Carib Scope

标签： Barbados

巴巴多斯

  • ‘Ask Dealia’ app launches to help find deals, events

    ‘Ask Dealia’ app launches to help find deals, events

    Barbados has entered a new era of digital consumer convenience this week with the official launch of Ask Dealia, an AI-integrated mobile and web application designed to reconfigure how both locals and visitors shop, track local events, and access price information across the island. Unveiled on Wednesday, the platform marks the second government-backed digital tool launched by the country in two months, following the June debut of Pearlie — a service that streamlines public service requests and citizen reporting of government agency issues.

    At the core of Ask Dealia is its namesake AI assistant, built to deliver personalized consumer support that goes far beyond basic price lookup. Unlike generic comparison tools, the platform consolidates real-time price tracking, promotional alerts, event updates, and tailored product recommendations into a single, accessible digital space, addressing a longstanding pain point for Barbadian shoppers who previously had to travel across the island to compare prices across retailers ranging from grocery chains and hardware stores to fashion boutiques on Broad Street.

    Minister of Business Development and Commerce Kerrie Symmonds emphasized the transformative impact of the new tool during the launch. He noted that for decades, Barbadian consumers faced the unnecessary hassle of visiting multiple physical locations to research prices and find the best deals across the island’s diverse retail landscape. With Ask Dealia, that entire process shifts to a centralized virtual marketplace, putting all pricing, promotional, and event information directly into users’ pockets.

    Developed by local digital firm Infolytics, the platform already tracks a massive dataset of more than 400,000 products from 2,000 registered businesses across Barbados, a number that Infolytics CEO Quinn Weekes says continues to grow as more retailers join the platform. Weekes stressed that the app’s AI assistant Dealia is far more than a standard chatbot: she adapts to individual user preferences over time, learning from interactions to identify the deals, products, and local events that align with each user’s specific interests.

    The app also includes user-centric features that set it apart from traditional shopping apps. Shoppers can set custom price thresholds for desired items, receiving automatic notifications when prices drop below their target limit. It also supports event tracking for major local and seasonal occasions, from Father’s Day and Mother’s Day promotions to Barbados’ iconic Crop Over festival, back-to-school sales, and year-end holiday deals. For both residents and tourists, the platform also serves as a curated guide to local events, highlighting happenings that match each user’s preferences.

    Weekes added that the platform will remain iterative, with development teams incorporating user feedback to refine features and improve the overall experience over time. Currently, Ask Dealia is available for access via its official website askdealia.gov.bb and for download on the Apple App Store, with a Google Play Store release scheduled for later this week.

  • Community resilience must evolve as climate threats intensify, CDEMA warns

    Community resilience must evolve as climate threats intensify, CDEMA warns

    As the Caribbean faces a rapidly evolving landscape of cascading climate threats and shifting social vulnerabilities, the region’s top disaster management authority has issued an urgent call for a fundamental rethink of how governments and communities prepare for and respond to crises. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is pushing for a bold pivot from outdated reactive response models to a new, people-centered framework of anticipatory risk management that matches the growing complexity of modern hazards.

    In her keynote address to CDEMA’s annual Comprehensive Disaster Management conference, Executive Director Elizabeth Riley argued that traditional approaches to disaster management have been rendered obsolete by 25 years of dramatic social and environmental change. Pointing to the Caribbean’s long-standing status as one of the world’s most hazard-prone regions – a dynamic she described as a “living laboratory for climate and geological risk” – Riley highlighted the $12.2 billion in damages and losses from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica as a stark example of the region’s ongoing vulnerability.

    Yet Riley also emphasized that the Caribbean has long been a global pioneer in progressive disaster risk governance. Decades ago, regional leaders recognized that protecting populations, preserving livelihoods and safeguarding hard-won development gains required moving beyond responding to disasters after they strike to proactively managing risk before impacts occur. That forward-thinking philosophy gave rise to the region’s landmark Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) framework, which will mark its 25th anniversary in 2026. Built on a whole-of-society principle, the CDM strategy rests on the core idea that resilient communities are the foundation of resilient nations.

