Venezuela’s government said on Friday it had made an “irrevocable” decision to leave, justifying the move by alleging a “geographical bias” within the court
International News via Reuters:
A United Nations fact-finding body on Venezuela said on Monday it was “gravely concerned” over the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court and urged it to rejoin.
Venezuela’s government said on Friday it had made an “irrevocable” decision to leave, justifying the move by alleging a “geographical bias” within the court.
• The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela was formed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2019.
• By withdrawing, the Venezuelan government seeks to evade international processes designed to ensure accountability, the mission said.
• Venezuela has taken no meaningful action to investigate gross violations and international crimes committed over more than a decade, it added.
• The mission called on Venezuela to rejoin the ICC and cooperate fully with international justice mechanisms.
• The exit “serves only to reinforce impunity for human rights violations,” the mission said in a statement.
• In 2020, the ICC said there was a reasonable basis to believe civilian officials, members of the armed forces and pro-government individuals had committed crimes against humanity in Venezuela since at least 2017.
• In January 2025, the ICC closed its office in Caracas, citing a lack of cooperation from the Venezuelan government, which was then led by former President Nicolas Maduro.
• Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has become a close ally of the Trump administration, which has said it would seek to dismantle the ICC.
• The U.S. on Friday welcomed Venezuela’s decision to withdraw from the ICC, which it described as “corrupt” and “worthless” in a statement following Venezuela’s exit from the body.
Reporting by Reuters Staff;Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Matthew Lewis
The Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) has announced a temporary no-fly zone over the Somerset Cricket Club that will take effect during the Cup Match Classic.
The restriction will cover the airspace above and around the event, as illustrated in the diagram below, from the 30th through 31st of July 2026, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. A drone, operated by a BCAA-approved pilot, will be used for live broadcast coverage during the two-day match, which necessitates the creation of this no-fly zone
For the safety of event participants, spectators and the general public, please note that the flying of nonparticipating aircraft, unmanned aircraft (drones), microlights, gliders, airships and balloons will be prohibited in the temporary no-fly zone.
The BCAA would also like to remind the public that, as usual, rules and regulations are in place for the use of drones and other small unmanned aircraft, including the five permanent no-fly zones. For further details about these policies, visit the BCAA’s website at www.bcaa.bm/drone-operations.
About the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority The Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) is responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of aviation in Bermuda and all aircraft on the Bermuda Aircraft Registry.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Katy Kelly at katy@rbk.bm or Caroline March at caroline@rbk.bm.
Bermuda’s women’s field hockey team heads into the Central American and Caribbean Games with renewed confidence. After coming up short at the last CAC Games, the Lady Gombey Warriors have spent the past four years rebuilding, believing and preparing for another chance to compete with the region’s best.
Bermuda lost to Barbados 3-2 in their first match of the CAC Games on Sunday. They face rivals Jamaica on Tuesday.
They were racing against the clock as another heatwave is expected to hit both countries later this week in what has been a blisteringly hot and dry summer across Western Europe
International News via Reuters:
Firefighters sought on Monday to take advantage of more favourable weather conditions to subdue massive wildfires threatening the French city and tourist region of Bordeaux and a number of sites in neighbouring Spain.
They were racing against the clock as another heatwave is expected to hit both countries later this week in what has been a blisteringly hot and dry summer across Western Europe.
Authorities have evacuated about 220,000 people, including holidaymakers and local residents, in France, while further south in Spain around 100,000 have been told to leave their homes or seek shelter.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France was going through an ‘unprecedented fire season’, with the area burned already having surpassed the previous record year of 2022.
“The fight against wildfires begins with prevention. Nine out of 10 fires are human-caused and most arise from carelessness: a cigarette butt, a barbecue, work carried out without precaution,” he wrote on X.
Firefighters faced an especially dangerous situation in Vall d’Uixo, in the eastern Castellon province, where the ground contains old ordnance from the Spanish Civil War that explodes when the flames reach the area, Chevi Bolumar, fire chief of the Valencian regional government, told public broadcaster TVE.
The French blazes, which broke out last week near the Atlantic coast, were only 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from entry points to the main metropolitan area of Bordeaux. Eighty firefighters had been injured tackling the blaze, according to local officials.
President Emmanuel Macron was due to visit the region on Monday, his office said.
LOCALS SUFFER ‘EMOTIONAL LOSS’
The spread of the large fires converging in central Spain slowed overnight, authorities said, but the blaze in the Castellon province raged out of control as the weather agency warned of another potential heatwave this week.
“What we’re experiencing isn’t a succession of isolated events. It’s the most painful expression of a climate emergency that is making sixth-generation wildfires more ferocious, heatwaves more frequent, and our territory more vulnerable,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday.
