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Verstappen extends Red Bull deal until end of 2030

Nationnews Desk
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Verstappen extends Red Bull deal until end of 2030

ZANDVOORT – Max Verstappen signed a contract extension with Red Bull to the end of ​2030 on Thursday, ending speculation about the four-time world champion’s near-term Formula One future.

The 28-year-old already had a contract to the ‌end of 2028 but with break clauses offering a potential way out should the team fail to meet his expectations and provide a winning car.

Such performance-related clauses were believed to have been triggered this season, according to Dutch media reports, with Verstappen yet to win in 2026 and having two second places as his best results. They are ​likely to remain in the new deal.

Red Bull lie fourth overall this season, and Verstappen sixth, 110 points behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, ​after 11 races and ahead of his home grand prix this weekend — the last at Zandvoort before the circuit ⁠drops off the calendar.

The Dutch driver had been linked in media reports to both McLaren, who have signed his race engineer Gianpiero ​Lambiase from 2028 at the latest, and championship leaders Mercedes. He has also hinted he could walk away, such was his distaste for the new regulations.

“I am really pleased ​with the contract extension,” Verstappen, who joined Red Bull’s junior programme in 2014 and has won all his titles with the team, said in a team statement in which he also praised team boss Laurent Mekies.

“We have the best people and I’m excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again. This ​remains the ultimate goal that all of us have been working towards and will continue to pursue.

“I have always said it: The team is like ​a second family for me and I feel very at home … to continue this journey with the same Team that I have been with my whole career is ‌really special ⁠and something I have always wanted to do.”

Mekies said very few partnerships in sport had achieved what Verstappen and Red Bull had, and the extension was rooted in trust.

“Since the very beginning, Max has embodied everything that makes Oracle Red Bull Racing special: uncompromising competitiveness, relentless determination and the courage to challenge convention,” said the Frenchman.

“His impact on our team and on Red Bull’s motorsport story has been transformational, and he has been fundamental to everything ​we have accomplished together.

“But we are ​not done yet. There are more ⁠races to win, more milestones to achieve and more history to write.” (Reuters)

Russian strikes kill 16 as Zelenskiy warns of air defence shortages

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Russian strikes kill 16 as Zelenskiy warns of air defence shortages

KYIV – Russian strikes killed 16 people and injured more than 40 in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Thursday as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a failure by ‌Ukraine’s allies to replenish its stock of air defence missiles was costing lives.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched dozens of cruise missiles, as well as ballistic and hypersonic ones, and 168 drones, in the massive overnight attack.

The air force said that nearly 90 per cent of the drones and most of the cruise missiles were downed. It did not specify how many ballistic missiles were launched and whether any were intercepted.

The upper floors of a nine-storey residential block were destroyed in ​Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, where the majority of the 15 deaths in the capital occurred, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. He called for Friday to be observed as a day of mourning.

Two other ​districts suffered damage, Klitschko said, with a school and a children’s hospital hit as well as non-residential facilities and warehouses.

The Russian defence ministry said Moscow ⁠attacked Kyiv and the surrounding region with airstrikes and drones, hitting facilities producing drone components, a military depot and a logistics hub, as well as other targets.

The Russian strikes also ​targeted the Black Sea region of Odesa, where repeated attacks on port infrastructure and ships have brought Ukraine’s vital agricultural exports to a virtual halt in recent weeks, pressuring global food prices.

As Russia has ​escalated its ballistic strikes in recent months, Zelenskiy has pleaded with allies to replenish Ukraine’s stock of Patriot interceptors – the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing a ballistic missile.

“The interceptors for Patriot systems have not yet been replaced, and they are needed every day,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram app. “Each additional missile saves the lives of our people.”

Moscow, he said, would not seriously negotiate for peace as long as Ukraine had no missile defences to defend ​its cities. US-mediated talks to end the four-year war stalled earlier this year as Ukraine refused to yield to Russian demands to cede more territory. (Reuters)

US activist tells Bajans to demand policy on sex offenders

Diara Springer
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US activist tells Bajans to demand policy on sex offenders

Award-winning American actress, author and activist Jenifer Lewis is urging Barbadians to stand up and demand a sex offenders registry, imploring young people to organise and confront their Government on the issue.

