Former president of the Democratic Labour Party, Ralph Thorne, has lost his brother.
Dave Thorne, 68, passed away at his home earlier today.
Dave, 68, lived alone at Warner’s Park, Christ Church, at the time of his death.
He leaves to mourn a daughter, one grandchild and nine siblings. Efforts to reach the former DLP president today proved futile. (BA)
At just 22 years old, Jonathan Seale, better known by his stage name Doejay, is making waves in the Barbadian music scene. Known for his introspective lyrics, catchy dancehall beats, and soulful delivery, Doejay has just released his debut album, Boys 2 Men, a deeply personal journey that has already captured the attention of fans across the island and beyond.
“My stage name comes from ‘Dreams Over Everything,’” he explains. “D-O-E for the motto, and Jay is for my name. It was something me and my friends lived by growing up.”
Born and raised in Ellerton, St George, Doejay’s early life was steeped in music. He attended Ellerton Primary School and later Queen’s College, but his foundation in church music and a musical family made music a natural part of his everyday life.
“I was always dabbling . . . playing little drums, messing around with the piano, chanting at school, freestyling with friends. Music was my outlet, my way of expressing myself.”
His first taste of public recognition came in fourth form when a video of him singing went viral on Instagram. That moment, he says, sparked the realisation that recording and sharing music could be more than just a hobby.
“And then from there, it was just people pushing me towards you know, you should record, you should record and I guess over the years, I just started to, become more comfortable with recording and dropping music.”
Doejay credits much of his professional growth to Higher Order, his creative collective made up of producer Nick Jr and videographer Pr3si of Higher Vision. The group focuses on producing music and visuals at an international standard, aiming to elevate Barbados’ local scene.
“So, a few years ago, me and a group of my friends, we came together and decided we’re going to push the music as a collective. That’s the team that I work with right now. There are other artistes but those are the core members.”
He earned new fans during last year’s Crop Over, when he performed alongside Quon (former Pic O De Crop monarch) on the hit track Bartender, produced by Nick Jr and Daniel Harvey. The song earned them a People’s Monarch runner-up spot, propelling Doejay into the spotlight.
“Bartender really put me on the map. It was a catapult for my music career and allowed me to start pushing my own style, moreso dancehall, which I love.
“I pride myself on being versatile, as it relates to being able to create a whole bunch of different music. And that goes back to me listening to a whole bunch of different music, country, dancehall, R&B, rap, everything. So I just try to implement all of them in my music.”
Boys 2 Men is a testament to his growth as an artiste and as a young man navigating life’s challenges. The album has already generated strong engagement online, with YouTube views reflecting his rising popularity:
“Most of my music is personal. Most of my music is true. Like my experiences and me expressing myself through music. I feel like music was always that avenue for me to just express myself. Putting my thoughts into words. Each song that I release will have a different aspect of my life or it will be related to a different point inmy life.
“Gone Away deals with loss, Psalms reflects my spiritual journey, Love explores relationship struggles. Karma is really exactly what it is about me, looking at my life and what will become of it and how it could be detrimental . . . . How my karma could come and hurt me. . . Boys 2 Men is about growing, seeing the environment around me and sharing my experiences . . . . Everything will be a part of me or some form of me . . . . That’s what my music is all about.”
Interestingly, Doejay doesn’t write down his lyrics. “I don’t usually write music. I come up with ideas in my head. Most of the things are in my head. All the songs on the album, none of them I have ever put on a piece of paper. I never write down anything because it offsets my process. There will be things in my head that I just play over and I just go in the studio with my team, same Nick Jr and we just refine everything and make it into something. We’ve got a lot of ideas and I just sing all of my ideas. That’s how it goes.”
