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Realpolitik, tolerance, mutual respect and freedom of expression

As we welcome 2019, we must confront the wide-scale trend of economic migration and the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of refugees clamouring for space. We must deal with and manage what appears to be increasing extremism and xenophobia. Unsurprisingly in that quagmire, hate-speech is becoming more and more common. Many may not question the assertion that this is rooted…
Please let reason prevail

I thought we had left national stand-offs and stalemates behind us in 2018 with the embarrassing and unnecessarily long Grantley Adam's canteen affair (by the way, what was ever the outcome of that?). For the second time in as many days, the Public Service vehicle (PSV) operators downed their tools in frustration at not being heard. The operators have a…
Barbadian in major energy project in the UK

The Barbados diaspora in the UK has been there for more than 60 years. During this time there have been many successes which have gone either unnoticed or unrecorded in Barbados and the Barbadian communities across the UK. We should be proud of the things achieved in our name and by our fellow countrymen. Barbados TODAY recently unearthed a golden…
73, 60 and 42

Cultural icon Richard Stoute, known for hits such as Bajan Girl, Any Day Now and Vehicle from the 1970s, celebrated his 73rd birthday on January 8. When contacted by Bajan Vibes, Stoute was in high spirits describing this year’s birthday celebrations as his best one yet. The crooner who came to the limelight back in the 1970s, stole the hearts…
Ross University - Hip Hip Hooray!

Barbados is fortunate to have Ross University relocating here. Their presence is a win for everyone: the University, which would have a wonderful location in the true land-of-the-free; the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC), which would be able to pay its bills; but most importantly, ordinary households. The severe austerity is impacting those with home mortgages, and to have the…
CARICOM’S year of destiny has arrived!

I cannot speak for the rest of the Caribbean Community, but I can confidently assert that the people of Barbados, after some 52 years of national Independence, are coming (or have come) to the firm, collective realization that their best hope for a secure, prosperous, and opportunity-filled future lies within a successful Caribbean integration movement rooted in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). You…
Making the best use of time

A blessed, peaceful and bountiful 2019 to all. Apologies for the absence of my column over the last few weeks. Busy circumstances engulfed my time. It seems as we get older time moves more rapidly. We all have 24 hours in a day but those hours seem to go in minutes. Here we are at the beginning of a new…
Child abuse for sure

by Pastor Flloyd N. Hall Desmond Napoles is an abused and exploited 11-year-old child. It is an abuse that has been perpetuated for the past three years when at eight years old he was shown in a video participating in a New York City's Pride March. That video went viral on social media and made him “famous.” Needless to say, the child…
Charrandas Persaud: The Gandhi of Guyana

Love him or hate him, Guyanese Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud had the courage to stand and swim against the political rip currents of the Essequibo River. And for that extraordinary courage based on a conscience vote, he must be honoured, even idolised as the Mahatma Gandhi of Guyana. Already there are plans to name babies after him as…
That No-Confidence motion

From time to time, the no-confidence motion crops up, providing an opportunity for the parliamentary opposition to criticize governmental action without the slightest opportunity to be successful. That is just one of the cold hard facts of Westminster politics. Accustomed as we have become to US politics and the shenanigans of congressional and POTUS (President of the United States), many…

Lifestyle

“Social disruption”

While societies would always have members who find themselves in need of special assistance, Barbados, for a number of reasons, has found itself at a juncture where persons at the two extremes of life are being neglected. That's the view of Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Jerome Walcott who over the weekend noted the increasing proportion within the population of elderly…
Best practice

A case of “one bad apple spoils the bunch” applies to the coconut vendors along the Warrens, St Michael stretch of the ABC Highway. Vendors have been served with notices by environmental officers informing them to removing their coconut shells after making each day's sale. Coconut vendor Andy Andrews informed Barbados TODAY that the reputation of “a few bad apples” was…
Bipolar disorder and suicide linked

by LaShawna Griffith There is a link between bipolar disorder and suicide, according to one psychologist in the island. So says Dr Jennifer Deane Ford, a clinical psychologist as well as a temporary lecturer in Psychology and Education at the University of The West Indies Cave Hill Campus. “Yes, definitely, based on the symptoms that bipolar disorder manifests, depression being…
Charity facing challenges

