A Conservative politician is making millions off of slavery 190 years after slavery was abolished in Britain and its territories.

Tory Richard Drax comes from a filthy rich family notorious for having established the model for slave-based sugar plantations in the Caribbean in the 1620s. Even by the standards of a slave-based economy, the record of the Drax family was appalling.

The Barbados plantation was worked by up to 327 slaves at a time, with the death rate for both adults and children high. Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the 20-state Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) Reparations Commission and vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies, estimates that as many 30,000 slaves died on the Drax plantations in Barbados and Jamaica over 200 years.

Thanks largely to their their ill-gained riches, the Drax family owns a 700 acre walled estate in Dorset which includes a deer park. And apparently they are getting even richer.

Despite threats to make Richard Drax pay reparations and seize his family’s plantation – described by one historian as a “killing field” of enslaved Africans – the government is now planning to pay market value for 21 hectares (about 15 football pitches) of his land for housing. The move has angered many Barbadians, especially those who say the Drax family played a pivotal role in the development of slavery-based sugar production and the Barbados slave code in the 17th century. This denied Black Africans basic human rights, including the right to life. Critics have called the planned deal an “atrocity” and said this is “one plantation that the government should not be paying a cent for”. Trevor Prescod, MP and chair of the Barbados National Taskforce on Reparations, said: “What a bad example this is. Reparations and Drax Hall are now top of the global agenda. How do we explain this to the world? “The government should not be entering into any [commercial] relationship with Richard Drax, especially as we are negotiating with him regarding reparations.”

It's baffling why the Barbadian government would enter into such a deal.

Drax, the MP for South Dorset, travelled to Barbados to meet prime minister Mia Mottley. It is understood he was asked to hand over all or a substantial part of Drax Hall plantation. If he refused, legal action would follow. Mottley’s spokesperson said the current Drax Hall purchase was not linked to reparations and the government “constantly acquires land through this process”. Mottley has pledged to build 10,000 new homes to meet demand on the island, where there are 20,000 applications for housing. A senior valuation surveyor said the market value for agricultural land with an alternative use for housing would be about Bds$150,000 (£60,000) an acre. At this price, the 21 hectares could net Drax Bds$8m (£3.2m). The land would be for 500 low- and middle-income family homes, which would be for sale.

I'd just grab the land and pay Drax a token £1 just so he legally can't claim he wasn't compensated at all for the transfer.

Barbados poet laureate Esther Phillips, who grew up next to Drax Hall, said the planned deal was an “atrocity” and a case of the victims’ descendants now compensating the descendant of the enslaver. “He should be giving us this land as reparations, not further enriching himself … at the expense of Barbadians. As Barbadians, we must speak out against this.”

And with the reported thousands of deaths during the 200+ years of slavery at the Drax plantation, how many people will be comfortable with the idea that their new home is built on what was essentially a forced labor camp which became a model for regional slavery? Isn't the Drax property on Barbados a large cemetery?

Bridgetown, Barbados. What company got the lion’s share of the 10,000 huts contract?

https://youtu.be/cLJh3IKZ_Mc

Is your taxpayers’ money being pissed away? Is Sutherland talking a bribe? Naked!!

What does Charborough Park, Dorset (above) and Drax Hall, Barbados (below) have in common?

Both belong to the super-rich UK Conservative MP Richard Drax.

Also... slavery

Drax Hall Estate: is a still operating 621 acre sugar plantation owned by the Drax family since the 1640s. Dubbed a 'killing field' it is estimated that close to 30,000 enslaved African men, women and children died on the Drax Caribbean plantations over 200 years, while the Drax family made enormous profits. The family also part-owned at least two slave ships.

By 1832, shortly before slavery was abolished, there were 275 people enslaved on the plantation producing 300 tons of sugar and 140 puncheons of rum. Though slavery was abolished during 1833-1834, abuses still continued.

The Drax family meanwhile received compensation for the end of slavery. Records show John Sawbridge Erle-Drax was awarded £4,293 12s 6d - worth £3M today - for 189 slaves.

The Barbados MP Trevor Prescod commented that “The Drax family had slave ships. They had agents in the African continent and kidnapped black African people to work on their plantations here in Barbados. I have no doubt that what would have motivated them was that they never perceived us to be equal to them, that we were human beings. They considered us as chattels.”

The Drax family also expanded into Jamaica, but sold those estates in the 1850s.

Barbados and Jamaica are rightfully seeking reparations from the Drax family.

In 2021 it was claimed that the current Drax Hall workforce earns as little as £24 a day (half the Barbados average wage), and the modest retirement bonus of workers has been axed.

Charborough Park: is a 7000 acre estate flanked by the longest brick boundary wall in England. Stretching for miles and consisting of nearly 3 million bricks, it's mockingly known as the Great Wall of Dorset.

The Hall is the ancestral and current home of the Drax family.

Author Nick Hayes has commented that "this wall, surrounding the grounds of Charborough House ... was built by Richard Drax’s ancestor, John Sawbridge, who married into the Drax dynasty, and who was able to finance the build following a recent windfall from his sugar-cane estates in the Caribbean – although the money came not from his sugar, but from his slaves."

English plantation owners including the Drax family used the vast profits from slavery to buy land (once common land) back in England, which often came with a parliamentary seat before later reforms. So in other words the profits of slavery effectively provided their political careers, as they stole what was once public land.

Nick Hayes: "The interior of the Drax estate tells a silent story of what the colonialists did with their property. The purchase of land secured a firmer grip on power, not just in one lifetime, but for many generations to come. Farming, forestry, pleasure gardens, hunting, shooting – all of these became reliable sources of income, an accumulation of private profit in direct proportion to the dispossession of the commonwealth. In fact, what happened abroad – the mining of minerals, the rent on land, the dispossession of the locals – were colonial methods first practiced on English soil, as the landlords colonised the commons at home."

A further 125 properties in Dorset alone brings the total land ownership in the county to around 14000 acres. Drax owns other estates across the UK.

Harrow educated Richard Drax is worth an estimated £150 million. A far-right Tory MP (and sometime BBC journalist?!) since 2010 and the sixth of that family to be an MP, he is a rabid Brexiteer, opposed to such as covid lockdowns and the minimum wage. He was caught underpaying some of his Dorset employees in what was claimed an "error" - he seems to make many such "errors" such as failing to declare ownership of the Drax Estate as a member of parliament.

In 2010 Richard Drax stated that “I can’t be held responsible for something 300 or 400 years ago. They are using the class thing and that’s not what this election is about, it’s not what I stand for and I ignore it.” On this Nick Hayes commented "Blunt, but effective, especially since the education system and institutions of England have followed the same approach." 

Whether Drax acknowledges it or not his position, his entire life, wealth and career is a consequence and benefit of the slave trade, a trade that ended less than 200 hundred years ago on his Barbados estate - which continues to exploit its workforce to the present.

David Comissiong, Barbados ambassador to the Caribbean Community, said: “This was a crime against humanity and we impose upon him and his family a moral responsibility to contribute to the effort to repair the damage.

You can’t simply walk away from the scene of the crime. They have a responsibility now to make some effort to help repair the damage.”

As an MP, Drax has supported lowering welfare benefits, ending educational financial support for 16 to 19-year-olds, and the imposition of the “bedroom tax” on poor council tenants. During an immigration debate in parliament Drax - the owner of a 7000 acre estate with little but a mansion complex built upon it stated “this country is full”.

And Drax is just one of many similar people in the UK (and beyond).

books of 2023

this is a list of all the books I read in 2023! my goal this year was 36 (an average of 3 per month) but I finished grad school this year so ended up reading a lot more than I thought I'd be able to. the goal for next year is just as many as I can!

1. The Codebreaker by Walter Isaacson

2. S by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst

3. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

4. Even Though I Knew the End by CL Polk

5. The World We Make by NK Jemisin 

6. Doctor Who: Genocide by Paul Leonard 

7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 

8. My Remarkable Journey by Katherine Johnson 

9. The Case of the Dragon-Bone Engine by Galadriel Coffeen

10. Words Without Borders edited by Samantha Schnee, Alane Salierno Mason, and Dedi Felman 

11. Doctor Who: A Day in the Life edited by Ian Farrington 

12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (reread) 

13. Lost Mountain by Erik Reece 

14. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin 

15. Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie 

16. Dyke (geology) by Sabrina Imbler

17. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler 

18. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 

19. The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (reread) 

20. Walden and On Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau 

21. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 

22. Star Trek Voyager: Pathways by Jeri Taylor

23. Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness by Patrick House 

24. The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

25. Doctor Who: War of the Daleks by John Peel 

26. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie 

27. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (reread) 

28. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 

29. Doctor Who: Alien Bodies by Lawrence Miles 

30. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott 

31. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 

32. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate 

33. Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott 

34. The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole 

35. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik 

36. Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood 

37. Doctor Who: Kursaal by Peter Anghelides 

38. The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 

39. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 

40. Doctor Who: Option Lock by Justin Richards

41. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead 

42. Major Labels by Kelefa Sanneh 

43. Doctor Who: Divided Loyalties by Gary Russell 

44. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 

45. Lost Time by Józef Czapski

46. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

47. Peril at End House by Agatha Christie 

Barbados To Make British MP Pay Reparations For Family's Role In Slavery - Travel Noire

Richard Drax, a conservative British MP is due to pay reparations for the role of his ancestor’s role in slavery. The MP for South Dorset recently traveled to Barbados for a private meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley. According to the Guardian, Mottley’s cabinet is laying out the next steps, which include legal action in the event that no agreement is reached with Drax.

The Guardian also shares that, Drax’s ancestor, Sir James Drax, was one of the first Englishmen to colonize Barbados in the early 1600s. Reports show that he part-owned at least two slave ships, the Samuel and the Hope.The family also owned a plantation in Jamaica which they later sold in the 19th century.

The Drax family were the first sugar plantation owners in Barbados and Jamaica. The family is one of the few who were pioneers in the early stages of the British slave economy in the 17th century. In later generations the family still owned plantations and enslaved people until the 1830s.

Adding to this, in 2020 the Observer revealed that the MP concealed his inheritance of the 250-hectare (617 acres) Drax Hall plantation. It only surfaced after official documents revealed him as the owner.

Given that in 2021 Barbados became a republic, there is growing resistance and scrutiny of the effects of colonial activity on the island. This is an effect that has caused Caribbean-wide reassessment of the relationship with past colonial powers.

Related: Barbados Announces Creation Of A Transatlantic Slavery Museum

Barbados Wants To Make Richard Drax, British MP Pay Reparations:

Rectifying wrong:

The Barbados ambassador to Caricom and deputy chairman,David Comissiong, shared that other families less prominent than the Drax family are being considered for reparations. He mentioned that within these families lies the British royal family.

“Other families are involved, though not as prominently as the Draxes. This reparations journey has begun. The matter is now for the cabinet of Barbados. It is in motion. It is being dealt with.”

Furthering the discussion:

Following the abolishment of slavery in Barbados, the Draxes received £4,293 12s 6d in 1836 for freeing 189 enslaved people, an estimated amount worth £3 million today. Barbados MP Trevor Prescod, chairman of Barbados National Task Force on Reparations, stated, “If the issue cannot be resolved we would take legal action in the international courts. The case against the Drax family would be for hundreds of years of slavery, so it’s likely any damages would go well beyond the value of the land.”

Furthering the discussion about the effects this has on the island, Prescod went on to explain that “The Drax family had slave ships. They had agents in the African continent and kidnapped black African people to work on their plantations here in Barbados. I have no doubt that what would have motivated them was that they never perceived us to be equal to them, that we were human beings. They considered us as chattels.”

Related: The Republic Of Jamaica? It Could Become A Reality by 2025

I don’t want to hear nothing bad about Trevor Prescod cause he ain’t say a lie yet! Many of the low income houses being built are extremely SMALL & EXPENSIVE! Some are so small the fridge can’t fit through the door. I think they are more suited for single people more-so than families. Government needs to rethink the practicality of the sizes of these homes. 250,000 -300,000 for a matchbox house built by private contractors is crazy. Most of these houses are shells , come with no tiling, no cabinetry nothing. SMH 🤦🏾‍♀️ Anyhow you all can discuss. https://www.instagram.com/p/CqXeu4yudcVOHAe6QnZFA9239UG35bAbUT_3IA0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

5 Questions with Kate Crawford, author of Atlas of AI

Kate Crawford is a leading scholar of the social and political implications of artificial intelligence. She is a research professor at USC Annenberg, a senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research, and the inaugural chair of AI and Justice at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

Katie Crawford will be discussing her new book, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence (published by Yale University Press) with Trevor Paglen in our City Lights LIVE! discussion series on Friday April 30th, presented with Gray Area!