    Despite the framework’s early successes, Riley warned that both the region and the threats it faces have transformed beyond recognition since the CDM was first launched. Demographic shifts are rapidly reshaping the social fabric of Caribbean nations: the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean projects that by 2050, one in four Caribbean residents will be aged 60 or older, creating new layers of vulnerability for communities navigating extreme weather. Compounding these demographic changes are growing societal challenges including rising violent crime, shifting migration patterns and escalating geopolitical tensions, all of which introduce new interconnected risks that were largely unaccounted for in older disaster management models.

    Most critically, climate change has rewritten the rules of disaster preparedness entirely. Where hazards once occurred in isolation, today’s climate-driven threats are increasingly cascading and compounding, creating overlapping crises that overwhelm traditional response systems. Recent high-profile storms have exposed fatal gaps in long-held assumptions about disaster preparedness, Riley explained. During Hurricane Melissa, pre-existing hazard maps failed to anticipate the devastating convergence of a 14-foot storm surge and more than 20 inches of simultaneous intense rainfall, turning a predictable event into an unprecedented catastrophe. Even more striking was Hurricane Beryl, which made history as the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Beryl upended the region’s long-held understanding of hurricane season timelines: for decades, planners operated on the assumption that there was a gradual ramp-up to the September peak, giving communities time to prepare after the June season start. Beryl’s early arrival proved that this timeline is no longer valid, and that preparedness must be a year-round priority.

    Another persistent, underaddressed gap that Riley highlighted is the critical disconnect between early warning systems and community action. She referenced the 2019 Hurricane Dorian disaster in the Bahamas, where the Bahamas Meteorological Service issued flawless forecasts and clear evacuation orders days before the storm made landfall – yet many residents still chose not to leave their homes. To close this gap, Riley argued that disaster management authorities need to integrate insights from behavioral science to better understand how communities perceive risk and why people make the choices they do during crises. If risk communication fails to trigger life-saving action, she said, the entire approach to outreach must be re-evaluated.

    To address these interconnected challenges, Riley is calling for a structural overhaul of community-level disaster governance. She questioned whether the region can continue to rely exclusively on traditional volunteer-led frameworks, such as Barbados’ long-standing district emergency organisations (DEOs), noting that volunteer systems often break down under the pressure of catastrophic, long-duration disasters. “Volunteers are the glue that holds our disaster management system together, and they deserve tangible support and formal recognition for their work,” Riley said, “but we have to ask whether it is time to integrate community resilience arrangements into the paid, structured mechanisms of government to ensure sustained capacity during crises.”

    Riley also highlighted the critical role of cutting-edge technology in strengthening the region’s anticipatory risk management. Tools including high-resolution geospatial analytics and “digital twins” – virtual community-scale models that can simulate a wide range of future climate scenarios – are already being deployed to map emerging hazards, including the increasingly frequent extreme prolonged heatwaves that have become a major silent killer across the Caribbean. Partially funded by the European Union, these tools, paired with the new Caribbean Community Risk Information Tool (CCRIT), will give local planners far more accurate data to prepare for hazards that have never been seen in recorded history.

    Closing her address to conference delegates, Riley issued a clear call to action: if attendees leave the conference willing to challenge long-held assumptions about what community resilience means and what it must become in the face of a changing climate, and renew their commitment to shared responsibility and people-centered resilience building, it will mark a monumental step forward for securing the Caribbean’s future. “Placing people at the absolute center of our risk management work is not just a moral imperative – it is the only way to build a resilient Caribbean that can thrive amid uncertainty,” Riley emphasized.

  • Taylor stars as West Indies Women sweep Ireland 3-0

    Taylor stars as West Indies Women sweep Ireland 3-0

    On a crisp Wednesday at Bready Cricket Club, the West Indies Women’s national team delivered a dominant closing performance to seal a clean 3-0 ODI series sweep against Ireland, anchored by a Player of the Match-winning century from veteran all-rounder Stafanie Taylor. Taylor’s knock marked only the second time a West Indies women’s batter has recorded consecutive centuries in international one-day cricket, a feat that captain Hayley Matthews achieved just days earlier in the series’ opening two matches.