The so-called sixth-generation fires are the most extreme and uncontrollable category of forest blazes. Many scientists blame such fires and heatwaves on human-driven climate change.
Maria Angeles Serrano, an evacuee in Castellon, said she was particularly upset about the impact on nature. “Material damage is one thing, but that can be repaired, so to speak. What really hurts is the emotional loss.”
BORDEAUX VINEYARDS NOT AFFECTED SO FAR
The wildfires in southwestern France have delivered a shock to the regional tourism-dependent economy, Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday.
However, the prized Bordeaux wine-growing areas have not been affected, said Christophe Chateau, communications director at the Bordeaux wine industry association CIVB, adding that drought, rather than fire, remained the industry’s biggest concern.
In central Spain, three separate fronts remained active in the mountains northwest of Madrid in the provinces of Madrid, Toledo and Avila. The one in Avila has been classified as the biggest wildfire in recent Spanish history.
“Today and tomorrow are absolutely crucial days in tackling this wildfire. From Wednesday onwards, weather forecasts become significantly more unfavourable,” said Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
France faced a similar situation, with slightly easier conditions on Monday before temperatures rise again to as high as 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) later this week in the Bordeaux area, according to France’s weather office.
In both Bordeaux and Avila, July high temperatures have averaged 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), almost 6 C above the month’s normal high between 1961 and 1990, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.
RESPONSE UNDER SCRUTINY
The scale of this summer’s wildfires in Europe is putting pressure on firefighting resources and raising questions about how to respond.
Aircraft from Turkey, Italy and Greece, as well as a Portuguese wildfire intervention team, are joining the firefighting efforts in Spain.
Switzerland is supporting France by sending two Super Puma helicopters and their crews after a request from Paris.
Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, Sybille de la Hamaide, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Dominque Vidalon, Inti Landauro, Manuel Ausloos, Elizabeth Howcroft, Yves Hermann, David Latona, Emma Pinedo, Javi West Larrinaga and Emma FargeWriting by Keith Weir, editing by Andrei Khalip
In the incident near Porte de Clichy, the man attacked the three women, aged 19, 24 and 36, with two kitchen knives, severely wounding two of them
International News via Reuters:
French police detained a man on Monday after he attacked three women with knives before bystanders pinned him to the ground and an off-duty police officer detained him, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters.
In the incident near Porte de Clichy, the man attacked the three women, aged 19, 24 and 36, with two kitchen knives, severely wounding two of them, Nunez said.
A video aired on Snapchat and verified by Reuters showed a man with long black hair wearing a cream tracksuit and wielding one big knife in each hand and attempting to attack and stab a young woman. It was unclear if the woman was injured.
“When I saw him stab a woman in the back, I started shouting, ‘Come on, let’s stop him!’ Several people stepped in,” Mohamed-Ali Bouhadjar, 26, who filmed the video and posted it on Snapchat, told Reuters.
“One person threw a suitcase at him. He dropped the knives. At that moment, I grabbed him, swept his legs out from under him, and we pinned him to the ground,” he added.
Another part of the video shows the same man in a tracksuit lying on the ground immobilised by bystanders, while the two knives are seen lying nearby on a pedestrian crossing.
“It is Allah who commanded me,” the man lying on the floor says.
Nunez said the man had been detained by an off-duty police officer. “I pay tribute to him, it was a courageous act,” he added.
The motive for the attack remains unknown, Nunez said, adding that police could not verify the identity of the attacker, whose declarations were “incoherent” while he was being arrested.
The French national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office said it was considering whether to open an investigation.
Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Inti Landauro, Abdul Saboor, additional reporting by Aaron McNicholas, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Gareth Jones and Hugh Lawson
Stamp duty on land and property raised £16.6 billion ($22.1 billion) for the government in the last financial year but many economists say it deters people from moving for work or downsizing, leaving the housing stock poorly used
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday ruled out any changes to stamp duty, a tax on home sales, at the next budget due later in the year.
Asked if the government would change or scrap stamp duty in the next budget, Burnham said: “Yes, I can say that quite clearly. That won’t be happening.”
Stamp duty on land and property raised £16.6 billion ($22.1 billion) for the government in the last financial year but many economists say it deters people from moving for work or downsizing, leaving the housing stock poorly used.
“It’s just not the case that we are bringing forward plans on that scale at this moment in time…What we’re trying to do though is to make taxation fairer,” Burnham, who became PM on July 20, told reporters.
Previously Burnham has said he may ask people to pay “a little more” in tax as the country faces major spending pressures from an ageing population and a need to rebuild its armed forces as well as broader investment goals.
The governing Labour Party’s 2024 manifesto ruled out increasing the rates of income tax, national insurance or value-added tax, which together account for nearly two thirds of total tax revenue.
