Today's Channels

View All Local News

View All Sports News

View All Political News

View All Court News

View All Business

Columns

The importance of having a Will

Most people should have a will. “Why?” you may ask. Making a will is vital if you want to be certain that your wishes will be met after you die. Having a will can distribute your property, name an executor/executrix, name guardians for your children, forgive debts and more. Wills are legal documents that are signed by you - the…
My experience in the MITP Geneva Study Tour

Reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), trade facilitation, and under-representation by Caribbean states at the WTO were some of the hot-button issues ventilated over the course of the recent two-week Study Tour in Geneva. The Tour was organised for students enrolled in the Masters in International Trade Policy (MITP) Programme at the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law,…
The Gospel according to John Goddard

My friend, former teaching colleague and fellow social commentator, John Goddard, recently submitted a piece outlining his support of the Prime Minister’s apparent intention to ‘abolish’ the Common Entrance exam. As he admits, Mr Goddard has been somewhat critical of Ms Mottley and the BLP administration on several fronts. He is, however, in full accord with her stated proposal to…
Disease vs trait

June 19 was celebrated as World Sickle Cell Day. World Sickle Cell Day is a day recognised by the United Nations day to raise awareness of sickle cell at a national and international level. On December 22, 2008, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that recognises sickle cell disease as a public health problem and “one of the…
The curriculum of the future

I remembered as a boy watching Beyond 2000 and other scientific programs about robots, artificial intelligence and automation. I can say that those notions exist today rather than just in science fiction movies. We know that the needs of our workforce are forever changing and becoming more demanding. It is no secret that the future of work is changing due…
OAS should promote systemic change in Haiti

In what is increasingly becoming a pattern of ignoring established procedures and authority in the Organisation of American States (OAS), a delegation went to troubled Haiti on June 19 without any discussion or mandate by the Permanent Council, the organ responsible for making and overseeing policy between General Assemblies. The results of the unmandated OAS delegation to Haiti are left…
Education reform involves more than abandoning 11-plus

Following the release of the 11-Plus results this week, there are continuing calls for getting rid of the examination on TV, radio and in newspapers from senior figures in Barbados education including school principals, teachers’, union leaders and government ministers. However, essential though it is, abandoning the 11-Plus is only part of the reforms needed, which must focus on creating…
Woeful Windies wallow in wonderland

The last known recorded miracle occurred when our Lord Jesus turned water into wine 2,000 years ago. For the West Indies team to reach the semi-finals of the ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup they will require a miracle and it is therefore highly unlikely, if not impossible, that this will happen. West Indians in the UK are saddened and ashamed…
Reality check on the 24-hour polyclinic

I have watched the debate about the 24-hour clinics from a distance for all of the time that we have been having the discussion. I think that may be at least eight years of collective national discussion. While I started firmly in the corner of the nurses, I now find myself struggling to understand the issues that are hindering the…
The best day of your life

The displays at the recently held BMEX 2019 show that Barbadians can create internationally competitive products. With the health and education investments made in our people, we can easily surpass the achievements of a country like Singapore within a decade, if we choose to, or are allowed to. Many of us choose not to because we do not believe that…

Lifestyle

Right on course

The leadership and staff of The University of the West Indies Open Campus were in celebration mood on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 4, when it was announced that the Campus has been re-accredited for seven years, the maximum period achievable. The announcement was made by Chairman of the Board of Directors, Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC), Mrs Margo Lady Ann…
Combatting NCDs

Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, in association with The Schools Against Non-Communicable Diseases, will be hosting an event in Queen’s Park, Bridgetown to curb the worrying trend of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) on the island. Event Coordinator Gillian Hazelwood told Barbados TODAY the event dubbed Eating Healthy, Living More, A Healthy Lifestyle Event will be held on June 21 and 22 and was…
International buyers in town

Officials are eager to see more local products and services being sold throughout the region. And with the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation’s (BIDC) annual Buyers’ Programme, organizers are hoping local manufacturers will form lasting partnerships with regional and international buyers that will result in more Barbadian products being exported. The three-day event was launched on Thursday June 6, at…
History, theology meet in missionary forum

The Anglican diocese is preparing to host a world gathering of the Anglican and Episcopalian Archbishops as the 318-year-old high church missionary group that founded Codrington College meets here next week. The primates, or their designates, are set to arrive for a week-long consultation of the United Society of Partners in the Gospel (USPG), scheduled to begin Sunday with a…
Hyuna International on board

As the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus’, Department of Science and Technology continues to gain international recognition for its work, it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a leading digital multimedia firm that will provide further internship opportunities for its students. The university has formalised an arrangement with Hyuna International, a Barbados-based firm whose parent…
Double delight