    The day began with West Indies batting first, and the side got off to a disastrous early start when Matthews, the series’ standout performer, was dismissed for just six runs in the third over. The top order continued to struggle through the opening 19 overs, and by the time Deandra Dottin was out for 21, West Indies had slumped to a precarious 82 for five wickets. It was Taylor who stepped in to steady the innings, playing a fluent, controlled knock while her batting partners struggled to build momentum at the other end.

    As the innings neared its close, Taylor found critical lower-order support to push the team’s total to a competitive mark. Jahzara Claxton contributed a steady 30 runs off 43 deliveries, while Aaliyah Alleyne smashed a quickfire 33 runs from just 30 balls, including six boundaries. Entering the final over of West Indies’ innings on 90, Taylor turned on the power: she hammered back-to-back boundaries off Irish bowler Georgina Dempsey, then scrambled two runs off the third delivery to reach her third ODI century. Tragically for Taylor, she was run out on the final ball of the innings, finishing with 105 runs off 113 balls, decorated with 10 fours.

    Ireland’s bowling attack put in a solid collective effort to restrict West Indies: Orla Prendergast finished with 2 wickets for 37 runs, Jane Maguire claimed 2 for 44, and Dempsey ended with 2 for 61. West Indies’ final total of 257 set Ireland a target of 258 for victory.

    The Irish side got off to a promising start in their chase, reaching 81 for one wicket after just 18 overs. But a collapse triggered by West Indies’ spin attack turned the game on its head. Spinners Karishma Ramharack and Afy Fletcher each took three wickets for just 33 runs apiece, while Matthews added two wickets for 37 runs. Ireland collapsed all the way to 193 all out in 44 overs, losing their final four wickets for only 35 runs, securing a 64-run win for West Indies. For the hosts, Gaby Lewis top-scored with 50 runs, Leah Paul contributed 32, and Amy Hunter added 30 in a losing cause.

    Matthews capped off a historic individual series, ending with a total of 265 runs with the bat and seven wickets with the ball, earning her the Player of the Series award to go alongside West Indies’ series sweep.

  • Education key to winning trust in transplant law, says Abrahams

    Education key to winning trust in transplant law, says Abrahams

    Barbados is on the cusp of passing landmark legislation regulating human tissue transplantation, and Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams is emphasizing that large-scale public outreach will be the make-or-break factor for the bill’s success. Speaking during Tuesday’s parliamentary debate on the proposed Human Tissue Transplant Bill, Abrahams moved to reassure residents that the legislation includes rigorous protections against organ trafficking, abuse, and unethical medical practices, while addressing widespread cultural hesitation around posthumous organ donation.

    Barbados currently has no established cultural norm around organ donation, leaving many residents with deep-seated fears about the process, Abrahams acknowledged. In recognition of this barrier, requirements for a sustained public education program have actually been written directly into the text of the bill. Under Clause 8, the regulatory council established by the legislation is mandated to create a public outreach initiative that explains both the benefits of human tissue transplantation and the importance of joining the national donor registry.

    Abrahams stressed that allowing misinformation to shape public discourse around the new policy is not an option. He called for a coordinated public education campaign led by the Ministry of Health, with full support from the Government Information Service and all agencies under the Ministry of Information. Without clear, accessible information from official sources, he warned, unfounded speculation will fill the information gap, eroding public trust and derailing the bill’s life-saving goals. “Nature abhors a vacuum,” he noted, adding that public education must correct common misconceptions: for example, many people do not know that a person can survive on a single kidney, meaning a living donor can save a life without risking their own long-term health, and even posthumous donation of one kidney can give a dying patient a second chance.

    The attorney general urged Barbadians to proactively register as organ donors while they are healthy, framing donation as a transformative final gift to others. “I can make a decision now, while I’m healthy, now, while I’m good, that if I was to pass, something from me could go on to help save somebody else. I don’t need to take it to rot in a grave with me,” he said. He also clarified that donation extends far beyond kidneys: tissues including corneas, which can restore sight to visually impaired patients, and skin, which can be used to treat severe burn victims, are also viable for transplantation. For patients relying on regular dialysis to treat kidney failure, expanded access to transplant could completely reshape their quality of life, eliminating the need for disruptive, frequent hospital visits three to four times a week and allowing them to return to a normal, unconstrained routine.

