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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/16/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your news cap for Tuesday 16th January 2018. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by Daily Nation News Newspaper (DN).

TIME’S UP! – The clock is no longer ticking on the National Union of Public Workers’ (NUPW) threat of industrial action. Time’s up. The top brass of the union revealed they were ready to make good on a promise of action as a result of Government’s failure to respond to their requests to conclude salary negotiations by yesterday. Following a lengthy prayer session to start the action “right”, the NUPW announced the move, but remained tight-lipped on just how it would unfold. “The mandate from the general membership and [national] council is that we conclude salary negotiations [yesterday]. So we are prepared to do whatever is necessary until we can conclude salary negotiations,” president Akanni McDowall said. (DN)

STRIKE ON – It had issued an ultimatum to the Freundel Stuart Government to respond to its pay concerns by January 15, else it said there would be protests. But with the Stuart administration refusing to budge and today’s deadline passing without a single word being said by Government on the matter, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) this evening announced that it would be immediately embarking on a public sector strike. Demonstrating that the union means business, NUPW executives met with shop stewards at their Dalkeith Road, St Michael headquarters for prayer this afternoon, before rolling out the plan of action. Speaking to the media following the brief meeting which started at 5p.m. and ended at 5:22p.m, NUPW President Akanni McDowall said that he was disappointed with Government’s lack of response to the union, while emphasizing that NUPW was prepared to fight to the bitter end for pay increases for its members. The NUPW boss did however reveal that all options were on the table. He also stressed that the time for talk was now over and that it would take much more than invitation to get them to return to the negotiation table with Government. “All gloves are off. The mandate from the [NUPW’s executive] council and the general membership was that the Government must conclude negotiations by today, so we are prepared to do whatever is necessary to conclude salary negotiations. “What we do not want to do is to tell you what plans we have so that Government can put measures in place to prevent us from being as effective as we could be,” McDowall added. The NUPW president also hinted at the involvement of sister trade unions in the protests, saying, “we are prepared to do whatever is necessary and that includes forming whatever partnerships are needed and that includes speaking to whomever we have to speak to. Barbados TODAY understands that the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) has already pledged its support to the NUPW’s position. However, sources say the BWU still has to meet with it is membership to finalize its participation in the NUPW-led strike. “But I can tell you that we already have their support with certain strategic initiatives,” one source said. The development comes just over a month after Government offered to make a $49 million lump sum payment to civil servants, which was rejected by the NUPW. Instead, the union is proposing a $60 million lump sum, which would allow for an across-the-board $2,500 payment. The NUPW, which has been demanding a 23 per cent increase, has however made it clear that the lump sum was not a substitute for the proposed pay hike, which has been outstanding for the past ten years. In fact, the union had called for both matters to be settled by today. Following the presentation of the May 30 Budget by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler the NUPW had joined with the BWU, the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union and the Barbados Union of Teachers in demanding the subsidy as a means of helping public workers cope with the drastic increase in the National Social Responsibility Levy, which rose from two to ten per cent of the customs value of locally produced and imported goods. However, in recent days there has been a seeming reluctance on the part of the BUT to push too hard at the Government with its president Pedro Shepherd suggesting to Barbados TODAY last week that McDowall and the NUPW were being too anxious amid the current economic challenges facing the country. However, McDowall has since responded suggesting that Shepherd was out of touch with his members’ wishes. (BT)

MIA VOWS TO FIX SEWAGE PROBLEMS – Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Mia Mottley, promises that if her party forms the next Government the sewage problems that plague the South Coast will be a thing of the past. And she castigated the Freundel Stuart administration for prioritising extensions at the Grantley Adams International Airport after she had warned as far back as 2015 that there were issues at the South Coast Sewage Treatment Plant. She raised these issues while addressing the party’s mass meeting on Sunday night at Worthing, Christ Church. “The Cabinet went two months ago or less and agreed to spend $175/185 million at Grantley Adams [International] Airport to build a new control tower, to extend the departure lounge and to rebuild the parking aprons . . . . “How do we get putting an air traffic control tower before fixing the South Coast Sewage Treatment Plant?” Mottley asked as she warned that the South Coast sewage issues were likely to be repeated if they were not fixed with urgency. (DN)