*****

Where are you writing to us from?

Sydney, Australia. I normally live in New York, so visiting here is like being in a parallel universe where COVID-19 was taken seriously from the beginning and history played out differently.

What’s kept you sane during the pandemic?

Cooking through every cookbook I own, talking to good friends, listening to records, and trying to improve my sub-par surfing skills.

What books are you reading right now? Which books do you return to?

Right now I’m reading Jer Thorp’s Living in Data: Citizen's Guide to a Better Information Future, the excellent collection Your Computer is On Fire from the MIT Press, Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future, and The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. Yes, I have a problem - I never just read one book at a time.

In terms of books that I return to, there's a long list. Here’s just a few: 

- Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star's Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences

- Ursula M. Franklin's The Real World of Technology

- Simone Browne’s Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness

- James C. Scott’s Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

- Gray Brechin’s Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin

- Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower

- Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison's Objectivity

- Oscar H. Gandy’s The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy of Personal Information. Critical Studies in Communication and in the Cultural Industries - such a prescient book about classification, discrimination and technology, published back in 1993!

Which writers, artists, and others influence your work in general, and this book, specifically?

Atlas of AI was influenced by so many writers and artists, across different centuries - from Georgius Agricola to Jorge Luis Borges to Margaret Mead. More recently, there’s been an extraordinary set of books published on the politics of technology in just the last five years. For example:

- Meredith Broussard’s Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World

- Ruha Benjmain’s Race After Technology

- Julie E. Cohen’s Between Truth and Power: The Legal Constructions of Informational Capitalism

- Sasha Costanza-Chock’s Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need

- Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein’s Data Feminism

- Virginia Eubanks’ Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor

- Tarleton Gillespie’s Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media

- Sarah T Roberts’ Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media

- Safiya Noble’s Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

- Tung-Hui Hu’s A Prehistory of the Cloud

And that’s just for starters - it’s an incredible time for books that make us contend with the consequences of the technologies we use every day.

I’m also influenced by the artists I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years, including Trevor Paglen, Vladan Joler, and Heather Dewey-Hagborg. Vladan and I collaborated on Anatomy of an AI System a few years ago, and he designed the cover and illustrations in Atlas of AI, which I love.

If you opened a bookstore, where would it be located, what would it be called, and what would your bestseller be?

This may not be the most practical choice, but I’d open a library for rare and antiquarian books near Mono Lake. I’d call it Labyrinths, after Borges’ infinite library of volumes. One of its treasures would be a copy of John Wilkins’ An Essay Towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language (1668), where Wilkins tries to create a classification scheme for every possible thing and notion in the universe. It would be a cryptic joke for the occasional passer-by.

Black Lives Matter: 57 Racism Awareness Books, Movies, Resources and More

The past week has been a heavy one. The reality of anti-Black racism in the US, Canada and around the world is no secret. But over the last several days, the outrage over repeated and systemic violence against Black people reached a boiling point, fuelled by a recent spate of police brutality. In response, white people and other non-Black folk around the world are taking it upon themselves—finally—to educate themselves to be better allies, to unlearn generations of internalized racism, and to attempt to become the anti-racist citizens the world needs in order to have a chance at lasting change.

The past week may have been a wake-up call for some but the truth is, nothing about this is new. This is what Black communities have been living with for centuries. As Roxane Gay writes in a recent op-ed for the New York Times, about the post-pandemic status quo people are hoping to return to: “The rest of the world yearns to get back to normal. For Black people, normal is the very thing from which we yearn to be free.”

If you’re a non-Black person who has never fully engaged with the reality of systemic racism due to your own privilege, it’s on you to educate yourself. Read on for a list of films, television shows, books, social media accounts and other resources to turn to in the coming weeks, months and years to understand better the history of anti-Black racism.

FILMS & TV SHOWS 13th, Ava DuVernay (Netflix) Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler (on demand) The Hate U Give, George Tillman Jr. (Crave) Ninth Floor, Mina Shum (National Film Board of Canada) Selma, Ava DuVernay (on demand) I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck (Amazon Prime Video) If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins (Amazon Prime Video) Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee (on demand) Just Mercy, Destin Daniel Cretton (on demand) Clemency, Chinonye Chukwu (on demand) Watchmen, Damon Lindelof (Crave) Journey to Justice, Roger McTair (National Film Board of Canada) Les Misérables, Ladj Ly (on demand) When They See Us, Ava DuVernay (Netflix) BlackKklansmen, Spike Lee (Crave) The Good Fight, Robert King, Michelle King and Phil Alden Robinson (on demand) Beyond Moving, Vikram Dasgupta (Hot Docs Canada) The Colour of Beauty, Elizabeth St. Philip (National Film Board of Canada)

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I got to spend time with my WHEN THEY SEE US family yesterday and every minute was a joy. Netflix screened our film and we had a beautiful talk afterward moderated by my dear friend JJ. Then, our brilliant composer Kris played his piano live with images from the film projected above him. Magnificent. And my stellar teammates from @arraynow were in the house for it all – which made it even better. Earlier in the day, we were honored with four awards by @aafca. It was one of those days that at the end of it, you just smile, basking in the light of friends and loved ones. Hugs to all. xo Styling: @jasonbolden @starburleigh Makeup: @adamburrell Hair: @ladysoulfly

A post shared by Ava DuVernay (@ava) on Aug 12, 2019 at 7:55am PDT

BOOKS White Fragility, Robin DiAngelo Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates Me and White Supremacy, Layla F Saad Born a Crime, Trevor Noah Becoming, Michelle Obama The Color Purple, Alice Walker I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi Sulwe, Lupita Nyong’o Beloved, Toni Morrison

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Sneak preview of the paperback cover of #girlwomanother! Published 5 March 2020. In case you're wondering, the hardback cover design was too subtle to stand out in the smaller pbk size. I was staggered to discover this week that the novel was the 12th bestseller for hardback fiction in the UK for 2019, and only one of two books on the list that are not 'mass market big-hitters' (Lee Child, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella, Stephen King, JoJo Moyes, Le Carre, etc) – although all bestsellers become just that. So – the surreality of Being Bookered (and Baracked) continues. My work is reaching readers who wouldn't normally encounter it or want to read it. Barriers are coming down and my 12 womxn are flying off into a life of their own. #ase #grateful #bookstagram #books #penguinbooks #bookclubofinstagram #booklover #bernardineevaristo

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SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, writer and activist (Instagram) Deray Mckesson, activist (Twitter) Brittany Packnett, activist (Twitter) Tyrone Rex Edwards, reporter (Instagram) Tracy Peart, makeup artist (Instagram) Nikki Ogunnaike, Deputy Fashion Director, GQ (Instagram) Nikole Hannah Jones, journalist (Twitter) Donte Colley, influencer (Instagram) Mustafa the Poet, poet and songwriter (Instagram) Danielle Prescod, Style Director, BET (Instagram) Kathleen Newman-Bremang, writer (Twitter) Roxane Gay, writer (Twitter) Shannae Ingleton Smith, entrepreneur (Instagram) Sasha Exeter, influencer (Instagram)

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Swipe for resources. • Racial justice is a feminist issue and the deep disparity in how white women showed up for “all women” at the women’s march but haven’t showed up in the millions for the current uprising speaks to the @harpersbazaarus article I wrote back in 2018 titled “When Feminism Is White Supremacy In Heels” • My work has always been done through the intersected lens of race and womanhood. You can find more resources from me on this topic in my bio including the link to my article and the link to my recorded lecture Unpacking White Feminism. • White women I am demanding you tap into the radical empathy I mentioned in my public address yesterday. Move past “I’m so sorry this is happening to you” and ask yourself “how do I play into the pain the black community is doing and how do I hold myself and my community accountable for enacting justice?” Ask yourself what moved you to show up on the streets in 2017 but isn’t lighting a fire in you in this very moment. • Do you hear me? Drop a comment/emoji and tag who needs to hear this • #revolutionnow #manifest #racism #blm #soul #spirit #yoga #crystals #essentialoils #goodvibes #goddess #yoga #retreat #yogaretreat #seattle #nyc #la #marieforleo #gabriellebernstein #spiritual #success #lifecoach #bookclub #nyc #lululemon #doterra #wanderlust #teachersofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram

A post shared by Rachel Elizabeth Cargle (@rachel.cargle) on May 31, 2020 at 3:10am PDT

PODCASTS Still Processing, hosted by Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris (The New York Times) Pod Save the People, hosted by Deray Mckesson (Crooked Media) 1619, hosted by Nikole Hannah Jones (The New York Times) Code Switch, hosted by Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby (NPR) Code Black, co-founded by Renee Duncan, Bunmi Adeoye and Maxine McDonald (Code Black Communicator Network)

TODAY: @PodSaveThePpl's @deray & @ClintSmithIII are going live to discuss art and activism. 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT on Crooked's Instagram. https://t.co/2XfIGABtN2 pic.twitter.com/udABQrbPoA

— Crooked Media (@crookedmedia) June 1, 2020

RESOURCES By Blacks (Instagram) Black Art 365 (Instagram) The Conscious Kid (Instagram) Black Artist Space (Instagram) Black Lives Matter (Instagram) Black Lives Matter Toronto (Twitter) Gal-Dem Zine (Instagram)

https://ift.tt/2ZZMWBo

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DaMajority Fresh Article https://www.damajority.com/invasive-alien-species-threats-to-small-island-states/

Invasive Alien Species Threats To Small Island States

Invasive Alien Species Threats To Small Island States

Invasive alien species, such as the Giant African Snail, the Lionfish and rats, are threats and can impact negatively on small island developing states such as those in the Caribbean, which are widely recognized as biodiversity hotspots.

Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, pointed this out today, as he delivered the feature address at the Regional Inception Workshop for the “Preventing Costs of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States” Project.

The Convention on Biological Diversity defines invasive alien species as “plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem, and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health”.

“It has long been known that the Caribbean Islands are rich hotspots of biodiversity with unique fauna and flora. The protection and conservation of these treasures must become one of our governments’ highest priorities,” he said.

Minister Prescod also stated that since IAS were one of the major threats to biological diversity and their associated costs are equally borne by multiple sectors, it is time that this problem was addressed at a policy level.

To this end, he said the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification had undertaken the process of revising the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2002) to update the core policies and to take account of developments over time for alignment with Barbados’ current social and economic environment.

The IAS in Barbados and the OECS Project, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility, has been in the planning phase for the last three years and falls in line with Barbados’ objective, as its work programme is designed to strengthen institutional capacity, legislative and policy frames, as well as technical and financial strategies for the management and eradication of invasive alien species.

The workshop will seek to finalize project work plans and budgets; to approve year one work plans and budgets and to understand the United Nations Environment Programme and Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International financial rules governing the project execution.

It will also seek to understand monitoring and evaluation procedures and targets for the project, towards helping Barbados and other OECS countries manage and combat the adverse effects of IAS.

Minister Prescod pledged that Government would continue to work tirelessly to reduce or eradicate the threat that IAS pose to the health of our people and ecosystems, and the persons whose livelihoods could be affected.

THE VIEW OF IT WILL BE HARD EVEN TO GET THIS PAST FILTERS, BECAUSE THEY COME CLOSEST OF ANY GROUP I KNOW TO EMBODYING IT

Of course, it's not a good idea to make the headers look innocent, but my guess is that we are never likely to have names that specify explicitly because they aren't that they are republics. Before credentials, government positions were obtained mainly by family influence, if not outright bribery. Often, indeed, it is exciting to them. Just make stuff and put it online. They're less willing to do them. In the discussion about issues raised by Revenge of the Nerds on the LL1 mailing list, Paul Prescod wrote something that stuck in my mind. All parents tend to be one of the main things that separates the most successful startup of all is when people call what you're doing inappropriate.

