Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley issues a statement following the announcement of veteran jockey Patrick Husbands’ retirement. Today, Barbados pauses to salute one of its finest sons, Patrick Husbands, on his retirement.Patrick has ridden horses and he has ridden into history. From the Garrison Savannah to Woodbine, and on many tracks beyond, he carried with him theconfidence, discipline, courage and unmistakable spirit of Barbados. In a sport where split secondsmatter, where instinct and judgement must become one, Patrick gave the world a masterclass intalent, temperament and trust. He had the hands, the eye, the balance, the timing and the heart. Inevery great ride, he reminded us that excellence is not accidental; it is prepared for, sacrificed for,and earned. For many Barbadians, horse racing is not simply a sport. It is a lifestyle. It is Saturday at the races. Itis the anticipation at the Garrison. It is the thunder of hooves,...

The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) continues to express concerns about employers increasingly using temporary contracts for jobs that are clearly ongoing, arguing that such practices undermine workers’ entitlements. General secretary Toni Moore raised the issue at the opening of the union’s Safety 360 Conference yesterday, at its headquarters, Solidarity House, Harmony Hall, St Michael. She said contract workers often felt excluded from protections guaranteed under occupational health and safety laws. “Health and safety does not differentiate between whether a worker is on contract or permanent. Health and safety laws are for all workers. I think that what happens is that oftentimes workers, because they feel a certain measure of insecurity, they feel that coverage is not available to them,” she stated. “In too many instances workers are being brought into short-term situations where it is known and understood that functions are needed in an ongoing way. It is also our preoccupation because...

An inmate, who is suing the Attorney General and the Superintendent of Prisons in an attempt to maintain his vegan lifestyle while on remand, will know next month if the court has looked favourably on his constitutional motion. Inyah Iroyal Jones had claimed that being forced to eat prison food put his health at risk. In the constitutional motion, brought on his behalf by attorney Lalu Hanuman, Jones and his mother said his health had suffered “drastically” as a result of not being able to follow his vegan diet. Jones, of Thorpes Main Road, St James, is charged with possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition. Subscribe now to our eNATION edition for the full story. For the latest stories and breaking news updates download the Nationnews apps for iOS and Android.

Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Barbados and the Caribbean now have some additional help in their quest to transform their operations digitally. This comes with the introduction of the Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute (CDTI), which is being implemented by the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank and Compete Caribbean. Speaking at the recent launch of the CDTI, Caribbean Export chairperson Dr Lynette Holder said there were “not merely launching an institute, we are institutionalising the future of a digital Caribbean”. “The evidence suggests that Caribbean firms that adopt digital tools are significantly more likely to export, improve productivity and access new customers, and at the same time, however, a significant proportion of regional MSMEs have yet to fully integrate digital technologies into their operations, and many continue to face barriers related to skills, financing and infrastructure,” said Holder, who is also chief...

A lawman yesterday recalled how accused Clarence Rudolph Watkins struggled violently with police before reaching into his waist for a gun. The accused, said Constable Jabarry Mayers, later admitted he did not have a licence for it. The constable was testifying in the illegal gun and ammunition trial of Watkins, which continued in theNo. 5A Supreme Court yesterday. Watkins, of Chapman Lane, St Michael, has denied having a .10mm semi-automatic pistol, as well as 16 rounds of ammunition, on May 15, 2021. Constable Mayers said he and Constable Subhan were in a marked police vehicle in a convoy of police vehicles on Green Hill Drive, Silver Hill, Christ Church, when he saw the accused riding a motorcycle, going in the opposite direction. The lawman recalled that the police vehicle behind him had stopped next to another vehicle and the accused man’s path became blocked. “He then attempted to ride the...

The much-anticipated “Mum, This One’s For You ‘26” made its grand reveal at a media launch held at the Food Court in Sky Mall, promising another unforgettable celebration of motherhood on the island. Producer Desmond Weekes did not mince words about the show’s standing. “This is the best show in Barbados,” he declared, urging audiences to honour their mothers not just in words, but in action. The event takes place on Mother’s Day, May 10, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. The cast features a stellar line-up including Keanne Walters, MacFingall, Desmond Weekes and Phillip 7, among others. A highlight of this year’s edition will be a performance by Patrick Forde, a renowned award-winning double-amputee dancer. Weekes spoke passionately about the inclusion: “Because I always include the differently abled too . . . we have to embrace each and every one of us, once you are a Bajan.” The launch also...

More people are getting immunised – a marked change in behaviour from the hesitancy observed towards the end of and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the coverage has not reached the 95 per cent benchmark that health practitioners would like, they still view the numbers to be satisfactory, with a notable high level of trust in childhood vaccination. Senior health officer at the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic Julia Serrano said that the relationships forged with patients throughout the years have been a big help in them being more comfortable with the process, leading to an increase in the number of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations for last year. “They would have seen us, from as young as a child. We cared for them during the antenatal and postnatal period and now they’re coming back to us for their vaccines,” she said. (JRN) Subscribe now to our eNATION edition for the full story....

She was born into music, and with her dad as the wind beneath her wings, she intended to soar. Narii Vasquez’s father was a singer, and from her days at church, she honed her skills hoping to one day set foot on the big stage. Narii was singing from about seven years old and she credits her dad with teaching and inspiring her from the outset. So, in 2019 when she released her first song, it was just for fun. However, those who heard it took it seriously and the feedback was beyond her expectations. “I wasn’t really taking it seriously at the time, but once I started getting positive reactions, that’s when I realised I could really do something with it,” Narii told the MIDWEEK NATION from her home in Croatia. Though brimming with passion, Narii still felt that the lights of the big stage were not illuminated for her and,...

Caribbean governments, businesses, farmers and other stakeholders are being urged to prepare themselves for potentially severe climate extremes as a developing El Niño is expected to bring hotter and drier conditions across the region in 2026 and 2027. El Niño is a climate pattern characterised by the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, occurring every two to seven years. It represents the “warm phase” of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation cycle, causing weakened easterly trade winds that allow warm water to shift eastward, disrupting global weather patterns and causing significant environmental impacts. Warning Climatologist at the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), Dr Cedric Van Meerbeeck, is warning that this El Niño event is likely to bring periods of reduced rainfall and increased humid heat, which can affect water availability and agriculture, and increase the likelihood of heat stress and dry conditions....

0 A 54-year-old painter with more than 40 previous convictions has been sentenced to 24 months in prison after admitting to stealing watches, insect repellent and groceries from two Bridgetown shops.   Paul Amron Cherubin, of Passage Road, St Michael, appeared in the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court and admitted that on April 20 he stole cans of insect repellent and five watches, all totalling $139.75, belonging to F.W. Woolworth, and to stealing goods including condensed milk, peanuts, seamoss, barley and soap worth $132.88 belonging to Popular Discounts on January 17.   Prosecutor Sergeant Kenmore Phillips told the court that a manager reviewed security footage after becoming suspicious upon seeing a basket with the items in an aisle. Cherubin was seen removing the items from the basket and leaving without paying.   You Might Be Interested In In the next case, the accused was observed by a security guard...