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Pollard passes Gayle to become highest T20 run scorer

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Pollard passes Gayle to become highest T20 run scorer

Kieron Pollard is now the highest run scorer in T20 cricket after passing his former West Indies teammate Chris Gayle while competing in Major League Cricket (MLC) on Saturday.

The 39-year-old scored an unbeaten, even century for MI New York in a losing cause against the Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie Stadium.

Pollard reached the milestone in spectacular fashion by launching Asif Mehmood over long-off for six to go from 79 to 85 and carry his tally to 14,567 runs, overtaking Gayle’s 12-year record of 14, 562 runs in the process.

His unbeaten century – his second in T20s – carried him to 14, 582 runs in his 736th match at a strike rate of 151.12.

Only 22 of Pollard’s 653 T20 innings have come from higher than No. 4, while 286 innings have come while batting at 6 and 7 combined.

Speaking on his achievement, Pollard said he was honoured to have broken the record as a middle-order batsman.

He said surpassing Gayle, widely known as the ‘Universe Boss’, was a special feeling.

“Surpassing Chris Gayle, someone we looked up to in the West Indies over a period of time, is special. He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there.

“Having said that, batting at No. 6 or 7 is very difficult. Somebody needs to do the dirty work, though, and while everyone rushes to bat at the top of the order, a cricket match involves 11 people, and everyone has a role to play,” Pollard said.

“I guess my role over time was to finish matches, and I embraced that. Once you embrace the challenge and practice for it, good things come.”

Pollard said while milestones had been far from his mind when he started, there was satisfaction in seeing how T20 had changed the sport after the likes of himself, Gayle and Dwayne Bravo faced “ridicule” for opting to prioritise the format.

“I’d be lying if I said that [scoring this number of runs was on my mind]. But what I’m proud of, individually and with all those other guys like Chris, is that we took a leap of faith and we got ridiculed a lot for it,” Pollard said.

“Now you live to see guys at a young age even retiring from international cricket to play franchise cricket because again cricket is not just a sport anymore; it’s a business.

“One thing I’ve understood in life about human beings is that when you do something different, change is something we’re not really accustomed to. I’m happy that I’ve lived the day to see it, and I hope everyone who criticised us over the years can sit back and say, ‘Cheers’. We don’t need a sorry. Respect each and every format of the game, but understand that just like technology, everything is changing,” he added. (CMC)

Alan Greenspan, architect of the modern American economy, dies aged 100

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Alan Greenspan, architect of the modern American economy, dies aged 100

Former US Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan has died aged 100, his wife has said.

NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell said in a statement reported by her employer that her husband had died from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.

Mitchell’s statement said Greenspan was “a giant of a man who helped shape the US economy for decades under presidents of both parties, but was always honest in acknowledging his mistakes”.

For nearly 20 years, Alan Greenspan was charged with safeguarding the US economy and keeping the dollar sound.

As chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987-2006, a post described as the second most important after the presidency, he presided over the longest sustained period of US economic growth in a generation.

Described as the “God in the machine” of American finance, Greenspan declined all requests for interviews during his time at the Fed.

But the media and the money markets hung on his few public statements, and a sign in his office said simply, “the buck starts here”.

But critics argue that an over-reliance on easy credit fuelled the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and caused the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2008.

Alan Greenspan was born in New York City on 6 March 1926. His mother, who worked in a furniture store, brought him up single-handed.

Far from being a budding economist, the young Greenspan was a talented musician, who studied the clarinet at New York’s renowned Julliard School of Music.

He played in a band with Stan Getz, the legendary jazz saxophonist, before touring the country with the Henry Jerome Band. This peripatetic lifestyle gave him a valuable practical insight into the workings of US business.

And while his fellow musicians spent their evenings smoking marijuana, Alan Greenspan busied himself by swotting up on economics and doing the band’s accounts.

At the age of 19, he enrolled as an economics student at New York University, where he became an apostle of the free market, and eventually found employment as an economic consultant and, later, as a member of the board at JP Morgan.

In 1952, Greenspan met the right-wing novelist and social philosopher Ayn Rand, whose views were to have a profound influence on him.