It shows no sign of slowing. The conventional wisdom in the Lisp world is that the cycle is slow. But most VCs are a different type of people: they're dealmakers. Plenty of things we now consider prestigious were anything but at first. Anyone who cares can have fast Internet access now. There is one thing more important than brevity to a hacker: being able to pick good founders. That could be a problem in fussier countries. One YC startup negotiated terms for a tiny round with an angel, only to receive a 70-page agreement from his lawyer.

And eventually I'd forget that Hilbert had confirmed it too. They were mistaken. Bootstrapping may get easier, because starting a company is doing well, investors will want founders to turn down most acquisition offers. Even Microsoft sees that now. The same principle prevailed at industrial companies. In poor countries, things we take for granted are missing. The eminent, on the condition that Woz quit, he initially refused, arguing that he'd designed both the Apple I and the Apple II while working at HP, and there needs to be protected from himself. Hygienic macros embody the opposite principle. Some say it's because their culture encourages cooperation. But what this means is that a university can make or break an ambitious young South Korean.

Thanks to Sam Altman, Trevor Blackwell, Paul Buchheit, Chris Small, Carolynn Levy, and Jessica Livingston for putting up with me.

For the second time in just over two years Prime Minister Mia Mottley has reshuffled her Cabinet. However, embattled Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Kay McConney is not among those affected. Mottley made the surprising announcement this evening while speaking at the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) 83rd Annual Conference at Queen’s Park. Before scores of supporters, Mottley revealed that she was switching the portfolios of Dr Jerome Walcott, Senior Minister Kerrie Symmonds, Senator Lisa Cummins and Ian Gooding-Edghill, effective October 26. But despite several calls for McConney to be fired over the recent Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) survey fiasco, Mottley expressed her continued confidence in McConney by allowing her to keep her job. Dr Walcott, the Senior Minister of Social Sectors and Environment has been named as Minister of Health and Wellness, taking over the portfolio formerly held by Gooding-Edghill who was named Minister of Tourism and International Transport. Former Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins is the new Minister of Energy and Business Development with responsibilities for International Business and Trade, taking over from Symmonds who was named as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Additionally, Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown Corey Lane, the former parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, will now serve in the Office of the Attorney-General as Minister of State with responsibility for Crime Prevention. Back in July 2020, just over two years after assuming office, Mottley also made a sweep of changes to her Cabinet. On that occasion George Payne, Trevor Prescod and Lucille Moe were relieved of their ministerial duties. Moments before making today’s announcement, Mottley said the changes were necessary to improve the efficiency of Government. Read the rest below 👇🏾 https://www.instagram.com/p/CkDmtrdguYAy5sg4pEjeA0l_OLAJMzqMWQvDIM0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Member of Parliament for St Michael East Trevor Prescod has publicly declared that he will fight the decision to temporarily relocate people whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Elsa to housing units being built in his constituency. A visibly irate Prescod told members of the media on Wednesday that he had not been consulted on moving the hurricane-displaced residents from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) Labour College in Mangrove, St Philip to Tichbourne, St Michael, where Government is building steel-framed housing units. “I am going to take this matter a little further because it seems to me there is no intention of any form of compromise, no intention of any discussion with me. “It seems to be a hard-headed decision that has already been made that the people are coming from Mangrove here, in a transitory form, and that I have to accept that regardless of what the consequences are, and I am not! I am not accepting it!” declared the Government MP who was at a press conference to provide an update on the Barbados Construction Gateway Training Initiative. He insisted that he would not stand by and allow his constituents to be disadvantaged after he had fought for over a decade for low-income housing solutions to be made available to them. Revealing that he had persuaded the late Prime Minister David Thompson, prior to 2008, to sell the land in Tichbourne for the sole purpose of constructing houses for his constituents, Prescod maintained: “I worked too hard to get this land from David Thompson and his father – and you can imagine me persuading the leader of an Opposition at that specific time –…. and I am not accepting any decision, however large and powerful a Cabinet is, telling me that they found themselves in a crisis in making a decision and they have reached the point where they will no longer use the facilities at the BWU and the next stop is St Michael East. It cannot work!” Read the rest below 👇🏾 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj7SAzvObAoqN2vN1PaERCy2nUwuyn8_fbD7PM0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/4/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 4thJanuary 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 Newspaper (WN).

BL&P RATE HIKE CALL – Barbados’ lone electric utility has served notice it wants an increase in electricity rates. The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) on Thursday revealed it was notified by Barbados Light & Power Company Limited (BL&P) that it intended to submit a formal rate application by June. BL&P confirmed the development, but said it was “exploring the possibility of applying for a rate review in the latter part of 2019”. The company sought its last such increase about ten years ago and rate increases were introduced in early 2010. “The Fair Trading Commission has been advised by the Barbados Light & Power Company Limited (BL&P) that the company will submit a formal rate application in the second quarter of 2019. As such, technical assistance will be required to support the Commission in undertaking its review of the application, relevant research and drafting of its decision on the matter,” the FTC announced. The regulator said consultants “will be required to submit a proposal by Monday, January 28, 2019” and it would “evaluate the proposals and will advise parties of its decision by February 15, 2019. (WN)

NEW GARBAGE TRUCKS LAND AT PORT – Government is slowly delivering on a promise to kickstart a new and improved garbage collection system by adding two of seven Japanese-made garbage trucks to its aging fleet, amid several setbacks. Late Wednesday night and into the wee hours of Thursday morning, a large contingent from the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) led by Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod and SSA chairman Rudy Grant invited journalists to witness the first shipment of Mitsubishi Refuse Compactor Vehicles (RCV’s) arrive at the Bridgetown Port after midnight. Ministry and sanitation officials were keen to head off further complaints and photos of post-holiday pile-ups of garbage in neighborhoods across the country, owing to inconsistent pickups. Environment  Minister Prescod told reporters:  “We decided to come here as soon as the ship arrived to make sure that everything was in order. “I promised the Barbadian public that they would see a radical transformation of all that is happening at the sanitation department and promise Barbadians the best of service that you can expect from the SSA.” He also revealed that the shipment of the two trucks, each costing over $600,000, was frought with unforeseen issues that prevented them from being delivered by the end of December as originally promised. “[Importers Simpson Motors] indicated that there were a number of challenges… between the exporters and manufacturers in Japan and the transshipment to the United States of America,” said Prescod. “There were some problems in relation to tariff arrangements between Japan and the United States of America and these caused a lot of challenges and in some cases a delay, because the trucks had to go to the US in order to be retrofitted… but I believe that all reasonable human beings can appreciate that within the short space of time, we have been able to deliver the first two trucks.” Government was working expeditiously to have the two trucks registered and on the road after inspections by Simpson Motors and the SSA, the minister added. But they are still five more trucks to come, which Prescod said Government will be squarely focused on getting here. The environment minister told journalists: “This is your new year’s present. This is the beginning of things to happen…. We are going to do a number of innovative things.” Government is also to distribute several new bins across the island to aid the Ministry’s new waste management thrust, he said. He also promised that Barbadians would see real returns from the recently implemented Garbage and Sewage Contribution Levy. “We did all that we could to make sure that we put ourselves in a healthy position by asking the taxpayers to contribute to their water bill in the form of a levy and that money is going to be used for the general development of the sanitation department,” said Prescod SSA chairman Grant, while giving assurances that the authority will move hastily to address the urgent need for clean streets and improved garbage collection across the island, pleaded with Barbadians to be patient. “We want to give you the commitment that the SSA will be working diligently to ensure that we facilitate the mandate that we have with respect to the cleaning of our streets, with respect to the collection of our garbage and these two vehicles are going to help us in a tremendous way. “We want to ask the public of Barbados to be patient with us. We give you the commitment that we are going to facilitate even further trucks coming in. you would recognize there are tenders. The tenders will in fact close on fourth of January for additional equipment and our commitment is to ensure that we are able to facilitate an enhancement of the trucks that we have,” he said. (BT)

SSA ‘SHOULD BE PAID OVERTIME’ – The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is holding firm that the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) should be added to the list of essential Government services that overtime is being offered to. A decision to stop paying certain Government workers overtime was one of the stipulations that made up the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme. Government now is proposing to end overtime at the SSA, whereby employees would work any five days of the week as opposed to the usual Monday to Friday requirement. The two parties met for about two hours on Thursday. Acting general secretary of the NUPW Delcia Burke said the contribution of the SSA to the environment and health of citizens was significant and workers from that agency should be treated accordingly. (WN)

GARBAGE LIMBO – The question of whether there will be garbage pickups on the weekends is again up in the air as the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) and workers failed to reach agreement on weekend overtime pay. An interim arrangement for garbage collection during the Christmas holidays elapses this weekend. Negotiations between the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and SSA management continued this afternoon but yielded little clarity on the way forward. Speaking to reporters immediately after the meeting, which began at 2 p.m. at the SSA’s Wildey headquarters, NUPW Acting General Secretary Delcia Burke said the SSA hierarchy could not say whether the overtime payments will continue past this weekend. Burke said: “The truth is that the Sanitation Service Authority did not say they were going to stop the arrangement but when we first made it, we knew that it was for three weekends only. Our position is that the workers will continue to work and if they work weekends then they [must] be paid overtime. SSA management has not said that the arrangement is going to cease but we are aware that the arrangement was only put in place for the three weekends.” She further revealed that the SSA emphasized that it was in no position to decide on paying overtime but instead kicked it upstairs to the SSA’s line ministry, the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification. The union will now wait and see what Government decides, she told reporters. But the trade unionist stood firm on the position that workers will not work weekends unless they are paid overtime. She warned: “I believe that came with a mandate, which is that the workers will not be paid overtime and the staff would work any five days out of seven. Our position is that if the workers are not paid overtime then they would only be working Monday to Friday.” Last month, as garbage continued to pile up across the island, workers threatened to stop weekend collections if the SSA management followed through with its plan to stop overtime payments. It took a last-minute meeting of the SSA, NUPW and Minister of Labour Colin Jordan to avert a messy situation. At the time workers claimed that they were being pressured into accepting the new work conditions, a charge which was denied by Minister of Environment Trevor Prescod. Under the current arrangement, a work week is fixed from Monday to Friday and crews are paid overtime for weekend collections. The proposal was for the work week to be made up of any five days. But this afternoon Burke said the NUPW would be willing to relent on the overtime issue only if the SSA is able to prove that all other cost-cutting measures have been exhausted. “Only then can we sit down and discuss it but of course proof will have to be brought. We are not unreasonable. If after cutting the private waste haulers and other services and SSA is still unable to pay the overtime, then we would be willing to sit down and negotiate the issue,” said the NUPW spokesperson. Burke contended that an arrangement to outsource collections to private waste haulers, which she claims was granted an extension from last November to this month, was costing the SSA significantly more than the overtime bill. “Our position is that instead of concentrating on overtime, the SSA should concentrate on cutting cost. To our mind, cost would be cut if they look at the arrangement with the private waste haulers and the arrangements they have with the tractors that they use down at the landfill. It will be a lot cheaper if they use the SSA workers even if they are being paid overtime,” Burke said. (BT)

STOP SPREADING PROPAGANDA, SAYS PRESCOD – Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod has called on some Barbadians to stop “deliberately spreading propaganda about Barbados” by overstating the country’s garbage collection woes. Prescod was responding to mounting criticism from suggestions that the country’s garbage collection and disposal problems were becoming too much for government to handle with limited resources. Addressing media in the early hours of Thursday morning as two new Refuse Compactor Vehicles (RCV) arrived at the Bridgetown Port, Minister Prescod argued that despite the country’s challenges over the holiday season, Barbados remained the cleanest country in the region. “As much as those people who deliberately misrepresent the reality in Barbados, have been spreading propaganda, the reality is that there is no other country in the Caribbean that is as clean as Barbados. That is the reality even with the limited number of trucks that we’ve had,” he said. Without giving too much detail, Prescod disclosed that a number of Barbadian artists were in the process of “producing a different view” of the situation. The minister lamented that sometimes people will know what the challenges are, but choose to distort it. “We have to counter the ‘distortionists’”, he added. “Some people seem to forget that the government was only here seven months and we inherited all that we are facing and could not address or redress it, because we had limited finances,” he said. During the early morning media briefing, Prescod promised that the country’s garbage issues were past the worst, charging that, “A lot of the people that are critical are the people who are sleeping in their beds comfortably. They are not talking about garbage now. “When they wake up early in the morning [Thursday] and they see these trucks they will have to reconstruct the lie in such a way at least to convince the Barbadian public that this is a continuum of their own truth.” Even as the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) fought to keep the streets clean with an aging fleet of trucks, Prescod said workers were functioning around the clock to confront the challenges. “You see them at night late; 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock. While we had a limited number of trucks in Sanitation [Service Authority], the workers then did additional shifts in the night to meet the national demand. “We then made some adjustments to the management and the manner in which we distributed and sent the trucks to different locations not just within an eight-hour service.  We’re also trying to come up with some other innovative means of addressing the challenges,” he said. (BT)