    Abrahams acknowledged the widespread apprehension that exists among Barbadians around organ donation, citing two of the most common concerns: religious objections that the body must be buried intact to return to God, and fears that medical professionals could harvest organs before a patient is actually declared dead. To unlock the full life-saving potential of the legislation, he said, the government must address these concerns head-on and win buy-in from a broad cross-section of the public to build a large, diverse donor pool.

    Turning directly to concerns about corruption and unethical practice, Abrahams outlined the multiple layers of safeguards built into the bill. First, the legislation requires the regulatory council to establish clear, medically driven criteria for organ allocation, and mandates a fair, equitable, and transparent system for distributing tissues to patients on the waiting list. To eliminate conflicts of interest, doctors directly involved in performing transplant procedures are barred by law from certifying patient deaths, determining a patient’s eligibility for a transplant, or advising potential donors in any situation where the doctor could personally benefit from the procedure. The bill also creates an independent national registry that tracks all donors and recipients, ensuring that all organs are allocated through the official, regulated system except in narrow, legally permitted emergency circumstances.

    Most critically, the legislation explicitly bans the commercial buying and selling of all human organs and tissues. “It is illegal to advertise for the buying or selling of human tissue. It is unethical and it is morally reprehensible and it is forbidden by the law,” Abrahams confirmed.

    Additional protections are included for children and vulnerable populations, he added. The bill clearly defines who is authorized to give consent for organ donation when a minor is a donor, draws a clear legal distinction between court-appointed guardians and caregivers acting in loco parentis, and places strict limits on any donation involving minor donors. The bill also enforces strict confidentiality requirements for both donors and recipients, protecting their privacy and preventing unnecessary public exposure.

    Abrahams framed the legislation as a historic turning point for both law and healthcare in Barbados, saying it will modernize the country’s healthcare system and deliver new hope to thousands of patients waiting for life-saving transplants. “This is a watershed moment in law in Barbados. This is a watershed moment in medicine in Barbados… I fully, fully endorse the passage of this legislation, and I hope that the rest of Barbados joins me,” he said.

  • MIST summer camp sparks science-tech curiosity

    MIST summer camp sparks science-tech curiosity

    Barbados’ Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Science and Technology (MIST) has kicked off its 2026 iteration of the long-running Science and Technology Summer Camp, retooling the popular five-week program to prioritize immersive, hands-on learning that helps young participants connect scientific concepts to the world around them. Now in its nearly two-decade history after first launching in 2008, the 2026 camp opened its doors this week at Queen’s College in St James, welcoming children between the ages of 6 and 11 to explore a diverse range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

    Arlene Weekes, acting director of MIST’s Science, Market Research and Innovation Unit, highlighted how the program has transformed dramatically over its 18 years to match rapid global advancements in science and technology. Unlike early iterations that balanced general activities with STEM learning, today’s camp is built entirely around inquiry-driven tech and science exploration. “Over the years as technology has improved, we’ve come to include things such as robotics where we use the mBot and introduce coding to these young children,” Weekes explained. “We’ve introduced artificial intelligence and other forms of technology as the years have gone on.” For 2026, camp organizers have added an entirely new module focused on microbiology, joining longstanding core topics including electricity and magnetism, and acid-base chemistry.

    At the conclusion of the five-week program, every participating child will receive an official certificate naming them a certified junior scientist to recognize their engagement and learning. Extra honors will be awarded to the top-performing boy and girl in the camp’s oldest age group, who will take home the titles of Mr. and Miss Science and Technology.

    Paulita Benjamin, innovation officer and lead coordinator for the 2026 camp, shared that this year’s theme – “Curious Adventurers: Exploring Our World” – was selected to help young learners recognize that science is not just an abstract school subject, but a force that shapes every part of daily life. “We wanted this camp to have a lasting and memorable experience and show how science impacts our daily lives to understand the world that we live in,” Benjamin said. She framed the camp space as a multi-purpose hub for young learners, telling attendees: “For the next few weeks, this space is your laboratory, your invention workshop, your playground. You are about to experience and do the things that you only read about and see in books.”