BLAME ‘DEM’ FOR THE SEWAGE MESS, SAYS MIA –Amid warnings of a sewage crisis, Opposition Leader Mia Mottley has accused the Freundel Stuart administration of neglecting the south coast sewerage system in favour of three major tourism redevelopments – Sam Lord’s Castle, the Pierhead Marina and Grantley Adams International Airport. Speaking last night to a large crowd of party supporters at the official launch of the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) 2018 elections campaign, Mottley also contended that funding for much-needed maintenance of the sewerage system was denied because of an “internecine war” raging between Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler and the Minister of Water Resource Management Dr David Estwick. Holding aloft a set of documents which she said were Cabinet papers, Mottley further accused Sinckler in particular of dragging his feet on the repeated funding requests made by Estwick in relation to the south coast sewage mess, while questioning whether it was Prime Minister Freundel Stuart or the Minister of Finance who was in charge of Cabinet. Back in October 2015, it was Mottley who had initially warned the Stuart, based on a leaked document written by the then Barbados Water Authority (BWA) consultant Patricia Inniss, that the south coast sewerage system urgently needed a financial injection to stave off collapse. Mottley further recalled that as far back as May 26, 2014, Estwick had applied to Cabinet for permission to seek funding from a Chinese bank for a project that not only would have built a new west coast sewerage system, but also would have upgraded the ones on the south coast and in Bridgetown. However, the Opposition Leader claimed that after Industrial and Commercial Bank of China forwarded the document outlining the terms of financing on August 6, 2014, the Ministry of Finance never acknowledged that letter. Mottley, who projected aspects of the alleged Cabinet documents on a big screen during last night’s meeting and promised to release the full documents later this week to back up her claims, said the reason for non-acknowledgement was that Sinckler took to Cabinet a competing paper seeking funding from the same Chinese source to redevelop Sam Lord’s Castle. Mottley also charged that the Prime Minister made things worse by writing the Chinese on Cabinet’s intentions, but never laid out the priority for either the south coast or west coast sewerage project. Mottley further disclosed that in a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resource Management, “the Ministry of Finance said on the 30th of November, 2015, ‘I have been directed to tell you that the draft Cabinet paper was not approved [and that] Clause 9-3 of the BWA contract should be utilized to exit the arrangement until the Government can afford it’”. According to the Opposition Leader, it was not until Estwick made another plea to Cabinet in February 2016 that the sewerage works, embracing the south coast, the west coast and Bridgetown, were approved. According to her, in that 2016 plea Estwick had said ‘the south coast sewage plant is currently in a state of disrepair and needs urgent attention to avoid compromising the health and the safety of residents, and the commercial entities surrounding the plants”. However, she said, “the most damning memorandum of all” was issued by the Ministry of Finance to Estwick’s ministry on June 29, 2016 stating that with “reference your memorandum dated 29th of February . . . I have been directed to inform you that the finances of the Government of Barbados cannot support the implementation of the West Coast Sewerage Project [which included the south coast upgrade and construction of Bridgetown]”. She said Ministry of Finance officials had advised their counterparts at water resource management that any negotiations for Chinese funding that had already commenced should be halted, and that the BWA “should concentrate on projects which address problems and/or infrastructural deficiencies in water collection and distribution”. “In other words, forget about sewerage. If you got problems with water mains come to us, other than that the Ministry of Finance has not a red cent for you. “These people for reasons best known to them did not want the south coast/west coast or Bridgetown fixed,” she added. (BT)

