16 By:  Dennis DePeiza It appears that there is a global trend where private sector employers and governments are engaging in the practice of downsizing business operations. This is being done under the guise that there is a growing necessity to promote efficiencies in doing business, for the purpose of maintaining business viability, productivity and reducing expenditures. The practice of laying off, retrenching or making workers redundant, has been successfully employed.  Workers who are thrown on the breadline are the victims of these legitimate forms of action. The employee can, however, protest on grounds of unfair dismissal where there is reason to believe that the employer has not followed the established fair procedures before moving to lay off, retrench or become engaged in the process of redundancy. Best practice dictates that the employee has the right to have a fair process, proper notice and severance pay, if he/she qualifies. An...

Letters to the Editor Newsday Friday 30 January 2026 – THE EDITOR: The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St Augustine Campus wishes to formally convey its appreciation to the Newsday newspapers for the many years of dedicated, professional and insightful media coverage provided to the university and the wider national community. Throughout its history, Newsday has played an invaluable role in informing the national community about the work, achievements and intellectual contributions of The UWI. Through dedicated columns such as UWI on the Ground, the newspaper has consistently highlighted the breadth of research, scholarship and societal impact emerging from the campus. Newsday has also demonstrated a strong commitment to nurturing student voices by publishing articles from students across multiple faculties. This support continues to the present, most recently evidenced by the publication of the student article, UWl’s Institute of Gender and Development Studies – Advocating for women’s equality,...

1.4K Barbadian entrepreneur Tyrique Wilson, best known for launching the successful Carrington’s Rum Cream brand in 2020, has expanded his business portfolio with the opening of Outlet Auto Spas at the Sugar Cane Mall car park in Bridgetown. The new vehicle valet and detailing business officially opened its doors on Saturday, marking the realisation of a long-held ambition for the young businessman. Speaking during the grand opening, Wilson said the venture was years in the making. “It’s our very first day opening after six weeks of preparation, getting all the equipment, getting all the bookings, getting the marketing out there, and finally we’re here,” he said. Wilson explained that the idea of owning a car wash business had been with him since his secondary school days, but financial and logistical hurdles delayed those plans. “Car wash businesses have always spoken to me. From the time I was in secondary school,...

News Clint Chan Tack Friday 30 January 2026 Clint Chan Tack, from left, Laurel Williams, Allyson Fahey, Yvonne Webb and Betty-Ann Hosein, the team at Newsday’s office in San Fernando. Chan Tack, Williams and Webb have more than 50 years combined in journalism. Hosein and Fahey were part of the administrative staff. – IN the never ending story that is our lives, the book contains many chapters. Looking back, I would never have contemplated having spent 27 years in one place as I have at Newsday. Nor would I have thought I would have experienced the things that I did. Finishing my Bachelor’s of Arts degree at UWI’s St Augustine campus, it was September 1998 which found me at the doors of the old Newsday office on Chacon Street, Port of Spain. The place had the aroma of newsprint and then chief news editor John Babb interviewed me for a...

Costa Rica no es un país que espere el futuro: lo construye. En 2025, sus exportaciones totales alcanzaron un máximo histórico de US$35.243 millones de dólares y las de bienes superaron por primera vez los US$22.800 millones —un crecimiento del 14% interanual— mientras la inversión extranjera directa alcanzó niveles récord de US$5.121 millones el año anterior, posicionando al país tercero a nivel mundial y primero en América Latina en el Greenfield FDI Performance Index. Detrás de esas cifras hay una institución que opera como el sistema nervioso central del ecosistema de comercio exterior: la Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (PROCOMER). Y al frente de esa institución está Laura López. Economista de la Universidad de Costa Rica con maestrías en Políticas Públicas por la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid y en Desarrollo Económico por la Universidad Erasmus de Róterdam, López llegó a la Gerencia General de PROCOMER en octubre de...

(CNS) UPDATED THURSDAY: The people involved in analtercation that took place on Tuesday, 2 June, at a commercial establishment along West Bay Road have been identified, police have said. Enquiries revealed that one person received non-life-threatening injuries during the incident, but no formal reports of assault have been made. The matter remains under investigation, and the RCIPS thanks the public for their assistance. ORIGINAL STORY: Police are asking for the public’s help to find a person who may have been injured following an altercation at a commercial establishment on West Bay Road, close to Earth Close near the Strand Plaza. The RCIPS said officers had responded to a report of a disturbance involving multiple people, but the individuals involved had left the location before the police arrived. “Based on initial enquiries, it is believed that a person may have sustained injuries and could be in need of medical attention,” the...

819 President Jeffrey Bostic has announced that he will no longer use the military title of ‘Lieutenant Colonel’ as part of his official designation, saying the time has come to be known simply as “The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic”. Speaking on Saturday at the inaugural Commander-in-Chief Parade at St Ann’s Fort, The Garrison, the President reflected on his long association with the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) and the pride he has taken in carrying the rank earned during his 26 years of service. He said that even after entering politics, he deliberately retained the title because he wanted Barbadians to appreciate the calibre of people produced by the force and to inspire serving members to recognise their own potential. “Barbados had to understand what this force is capable of doing and who this force is capable of producing,” he said. “It was supposed to be an inspiration to each and...

News Jada Loutoo Friday 30 January 2026 A Newsday reader catches up on the major news of the day in San Fernando on October 14, 2024 – As the pages turn for the final time, I find myself reflecting on a journey that spanned almost three decades—one defined by stories told, lessons learned, and bonds formed. The criticisms came. I’d like to think I developed a thick skin, but instead, it was my stubbornness (from birth) that made me persevere. We were always told as journalists that if someone praises you, then you aren’t doing something right and that if they don’t, then you are doing it right. I’ve had my fair share over the last almost three decades. I thank each and everyone who supported me over the years, who trusted me to tell your stories. I joined the newsroom towards the end of June 1996, just days shy...

La inversión extranjera directa, la competitividad de Costa Rica y la generación de más y mejores empleos en las zonas rurales y costeras están en riesgo por culpa del “comunismo” que ahora defiende el Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), según la presidenta Laura Fernández. La molestia de la mandataria está relacionada con la oposición del partido verdiblanco a la ley de armonización del mercado eléctrico. La iniciativa en cuestión permitiría a las empresas privadas generar toda la energía que deseen para vender dentro o fuera del país al mercado regional, en vez de depender de contratos de compra con el ICE. Al mismo tiempo, el Instituto dejaría de ser un planificador del mercado eléctrico para convertirse en un competidor en el mercado nacional. Por otra parte, sin el respaldo del PLN, el gobierno de Fernández no lograría los 38 votos que se requieren para validar el proyecto en segundo debate y,...

A Concerned Criminal Defence Attorney writes: Recent comments concerning the shortage of criminal defence attorneys in the Cayman Islands were both welcome and concerning. At the recent Grand Court Opening, the Chief Justice observed that “the courts continue to face challenges in getting their work done because there remain so few practitioners relative to the number of cases before the courts”. She further remarked that there are times when it appears there are more lawyers employed as Crown Counsel than there are practising at the criminal defence bar. Those observations reflect the reality experienced daily by criminal defence firms. The issue is not that criminal law lacks importance. Quite the opposite. Criminal defence attorneys are an essential safeguard against the misuse of state power and a fundamental component of a fair and effective justice system. The difficulty is that criminal defence practice has become increasingly difficult to sustain economically. The...