Sunday, May 31, 2026
Subscribe
Search here...
Home Blog Page 61

Four medals to start CARIFTA Games

Nationnews Desk
-
0
Four medals to start CARIFTA Games

Barbados won three more medals on the opening day of the 2026 CARIFTA Games yesterday evening at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.

Team co-captain Ashlyn Simmons delivered gold and Kadia Rock silver, both in their final appearance at these Games and the 4×400 metres mixed relay team was upgraded to a late bronze.

In the morning session, Shania Mottley opened the account with a bronze medal in the Under-17 girls’ high jump, clearing 1.69 metres.

Simmons captured gold in the Under-20 Girls’ 1 500 metres with a strong run from the front.

Jamaica’s Kevongaye Fowler applied late pressure, finishing close behind the Alexandra School athlete but was unable to deny Simmons a second CARIFTA gold medal. Her winning time of 4:36.94 marked a new personal best, significantly improving on the 4:55.10 she recorded at the recent Dasani Barbados Secondary School Athletics Championships (BSSAC).

“It’s a good feeling (to win gold). My coach just told me, ‘Ashlyn, you can do it. Go for gold.’ And I did that. It feels very special because I won gold in my last Under-17 1 500m, and I came back and won gold in my last 1 500 as an Under-20 athlete.

At the finish line, Simmons shared a touching moment with her mother, Lydia Simmons, who embraced her with visible pride.

Earlier in the evening session, Kadia Rock secured another silver medal in the Under-20 Girls’ 400 metres, demonstrating resilience amid a disrupted race that featured three restarts.

Reclaiming her place on the podium after earning silver in Trinidad last year, Rock clocked 53.21 seconds. However, this was not enough to surpass defending champion Tianna Springer of Guyana, who claimed gold in 52.47 seconds.

Defending champions Guyana won the mixed 4400 metres relay with a new CARIFTA record of 3:20.79s, erasing the old time of 3:23.51 set in 2024. Barbados’ time was 3:24.36, a new junior national record, set by Nadal Seale, Kanedra Morgan, Zachary Wall and T’nia Lashley.

The old mark was 3:28.54, set at last year’s Games. (Nation News)

Elite cricket in Barbados arrive in the “era of Hope”

Ashminnie Moonsammy
-
0
Elite cricket in Barbados arrive in the “era of Hope”

President of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Calvin Hope opened the local season with a touch of class as he spun the coin to start the marquee match-up between Wildey and Fusionz Boutique Spartan.

Hope, an attorney and longstanding administrator, was elected to the top post of the island’s leading sporting body last August has initiated several new projects this year including payment of players — creating the first semi professional structure in the 150-year history of the local game.

Along with the payment of players, Hope and his Board of directors have also introduced live streaming of all matches in the Elite competition. 

Wildey are the defending champions and also won the Super 50 championship. Spartan, one of the oldest and most successful clubs in the region, returned to the top flight after winning the First Division. (PS)

Mottley wins high jump bronze to start CARIFTA haul

Nationnews Desk
-
0
Mottley wins high jump bronze to start CARIFTA haul

Shania Mottley won Barbados’ first medal this morning at the 2026 CARIFTA Games in St George’s, Grenada.

Competing in the Under-17 girls’ high jump, Mottley cleared 1.69 metres to capture the bronze. It was two centimetres under her personal best clearance which gave her the silver medal at last year’s Games.

“I feel disappointed in my performance,” she said after the event.

“I was expecting to hopefully, go for gold this year and to a personal best this year, but that didn’t work out.”

The gold medal went to St Lucia’s Destinee Cenac who cleared 1.72 metres and silver to Stefvanco Henry of Jamaica, who also cleared 1.69 metres.

In other finals contested, Barbadian Ajalah Cumberbatch was eighth in the Under-17 boys’ javelin throw with a best of 45.11 metres. Deshawn Smart of Grenada won the event with 65.09m.

Gabriella Linton of Cayman Islands won the Under-17 girls’ shot put with 14.19m. Barbadians Jahzaria Ward and Siearra Burrowes were 12th and 14th, respectively with 10.84m and 9.33m.

Taysha Stubbs of The Bahamas won the Under-20 girls’ javelin with 48.84m. There were no Barbadians in the event.

On the track, Savannah Thorne (57.20) and Taje Coaward (49.58) both advanced to the finals of the 400 metres for Under-17s. Jahzara Inniss did not make the cut with a time of 57.79 seconds and it was a tough start for Jalino Hamlet who false started.

Kadia Rock became the first Barbadian quartermiler to reach the final with 53.05 seconds in the Under-20 girls’ 400, but Krystal Bentham was a non-started.