For Doejay, music is both a personal outlet and a connection to others. “It’s self-therapy as much as it is therapy for people listening,” he explains. Balancing a 9-to-5 job with his music hasn’t slowed him down. “Ideas come at all hours. I could be at work, singing ideas and then we turn them into something real at night. It’s necessary, but I love it. It’ll be a lot of late nights to come to the final products. But it’s not nothing that we’re new to. And I feel like it’s a necessary evil when it comes to creating. Got to put in the time
“The music videos . . . everything on Instagram . . . the social media presence . . . is intentional. So we put a lot of planning and effort into presenting the music on an international level. Not just locally and looking at the local market, but to push the local market into having another standard. And that’s just the standard . . . we set for ourselves that we want to make good music. We want to present the music well. We want to do everything the correct way. And that’s completely up to the team and that’s just what we’re all about, just being better, doing better.”
Despite his rising fame, Doejay remains grounded. “I get a lot of support online, hardly any hate. My friends and team keep me in check, making sure we maintain high standards.”
Family remains central to his journey. Having lost his mother at age two, Doejay was raised by his grandmother, whom he references often in his music. “She’s probably the most important person in my life,” he says. “That’s why I don’t curse in my songs – she should be able to listen to them if she wants . . . . My father was always there for me 100 per cent as well.”
Doejay’s ambitions are clear. “I just want to create good music and take it beyond these shores – regionally, internationally. That’s the goal for me and my team. For me right now, it’s just to be better at my craft, to present it better. That’s where we’re at right now . . . telling my stories.”
by Sandra Downes
Five years ago he committed incest with his niece and got her pregnant. On Tuesday, that man appeared in Supreme Court No. 4A, before Justice Donna Babb-Agard, where both the defence and the prosecutor made submissions regarding his sentencing.
Last July 30, the uncle pleaded guilty to having sexual intercourse with the then 12-year-old girl between September 1 and 30, 2020, knowing she was his niece by blood relationship. He was 37 at the time.
Defence attorney Rita Evans began her submissions by referring to the psychologist’s report, which showed that her client had difficulty in understanding and responding to questions, even basic ones like his date of birth.
She also referred to a report from the Probation Department, in which the man’s mother confirmed that he started to walk at 18 months old and his speech was delayed. Additionally, as a child he fell and hit the back of his head, and his speech and cognitive skills were not on par with his peers.
“He never reached the developmental milestones he should have,” the lawyer said, adding that he was illiterate, with underdeveloped verbal expression. “When he was asked to give an account of what happened, he really was not able to say.”
Evans submitted that the fact he lacked awareness of the offence and was unable to explain its nature showed “he has not fully grasped the implications” which could possibly occur.
She said it was also an indication that he “poses no immediate threat to himself or others”. His actions had more been influenced by his “limited, cognitive ability rather than malicious intent”, counsel continued. Taking that into consideration, she suggested a starting point at no more than seven years.
Evans said it was the man’s first offence, he pleaded guilty and did not waste the court’s time, and his presentencing report indicated it was very unlikely he would reoffend. She said that had his underlying issues been addressed during his childhood, “we would likely not have been here today”.
Noting the effect her client’s actions had on the entire family, including “embarrassment and ridicule”, she conceded that the girl’s life had “changed forever and can never go back to what it was”.
In her turn, Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell reminded the court that the penalty for incest if committed by an adult with a person under the age of 14, was life imprisonment. She said the custodial threshold had been passed in this case and called for a 20year starting point.
She argued that the victim was 12 at the time of the incident, and her physical and sexual immaturity made her vulnerable; whereas he was 37 and committed the act in the girl’s home.
In the prosecutor’s view, in cases of a sexual nature, the significant disparity in age often indicated exploitation, abuse of power and the predatory nature of the offender.
She added that the convicted man had used force; caused the girl great pain; impregnated her; as only a firstformer she lost the chance to continue her education; and she was placed in the custody of the Child Care Board, where she felt further traumatised.
The prosecutor continued that the repeated incidents of sexual intercourse with the girl, who was not sexually active prior, had exposed her to both pregnancy and possible disease.