After only four years in operation, the local charity African Heritage Foundation (AHF) is at a crossroad. With an increasing number of individuals coming for assistance and with several unfinished projects, president of the AHF Paul 'Simba' Rock told Barbados TODAY the foundation has been finding it difficult to meet the demands of the day. Designed to promote positive developmental change, the…
Burke’s case for NIS, health insurance

Veteran calypsonian Smokey Burke is urging local entertainers to contribute to National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and apply for health insurance. The ailing entertainer is recovering from sepsis and a stroke which forced him to forfeit his spot in the Courtesy Mount Gay Pic-O-De-Crop Finals last year. Burke who is known for tunes such as My Party In Power, Mo Money…
Document trying times, writers told

Barbadians now stand a good chance of having the trials and tribulations experienced during this period of economic adjustment documented because the island's writers were recently given a massive incentive to do so. A common cry among artistes in Barbados, in other developing and in Third World countries, is that the absence of material rewards for their work reflects scant…
No more styrofoam

As of February 1, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) will eliminate all styrofoam from its 19 Sandals and Beaches Resorts across seven major Caribbean islands, in a continued effort to protect the environment. “As we enter the New Year, it’s incredibly important to our Sandals family that environmental sustainability remains a key priority,” said SRI’s Deputy Chairman Adam Stewart. “After eliminating plastic straws, stirrers, laundry…
New sponsor, new local products

Fans of Agrofest can anticipate more innovation and diversity for 2019 as the annual agricultural exhibition will follow the theme “Full We Pocket – Eat Local!” CEO of the Barbados Agricultural Society James Paul made the revelation during an interview with Barbados TODAY at his Grotto, Beckles Road, St Michael office. The event now in its 19th year will occur February 22 to…
Art, music and pork for Chinese New Year

The fifth annual Fish and Dragon festival which celebrates the start of the Chinese New Year will be bigger and better this year. Speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Chinese Embassy, Xi Zou said the celebrations marking the start of the Chinese New Year -The Year of the Pig - will be held in conjunction with the…
Pleasure and business in Canada

Several youngsters from the Nature Fun Ranch (NFR) had the opportunity to get on a plane and experience snow for the first time when they were rewarded recently with a trip to Canada. Financed mainly through their own fund-raising efforts and that of the charitable organization, the 10-day trip gave the group of once at-risk-youth the chance to explore opportunities…

World

Paris 'gas explosion' kills three in city centre

BBC - Two firefighters and a Spanish woman have been killed after a huge blast at a bakery in France's capital, Paris. The emergency services were responding to a gas leak when "a dramatic explosion" occurred, said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. Forty-seven people were injured, 10 seriously, in the blast on rue de Trévise at around 09:00 (08:00 GMT). It…
Trump threatens 'national emergency' over wall

BBC - U.S. President Donald Trump has said he could declare a national emergency to build a US-Mexico border wall without the approval of Congress. It came after he met senior Democrats, who refused his requests for funding. The stand-off has seen Trump withhold support for a bill to fully fund the government until he gets money for the border…
German mass data attack 'known for weeks' by cyber officials

BBC - Germany's cybersecurity authorities have been criticised after it emerged they knew about a mass data attack on hundreds of politicians for weeks, but did not tell the police. Journalists, celebrities and politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, are among those whose personal data was published online. The attacks took place throughout December, but did not become public knowledge until…
Bangladesh opposition demand new vote

BBC - Bangladesh's opposition has condemned what it has called a "farcical" election and demanded a new vote. Early results show Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party in the lead, and she is likely to win a large majority. But there have been claims of vote-rigging, and a BBC correspondent saw filled ballot boxes at a polling centre before polls opened.…
222 people killed after tsunami hit coastal towns on Indonesia

BBC - At least 222 people have been killed and 843 injured after a tsunami hit coastal towns on Indonesia's Sunda Strait, government officials say. The tsunami waves struck at night without any warning, destroying hundreds of buildings. Officials say the tsunami could have been caused by undersea landslides after Anak Krakatau volcano erupted. The Sunda Strait, between the islands…
UK - Local pair quizzed over Gatwick drones

BBC - A 47-year-old man and 54-year-old woman from Crawley are being questioned over multiple drone sightings that brought Gatwick Airport to a standstill. Flights were grounded for more than 36 hours when drones were first spotted close to the runway on Wednesday night. The airport has since reopened and flights were operating on schedule, but there were still long…