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Veteran jockey Husbands retires

Philip Spooner
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Veteran jockey Husbands retires

Patrick Husbands, the legendary Barbadian jockey, has called time on his illustrious career. He announced his retirement from the saddle on Thursday, a month ahead of his 53rd birthday. Husbands is ranked among the most successful horsemen to come from Barbados and the Caribbean. He is a multi-time champion at the prestigious Woodbine Racetrack in Canada, where he is in the Hall of Fame.

“I have been riding since 1988, so that is 37 years that I have done this,” he said. “It’s been a long time, so this year, I needed to give my body and mind a break. This year, I am going to get on horses in the morning for Mark (Casse) and my brother (Anthony). I want to give back to both of them and show them my respect.”

He added: “I can say I am retired, but next year, one morning, I might wake up and say that I have a couple years left. But right now, my mind and body need that rest. … I am still crying about it [retiring]. I am at a stage in my life where I don’t want to retire, but you can’t keep doing this forever. Every day was a challenge. There are always ups and downs, but you never give up. You deal with injuries, losing a race you should have won and other things, but whenever you win, there is no feeling like that in the world.

He noted that winning the Sovereign Awards, the jockey championships in Canada, ranks among his greatest accomplishments. He is also a winner of the Sandy Lane Gold Cup, Barbados most prestigious horse race and the most celebrated in the Eastern Caribbean. His most famous triumph was aboard Sharp Impact in 2006 and he returned to ride winners in 2010 and 2014. He is also the recipient of national honors.

Pitches ‘safe’

Philip Spooner
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Pitches ‘safe’

The assurance has been provided that Kensington Oval will be in fit and proper shape when cricket returns to the historic venue.

So says Damien Gaskin, chairman of the board of Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI), who yesterday sought to bring clarity to the situation as the iconic cricket ground prepares to host the much anticipated Barbados Reggae Weekend festival.

During the last 24 hours some sections of the cricket fraternity expressed their concerns over the placement of the massive stage close to the pitches and the configuration of the setup for the annual musical extravaganza which has been dubbed “premier reggae weekend in Barbados”.

“There have been concerns expressed but we just want to assure everyone that we have the right systems in place to ensure the pitches and the outfield are not affected.

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US soldier charged over alleged betting on Maduro capture

Nationnews Desk
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US soldier charged over alleged betting on Maduro capture

A US special forces soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested and charged for allegedly betting on that operation, netting him $400 000 in profits.

According to an indictment unsealed Thursday, Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke opened an account in late December on Polymarket, one of the best-known prediction markets. He wagered about $32 000 that Maduro would be “out” by January. The bet was a long-shot.

But Van Dyke was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, prosecutors allege, and had access to classified information before he placed the bet. His winnings, though anonymous, caught the attention of law enforcement almost immediately.

Van Dyke, an active duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, faces five criminal charges for stealing and misusing confidential government information, theft and fraud. He will make his first court appearance in North Carolina. No attorney has been listed for him on the court docket.

He allegedly made 13 bets from December 27 to January 2, the last being hours before the overnight capture. Prosecutors said Van Dyke sent his more than $400 000 in profits to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before he deposited them in an online brokerage account.

A master sergeant in the Army is a senior noncommissioned officer, considered a key tactical leader and technical expert and serving as the principal NCO typically at the Army battalion level. Senior NCOs are often looked to for setting and upholding the standard for more junior soldiers in the unit.

“Those entrusted to safeguard our nation’s secrets have a duty to protect them and our armed service members, and not to use that information for personal financial gain,” said Jay Clayton, US attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Van Dyke was photographed just after the operation – and from when he placed his final bet – on “what appears to be the deck of a ship at sea, at sunrise wearing US military fatigues, and carrying a rifle, standing alongside three other individuals wearing US military fatigues,” court documents say.

Van Dyke profited more than $400 000, prosecutors say. He then allegedly moved those winnings to a foreign cryptocurrency vault before he deposited them in an online brokerage account in what prosecutors called an attempt to conceal their origin.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a related complaint against Van Dyke on Thursday, seeking restitution, disgorgement and civil monetary penalties.