PSV WORKERS RALLY ‘ROUND NEW BODY – The Public Service Vehicle Workers’ Association (PSVWA), the unofficial name of the new PSV representative organisation, plans on championing the views of PSV workers in a way that the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO) and the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) could not. Speaking to THE NATION on Thursday at the Constitution River Terminal, interim public relations officer of the group, which formed on Wednesday, Fabian Wharton, said the APTO and AOPT were too bureaucratic in their approach of addressing issues facing the PSV industry. “Their viewpoint is strictly from an owner’s perspective, while ours is from the person who spends the hours, days and weeks in the trenches providing the service,” he said. “So they have a high-level view and we have an operator’s view. We are the persons who interact with the public so our concerns are different to that of the owners. There are concerns that would be shared  by both but affect each group in a different way.” However, Wharton said that it would take a collaborative effort by all three organisations to solve the issues confronting the sector. (WN)

TAX AMNESTY ENTERS LAST DAY – Taxpayers have been racing to take advantage of a tax amnesty extension which ends on Friday, a Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) spokesman has said. Since the extension was announced, there has been heavy foot traffic at the authority’s six locations, from early in the morning right through to the afternoon, according to the BRA’s Communications and Public Relations Manager, Carolyn Williams-Gayle. BRA announced on Monday that given the strong response to the amnesty proposed by the Minister of Finance on June 11, it had sought the Ministry’s permission to extend the application period for the amnesty. The ministry has agreed and the authority will be accepting applications until tomorrow. Williams-Gayle told Barbados TODAY: “Tomorrow is the last day for which people can take advantage of the tax amnesty. We are happy that people have decided to take the opportunity that has been extended to them and that we are seeing heavy foot traffic as persons are coming in to bring their tax arrears up to date. Tomorrow is the last day and we know that the traffic we have been seeing over the past couple days, will continue.” The taxes eligible for the waiver of penalty and interest in this tax amnesty programme are Valued Added Tax (VAT), Land Tax, Income Tax, P.A.Y.E. and Corporation Tax. When Barbados TODAY visited BRA’s office at Weymouth, St Michael, there was a long line of people waiting to take advantage of the reprieve. The waiver of penalty and interest applies to taxes owed to Government between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2017. (BT)

LATE INTEREST PAYMENTS FROM CENTRAL BANK – The Central Bank of Barbados advises that there has been a delay in making interest payments due on December 31, 2018 to some holders of Government Securities. The bank anticipates that all payments should be received by Friday, January 11, 2019.  “We apologise for the delay that persons have been experiencing in receiving their interest,” said Julia Weekes, Director of Banking and Investments at the Central Bank. “As we mentioned previously, because of the new structure of Government securities, we have had to change our computerised system, and we are still experiencing some challenges with implementation. As a result, where previously interest payments would have been made through an automated system, this set of payments has to be done manually. Nevertheless, we anticipate that the payments will be made within a week.” She further assured investors that the bank is working with the external providers to iron out the systems-related difficulties. Weekes also explained that with the assumption of responsibility for investors who previously held treasury bills and state-owned enterprises) debt, part of the delay for some bondholders is due to the absence of banking details for some of the people who were to receive interest payments at the end of last year. “We will reach out to these persons so they can also be paid their interest,” Weekes stated. (WN)

CUT MORE FOREIGN SPENDING – Economist and former Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell is urging Government to use funds received from multi-national agencies to address the country’s balance of payments problems and its deteriorating competitiveness. Worrell made the recommendation in his first newsletter for 2019, in which he indicated, “In order to cure this underlying cause of the loss of foreign reserves, foreign purchases will have to be further reduced.” “Government has the tools to reduce spending on foreign purchases, by increasing tax rates or cutting its own spending. Given that the burden of taxation was increased in 2018, the focus in 2019 will probably be on further expenditure reduction,” said Worrell. He explained that the dwindling foreign reserves over the last five years was as a result of Government’s excessive spending, which was greater than the foreign exchange inflows by more than $100 million each year. “In order to pay for the extra purchases, the Central Bank of Barbados provided foreign exchange from its reserves, which declined every year as a result,” he said. Therefore, pointing to the need for foreign purchases to be further reduced in order to correct the country’s balance of payments issues, Worrell acknowledged that the reserves recently received a major injection, which should be used to give the public service a “makeover”. “We recently got a loan from the bank, and now our savings are looking better. However, if we keep spending more on daily expenses than we’re making from our salary, we will eventually use up the money we borrowed and be no better off. In short, the loans from the international financial institutions are not a solution; they offer an opportunity,” said Worrell. After entering a US$290 million Extended Fund Facility agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September last year, Barbados received its first injection of about US$49 million. This was followed by promised $150 million and $200 million injections from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Inter-American Development Bank respectively, which resulted in the reserves reaching just over $1 billion last month. Worrell said while the inflows of foreign exchange may increase, it would also require effective policies to increase Barbados’ external competitiveness in order to attract more direct foreign inflows. “The financial support of the IMF, IDB and CDB has provided Government with a window of opportunity, which should be used to address the imbalance of foreign spending and inflows, and the deteriorating competitiveness of our economy. A makeover of the public services, to raise the delivery of services to standards comparable to those of Canada, the US and the UK, is key to the achievement of both these objectives,” said the economist. Pointing to the island’s fall in the global competitiveness report in recent years, Worrell said this was mainly due to “weak government institutions and deteriorating government finances”. He maintained that investor confidence can be expected to be revived when there is evidence of public sector reform, improved public services, and prudent Government finances. “Early resolution of Government’s default on US dollar debt is also essential to restoring investor confidence,” he added. Government has so far embarked on a Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, which included job cuts that should result in savings of more than $29 million, and ongoing restructuring of state entities to make them more efficient. (BT)

STRANDED HAITIANS STILL AT SALVATION ARMY HOSTEL FOR NOW – The stranded Haitian men who were moved to the Salvation Army’s City hostel after they were evicted from the Brittons Hill home they were renting are being allowed to stay there as long as they have legal status to remain  in Barbados, and once there is room, Divisional Commander Major Darrell Wilkinson has told Barbados TODAY. Nine of the 15 men who were evicted were moved to the hostel last Saturday evening. Wilkinson said that while the Salvation Army welcomed the stranded visitors, in keeping with its international mandate to feed and cloth the poor and assist refugees, once the six months’ visitors stay expires, they would not be able to stay at the hostel because they would be considered illegal immigrants. Major Wilkinson said: “My captain who is dealing with the matter shared with me that David Comissiong [Ambassador to CARICOM], is trying to get some assistance for these Haitians to get them back to their homeland. As far as I am aware, some want to go back for sure, some want to stay to get work because things are difficult in Haiti, but that is not our portfolio here at the Army. We are just here to give assistance with housing for the time being. I will leave the rest for Mr Comissiong and his team to work on. “We will give as much assistance as we can give. But as for how long they are going to be here, I just don’t know. They can only stay as long as the Government gives them permission. Whenever their six months is up then they would have to go back, and some of them have already gotten close, they are just a matter of weeks away from that. “But the Salvation Army has opened its doors, which is something we do not only in Barbados, but also around the world. We have quite a few centres around the world for persons who are seeking accommodation, within the rules and laws of the country.” The men, who said they came here in search of a better life, reported that they were the victims of a scam where they paid between US$2,500 and US$3,000, to an agency in Haiti, with the assurance they would receive accommodation and jobs when they landed in Barbados. But upon arrival, they found no jobs and had to pay for accommodation. They have since exhausted their finances. They were evicted from the house at, Brittons Hill, by landlord Anthony Mayers, who told Barbados TODAY that he was fed up with the condition the house was being kept in. The landlord also complained that while he charged the men $1,300 including light and water, within one month, the water bill alone had reached $1,200. After they were put out on the streets, the men were rescued by former Government Senator and Chairman of the National Assistance Board, Pastor David Durant, who took them to his Restoration Ministries Church where they were accommodated and fed until they were moved to the hostel. Pastor Durant said he visited the men, who are between the ages of 21 and 36, at the hostel yesterday, and three of them informed him that they were willing to go back home, and requested financial assistance  to buy return tickets to Port-au-Prince. He told Barbados TODAY: “I am working with an agent who is working with Copa Airlines to see how we can get the three of them back to Haiti as soon as possible. Two of them want to leave on Saturday, and the next one is asking to go two weeks later. They said they want to go because they are not finding any jobs here, they have run out of money, and they think it is best to return home where they can try to make things a little easier for themselves. “They are very thankful for the help that is being offered by the church. Right now the three of them are here and I am waiting for the agent to call me back with some information. “So far, I have received $1,000 donation from a kind-hearted Barbadian. When I hear from the airlines, then I would know exactly what I am working with. I am hoping that the $1,000 can do for those who want to go on Saturday, but if it doesn’t, the church will put the difference. The challenge now is to get the rest home when they are ready. I am making an appeal to Barbadians to assist. I will speak with a lawyer about setting up a fund to assist them.” (BT)

PROSECUTE THEM! – Indiscriminate dumping continues to be a major problem across Barbados and James Paul, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) is calling on policymakers to enforce the regulations. A livid Paul pointed out examples of illegal dumping at the company’s Grotto, Beckles Road St Michael headquarters. There was an old mattress, a stove, the remnants of a broken washing machine, a refrigerator and other household items among the items discarded on the BAS grounds right next to a garbage skip. Paul informed Barbados TODAY that this was not the first time that waste haulers or residents discarded their items on the company’s grounds, with some also  dumping dead animals in the area. “This is not the behaviour we should have. People go overseas and they abide by the laws of the land in other countries so why can’t we treat our own country with the same respect that we give to other people,” Paul queried. The BAS boss revealed that they previously called the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) for assistance and the garbage was cleared and the area cleaned but he admitted the reoccurrence was both disappointing and maddening. “It is very frustrating that we just had to pay to clean up this place and we don’t have much money because we are not a rich organization and we now have to go and look for more money to get this stuff removed from here which could have been taken by the same truck to the dump,” he contended. “We have a situation in this country where people seem to think that they can basically flout the law and just dump garbage where they feel like dumping it and it is unfortunate that we are tolerating these kinds of things in our country,” Paul added. He criticized the indiscriminate dumping of some waste haulers who did not abide by the law and exhibited blatant disregard for businesses and the environment by dumping anywhere. “This is the kind of behavior we have coming from truckers and these are the same people that come and tell you at the end of the day that they are the poor black man but it is ridiculous when we as poor black people cannot respect each other and treat each other with some kind of dignity at the same time,” Paul argued. ”I think they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent because what is disheartening is that these are things that people can actually call Sanitation Service Authority for them to remove.  So why should they take garbage and bring it right on the property and dump it right here? This is not a dumping site,” he added. Paul suggested that Government must take action and strictly enforce the legislation on illegal and indiscriminate dumping. “The law is there to protect people but when we have a situation where the law is broken and then there is no enforcement of the law and the lawbreakers think they can get away with it, that is where we have a lot of problems all the time,” he cautioned. Paul informed Barbados TODAY he was planning to implement additional security measures to ensure the safety of the BAS’ premises. (BT)

POLICE SEEKING MAN – Police in the Southern Division are urgently seeking Justin Rommel Belgrave, 33, whose last known address was Harmony Hall, Christ Church. He should contact the CID at Hastings Police Station 430-7219 or 430-7608/09 as soon as possible. Police are also urgently seeking Julien Phillips, of Salters Tenantry, Haggatt Hall, St Michael. He should contact 418-2632 or 418-2631 as soon as possible. (WN)