    Beyond new microbiology training, 2026 camp activities will also explore robotics, electrical engineering, general chemistry, and critical digital online safety. Describing the new microbiology module to participants, Benjamin called microorganisms “those microscopic detectives that are hidden somewhere and you can only see them with a microscope.”

    Speaking to parents who enrolled their children, Benjamin expressed gratitude for the opportunity to nurture young curious minds, saying: “Thank you for giving us your children and… providing them with the opportunity to fuel their curiosity to become problem solvers, critical thinkers, investigators, discoverers. We promise to return your children with bigger smiles, and incredible stories.”

    Tamisha Eytle Harvey, director of Future Barbados, attended the official opening on behalf of Innovation Minister Jonathan Reid, and issued a playful yet meaningful challenge to young campers: referencing the minister’s absence, she joked “The minister could have been here, but we haven’t figured out teleportation. So that is your challenge from me for the next few weeks because each of you are the future of Barbados.”

    Harvey emphasized that STEM skills open doors across nearly every career path, regardless of what children choose to pursue as they grow. “You are the next electrical engineer… I know there are future researchers… You are future farmers because there’s agriculture in science. You are future designers because design, science, fashion, they’re all connected,” she explained. She encouraged campers to embrace curiosity over the coming weeks, urging them not to shy away from complex questions: “I want to challenge you all this week to not be scared, to ask the hard questions… We want to make sure that you keep asking questions and questioning the whys, the hows, and the whats because that will make it more fun.”

    She also called on parents to continue nurturing their children’s scientific curiosity after the camp concludes each day, saying: “When they come home hopefully exhausted and tired… we need to figure out ways to continue this excitement and joy and freedom to learn and ask why.” Closing her remarks, Harvey reaffirmed the critical role of STEM education for the island nation’s future: “The future of Barbados is science. It is technology. It is making sure we are building the solutions that will not only shape our futures but shape the futures of the rest of the world.”

    The 2026 camp’s opening ceremony wrapped up with interactive live science demonstrations designed to give attendees an early taste of hands-on learning. A crowd favorite was the plasma ball experiment, which let children safely interact with and observe visible electrical energy, including the unexpected effect of an unpowered fluorescent bulb lighting up when held near the plasma sphere. The demonstration gave campers a tangible introduction to core electrical concepts ahead of their five weeks of exploration and discovery.

  • ‘Cuddear’ mentality must end to protect Bim’s quality, says PM

    ‘Cuddear’ mentality must end to protect Bim’s quality, says PM

    Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has issued a urgent call for the island nation to uproot a long-standing cultural mindset that she argues is holding back national progress, warning that the country’s global reputation and long-term economic prosperity hinge on abandoning tolerance for subpar performance. In a wide-ranging address focused on securing Barbados’ position as a top-tier global tourism destination, Mottley identified the colloquial Bajan concept of “cuddear” – a tradition rooted in granting pity-based leniency that enables underperformance – as one of the most persistent barriers to development in Barbados’ post-independence era.

    Mottley emphasized that avoiding difficult conversations and shirking accountability out of sympathy for underperforming individuals and businesses does not benefit anyone. Instead, it drags down the entire nation by capping collective achievement and eroding the high standards that have become synonymous with the Barbadian brand. “We have a problem traditionally in the post-independence environment of Barbados where the ‘cuddear’ mentality can sometimes step in the way and stop us from enforcing the standards that we need to enforce such that everyone is lifted,” Mottley stated.

    The prime minister urged all sectors, particularly the all-important tourism industry, to uphold the rigorously developed, widely consulted regulatory standards that form the foundation of Barbados’ premium global identity. Unlike competing destinations that pursue market share through low pricing, Mottley noted that Barbados has never positioned itself as the cheapest option – and never will. Instead, the island’s competitive advantage must come from unwavering commitment to quality and value for money, she said.

    Mottley tied this push for excellence to a core Bajan cultural value: the universal expectation of “satisfaction” in service delivery. She explained that this shared commitment to meeting visitor expectations has allowed Barbados to maintain the highest repeat visitor rate in the entire Caribbean region, a rare competitive advantage that must be protected. To build on this success, Mottley outlined her vision for “Tourism 3.0”, a transformative model that moves beyond the early, exploitative extractive model of tourism to deliver a “new deal” for the industry’s workforce.

