Motorists urged to use Hermitage detour via South Road
The Ministry of Public Works and Environment advises the motoring public that paving works on Verdmont Road in Smith’s are expected to cause traffic delays this evening between Hermitage Road and St. Mark’s Road.
Motorists are encouraged to avoid this section of road during the rush-hour period and to plan alternative routes where possible.
To help reduce congestion in the area, the Ministry advises motorists to use the detour route via Hermitage Road at Collector’s Hill to South Road, and to use Middle Road or South Road when travelling east or west.
Delays are expected as works continue in the area, and motorists are urged to exercise caution and follow any traffic management measures in place. The Ministry thanks the public for its patience and cooperation while these paving works are carried out.
Governments host civil society consultation on Hamilton II draft
On the 20 March, the Governments of Bermuda and the United Kingdom hosted the first civil society engagement and formal consultation on the draft text for a Hamilton II Declaration at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Studies (ASU BIOS).
Representatives from 24 organisations were represented at the meeting, where they were able to discuss the process and draft text, and exchange views on Ocean protection.
A joint initiative, the Hamilton II Declaration, which builds on the first Hamilton Declaration that created the Sargasso Sea Commission, aims to seek political support to protect the Sargasso Sea under the BBNJ Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, sometimes now referred to as the ‘High Seas Treaty’.
The groundbreaking BBNJ Agreement came into force in January this year, and when States first meet at a Conference of Parties, scheduled to take place before 17 January 2027, consideration will turn to identifying what areas of the high seas should be prioritised for protection. Both the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Bermuda consider that the Sargasso Sea should be protected, and the Declaration is intended to galvanise international support to make that happen.
Chaired jointly by representatives from the Governments of Bermuda and the United Kingdom, the engagement and consultation event on Friday 20th March:
Introduced the draft Hamilton II Declaration and its aims
Explained the Declaration’s relevance to Bermuda
Captured feedback on the draft Declaration text
Explained how the Declaration will fit into the BBNJ Agreement process and
Explained how the Declaration will fit into the BBNJ Agreement process and identified the role and importance of consultation
Sought to elicit views on where attendees may be able to assist in gathering information relevant to a collective proposal for Area Based Management Tools (ABMTs) under Article 19 of the Agreement
The Hon, Jache Adams, JP, MP, Minister of Public Works and Environment, said “Protecting the Sargasso Sea has long been a priority for Bermuda. The Hamilton II Declaration is the next step in bringing countries together to take real action. With the support of our community and international partners, we now have an opportunity to turn that goal into lasting protection.”
The Governor, Andrew Murdoch CMG, said “I’m delighted to welcome to Bermuda the UK Ocean policy leads from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to take part in this important event alongside their colleagues in the Government of Bermuda. The draft Declaration was compiled by a small group of experts. It is not a final text and will be subject to a thorough process of consultation to ensure the final text achieves its aim with maximum support, particularly amongst those States that will decide on a proposal under the BBNJ treaty. As part of that consultation process, it is important that members of civil society in Bermuda, including our scientists, charities, and fishermen, have a voice in that process. The Sargasso Sea is a globally important area, and it is great to see Bermuda, as the only land territory in the Sargasso Sea, playing a leading role in seeking its protection.”
David Freestone, Executive Secretary, Sargasso Sea Commission Secretariat said “The Sargasso Sea Commission is delighted to support this timely new initiative by Bermuda and the United Kingdom. We have just completed a comprehensive scientific analysis that we can now use to highlight key threats and identify appropriate conservation proposals. We look forward to hearing the feedback of Bermudians and Bermuda residents.”
Craig Carlson, President of Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (ASU BIOS) and Professor of Marine Microbiology in the ASU School of Ocean Futures said ‘The Sargasso Sea provides an extraordinary natural laboratory for understanding ocean eco-systems and long-term environmental change. Initiatives like the Hamilton II Declaration highlight how scientific research can guide international collaboration to protect critical ocean regions beyond national jurisdiction. I was delighted to attend this discussion, and it was our pleasure to host this meeting on campus’.
Representatives from the United Kingdom and Bermuda Governments will now travel to New York to attend the Preparatory Commission for the BBNJ Agreement where they will jointly host a Hamilton II side event on 25 March 2026, as part of the process to engage States on the draft text and encourage signature of the final agreed Declaration ahead of the first Conference of Parties.
The NTSB, an independent safety agency, is leading the investigation into the fatal collision of the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet with a firetruck at LaGuardia Airport
International News via Reuters:
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that a system which would have allowed a New York airport controller to track movement of aircraft and vehicles did not alert during a Sunday night collision between an Air Canada commercial jet and a truck that killed two pilots.
