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Massy Barbados profits hold

Massy is reporting increased revenue and profitability in its Barbados operations, as the group anticipates a continued demanding operating environment, including continued pressure from inflation, foreign exchange constraints, and geopolitical uncertainty.

This information is detailed in Massy Holdings Limited’s unaudited consolidated financial statements for the six month period ended March 31, 2026, where chairman Robert Riley outlines a corporate strategy refresh “to ensure Massy remains well aligned to the opportunities and challenges of the period ahead”.

The financials state that the Trinidad and Tobago group’s revenue from its Barbados-based entities was $418.8 million, up from $403.8 billion in same period last year.

Profit before tax in Barbados was $30.5 million, up from $29.3 million at the end of March last year.

Riley’s statement indicated that this was part of an overall “solid first half to financial year 2026, with continued growth in revenue and profit from continuing operations, strong cash generation, and a balance sheet that has remained resilient through a demanding operating environment”.

Massy’s group third-party revenue from continuing operations grew 7.4 per cent year on year to $2.5 billion.

Operating profit after finance costs from continuing operations rose 5.8 per cent to $175 million, profit before tax from continuing operations advanced six per cent to $176.6 million, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 5.4 per cent to $292.6 million.

The chairman also reported that cash flows from operating activities held firm at $219.5 million, and earnings per share from continuing operations improved by 1.6 per cent to 5.17 cents.

“These results were achieved against and a backdrop of inflationary pressures, tighter foreign exchange conditions, heightened geopolitical uncertainty,” Riley noted.

“They reflect management’s continued focus on disciplined execution, operational efficiency, and financial strength across the group.”

The improved financial returns from Barbados was reflected in Massy’s largest portfolio – integrated retail.

Riley said that this segment remained the principal contributor to group earnings, with revenue growing 5.3 per cent to $1.6 billion, EBITDA rose four per cent to $164.2 million, and operating profit after finance costs increased 7.4 per cent to $114 million.

He explained that this was “supported by volume growth across our key markets, particularly Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana”.

Massy’s board has approved a second quarter financial year 2026 interim dividend of 1.05 cents per share, bringing the half year total to 2.11 cents.

“This sustains the higher level of distributions established in financial year 2025, when interim dividends increased by 125 per cent compared to financial year 2024, and reflects both the strength of the Group’s recurring earnings and our continued commitment to delivering predictable returns to shareholders under our quarterly dividend framework,” Riley said.

Dividends paid during the period totalled $62.8 million.

In the outlook, Riley said Massy expected operating conditions “to remain demanding, with continued pressure from inflation, foreign exchange constraints, and geopolitical uncertainty”.

“Against that backdrop, the board has commenced a refresh of the group’s corporate strategy to ensure Massy remains well aligned to the opportunities and challenges of the period ahead,” he shared.

“In the near term, our focus is on strengthening cash conversion, maintaining balance sheet quality, addressing areas of under-performance, and accelerating growth opportunities while ensuring disciplined capital allocation. 

Fisherfolk fed up with ice issues

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Fisherfolk at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex says they are sick and tired of struggling to have enough ice to keep their fish fresh.

The fisherman claim that it had been almost two weeks since they had a proper supply of ice at the complex, and no explanation was being offered by the authorities.

However, Government says plans are in the works to offer both short and long-term relief.

The issue is with the two ice machines at the market, which the fisherfolk said constantly broke down. Yesterday, neither was working so no one was getting ice.

Some fishermen spoke of having to travel for around 18 hours to Grenada to buy ice, or source ice from Glacial Pure in Salters, St George, neither of which was an ideal option.

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‘Trinidad won’t recognise’ Barnett as Caricom Secretary General after August

PORT OF SPAIN – Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Trinidad and Tobago will not recognise Dr. Carla Barnett as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General after August when her first five- year term ends, even as regional countries maintained that she had been reappointed to the position for another five years.

“Trinidad and Tobago only recognises Barnett as SG until the end of her term this August 2026. All CARICOM leaders could do as they please, but Trinidad and Tobago will not recognise her as SG for a next term. That’s not going to change,” Persad-Bissessar told the Trinidad Express newspaper.

“We have already made that clear. We do not recognise her after August 2026. This is our final position,” she added.

Last week, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said as far as he is concerned, the Belizean economist has been reappointed and that Dominica had supported the decision.