She called him “the undertaker” because of his liking for dark, sombre suits.

But the young economist came to support her belief that society functions most efficiently when people actively pursue their own self-interests, to the exclusion of the interests of society as a whole.

In an article he wrote in 1966, he declared “the welfare state” as “nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society”.

Having successfully predicted the Eisenhower recession, Greenspan advised Richard Nixon during his successful presidential election campaign in 1968.

He went on to become head of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Greenspan later wrote that he found the president to be “sadly paranoid, misanthropic and cynical”, but the economist’s success at curbing inflation impressed Nixon’s successors.

Gerald Ford asked Greenspan to continue at the Council of Economic Advisers and – in the early 1980s – Ronald Reagan chose him to lead an inquiry into the reform of the America’s state pension system.

In August 1987, Reagan promoted him to chairman of the US Federal Reserve, and – for the next two decades – he became one of the most powerful men in the world. (BBC News)

Credit union group hits $2.09b

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Credit union group hits $2.09b

The financial services group headed by Barbados’ largest credit union has surged well past $2 billion in assets, fuelled by increases in cash resources, financial investments, and loans and advances.

This was after a financial year in which revenue streams, expense management, and operational efficiency improved.

Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union Limited’s (BPWCCUL) 2026 consolidated annual report says the group recorded net income of $10.1 million, a “significant improvement” over the prior year’s $6 million, driven by strong net interest income of $76.4 million and other income of $17.2 million.

The group’s leadership also reported that “despite operating expenses of $81.5 million, disciplined cost management and improved credit performance supported overall profitability”.

Parent entity BPWCCUL owns and operates the subsidiaries Allied Co-operators Inc. and BPW Financial Holdings Inc., the holding company for the CAPITA Group. The CAPITA Group includes subsidiaries CAPITA Financial Services Inc. and CAPITA Insurance Brokers Limited.

Ahead of the annual general meeting on Saturday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, president Lindell Earle said in the annual report on the board of directors’ behalf that the group, which has 120 908 members, saw total assets surging from $2.01 billion in 2025 to $2.09 billion in the financial year ended March 31.

He said this was “fuelled by increases in cash resources, financial investments, and loans and advances”.

“Deposits rose to $1.82 billion, underscoring continued member confidence. Equity strengthened to $205.1 million, compared to $198.6 million in the prior year, reflecting retained earnings growth and prudent reserve allocations,” Earle reported.

“Our capital base remains robust, positioning us well for future opportunities and challenges.”

The group also had an improved cash flow. “Operating activities generated $75.5 million in net cash, up from $50.9 million in 2025, supported by deposit growth and stable interest income,” Earle said.

“Investing activities reflected strategic expansion, with $10.5 million invested in property and equipment and $41.5 million in financial investments. Financing activities resulted in modest outflows, primarily due to member distributions and lease repayments.”

The credit union is by far the biggest part of the group. Its total assets “rose to $1.90 billion, supported by higher liquidity, member lending, and strategic investments. Deposits expanded by 5.4 per cent, reinforcing our core funding base, while equity improved to $202.6 million”.

Net income of $9.2 million reflected disciplined expense management, diversified income streams, and reduced credit risk provisions.

The annual report said that during fiscal 2026, the credit union’s net loans increased by $21.9 million.

“Further analysis showed that increases in mortgage loans were the primary driver of loan growth, with net mortgages growing by $14.5 million or 2.7 percent per cent. This financial year, consumer loans grew by $8.1 million . . . while business loans contracted by $236.100,” it stated.

CAPITA Financial Services Inc. earned a net profit of $934 000 “after taxes, total deposits in excess of $240 million, and total assets of $316.5 million at year end”.

The report said that CAPITA Financial “remained focused on the development of its five-year strategy plan and the introduction of a new suite of deposit products that are key to providing diversification of its funding sources, and reviewing and exploring ways to reduce delinquency and recover the current stock of non-performing loans.

“In addition, major emphasis was placed on reviewing the brand identity and the development of a more focused marketing strategy that will cater to the targeted customer segments.”