The NTSB, an independent safety agency, is leading the investigation into the fatal collision of the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet with a firetruck at LaGuardia Airport. The flight, operated by regional partner Jazz Aviation, had 72 passengers and four crew.
The truck, which was on its way to assist another plane that had reported an emergency, crossed the runway just nine seconds before the crash, according to the plane’s cockpit voice recorder.
“ASDE-X did not generate an alert due to the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging near the runway, resulting in the inability to create a track of high confidence,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters in New York.
ASDE-X, or the Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X, is a surveillance system designed to help reduce runway incursions that allows air traffic controllers to track surface movement of aircraft and vehicles.
TRUCK LACKED TRANSPONDER
Homendy also said the truck did not have a transponder, unlike similar vehicles at other airports in the U.S. The Federal Aviation Administration has encouraged airports to equip firetrucks with transponders because it makes the vehicles’ movement easier to track at busy airports.
She said it is unclear if an alerting technology would have prevented the incident since it happened so fast.
Air crashes typically are caused by multiple factors with the investigation’s goal to improve aviation safety and not assign blame.
U.S. air safety experts have said communications between the plane that was landing, the controller and the trucks would be key areas of the investigation. The collision has raised questions about the controller’s workload and staffing at the busy New York airport.
The NTSB, which has sounded the alarm about close calls and runway incursions for years, last month found the deadly January 2025 mid-air collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter was caused in part because the high workload “degraded controller performance and situation awareness”.
Homendy said the tower had standard staffing for a Sunday night. She added that there were two controllers working in a glass-enclosed section of the airport’s traffic control tower.
Homendy said on Tuesday that the NTSB will interview the local controller who started at 10:45 p.m. ET after a shift change 15 minutes earlier and whose interactions with different planes and the truck were heard on liveatc.net. A separate controller in charge was providing clearances for departing aircraft.
It is not clear who was conducting the duties of ground controller, or assigning directions to airport vehicles.
Air traffic controllers make the decisions about when planes can land and take off, and when ground vehicles can enter runways. The controller who made the call for the Air Canada flight to land had been trying to find a gate for a separate United Airlines flight that complained of a bad odor, according to the recording.
The incident has raised questions about whether the controller was distracted by the United Airlines flight, which had declared an emergency.
“I would caution pointing fingers at controllers and saying distraction was involved,” she said. “This is a heavy workload environment.”
Reporting By David Shepardson in New York and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis
U.S. space agency chief Jared Isaacman, an appointee of President Donald Trump who took charge at NASA in December, announced an array of changes to the Artemis moon program
International News via Reuters:
NASA announced on Tuesday it has canceled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon’s surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
U.S. space agency chief Jared Isaacman, an appointee of President Donald Trump who took charge at NASA in December, announced an array of changes to the Artemis moon program including an aim to send more robotic landers to the moon and lay the groundwork for using nuclear power on the lunar surface.
NASA also disclosed plans to launch a spacecraft called Space Reactor 1 Freedom to Mars before the end of 2028 in a mission it said would demonstrate advanced nuclear electric propulsion in deep space. NASA called this a major step forward in bringing nuclear power and propulsion from the laboratory to space. NASA said the spacecraft, once it reaches Earth’s planetary neighbor, will deploy helicopters for exploring Mars.
The Lunar Gateway station, largely already built with contractors Northrop Grumman and Intuitive Machines subsidiary Lanteris Space Systems, was meant to be a space station in a lunar orbit.
“It should not really surprise anyone that we are pausing Gateway in its current form and focusing on infrastructure that supports sustained operations on the lunar surface,” Isaacman told a crowd of foreign delegates, companies and journalists at a day-long event at NASA’s headquarters in Washington.
Repurposing Lunar Gateway to create a base on the moon’s surface – a difficult undertaking – leaves uncertain the future roles of Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency in the Artemis program, three key NASA partners that had agreed to provide components for the orbital station.
“Despite some of the very real hardware and schedule challenges, we can repurpose equipment and international partner commitments to support surface and other program objectives,” Isaacman said.
European Space Agency chief Josef Aschbacher, who attended the event, told Reuters he will study the new plans and continue talking to NASA about them.
Lunar Gateway was designed to serve as both a research platform and a transfer station that astronauts would use to board the moon landers before descending to the lunar surface. NASA’s current plans call for landing astronauts on the moon’s surface in 2028.
The changes made by Isaacman in recent weeks on the flagship U.S. moon program are reshaping billions of dollars worth of contracts under the Artemis umbrella, sending companies scrambling to accommodate the extra U.S. urgency as China makes progress toward its own planned 2030 moon landing.
Central to the Artemis program is its astronaut lunar lander program, with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin both racing to develop moon landers for NASA. The two companies, each targeting an initial crewed landing on the moon in 2028, have fallen behind schedule.
