Education & Nutrition: Barbados rolled out a national school breakfast programme for about 17,000 nursery and primary public school students, aiming to ease hunger and support parents as the new term begins, while Education Transformation Minister Chad Blackman also warned schools are “hands off” for firms marketing ultra-processed foods to children. School Readiness & Works: The Barbados Union of Teachers flagged late maintenance and upgrades at some schools—extending into planning week or finishing over the weekend—creating dust and cleaning concerns and making it harder for teachers to prepare classrooms on time. Agriculture & Biosecurity: Government renewed focus on protecting the pig industry from African swine fever, with the Chief Veterinary Officer urging continued vigilance through surveillance, testing and biosecurity against animal and foodborne diseases. Productivity & Workforce: UWI Cave Hill warned productivity is slipping as the workforce shrinks, with labour force down about 2,700 in the first half of the year and productivity growth averaging just 0.8% since 2018. Justice & Courts: District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court began virtual hearings to reduce delays, ease remand prisoner transport, and improve court efficiency. Energy & Trade Links: Prime Minister Mia Mottley met Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez on cooperation covering energy, food security, farmers and fishers, clean-energy tech, and trade and tourism links. Regional Business: CIBC Caribbean reported a strong nine-month run, with net income up 46% to US$167.7m, citing revenue, loan and deposit growth plus digital and resilience efforts. Tech & Governance: CARTAC hosted an AI-focused public financial management workshop for Caribbean governments on “digital by design.” Marine & Fisheries Skills: Barbados hosted practical training on sustainable fisheries and marine spatial planning using BRUV underwater video systems.