    Central to this new framework is putting people at the heart of all tourism policy, a shift Mottley says is non-negotiable for long-term industry growth. She recalled the collective sacrifice Barbadian tourism workers made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when employees agreed to amend the Severance Payments Act to prevent widespread bankruptcy among local hoteliers. Now, Mottley says that this historic “patriotic partnership” must be reciprocated by restructuring hospitality employment from temporary, low-status work into viable, respected careers that can support families and build intergenerational wealth across the country.

    “ What you have come here to do as a job must become a career for you and your family, and the platform upon which intergenerational wealth can be built in this country,” she said.

    Mottley also pushed back against common misconceptions about regulatory bodies, pushing back on the narrative that regulators exist solely to hinder business growth. Instead, she framed regulators as critical protectors of vulnerable consumers and the guardians of national quality standards. She clarified the government’s approach: underperforming actors will be held accountable for failing to meet national standards, while compliant businesses that uphold quality will receive active support and facilitation to grow.

    In closing, Mottley reminded attendees that the foundation of world-class hospitality does not require massive financial investment. Instead, it grows out of the basic human decency and warm, welcoming culture that is already inherent to Barbadian society. She urged all Barbadians working in tourism to lean on this innate advantage, using small, free gestures of kindness to elevate the visitor experience. “A smile costs us nothing,” Mottley said. “The traditional words of please, thank you, good morning, and you’re welcome cost us just as little as well. Let that be the currency that we use to enhance the visitor experience and to be the platform to a career rather than the execution of a job.”

  • National swim squad set for Goodwill Championships

    National swim squad set for Goodwill Championships

    Barbados is set to compete at the 30th Annual Goodwill Swimming Championships, scheduled to run from August 14 to 16 in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, with a 37-strong contingent of young competitive swimmers. The official roster was announced publicly this week by the Barbados Aquatic Sports Association (BASA), ahead of the team’s departure for the regional event.

  • Rising demand for accommodations puts focus on teacher training

    Rising demand for accommodations puts focus on teacher training

    Across Barbados, as national initiatives to boost youth literacy gain momentum, experienced education professionals are sounding the alarm over a critical gap in support for students with neurodiverse and learning difficulties, calling for targeted investments in specialized teacher training to meet growing community need.

    Dr. Astra Babb, a long-serving educator and founder of the respected Astra Babb Reading Clinic, made the case for expanded support Monday as she officially opened a five-week summer literacy intervention program at Barbados Community College. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Dr. Babb explained that while most pre-service teacher training programs prepare educators to work with neurotypical learners, they rarely provide the deep, specialized instruction required to support students with learning differences and exceptionalities, including autism spectrum disorder.

    “Most teachers do not receive comprehensive training on how to adapt instruction for autistic children,” Dr. Babb noted. “Historically, teacher training programs have centered almost entirely on the needs of the typical learner, though I have received promising reports that the government is now rolling out new programs to help educators build these critical skills.”

    The growing urgency for expanded specialized support is underscored by rising demand for formal examination accommodations across Barbados’ education system. Data from the recent Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination shows 240 requests for special consideration this year alone, a marked increase from 194 requests in 2023 and 183 the year prior.

    Juanita Brathwaite-Wharton, a senior psychologist with the Ministry of Education’s Student Support Services Division, previously told Barbados TODAY that this upward trend is not a sign of more learning difficulties overall, but rather reflects growing awareness among parents and educators of the needs of neurodiverse students. More families are now seeking formal psychological assessments to clarify their child’s learning profile and identify targeted supports that help them thrive academically and socially, Brathwaite-Wharton explained. Following those assessments, parents are increasingly advocating for accommodations both during high-stakes examinations and in daily classroom instruction.

    Brathwaite-Wharton has also echoed calls for expanded ongoing professional development for teachers, pointing out that every classroom in the country serves students with a wide range of diverse learning needs that require flexible, specialized approaches.

