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Man charged with firearm and ammunition offences

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Man charged with firearm and ammunition offences

A 66-year-old St. Michael man has been arrested and charged in connection with a firearm and ammunition discovery earlier this week.

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Clarification and Apology to Sandra Osborne

Sherrylyn Clarke
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Clarification and Apology to Sandra Osborne


On 8th December, 2025, we published posts on our feed and in our story featuring a photograph of Ms Sandra Osborne SCM SC with the headline “Bajan questioned at Games in Peru” and a caption referring to a member of the Barbados delegation at the Bolivarian Games who had been questioned by law-enforcement authorities in Peru.

The posts may have created the impression that Ms Osborne was the person who had been questioned. For the avoidance of doubt, Ms Osborne was not the member of the delegation who was questioned by law-enforcement authorities in Peru, nor has she ever been questioned in relation to any such incident.

Ms Osborne merely commented on the situation in her capacity as the President of the Barbados Olympic Association and it was not our intention to convey otherwise.

We unreservedly and sincerely apologise to Ms Osborne for any distress and embarrassment caused.

Prime Minister Mottley named among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women for 2025

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Prime Minister Mottley named among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women for 2025

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has secured a spot on the 2025 Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, where she ranks No. 99 among the globe’s most influential political, business, and philanthropic leaders.

Forbes highlights Mottley’s continued global impact – particularly her forceful advocacy on climate change, her diplomatic leadership, and her role in steering Barbados’ constitutional transition.

According to her Forbes profile, Mottley “was elected as Barbados’ prime minister in 2018. When she was sworn in, she became the first woman to hold the role.”

 The profile also notes her rise as a global leader on climate issues, referencing her 2021 address to the United Nations General Assembly, where she delivered an “impassioned speech” calling for urgent action.

That same year, the United Nations Environment Programme named her a “Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership.” Forbes further underscores her role in Barbados’ historic constitutional shift: 

“Under her leadership, in November 2021, Barbados officially became a parliamentary republic and removed the Queen of England as its head of state.”

Mottley’s inclusion places her among a global cohort of women shaping economies, diplomacy, technology, philanthropy, and cultural influence. 

She joins a 2025 Power Women list dominated at the top by political heavyweights – European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at No. 1, European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde at No. 2, and Japan’s first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi at No. 3.

Forbes’ 22nd annual ranking evaluates women across four metrics: money, media, impact, and spheres of influence. This year’s list spans 100 women from 17 countries, collectively commanding an estimated $37 trillion in economic power and influencing the lives of more than a billion people.

Mottley’s leadership trajectory, the outlet notes, began long before her premiership. Her first ministerial appointment came in 1994 as Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, marking the start of a political career that would later carry her to regional and international prominence.

The publication further underscored that her continued appearance on major global rankings reinforces her status as one of the Caribbean’s most visible and influential political figures, often cited for her bold rhetoric on climate justice, global equity, and economic reform. (CMC)

Plan to give children ‘best global chance at success’

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Plan to give children ‘best global chance at success’

With Government’s vision firmly set on making Barbados the number one education system in the world within the next seven years, Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman says the proposed infrastructural, curricula, and technological advancements are paramount.

As such, Government will partner with international agencies like the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) “to ensure schools are fit for purpose” that they, amid the climate crisis, are resilient.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Tuesday during debate on a money resolution for Parliament to approve Government’s borrowing of $313.6 million from China SINOPHARM International Corporation to expand the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, he reiterated the mission of the Ministry of Educational Transformation which he said is “simply about ensuring that we give our students and children who go on to be adolescents and adults, the best global chance of success” because “the real competition is about helping them to compete against their counterparts, not just here in Barbados and the region, but around the world”.

“Now, when you look therefore at being able to do all of these different things, these things require financing. This Government has been able to, and you see it around the country, ensure not just that schools are being repaired, but we are having aggressive programmes, partnering, of course, with a number of international partners, the IDB, for example, with our Skills for the Future II Programme where we’re not just looking at the infrastructure.

“. . . . I must add that our infrastructure is largely between 50 years old and 200 years old, and therefore, as we build out, it is really about changing not just the physical infrastructure in changing a door here or a cabinet there, or a classroom, but building schools that are fit for purpose for 21st century learning and realities. That therefore means, given particularly that we’re in this part of the world on the front line of the climate crisis . . . schools that are resilient.

Climate crisis

“We only need to look very close by to our sister nation of Jamaica. And it’s not just Jamaica. Countries around the world, particularly in the tropics, who are on the front line of the climate crisis with hurricanes or cyclones, continue to face these realities, and therefore, the building of schools now require even more that we have resilience at the core of our building and our designs to ensure that they’re fit for purpose, to withstand as much as possible, whatever the environment will bring,” said Blackman.