STOP THE LOFTY PROMISES! - Outspoken economist Jeremy Stephen is urging political parties contesting the next general election, constitutionally due by the middle of this year, to level with the public about the bitter pill that has to be immediately administered if the country is to stave off imminent economic collapse. In the face of dwindling foreign reserves which the Central Bank said were only $550 million in September last year, over $100 million in foreign debt and interest payments due in the final quarter of this year, as well as a low credit rating that could affect any future foreign market borrowing, the University of the West Indies lecturer told Barbados TODAY he was concerned about some of the lofty promises being made on the campaign trail, while warning that the island could not afford to continue on its current economic trajectory. In this regard, he zeroed in on the promise made by Opposition Leader Mia Mottley during the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) 79th Annual Conference last October to repeal the controversial National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), should her party win the election. While describing as “ill timed” the recent hike in the NSRL, which was raised from two per cent to ten per cent of the customs value of locally manufactured and imported goods, Stephen further cautioned that a sudden repeal would be equally detrimental. “Although I would have rightly predicted that the NSRL would have failed, the problem is that repealing a tax is so structural and it is extra revenue,” he said, adding that while it was true that earnings from the dreaded NSRL had not kept up with the rate of Government expenditure, “repealing it would essentially be creating a big hole too soon. “It is my personal view that a sober campaign does not speak of largess, and the general public might not understand when you put a new tax to replace the other one,” Stephen said in an interview with Barbados TODAY. However, the former head of the Barbados Economic Society stressed that even though unrealistic campaign promises had become part and parcel of the political landscape, it was especially dangerous to raise the expectations of the public during times of dire economic hardship. He suggested that while the incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and the main Opposition BLP both had “the skills to get the job done . . . the problem now are mandates. (BT)

‘NO LINK’ TO STINK – There is a foul smell coming from the Bridgetown Sewage Treatment Plant once again. However, the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) has said it was in no way linked to it rerouting sewage from the Bay Street area through a recommissioned lift station. Since Saturday, there has been a nauseating smell emanating from the sewage plant in Emmerton, The City, which was affecting surrounding areas like Lakes Folly, Cheapside and Fontabelle. BWA rapid response and communications manager, Joy-Ann Haigh, told the DAILY NATION while investigations were ongoing to determine the nature of the odour, it was not linked to recent mitigation efforts in connection with the South Coast sewage crisis. (DN)

COME TO OUR RESCUE MIA – As St George residents prepare to turn up the heat on waste hauler Anderson Fat Child Cherry over his annoying Lower Estate dumpsite, they are calling on Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Leader Mia Mottley to lend her voice to their cause. During a committee meeting on Sunday evening at the Church of God in Salters, St George, residents said they were simply fed up and were preparing to ramp up their protest action against the landfill operator, the landowner and the Government. Though still contemplating legal action, the residents who met privately with attorney-at-law Gregory Nicholls on Sunday, called on Mottley, who is the representative for St Michael North East, to speak out against their plight. “There is a rumour that Ms Mottley is a supporter of the business [run by Cherry]. Is Ms Mottley, as Opposition leader, aware of the issue?” one resident asked. “Following on that point, it is my understanding that the constituency of Hothersal [where the dump is located] and all that area falls under the ambit of Ms Mottley. Can Ms Mottley be part of this, can she bring her voice to bear on this as she has on other pressing issues?” another resident asked, as he reminded the Opposition candidate for St George North Gline Clarke, who chaired Sunday’s meeting, that he was a member of the Mottley-led BLP and should therefore be able to have a conversation with her. “Tell her the residents would appreciate her input . . . . Right now we are on the slow boat to China and we need the most assistance we can get,” he said. Clarke responded by telling the residents Mottley was aware of their plight, but sought to make it clear that “she is not part of [Cherry’s] business”. While careful not to commit Mottley to anything, Clarke told the approximately two-dozen residents at Sunday’s meeting that he was prepared to “work closely” with them to get the area cleaned up. Last December the Ministry of Health issued an abatement notice instructing Project Recycling Limited, the company owned by Cherry, to cease its operations. The company, which operates the Lower Estate dumpsite, was also ordered to clear the site of all materials within four weeks. However, Cherry is yet to fully clear the area, which continues to burn and give off a very pungent smell, affecting residents. “We will not sit by idly and allow this to happen again . . . we will continue to meet with the operator, Mr Cherry. We want to meet with the Ministry of Health, but the residents are saying, if we do not have closure to this problem, we are willing to step up their protest action,” said Clarke. (BT)