    Dr. Babb emphasized that students with learning differences process information differently than their neurotypical peers, requiring specialized instructional strategies and trained educators to unlock their full potential. “These children need tutors who understand how their brains learn, because cognitive function works differently than it does for the typical child, so educators must be equipped with specific skills to meet them where they are,” she said.

    She welcomed the government’s reported plans to expand specialized training opportunities for current and future teachers, noting that these investments will directly strengthen the entire education system’s ability to serve every student, regardless of their learning needs.

    The unmet demand for targeted learning support is clearly visible in the overwhelming response to Dr. Babb’s annual summer reading program. Originally designed to cap enrollment at 100 students, the clinic was forced to expand the cohort to 130 to accommodate last-minute requests, with parents still reaching out Monday morning to secure spots even after the program hit its new capacity limit. “I originally set the cut-off at 100, but right now we are at 130, and that’s all we can take,” Dr. Babb said.

  • Gospel artist Karlos Cobham eyes global breakthrough with Avidity nod push

    Gospel artist Karlos Cobham eyes global breakthrough with Avidity nod push

    From topping Billboard charts to earning a spot on a major U.S. gospel awards shortlist, Barbados native Karlos Cobham, a contemporary gospel artist based in the United States, is capturing global attention once again. This time, he is reaching out to his community back home for support to push his nomination bid forward on one of independent gospel music’s most prominent platforms.

    Cobham, who previously landed a Grammy consideration for his 2022 Billboard No.1 Christian hip-hop track *Royalty* featuring Emcee N.I.C.E., is now poised to make history as a two-category shortlisted contender for the 2026 Avidity Gospel Music Awards. Holding dual roles as CEO and flagship artist of his independent label KWEST Records, the multi-talented songwriter and producer is nominated in two high-profile categories: Gospel Rap Artist of the Year, and Gospel R&B/Hip Hop Single of the Year for his 2025 hit *Blessed*.

    Hosted by the Avidity Recording Academy (ARA), an organization dedicated to lifting up recording artists, industry professionals and creative collaborators across the independent music sector, the 11th annual Avidity Gospel Music Awards will run from November 6 to 9 in Dallas, Texas. Built around a core mission of recognition, education and advocacy, the academy works to celebrate outstanding artistic achievement, raise industry-wide professional standards, and nurture emerging talent for the next generation. Through its focus on driving innovation across music creation, production, education and technology, ARA aims to empower independent creators to build sustainable, long-term careers in the broader global music industry.

    With the first round of public voting set to close this Sunday, Cobham has issued a public call to his fellow Barbadians to back his bid by casting their votes at aviditygospelawards.com/vote. He emphasized that local support can not only boost his campaign but also cement Barbados’ growing reputation as a hub of talented gospel artists on the international music stage.

    In an exclusive telephone interview with Barbados TODAY from his base in New York on Tuesday, Cobham shared that his core focus remains advancing faith through music. “Everything I do is centered on advancing God’s Kingdom and serving him,” he explained. The chart-topping artist also admitted that self-promotion does not come naturally to him. “To be honest, I find it hard to promote myself. I spend most of my time highlighting other artists on my radio show. I know marketing is a critical part of this industry, so I may end up hiring an agent to handle that side of things for me,” he said.

    Notably, Cobham’s path to the Avidity shortlist mirrors his previous journey to Grammy consideration: he never actively campaigned for a spot. Just as his 2022 No.1 *Royalty* earned Grammy consideration without aggressive promotion on his part, his name landed on the Avidity awards ballot entirely without any outreach or marketing from his team. He also pointed out that many independent artists pay to be considered for award nominations, and while he was approached to do the same, he declined the offer.

    With a career that already spans international stages, Cobham has performed across Jamaica, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, sharing lineups with Grammy-winning artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard and collaborating with some of the biggest names in contemporary gospel: gospel reggae trailblazer DJ Nicholas, Grammy-nominated producer and singer Canton Jones, and acclaimed rapper Dee-1. Beyond his work in music, Cobham is also the founder of KWEST International Inc, a non-profit organization focused on supporting creative and visual arts programming.