The Artemis program, begun in 2017 during Trump’s first term as president, envisions regular lunar missions as NASA’s long-awaited follow-up to its first moon missions in the Apollo program that ended in 1972.
Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Jan Harvey
The Pentagon plans to send thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region, adding to the military buildup even as the Trump administration seeks talks with Iran
International News via Reuters:
The dollar strengthened on Tuesday as investors dialed back expectations for a quick end to the Middle East conflict, reversing some of Monday’s optimism-fueled moves.
The Pentagon plans to send thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region, adding to the military buildup even as the Trump administration seeks talks with Iran.
“Geopolitical headlines this afternoon pushed the dollar and oil to their session highs on reports of U.S. plans to deploy an airborne division to the Middle East,” said Uto Shinohara, senior investment strategist at Mesirow Currency Management in Chicago. “Elevated headline risk is reflected through high market sensitivity to such news.”
In afternoon trading, the dollar rose 0.3% against the yen to 158.98 yen, while the dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against a basket of peers, advanced 0.2% to 99.42 after dropping to a near two-week low on Monday.
The index has strengthened 1.8% this month, on track for its strongest monthly gain since October, as the conflict fueled safe-haven demand.
The euro slid 0.3% against the dollar to $1.1584, after gaining 0.4% in the previous trading session.
Sterling fell 0.5% versus the dollar to $1.3383 after jumping nearly 1% on Monday.
With geopolitics and energy still steering markets, investors showed little reaction to data on U.S. business activity, which slowed to an 11-month low in March as the war raised energy and other input costs, reinforcing concerns that inflation could accelerate.
Markets rallied on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East.” Iran denied it had engaged in any direct negotiations. Trump’s comments gave investors hope for a short war, but now markets seem to be taking a more measured tone.
“With risk of escalation and the jump in U.S. rates, tough to sell the U.S. dollar,” said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Capital Markets in New York.
Survey data on Friday showed early signs that the war was starting to hit the global economy. Business activity in the euro zone and Britain fell to multi-month lows, suggesting Europe was already suffering economically from the conflict.
SEVERE DISRUPTION OF ENERGY TRADE
Contrasting comments and a new wave of fighting have left markets in flux, with investors mindful that the war has all but halted shipments of about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices rose again on Tuesday after plunging more than 10% on Monday.
The expected inflationary impact from the jump in energy prices has also prompted markets to scale back expectations of rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
Markets have priced in at least two hikes each from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England this year.
The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with Fed rate expectations, rose 8.7 basis points to 3.919% on Tuesday after dropping over 6 bps on Monday. [US/]
Reporting by Laura Matthews in New York; Additional reporting by Samuel Indyk in London, Jiaxing Li in Hong Kong and Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Barbara Lewis, Ros Russell and Edmund Klamann
The name of Fabrice Aidan appeared in more than 200 documents released by the U.S. Justice Department
International News via Reuters:
French investigators searched the Paris offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild as part of an inquiry into alleged corruption involving a French diplomat named in documents linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The name of Fabrice Aidan, a middle-ranking French diplomat who was seconded to the United Nations from 2006 to 2013 and later worked at the bank, appeared in more than 200 documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.
These include emails he is alleged to have sent Epstein between 2010 and 2016 from his personal and U.N. accounts.
Some of the emails reviewed by Reuters show the transfer of U.N. Security Council briefings and other confidential documents to Epstein during that period.
Aidan has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The French Foreign Ministry said it had completed an administrative investigation, performing about 30 interviews. The ministry said all current and former staff members who had been summoned to its investigation had cooperated, adding that it was available to judicial authorities and was considering disciplinary proceedings.
The search was carried out on Friday in the presence of Ariane de Rothschild, the Swiss bank’s boss, a source close to the bank said.
Edmond de Rothschild was cooperating fully with the justice system in the investigation led by the financial prosecutor, the same source said, adding that an internal inquiry had been launched as soon as suspicions emerged concerning the former employee, who worked at the bank from 2014 to 2016.
A spokesperson for the bank declined to comment.
ACCUSATIONS OF ‘PASSIVE CORRUPTION’
The investigation is being led by officers from France’s central office against corruption and financial and tax offences, which questioned Aidan in a voluntary interview in late February.
The French financial prosecutor’s office said it was investigating accusations of passive corruption of a foreign public official and complicity in that crime, targeting Aidan in particular.
When asked if it was looking into Epstein links with the Geneva-based Edmond de Rothschild, Swiss financial regulator Finma said it considered all reliable information in its supervision and conducted in-depth reviews when in doubt about the integrity of business activities.
Swiss federal prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they were also investigating. A spokesperson for the Geneva prosecutor’s office declined to comment on whether any measures were taken in the city.