HOMELESS SPOKESMAN MAKES APPEAL TO POLITICAL PARTIES – With over 100 homeless people said to be living on the streets of the capital, Bridgetown, the local charity which cares for their plight has issued a manifesto, urging all political parties contesting this year’s general election to make a pledge to stamp out homelessness for good. In the two-page document entitled, Homeless Does Not Mean Voteless, founder-president of the Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society (BVHS) Kemar Saffrey called for a serious commitment to be made to improving the lives of those who currently live on the streets. “The BVHS is at present inviting all political parties planning to run in the upcoming general election, to take note of its Homeless Manifesto, designed to facilitate the care and protection of the most vulnerable homeless persons in Barbados. This manifesto will be forwarded to all parties for their consideration, ahead of the election,” Saffrey said. He specifically pointed out that the number of homeless people had more than doubled since the ruling Democratic Labour Party took office in 2008 and instituted a series of “tough economic policies” which have resulted in over 100 vagrants sleeping on the streets on any given night. “Homelessness and sleeping on the streets have scaled to a national level. But as the leading homelessness organization, we know that change is possible with the election of your party,” Saffrey said. “We call on your political party to make a clear manifesto commitment to an ambitious new national initiative to end homelessness,” he stressed, adding that effective action on this scourge needed strong leadership and coordinated work across Government and community organizations, including the Psychiatric Hospital, health agencies, the Welfare Department, police and housing agencies. Saffrey wants which ever party that forms the next administration to embrace the BVHS’ Homelessness Reduction Proposal and to embed homelessness prevention priorities across key Government agencies, to guarantee the early intervention required. He suggested that such an intervention should include a shelter to accommodate all persons currently living on the streets. “This initiative must also tackle chronic homelessness and vagrancy by allocating a building to be used as a 24/7 shelter with Government providing funding and technical assistance, with additional support to tackle the mental health crisis [which is] keeping people stuck on our streets,” he said. He also called for annual funding for the BVHS and housing solutions for vagrants. “Housing solutions should be accompanied by a personalized package of support – and adequate support with housing costs through the benefits systems, such as the Welfare Department and the National Insurance Scheme – to ensure people do not return to the streets,” he added. (BT)

POTHOLES COSTING DRIVERS – Potholes are bothersome, and at the same time can be rather costly. Motorist Damien Catlyn knows that very well. He is faced with a $3 000 repair bill for his vehicle after it landed in a large pothole in Wildey, St Michael. Catlyn is worried that the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) may not refund the full cost of the repairs. He told the DAILY NATION yesterday, he was travelling from a staff party on Saturday night when his car went into the pothole, resulting in a burst tyre and cracked rim. As he assessed the damage, the driver said a security guard from a nearby business informed him he had been the sixth driver that night whose car got a flat tyre caused by the pothole. “When I looked around, I saw this other guy around the corner who had his hazard lights on and two other cars had on their hazard lights on that side, trying to change their tyres,” Catlyn said. “I said ‘This is madness. This pothole blew all of these tyres?’” Catlyn said he asked. He said that while he was at the scene, another car dropped into the same pothole and the engine cut out. Believing the pothole to be a hazard, he called the police, he said, but there was no response while he was there, so he left and returned to Wildey the following day and filmed the area. That video has now gone viral. When a NATION team visited the area yesterday morning, the pothole was still visible and causing vehicles to swerve into the oncoming traffic. Catlyn said he now had to pay $400 for a new tyre and $190 to repair his rim, if it could be fixed. However, if it cannot be fixed, Catlyn said he would have to buy four new rims, taking his cost close to $3 000. He said he called a friend at MTW to enquire about compensation for damage caused by the pothole and was told the MTW could only compensate him for the cost of one tyre and rim. “I said this is nonsense because the rim that got damaged may cost four,” Catlyn said. “It’s a further expense for me because I have to pay $900 a year and if I don’t pay my road tax and the police stop me, I’d find myself in hot water,” Catlyn added. When contacted, MTW Deputy Chief Technical Officer Phillip Tudor said anyone whose vehicle was damaged as a result of a pothole could submit details of the incident and copies of any associated bills to the chief technical officer. Concerning the offending pothole at Wildey, Tudor said a team from the ministry was sent to fix it yesterday. (DN)