She said her father experienced anger and felt betrayed, while the girl reported that after the incident, she experienced embarrassment, ridicule and bullying from maternal family members, with some blaming her for the assault. As a result, she became aggressive because of the anxiety and stress, and felt hatred towards the baby after its birth.
Catwell said the girl’s school life was affected as she was verbally harassed in person and online from other students, ended up without friends and never got to complete her formal education.
Regarding the uncle, she said the State agreed he had no previous convictions and his psychological report showed him as being emotionally disorganised, cognitively impaired, unable to provide an understanding of the basic definition of his offence and completely unaware of the seriousness of his actions.
With that in mind, she suggested a downward adjustment of two years to the starting point, making it 18 years instead, along with a discount for his guilty plea and fairly good presentencing report.
The convicted man, who expressed remorse and shame, will be sentenced on March 27. He continues on remand until then.
St John’s – Cricket West Indies (CWI) will convene its 27th Annual General Meeting on Saturday, March 21.
The meeting, which will be held virtually via video conference, will centre on the review of the 2024/25 audited financial statements in respect of the financial year ended September 30, 2025 and the Annual Report.
Shareholder members will receive presentations from Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring, along with Cricket and Finance reports, delivered by the Director of Cricket and Chief Financial Officer, respectively.
The six full member shareholder representatives – Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), and Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB) – are all expected to be in attendance.
CWI has also, as is customary, extended invitations to its Special Members, which includes the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions (ACTI), the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WICUA) as well as the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), and looks forward to their participation and valued contribution to the meeting.
“This Annual General Meeting represents an important moment of reflection for Cricket West Indies and reaffirms our commitment to transparency, accountability, and sound governance,” said CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow.
“While the past year has presented its share of challenges, we have navigated them effectively and made meaningful strides in strengthening the foundation of the game across the region. As we review our performance and progress, we remain firmly focused on building a stronger and more sustainable organisation, one that safeguards the long-term viability and success of West Indies cricket for generations to come.”
A copy of the 2024/25 audited financial statements and Annual Report will be made available to stakeholders via CWI’s website – www.windiescricket.com, from Monday, March 23. (PR/SAT)
SANTO DOMINGO – Commercial flights between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela resumed on Wednesday with the return of operations by Laser Airlines, after nearly two years of suspension that began in July 2024.
A flight arriving from Caracas landed and later departed from Las Américas International Airport, restoring a key direct connection between both capitals as part of bilateral agreements.
The route will operate three times a week—Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays—as the airline gradually rebuilds the air bridge.
Although the reactivation of flights had been authorised since February by the Civil Aviation Board, operations only became effective now with the arrival of the first flight, identified as QL 2968 within the airline’s schedule.
The restart marks a significant step in restoring air connectivity and mobility between both countries following the diplomatic agreements that reopened the route. (CMC)
There needs to be “a shift in the culture” at the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) to allow for renewable energy investments to be made to mitigate against the rising fuel prices.
That’s the view of Member of Parliament for St George South Dwight Sutherland who said yesterday during debate on the 2026 Budgetary Proposals and Financial Statement
in the House of Assembly that with global prices soaring internationally by “a massive 66 per cent” resulting from the war in Iran and crude oil prices increasing from US$64 to $106 a barrel, the “elephant in the room” was whether Barbados could afford to continue the “wonderful short-term measures” announced by Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn on Monday.
“This Government, and I credit this Government for putting in place a long-term hedge against rising oil prices and fossil fuel over the past six years, but investment in renewable energy offers protection while we hope to secure low or stable global oil prices. That is the continuous risk exposure.
“Since coming to office over the past six years, there’s been an increase in the number of renewable energy systems licensed to go on the electric grid. My research, as a former Cabinet Minister, I have some of the information, that hasn’t changed much, shows that 135 megawatts of licenced systems interconnect with the renewable energy storage that are yet to be installed on the grid. That’s the elephant in the room . . . and I will list some of them.