Commenting on the group’s performance in the context of its strategic outlook, Earle said, “This performance underscores our resilience, prudent risk management, and commitment to efficiency. We remain focused on strengthening our core business, investing in digital transformation, and delivering sustainable value to stakeholders.

“At the same time, we continue to balance growth with prudence, building reserves, maintaining a sound capital position, and investing in technology, infrastructure, and member services to ensure long-term sustainability and enhanced member value.

The group is planning to pursue “strategic goals that align with our mission to enhance the financial, economic, and social well-being of our members”.

Key targets in that period include achieving total revenue growth of 13.7 per cent by 2027; expanding the deposit base by 4.1 per cent by 2027; completing the Lower Broad Street facility expansion by 2028; and maintaining employee and member engagement scores between 80 to 90 per cent by 2028.

To realise these ambitions, the organisation will focus on the following four strategic pillars: member satisfaction and growth, financial stability and profitability, operational excellence, and workforce development and culture. (SC)

OAS launches collaboration with private sector

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OAS launches collaboration with private sector

 The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, has welcomed the launch of a collaboration platform with the private sector aimed at promoting economic growth and social development in the Americas, including the Caribbean.

“This is a structured platform designed to move from dialogue to impact, leveraging the convening power of the OAS and working with governments, the private sector, and social actors across the Americas,” Ramdin said.

“We seek to create a powerful and unique architecture for collaboration among governments, businesses, strategic international partners, investment banks, and commercial banks across the Americas.”

The platform was launched ahead of Monday’s opening of the OAS’s  56th General Assembly and seeks to leverage the region’s strengths as a zone of peace, its strategic geographic position, its human talent and entrepreneurial capacity, as well as its energy wealth, critical resources, and biodiversity.

The event was held under the theme “Toward a Prosperity Agenda: Positioning the Americas for the New Wave of Opportunities,” and included panels on energy and critical resources; artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and skills for the jobs of the future; and trade and investment facilitation.

It also featured a dialogue dedicated to the Panama Canal as a strategic platform for trade, investment, and regional integration.

Meanwhile, in a statement ahead of the opening of the General  Assembly, the OAS Secretariat has sought to reaffirm its full commitment to the principles, purposes, rules, and procedures established in the OAS Charter and in the institutional framework of the Organization.

It said that Ramdin was “unanimously” elected on March 10, last year as the first Caribbean Community (CARICOM) national to hold this position, after previously serving two terms as OAS assistant secretary general.

“Throughout his professional career, Secretary General Ramdin has been recognized for his commitment to dialogue, consensus-building, transparency, and the collective pursuit of peace, democracy, development, and prosperity in the Americas.

”The Secretary General is fully committed to carrying out his responsibilities in accordance with the rules, regulations, and protocols that govern the General Secretariat, and to ensuring the proper and transparent management of the Organization in service of the peoples of the Americas.”

The OAS Secretariat said that the former Suriname foreign minister “takes note of concerns that have been raised publicly in recent weeks and considers it important to address them with the seriousness, transparency, and institutional responsibility they deserve”

The Secretariat said questions regarding financial governance, budget execution, accounting, administrative procedures, and internal controls are governed by established institutional rules and oversight mechanisms.

“Within the General Secretariat, such matters are handled through defined administrative structures, including the Office of the Executive Director, operating under applicable regulations, financial controls, and segregation of duties.

”The General Secretariat is also subject to a robust system of oversight and accountability. This includes annual external audits conducted by independent auditors, as well as internal audits and evaluations carried out by the Office of the Inspector General. These mechanisms are designed to assess financial compliance, internal controls, efficiency, and the proper use of the Organization’s resources.”

The General Secretariat recalled that the Office of the Inspector General is the formal institutional mechanism responsible for reviewing and determining matters related to financial irregularities. In the absence of findings by the competent oversight bodies, claims regarding financial governance should not be presented as established facts.

It said also  that Ramdin “does not unilaterally control the resources of the Organization” and that “the execution of mandates and activities is carried out pursuant to the programme-budget approved by the General Assembly, and the General Secretariat reports regularly to the political organs of the Organization, including the Permanent Council and the General Assembly, in accordance with applicable mandates.