DEM FALLING SHORT – A top regional security official says the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is falling short in terms of its facilitation of district emergency organizations (DEOs). Executive Director of the Regional Security System (RSS), Commander Errington Shurland, levelled the charge as he delivered the feature address at the annual general meeting of the St James Central District Emergency Organization last night. While outlining the shortcomings of the 30 district emergency organizations (DEOs) within the island, Shurland argued that a level of Government cooperation, specifically from the DEM, was needed for the functioning and training of DEOs. Shurland also called on Government to legitimize the role of community first-responders in the Emergency Management Act, while pointing out that there was no mention of the DEOs in the legislation. While applauding the DEOs for the role they played as first responders, Shurland was critical of their efficiency and effectiveness with 19 out of the 30 organizations said to be active. “Were something to happen that impacts Barbados we would not be able to get a situation report from certain DEOs. We would not be guaranteed that the most vulnerable in particular constituencies are being taken care of and that gap has to be addressed,” he said. “The whole issue of funding, the issue of training is one that . . . the Department of Emergency Management as a Government agency should raise the issue at the ministerial level to demonstrate the benefits of a district emergency organization and lobby to ensure that requisite funding is in place; lobby to make sure that the legislative architecture is in place so that it gives that necessary legitimacy to those organizations,” the RSS executive director stressed. (BT)

OFF TAX LIST SOON – Barbados has lots of reasons to be rejoicing today. The country is set to be removed from the European Union’s (EU) damaging tax list. Reuters news agency reported yesterday that EU officials had proposed to remove eight of the 17 jurisdictions it recently blacklisted as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions after they offered to change their tax rules. Barbados, Panama, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Grenada, Macao, Mongolia and Tunisia are the jurisdictions that EU officials have recommended be delisted. The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of EU ambassadors tomorrow and is expected to be adopted by EU finance ministers when they meet next week Tuesday in Brussels for monthly talks. (DN)

TRUMP NOT WELCOME – Local and regional Pan-Africanists and socialist groups have lashed out at United States President Donald Trump for offensive comments he reportedly made about Africa nations, Haiti and elsewhere during an Oval Office meeting last Thursday. Trump has since denied describing certain nations in the vulgar terms he was accused of using. However, in a strongly worded “declaration” issued on behalf of the people of the Caribbean, President of the Clement Payne Movement David Comissiong said the US president was no longer welcomed to the region. Comissiong told journalists today that the declaration was submitted to “the people and civil society organizations of the Caribbean for their endorsement and adoption” last Saturday and has since received about 200 signatures from 17 nations, including embattled Venezuela. The declaration states that “any insult or attack that is directed at the African continent or at the Republic of Haiti is intrinsically an insult and attack that is directed at us as well”. Pointing out that Trump’s latest alleged comments were “not isolated”, the attorney-at-law said the declaration signalled that Caribbean people were prepared to engage in “popular demonstrations” designed to prevent Trump from entering any of the sovereign Caribbean nations. The declaration, which has been placed on several social media sites, is currently available in four different languages. It came on the heels of a statement issued by the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc in which it stated that it was deeply disturbed by the “derogatory and repulsive language” by the US president. Despite Trump’s subsequent denial, CARICOM said it “condemns in the strongest terms, the unenlightened views reportedly expressed”. In a separate statement issued at the weekend, University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles said the US owed a debt of gratitude to the Caribbean, and the Haitian nation in particular for illuminating America’s way out of its colonial darkness. But while stating that the Pan-African movement recognized the “constraints under which institutions like CARICOM and the University of the West Indies operate”, Comissiong said their statements were simply “not enough in a situation like this”. He insisted that “Mr Trump’s egregious insult and attack . . . requires an action response”. “One of the things we will do, we will petition our governments, but we are very clear that we will not content ourselves with petitioning our governments. We will also vehemently protest against any Trump visit, but we won’t stop there. We further go on to say that we have committed ourselves to engage in popular demonstrations designed to prevent president Donald Trump’s entry into any portion of the territory of our Caribbean region,” insisted Comissiong. (BT)

PROBATE SECTION OF REGISTRATION DEPARTMENT CLOSING EARLY – Members of the public are advised that the Probate Section of the Registration Department will close at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 19, to facilitate training of staff. Any inconvenience this closure may cause is regretted. (DN)

POLICE SEIZE DRUGS – On Sunday, January 14, members of the Drug Squad, assisted by members of the Police Marine Unit, and personnel from The Barbados Coast Guard, conducted an operation at sea, approximately11.8 nautical miles off the Cement Plant, Checker Hall, St Lucy. During this operation, a vessel was intercepted, and 15 polythene bags and two taped packages, containing 349.2 kilos of cannabis were seized. Three men are currently assisting police in their investigations. Today, members of the Drug Squad conducted an operation at Beachy Head Beach, St Philip. During this operation, four polythene bags, containing 55 kilos of cannabis, and a quantity of cocaine weighing 19.1 kilos were seized. No arrests were made. (DN)