“Fifteen megawatts of battery storage approved with tariff and rates by FTC since the first of April 2025. Fifteen megawatts of battery storage approved for Barbados Light & Power to install on the grid, which they can now proceed with, given that their licences have been approved, so they can go and access finance for the project. Where are we with that?
“Sixty megawatts of battery energy storage system – BESS – we know about that . . . . Going through the procurement process currently with RFP (request for proposal) set to be completed by April of this [year] and awarded by the first quarter of 2027,” he said.
Reminding the Lower Chamber that back in 2021 he piloted the Bill “to amend the FTC Act to address renewable energy players in the market and to set rates for renewable energy producers” Sutherland queried the status.
“Today, I am unsure if there exists a comprehensive framework for the licensing application. We require FTC to be more nimble and timely in [the] decision-making process. The lack of the regulatory timelines, in addition to delayed decision making, this impacts large-scale investment in renewable energy sector. That’s the elephant in the room, so there needs to be a shift in culture at FTC.
“Engaging outside of your formal statutory duty to consult does not mean that there’s a dilution or dereliction of FTC’s independence, consult. We are dragging our foot in this area.
They must set timelines to help Government address this major crisis,” Sutherland said. (GBM)
Minister of Public and Private Investment Indar Weir has commended the 2026-2027 Budget for providing disposable income to Barbadians and addressing the “burdens” of pensioners.
In his contribution to the Budget debate yesterday, Weir associated the clean-sweep by the Barbados Labour Party in the February 11 General Election to addressing the prospect of poverty for citizens.
The 30-0 victory reflected the fact that, “we are the best for the job”, he suggested.
“Fundamentally, Sir, I support those measures that give people greater disposable income,” he said.
“Disposable income must be at the core of everything we do.”
He said the Budget reflected a, “government under leadership that actually cares about the country”.
“It is not just about the poor. This has to be summed up as an affordability crisis,” the Minister said.
He raised the likelihood of the middle class being pushed towards poverty.
For years, the Reverse Tax Credit was at $1 300 for persons earning under $25 000 annually.
The former Minister of Agriculture lauded the increase to $1 700 as well the provision for persons earning between $25 001 and $35 000 and receiving a Reverse Tax Credit of $750.
He also commended the increase to pensioners of $100 monthly, the decision to hedge imported oil at US$92 a barrel to reduce the cost to the consumer of electricity and “taking action” on renewable energy. The hedge will initially last for three months.
“Taking action now to ensure that renewable energy becomes a hard reality in Barbados and that it must take the lead in everything that we do in this country,” he said.
“This country must be the model for this region and to some extent, Sir, for South-South cooperation.”
Weir added that he fully supported the capping of gasoline at 47 cents, which means that Government will forego 53 cents (of revenue) and the capping of diesel at 37 cents which means Government foregoes 63 cents. (HH)
Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams has warned Barbadians to brace for “very difficult times” as global geopolitical instability threatens the local economy.
Speaking in the House of Assembly during the Budget debate yesterday, the MP for Christ Church East described the financial package presented by Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn as probably “one of the most critical and challenging Budgets” ever prepared. He noted that the Government entered the recent General Election with a strong economic record and costed promises, but the landscape shifted dramatically due to unforeseen global events, including regime change in Venezuela and the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
“The world as we know it is different from what it was this time last week,” Abrahams said.
He highlighted that the Minister of Finance adopted a staged approach to relief, implementing measures such as the fuel cap and VAT adjustments for an initial three-month period to allow for reassessment as global events unfold.
“Nobody can say it was not an imaginative Budget,” Abrahams said, noting that major accounting firms and other political parties had acknowledged Government’s efforts to deliver relief despite constrained circumstances.