“The issue of the Secretary General, this has been, I’m not sure why you asked me the question, but this thing has been ventilated in the public domain. I mean, every plate and spoon in the kitchen has been exposed on this matter,” Skerrit told a news conference last Wednesday.

On Monday, the Trinidad Guardian newspaper reported that CARICOM leaders met last weekend for a five-hour discussion regarding Trinidad and Tobago’s concerns on the reappointment of Barnett, agreeing not to redo their February process and decision on Barnett’s appointment.

The Trinidad Express newspaper reported Wednesday that representatives from the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs had raised objections, noting that the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Sean Sobers, were not present because of the official visit of India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and parliamentary obligations.

In March, in a brief statement, the CARICOM chairman and St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Dr Terrance Drew, said that Barnett had attained the “required majority” from among regional leaders regarding her re-appointment at February’s CARICOM summit held in Basseterre.

But Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, who was not present when the vote was taken to reappoint Barnett, who became the eighth CARICOM Secretary General on August 15, 2021, has publicly challenged the reappointment process .

She has dismissed a statement issued by Prime Minister Drew which reiterated that Trinidad and Tobago was not “uninvited”  to the retreat in Nevis where the decision was taken.

Persad-Bissessar told the Trinidad Express newspaper that while her country remains committed to the regional integration movement, it will not stay silent on what she said was the “dysfunctional and chaotic state” of the 52-year-old organisation and on Barnett’s reappointment. (CMC)

Ex-cricketer Butcher’s wife laid to rest

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Former Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) employee and wife of former England cricketer Roland Butcher, Cheryl Butcher was buried last Wednesday in the United Kingdom.

Her funeral took place at St Peter’s Church in Iver, Buckinghamshire, and was attended by many family and friends from the cricketing community.

In a heartfelt tribute, Roland Butcher, the first Black man to play Test cricket for England, said: “Cheryl was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother whose warmth, strength and unwavering love were the foundation of her family.”

The couple was married for 46 years, sharing over 50 years of love and partnership. Cheryl is survived by her husband Roland; children Paul, and Michelle and her grandchildren, Leevon, Leighenna, and Chase.

The BCA board of directors, management, staff, and members extended their condolences.

Cheryl dedicated several decades to the BCA which described her as a vibrant spirit and a true pillar of the organisation.

Cheryl passed away in March, leaving a lasting legacy as a dedicated supporter of the Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club. The club honoured her as an important contributor to the community and a strong advocate for young female cricketers in Barbados. (TR)

‘Fast and hard’ tactic for gun crime

Hit “fast and hard” by getting indictable matters to the High Court in three months’ time.

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ALKALINE ANNOUNCED AS CO-HEADLINER FOR TIPSY MUSIC FESTIVAL BARBADOS 2026

Bridgetown, Barbados | May 8, 2026 – Tipsy Music Festival (TMF) is turning up the heat for 2026 with the official announcement of Jamaican dancehall superstar Alkaline as co-headliner for this year’s highly anticipated festival experience in Barbados.

Known for his explosive performances, chart-dominating catalogue, and loyal global fanbase, Alkaline’s addition to the TMF lineup marks one of the festival’s biggest dancehall bookings to date. The artist, whose “New Rules” concert series has expanded internationally across Jamaica, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, continues to dominate conversations within Caribbean music culture while selling out major venues across North America.

The announcement comes during a major season for the dancehall star, following the release of his latest studio album NPT, which recently debuted on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart and topped multiple digital charts internationally.

Set against the backdrop of Barbados’ vibrant summer atmosphere, TMF promises fans an unforgettable weekend of music, culture and Caribbean energy. Festival organizers say Alkaline’s addition reflects the continued growth and international positioning of the brand.

“Alkaline represents a generation of dancehall culture that commands a global audience. His energy, stage presence and catalogue make him a perfect fit for the TMF experience, and we’re excited to bring that moment to Barbados,” organizers shared.

Joining Alkaline as co-headliner is Caribbean soca powerhouse Kes the Band, fresh off continued international success and recognition from Rolling Stone Africa, which recently described the group as “The architect of connection and joy.” The band continues to expand its global footprint through tours across Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America ahead of their arrival in Barbados for TMF 2026.

Tipsy Music Festival has steadily grown into one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated lifestyle festival brands, attracting patrons from across the region and diaspora markets. The 2026 edition will once again feature its signature blend of premium entertainment experiences, including the TMF Beach experience on Day 1 and the iconic All White concert experience on Day 2.