SCOTT DENIES STEALING $2,000 FROM CHRICHLOW – A St Michael man was released on bail this afternoon when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick charged with theft. Tristan Kemar Scott, of Military Road, Bush Hall, pleaded not guilty to stealing $2,000 belonging to Silvan Crichlow on November 23, 2017. Along with providing a surety, Scott was ordered to return to court on February 23, 2018. (BT)

HOT-HEADED DAD MUST PAY – A moment of hot headedness has resulted in a Christ Church man being out of pocket. Donovan Orlando White, of Smith Road, Sargeant’s Village, pleaded guilty to destroying a cellular phone belonging to the mother of his children. Outlining the facts of the case before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, the prosecutor, Sergeant Theodore McClean, stated that on December 27, 2017, White and the complainant, Nelcina Layne, got into a dispute during which the accused took the complainant’s phone and smashed it into a wall. It was also alleged that the 38-year-old assaulted Layne on the same day. However, White pleaded not guilty to this offence, while informing the court that it was the intention of the complainant to drop the charge as long as he paid her back for the phone. “She is my child mother. We have twins and we already settled the matter,” White said. However, Frederick told the defendant that Layne would have to come to court and drop the charges in person. White was granted $2,500 bail for the assault charge and the matter was adjourned until January 19, 2018. The magistrate also cautioned White to bring enough money to cover the cost of the phone when he returned to court. (BT)

BAIL FOR FOUR – Four Dash Valley, St George men, who are jointly charged with possession of a trafficable quantity of cannabis, were released on bail when they appeared in the No.1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this afternoon. Tito Ricardo Knight, 35, Chad Shakille Durham, 22, Shamar Tevin Orlando Prescod, 25, and Tristan Mikail Seal, 26, were not required to plead to the offence as the matter is to be transferred to the jurisdiction of District ‘B’. It was alleged that on January 15, 2018, the four men had in their possession two and a half pounds of the illegal drug valued at $5,000. Knight and Prescod also face additional drug offences, which were allegedly committed on the same date. Knight is accused of possessing 80 grammes of cannabis, valued at $400, while Prescod was alleged to have 65 grammes of the drug. Magistrate Douglas Frederick released the men on $5,000 bail each and ordered them to present themselves at the District ‘B’ Magistrates’ Court on January 18, 2018, at which time they would be allowed to enter a plea. (BT)

WRONG SHOTS: HARRIS SAYS VIOLENCE IMPACTING NEGATIVELY ON FOOTBALL- Gun violence is impacting negatively on local football and president of the Barbados Football Association, Randolph Harris, has called for an end to the madness. Speaking during the opening ceremony to kick off the 2018 football season yesterday at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex, Harris said to those in attendance including 65 clubs on parade, that the rising gun activity in Barbados was striking closer and closer to home in the football association. “It would be remiss of me as a youth organization working for the development of the future of Barbados, that I do not mention the worrying problem of gun violence in Barbados. And I know that it is affecting registered players of the BFA and their families, and I am asking that we do something serious about this problem,” Harris said. Adding that the BFA did not have all the answers, he pleaded for assistance in curbing the intolerable situation while sharing what role his association intended to play in dealing with the matter. “Incarceration and severity are not the only answer, we in the BFA want to give our players who are unemployed and uncertified, an opportunity to come to the BFA on a daily basis and work on their football skills, and also try to improve and make them better citizens to fit into the society,” Harris explained. In May last year Premier League footballer Sherwin Success was shot and killed at Wotton, Christ Church. And there have been sporadic shootings and other acts of violence at football games across the island from time to time in previous years. During yesterday’s opening ceremony Harris also spoke about working closely with world governing body FIFA who he said had expressed an interest in working with the national senior team. The BFA president, therefore, made it clear that they would be enforcing disciplinary action on any players that went against the rules of the governing body. The BFA seemed to be clearly keeping its word as four Barbadian players including national captain Mario Harte have all been found guilty of breaching the BFA regulations and have been suspended. In action on the field yesterday, the President’s X1 defeated a national Combined team 3-0 with a brace from 14-year-old St Leonard’s School student Thierry Gale and the third from Demar Linton. In a women’s match, defending champions University of the West Indies Blackbirds drew 1-1 with a President’s XI outfit. Scoring for UWI was Rianna Cyrus from a penalty kick and for the opponents, Felicia Jarvis equalised also via a penalty strike. (BT)