The minister then said the design of schools must change to “allow for new modes of learning and teaching”, so instead of the traditional way of teachers at the front of the classroom and the children sitting facing her/ him, it could be them standing and engaging or being on the outside, “in plants that reflect beautiful environments, physical environments that are wholesome, pleasing to the eye and that brings our education system now into a modern era that can now be a model for the world to adopt”.

“We set a very bold, but clear ambition to be the number one education system in the world within the next seven years, and part of this transformation, particularly with the programme I just outlined, is to also do so through ensuring that our schools have the necessary infrastructure, technological and otherwise, to keep our children on the cutting edge of transformation,” he said, before referencing the move to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blackman said the proposed education transformation exercise required Government to “have the necessary elbow room” and fiscal space to be able to deliver. He said with Government’s management of the country’s economy, there was confidence from agencies around the world and “people are prepared again to invest in Barbados” to allow Government “to build out the capacity of your health care institution” as the resolution being discussed. (GBM)

Mexico approves up to 50% tariffs on China and other countries

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Mexico approves up to 50% tariffs on China and other countries

Mexican lawmakers have approved a package of new tariffs, impacting hundreds of products, many of which come from China.

The measures, which President Claudia Sheinbaum has said are needed to boost domestic production, were passed by the Mexican Senate on Wednesday.

The levies are set to take effect on 1 January 2026 and will apply to goods like metals, cars, clothing and appliances. Dozens of countries that do not have a free trade agreement with Mexico will be affected, including Thailand, India and Indonesia.

The move comes as Mexico is in negotiations with the US over steep import taxes that President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on the country.

The measures will impose tariffs of up to 50% on more than 1,400 products.

The levies will “substantially harm the interests of trading partners, including China,” said a spokesperson for Beijing’s commerce ministry on Thursday.

An investigation into Mexico’s trade policy is in progress, they added, urging the country to “correct” its decision.

This week, China also signalled its plans for more involvement with Latin American and Caribbean countries, as it aims to deepen its relationships in the region through trade and innovation.

Chinese companies have been expanding their footprint in Mexico in recent years, with car brands like BYD and MG establishing operations in the country.

But Washington has said Beijing may be using Mexico as a way to bypass US tariffs.

The BBC has contacted the embassies in Mexico of Thailand, India and Indonesia for comment.

Sheinbaum’s government is in talks with the Trump administration as it tries to reduce tariffs on the country. They include 50% duties on Mexican steel and aluminium.

Trump has also threatened to impose extra tariffs on Mexico for various reasons, including a 25% levy as part of Washington’s measures to pressure countries to do more to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into America.

On Monday, Trump threatened to impose a new 5% tariff on Mexico, accusing it of violating an agreement that gives American farmers access to water.

“It is very unfair to our US Farmers who deserve this much needed water,” he posted on social media.

Trump was referring to a more than 80-year-old treaty that grants the US water from Rio Grande tributaries.

For decades the US has accused Mexico of not meeting the terms of the agreement.

The US is Mexico’s largest trading partner. (BBC News)

Bajan fruit cake taking shape

Nationnews Desk
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Bajan fruit cake taking shape

One reader remarked: “Mrs Maynard-Watson, I understand what you are doing. Yes! A commercial fruit cake made with Bajan grown fruit would be a game changer.”

As I read the above feedback from a reader of this column, I felt nostalgic because we are into the season of Bajan creativity at its best.

Further, the abundance of healing herbs and silent doctors cultivated in Barbados will assist with the necessary creative shift. I strongly believe that greatness is within all of us. It is for us to awaken that potential.

Foundation

Last week, all of the basic information pertaining to the foundation of a Bajan fruit cake, also known as black cake or great cake, was laid in that article. This week, the foundation will be expanded through the addition of silent doctors guava and mango (see accompanying graphic).

The website https://www. tuasaude.com/en/mangobenefits/ states: “Some studies show that polyphenols like gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, and ferulic acid can stimulate insulin production, lowering blood sugar levels and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), which is a measure of glycemic control and can indicate the presence of diabetes.

“Polyphenols may therefore have the potential to play an important supportive role in the management of diabetes.”

In retrospect, the golden apples and five fingers were already diced and placed in the sterilised bottle with the wine.

This week, we will pour that mixture with the wine into a saucepan and add another cup of wine. Wash and cut the chopped mango and guava without the seeds and add them to the mixture in the saucepan.

Simmer

Let the contents in the saucepan simmer over a low heat for about eight minutes. Allow the mixture to cool and add nutmeg and orange rind. The fruit will be poured back into the bottle and recapped.

Finally, the Bajan fruit cake is taking shape. We have many delicious fruits in the bottle and the aroma of the guava is the “hit” in this black cake. Of importance, the measurements in the final article of this series.

