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Major blow to West Indies as Shai Hope ruled out with injury

Philip Spooner
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Major blow to West Indies as Shai Hope ruled out with injury

Shai Hope has been ruled out of the first Test match for West Indies against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua due to a left shoulder strain. 

Cricket West Indies (CWI) updated earlier this morning that Hope sustained the injury during Tuesday’s final training session ahead of the series opener. They did not outline how the injury occurred but indicated that further assessments will be conducted to determine the batter’s availability for the second Test which bowls off on Friday July 3.

Hope, who is the West Indies white ball captain, was expected to feature prominently in this upcoming series and this is a major blow to the West Indies batting line-up. 

The 32-year-old Barbadian scored two centuries in his last four matches away from home – 103 against India in New Delhi and 140 against New Zealand in Christchurch.

West Indies enter the series confident as they are playing on home soil. They are at the bottom in the ICC Men’s Test Championship table with 4.17 points and are also languishing near the bottom of the ICC Test rankings with 68 points in ninth spot out of 10 teams.

Today’s first Test match bowls off at 10am. (PS)

Call to rethink workforce planning

Ashada Joseph
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Call to rethink workforce planning

Barbadians are being urged to rethink workforce development and economic planning, as the country faces the realities of a rapidly ageing population.

The call has come from Minister of Technological and Vocational Training Sandra Husbands, who is also warning that the demographic shift will require major changes in training, employment and eldercare services.

She was addressing the recent Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council Health and Wellness Conference and Open Day at Hilton Resort Barbados.

Husbands said Barbados moved from an ageing society to a fully-aged society between 2011 and 2014, noting that the country currently only has two working people supporting every senior citizen. She cautioned that the demographic shift poses significant economic and social challenges, including increased pressure on health care, the National Insurance and Social Security Service and families caring for elderly relatives.

Socio-economic crisis

“That is a socio-economic crisis in the making and, therefore, addressing this matter is very important for us and has to command the attention of every Barbadian, regardless of your age. It certainly commands the attention of this Government,” she said.

The minister underscored the need for life-long learning, reskilling and upskilling, particularly for adults aged 35 to 64 years. She also highlighted the role of stackable micro credentials and flexible training opportunities in helping workers remain relevant and improve their career prospects.

Life-long learning

Husbands stressed that lifelong learning and continuing professional development were now essential for workers to remain relevant in a rapidly changing labour market. She noted that qualifications earned years ago were no longer sufficient to sustain a career and encouraged Barbadians to embrace ongoing training and skills development throughout their lives.

“What we’re teaching our children right now in school will almost be obsolete by the time they’re ready to leave. What I learned in my master’s is no longer relevant to know. I’ve had to stay on top of my area and continuously improve and keep abreast of those changes.

“What we have to do is to help our current population to recognise this reality and recognise that they need to shift to continuous, ongoing learning and education.”

The minister urged individuals to take a serious approach to the matter, adding that the more people fell behind in staying abreast, the more the future economic and social development of the country was at risk.

Husbands suggested businesses and training institutions should focus more on industries that serve older adults, including care-giving, geriatric support, community health services, while ensuring that certification systems respond quickly and effectively to this demand.

She also advocated for more flexible retirement models that allow older workers to mentor younger employees and remain economically active.

“Retirement should not be a sudden event. We should be able to gear down from five days a week to three days a week to two days a week and gradually ease yourself into retirement. That allows that senior person to be present to help mentor and guide their replacement, still make available to the company or the organisation the knowledge that they have, the experience.”

(AJ)

MP tells of bank account blues

Shawn Cumberbatch
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MP tells of bank account blues

Government backbencher Dr William Duguid has complained that it takes too long to open a bank account in Barbados.

He is suggesting that a colloquium be held so that Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Barbados, commercial banks and others can solve the problem.

“I understand why people go to credit unions, it takes too long to get a bank account in Barbados,” he said yesterday in the House of Assembly during debate on the Protection of Depositors Bill, 2026.

The Member of Parliament for Christ Church West noted that “there are places and jurisdictions that you will get a bank account online in hours”.

“I understand the know-your-customer regime in Barbados, but we have to do something about the time it takes to set up a bank account in Barbados,” he said.

“And this is something that the banks, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, all of us, the banking institutions, we have to . . . have a colloquium, everybody come in one location, say what the issue is, work it out and solve the problem.”

Duguid also shared a personal experience to illustrate other ways in which it was challenging to do business within the banking system.

“My mother is getting down in age, [she is] age 83 [and] wanting to add me to her account. It took nine months for my mother to add me to her account,” he lamented.

“And bear in mind, I also have an account at the same bank . . . . My mother has banked at the same bank all of her life, maybe 40, 50, 60 years, or more. So they know me as a customer and they know my mother as a customer.

“All my mother was asking is to add my name to her account . . . to make a joint account between myself and her. It took months and months . . . and it’s only because I was able to pick up the phone and call somebody I know in the bank that I was able to get it done.

“But what if I was just the average person that don’t know somebody to call to get it done? And I told that person in the banking institution, ‘This is not right’.