PLAYER SORRY – Suspended national footballer Mario Williams has apologised to the Barbados Football Association (BFA) for breaching its regulations. Last Wednesday, Williams and fellow national representatives, captain Mario Harte and Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme midfielder Renaldo Trim, were issued suspension letters by the BFA for playing in an unsanctioned tournament after they were warned not to. BDFSP defender Ricardio Morris was also suspended over his behaviour at training. A source close to the situation informed NATIONSPORT that the players were disciplined for playing in the New Orleans and Gully Hill tournaments after they were warned about it, as well as neglecting national duties. In a letter bearing yesterday’s date, and addressed to BFA general secretary Edwyn Wood – a copy of which was acquired by NATIONSPORT – the management of Paradise Football Club and Williams, a striker for the team, issued an apology for his disrespect towards the association’s position as it pertains to out of season tournaments. The letter, which was signed by general secretary of the club Kerry Catlyn, read in part: “Mr Williams has admitted that he made a mistake and is willing to bear any consequences that have occurred. We are hereby seeking some leniency in this matter, as it is the first time that he has gone against the rules. “In going forward, the Paradise Football Club has always tried to maintain a high standard for its players and respect for all those in authority.” According to BFA rules, players who participate in unsanctioned tournaments could be subjected to disciplinary action. Traditionally, Paradise are one of the better organised clubs and boast a complement of nine teams. When contacted, president of Paradise, Adrian Donovan, said that he had no issue with the punishment meted out to one of his players, as priority must always be given to the national team. Donovan added that while players made some extra money in these unsanctioned tournaments, he hoped that many of them would desist from doing so, as it sometimes resulted in injury. Efforts to reach BFA officials for comment were unsuccessful up to press time, after NATIONSPORT was informed that president Randy Harris is off island, Wood was unavailable for comment, and efforts to reach technical director Ahmed Mohamed were unsuccessful. (DN)

HOLDER: WINDERS GAME TO WIN ALL – West Indies captain Jason Holder says planning has already begun for the ICC World Cup qualifiers in March, as the Caribbean side look to book their spot in the 2019 one-day showpiece in England. The schedule for the much-anticipated qualifiers was released by the International Cricket Council yesterday, with West Indies installed in Group “A” along with Ireland, The Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and the winners of the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 2 tournament from February 8 to 15 in Namibia. “We see this as a very important tournament,” the 26-year-old Holder said of the March 4 to 25 campaign in Zimbabwe. “We all know the magnitude and importance of this event as we look to qualify for the World Cup in the United Kingdom next year. “It will be a challenge and we sat down and have formulated plans as to how best to approach the tournament.” Windies open their bid on March 6 against the yet-to-be-determined WCL Division 2 winners before taking on Papua New Guinea two days later. On March 10, they face their sternest test of the competition against Ireland before wrapping up against the Netherlands. Group play will be on a round-robin basis, with the top three advancing to the Super Six stage, where each side will then play three matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage. The top two teams will qualify for the final and also book their spots at the World Cup. Holder, who has led Windies in ODIs for the last three years, said it was important his side approached the tournament with an aggressive mindset. “It will be short and we will treat every match as a must-win game,” the all-rounder said. “With three teams from each group moving into the Super Sixes, and the top two moving to the final – thereby earning a spot at the World Cup – there is all to play for.” Two-time former World Cup champions, Windies were forced into the qualifiers after missing out on direct qualification because of their ninth-placed ranking in the ICC charts. England as hosts, and the remaining top seven in the rankings, qualified automatically for the showpiece, set to run from May 30 to July 15. Windies had entered 2017 battling to achieve the No. 8 spot but lost 16 of 22 ODIs while winning just three matches, to remain rooted in ninth. Last September, they were beaten 4-0 by England in a five-match series and were whitewashed by New Zealand in a three-match series last month. (DN)