Shamari Greenidge-Lewis will see how he matches against the best in the region with 46.49 seconds, good enough for the final, but Aidan Moore’s 47.27 placed him just outside the qualifiers in ninth place.

In the 100m heats, Josiah Gill (10.68) was the lone qualifier from the Under-17 boys with a time of 10.68 seconds. Asher Brandford did not advance with 11.14 seconds, and neither did Gia Greenidge (12.24) nor Taylor-Rai Wiggins (12.33) in the Under-17 girls’ section.

Meanwhile Aniya Nurse raced to a new personal best time of 11.42 seconds (+0.9) wind). Semara Olton is also through to the final with 11.86, riding the same 6.0 tailwind that pushed Jamaica’s Natrece East to the fastest qualifier with a time of 11.28 seconds.

Neither Dahrion Brewster nor Shamari Addison, with 10.56 and 10.57 seconds, respectively, advanced among the Under-20 boys. (SAT)

Shania Mottley won Barbados’ first medal, bronze in the Under-17 girls’ high jump, at the 2026 CARIFTA Games. (Picture by Jameel Springer)

US human rights group condemns ‘unlawful’ US boat strike in the Caribbean  

Nationnews Desk
-
0
US human rights group condemns ‘unlawful’ US boat strike in the Caribbean  

The United States human rights group, Human Rights Watch, has condemned the latest US military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea that killed four people.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch said the strike “highlights a sustained pattern of unlawful use of lethal force outside any context of armed conflict, amounting to extrajudicial executions.”

The Miami-based US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said on March 25 that the US military had killed four alleged “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean Sea during a “lethal Kinetic Strike.”

“At the direction of the Commander of US Southern Command, Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” said SOUTHCOM in a statement.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” it added. “Four male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed.”

Human Rights Watch said that the strike was the 47th in a series of lethal strikes by the US military in the Caribbean and Pacific oceans, resulting in a total of 163 people killed.

“These strikes aren’t one-off incidents, they’re part of a pattern of using military force where the law does not permit it, over and over again,” said Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. “The fact that these strikes have faded from public attention does not make these violations any less grave or unlawful.”

Human Rights Watch said “international law draws a clear line between armed conflict and law enforcement.

“There is no armed conflict in the Caribbean or Pacific between the US and any drug-trafficking organization,” it said. “And so, there is no group of people who are a legitimate military target.

“Outside of armed conflict, the deliberate, lethal use of force is only lawful when strictly necessary to protect life,” Human Rights added. “Suspected criminals are not otherwise lawful targets for these deliberately lethal US strikes, and no information has been released to the public showing that any of the people targeted and killed posed an imminent threat to the life of any person.”

Human Rights Watch urged the Trump administration to “immediately end this campaign of lethal strikes.”

It also said that the administration “should also ensure accountability for these unlawful killings, properly assess the harm caused to victims and their families, and provide redress for that harm. (CMC)

Opening ceremony of CARIFTA Aquatics Championships showcases Caribbean’s culture, identity

Nationnews Desk
-
0
Opening ceremony of CARIFTA Aquatics Championships showcases Caribbean’s culture, identity

The 39th edition of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships officially got underway on Friday during an impressive, culturally explosive opening ceremony here at the Stade Georges Gratiant.

The event, which brought together over 500 swimmers from 24 Caribbean territories, also saw spectators pack into the 10, 000 capacity stadium.

“It is with great pride that Martinique welcomes the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026,” said Alex Badian, President of the Martinique Swimming League, as he opened the ceremony.

It also featured remarks from President of CARIFTA Aquatics, Stéphane Joachim; Ambassador of the 2026 edition, Coralie Balmy; and David Dinal, elected member of the Assembly of Martinique, among others.

The ceremony then transitioned into a musical sequence. Steel pan and Tambou Bô Kannal opened the segment before artist Paille took the stage, with his performance, which was performed in both French and English and blended soca, dancehall and Caribbean influences.

The eagerly anticipated parade of the 24 delegations brought the ceremony to a close. Each territory was introduced one by one, highlighting the diversity of participating countries and marking the official entry of athletes into the competition.

Over six days, the competition will bring together the region’s top youth athletes across swimming, artistic swimming and open water events. (CMC)

Missing: Joseph Brathwaite

Nationnews Desk
-
0
Missing: Joseph Brathwaite

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating 85-year-old Joseph Brathwaite, also known as “Norman” or “Nou”, of Gill Land, Eastmont, St John.

Brathwaite was last seen on Thursday, April 1. He is described as approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, dark in complexion and slimly built, with large sunken eyes, a bulbous nose, thin lips, big ears and sagging cheeks. He is blind in his left eye and is suffering from dementia.