CNN reported last month that federal prosecutors were investigating the Maduro trade, according to a person familiar with the matter. The chiefs of the securities and commodity fraud unit at the US attorney’s office in Manhattan met with representatives at Polymarket last month. (CNN)

Ruling on vegan inmate lawsuit May 21

Heather-Lynn Evanson
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Ruling on vegan inmate lawsuit May 21

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.

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Lawman: Accused reached for gun

Heather-Lynn Evanson
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Lawman: Accused reached for gun

A lawman yesterday recalled how accused Clarence Rudolph Watkins struggled violently with police before reaching into his waist for a gun.

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Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute launched

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute launched

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 executive officer of the Small Business Association.

“So it is precisely within this context that the Caribbean Digital Transformation Institute emerges as both timely and necessary. This institute is a strategic response to a regional imperative.

“It is designed to equip our businesses, institutions and entrepreneurs, with the tools, knowledge and capabilities required to compete in an increasingly digital global marketplace.

“It will serve as a platform for building digital skills and fostering innovation from agribusiness and manufacturing to services and the creative industries.”

Caribbean Export executive director Dr Damie Sinanan said the CDTI came “at a very pivotal time for small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Caribbean region”.

“We like to say that we have to innovate, and we have to really move from a consumption-based society to become more future-driven businesses. But the fact is, the Caribbean region is lagging very far behind. We have to play catch-up,” he said.

“We view the CDTI as a really a strategic intervention designed to give small and medium-sized enterprises in the Caribbean the digital tools, e-commerce capabilities and operational efficiency that they need to thrive,” he noted.

“It’s really going to provide the type of capacity building support that will bridge the digital divide as an economic necessity towards building regional resilience, the CDTI will serve as a hub for capacity building, ensuring that no SME is left behind.”

He called the initiative “a very strong partnership between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
and the Complete Caribbean”.

“By pooling our resources and expertise, we view this as building a very robust support ecosystem for small and medium sized enterprises in the Caribbean region. We have to realise that we can’t do it alone, and we can’t work in silos. We have to spread and pool resources if we have to achieve the maximum efficiency possible,” Sinanan stated.

“So while we continue to pivot in this digital divide, the CDTI will focus on long -term sustainable sustainability. It will help businesses navigate this digital landscape so that they can withstand future economic and environmental shocks.”

Dr Sylvia Dohnert, private sector principal specialist at the IDB, saw the CDTI as “a response to the promise what digital technology offers to Caribbean businesses, but also the difficulties that businesses in the Caribbean face in digital transformation”.

Compete Caribbean executive director Kayla Grant called it “a powerful regional public good . . . that will strengthen the ecosystem supporting MSMEs and help to position the Caribbean firms to compete, innovate and grow in a digital global economy”.

“This initiative directly addresses one of the region’s most persistent challenges, and it’s this question of how we’re enabling our MSMEs to effectively adopt and leverage digital technologies in a way that will improve their productivity, but also how we’re helping them to access markets and to grow and to innovate,” she said.

“This technology extension services initiative, which will be coming soon in the future, it complements the CDTI. What the CDTI is essentially doing is helping to build capabilities and digital readiness.

“And then this technology extension services work that we’re doing will help to translate that knowledge and capabilities and hopefully support with concrete investments in digital technology and productivity, enhancing investments technology adoption, and also how we’re supporting in accessing the funds that firms will need.” (SC)

Straughn: Families should talk more

Kimberley Browne
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Straughn: Families should talk more

Government remains committed to safeguarding the elderly and other vulnerable people in Barbados, but Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn wants more families to openly discuss financial and property matters to avoid any contentious issues down the road.

The Member of Parliament for Christ Church East Central was speaking during debate on the Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, 2026 in the House of Assembly on Tuesday when he said that a lack of discussion can often lead to “angst” among families related to property transfer and inheritance.

“One of the challenges that we have in our society is we don’t like to talk about things in the family, whether it is medical history or, certainly, financial matters. We don’t like to talk about these things in families. 

“And I think one of the very things that bedevils families is the difficulty that some of us may have with making the decision as to who to leave the property to, and these are things that create some angst, as you would appreciate in helping to resolve these matters within families. And therefore, I believe that we need to do more within our communities, Straughn said. 