She made the call during a youth engagement session recently at Frank Collymore Hall, Tom Adams Financial Centre in The City, held as part of the Division of Youth and Culture and the Office of Pan African Affairs and Heritage’s Season of Emancipation 2026 Marcus Garvey Day Celebrations.

Lewis was responding to a question from young participant Edwin Workman, who asked her to address the fact that Barbados does not have a sexual offenders registry.

The actress, who has publicly spoken about experiencing sexual abuse as a child, told young people not to be intimidated into silence. 

“With that sex offender policy, rise up to your Government and make them,” she said, before urging the audience to mobilise around the issue.

“Don’t you be afraid. You take a whole bunch of people, a whole bunch, anybody that’ll go with you, and you confront them.”

Her comments formed part of a wider, deeply personal discussion about sexual abuse and the importance of speaking out. 

Lewis revealed that she had been molested by the pastor of her church, describing the betrayal as having profound consequences for her childhood and her faith. 

“When the pastor of my church touched me, he took everything from me. I was such a happy child, and then he betrayed me . . . and he was supposed to be a man of God.”

She urged anyone experiencing grooming or sexual abuse to tell someone they trust. 

“If somebody touches you, if somebody even insinuates that they want to groom you, you tell somebody.” 

Lewis stressed that young people should continue seeking help if they were not believed the first time. 

“If they don’t listen, you go and tell somebody else. And if they don’t listen, you go and tell somebody else.” 

She also encouraged survivors to document their experiences as a means of processing what happened. 

“You go home and you get a book, a journal, and you write about it. Put it down and get it out of you.”

She reminded the audience that abuse was never the victim’s fault, telling them: “They were wrong and it was not your fault. You were a child.”

Back in May 2004, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith made a call for a national register for child sex offenders in Barbados. It came during debate on the report of the Child Protection Bill in the House of Assembly.

“I believe that there should be a national register with all paedophiles on this island. We have to protect what I believe is the most valuable of our citizens, our children.”

Child rights expert Faith Marshall-Harris also said last year that Barbados might need to consider a sex offenders registry with the high number of girls and boys being sexually assaulted. (DDS)

Grandson pleads guilty to assault

Heather-Lynn Evanson
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Grandson pleads guilty to assault

She has taken too much.

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Barbados dominates Caribbean Broadcasting Union Media Awards

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Barbados dominates Caribbean Broadcasting Union Media Awards

For the first time in this modern Caribbean Broadcasting Union Media Awards era, the region’s big boys had to look up at Barbados.

This small island state emerged as the undisputed leader last night at the 37th CBU Media Awards in Georgetown, Guyana, collecting 15 awards and eight Special Mentions to edge perennial powerhouse Jamaica, which finished with 13 awards and four Special Mentions.

Trinidad and Tobago, another regional media powerhouse, recorded six awards and nine Special Mentions, while Belize collected five awards and four Special Mentions.

For the 246, the haul was spread across the industry, making the achievement even more significant.

The Barbados Government Information Service led the charge with seven awards and one Special Mention, while The Nation Publishing Company secured three awards and four Special Mentions. Capital Media HD 99.3, making its first appearance in the competition, immediately made its mark with three awards.

Starcom Network added two awards and a Special Mention, while Plan A Productions and the National Transformation Initiative each earned Special Mentions on their first outings.

Nation Group CEO Noel Wood collecting one of the media house’s special mention award. (GP)

Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK

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Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to the UK, the BBC understands.

As first reported by the Daily Telegraph and the Sun, Prince Harry and Meghan intend to relocate from the US later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside of London.

The couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September.

King Charles was told of the move on Sunday. There are no current plans for either of Prince Harry or Meghan to resume their roles as working Royals.

The Sussexes and their children visited King Charles at Highgrove in July, but it is understood the move was not discussed.

Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed of their plans.

The couple’s move from California comes after they left the UK and royal duties in early 2020.

Family relations had been strained since the move, with July’s visit to the King and Queen Camilla being a key development in their relationship.

The Palace described the meeting at the King’s private home in Gloucestershire as a “private family occasion”.

It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years.

Prince Harry and Meghan had not been in the UK together since 2022, when they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. (BBC News)

UPDATE: Man remanded after being charged with assisting offender

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UPDATE: Man remanded after being charged with assisting offender

Miguel Rico Ranaldo Daniel, 34, of Thornbury Hill, Christ Church, has been remanded to the Barbados Prison Service (Dodds) after appearing in court today in connection with charges arising from August 16.