Police said he was last seen wearing a green T-shirt and black three-quarter length pants, and was barefoot. He is known to frequent the areas of Small Town and Gills Land in St John.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact District ‘C’ Police Station at 416-8200 or 416-8204, Police Emergency at 211, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, or the nearest police station.

BRA tax clinics to begin today

Nationnews Desk
-
0
BRA tax clinics to begin today

The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) begins its series of tax clinics today, offering taxpayers timely in-person support during the peak filing period.

Taxpayers can access this support at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed and the Rices Resource Centre while additional sites will be introduced on subsequent Saturdays, including the Valley Resource Centre as well as the authority’s Holetown and Warrens Towers II offices.

There will be another additional clinic at the Briar Hall Resource Centre on the last Saturday of the month.

Saturday clinics will generally operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at all locations, with the exception of April 25, when the Queen’s Park Steel Shed location will close at 1 p.m.

To further expand access, weekday clinics will be held at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed from April 20 to 30, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., excluding any bank holidays.

The clinics are to support individuals with filing their personal income tax returns and those applying for the reverse tax credit, with trained BRA officers on hand to provide guidance and answer questions.

The authority is encouraging taxpayers to take advantage of these clinics to avoid last-minute challenges and to ensure their returns are filed on time.

Persons attending the clinics are advised to bring all relevant supporting documents and valid identification. ( PR)

Close call for some

Antoinette Connell
-
0
Close call for some

A few Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidates predictably failed to garner enough votes to hold on to their $250 deposits, as did the Leader of the Friends of Democracy and all others in the coalition party.

None of the fringe party members or Independent candidates was able to save their money as they all failed to capture the required one-sixth of the valid votes cast in the respective constituencies which they were vying to represent.

The calculations are based on the Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (EBC) just released General Election final results of the February 11 poll. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) romped home to a third 30-0 victory, defeating the other major party, the DLP.

There were some narrow escapes for at least two DLP candidates, Andre Worrell, the candidate for St Michael Central who went over the threshold by a mere 20 votes, and St Michael West Central’s James Paul, who scrambled under the tape by 29 votes. His colleagues, St Michael South candidate Nathaniel Boyce had 53 votes over and Rolerick Hinds, running in St Thomas, had 81 votes over what was required for him to be reimbursed his deposit.

Those who suffered the double whammy of not winning the seat and not securing the refund of their deposit are candidates for The City of Bridgetown – Dale Rowe; St James North’s Charles Worrell, St Michael North East’s Jamal Sandiford, who went up against Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, and St Philip West candidate and political leader of the Friends of Democracy, Karina Goodridge, who was appointed to the Senate nine days after the elections.

Those also losing out on their deposits were Lynette Eastmond, leader of United Progressive Party (UPP) and member of the People’s Coalition for Progress, all the members of that coalition – comprising the Friends of Democracy, the Bajan Free Party, the Barbados Sovereignty Party, Solutions Barbados and Reform Barbados – as well as the Independents.

Those who were reimbursed in an election in which none of the constituencies saw half of their registered voters turned out included former leader of the DLP, Ralph Thorne, who contested the St John seat.

Initial figures

In all the Christ Church ridings, on the face of the initial figures, all the losing DLP candidates – Christ Church East Central, Quincy Jones; Christ Church West Central, Rasheed Belgrave; Christ Church East, Amoy Gilding-Bourne; Christ Church South, Corey Greenidge; and Christ Church West, Andrew Cave – are in line to recoup their deposits.

So too are the other former St Michael candidates: St Michael East, Ensley Grainger; St Michael North West, Ryan Walters, which was the last constituency to be declared; St Michael North, Dawn-Marie Armstrong; St Michael South Central, Richard Sealy; St Michael South East, Pedro Shepherd; and St Michael West, Damien Fanus.

There was no doubt about Ian Griffith regaining his deposit since he had the narrowest of defeats, losing by 185 in St Lucy. In the east, St Philip North’s Simon Clarke, St Philip South’s Neil Marshall and St Philip West’s David Estwick all got back their money.

The EBC figures show that St John – with 4 457 people of 9 339 registered voters, or 47.2 per cent – had the highest percentage of voter turnout followed by St Philip West, where 5 438 voters out of 11 537 turned out (47.1 per cent), and St Lucy, with 4 431 voters out of 9 580 (46.3 per cent) casting their ballots. (AC)

Teen charged with robbery and wounding

Nationnews Desk
-
0
Teen charged with robbery and wounding

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with robbery and wounding with intent in connection with an incident on March 27.

Jaheim Remere Holder, of Licorish Village, My Lords Hill, St Michael, was arrested and charged by the Police. The charges relate to a matter involving Oberon Padmore.