”Secretary General Ramdin has consistently maintained that any concerns regarding the administration of the General Secretariat should be addressed through the established institutional mechanisms of the Organization. He welcomes any review conducted in accordance with those procedures, so that conclusions may be based on facts, rules, and evidence.

”In that spirit, and in the interest of full transparency, the General Secretariat confirms its full disposition to discuss the terms of a formal, independent review or investigation, should the Member States so decide through the appropriate institutional channels.” (CMC)

Be mentors, dads told

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Be mentors, dads told

Minister of Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith has called on fathers across Barbados to move beyond simply providing for their children and instead become active mentors, warning that the island is facing a parenting crisis that requires the involvement of entire communities.

Delivering the feature address at a Father’s Day programme hosted by the Community Development Department in collaboration with Messiah’s House Wesleyan Holiness Church in Massiah Street, St John, yesterday, he said the country’s social challenges could only be addressed if fathers embraced a greater role in shaping the lives of young people.

He reflected on his own journey into parenthood.

“Thirty-six years ago, I became a father for the first time, but I made a conscious decision that I would move from simply being a father to becoming a daddy. There is a difference: a father can bring a child into the world, but a daddy is present, involved and committed to nurturing that child’s growth.

“Today, I want to challenge every father in this room to become that daddy because our children need more than providers; they need guidance, love and leadership.”

The minister also acknowledged the role many women have played in raising children in the absence of fathers, revealing that he himself was raised by his mother and did not meet his biological father until adulthood.

“I was fathered by my mother all of my life and I did not meet my biological father until I was in my 40s. That experience taught me that parenting is about commitment rather than biology. It also reminds us that every caring adult has the power to influence a young person’s life in a positive way.”

Griffith warned that Barbados could not ignore the growing social problems affecting young people, insisting that parents and communities must take greater responsibility before those challenges worsen.

Parenting crisis

“We have reached a point where we must admit that Barbados is facing a parenting crisis. If we fail to mentor our children, then the streets will continue to mentor them and we already know where that can lead. The situation is not beyond repair, but every one of us must be willing to step outside our comfort zones, reach out to a struggling young person and help redirect their path before it is too late.”

The St John Member of Parliament urged residents to look beyond their own households and embrace young people throughout their communities.

“You do not have to wait until a child reaches the end of the tunnel before offering hope. If you have a light, then go into the tunnel and share it with that young person while they are still struggling. Whether it is a conversation, encouragement or mentorship, sometimes just one sentence from a caring adult can change the course of a child’s life. Every one of us has the ability to magnify our impact by investing in the next generation.”

He encouraged fathers to openly express love to their children, particularly their sons, saying many men still struggle to communicate affection.

“Every time my 36-year-old son and I finish a telephone conversation, one of us says, ‘I love you’. Too often we believe that boys should simply know they are loved without hearing the words. That is a mistake. Our sons need to hear those words just as much as our daughters do because expressions of love help build confident, emotionally healthy men.”

Griffith said his years in public service, including his previous portfolio as minister of youth, reinforced his belief that Government programmes alone could not solve the country’s challenges without active parental involvement.

(PR)

Trade unionist says immigration ‘flaw’ putting Barbadian workers at disadvantage

Sherrylyn Clarke
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Trade unionist says immigration ‘flaw’ putting Barbadian workers at disadvantage

Trade unionist Caswell Franklyn is calling on Government to tighten what he says is an immigration loophole which is allowing people to literally “walk off the plane and into a job” while Barbadians struggle to find work.

He was commenting yesterday on two notices which appeared in last Thursday’s DAILY NATION and the last SATURDAY SUN. They stated that having received no suitable applicant for the position of warehouse clerk and shoe store supervisor, respectively, it was the intention to submit for a work permit for a non-national to fill the positions.

Any objections, the notices added, should be made to the Chief Immigration Officer in writing within 14 days of the filing.

The notices have also evoked responses from Opposition Senator Ryan Walters and executive chairman of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) Maureen Holder.