Ariane de Rothschild also appeared in the files released by the U.S. Justice Department in January, which showed she kept up a years-long personal correspondence with Epstein before his 2019 arrest.
After the files were released, a spokesperson for the bank said that Epstein was a business acquaintance of de Rothschild from 2013 to 2019. De Rothschild had no knowledge of Epstein’s conduct, the spokesperson said.
Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, Makini Brice and Charlotte van Campenhout,Additional reporting by John O’Donnell, Emma Farge and Oliver HirtEditing by Bart Meijer, Kevin Liffey and Alex Richardson
The findings of an international review of corrections facilities are ready and will be made public; OBA’s Robert King calls for better rehabilitation programmes for inmates
Shadow National Security Minister Robert King recently claimed there is a lack of rehabilitation programming for prison inmates, and a risk of burnout for Corrections Officers.
His concerns may or may not be validated by an international peer review of Bermuda’s correctional facilities – which Attorney General Kim Wilkerson today confirmed is complete.
Ms Wilkerson, also Minister of Justice, adds that the findings will be shared with the public, and she promises swift implementation of recommendations – especially those that keep prison officers safe.
Corrections has moved from National Security to the Ministry of Justice, but the OBA’s Mr King, a former Probation Officer, still wanted to highlight possible issues within Westgate.
After a nine-year hiatus, a cherished Bermudian tradition is making its return. Today at a press conference held at BELCO, organizers announced the revival of the Good Friday Kite Festival, bringing back a celebration that has long been a part of Bermuda’s cultural identity.
Hosted by Spanish Town Entertainment and supported by Smith Technologies Ltd, the festival aims to reconnect families and communities through kite flying and shared traditions. We spoke with Eugene Dean and Dion Smith, who shared more about the importance of bringing the event back and what the public can expect.
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The information session will be held on Wednesday, March 25th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bermuda College North Hall G301 theatre
Full news release from the Ministry of Justice:
The Department of Corrections is reminding members of the public that its recruitment information session will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 March 2026, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bermuda College North Hall G301 theatre.
The session forms part of the Department’s current recruitment drive to attract Bermudians who are interested in pursuing a career as Corrections Officers.
Members of the public who may be considering a career in corrections are encouraged to attend to learn more about the role, the responsibilities of the profession, the training involved, and the career pathways available within the Department of Corrections.
Applications for the current recruitment drive will close on 17 April 2026, and interested persons are encouraged to submit their applications through the Government Careers web portal at https://govtcareers.gov.bm/.
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Sen. the Hon. Kim Wilkerson, JP, encourages interested members of the public to attend tomorrow’s session.
“This event is an important opportunity for anyone who may be curious about a career in corrections to come out, ask questions, and gain a clearer understanding of what the role involves,” said Minister Wilkerson.
“Not everyone will know from the outset whether this profession is right for them, and that is precisely why this session matters.
“It gives people a chance to hear directly from the Department, better understand the responsibilities and expectations of the role, and learn about the training and career development that come with it.”
Minister Wilkerson added: “A career in corrections is one of service, discipline and purpose. It is also a profession in which individuals can make a real contribution to public safety and to the rehabilitation of others.
“I encourage Bermudians who are looking for a meaningful career path, or who may simply want to learn more before deciding whether to apply, to attend tomorrow evening’s session. It could be the first step towards a rewarding and impactful profession.”
The Bermuda Police Service can confirm the arrests of three suspects, a 22-year-old, a 21-year-old, and a 19-year-old, all males, in connection with the fatal shooting of 26-year-old, Kawaje Raynor.
Mr. Raynor, a father of two small children, was outside his residence with others, at around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2026, when two suspects arrived at the property on a dark coloured motorcycle. The suspects entered the yard and discharged a firearm multiple times, fatally shooting Mr. Raynor. The suspects then fled the scene traveling west along the Railway Trail.
The three suspects arrested remain in custody at this time
The Bermuda Police Service wish to thank those members of the public who have so far worked with us to progress this investigation by coming forward and sharing information.
Detective Sergeant Mark Raposo, the Senior Investigating Officer assigned to this matter, stated: “Without the support of the community, the investigative team and units from across the service, we may not have made the progress we’ve been able to achieve thus far. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. However, we believe there are individuals who may have pertinent information about this incident but are yet to contact us. We urge you to please reach out. Help bring to justice all those responsible for Mr. Raynor’s death.”
Should you have any information regarding the circumstances involved in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Kawaje Raynor and have not yet made contact with us. We urge you to please do so as soon as you are able to. Please contact Detective Sergeant, Mark Raposo on 717-2487 or via e-mail at, mraposo@bps.bm
You may also provide information anonymously, via the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers number, 800-8477 or, speak with an officer you know and trust. Another option would be to provide the information via the Community reporting portal at, portal.police.bm.
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