 “I know the banks understand why an elderly parent will want to add a child to their account, because things happen. My stepfather didn’t have anybody added to his account, he passed away. The bank says, ‘Well, the only thing that we could help you with is paying the death fees’, other than that, that money’s got to stay in until you all can get letters of administration.” (SC)

Ishmael wants food industry to help solve NCD crisis

Diara Springer
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Ishmael wants food industry to help solve NCD crisis

Barbados has the size to solve its own health crisis of noncommunicable diseases, and the food industry is being called on to help make it happen.

That was the central message from Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, as he addressed the opening of an Engagement With The Food Industry For Healthier Food Environments held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Monday.

“I have a vision that this small island will be the healthiest nation on earth,” he told the gathering of food industry leaders, academics, policymakers, civil society representatives and health officials. “We are small enough that we can do it – 166 square miles,” he stated.

The minister made it clear that the day was not about lectures or ultimatums, but frank, honest dialogue. He called on industry players to engage genuinely, noting that reformulating products to be healthier was not just a public health imperative, but it made good business sense too.

“If we can take those dollars, and instead of treating those diseases, we can invest them in your businesses and your industry to give you more market share to export your products, your business does better, your country does better and we are all doing better,” he said.

Ishmael also urged organisations present to introduce or strengthen wellness programmes for their own employees, whether through health screenings, active breaks or other initiatives, he described as simple and cost-effective.

Acting senior medical officer of health for noncommunicable diseases, Dr Kimberly Phillips, painted a sobering picture of where Barbados currently stands, noting that diabetes and hypertension have remained stubbornly entrenched at over 20 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, for the past four decades.

“When it comes to the creeping inundation of multiple risk factors and chronic non-communicable diseases, it will appear that we are destined to fail,” she said, “but laying down and playing dead is not what we are here to do.” (DDS)

Spinner bowls Lodge to victory

Nationnews Desk
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Spinner bowls Lodge to victory

by PHILIP HACKETT

A penetrative spell of off-spin bowling from Donicko Wilson complemented a disciplined batting performance by captain Z’dari Scantlebury and inspired Milo Lodge to a comfortable victory by 22 runs over St Leonard’s Boys’ (SLB) in the final of the Everton Weekes Under-13 Cricket Competition at Kensington Oval yesterday.

Wilson earned excellent figures of four for 16 from seven overs to restrict St Leonard’s to 130 for seven off 33 overs in reply to Lodge’s 152 for eight off 33 overs.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat, Scantlebury was the key batsman around which Lodge’s innings was built. His innings of 43 came off 55 balls and included five fours.

Off-spinner Najee Millington took two for 20 while fast bowler Alex Ifill-Jones, who sent down one over with speed, took two wickets for one run.

In reply, St Leonard’s openers Carrington and Godson Bowens posted 24 off six overs to give the run chase some early momentum but Daisley broke the stand by removing Bowens (16) by the lbw route.

The dismissal of Carrington, caught by wicketkeeper Azhari Wilkinson Butcher, triggered a collapse in which Wilson was the architect. When Went slapped a delivery from pacer Daisley to Jovanni Forde in the covers, St Leonard’s had lost five wickets for the addition of 25 runs. They never recovered as the lower order struggled to maintain the required scoring rate as the overs elapsed. (PH)

Gunman told: Bring money

Heather-Lynn Evanson
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Gunman told: Bring money

A High Court Judge has warned a self-confessed gunman to come prepared to pay any fine in full.

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Expert sounds alarm on coral reefs

Josue Ramirez Nelson
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Expert sounds alarm on coral reefs

The race to protect Barbados’ coral reef has reached a make-or-break moment, with 90 per cent of the island’s coral polyps either ill, destroyed or stressed.

According to head of the Regional Secretariat for the Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission-UNESCO, Dr Lorna Inniss, should this course continue, the country’s underwater ecosystem could be left with less than five per cent viable coral reef by 2030.

“That means that by the time your grandchildren come along, there may not be any living coral reefs. That’s a serious thing. But it can be reversed. It can be if we do the right thing,” she added.

Coral reefs are home to 25 per cent of all marine life, accounting for millions of fish and other species that find shelter and food among the coral. The reefs are also vital for the protection of coastlines from storms and waves that can cause flooding and erosion.

Inniss said the impact of the coral reef deterioration could already be identified here in the spread of Sargassum seaweed across the island’s coastline.

She was speaking during yesterday’s student engagement session on the Caribbean Hurricane Ocean Glider field experiment, held at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology in Husbands, St James.

She said the matter had become a global issue with 80 per cent of the world’s reefs affected by rising temperatures which, in turn, placed greater emphasis on climate initiatives to help preserve the marine ecosystem.

“When you see the electric bus fleet in Barbados, we don’t think of coral reefs. However, every little bit that is put together around the world to reduce the acceleration of global temperature benefits coral reefs.

“Corals take one to 300 years to get to a particular size. They grow very slowly and the problem is that they are very sensitive to temperature changes. There’s only five to ten degrees in any direction that they can be healthy. The sea surface temperature in Barbados extends way beyond that, especially in the summer.