Organizers have also confirmed the continued expansion of the TMF brand internationally, with a Miami edition scheduled for June 20, 2026 during the height of World Cup festivities.

Tickets for Tipsy Music Festival Barbados are currently on sale.

For more information and updates, follow @tipsymusicfest and @twistedbarbados on instagram.

For media inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact: crystalclearsolutionstt@gmail.com

CDB mobilising more capital for BMCs

The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is putting itself in a better position to mobilise capital, including private finance.

This objective was outlined by CDB President Daniel Best at the Pierre Mendès France Conference Center, Ministry of the Economy and Finance in Paris, France as he participated in the Finance in Common (FiCS) G7 special event on April 29.

FiCS is the global network of all public development banks, and aims to align financial flows on the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement for Climate Change.

Best highlighted several initiatives the CDB had implemented or was pursuing as part of its embracing of innovative financial instruments to benefits Barbados and its 18 other borrowing member countries (BMCs).

In the session on Financial Instruments To Lower The Cost of Capital, he mentioned the CDB’s US$450 million Exposure Exchange Agreement (EEA), undertaken in partnership with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and a US$200 million first-loss portfolio guarantee with the Government of Canada, which, once finalised, would unlock between US$300 million and US$400 million in financing for BMCs.

On the EEA, he said: “This transaction reduced our top five borrower concentration ratio from 61 per cent to 38 per cent without any new shareholder capital injection. So our limitation was indeed not demand nor risk appetite, but concentration rules, and this . . . translated immediately into new lending capacity.

“For a small multilateral development bank like CDB, with 19 board member countries and a balance sheet of just US$2 billion, the significance of having tight constraints on lending cannot be overstated.”

He said regarding the first-loss portfolio guarantee that “as I speak the technical team from the Government of Canada is in Barbados finalising the details of that portfolio credit guarantee”.

Best also said that “together with the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and Development Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean, or CAF, we are actively working to structure a Multi-Guarantor Debt For Resilience Transaction”.

“It addresses a core challenge for us in the Caribbean. High debt burdens and extreme climate vulnerability are mutually reinforcing for the Caribbean. By leveraging guarantees from our fellow MDBs and private sector partners, this initiative will create the fiscal space for resilience investment without adding new debt to our borrowing member countries,” he explained.

“In other words, our member countries will be allowed to invest in resilience before disaster strikes, as opposed to what has obtained recently, which is on the back end of disasters.”

Best noted that the overall objective of this initiative was to “reduce borrowing costs, extend maturities and generate fiscal space without increasing net debt”.

Contingent capital facility

“And so working with IDB, CAF and the World Bank is of paramount importance to what we’re delivering.”

He also spoke about the Contingent Capital Facility Instrument which the CDB was designing.

“In June 2025 we launched a pilot to design a contingent capital facility, and . . . it is a standardised MDB loss absorbing instrument intended to qualify as tier two capital. The phase one feasibility was completed in September of last year, and generic contractual templates will be shared across the MDB system by October of this year,” he said.

“And the facility essentially will provide a structured framework through which highly rated shareholders may formally commit to inject capital only if an objective financial trigger is breached scenarios.

“The objective is financial resilience support is contractually when it is needed most, of course, our rating.”

Best added: “So instruments are being strategic plan and of originated transfer, as a catalyst and anchor mobilisation, while balance sheet.”

One of the outcomes a plan to scale up financing financial innovations approaches “that align and financial stability public and private This included the Development Bank breached within clearly defined stress is to strengthen our resilience by ensuring that capital contractually available precisely most, while protecting, rating.” taken together, these being brought on the overall long term risk strategy transfer, positioning the bank anchor for private capital while consciously leveraging our outcomes of the FiCS meeting was financing and to accelerate innovations through integrated align climate, development, stability agendas, and combine financial flows”. the advancement of a Public Bank Guarantee hub aiming to mobilise US$10 billion in guarantees “to reduce risks and unlock private capital in emerging and developing economies”.

At a press conference after the FiCS meeting, Remy Rioux, chief executive officer of French Development Agency and chairman of FiCS, acknowledged the challenges countries like Barbados faced in accessing affordable financing.

“Of course, there are specific issues we all know about for small developing islands and we know the specificities of these kind of territories. There are discussion within FiCS, and there are proposals about whether we are missing an instrument [to help such countries,” he stated.