POLICE IDENTIFY MAN STRUCK WITH WOOD – Yesterday police responded to a report at Risk Road, Fitts Village, St James. Twenty-two-year-old Raymon Nurse, of 4th Ave, Pickwick Gap, St Michael was struck on the right side of his head with a piece of wood by a man unknown to him. The man escaped along the said Risk Road. Nurse was treated at the scene by ambulance personnel and was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, complaining of pain to his ear and head. Police investigations are continuing. (WN)

TEEN TO RETURN TO COURT JANUARY 9 – The teen who was allegedly apprehended following a police chase at Fordes Road on New Year’s Day made an appearance in court today charged with a number of traffic offences. Shaqkim Sharad Ronald Blackman, 19, of Brereton  No. 1, St Philip was charged with driving motor vehicle X6375 when he was not the holder of a driver’s licence and the vehicle was not covered by insurance. He is further accused of failing to draw up his vehicle on the approach a police vehicle sounding a siren, failing to stop the vehicle, driving without reasonable consideration for other persons using the roads and driving without due care and attention. Blackman is also charged with having a quantity of marijuana in his possession on the same day. All the offences reportedly occurred about 3:54 a.m. on January 1. The accused was not required to plead to the charges when he appeared before Magistrate Douglas Frederick this morning with his attorneys Michael Lashley, QC, Kadisha Wickham and Dayna Taylor-Lavine. He was granted $2,000 bail to return to the District ‘A’ Traffic Court on January 9. (BT)

FRUSTRATED – A St Michael man who has been on remand for the last three years today expressed frustration over the lack of progress in his case. Abraham Hutchinson Sandiford, of Mayers Land, Lower Richmond Gap, St Michael, is accused of using a firearm on January 4, 2015 when he did not have a valid licence to do so and unlawfully wounding Karl Yearwood on the same date with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him or to do some serious bodily harm to him. Sandiford, was 31 years old when he first appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in October 2015 charged with the indictable offence to which he is not required to plead. “This is four years I in jail and can’t get my case start,” the accused told Magistrate Douglas Frederick today. “I came before the court in 2015 . . . and I haven’t gotten any disclosure.  This is three years that I have been asking for my pre-trials,” Sandiford added. In response, the prosecutor said he had been trying his best to get the file and will again attempt to do so before the accused returns to court on January 31. However Magistrate Frederick made it clear that he would have to make a decision on Sandiford’s case on that occasion if there was no progress. (BT)

FORDE CHARGED WITH THREATENING ANOTHER – Despite objections from the prosecutor, Attorney-at-law Shadia Simpson secured $3,000 bail for a client accused of issuing a serious threat to another person. It is alleged that on April 8, last year Ronnie Leroy Glasgow, of Lower Wellington Street, The City uttered the words, “I gine shoot you if you come back on the beach” to Ambian Hunte which caused the complainant to believe that immediate and unlawful violence would be used against him. Police Constable Kevin Forde objected to bail for the accused based on the nature and seriousness of the offence and the “high degree of probability” that the accused could carry out the threat since his antecedents showed he had a propensity to commit such an offence. However, Simpson countered the arguments saying that the offence was allegedly committed over six months ago and there was no evidence before the court to show that there was any follow through. She added that there were also no further reports by the complainant with regard to her client. The lawyer also argued that her client’s last conviction was in 2005 and he had stayed out of trouble with the law and now owned a business in Wellington Street. After considering the submissions Magistrate Douglas Frederick ruled in favour on the defence and ordered that Glasgow, who had moments before pleaded not guilty to the charge, reappear in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on May 28. (BT)

LEWIS SLAMS PYBUS APPOINTMENT, SAYS DUE PROCESS NOT FOLLOWED – Leeward Islands Cricket Board president, Enoch Lewis, has called for Richard Pybus’ appointment as interim West Indies men’s coach to be rescinded, after accusing Cricket West Indies president, Dave Cameron, of “hand-picking” the Englishman and ignoring the best practices of “transparency, fairness and due process”. In a strongly-worded letter to CWI dated December 16 last year, he labelled Cameron’s actions as “unfortunate, unacceptable and unethical” and expressed “profound disappointment, dissatisfaction, and dismay” over the “total disregard” shown for the procedure by which Pybus was selected. According to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CMC Sports, director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, recommended to the CWI board of directors last September that the interim head coach be chosen from among a list comprising Nic Pothas, Roddy Estwick, Floyd Reifer, Gus Logie, Desmond Haynes, Toby Radford, Andre Coley, Esuan Crandon, Stuart Williams, Rayon Griffith and Robert Samuels.  Adams ultimately recommended Pothas for the position, indicating that the South African had also been favoured by the outgoing head coach, Australian Stuart Law, as well as the players. This recommendation was subsequently approved by the CWI board with Pothas scheduled to take up the post from January 2019 until September. However, with Law exiting the post earlier than originally planned, Pothas assumed the position for the Bangladesh tour last December, but without agreeing to a compensation package.  Pothas subsequently rejected the first offer made – nearly half of what Law had been paid – and requested compensation closer to Law’s remuneration.  According to the LICB letter, Cameron “made the determination that the matter was at a stalemate. Discussion with Mr Pothas was then terminated”.  Cameron then made contact with Pybus, negotiated and concluded a deal worth more than what Pothas had been offered. “The negotiations conducted with Mr Pybus by President Cameron was without pre-authorisation and input from the Board,” Lewis contended in the letter. “None of the DoC (Director of Cricket), the Cricket Committee or the Technical Cricket Committee were consulted on the initiative to engage or negotiate with Mr Pybus. “We the undersigned (director Denrick Liburd) reminded the meeting that CWI has consistently claimed to be a highly transparent organization in response to doubts and negative allegations raised recently by some Prime Ministers and other stakeholders in the region. “We also reminded the meeting of the process previously recommended by the DoC, (who is regarded as our foremost technical cricket mind) and adopted by the Board, which is to appoint someone from the existing coaching staff in the interest of ensuring continuity and stability.” The letter continued: “We further suggested that if it is now the intention to appoint someone from outside the existing coaching staff or not included in the original list provided by the DoC, that a new process which opens the position to all interested parties must be established in the interest of transparency.  “We submit that it is unfortunate, unacceptable and unethical for the CWI President to single-handedly recruit a person of his choosing, and to proceed with salary negotiations without the prior knowledge of the Board.”  Pybus spent six years as CWI’s director of cricket before leaving the post in 2016, to be replaced by Jamaican Adams the following year.  However, after missing out on several international coaching positions to West Indians, he returned to the West Indies setup last February as high performance director – a move that was criticised by several ex-players largely because the post had not been advertised by CWI. Lewis said Cameron’s recruitment of Pybus was “unusual” because “the person in question (Pybus) has not formally expressed an interest in the post; he has limited international head coaching experience; he has not coached an international cricket team for at least the past five years; he is not amongst the list of coaches identified by the DoC and previously approved by the Board for consideration”. While the choice of Pybus was eventually approved by the board, Lewis said “the handling of this matter provoked heated debate and proved a very divisive issue amongst the Directors”.  The latest controversy comes just weeks before the start of the England tour of the Caribbean, with the first Test set to bowl off at Kensington Oval on January 23. (WN)

GONE WITH THE ROOF – People are literally raising the roof for sports. Apparently the National Stadium is going topless this year, as workmen are currently lifting the galvanised sheet covering off of four of the stands heading into the start the athletics season. Minister of Sports John King wasn’t available for comment, but a source close to the situation revealed that labourers were hired to do some much-needed remedial work in an apparent safety measure before Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School’s sports next week. A Weekend Nation team subsequently passed through Waterford yesterday and saw labourers completely stripping the roof of the Clarence Jemmott “A” Stand. “They’re just making sure to remove the galvanised roofing at the Stadium so it wouldn’t cause any further injury to would-be patrons attending sports this year,” explained the source.  (WN)

CONSTITUTION ROAD BUS STOPS RELOCATING – Due to a number of safety concerns raised by the Barbados Transport Authority regarding the locations of the two bus stops along Constitution Road heading into Bridgetown, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance is proposing a temporary change in bus stop locations for approximately one month. The first bus stop will now be placed on Nursery Drive while the other will be located on St Michael’s Row, opposite the St Michael’s Cathedral. The new bus stop signs will be installed from today Friday, January 4, and all commuters and Public Service Vehicle operators are asked to comply with the new bus stop locations. (WN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 361 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 4/17/2019

Good MORNING  #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Wednesday April 17th 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).

MOTTLEY CALLS URGENT MEETING ON TRANSPORTATION – Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has summoned an urgent meeting of all major players in the public transport sector to look at the current state of the system. This meeting will take place at 11 a.m. tomorrow, at Government Headquarters on Bay Street, and will be attended by officials of the Transport Authority, the Transport Board, the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, and representatives of the various organizations representing public sector vehicle operators. According to Press Secretary, Roy Morris, “there is no doubt that the gap between the expectations of commuters and what is being delivered by both public and private sector operations is too great for business as usual to prevail, and it would not be a misrepresentation to describe what now obtains as being in crisis or near crisis. “However, the Prime Minister has made it clear that she is determined to ensure there are short term solutions put in place while the country awaits the arrival of new buses”. He added: “And while the Prime Minister has been out of the island over the past week, she has so continued to keep a very close watch on the situation, and tomorrow's meeting is to ensure that all players understand that the best interest of commuters must always be at the forefront of decision making and actions taken.” (BGIS)

LIST OF CONCERNS FOR PM’S TRANSPORTATION MEETING –Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde says they have compiled a list of issues to present to Prime Minister Mia Mottley at an urgent meeting of stakeholders in the transport sector tomorrow. Forde, who was touring the Princess Alice and Cheapside Terminals today with Senator Kay McConney, press secretary Roy Morris and other officials, said this came after two days of observation. The Minister said they spent some time in the Fairchild Street Terminal speaking to commuters on Monday, when the new $3.50 bus fares went into effect. Among the concerns raised during those conversations included long waits and a lack of buses from Fairchild Street. The Minister said the washroom room facilities also needed upgrading at Princess Alice, she pointed to “disorder” at Cheapside due to a lack of demarcation lines and no running water. Mottley summoned an urgent meeting of all stakeholders in the transport sector at 11 a.m. at Government Headquarters, Bay Street. During this year’s Budget, she announced bus fares would be increased from $2 and since it went into effect, there has been strong public backlash. (MWN)

BUS FARE TOO HIGH FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN – It is not only adults feeling the pinch as several school children spoke out against the rise in bus fare today. Nazaria Brathwaite, a sixth form student at The Lodge School in Society, St John, said there was hardly ever a school bus for them so they had to resort to catching those to College Savannah, but they were also scarce. She said some parents could only afford to give their children $10, and if they had to spend that to travel on the vans and minibuses, they would have to go hungry. In Fairchild Street, a group of stranded Springer Memorial students said they were put off their school bus because it was full and were waiting until when another came. They could not afford to catch a van. Today is the first day back at school after the Hilary term holiday for thousands of school children, many of whom have opted to ride free on the Transport Board buses after bus fares were increased from $2 to $3.50 in this year’s Budget. (MWN)

COMMUTERS CRY UN-FARE – Barbadians were crying “foul, not fair” all over the island as the first day of the new bus fares swung into operation yesterday. While management of the Transport Board reported that Barbadians were taking advantage of its Travel Smart cards to reap some savings, commuters were complaining from Oistins in Christ Church to Speightstown, St Peter. But they are not the only ones upset, as some public service vehicle (PSV) operators are lamenting that now they have to pay out more in their lease arrangement with their bosses – the owners – and it simply wasn’t fair to them. The price hike from $2 to $3.50 was initially announced in Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Budget last month. A woman, waiting for a van in the Cheapside stand in Bridgetown, summed up the sentiments of many of her fellow commuters. Giving her name as Heather, she told the NATION: “There are some people who have no choice but to catch the bus. It’s the people that make the least amount that are going to be affected the most by this because they are already dealing with increased taxation.  (MWN)