Franklyn said he feared erosion of the Barbados passport, the National Insurance and Social Security Service, and the labour market. A former immigration officer, he said Government was making unnecessary changes to the immigration laws to “facilitate big spenders who only want a Barbados passport and then they’re gone”.

He noted: “Now you don’t even need a passport for some of these countries and people are coming and Bajans not getting the job because the employers do not pay proper wages, one. Two, they don’t pay national insurance and the people who come here they don’t pay national insurance either because they’re going back home, so they’re not looking to pay a national insurance pension and the employers are saving.”

Franklyn said one of the ads asked for someone who could speak Gujarati, the language of the Gujarat state in India, adding he was of the view that it was “somebody looking for work for their family in India”.

“Government will allow it, they always allow it. You have people who come to work in hotels and we train people in Barbados and then they just cannot occupy a senior management level job for whatever reason,” he charged.

Walters aired his view on his social media platforms.

“Whenever I see advertisements like these I am stumped! Am I to believe that no suitable applicants can be found for positions such as warehouse clerk, warehouse assistant, sales associate and store supervisor?” he asked.

“With so many young and experienced Barbadians struggling to find work, why would there be a need to import labour for these jobs? How is it possible that in a country facing serious youth unemployment, employers are seeking work permits for jobs that many of our people are qualified, capable and willing to perform?”

The Democratic Labour Party spokesman on finance and economic affairs added that given the amount of money Barbados invested in education and the willingness of people to learn, it was difficult to understand why young people were being told there were no jobs, yet there were advertisements for positions which did not appear to require any skills.

Holder told the DAILY NATION while it was not a consumer issue, questions had to be asked about the advertising process because managing a warehouse and a shoe store were not highly skilled jobs.

“Government seriously has to look at it because it might be a case where the thing was not advertised properly so that Barbadians could apply for it, or it could be a case that Barbadians were working in various positions and they were being exploited,” she said.

Work permits

“We don’t know, you see, but if that is going to become the norm, then we have to train Barbadians and upskill them to fit in certain positions that these people are applying for work permits to import labour, to import people to do the job.”

The question was posed to executive director of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation, Sheena Mayers-Granville, last week when she appeared before the Joint Select Committee (standing) examining the Barbados Citizenship Bill, 2026.

When contacted yesterday, Mayers repeated her comment: “I receive positions advertised and the process that exists is the one that persons will have to follow, and ultimately, the Immigration Department will, the officials will do their job.”

Her response prompted an explanation from Chief Immigration Officer Margaret Inniss, who was also in Parliament.

“If you submit an application and you are denying a Barbadian or a CARICOM person, we will ask to see the applications and the rationale for denying the person,” Inniss said.

She explained the applicants’ qualifications were reviewed by officials before any decision was made and not every employer would be automatically approved for a work permit.

Meanwhile, Walters said he would like to know what efforts were made to recruit Barbadians, the number of local applicants, if they were deemed unsuitable and how many such permits were approved in recent years.

“Barbadians are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for a fair chance to work in their own country,” he said. (SAT)

 Starmer quits as UK prime minister after just two years

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 Starmer quits as UK prime minister after just two years

 Keir Starmer was once hailed as the leader who would bring pragmatism and stability to Britain after years of political chaos. When he quit as prime minister on Monday, the very lack of ideology that propelled him to power drove his downfall.

After guiding the Labour Party into power in 2024 with the biggest parliamentary majority in Britain’s modern history, Starmer focused on what he believed was possible to achieve, rather than setting out a clear vision of a future Britain.

He soon came to be seen by many voters ​and members of his party as lacking conviction and a clear direction, more than 20 party insiders said. He had no big idea.

Without what one senior Labour lawmaker called “a guiding light”, the former lawyer was buffeted by competing Labour factions, lobbied by vested interests and misunderstood by wary ‌voters, many of whom came to hate what they saw as his indecision and his robotic performances.

His policies often unravelled, resignations and sackings from his team followed, and the remaining trusted aides around him struggled to help him offer the country a clear narrative of what his government wanted to do to “change Britain”.