Ruby Kathless Brewster’s 100th birthday was made extra special today when her best friend, Icilma Marsh, who became a centenarian last year, showed up to celebrate with her. Those who witnessed the bonding moment looked on in amazement as Brewster and Marsh, also first cousins, happily greeted each other. The friends from childhood days hugged, kissed, and expressed joy at…
Going cashless

Cave Shepherd & Co. Ltd launched its Cave Shepherd Card Mobile App last year and said plans are in the works to have a merchant-specific app within the next couple of weeks. The announcement was made by Business Development Officer of Card Services Gail Welch and Business Support Officer, Card Services, Curtis Greaves. Welch told Barbados TODAY the card has…
Be bigger than a ‘small’ business

Over 1,700 businesses are continuing to thrive as a result of the Trust Loan Fund. Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland, disclosed this recently at the closing ceremony of a community-based training programme in St. Lucy, hosted by the Trust Loan Unit, in collaboration with the Youth Development Programme of the Ministry of Youth and Community Empowerment.…
Youth ‘on call’

Young people are now 'on-call' with a weed whacker at the ready to clean resident's yards island-wide and earn some money, thanks to a primary school teacher who pumped his own money into a neighbourhood project. Nathaniel Boyce, a Physical Education Teacher at Luther Thorne Memorial Primary School, is the founder of the Youth on Call Weed Wacker Project. He…
Telling their stories

It was an evening of poetry and prose that shone the spotlight on women’s experiences of life in the Caribbean. The event, dubbed Word. Sound. Power: An Evening of Caribbean Poetry and Prose, was organised by the Women and Development Unit (WAND) of the UWI Open Campus, and the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, Nita Barrow Unit of the…

World

USA - Strike aborted

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Friday that he called off the attack on Iran just as the US was “cocked & loaded” to strike because he decided there would be too many deaths for a proportionate response to the downing of a US drone earlier this week. “We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different…
USA - ‘Not intentional’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that “Iran made a very big mistake” by shooting down a U.S. surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz but suggested it was a foolish error rather than an intentional escalation of the tensions that have led to rising fears of open military conflict. Asked about a U.S. response, the president said pointedly,…
USA - Drug bust

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — U.S. authorities seized 33,000 pounds, or 15,000 kilograms, of cocaine from a ship at Philadelphia’s port in what they described as one of the largest drug busts in American history. They said the haul could have been worth more than $1 billion on the street. The U.S. attorney’s office in Philadelphia announced the massive bust on Twitter…
World - Almost all of Argentina and Uruguay without power

BBC - A massive electrical failure has left almost all of Argentina and Uruguay without power, according to a major Argentine electricity provider. Parts of Paraguay were also affected, a state energy company said. Argentine media said the power cut occurred shortly after 07:00 (11:00 BST), causing trains to be halted and failures with traffic signalling. It came as people…
Hong Kong protesters maintain call for leader to step down

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of black-clad protesters maintained calls for her to resign over her handling of a bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial. The chief executive issued the rare apology one day after she indefinitely delayed the extradition bill,…
NEW YORK – Vaccines a must

NEW YORK – Lawmakers in New York have voted to eliminate religious exemptions for school vaccines for children, as the state grapples with a measles outbreak. The law passed on Thursday night, and led to chaotic scenes in the statehouse as anti-vaccination supporters clashed with lawmakers. Much of New York’s outbreak has centred around orthodox Jewish communities. More than 1,000 Americans…
HONG KONG - No retreat

HONG KONG — Following a day of sit-ins, tear gas and clashes with police, Hong Kong students and civil rights activists vowed Wednesday to keep protesting a proposed extradition bill that has become a lightning rod for concerns over greater Chinese control and erosion of civil liberties in the former British colony. The violence marked a major escalation of the…
UK - Arrests after lesbian couple who refused to kiss beaten

(Source: BBC) - Two women say they were subjected to a homophobic attack and left covered in blood after refusing to kiss on a bus. Melania Geymonat, 28, said the attack on her and partner Chris happened on the top deck of a London night bus as they were travelling to Camden Town. A group of young men began harassing them…
USA - Long list of troubled nursing homes revealed by senators

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government for years has kept under wraps the names of hundreds of nursing homes around the country found by inspectors to have serious ongoing health, safety or sanitary problems. Nearly 400 facilities nationwide had a “persistent record of poor care” as of April, but they were not included along with a shorter list of homes…
US now requiring visa applicants to list social-media names

(Source - AP) The United States now wants to know the social-media user names of people applying for visas, part of stepped up screening of foreign visitors and immigrants. The change, first announced last year and taking effect this month, follows on a 2017 order by President Donald Trump requiring heightened vetting for visa applicants, according to a State Department…