“That is a stressor on the corals and they’re much more susceptible to coral diseases and to death. Every summer, when the sea surface temperature goes up, the corals are stressed again,” she added.

Efforts to restore the reef are under way in a project funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), led by the Coastal Zone Management Unit and Roots To Reef.

CDB operations manager Antonio Rowe said the project involved micro-coral fragmentation, which is a technique used in coral reef restoration to accelerate the growth of coral colonies by cutting them into very small pieces.

He noted, however, that the sustainability of the procedure required a healthy environment where corals could exist, stressing that trying to restore corals in a poor environment was not beneficial. (JRN)

Barbados launches new climate finance initiative with OPEC Fund

Nationnews Desk
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Barbados launches new climate finance initiative with OPEC Fund

Barbados has partnered with the OPEC Fund for International Development to launch the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact, a new initiative aimed at helping climate-vulnerable countries access more affordable financing.

The launch took place at the OPEC Fund Development Forum in Vienna and brings together 78 climate-vulnerable economies and more than 15 development finance institutions.

The Compact is a joint initiative between the OPEC Fund and the Government of Barbados in its role as Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers.

According to officials, the initiative is designed to provide vulnerable countries with access to more affordable capital, longer repayment terms and financing that is better aligned with national development priorities.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said the Compact addresses the challenges faced by countries that contribute the least to global emissions but are among the most affected by climate change.

“Countries lead, and finance institutions align,” she said.

Mottley added: “This Compact is about securing not just survival, but viability and prosperity. Our countries deserve sustainable pathways to development, and that can only happen by unlocking affordable capital.”

The V2V Compact will focus on strengthening water, education and health systems in participating countries while improving access to development financing and reducing fragmentation in support programmes.

OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid AlKhalifa described the initiative as a reflection of “solidarity, partnership and practical action”, noting that the organisation has provided US$17 billion in support to V20 countries over the past five decades.

A White Paper outlining practical mechanisms for implementing the Compact is expected to be launched during the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Bangkok in October.

Barbados said the initiative builds on the principles of the Bridgetown Initiative and forms part of the ongoing effort to reform the global development finance system for climate-vulnerable nations. (PR)

St George Primary student secures top 10 place in BSSEE

Ashminnie Moonsammy
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St George Primary student secures top 10 place in BSSEE

St George Primary student Tyriq Goddard placed tenth overall in this year’s Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), following the release of results on Monday.

Tyriq, who was among the 12 top performers, achieved an overall score of 243.59 and earned a place at Queen’s College.

Speaking during a breakfast outing with his family this morning, Tyriq said he did not have to make significant sacrifices and while he chose to reduce some activities, he did not stop them completely.

“It was like a talent that I had that I just needed to work on it a bit and I didn’t really have to sacrifice anything to achieve this goal,” he said.

Tyriq said Queen’s College was his first choice because of its sporting opportunities and convenient location.

“Because it has the choices that I want like basketball and volleyball and it’s near my parents’ workplace so I can get there in the morning; so it’s really convenient for me,” he said.

His father, Rasheen Belgrave, said he was proud of his son’s achievement.

“I’m extremely proud of my son and what he has accomplished. I wouldn’t say I had any doubts that he would have gotten where he wanted to go. I support him along the way. I’m extremely happy,” he said.

His mother, Karen Goddard, was delighted when the results were released. 

“I was very happy. I didn’t doubt for a second that he wouldn’t have made it to his school of choice,” she said. 

She added that Tyriq had always been dedicated to his studies and consistently demonstrated strong work habits both at school and at home.

The family celebrated the achievement with a dinner at Champers on Monday night after the results were announced and said they would continue to celebrate him and let him know that his achievements meant a lot. 

Central Bank advises on “penny test” deposits

Nationnews Desk
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Central Bank advises on “penny test” deposits

The Central Bank of Barbados is advising the public about the use of “penny test” deposits as part of efforts to correct incorrectly formatted account information that affected salary payments.

The Bank said some commercial banks, credit unions, Government agencies and private sector employers are carrying out the test to verify that account details on file are correctly formatted.

Under the process, one cent is deposited into selected accounts to confirm that the information is valid. If the transfer is successful, the account details are confirmed as correctly formatted. If it is rejected, the information is corrected and revalidated.

The Central Bank said customers who see a one-cent deposit should not be alarmed. It added that not all institutions are conducting the test, as some resolved formatting issues prior to the transition to the BiMPay payment system.

As a result, the Bank said the absence of a penny deposit does not indicate any error in an account holder’s information. It added that customers do not need to take any action, as banks or credit unions will contact individuals directly where corrections are required.

The Bank also noted that similar validation exercises were previously carried out for selected pension payments and Government interest payments, with further checks planned for upcoming disbursements.

The Central Bank reaffirmed its commitment to working with financial institutions and Government to ensure affected workers receive their salaries promptly and to prevent further disruptions.

It also reiterated that individuals and businesses earning less than $10,000 daily do not pay to use BiMPay. (CentralBank)

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