Addressing criticism that the Government had not done enough for the middle class, Abrahams pointed to a track record of reducing income tax rates over the past seven years. He noted that the basic rate had dropped from 16.5 per cent in 2018 to 11.5 per cent, with the top rate falling from 33.5 per cent to 27.5 per cent.
He argued that savings at the pump and reduced property tax thresholds, combined with income tax cuts, provided tangible benefits.
Turning to his portfolio, the Attorney General welcomed the removal of taxes on surveillance equipment for households and farmers. He lashed out at those involved in praedial larceny, stating that it discourages food security and must be treated as serious criminal conduct.
“Praedial larceny is thieving,” Abrahams said. “It is an emboldening thing that says we don’t respect the laws of Barbados… We cannot be disincentivising farmers by not prosecuting people for praedial larceny.”
He also called for mandatory GPS and dashboard cameras in public service vehicles (PSVs). While the Budget encourages the use of dash cams, Abrahams argued that the PSV sector requires stricter regulation to ensure passenger safety and accountability.
A mass casualty response has been triggered at St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, this morning, following a collision between a Route Taxi (ZR) and a van.
Initial reports indicate more than ten people sustained injuries.
The accident occurred at the junction with Dover.
More details as they come.
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) President Daniel Best is ready to deliver an encore.
This follows a successful, yet challenging, first year in office that left him humbled by the progress made and the overwhelming support he received – from the financial institution’s Board of Governors down to the last staff member.
“I think it was Machel Montano who said last year was good, but we are chasing greatness. I’m humbled by how the first year has gone, but we have got a lot more to get done,” Best said in reflecting on his first 12 months as CDB boss, while envisioning the next year and beyond.
When he returned to the Barbados-based institution in February 2025, it was a homecoming, having joined the bank as an operations officer in 2009, before becoming portfolio manager in 2013 and director of projects in 2015.
“I am very pleased, but I’m also very humbled by how the first year has gone,” said the Barbadian civil engineer, project management professional and development banker in a recent interview.
Moments earlier, he had outlined the CDB’s vision for the next decade, the organisation’s first ever ten-year strategic, 2026-2035, during the annual news conference at the Frank Collymore Hall.
“I came to the bank, to the team at the bank, to the board of directors and to the Board of Governors, with a vision of rebirth anchored in the pillars of innovate, transform and thrive,” he reminded.
“For us as a bank, to really not just survive, but to deliver for the people of the region, we need to become something new. How the team at the bank, how the board of directors, how our governors have embraced that has been deeply humbling for me.
“And the fact that we were able to translate that vision into a ten-year strategic plan, which our directors have embraced and approved, is humbling and it’s exciting.”
He shared some examples of the progress achieved by the CDB team. Boosting existing partnerships and developing new ones have been two of the keys to success.
“Our multilateral partners have come on board with us. The fact that we were able to do that Exposure Exchange Agreement with CABEI, a development bank out of Latin American Caribbean, for US$450 million, thereby creating more head room for lending, is significant,” Best noted.
“The fact that we were able to raise 100 million Swiss francs on the Swiss market in 40 minutes, and closed in 90 minutes, is a testament to how people are viewing the CDB, and also the fact that the Fitch has reaffirmed our AA+ rating with a stable outlook.
“I could not have hoped I would have gotten through all of these things in the first year, but here we are and in the first year, we signed a memorandum of understanding with OPEC Fund For International Development and we are seeking to operationalise that now.”
This is what rebirth looks like, he underscored.
The CDB is also being more transparent, opening doors at its Wildey, St. Michael headquarters to external assessors.
“Everyone is aligning with the fact that we need to reposition ourselves and now is where we roll up our sleeves, now is where the assessments are underway,” the president said.
“The MOPAN (Multilateral Performance Network) assessment, which is an independent assessment of the bank, the governance review, which is another independent assessment of the bank, and the implementation diagnostic, are all important.
“All of these things point to a level of seriousness by the Caribbean Development Bank to do things differently, more efficiently, more effectively, and respond to our region in a much better way.”