    Official final nominees for the 2026 Avidity Gospel Music Awards will be announced on August 4 at 8 p.m. Barbados time, via a public livestream hosted on the Avidity Gospel Awards official Facebook page. The first round of voting is open to the general public, while the final round is restricted to voting members of the Avidity Recording Academy. In this initial phase, public votes narrow down the shortlisted candidates to determine who advances to final nominee status. Organizers have confirmed that only one vote is allowed per person, and any duplicate votes cast from the same person, device or IP address will be automatically discarded.

  • ‘Tourism 3.0’ shift declared with hotel opening

    ‘Tourism 3.0’ shift declared with hotel opening

    Barbados has wrapped up years of economic recovery and is stepping into a new chapter of tourism-fueled expansion, led by an unprecedented wave of hotel development and a forward-thinking strategic rebrand dubbed “Tourism 3.0”, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has announced. Mottley made the official declaration during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly opened Royalton Vessence resort, located in the coastal town of Holetown, St. James. She framed the Caribbean nation’s journey out of economic crisis as a carefully structured transition that moved from emergency stabilization to long-term growth.

    Speaking to a crowd of investors, government officials and leading hospitality industry stakeholders, Mottley used a vivid medical analogy to explain the island’s multi-stage recovery. “Put simply, if the body is bleeding, stop the bleeding,” she said. “When you stop the bleeding, do the transformation, do the operation, and when you finish the operation, get into recuperation, and when you finish recuperating, get into physiotherapy. We are at the point now where we passed the physiotherapy with the opening of this luxury resort over the course of the last few months.”

    The prime minister emphasized that the country is currently experiencing a surge in tourism infrastructure development that has no parallel in recent Barbadian history. Ten new hotels have either been completed in recent months or are currently under construction across the island, including the upcoming Indigo Hotel in the popular Hastings area. She also highlighted that the capital city of Bridgetown is undergoing sweeping structural changes designed to reposition it as a leading hospitality and accommodation hub that serves both international visitors and local residents.

    “When I ask those involved in tourism, what other similar period of time can we reflect on that had this volume of hotels and construction and new product going on, most cannot tell you a comparable period,” Mottley said of the current development boom.

    Against the backdrop of Barbados’ small geographic footprint, which spans just 166 square miles, Mottley addressed public concerns over growing development density by defending the government’s strategy of repurposing existing developed properties instead of clearing new inland land or pursuing large-scale land reclamation projects. She acknowledged that increasing population and development density remains a divisive issue, but argued that the approach is necessary to maintain high-quality public services and infrastructure for all Barbadians.

    “If this country is to finance its way, then it does need in many instances to increase its density, and that the status quo that worked for some will not be able to deliver a good life for the majority,” she explained.

    Mottley also walked through the evolution of Barbados’ national tourism model. She noted that in the decades following independence, the sector relied heavily on small, locally owned hospitality properties. While these establishments helped preserve Barbados’ unique national cultural identity, they often struggled to access global marketing networks and secure large-scale capital investment. The entry of major international hospitality brands like Royalton, she argued, represents a necessary evolution for the sector, as long as intentional steps are taken to preserve the country’s distinct national character.

    Tourism currently contributes approximately 45% of Barbados’ total gross domestic product, meaning nearly half of the country’s overall economic activity is tied directly to the hospitality sector. To ensure that the benefits of the current boom are shared broadly across the local economy, Mottley called on new resort developers to strengthen local supply chains by prioritizing goods and services from Barbadian farmers, manufacturers, artists, and other domestic providers. She pointed to successful local sourcing initiatives already implemented by the island’s cruise sector as a model for new hospitality developments to follow.

    The prime minister also extended public praise to the public servants and regulatory agencies that supported the delivery of the Royalton Vessence project, including her special envoy William Duguid and director general Gabrielle Springer.

    She closed her remarks by noting that Barbados has recently been named one of the world’s top tourism destinations for 2026 by a leading international travel publication, but warned against overconfidence as the country enters its new growth phase. “Let us not become giddy, let us not become distracted, let us stay on course,” Mottley said. She invoked a classic tourism campaign slogan from the early 1980s to rally public and industry support for the new era: “Tourism is our business. Let us play our part.”