PSV OWNERS DEMANDING MORE MONEY, OPERATORS CLAIM – Some ZR and minibus drivers and conductors are accusing “wicked” employers of using the hike in bus fare to exploit them, charging high leasing fees on just day two of the $3.50 fare. Some drivers and conductors complained to Barbados TODAY that PSV owners were now ordering them to hand in a larger percentage of their day’s earnings. The operators explained that before the increase in bus fare from $2 to $3.50, owners required between $225 and $250 per day for the lease of route taxis, but they are now demanding between $450 and $500. Minibus drivers said they now have to move from paying owners between $450 and $500, to between $900 and $1000 daily. Drivers and conductors today, speaking to a roving Barbados TODAY team, accused PSV owners of being unreasonable and unfair to them. One driver said there has been a falloff in commuter numbers on his route since the new bus fare went into effect on Monday, The demands of the ZR van owner are now forcing him to look for another job before “I drown”, he said. A driver at the River Terminal complained: “You know who profiting right now, the owners. I work yesterday and I ain’t get no more money than I does get. The drivers still at square one. The owners wicked. “Them playing them doing the maths and looking to get more money for themselves. They want all the profit. I telling you now that any owner out here that got one of the minivans and go to $400 a day, he wicked.” Another driver said he made $600 on Tuesday, but only went home with about $60 after handing over $450 to the owner and the remaining $90 in diesel. “So I looking to shift this driving thing too, because with all this money them want from you now you can’t make no money for yourself. I can’t handle this,” he said. The Alliance Owners of Public Transport’s public relations officer, Mark Haynes, told Barbados TODAY he was not aware of the development but would investigate. But Haynes said if the workers’ claims are true, the exploitation should not happen since “in this whole exercise we are looking for fairness and equity”. Haynes said PSV owners and workers should come to an understanding that would benefit both parties. He said: “To be fair to that driver, he is commuting the passengers and he may feel hard done by if he is not adequately remunerated. There must be some equilibrium. At the end of the day the driver has a life and he wants to work and he is working hard and I think in all fairness he should be treated fairly. He should not be discriminated against because of an increase in fare. It is not balanced and it is something that needs to be looked into.”(BT)

EASE US VENDORS – Vendors and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators in the River Road van stand are sick and fed up of water settling in the area after heavy rainfall. They complained that the water which can settle for long periods, was unhygienic and a threat to members of the public. Some vendors told Barbados TODAY that they understand it would be difficult to stop water from running into the van stand from the Constitution River because of various factors. However, they believe it was possible for something to be done to avoid the water from settling and breeding mosquitoes. Food vendor Devorn Boxill who sells donuts and other baked goodies from a van situated close to the water, complained that the unsanitary conditions were causing her to develop respiratory complications. “Something has to be done about this. I can’t feel good about this because I selling food here, and other people selling food. I will have to look for something else to do, because this making me sick,” Boxill said. The owner of Dave’s Takeaway recalled that for many years he has been talking about the problem, which he described as a health risk. The owner pointed out that over the years the relevant authorities have toured the area and promised to put measures in place to stop the water from settling. He said he does not believe talking about it would bring about a solution now. “This is years now we dealing with this. I used to brush it off, but I just get tired of doing that. I complain to this Government when them was in before, then I complain to the other government and them say they would get around to it . . . Look as a poor man you got to live with whatever happen to you,” the owner said. The vendors said they have made the effort to try to get rid of the water whenever it settles. One vendor said a few years ago he bought a pump to pump off the water, but that equipment has since broken down. “Since then I went and I buy a blower and that is what I use to blow away some of the water. But the blower only works when the water is low. Man this is beyond ridiculous, and nobody is helping us out with this,” the vendor said. ZR drivers and conductors told Barbados TODAY that they hoped authorities would step in to make changes to the physical landscape of the van stand, before somebody is badly injured. “If a pregnant woman comes cross here and she fall down, you know what will happen? Then they would run and try to see how best they could get rid of the water. Sometimes people who come to catch the van does slip and fall down in that dirty water,” one concerned female conductor said.  (BT)

BEWARE OF ‘PIRATE ZRS’, WARNS AOPT – As bus fare shot up by 75 per cent yesterday, a group of route taxi owners has called for a police clamp-down on pirate vans seeking to cash in on the increase. Alliance Owners of Public Transport spokesman Mark Haynes said he is concerned that there could be an increase in maxi taxis seeking to undercut route taxis as the single-trip fare moved from $2.00 to $3.50. Haynes said: “This could be a concern for AOPT and other public service vehicle bodies.  I think that when one gets increases like this, things like this happens. But this will be something for the police to monitor. “Of course, if we are cognisant of who those persons are, we will draw it to the police’s attention and we hope that the police will pursue them.” But Haynes said that it is too early into the new fares to determine if piracy has increased. The AOPT spokesman contended that illegal operators are always willing to exploit periods of adjustments while legitimate operators have all of their requisite fees to cover. He said: “In these types of situations these persons always try to capitalise as best they can. We are hoping that we do not get a lot of pirates in this situation because this will have a negative impact on the operators who have to pay their annual fees and it will not be fair to them. “We are asking the police to vigorously pursue these perpetrators if they are caught. They must learn that there are consequences for such actions. “Those persons who are guilty need to do some personal introspection to determine if it really makes sense to go and pirate only to be slapped with heavy penalties before the law courts. However, we are mindful that things like this are inevitable and will take place.” There was mixed reaction this morning to the bus fare hike, especially given the insistence that privately-owned route taxis and minibuses require school children pay full fare, effectively ending the discounted price under the old fare. School children in uniform will still be able to ride free on the state-owned Transport Board buses. Haynes predicted that school children will gravitate towards the Transport Board buses. The AOPT spokesman said: “I think that they will gravitate towards the Government buses, given what is before them, we hope that is what happens. The point is that once they get on the PSVs, they are required to pay the $3.50 bus fares. The law doesn’t differentiate, so they have to pay the $3.50 according to law and PSV workers are required by law to accept it.” As for mixed reaction from commuters to the new fare, Haynes said he is confident that Barbadians will come around to the rising transport cost. He declared: “Barbadians are cognisant of the fact that the bus fare increase is a reality, so they have taken it seriously and people are complying with the new law. So far it has been smooth, and people are traversing and we are hoping that we will continue to get good reports.” (BT)

CUSTOMERS FRUSTRATED WITH AIRPORT CUSTOMS SERVICE - For a few hours yesterday, frustrated customers were unable to get their goods cleared from the Customs facility at Terminal 2, Grantley Adams International Airport. One customer told the NATION when she arrived at the Christ Church facility after 9 a.m., there was no senior officer in place to deal with goods that might attract exemptions. She said about 15 to 20 people were waiting to get their goods cleared, but they were informed the customs officer had been ordered to go to Bridgetown. Those whose paperwork was straightforward were able to pay the cashier and leave. Some left in frustration while others mingled around the facility hoping to gettheir goods cleared. The customer was concerned about the storage fees, which start around $23 per day depending on the weight of the freight, if she was unable to get her package. “That is your port of entry. People bring their freight through the airport for [speed],” she said.  (MWN)

NEW RATE COMING – In two months investors in renewable energy will have a decision on a standardized rate of return for the power they supply to the national grid. This morning Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams, revealed that the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has been given the responsibility to define the feeding tariff for persons producing up to one megawatt of electricity. The minister explained that investors would be locked into this rate of return for the next 20 years. “By July 6, the FTC should have advised us as to what the proper feeding tariffs for renewable energy should be,” said Abrahams, who broke the news from his office at Country Road this morning. Abrahams further revealed that the FTC would not be constrained by the feeding tariff pricing structure for larger systems producing over one megawatt. Noting that he expected rates to fall below what is currently being offered, Abrahams gave the assurance that the new permanent rate would ensure that investors receive fair returns, in light of significant reductions in the cost of the technology over the years. “I have no doubt that the feeding-tariff rate is going to drop from where it is now. I would have to await the advice of the FTC to see what it ends up being. Currently we don’t know because we are operating with old data and we did not want to make that decision using old data. So we thought it best to get a new market study that looks at the new developments in the sector and come up with a recommendation,” said Abrahams, who pointed out that the price of solar panels have come down by 60 per cent over the last seven years. For some time, investors in renewable energy have complained that they were unable to secure financing for their projects, as lending institutions were deterred by the instability of rates, which were influenced by the fluctuation in oil prices. In 2016 the FTC set a temporary rate for the power being sold to the national grid under the RER programme at $0.416/kWh for solar photovoltaic and $0.315/kWh for wind “until such time as a permanent rate may be established”. At the time, the FTC said the decision was taken to increase the capacity limit to 500 kW from 150 kW. The uncertainty in the sector has dampened appetite for new investment and with Barbados looking to be a carbon-neutral country by 2030, Abrahams made it clear that impetus was urgently needed. “For us to get to the 100 per cent renewable energy target by 2030, our sector cannot grow incrementally. We require nothing less than a tectonic shift to get there. It has to be a radical transformation. So, this is our good faith gesture,” he said, revealing that under the feeding-tariff rate, the issuing of those licences will cut off after a total of 10 megawatts have been achieved. The development represents a major step in the fulfillment of the promise to review the Barbados Electric Light and Power Act and the National Energy Policy 2017 – 2037, which was made to stakeholders last July.  At the time businessman and renewable energy investor Ralph ‘Bizzy’ Williams welcomed a permanent tariff for power sold to the BL&P, saying while he did not know what the permanent rate would be, he was certain the industry would “take off” once the decision was made. (BT)

CAL’S ‘CROP OVER CARRIER’ – Trinidad and Tobago’s national carrier, Caribbean Airlines, is now the official airline of the Crop Over Festival, Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerri Symmonds has announced. He made the declaration at the inaugural landing of CAL’s first direct flight from Jamaica. Flight BW455, a two-and-a-half hour flight piloted by Ian Wilson and Tanisha Clover, touched down in Barbados just before 7 p.m with much fanfare. The Boeing 757-800 seats up to 150 passengers. In a speech at the landing ceremony, the Minister of Tourism said the flight bridges gaps between Bridgetown and Kingston and forges linkages for culture, commerce, trade, travel, and tourism. “We cannot forget that part of that cultural experience, that vehicle that takes people to Barbados… is the cultural image that this country has created around itself. “The ideal of bringing the region together has for a long time been at the very forefront of my administration priorities we feel that every step must be taken to keep our people being able to make contact with each other for tourism purposes, cultural, heritage, entertainment purposes and… tourism and commerce purposes.” He also disclosed that the island saw a 2.2 per cent increase in arrivals from Jamaica in 2018, with 9,000 Jamaican visitors. He noted that in 2018 the Grantley Adams International Airport  welcomed 681,197 visitors –  17,868 more than in 2017. There was a 4.4 per cent increase in intra-Caribbean tourism last year as well. The Minister expressed that he believed the direct flight from Caribbean Airlines would reap “better results and better returns”. Symmonds declared: “Gone hopefully forever should be the days of a Bajan leaving to go to Jamaica and deciding he will pass through the continental United States of America . . .  This is our baby and if we commit to helping our baby grow, then hopefully one day this will not be twice weekly, but three times, four times, five times or even daily as it should have been.” Head communications officer of Caribbean Airlines Limited Dionne Ligoure while referring to the airline’s 2019 theme of Caribbean Identity, emphasized that the carrier is also the official airline and sponsor for Reggae Sumfest and other events and festivals throughout the region. “There are no bridges to connect the Caribbean islands and so air transportation provides an essential link among our islands for tourism, for trade and for the general movement of people,” Ligoure said. “The launch of this service really represents an integral part of Caribbean Airlines vision to connect the regions and to bring our islands much closer together.” She revealed that the airline sought to enhance the customer experience through redesigning the website and offering packages.  (BT)