“And the issue about debt graduation of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who, I was part of the Bridgetown Initiative, is pushing on the agenda that maybe we should a bit change our lenses and better understand the specificities of your countries.” (SC)

Texas accuses Netflix of spying on users, including children

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Netflix has been sued in Texas over claims it collects data belonging to children and adults in the US state without their consent, and uses “addictive” design to keep them hooked.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the streaming giant of “spying” on citizens saying it “records and monetises billions” of pieces of information about how users behave on the platform, despite suggesting otherwise.

“Every interaction on the platform became a data point revealing information about the user,” his office said.

Netflix has rejected the claims and says it will challenge them in court, according to a statement shared with Reuters.

“Respectfully to the great state of Texas and Attorney General Paxton, this lawsuit lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information,” a Netflix spokesperson told the news agency.

“Netflix takes our members’ privacy seriously and complies with privacy and data protection laws everywhere we operate.”

The BBC has approached Netflix for comment.

“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watches you,” says the complaint filed on Monday by Texas’ top prosecutor.

According to the filing, the streaming company championed itself as unlike other big tech firms in how it processed data and advertised to users.

It quotes the company’s former boss Reed Hastings as having said in 2019 and 2020 that it did not and would not collect or monetise user data, such as to sell ads.

But the filing says Netflix used a combination of “addictive” design features, like auto-playing content, and extensive “logging” of user activity to keep people on the site.

Among billions of technical events it recorded were what users would click and linger on, and for how long, the filing adds.

In 2022, it says, the company also began “leveraging the mountains of data it quietly extracted from the children and families it kept fixated on their screen” – sharing this with commercial data brokers to help raise billions of dollars in revenue.

“In short, Netflix sold subscriptions to its programming as an escape from Big Tech surveillance: pay monthly, avoid tracking,” the lawsuit states.

“Texans trusted that bargain. Netflix broke it – constructing the very data-collection system subscribers paid to escape.”

Attorney General Paxton’s office said it believed the company had violated the state’s laws, namely the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act which forbids “false, deceptive, or misleading acts and practices in the course of trade and commerce”.

The attorney general can pursue action including penalties against those found to have engaged in such activity.

In this case, it wants the court to order Netflix to delete any data “deceptively collected from Texans”, cease processing their data for targeted advertising and to turn auto-play off by default for children’s profiles.

It comes as platforms face calls to disable features like auto-play and infinite scroll, over concerns they keep users unhealthily hooked on endless streams of content.

Experts have said the recent success of a California lawsuit arguing Meta and YouTube could be held liable for the addictive design of their platforms could open the door to a slew of similar complaints. (BBC News)

Accused denies interfering with teen

Raymond Ricardo Holder said he never “interfered” with the complainant who has accused him of attempted rape six years ago.

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Project aims to reduce spread of dengue, zika

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A major regional effort is under way to strengthen pandemic preparedness and reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya in the region.

Dr Roshan Parasram, head of vector-borne diseases at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), outlined the project yesterday during CARPHA’s launch of Caribbean Mosquito Awareness Week via zoom from Trinidad and Tobago.

Under the theme Stop Disease Transmission, Start Source Reduction, it brought together stakeholders from across the health sector along with students and teachers, with discussions around source reduction and practical solutions to aid in decreasing the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.

Preparedness project

Parasram said the initiative formed part of a wider 2024-2026 pandemic fund preparedness project aimed at strengthening prevention, preparedness and response across the region.

The campaign also places strong emphasis on school participation, with students and teachers involved in interactive learning, health education and practical activities that promote source reduction, and encourage the preventative habits to be taken in their homes and communities.

“You will engage in a guided insectary tour, hands-on source reduction demonstration, treatment techniques displays, personal protection, education and showcases of innovative technologies such as geographic information systems, which are maps, drones, surveillance apps and adult-level traps,” he explained.

Parasram also spoke of a health ambassador programme, where selected schools and students will work with public health inspectors on mosquito monitoring and report findings to

their respective health agencies across the Caribbean and CARPHA.

Medical officer in the Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Matthew Desaine, said that preventing mosquito-borne diseases must begin in homes, schools and communities through everyday actions such as removing stagnant water and maintaining clean surroundings.

He said regional collaboration was essential, noting students had a key role to play as “agents of change” by promoting practices and encouraging source reduction within their households and communities.

“When our students are engaged in health education, environmental stewardship and community action, they become the messengers of prevention. They remind us adults sometimes that we need to empty the water containers. They are the ones looking out for the breeding sites. They participate in the clean-up campaigns. They remind us to help to build a culture of responsibility,” he said.

(AJ)