“I know the Financial Literacy Programme is embarking in more community engagement, but the reality is that a lot of our elderly persons worked hard, acquired property, they raised families, in this country. And whilst the Government has put in place mechanisms with respect to the deed of gift, as we articulated a few years ago, in relation to helping families to transition property ownership in these spaces, these are the things that we need to engage with our elderly population as to how they can transfer ownership, to . . . whomever – children, dependents – so that their rights certainly can be, yes, protected in that context, as part of how we support their livelihoods into their old age. 

“And whilst we are finalising the mechanism now for issues related to reverse mortgages and the like, to service the persons of this demographic, it is going to be important that we engage in some fairly aggressive education, if you like, such that persons that this Bill could potentially impact, that they understand how they can exercise and take advantage of said opportunities.” 

Straughn said it was important for the issues related to older people be discussed because Government did not want to see their hard work – whether it was the family home or “the acre of land that is available to come into production” – end up in a non-productive state and “become potentially, public nuisances”. 

“But perhaps worse is to have siblings fighting over what to do with the property, because that type of dysfunction, is really not healthy for a society.”

The minister added: “We really must encourage our elderly population that either through the process of the making of a will and those types of things, to actually make a decision as to who will take on the responsibility for these assets, such that there’s an orderly process with respect to how these things are discharged.”

He noted further: “The one thing that has held back the development of a number of families in this country is the failure of us creating an ecosystem that allows for some of these things to happen in a much seamless way.” 

The Bill was passed. (GBM)

A form of wickedness, says Springer

Nationnews Desk
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A form of wickedness, says Springer

The narrative of family members taking away the pension of their elderly mothers is a recurring concern for the authorities and civic groups.

But Member of Parliament for St Andrew Dr Romel Springer is also expressing disquiet that some women are eyeing the pension cheques of some male retirees who seem to give them up gladly.

He was making his contribution to the debate of the Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, 2026 in the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

“I’m sure that there are some older females who are also abused. Some people may argue that some men give away the money, and they give it away with glee. Some people do that. I am sure that that, in many cases, is the happiest money that they’ve ever spent, but that does not change the fact that it can be construed as abuse if it gets out of hand,” Springer said. 

He reiterated that there were people out there who “may take advantage of older women as well, maybe not as frequently as the other way around, but that’s the world that we live in”.

“I know there are men who will tell me that it’s not abuse. Matter of fact, they look forward to it. So it’s not abuse, but the simple truth is that, in some cases, it goes too far – when it gets to the point where you are giving away everything, and you can’t buy food for yourself, or you have to go back and beg back for money. 

“You’ve got to go back and beg back for money to buy something for yourself. And it gets that far, you can’t pay your bills, you’ll find yourself on the street,” he cautioned.

He said it was not right that “whenever you get a pension, somebody can find you, can change it for you, and spend it for you . . . that’s wickedness. So, I just wanted to put that in there because I know that is perhaps one of the most rampant forms of elder abuse that we see in this country. And because of our culture, and because of our history, we’ve come to not acknowledge that form of [behaviour] as actual abuse.”

Springer said he was glad that it was being addressed seriously to ensure that pensioners who fall victim to people like that can have some form of recourse. (JS)

‘Unforgettable’ Mother’s Day show in store

Diara Springer
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‘Unforgettable’ Mother’s Day show in store

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 offered a first look at this year’s cultural showcase and revealed a special tribute to Lorraine Sealy, who will be honoured as the first female Admiral of the Barbados Landship. Sealy was present at the launch to mark the occasion.

Scorpions hold on

Nationnews Desk
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Scorpions hold on

KINGSTON – Barbados Pride pressed for an unlikely victory, but in the end the Jamaica Scorpions held on to share the spoils in their second-round contest which ended in an exciting draw here yesterday.

An outright result didn’t look to be on the cards with the Pride holding a slim three-run first innings lead heading into Wednesday’s final day.

Resuming the day on 460 for five, Kyle Mayers and Leniko Boucher extended their partnership to 104 runs to carry the Pride to 542 for five.

Mayers, who had batted cautiously on Tuesday’s penultimate day, changed gears with his side needing quick runs, smashing six fours and five sixes during a knock of 84 off 130 balls.

Medium pacer Odean Smith got the breakthrough for the Red Force when he had Mayers caught, and
with ten runs added he also snared the wicket of Boucher for 24 to make the score 552 for seven. (CMC)

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