26 The cooperative movement is calling for greater unity and peace across society through dialogue and collaboration. Registrar of Cooperatives Brent Gittens made the call during a service at the James Street Methodist Church on Sunday to mark the observance of International Cooperatives Day, which this year is being celebrated under the theme “Cooperatives for a Peaceful World”. Gittens said peace was more than the absence of conflict, describing it as being built on justice, inclusion, mutual respect and concern for one another. “Cooperatives are founded on values such as self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. They encourage people to work together to meet common needs and aspirations, while striving to ensure that no one is left behind. In a world that is often divided, cooperatives offer a practical example of what can be achieved when people unite around shared goals and shared responsibility,” he said. He added that...

1 Minister of Pan-African Affairs and Heritage, Trevor Prescod, has made a case for direct financial intervention from the government to support the nation’s young authors, insisting they should be compensated for their creative talents. Speaking to local creatives during the launch of Barbadian author Mario Herbert’s latest book, Meet Tommy, Prescod expressed his desire to see the island’s emerging literary voices thrive and achieve financial stability through their work. The minister proposed a structural mechanism through which state entities, specifically educational bodies, would absorb the creative output of local writers to guarantee a consistent income stream. He urged a shift in how national institutions view their procurement responsibilities toward the cultural sector. “The ministry and the primary schools across this country must be able to say to Mario, ‘From this term, we want you to send books to the Ministry of Education or allocate them to the individual primary...

376 Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ag.) Sonia Boyce will be appointed Commissioner of Police with effect from July 3, 2026, due to the impending retirement of Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce and the consequential vacancy in the leadership of The Barbados Police Service (TBPS). The appointment follows a process conducted by the Protective Services Commission, which included interviews as part of its assessment of candidates, according to a press release. A recommendation was subsequently submitted to the Prime Minister for the constitutionally required consultation and confirmation of support before being submitted for the approval of the President of Barbados. The release explained that the appointment is based on Deputy Commissioner Boyce’s demonstrated competence, experience, training, integrity and record of service. It stated that her career was built over four decades in policing and public service, with proven leadership across operational, investigative, administrative and human resource functions. Deputy Commissioner Boyce enlisted...

563 Attorney-at-law Samuel Legay believes birth tourism can be beneficial to the country, but has urged government to ensure international agencies involved exercise proper diligence in screening participants to safeguard the island’s social systems. He noted that birth tourism was not new to the island, pointing out that at least one clinic has been promoting the practice “for years”. However,  he questioned whether the current public concern was really due to birth tourism or to the promotion of such in African countries.  “For years, it has been a certain class of colour of people that have been coming to do it, and they have been getting the Barbadian passport,” he said. Birth tourism is beneficial to the country, he said, even as he urged the government to warn international agencies to exercise due diligence in screening participants. Suggesting the promotion of birth tourism via advertisements can attract “too many undesirables”,...

365 The country’s second-place Common Entrance performer, Hilda Skeene Primary School’s Josiah Gibson, says hard work, determination and the support of his family helped him earn one of the country’s highest marks, as he now prepares to begin the next chapter of his education. Speaking after the school’s graduation ceremony at The Crane Resort on Friday, where he was valedictorian and also named the school’s Most Outstanding Student of 2026, Gibson admitted he entered the examination feeling a mix of emotions. “I was a little nervous but also excited because I knew that whatever I did on that day…” he said. The achievement left the young student overwhelmed with joy. “I was very happy when I heard this… running around my house screaming.” His success was also recognised during the graduation ceremony, where he received several awards: Most outstanding student of 2026; highest mark in Language Arts; highest mark in...

11 An 18-year-old has been remanded after being charged with serious assault and robbery in connection with an attack on American visitors at Savvy on the Bay last month. Rashad Alexander Williams, of Buckingham Road, Bank Hall, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick charged that on May 17, he with intent to maim, disfigure or disable Darin Sisco or to do serious bodily harm to him, unlawfully did serious bodily harm to Sisco; robbed Sisco of two chains valued at US$1 000 ($2 028.27) and a US$800 ($1 622.56) cell phone; robbed Larraine Sisco of a US$800 cell phone ($1 622.56) and that, when present together with other persons, he used unlawful violence and their conduct, taken together, would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for their personal safety. He is also facing a separate charge of assaulting Cairo Yearwood on June 22....

105 Parents have been given their clearest picture yet of how Barbados’ proposed transition from primary to secondary school will operate, with classroom projects completed at school, four standardised tests spread over two years and continued parental choice of secondary schools all forming part of the new assessment model. Deputy Chief Education Officer for Planning and Development Reverend Stephen Scott outlined the details during a Ministry of Education Transformation town hall meeting on Thursday evening, one of several public consultations being held following the government’s announcement that the traditional Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination will be replaced by a new two-part assessment model. The proposed system would move away from relying on a single examination and instead assess students over a two-year period through continuous classroom assessments and national standardised tests. “The outline of the new transition model is that it will be a two-part approach,” Rev Scott said. “There...

25 More than 99 per cent of government salary payments delayed after the rollout of BiMPay have now been issued, the Central Bank of Barbados said on Friday, with about 160 payments still outstanding. In an update on efforts to resolve the issue, the Bank said that of approximately 27 366 salary payments due to central government employees, the Barbados Revenue Authority and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 27 206 have now been processed. It added that the position across statutory corporations was “broadly similar”, with most workers also having received their salaries. The Central Bank apologised to those employees who remain unpaid, acknowledging the hardship the delays have caused. “We recognise the financial and personal distress this has caused, and resolving the remaining outstanding payments remains a priority.” The update comes six days after the Central Bank attributed delayed salary payments to incorrectly formatted payroll account information submitted by employers...

The Healthier Nation Initiative (HNI), in collaboration with Ross University, brought free blood pressure and health screenings to teachers and staff at Grantley Adams Memorial Secondary School, highlighting the importance of caring for the people responsible for educating Barbados’ future generations. The health outreach took place at the St Joseph campus and focused primarily on faculty members, who HNI representatives said often put the needs of students ahead of their own wellbeing. Representative of HNI Foundation Akealii Hall said while much attention is placed on students, educators also need support. “The children are our future and we need to make sure that they’re healthy,” Hall said. “And then two, the people that are taking care of our future need to be taken care of as well.” Principal of the Grantley Adams Memorial School Major Andrew Skeete getting his blood pressure checked. (Photo Credit: Lauryn Escamilla/Barbados TODAY) He added that teachers...

180 Barbados is entering another hurricane season with tens of thousands of homes still uninsured, raising concerns about the island’s financial resilience in the face of increasingly frequent and costly natural disasters, Barbados TODAY has learned.  Industry figures have warned that too many property owners remain without insurance protection despite the island’s continued exposure to hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes. While approximately 40 000 homes currently carry insurance coverage, a significant number remain uninsured for a variety of reasons, said the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB), responding to questions from Barbados TODAY. “Property owners should not only be concerned during [a] hurricane.   “Barbados faces multiple natural hazards, including earthquakes and floods. Even moderate events can result in costly damage. Insurance is a critical financial safeguard for both individuals and the wider economy.” According to the GIAB, some homeowners choose to self-insure, while other properties do not meet underwriting requirements because...