Starmer, 63, increasingly turned to his wife Victoria for reliable advice. On May 12, five days after disastrous local election results for Labour prompted calls for him to quit, he had a long lunch with her and emerged determined to fight on.

But it was a weekend away at the prime minister’s country residence in Chequers with his wife that appeared to have persuaded him to change course, bend to the inevitable and resign.

On the doorstep of his Downing Street office and residence, he said ​he would do everything to allow an orderly transfer of power to the next Labour leader, expected to be his rival Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” he said in an emotional speech ​when his voice broke when he thanked his family foir their support. (Reuters)

Liquefied petroleum gas prices to increase from midnight

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Liquefied petroleum gas prices to increase from midnight

Consumers in Barbados will pay more for liquefied petroleum gas from midnight Sunday, June 21, following an adjustment to retail prices.

The increase affects all cylinder sizes, with the 100 lb cylinder moving from $160.39 to $166.39.

The 25 lb cylinder will increase from $45.20 to $46.70, while the 22 lb cylinder will rise from $39.94 to $41.26.

The 20 lb cylinder will now cost $37.51, up from $36.31.

Government said the adjustment is in keeping with its policy of allowing retail prices to reflect movements on the international market. (JK/BGIS)

NCF partners with Shakirah Bourne to bring Bajan Anansi tales into schools

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NCF partners with Shakirah Bourne to bring Bajan Anansi tales into schools

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has partnered with Barbadian author Shakirah Bourne to publish Bajan Anansi, a new collection of Anansi tales that will be introduced into school libraries across Barbados.

The NCF said the initiative is aimed at preserving and promoting Barbadian oral heritage while making culturally rooted stories more accessible to students. The project is also intended to connect young readers with folklore traditions that trace their origins to West Africa and the wider African diaspora.

The collection includes stories such as Anansi and Ossie Boar, Anansi and the Cowitch, and How Flying Fish Came to Barbados. Bourne said the work was informed by extensive research into Anansi’s origins in Ghana and its evolution throughout the Caribbean.

As part of the rollout, Bourne will visit schools across the island for live readings and interactive sessions with students. The school tour begins on Tuesday, June 23 at Milton Lynch Primary School at 10 a.m.

She will then visit Grazettes Primary School on Wednesday, June 24, followed by Good Shepherd Primary School on Thursday, June 25, and Springer Memorial School on Friday, June 26. All sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m.

NCF Chief Executive Officer Carol Roberts welcomed the collaboration.

“The NCF congratulates Shakirah on her latest book. Our partnership is intentional as it ensures these powerful stories with embedded life lessons will reach school children across Barbados. Of course, Anansi stories are for everyone and adults are also encouraged to read this delightful book,” she said.

Cultural Officer for Literary Arts at the NCF, Karra Price commented on the importance: “It is incredibly important for young Barbadian children to learn about our intangible cultural heritage in a way that is both entertaining and educational.”

The initiative will see Bajan Anansi distributed to school libraries, with officials saying it is intended to keep Barbadian folklore active within the island’s cultural landscape for future generations. (PR)

Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for Barbados

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Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for Barbados

A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect as strong winds continue to affect the island and surrounding marine areas.

The Barbados Meteorological Services issued the update, stating that fresh to strong winds linked to a low-level jet will persist through Sunday and into the early part of the new week. The advisory was extended due to expected hazardous marine conditions.

Sustained winds of 15 to 30 knots (30 to 55 km/h) are forecast over both land and sea areas. Sea swells are expected to remain between 1.5 and 2.5 metres in open waters.

Authorities warn that marine conditions will be hazardous for small craft operators. Boats may be difficult to control due to shifting wind and swell patterns.

Sea spray is expected along coastal areas, and small vessels may be at risk of capsizing in exposed waters.

The Barbados Meteorological Services says the conditions are associated with an ongoing low-level jet affecting the region.

Fisherfolk and recreational sea users are advised to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary marine activity until conditions improve.

The advisory remains in effect and will be updated or terminated at noon tomorrow, 22nd June. (BMS)

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