Please ensure that you collect all the publications in the series. I can feel your excitement as we move towards our final recipe and the production of the delicious 100 per cent Bajan black cake.

Next week: Lookout for the Bajan fruit cake penultimate article.

Annette Maynard-Watson, a teacher and herbal educator, may be contacted via [email protected] or by telephone 828-1565. DISCLAIMER: It is not our intention to prescribe or make specific claims for any products. Any attempts to diagnose or treat real illness should come under the direction of your health care provider.

Phone records show three calls

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Phone records show three calls

 Three calls were made between the mobile number assigned to former calypso monarch Aziza Clarke and the one assigned to Selwyn Stuart, on March 21, 2019.

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US seizes oil tanker off Venezuela as Caracas condemns ‘act of piracy’

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US seizes oil tanker off Venezuela as Caracas condemns ‘act of piracy’

US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.

“We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela – a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Releasing a video of the seizure, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the vessel as a “crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran”.

Caracas swiftly denounced the action, calling it an act of “international piracy”. Earlier, President Maduro declared that Venezuela would never become an “oil colony”.

The Trump administration accuses Venezuela of funnelling narcotics into the US and has intensified its efforts to isolate President Maduro in recent months.

Venezuela – home to some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves – has, in turn, accused Washington of seeking to steal its resources.

Brent crude prices inched higher on Wednesday as news of the seizure stoked short-term supply concerns. Analysts warn the move could threaten shippers and further disrupt Venezuela’s oil exports.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who leads the US Department of Justice, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the US Coast Guard co-ordinated the seizure.

“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” the nation’s top prosecutor wrote on X.

Footage shared by Bondi showed a military helicopter hovering over a large ship, and troops descending on to the deck using ropes. Uniformed men were seen in the clip moving about the ship with guns drawn.

A senior military official told the BBC’s US partner CBS that the helicopters used in the operation launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which was sent to the Caribbean last month.

It involved two helicopters, 10 Coast Guard members and 10 Marines, as well as special forces.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was aware of the operation, and the Trump administration was considering more actions like this, a source told CBS.

When asked by reporters what the US would do with the oil on the tanker, Trump said: “We keep it, I guess… I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”

Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Skipper and said it believed the ship had been “spoofing” its position – or broadcasting a false location – for a long time.

BBC Verify has since confirmed that the vessel in the footage released by the Department of Homeland Security is the Skipper.

The US treasury department sanctioned the Skipper in 2022, CBS reported, for alleged involvement in oil smuggling that generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

BBC Verify also located this tanker on MarineTraffic, which shows it was sailing under the flag of Guyana when its position was last updated two days ago.

A statement from Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department on Wednesday evening, however, said that the Skipper was “falsely flying the Guyana Flag as it is not registered in Guyana.”

The Skipper’s port of call log shows it called in Iran, Iraq, and the UAE from 30 June to 9 July this year. Its most recent stop, according to MarineTraffic, was at Soroosh port in Iran on 9 July.

That does not mean that it has not called at multiple other ports since then.

MarineTraffic shows it was last near Iran in mid-September before arriving off the coast of Guyana at the end of October and making minimal further movement since then. This data may be partial or incorrect because of spoofing.

MarineTraffic lists the beneficial owner and operator as Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd and it lists the registered owner as Marshall Islands-based Triton Navigation Corp.

The Venezuelan government issued a statement denouncing the seizure as a “grave international crime”.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the US “murderers, thieves, pirates”.

He referred to Pirates of the Caribbean, but said that while that film’s lead character Jack Sparrow was a “hero”, he believed “these guys are high seas criminals, buccaneers”.

Cabello said this was how the US had “started wars all over the world”.

Speaking at a rally earlier on Wednesday, Maduro had a message for Americans opposed to war with Venezuela. It came in the form of a 1988 hit song.

“To American citizens who are against the war, I respond with a very famous song: Don’t worry, be happy,” Maduro said in Spanish before singing along to the lyrics of the 1988 hit.

“Not war, be happy. Not, not crazy war, not, be happy.”

It’s unclear if Maduro knew about the seizure of the tanker before this rally.

In recent days, the US has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, which borders Venezuela to the north.

The build-up involves thousands of troops and the USS Gerald Ford being positioned within striking distance of Venezuela, BBC Verify reported.

The move has sparked speculation about the potential for some kind of military action.

Since September, the US has conducted at least 22 strikes on boats in the region that the Trump administration says are smuggling drugs. At least 80 people have died in these attacks. (BBC News)

PSV licensing backlog cleared

Colville Mounsey
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PSV licensing backlog cleared

Chief Licensing Officer Treca McCarthy-Broomes has declared that the licensing and inspection backlog affecting public service vehicles (PSVs) has now been resolved, with more than 400 certificates already issued and additional approvals due to processed in the coming days.