($1 = 0.7516 pounds)
Reporting by Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young and Andy Bruce, editing by Alistair Smout
Team Bermuda celebrated a memorable day on the water by claiming first and second place in the 32nd Annual St Clair River Classic.
David Selley and Steven Bridges produced a flawless performance in the S-25 Team Bermuda boat, leading from the opening lap to the chequered flag to win the Super Stock class after controlling all 12 laps.
The victory was made even sweeter as fellow Bermudians Luis Martins and Nick Imprescia steered the S-12 Nuff Said boat into second place, completing a dominant one-two finish.
Although the Super Stock field featured just eight boats—fewer than expected—the competition remained fiercely contested. Selley and Bridges, however, never looked under pressure, maintaining their pace and composure throughout to secure an emphatic victory.
The one-two result capped an outstanding weekend for Bermuda’s powerboat racers and reinforced the island’s growing reputation on the international racing circuit.
Britain’s interior ministry declined to comment on individual cases, beyond saying it remains fully committed to members of the Hong Kong community in Britain
International News via Reuters:
Britain is looking again at an immigration order that a former Hong Kong political opposition leader must leave after a week’s visit, his lawyer said, after the order appeared at odds with UK policy on its former colony.
Wu Chi-Wai, a former leader of the now-defunct Democratic Party, had come to Britain last week to be reunited with his wife and son, after he was released in June from jail where he had been serving a sentence under China’s national security law.
Since the sweeping national security law was imposed on the city in 2020, the British government has made it easier for many Hong Kong residents to resettle by easing the residency requirements for the British National (Overseas) passport.
Wu’s lawyer said he had been stopped when he arrived at Heathrow Airport and told he could only stay for a week. His passport was also seized.
But lawyer Paul Harris said Wu was told on Monday that Border Force officials were now “revisiting the case”.
Britain’s interior ministry declined to comment on individual cases, beyond saying it remains fully committed to members of the Hong Kong community in Britain.
Wu’s treatment has sparked alarm among members of Hong Kong’s community in Britain.
Hong Kong’s history as a British colony means that many families have close ties to relatives in Britain who settled in the decades before 1997, when control of Hong Kong switched from Britain to China.
In February, the British government estimated that the easing of passport rules meant 170,000 Hong Kongers had moved since 2021, with a further 26,000 expected in five years under further easing.
Reporting by Kate Holton in London and Greg Torode in Hong Kong; Editing by Hugh Lawson
Bermuda’s Under-15 girls ended an impressive Goombay Cup campaign as runners-up after defeating hosts the Bahamas before narrowly losing a winner-takes-all clash against the Cayman Islands.
Knowing two victories on the final day would secure the title, Bermuda opened with a commanding performance before seeing their championship hopes ended in the tournament finale.
Bermuda made the perfect start against the Bahamas, taking the lead after just five minutes when sustained pressure forced an own goal.
The hosts responded before the interval to level the match at 1-1, but Bermuda took complete control after the restart.
Just one minute into the second half, Kierra Broadley-Samuels restored Bermuda’s advantage before adding her second goal only three minutes later to put her side firmly in command.
Tournament top scorer Priya Dill came off the bench to complete the scoring in the 43rd minute as Bermuda sealed an emphatic 4-1 victory.
The Goombay Cup came down to a final showdown with the Cayman Islands, with Bermuda needing victory to lift the trophy.
A disciplined defensive display ensured the teams remained locked at 0-0 through the first half in a tense and closely contested encounter.
The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when the Cayman Islands found the only goal of the match, leaving Bermuda chasing an equalizer.
Despite creating late pressure, Bermuda were unable to break through the Cayman defence, with the 1-0 defeat confirming the Cayman Islands as Goombay Cup champions.
Although the trophy slipped away in the final match, Bermuda’s campaign featured attacking football, resilient performances and another goal from Priya Dill. Finishing as runners-up provided further evidence of the promise within the island’s next generation of women’s football talent.
St George’s Cricket Club delivered a commanding all-round display to defeat Somerset Cricket Club by six wickets and lift the 2026 Colts Cup Match at Somerset Cricket Club.
Captain Keegan Jones produced a sensational spell with the ball before Logan Jones anchored a composed run chase, ensuring St George’s claimed the honours ahead of this week’s Annual Cup Match Classic.
After winning the toss and electing to field, St George’s were made to work hard early on as Somerset openers Callum MacFarlane and Patrick Dill shared an impressive 97-run opening partnership, putting the home side in complete control.
But the match turned dramatically once the first wicket fell.
With Somerset cruising at 97 without loss, Keegan Jones ripped through the batting order in devastating fashion. The skipper claimed 8 for 38 from 12.4 overs, including two maidens, as Somerset lost their final 10 wickets for just 42 runs to be dismissed for 139.