SIGNS OF RECOVERY – Despite forecasting that the economy will shrink again this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told Barbados TODAY it’s convinced that the economy is now on a “sounder footing”. The IMF is predicting a -0.1 per cent decline in the Barbados economy this year, likely to be the worst performance in the region, before bumping up to 0.6 per cent next year. Deputy Director of the Western Hemisphere Department of the IMF Aasim Husain told Barbados TODAY the country’s position, compared to a year ago, is vastly different and from all indications is going in the right direction. Recalling that Barbados had one of the highest debt levels in the world and precariously low levels of reserves, Husain said after entering a near-$600 million (US$290 million) Extended Fund Facility with the IMF last year, the country had already seen off a number of weaknesses in the economy. “Our forecast for the moment for this year is just slightly negative growth of -0.1 per cent. So, basically, flat. But that marks a recovery from the past. And I think part of that is the start of new policies that are putting the economy on a sounder footing,” Husain said. Pointing to the more than doubling of the reserves from a mere six weeks of import or $410 million at the end of December 2017 to approximately $1 billion as at the end of last year, the IMF economist said he was also pleased to see public debt on a downward trajectory. “So, we hope that in future years, growth will also return. “The big, headline going in to the (IMF) programme had been the very high level of public debt -160 per cent of GDP – and very low level of reserves. Those two issues are being addressed under the programme. That is in the process of being restructured. “The bulk of public debt, which is the domestic part, has already been restructured, and negotiations with external creditors are underway. “With this in process, fiscal consolidation underway as well and deep structural reforms also being undertaken, the economy is on sounder footing.” The IMF’s director of the Western Hemisphere section Alejandro Werner, told Barbados TODAY he was upbeat about the economic prospects for the Caribbean this year and going forward. He said the overall positive growth started some three years ago “on the back of an important resumption of tourism”, it and should be sustained. He also pointed to the level of investment in some parts of the region as well as commodity exports, which he said were bouncing back. Werner said: “We have seen that most of these countries have already absorbed the significant declining income coming from commodities after the declining commodity prices, and now all of them are coming back to growth. “Obviously, the Caribbean continues to be a region within Latin America that is also exhibiting, not sufficient growth to satisfy the amount of the population and the needed increases in social indicators.” He also pointed out that a number of regional economies were still struggling to manage high levels of debt. Werner also acknowledged that the region remained exposed to natural disasters and other external shocks, which could grossly impact its positive outlook and leave economies with heavy financial burdens for several years. He added: “So, we are developing financial frameworks for countries to manage financial implications of natural disasters in a much more effective way. “We’re also trying to advocate for much more ex ante (before the event) financial support for these countries instead of ex post after the natural disaster has hit so that these countries are better able to manage the risk and are in a better position to invest in natural disaster resilient infrastructure. “That is what our teams are working with many countries in the region, but obviously, it’s a work in progress.”  (BT)

FREE SERVICES – The president of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) is charging that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is continuing to exploit Barbadian teachers by making them correct School-based Assessments (SBAs) papers without compensation. Mary Redman told Barbados TODAY that CXC is not the employer of local teachers and the SBA is one of the three examinations papers externally set and moderated by the CXC to achieve certification at the CSEC and CAPE level. “CXC pays examiners to correct the other two papers in recognition that they constitute a part of their own exams but will not compensate the teachers for marking the third part, the SBA. In this way, the ministry is hiring out the services of local teachers to a third party – CXC for free and that nowhere is there such a provision outlined in the law as it relates to the duties of a teacher,” Redman said. The BSTU president said under the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) ministry officials said they would seek an opinion on the matter from the Solicitor General. The BSTU provided the ministry with documentation to support the call for compensation and asked that it be forwarded to the Solicitor General, she explained. “The BSTU received a three-sentence response from the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education claiming that the Solicitor General had offered an opinion indicating that the correction of SBAs constituted part of a teacher’s duties and no supporting reason or references in the law were provided as an argument in support of this opinion,” she said. Redman stated some BSTU members have decided not to correct SBAs and they have been doing so for the past five years. She told Barbados TODAY the movement is growing in the region as teachers in Jamaica are now compensated by the Government for correcting SBAs and there is also movement by Grenada and St Lucia in their demand for compensation. She also highlighted that in Trinidad, the teachers’ union had taken the ministry of education to court for threatening punitive action against their teachers who refuse to correct SBAs. However, she said, unfortunately, the members of the BUT have not shown solidarity on this matter but indicated that when the battle is won all secondary teachers will benefit. “The BUT has never come on board with us in this regard. The majority of BUT teachers in their secondary schools do correct SBAs and they correct the SBAs that our members don’t correct. When we win this battle, our teachers will benefit. The argument is clear, logical and valid, therefore, the executive of the BUT should be supporting the BSTU with this,” she said. Redman said their actions would not negatively impact the students but they are beyond frustrated and would like to receive compensation for taking on additional duties on top of their already heavy workload. “The actions can in no way impact negatively on the student’s success as the CXC has a legal obligation to all persons registering to sit their exams to ensure all of their examination papers including the SBAs are corrected,” she said. “Personally, I do not think that Government should pay teachers to correct CXC as the SBA is not part of a domestic or an internal exam. It is done in the school setting, yes, but it does not form a part of the internal assessment of students. It is part of CXC’s externally tested and moderated exam. I would like us to sit down and discuss how our teachers can be properly compensated if they expect us to, supervise, mark and do all of the data entry that CXC now requires,” she said. “CXC has never in its 40 odd years of existence sat down with any Caribbean trade union or the umbrella body which is the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) to discuss remuneration for teachers for correcting any of their exams. They have never done it,” she said. Meanwhile, principal of Combermere School Vincent Fergusson said his students would not be affected as the school had implemented measures to ensure that their SBAs are submitted by the Thursday, April 18 deadline. Speaking to the media at the re-opening of the renovated female bathroom he said no student at his school would suffer because teachers have decided not to correct SBAs without compensation. “In a few days’ we should have them all ready and uploaded to CXC,” he said. (BT)

HAPPY SCHOOL RETURN – Students and teachers at the Milton Lynch Primary School were pleased with what they saw when they returned to the classroom today. The physical plant and surroundings of the Water Street, Christ Church all boys’ school received a much-needed facelift with extensive repairs and sanitary work being completed over the recent break. Necessary lighting fixtures were put in place, bathroom urinals and sinks replaced, and the cow-itch on the playing field removed. The change was so noticeable, that one male teacher remarked that he felt “different” when he walked into the institution this morning. The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) shop steward at the school Mark Green told Barbados TODAY teachers were pleased to see that Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw kept her word to students, staff and parents after visiting and seeing first-hand the conditions they had to endure. “They replaced all the lighting that needed replacing, and they gave us some additional lighting as well because the school is too dark at night. They replaced all the guttering that wanted replacing, and they fixed up both boys’ bathrooms because a number of stalls and toilets were not working. “The classrooms were cleaned, they fixed the well because a smell was coming from it. They removed the old prefab building that was termite-infested and they also treated the school for termites,” Greene said. The fencing around the school which was another bone of contention for students and teachers, has been replaced to stop stray animals from coming onto the compound and making a mess. Fans and the air-conditioning units were also refurbished. Green, the school’s information technology coordinator admitted that while there was work still to be done, improving the sanitary conditions made a significant difference to those that go there to work and learn. He said the dirty, dusty conditions had become a major bother for them. “We are happy with what has been done. We know there is more to be done but we are aware it is going to take time before everything is completed. But for now, the environment feels cleaner, it feels a lot better and it makes you feel as though you are coming to an environment where you really want to now give 100 per cent. “The students are feeling good about the classrooms and about how the overall environment. The boys are happy that they are now able to go back on the pasture. We really appreciate the fact that the ministry came and saw the issues that we were complaining about and took steps to make it better,” Green said. Last term, a group of frustrated parents took to the sidewalk outside the school to protest a range of problems plaguing the school, including rodent and termite infestation and the unsanitary bathrooms. During that time, Class 4 students preparing for the Common Entrance Examination in May were accommodated at the Christ Church Foundation and a nearby church. (BT)

MINISTER STEPS IN –A vendor renting beach chairs at Bathsheba, St Joseph, who has been threatened with closure by the National Conservation Commission, is to be relocated to “more suitable surroundings”, as the minister responsible for the NCC intervenes. Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod revealed that vendor Chawn Morris will have the opportunity to ply his trade in a more “lucrative’ spot, a solution he said would be to the mutual benefit of all involved. In an Barbados TODAY interview, Prescod said: “I can give the assurance that this thing will be settled to the satisfaction of all parties, including the young man. I will also say that the transition will take place without any additional expense to him [Morris]. “I can also give the assurance that the alternative location will be of greater financial benefit to him because after all the major objective for Mr Morris is to make some money so that he can survive in this environment. It is best to pull himself out of any major controversy and criticisms from within the area.” But Prescod would not reveal Morris’s new location. Morris told Barbados TODAY last week that despite granting him a licence to operate in the first place, the NCC had given him until last Saturday to remove several integral structures of his business. He said: “There is a little PVC booth there that I didn’t dig any foundation for. I just put some soft stones on the ground and levelled the ground with some mortar. “The booth is made light enough to be moved if the waves come in. Also, when you are coming onto the beach there is a steep hill, so I built steps using sea rocks and wood. “The NCC called me and told me that I have to move by Saturday, or they will come and remove the things themselves.” Declaring that he has sunk close to $15,000 into the business, Morris explained that the six-feet-by-six-feet hut was vital for storage and shelter while the steps provided access, noting that without them it was pointless being open for business. But Prescod said that while Morris was given permission to operate the chair rental business, he was not allowed to put up any structures on the beach. The minister said only the Town and Country Planning office can give permission to build such structures. He argued that if a beach user was injured while using Morris’s steps, it would be the NCC that would face liability. Prescod told Barbados TODAY: “I recently visited his establishment at the beach in Bathsheba because I wanted to see the location. I indicated to him that he was first to set up something like this on that particular beach. “So, the discussions were cordial, but I did not know at the time he was going to go beyond building steps. I was concerned because of the angle and I did not know at the time that he was going to use pieces of electric polls to form the steps. As you could imagine if anybody steps down there and falls, the liability falls on the NCC.” The minister further pointed out that in addition to the steps and the hut, the NCC was concerned about lounge beds built on the beach. He further revealed that the issue was compounded by opposition to the establishment from some groups within the surrounding communities. When the story broke last week, critics of the NCC’s action declared the issue as an example of yet another proverbial poor black man being oppressed. The minister, an avowed Pan-Africanist said: “I understand the sensitivity of the issue. I cannot tell you what motivates some people. Any opinion on the reasons why persons opposed the business will be speculating.” When contacted, Morris said he had no problem moving but stressed that the decision on suitable relocation could not be unilateral. (BT)

DRUG PROBLEM ‘NOW ISLANDWIDE’, SAYS HINDS – Barbados did not have an islandwide drug trafficking problem 35 years ago – but now it does, retired Deputy Police Commissioner Bertie Hinds has said. Tracing the problem since the 1980s up to its current explosion of violent attacks and reprisals, Hinds said it was the arrival of crack cocaine in Barbados in 1986 that cause a dramatic shift in the nature of drug dealing. Hinds told a panel discussion: “Let me take you back to 1983 when I was a police sergeant on the East Coast of Barbados assigned to Belleplaine and District ‘F’ station. Between those two stations we had no drug problem whatsoever. Crab Hill police station had no drug problem, District D had little or no drug problem, Holetown had little or no drug problem. Drug problems were all centred in Bridgetown and the suburbs.” The former senior cop who was speaking to an audience in Alexandra School Hall on Sunday evening on the topic “The Truth About Drugs” painted a drastically altered landscape of the crime. He said: “The whole of Barbados now has a distinct drug culture and drug sub culture. In 2018 every parish in Barbados, every police district has a serious drug problem. We have grown from 1983 from a non-drug culture to a bustling and mushrooming drug culture. That is the extent of the problem that we have. It is manifesting itself in the serious criminal activity we are experiencing in Barbados.” Hinds said the arrival of crack cocaine onto shores of Barbados was the turning point. But he credited swift, tough and constant police action as one of the reasons for keeping it under control back then. Hinds told the audience: “Our real drug problem started in 1986 with the arrival of crack cocaine in Barbados. Drugs used to be grown in the gullies in St Joseph but you didn’t have many users. It was almost a weekend protocol every Saturday morning, in the wee hours of the morning, we are in the gullies of St Andrew and St Joseph led by that man called Jazaar [Alvin] Griffith, retired assistant commissioner. “[At] Fosters Funland (in St Andrew), we made that a police nest down there. In St Joseph and St Andrew we rooted out the drugs from in those parts of the island. I remember in the Bush Hall area some people grew marijuana in their backyards….But coming along the St Lucy area nobody planted drugs in St Lucy till after the mid-1980s.” The retired lawman said the pressure from police along with imported drugs from neighbouring countries was the cause of the local crop dying out at that time. He continued: “There was competition between what was growing here and what was imported from our sister islands in the Caribbean. “Then there was that fierce competition because the quality of the drugs coming from those jurisdictions was better than the one grown in Barbados and the crops died out because of police pressure and because of the inferiority of the drugs. (BT)