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Greaves and Matthews make history with ICC Player of the Month awards

Philip Spooner
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Greaves and Matthews make history with ICC Player of the Month awards

Barbadians Justin Greaves and Hayley Matthews have made history by becoming the first two Barbadian cricketers to win the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Player of the Month awards in the same month.

Greaves was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month, while West Indies women’s captain Matthews claimed the women’s award following their outstanding performances last month.

Matthews led the West Indies to a 3-0 series sweep over Ireland, scoring two match-winning centuries. The award is her fourth ICC Women’s Player of the Month honour.

“I am thrilled to win the ICC Player of the Month award once again. It is just as special as the previous ones, and I hope it inspires me to keep raising my standards, contributing to the West Indies, and winning more such awards in the future,” Matthews said.

Greaves secured his first ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after starring with both bat and ball in the Test series against Sri Lanka in Antigua and Pakistan in Trinidad. He was named Player of the Series in both contests.

“I had a memorable month playing at home, and to have contributed with both bat and ball against Sri Lanka and Pakistan has been particularly special for me,” Greaves said.

“Having impactful performances in Test cricket is always something I will cherish, especially when they come in front of our home fans.”

Both players were shortlisted alongside two other nominees for their respective awards.

Greaves, 32, who attended Combermere School and represents Empire Club, is currently playing for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.

Matthews, a former Harrison College student and Pickwick Club player, recently returned to Barbados after playing in The Hundred in England. She will captain the Barbados Tridents in the upcoming Women’s Caribbean Premier League at Kensington Oval next month.

Man charged with assisting escaped prisoner

Nationnews Desk
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Man charged with assisting escaped prisoner

The Barbados Police Service has arrested and charged Miguel Rico Ranaldo Daniel, 34, of Thornbury Hill, Christ Church, in connection with the escape of prisoner Tyrese Farrell.

Daniel was charged by the Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) with assisting an offender, as well as failing to stop at the sound of a siren, driving without due care and attention and driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.

The offences were committed on August 16, according to police.

Daniel is scheduled to appear in the Oistins Magistrates’ Court today, Wednesday, August 19.

Fyahfest ablaze with with praise

Nationnews Desk
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Fyahfest ablaze with with praise

Fyahfest 2026 did not disappoint the hundreds of patrons who gathered at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Sunday night for what was a most energising event.

The place was hot with praise and worship, and many who attended the Rep Ya School Edition, including scores of primary school children, came clad in their school uniforms for a day in class. Each segment of the concert captured some aspect of a school day.

Whether it was physical education, mathematics, English language, chemistry or a free period, when school was finally dismissed after 10 p.m., children were walking away with school supplies and various goodies, while adults were among those taking home special give-aways made possible by some of the numerous sponsors. This was all made possible by the evening’s host Neesha Woodz, aka school principal.

Each artiste brought their share of energy to the stage. From conga lines to screams, to singalongs, jumping and rocking from side to side, when the curtain came down on the just over fourhour long event, one could only say, it was a night truly spent glorifying God, dancing and singing in His presence.

The prelude of the evening provided patrons with the foundation to school, with reggae gospel artiste Arnal “Gozzy” Goslin of EKCO Nation pumping things up, as he reminded patrons of the dos and don’ts of classroom etiquette and what to expect.

Following the National Anthem and prayer, the ringing of the school bell at signalled the start of school with a recorded greeting from principal, Neesha.

Members of the students’ council, aka Christol Niles and Judah Burke, handled themselves well, as they introduced each (aka, teacher).

First on stage was Aleah St Hill with renditions of I Will Step On You, Waymaker, What A Beautiful Name and Covenant Keeping God. Her ministry was well received.

For the second period, patrons were introduced to KeeAnn Walters, the language teacher, the stage ablaze with uptempo songs, one the other. Patrons jumped from their seats rendered Whosoever Drink From This I Command You Satan, Satan You Can’t Prevail and Since I’m Serving Jesus, with nursery rhyme renditions.

When artiste Jude Clarke took to the as the PE teacher and the song God Will It Out played, patrons sang loudly, before made their way to the front of the stage. had everyone – young and old alike – in frenzy, with He’s Working It Out, I Feel Running and other selections. The passion and off stage was just part of the Holy Ghost “fyah” felt throughout the night. (CH)

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