OVER 40 YACHTS FOR RACE – Last year’s active hurricane season has led to a decline in the number of yachts participating in the upcoming Barbados Sailing Week. This was revealed by chairman of the organising committee, Howard Palmer, during the launch of the event at The Drift, The Beach House, which has been rebranded from the former Round Barbados Race Series. “The problem we have got is a lot of the yachts that normally come over from Europe to the Caribbean in the winter have unfortunately decided not to come because of all the destruction,” he said. “Luckily, Antigua wasn’t too badly damaged. There has been a decline in that, even though we are trying very hard to get more classic yachts involved because it started out as a classic race back in 1936. We would love to get that spirit and that history continued. We try to get the classic yachts and we try to get the state-of-the art yachts, such as the CQS, which is tremendously fast.” Though there has been a drop in participation, Palmer was pleased to have attracted more than 40 yachts thus far. Despite the number of entries, there is still diversity among those countries that have already registered. These include Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Europe. Palmer added that the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race, which is set to sail on Errol Barrow Day, was one of the highlights of the now week-long event, which begins today. He added that the race was also a celebration of the sport and the involvement and role Errol Barrow played in sailing. Manager of Sports at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., Devon Chase, said that with the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race reaching 82 years it represented both the value and reputation of the event. Chase added that the rebranding made space for the promoting of the event in the largest markets. Mount Gay events and luxury brand manager Rameses Brown said that by rebranding, the BTMI would be able to take marketing beyond the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race. He added that the event surpassed racing but was one which could be considered an experience since it was meshed with a number of activities which represent Barbados. Yachting and development consultant Peter Gilkes said Barbados’ character in the sport has matured and is now well accepted by many.

Commodore of the Cruising Club, Bryn Palmer, is appealing to Barbadians to come out and get involved in the event. (DN)

FILM FESTIVAL A BIT HIT – The 2018 Barbados Independent Film Festival (BIFF) was a success, exceeding even the expectations of its founders. This from co-founder Jennifer Smith-Bent, who was speaking at the BIFF Awards Ceremony and final screening on Sunday at the Southern Palms Hotel. “I think it went exceptionally well. We were a little bit more ambitious than we were last year with our programmes. This year we really tried to integrate local food, culture and I think it exceeded our expectations,” she said. In addition to the 35 films shown, they added a Cine Cuisine event which was a special segment featuring the work of local chefs’ Eddie ‘Classic’ Irani, Mark ‘Moo’ de Gruchy and Rhea Gilkes. While Smith-Bent said there was room for more local culture to be incorporated into the events, she said some of their challenges including getting the word out and volunteers. “As we grow, the festival can only exist through voluntary efforts. We are all non-paid individuals who dedicate our time. If anyone is interested in being a part of the initial planning stages or [helping] during the week of activities, we welcome them,” she said. She said the festival remained a great platform for local and international film-makers to network. “By attending the events, the international film-makers get to learn about what’s happening in Barbados and the Caribbean. But equally so there is a lot local film-makers can get from interacting with those from abroad, some of them who are Oscar nominated,” she added. Overall, there were 14 awards given out to actors and film-makers, including Alison Hinds who received the BIFF Award for Artistic Excellence at the start of the festival. In the Jury Awards category; the Best Feature Length Narrative Film went to 6 Dynamic Laws for Success which was accepted by Gregory Bayne. The Best Local Film-maker Award went to Rommel Hall for Abiola. The Carmichael Award For Exceptional Storytelling was presented to director Michael Mooleedhar for Green Days By The River and the McNeel Impact Award was given to SEED: The Untold Story. In the Honorary Awards category, the Best Short On The Beach went to Climate Countdown by Kaia Rose, the Audience Choice Award was given to Concealed by Lyall Sumner. Poetry Is An Island – Derek Walcott by Ida Does won The Sir Trevor Carmichael & Jennifer Smith Founders Award, while the BIFF Wish It Were Longer Short Award went to Standing Eight by Kazy Tauginas. See You Yesterday won the Best Short Film, The Best Documentary Film went to Chasing Coral and Best of Festival Award went to Bad Idea Gone Wrong. Local film-maker Shakirah Bourne won the Trident Award for Achievement In Film and Danish Lone Scherfig, won the Lifetime Achievement Award. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 349 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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