UPDATE: PIZZAMAN DOC MALE EMPLOYEE PASSES AWAY ON THE JOB – Tears flowed tonight at Pizzaman Doc, Sheraton Mall, where relatives and friends of an employee who died on the job this evening gathered in a state of shock and sadness. A large gathering that stood outside of the restaurant waiting for Police to carry out investigations, were allowed to view the body just before 10 p.m. Station Sergeant David Forde from the District ‘B’ Police Station told members of the media that workers at Pizzaman Doc reported that around 6:10 p.m. the male employee went to the storeroom and then they heard a commotion. “They went to investigate and whilst doing so, they saw the employee lying on his back in the storeroom. They tried to resuscitate him. He had showed signs of life. He was breathing heavily and they also contacted the Ambulance Service that quickly responded but on their arrival there was no signs of life,” Station Sergeant Forde said. Police are continuing investigations. (BT)

BODY IDENTIFIED BY FAMILY – The body found hanging from a tree at Long Beach, Christ Church on Sunday has been confirmed as that of Richard St Claire Forde. The 47-year-old man of Block 4B Wotton Terrace, Christ Church had been reported missing by his family at one point. Police said that Forde’s relatives identified the body on Monday.   (MWN)

ST JOHN MAN ADMITS TO DRUGS CHARGES – Possession of marijuana landed a 47-year-old man before the court but an unpaid fine could be what secures him a lodging at HMP Dodds for the next few months. When Rawle Lynderson Padmore, of no fixed place of abode, appeared before Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch today it was revealed at he had an outstanding debt of $600 which was imposed on him by the District ‘B’ Magistrates’ Court. “I have not paid the fine. I had asked for a little leniency,” Padmore told the Chief Magistrate after pleading to charges of possession, possession with intent to supply and having a traffickable quantity of cannabis on April 15. Police were at Pool Land No. 2, St John conducting an operation when the saw Padmore walking with a plastic bag. On seeing the police he threw away his parcel and dash off into a bushy area but was apprehended, Station Sergeant Peter Barrow told the court. He was escorted back to the area where he discarded the bag. It was retrieved and examined and found to contain 25 grammes of compressed cannabis. “I find that marijuana through a track this morning and I had it to sell off,” he allegedly told police when asked to account for the illegal substance. He however gave a different response when the Chief Magistrate asked him a similar question. “I did not find it Sir. I bought it from a fella named Grouch. I does smoke it, Sir,” Padmore confessed. Due to the unpaid fine he was remanded to Dodds to appear before the District ‘B’ Magistrates’ Court on April 24 to give an account. He returns before the Chief Magistrate the very next day – April 25 – in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on the cannabis charges.  (BT)

FAST CASH CROPPED – Efforts to make “quick money” by illegal means resulted in a huge fine for a 24-year-old man who is facing two years in prison if the amount is not paid. Nico Shaquille Ward, of No. 1 College Savannah, St John has one year to pay the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court $50,000 after he pleaded guilty to drugs charges. Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch imposed the hefty penalty after Ward admitted to possession, possession with intent to supply, possession with intent to traffic and cultivation of 75 pounds of cannabis. It took police just five days to haul Ward before the court after he ran away after being spotted in a marijuana plot in his community. A second man, 28-year-old Marko Matthews Roberts, of Lower Burney, St Michael who first appeared in the same court on Friday and spent the weekend on remand at Doods was sentenced yesterday in connection with the same offences. He too must pay $50,000 within the same stipulated time or face jail for two years. Prosecutor Station Sergeant Peter Barrow told the court that police were conducting operations in Ward’s community on April 11 when they observed him and Roberts pulling weeds from among cannabis plants. As they drew near Ward ran off and escaped into a bushy area while Roberts was apprehended. A further search of the vicinity resulted in the discovery of three more marijuana plots with a total of 463 plants ranging from one to two feet in height. Police intensified their search, which took them to My Lords Hill, St Michael where Ward was arrested. He was detained and questioned about the drug and admitted that he was present on the day of the discovery. “I wasn’t the one who started it . . . I was trying, looking around for work and little ways to make money . . . there wasn’t another way . . . it get brought over to me that I could make a fast dollar . . . so I was wetting the vegetables and the cannabis and that was all . . . I was just trying to make quick money,” the first time offender told the Chief Magistrate this afternoon. Birch informed him that he could have planted a crop which was not illegal and make the money needed from eddoes, dasheen and cane “[but] this is what you chose to do . . . .You did something stupid!” Magistrate Birch also informed Ward, who revealed that the he was the father of a four-year-old, that the illegal substance was being sold to children as young as 12 years old. Ward admitted that he would not be at all happy if his child was sold the drug. Birch responded: “But yet you are growing weed that is going to be sold to people as young as 12. Imagine you won’t be happy that someone does it to your child but you are engaging in activity that could be sold to someone else’s because you are making a fast dollar.” The magistrate then convicted, reprimanded and discharged him on the possession charge and reprimanded and discharged him on the supply offence. On the trafficking charge Ward must pay $30, 000 and $20,000 on the cultivating offence. The money must be paid in one year. “You have a year to find gainful and honest employment to pay this money. Make better choices,” the Chief Magistrate told Ward. Yesterday Roberts was sentenced and must pay $25,000 on the trafficking charge and the other $25, 000 on the cultivation charge. (BT)

JONES ADMITS TO STEALING POTATOES – Claims that he was “sprouting potatoes” got a 26-year-old man a charge for praedial larceny. Rasheed Demetrio Jones, of Colleton, St John also wasted little time in pleading guilty to stealing 71 pounds of potatoes worth $213 on February 24 belonging to Armag Investments. About 11:40 a.m. on that date the plantation’s manager was passing by when he spotted Jones, whom he had employed last December, in the field with a bag. He approached him but as he got near, Jones looked in his direction and walked away. The manager continued to approach and asked the accused his reason for being in the potato field. Jones reportedly told the manager that he did not have a phone and that’s why he did not call him to notify him of his actions. Jones complied when asked to leave and the potatoes were discovered in the bag. The matter was reported to the police, prosecutor Station Sergeant Peter Barrow said. Today in the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court Jones told Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch: “I went sprouting for some potatoes.” “Some guys by me does steal the potatoes but I wasn’t . . . . I normally notify him (the manager) that I was in the ground but I didn’t because my phone was not working.” Birch informed the young man that he was currently on a suspended sentence, which carried a two-year prison sentence. The Chief Magistrate remanded him to Dodds until Tuesday when the plantation’s manager is expected to appear in court to speak on the matter. (BT)

IMMIGRATION TRYING TO RESOLVE RIJO DETENTION – All efforts are being made to repatriate Juan Abraham Ramirez Rijo to the Dominican Republic, but those efforts have been hampered by a lack of identification or travel documents. As a result, neither his identity nor nationality has been confirmed. This is according to a statement from Chief Immigration Officer, Wayne Marshall, via the Barbados Government Information Service, in response to claims from Rijo that he was being held in a detention centre in handcuffs and kept in a cold room, which caused his nose to bleed. Marshall gave the assurance that the Immigration Department “is committed and remained duty bound” to ensure that Rijo was returned safely to his homeland. According to the statement, Rijo was one of 13 people rescued by the crew of a cruise ship en route to Barbados on December 20, 2018, from a small vessel which was adrift 47 nautical miles from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The 13, including one pregnant female, were medically examined, found to be in good health, and were housed in a secure location until they were identified. They were also allowed to contact family and friends in an effort to return home. However, only 12 of them were able to return to the Dominican Republic after being housed in a detention facility in Barbados for two weeks, as Rijo was unable to return due to a lack of identification. “Over the past three months the department conducted an in-depth investigation seeking the assistance of local and international entities and was able to gather information relating to his identity. This information included biometric and biographic data and was forwarded to the authorities of the Dominican Republic. “However, the authorities [in the Dominican Republic] have stated that they are unable to confirm his identity, and that he is likely to be refused entry if he presents without a valid Dominican Republic travel document,” Marshall said. The Immigration Department also sought the assistance of a Barbadian who lived in the Dominican Republic to communicate with Rijo, and make contact with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country. Rijo continues to be housed at a detention centre in Barbados where he is cared for daily, and provided with medical attention from doctors at the polyclinic, the emergency medical technicians at the airport and the Port Health Nurse. The statement noted that none of his ailments were considered serious, and he was always deemed fit to return to detention centre. The Chief Immigration Officer said that over the past few weeks, Rijo became increasingly agitated and frustrated, abused his privileges and refused to adhere to instructions. “He also became disruptive, threatened and used abusive language to Immigration Officers,” he stated, noting that the assistance of the Royal Barbados Police Force was sought on four occasions. Marshall also refuted claims that the non-national was kept in handcuffs or restrained at any time, pointing out that persons in detention centres were not handcuffed or restrained. “Mr.Rijo’s case is unusual, since most detainees are repatriated to their homeland in a day or two. However, the officers have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that his basic human rights were not infringed. Moreover, he was allowed to walk around freely in the detention area until bedtime,” he explained. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively engaged in talks with its counterpart ministry in the Dominican Republic to acquire satisfactory evidence that Rijo is a citizen of that country. (JRB/BGIS)

WANTED: RENICO DADRIAN MURRAY - Renico Dadrian Murray, alias Short Man, of Garden Land, Country Road, St Michael, is wanted by the police. Murray, 29, is advised he can present himself to the police at the Major Crime Unit, Glebe Police Station, Glebe land St. George accompanied by an attorney-at-law of his choice. The public is also reminded that it is a serious offence to harbour or assist wanted persons and anyone caught committing this offence can be prosecuted. Murray is approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a slim build and dark brown complexion. He has a flat forehead, medium eyes with thin eye brows, a prominent nose, a medium mouth with thick lips and protruding ears. He wears a low hair cut, small goatee and beard. He has a tattoo with the words “THUG LIFE” on his right arm and the letters “RM” on his left forearm. Any person, who may know the whereabouts of Renico Dadrian Murray is asked to contact the Major Crime Unit at 430-7193, Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.  (PR)

WANTED: KISHAWN DIEGO BARTON – The Royal Barbados Police Force is seeking the assistance of the public in locating wanted man Kishawn Diego Barton. The last known address of the 20-year-old, alias Smiley, is Hinds Gap, Halls Road, St Michael. He is approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a slim build and brown complexion. He has an oval head, brown eyes, bulbous nose and thick lips. Barton has a tattoo with the words “MERKA” on his chest, a crucifix on his left shoulder and “KITO’” on his left arm. He is advised that he can present himself to the police at the Major Crime Unit, Glebe Police Station, Glebe land, St George, accompanied by an attorney-at-law of his choice. Any person, who may know the whereabouts of Kishawn Diego Barton, is asked to contact the Major Crime Unit at 430-7193, Police Emergency at 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. (PR)

POLYCLINICS, FAST TRACK CLOSED TODAY - The Winston Scott Polyclinic, Jemmotts Lane, St Michael and the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex, Glebe Land, St John will close at 1 p.m. today, Wednesday. The early closure is to facilitate a staff meeting. As a result, the Fast Track Service at the Winston Scott Polyclinic has also been cancelled. The Ministry of Health and Wellness apologises for any inconvenience which may be caused. (BGIS)

VEOMA TOUCHED MANY LIVES – VEOMA ALI was many things to many people and at her funeral service yesterday, friends and relatives painted an engaging picture of a woman who was highly regarded by all whose lives she touched. Those giving tributes to the late broadcaster at her funeral service in the chapel of Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens sang the same chorus – she was special. Ali died last Tuesday at age 39 – gone too soon, according to the song played as mourners left the chapel. They had just sat for over an hour through a service in which there was no singing, but touching recorded music and showers of praise. They heard an emotional Omar Ali describe his late daughter as a “beautiful human being” who cared deeply for the disadvantaged from an early age, and demonstrated that caring in her acts of generosity and kindness. (MWN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 258 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles