A call for responsible driving during Cup Match went out today from Government, the Bermuda Road Safety Council and CADA (SCROLL down for full press conference).
Transport Minister Owen Darrell, BRSC Chair Altonio Roberts and CADA Chair Anthony Santucci echoed each other…
Minister Darrell also addressed the latest road traffic fatality on Sunday night, offering condolences to the family.
We have now reached ten road deaths so far this year, more than the annual statistics for 2025 and 2024.
Unless we arrest this trend, we are on target to equal the deadliest years on our roads of the last 25 years – 17 deaths per year in 2021 and 2008.
Minister Darrell eschewed talking about statistics regarding the most recent road fatality, but affirmed that Government was focused on updating laws to improve road safety…
Citizens are also expected to vote on changes to the constitution and for local representatives, the calendar showed
International News via Reuters:
Haiti’s CEP electoral council on Monday scheduled the first presidential elections in a decade for December with a runoff in February, after plans to hold the vote in August with a December runoff were postponed over security concerns.
Haiti has not held elections since 2016.
Its last president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in 2021, after delaying a vote. Successive governments have been tasked with holding an election but said insecurity amid a conflict with powerful armed gangs made it impossible.
The council on Monday published a calendar setting a first round of Haiti’s presidential and legislative elections for December 13 with a runoff vote on February 21. It also set the publication of final results for March 7.
Citizens are also expected to vote on changes to the constitution and for local representatives, the calendar showed.
The council highlighted that the calendar depended on “the establishment of an acceptable security climate and the necessary funds to pursue electoral operations.”
Earlier this month, the council said it had begun registering voters and training electoral security agents, and published a definitive list of over 300 political parties approved to compete in the coming electoral process.
Ongoing gang violence has made analysts skeptical that new election dates will remain in place. The ripple effects include chronic food shortages, extortion, ransom kidnappings and forced displacements, piling on even more challenges to ensuring a free, fair vote. Some 12% of Haiti’s population live in makeshift camps or with host families.
Violent armed gangs, largely grouped under a broad alliance known as Viv Ansanm, have taken control of most of the capital Port-au-Prince, whose metropolitan area is home to around a quarter of the population. Gangs have also expanded to central and rural Haiti.
Viv Ansanm, which itself has been seeking political recognition, has been designated a terrorist organization by Washington and is accused of mass kidnappings, gang rapes, arson, indiscriminate killings, and gun, organ and drug trafficking.
CEP President Jacques Desrosiers told Reuters late last year that the council had evaluated hundreds of voting centers, but access later worsened as armed gangs expanded outside the capital.
Reporting by Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon
Washington abruptly suspended a two-week campaign of air strikes against Iran on Saturday in the president’s latest strategic U-turn in the five-month-old conflict
International News via Reuters:
President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States was having “good talks” with Iran and there was a chance of a deal over their conflict, but warned U.S. strikes would resume if the negotiations failed to deliver.
Washington abruptly suspended a two-week campaign of air strikes against Iran on Saturday in the president’s latest strategic U-turn in the five-month-old conflict.
“We’re talking right now,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We’re having good talks… I think there’s a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good, if it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”
In contrast to the president’s seemingly optimistic remarks, Tehran appeared to quickly test the pause in the U.S. military campaign, with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reporting drone attacks on Monday.
Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones aimed at petroleum targets, including in the capital Riyadh. It said the drones had been launched from Iraq by Iran-backed armed groups, and it reserved the right to respond.
Separately, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen said they had targeted the 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West Pipeline carrying oil to Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea port of Yanbu, in retaliation for what they said were Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.
Iran has said it is not seeking to resume peace talks with the U.S., although it would pause its own attacks for as long as Trump’s self-imposed ceasefire continues.
Tehran also said it was still in control of the contested Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for global energy supplies, which Trump has demanded vessels be able to pass through freely.
OIL PRICES TUMBLE
The end of the U.S. campaign after 13 successive nights of intensifying bombing and Trump’s remarks on talks with Tehran sent oil prices tumbling. Brent crude, which had briefly ticked above $100 a barrel last week for the first time since May, fell around 8.2% on Monday to just below $89, having fallen as low as $87.55.
Trump’s decision to suspend the campaign reflected advice from his military that the bombing had reached the limits of what it could achieve, according to a U.S. official and several U.S. media reports.
The U.S. official told Reuters that military commanders had advised the president they were running out of targets. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, had expressed concern over the depletion of air munitions, the official said.
‘NOT IN OUR DNA’ TO ASK FOR TALKS, IRAN SAYS
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, said on Sunday that Trump had paused the campaign to allow room for negotiations. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials have described Iran as “begging for a deal”.
But Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a televised press conference on Monday that Iran had not asked to resume peace talks with the United States.
Messages were still being passed between the sides through mediators and Iran had not forsaken diplomacy, but “reports about Iran requesting negotiations with the U.S. are fabricated,” Baghaei said. “This is not in our DNA.”
IRAN MEDIA SAY SIX SHIPS TURNED BACK
Several Iranian state media outlets cited an “informed source” as saying that Iran had turned around six “offending ships” on Monday morning that had attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.
Trump launched his renewed bombing campaign to punish Iran after Tehran fired on ships using a route promoted by the United States, which told vessels to sail close to the coast of Oman.
Iran says ships may pass only through a Hormuz channel that runs closer to its own coast, which it controls and where it intends to impose transit fees.
The two weeks of renewed U.S. bombing killed scores of people in Iran and destroyed bridges and tunnels across the south as well as military targets.
Four U.S. service members were killed by Iran’s return fire against U.S. bases in neighbouring Arab states. Iran also struck civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries in what it said was retaliation for U.S. strikes on civilian targets.
The U.S. bombing halt leaves no clear indication of what leverage Washington can exert to achieve Trump’s aim to break Iran’s grip on the strait.
Washington and Tehran reached an agreement in June on a framework for talks meant to take place by the end of August to resolve major issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme.
But the sides have disputed the meaning of the memorandum’s language about the strait, with Washington insisting it requires Tehran to allow free travel while Iran says it grants it the authority to supervise transit.
Additional reporting by Muayad Hameed in Iraq. Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter and Cynthia Osterman
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
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