CBC News Barbados

As Barbados joins the world in celebrating the inaugural International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with Responsibility for Culture Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight says this occasion holds deep significance for us as a nation. In a statement, the Minister notes throughout the months of September, October, and November, countries and communities across the globe will engage in various events and activities to highlight the significance of intangible cultural heritage and its role in shaping our identities and cultures. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Team will visit both primary and secondary schools across the country to further educate students, and how we can collectively contribute to its safeguarding. Barbados submitted two nominations in March 2024 – road tennis and the Barbados Landship – for inscription on the UNESCO 2003 convention lists. By December 2025, Barbados will learn whether these nominations have been successful.

Here is tonight’s weather forecast according to the Barbados Meteorological Services. Weather Forecasts Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Synopsis: Weak unstable conditions are affecting the island. General Forecast: Mix of clear skies and clouds with a few brief scattered light showers. Tomorrow From 6:00 a.m. Synopsis: A tropical wave will be approaching the region. General Forecast: Mix of sunshine and clouds with the occasional scattered light to moderate showers during the afternoon across western and northwestern districts. Wind Forecasts Gentle easterly breeze at around 20 km/h (12 mph). Tomorrow From 6:00 a.m. Gentle easterly to east-southeasterly breeze at around 20 km/h (12 mph). Marine Forecasts Tonight From 6:00 p.m. Moderate in open water with north-easterly swells ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 meters ( 5 to 7 ft.). Small craft operators and sea bathers along western coastlines should exercise caution. Tomorrow From 6:00 a.m. Moderate in open water with north-easterly swells ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 meters ( 5 to 7 ft.). Small craft operators and sea bathers along western coastlines should exercise caution. Extreme Temperatures Max. Air Temp for Today 31.9 °CMin. Air Temp for Today 24.4 °C

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Police officers in riot gear, used tear gas Wednesday, in a bid to end protest action by truckers, who used their vehicles to block the main highway on the west coast of the island, leaving hundreds of people stranded and unable to travel to work and school. “We are hoping that some common sense will prevail. Our position still remains the same. We really would want to have guarantees that every time there is a project on island that we have some form of say in it. “We all have to eat and survive in the same country,” said Everson Magloire of the Tipper Truckers Association, as he sought shelter from the tear gas dispersed by the police at Canefield, three miles north of the capital. “As long as the government has a contract, give it to any company, we the locals need 80 per cent of the work, that’s what we want,” said another trucker. The government has not issued any statement regarding the protest, but in 2021, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit ”assured the truckers my government was sympathetic to their plight,” after he and senior government ministers and officials held talks with several truckers to address their problems. The truckers have in the past accused the Skerrit government of favouring foreign trucking firms on national projects and from early Wednesday they parked their dump and trailer trucks across the lanes on the EO Leblanc Highway, blocking access into and out of the capital. Residents in nearby communities say that they have been affected by the tear gas, with one woman saying “I was in my house with my seven children …when the tear gas started coming in. Trucks were used to block the main highway into the capital of Dominica, Roseau. (Photo via CMC) “We have seven young children under the age of 12, a bay just a year old experiencing this kind of thing. It has been very bad,” she told reporters. One of the protestors said  he is disappointed with the  action of the police “because there was no need to use tear gas against us” Attorney Ronald  Charles, representing one of the truckers who had been arrested, said his client had been charged with “assault and released on station bail”. He said his client was beaten and he has since advised that he seek medical attention. “He will appear in court tomorrow where the charge will be read to him and we will take it from there,”  Charles said.