However, PSV operators say the weekslong delays – some lasting up to eight weeks – have left the sector grappling with heavy financial losses and service disruptions that will take time to recover from.

Speaking during a joint press conference at the conference room of the office of the Chief Licensing Officer, McCarthy-Broomes confirmed that the new digital licensing system, which initially caused major bottlenecks due to technical issues and staff training challenges, is now functioning smoothly.

“We had some issues initially with the new system, especially with training . . . but with patience and understanding we came to a resolution,” she said.

“PSV operators are now receiving their inspection certificates at a much faster pace so they can be on the road for this Christmas season. Over 400 certificates have already been processed, and more are on the way.”

While she did not provide a full breakdown of the backlog, McCarthy-Broomes gave the assurance that improvements will continue over the coming days and noted that new vehicle registrations were currently being completed “in five minutes or less.”

She said the remaining delays largely related to incomplete transfer documents and commercial vehicles transitioning from the old “legacy receipt” system.

Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport, Roy Raphael, who also addressed the media, welcomed the resolution but said that the sector endured severe hardship during the extended disruptions.

“Some operators were impacted for up to eight weeks,” he said. “My own vehicle wasn’t able to work, and I employ one or two people on that vehicle. The impact on public transport is significant.”

Raphael said the financial strain on PSV owners was profound, even though the association has not yet conducted a formal loss assessment.

“I earn about $300 a day, and if you multiply that by a month, you would know the losses to me as an individual,” he said.

“What I can say is the impact was very significant because you still have insurance, fuel and other bills to pay while your vehicle sits.”

He noted that the licensing delays worsened an already fragile public transport system, with commuters reporting waits of up to two-and-ahalf hours during peak evening periods.

“Some operators could be off the road by six o’clock because of the crime situation,” he said. “That has created challenges for passengers who rely on these vehicles at that time.”

Raphael also revealed that rising safety concerns have pushed PSV and taxi operators to significantly adjust their operations.

“Even our own taxi operators do not pick up persons on the roadside,” he said. “We encourage the public to use the taxi app or personal taxi. Picking up someone on the side of the road puts lives at risk.”

He announced that the AOPT will roll out its own taxi app in the coming months.

Both Raphael and McCarthy-Broomes agreed that the planned approval of private garages to conduct inspections would help prevent similar backlogs.

“Opening additional garages will help tremendously,” Raphael said, noting that operators often spend entire days waiting for inspections under the current system.

He added that although the backlog has been cleared, operators were still recovering from weeks of lost income and disrupted service.

“We couldn’t pay our bills and commuters suffered too,” he said. “But we are happy to see the improvements taking place.” (CLM)

Guyana says oil tanker seized by United States was flying Guyana flag illegally

Nationnews Desk
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Guyana says oil tanker seized by United States was flying Guyana flag illegally

Guyana Friday night the oil  tanker seized by the United States earlier during the day “was falsely flying the Guyana flag” and is not  registered here.

In a statement, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) said  has  “observed the proliferation and unacceptable use of the Guyana  flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana”.

It said that the US government had informed MARAD “that they encountered the Motor Tanker SKIPPER (ex-ADISA) IMO   Number 9304667 in international waters. It was falsely flying the Guyana Flag, as it is not registered in Guyana”.

MARAD said  it will continue “to reach out to  and work with international partners and other maritime agencies to identify, pursue ad take firm action against any unauthorised use of the Guyana Flag”.

US President Donald Trump  had earlier said  that he SKIPPER was the largest crude tanker ever seized by American authorities even as the Venezuelan authorities called the seizure of the vessel “piracy”.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy, it said.

The Nicolas Maduro administration said there was now mounting evidence that the Trump administration’s goal is to take control of Venezuela’s oil that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people.

“Venezuela calls on all Venezuelans to stand firm in defense of the homeland and urges the international community to reject this vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression that seeks to normalize itself as a tool of pressure and plunder.”

International  media reports said that Washington had imposed sanctions on the tanker for what it claimed was involvement in Iranian oil trading when it was called the Adisa.

The SKIPPER is reported to have left Venezuela’s main oil port of Jose between December 4 and 5 after loading about 1.1 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey heavy crude, according to satellite info analyzed by Tanker Trackers.com  and internal shipping data from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.

The US has amassed a large military presence near Venezuela as part of its policy to eradicate the illegal drugs trade and blaming Maduro  as heading the criminal  gang involved in the drugs trade.

But Caracas has said that Trump is seeking to have a regime change in the South American country and has placed a US$50 million bounty on Maduro’s  head. (CMC)

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