic love story portrayed by some of Barbados’ most talented young artistes. It was a well delivered adaptation of Disney’s 1989 film in which a curious young mermaid falls for a handsome human prince and agrees to a dangerous bargain with a powerful sea witch in exchange for legs and a chance to live with the prince on land. Reneice Bonnett played the lead character Ariel, and she mesmerized the audience with her beauty and her acting. It was her voice, however, that truly brought Ariel to life as she sang Part of Your World. Elisha Ifill depicted a cute Flounder and along with being Ariel’s best friend, he undoubtedly had a major crush on her. But he was no match to her love interest, Kian Toppin, who was a charming Prince Eric. The two actors had clear, strong chemistry on stage as they danced close together. Prince Eric’s closest advisor Grimsby was portrayed by young Jon-Mykul Bowen, who this weekend transformed into a sincere, elderly gentleman and personified the supporting role to perfection. Speaking of perfection, Chad Montplaisir embodied the role of flamboyant Sebastian, complete with all the Disney character’s antics and accent. His performance of Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl was highly entertaining. Sebastian played a servant of King Triton acted by Mark Yarde. King Triton was father to Ariel and the six mersisters, who along with Flounder, delivered a fantastic performance of She’s in Love. Evan McDonald, who played Chef Louis, delivered an eccentric performance in the set kitchen and was a definite crowd favorite. No one could forget the villainous sea witch Ursula, portrayed by Sydney Hassell, who delivered a great performance in an equally impressive costume, as she sang and acted. The three-hour-long production received a standing ovation from patrons and nothing but glowing reviews on social media. (BT)

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