Holder appeared before Magistrate Alison Burke in the District ‘A’ Traffic Court on Thursday, April 2. He was not required to plead to the indictable offences.

He was granted bail in the sum of $5,000 and is scheduled to return to court on June 18.

PM: CWI not only game in town

Philip Spooner
-
1
PM: CWI not only game in town

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has told Cricket West Indies (CWI) that this country will “not depend exclusively” on it for cricketing opportunities and she intends to pursue other available avenues to develop players and other people involved in the game.

Her comments came after the DAILY NATION’s exclusive story on March 28 which revealed that CWI decided not to stage any regional or international matches in Kensington Oval this year. This has led to a public outcry among cricket lovers.

Mottley made her feelings clear when she spoke Wednesday night during a social media cricket event and said it was obvious Barbados could not rely solely on CWI. She added that was one of the reasons the country made a bid to host the playoffs and finals of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which will be played at Kensington Oval from September 16 to 20.

The festive event is now the most celebrated cricket extravaganza in the region and is played in front of sold-out crowds. This year it will feature seven franchises.

“It was clear to us that we could not only rely on Cricket West Indies for cricket in this country and that is why we made a deliberate decision to go after the CPL Finals here, and to be also able to see what else we can do to boost the opportunities for Bajans in the entire game of cricket – not just as players, but as umpires and as persons who are involved in the ecosystem, period,” Mottley told Starcom Network.

Yesterday, CWI offered a response. Dr Kishore Shallow, president of the regional governing body who is also a Cabinet minister in St Vincent and the Grenadines, took to the Barbadian airwaves. He reiterated that the organisation was facing financial pressures and this was the main reason behind Kensington’s exclusion from hosting regional or international fixtures this year.

He also said CWI would have been willing to host international matches at the iconic venue had the Barbados Government offered to help with the financial load, and even disclosed he would have welcomed a call from the Prime Minister on the matter.

“Yes, we are quite pleased with the level of interest, as always from the Government of Barbados, the people of Barbados, the supporters and lovers of cricket in Barbados, but we want you to understand that this is simply a case of managing cricket across the region and ensuring that it is financially affordable and sustainable. That is what really informed the decisions in terms of where these matches are played this year,” he stated on Starcom’s Down To BrassTacks

radio call-in programme.

Shallow pointed out that the decision to exclude Barbados from upcoming summer series came down to money.

West Indies will host 16 matches from early June to early August. Sri Lanka will play in Jamaica and Antigua, New Zealand will play in Guyana, and Pakistan will play in Guyana.

Kensington Oval is the leading sporting arena in the region and ranks among the best in the cricket world. It first hosted international cricket in 1930 when it staged the first Test match in the West Indies. Since then, it has become an iconic venue and hosted four World Cup Finals – the last being the ICC T20 World Cup in June 2024.

Two senior officials and major players in the cricket ecosystem on the island recently registered their disappointment and displeasure with the “snub” by CWI. Damien Gaskin, chief executive officer of Kensington Oval Management Inc, said despite the decision not to come to Barbados, they were eagerly looking forward to hosting the playoffs and finals of the CPL.

“ Kensington Oval is the place where cricket lives and has lived for over 100 years. We are a world-famous cricket venue, one of the best venues in the world and certainly the premier cricket ground in the West Indies,” he told the DAILY NATION.

Calvin Hope, president of the Barbados Cricket Association, described the decision as “extremely disappointing”. He suggested that CWI must quickly re-examine its processes and called for a rethink of the approach towards how the game is administered. (PS)

1...606162...13,619Page 61 of 13,619

Follow us

Each template in our ever growing studio library can be added and moved around within any page effortlessly with one click.

Company

Latest news

Mary turns pain into power through film

Entertainment 0
For Mary Walker, filmmaking has become more than artistic...

Fogging Schedule: June 1 to 5

News 0
The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Vector Control Unit...

219 hurt in Champions League riots in France

Sports 0
A total of 219 people have been injured in...

Popular news

Ex-journalist George Hall passes on 

News 0
Former Barbadian journalist George Hall has died. The 85-year-old stalwart...

Russian refugee left in limbo

News 0
A 31-year-old Russian man, recognised as a refugee by...

Hackers target City port

Business 0
Officials at the Barbados Port Inc. (BPI) have revealed...

Copyright © 1997 - 2026, Nation Publishing Co. Limited • P.O. Box 1203, Fontabelle, St. Michael, BB11000, Barbados, West Indies • All Rights Reserved No unauthorized use is permitted of content produced by NationNews.com, The Nation Newspaper or any other publication or media owned by Nation Publishing Co. Limited. Unauthorized use includes framing and direct posting of content on websites other than www.nationnews.com.