When Best started his post about a year ago, it was a time of change not only for him. Barbados and other borrowing member countries (BMCs) had to confront the reality of a different world shaped by new policies implemented by global powers – especially the United States.
That uncertainty has continued into 2026, which means that it cannot be business as usual. BMCs are requiring more support – financially and otherwise.
One of the initiatives under consideration is expanding the CDB’s membership and deepening its funding sources.
“I don’t want to call any countries names right now, but I can assure you that we’ve had some very solid conversations with potential new members and those processes are advancing, and you will hear more about that, certainly in the coming year,” he said.
Major attention is also focused on unlocking more funding, especially at concessional rates.
There is an opportunity for the Caribbean private sector to play a bigger role.
“This is why we are doing things like the Trade Finance Guarantee Programme. This is why we’re seeking to unlock private capital,” Best explained.
“To ask the governments of our member countries to shoulder the entire development load is unreasonable. And I am not being political here – regardless of which country you pick, it’s unreasonable.”
“The private sector benefits immensely from government projects, whether it is reliable water infrastructure, reliable energy, all-weather access roads, you pick what it is, the private sector benefits from that,” Best said.
“I think there is agreement on all sides on this – that the private sector needs to shoulder a greater part of the burden, and this is where we will be bringing more innovative instruments, like the Trade Finance Guarantee Programme, to help to bring the private sector into this space.”
He stressed, however, that the Caribbean’s needs were not only financial.
Increased cooperation and integration are key ingredients he thinks can benefit the region massively.
“Going forward, I don’t know that there’s anything more important. In our strategic plan, regional cooperation and integration is a cross cutting theme. It means every single penny that we spend, we have to commit the mental energy to see how regional cooperation can be integrated into the intervention. For example, the matter of agriculture cooperation is extremely important for the region,” Best suggested.
The CDB’s plans also include reducing deficiencies now affecting loan approvals, disbursements and approvals.
“This is where the implementation diagnostic comes in. We are not pointing fingers at governments and saying you need to do better. We are looking at this as a partnership. These are the areas that you need to improve on – but hold on, these are the areas that CDB has to improve on,” he said.
“We are removing value-depleting layers in our process, because we have some, and also we are integrating more technology in how we assess and appraise projects and how we deliver.
“We’re looking at the entire project cycle and we have already seen some movement in that with one or two projects, but we are going to move even faster.”
Here is where the thrive part of rebirth vision unveiled in 2025 comes in.
“How will we know that we are actually succeeding? It is not about us feeling good about ourselves, it is by actually measuring the impact it’s having on people’s lives,” he submitted.
“We have a team at the bank revising our results monitoring framework, looking at the slew of indicators that we measure and determining what are the ones that actually matter and what are the ones that are superfluous.
“And then it is about how we can even drill down further. So when I say we are seeking to transform how we do business, that is what it looks like. So we are absolutely seeking to measure the things that matter for people’s lives a lot better.”
Top of the to-do list now is strategic plan implementation.
“We are going to pick it apart, now that we have the approval from our board. The very next step is developing the results monitoring framework and rolling that out in country engagement strategies,” he said.
“Every country does not have the capacity to do work in every sector that’s in the strategic plan, it would be an impossibility, but we need to make sure that our borrowing member countries are aware of what is actually in there, what they can benefit from, and how we’re going to measure what they’re doing, or what we are doing with them.”
“So it is a process, we are charting a roadmap for it, and we are moving swiftly towards completing the results monitoring framework, moving to the country engagement strategy, and delivering it.
He added: “It’s a ten-year strategy, the first time the bank is doing a ten-year strategy. So we are going to also monitor that strategy and have key checkpoints to see how we’re doing along the way.”
For Best, all of this shows that while year one went better than he could have imagined, he is not satisfied. There is much more to be done and the CDB team is determined to make 2026 a success for the people of the Caribbean.