It was a match-winning spell that completely shifted the momentum and left St. George’s needing 140 for victory.
The chase was built around a superb 98-run third-wicket partnership between Logan Jones and Shane Robinson.
Jones paced the innings expertly, scoring 79 from 97 balls, striking 10 fours, while Robinson provided the acceleration with a fluent 50 from 60 deliveries, including seven fours and two sixes.
Although Callum McIntosh briefly raised Somerset’s hopes with figures of 2 for 47, St George’s remained in control, reaching 140 for 4 to complete a comfortable six-wicket victory.
With Keegan Jones producing one of the finest bowling performances of the season and Logan Jones guiding the chase with a captain’s knock of his own, St George’s head into the Annual Cup Match Classic with confidence after an emphatic Colts Cup triumph over their traditional rivals.
Bermuda’s athletes experienced mixed fortunes as the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games continued, with rugby sevens providing the day’s standout result.
The men’s rugby sevens team opened day two with a convincing 21-7 victory over Guatemala. Steven Doyling scored two first-half tries, both converted by Hadleigh Tucker, before Tucker added a try and conversion of his own to complete the win. Bermuda were unable to finish the day unbeaten, however, falling 20-14 to the Dominican Republic despite tries from Tucker and Aiden Kendall.
In hockey, Bermuda’s women suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Barbados after surrendering a two-goal lead. Robin Stempel and Elizabeth Davidson had given Bermuda control before Barbados mounted a second-half comeback.
There were difficult outings in beach volleyball, with Benjamin Barnett and Connor Somerville losing in straight sets to Mexico, while Natalie Gazzard and Megan Hands were beaten by Nicaragua.
In tennis, Trey Mallory and Daniel Phillips exited the men’s doubles after taking the opening set against Venezuela, only to lose the next two, including a deciding match tiebreak.
While results were mixed across the competition, Bermuda’s victory over Guatemala highlighted another determined day of competition against some of the Caribbean and Central America’s strongest nations.
Against the yen, the U.S. dollar was down 0.2% at 163.53 yen, on course for its sharpest daily decline since July 10
International News via Reuters:
The dollar dropped against other major currencies on Monday, after the U.S. paused its bombing in Iran, which dragged oil prices lower and lifted investor confidence ahead of a busy week of central bank meetings.
Against the yen, the U.S. dollar was down 0.2% at 163.53 yen, on course for its sharpest daily decline since July 10. The euro was up 0.3% at $1.1404, while the pound rose 0.1% to $1.333.
Oil prices sank, with Brent crude tumbling 6.5% to $90.45 per barrel after the U.S. military temporarily halted its two-week-long strikes.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the U.S. does the same, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday, following a China-led push to resume stalled diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to end the war.
The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency’s strength against a basket of six others, was flat at 101.27 ahead of the Federal Reserve’s July 28-29 policy meeting.
With new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh offering little guidance on the policy outlook, markets have dramatically recalibrated rate expectations this month, first after a softer-than-expected inflation report and then in response to an escalation in U.S.-Iran hostilities that briefly lifted crude above $100 a barrel.
Fed funds futures are pricing a one-in-three chance of a 25-basis-point hike on Wednesday, up from a 16% probability a week ago, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool.
“It could be that the market is not particularly well-informed after this meeting because Warsh doesn’t like to give forward guidance, and there is so much uncertainty, particularly with respect to how long the Iran war will last,” said Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank.
The Bank of England and Bank of Japan are widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at their meetings on Thursday and Friday, respectively, while maintaining a cautious stance on inflation.
POLICY UNCERTAINTY
With the yen pinned near last week’s 40-year lows against the dollar, the Bank of Japan is expected to leave the door open to further hikes to arrest the currency’s decline, although policymakers will likely stay ambiguous on the pace and timing of the moves. Verbal efforts to support the Japanese currency have so far yielded muted results.
“There is a sense of walking on eggshells when the Fed and Japan’s authorities are prepared to be less predictable and when there is not a great understanding of what could happen next between the U.S. and Iran,” wrote Paul Mackel, HSBC’s global head of FX research.
“We still side with favouring the dollar.”
Sterling was up for a second day after hitting multi-week lows of $1.330 against the dollar last week.
The Bank of England also faces renewed inflation risks from higher oil prices, just days after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Finance Minister John Healey took office.
The Norwegian crown strengthened 0.4% to 9.567 per dollar. The currency has been among the best-performing majors this month, buoyed by a rebound in oil prices that has improved the outlook for the energy-exporting economy.
In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin was up about 1% at $65,155.60, while ether climbed 2.7% to its highest since June 2 at $1,963.70.
Reporting by Gregor Stuart Hunter in Singapore and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Amanda Cooper and Mrigank Dhaniwala
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