The drum – known as “Djidji Ayokwè”, meaning Panther-Lion in the Atchan language – is more than three metres long and weighs nearly 400 kg, according to Ivory Coast’s culture ministry
International News via Reuters:
Traditional chiefs wearing crowns and gold chains gathered at Ivory Coast’s main airport on Friday to welcome the return of a “talking drum” looted more than a century ago, the first artifact returned to the West African country by former colonial power France.
The drum – known as “Djidji Ayokwè”, meaning Panther-Lion in the Atchan language – is more than three metres long and weighs nearly 400 kg, according to Ivory Coast’s culture ministry.
It was used by the Atchan people, native to southern Ivory Coast, to alert locals to forced labour operations being carried out by colonizers and to mobilize fighters.
The Ivorian culture ministry is seeking the restitution of 148 artifacts from France, and the talking drum, previously displayed at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, is the first to make the return journey.
Confiscated in 1916, the talking drum was initially kept at the governor’s palace in Abidjan before being sent to France in 1930, according to the culture ministry.
“This is a historic day, and I am deeply moved,” Françoise Remarck, Ivory Coast’s minister of culture and Francophonie, said during Friday’s ceremony, punctuated by traditional songs and war dances.
Pressure has grown in recent years for former colonial powers such as France and Britain to return artefacts taken from Africa and Asia.
Donning a traditional loincloth, Gervais Djoman, chief of an Atchan village, told Reuters on Friday that the return of the talking drum was a source of joy and pride for the Atchan people.”We are reclaiming our identity. Psychologically, something had been taken from us,” he said.
Reporting and writing by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet
Minister praises Royal Bermuda Regiment contingent after hurricane recovery work in St Elizabeth
A recent regimental deployment to Jamaica to provide humanitarian aid following Hurricane Melissa has been described as a “demonstration of solidarity between small islands that understand the realities of vulnerability to extreme weather events.”
The comment came from Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security, who said Bermuda is making a “huge statement on the international stage about cooperation and collaboration amongst regional partners in times of distress and need.”
He told parliamentarians that the two-week deployment of 27 soldiers, approved by Cabinet, cost just over $241,000.
The troops were embedded with the Engineer Regiment of the Jamaica Defence Force and were tasked primarily with repairing damaged roofs in the parish of St Elizabeth, one of the areas most severely impacted by the storm.
Minister Weeks delivered the remarks in the House of Assembly after travelling to Jamaica with the Governor to see the soldiers during their mission.
“What I saw, Mr Speaker, was a Bermuda contingent of eager, professional and organized soldiers who were making an immense impact on the lives of people in St Elizabeth Parish,” said Minister Weeks.
“Mr Speaker, remarkably, our troops were erecting a new roof at a rate of every two days and were doing so with the utmost expertise and palpable enthusiasm. I could see true Bermudian craftsmanship on full display with astounding results. Added to the skill and speed with which our soldiers are working, it was clear to me that their morale was very high and that they were enjoying the opportunity to be of service to their fellow man. All of Bermuda ought to be proud of the efforts of our soldiers on this deployment, as I am.”
Two male motorcyclists sustained non-life threatening injuries in a collision that occurred around 2:10pm Wednesday, 11th March 2026, along North Shore Road Pembroke, at the junction with Bandroom Lane.
Apparently, one rider, said to be a 24-year-old Pembroke man, was travelling in the eastbound lane of North Shore Road, while the other rider, said to be a 71-year-old Hamilton parish man, was travelling in the opposite direction.
The eastbound motorcyclist then attempted to turn on to Bandroom Lane and the vehicles collided.
Both injured men received treatment by emergency medical personnel on site, plus further medical care at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
Traffic diversions were put in place, while the collision scene was processed.
It is understood that the younger man has since been released from hospital.
Any witnesses are now encouraged to call Constable Cody Ballard on 211, or e-mail cballard@bps.bm.
Bermudian cyclist Conor White proved his mettle on the European circuit this week, navigating a grueling day of racing at the 61st Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers in France.
Representing the British elite squad Jakroo Handsling Racing, White was part of a massive 160-rider field that tackled the punishing 193.6km course through the Pas-de-Calais region. The race, a staple of the French spring calendar, lived up to its reputation as a relentless test of endurance and tactical awareness.
Belgian rider Jules Hesters claimed a thrilling victory in 4:24:00, but the story for Bermuda was White’s composure. Despite the high-octane attacks at the front, he remained embedded in the main pack, finishing 97th overall with a time of 4:24:22—just 22 seconds adrift of the winner.
As the third Jakroo rider across the line, the result underscores White’s versatility. Having already secured a gold medal at the Pan American Track Championships earlier this season, his ability to transition seamlessly to the rigors of high-level European road racing marks him as one of the island’s most exciting talents.
With the spring classics looming, White’s resilient showing in Lillers provides a perfect springboard for the challenges ahead.
Bermuda’s leading female golfers made a significant impact in the Caribbean this week, representing the island with distinction at the Fordes Golf International Women’s Day Golf Extravaganza in Barbados.
The quartet of Ann Symonds, Tracy Burgess, Morgan Lightbourne, and Rhonda Hassell joined 120 players at the Barbados Golf Club for the third edition of the regional showcase. The event, themed “Give to Gain,” has quickly grown into one of the Caribbean’s premier gatherings for female athletes.
After a competitive opening day of “2 Ball Better Ball,” the format shifted on Sunday to a high-stakes 4 Ball Texas Scramble. It was here that Bermuda’s Tracy Burgess delivered the standout moment for the visiting contingent, claiming the Nearest the Pin award with a display of clinical precision.
While the local Williams Metals Reigning Juniors successfully defended their overall title for a second consecutive year, the Bermudian presence was felt throughout the weekend’s festivities.
The tournament serves as more than just a competition; it is a vital platform for strengthening sporting ties across the Caribbean. For the Bermudian players, the weekend provided a rigorous test against a field that included forty international participants and the top handicapped players from Barbados.
As the team prepares to return home, the experience offers crucial momentum ahead of the domestic summer season. The success of Burgess and the consistency shown by Symonds, Lightbourne, and Hassell underscore the continuing growth and competitiveness of the women’s game in Bermuda.
Bermuda’s youth volleyball programmes have signaled their arrival on the North American stage, following a landmark performance at the Nike Boston National Qualifier.
After two weekends of high-intensity action at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the official verdict from the Bermuda Volleyball Association (BVA) confirms that the island’s athletes are no longer just participants—they are genuine contenders.
The headline achievement belonged to the Paradise Hitters 17 & Under, who secured a remarkable 5th-place finish out of 63 teams. In only their second overseas outing of the season, Head Coach Mike Gazzard praised the squad’s “tremendous determination” against seasoned U.S. club programs.
The success was mirrored by the younger ranks, with the U13 contingent delivering a dominant opening to their campaign. While they eventually exited in the Silver Bracket, coach Kamryn Martins highlighted the “resilience and growth” shown against elite competition.
BVA Club Director Gary LeBlanc noted that seeing Bermudian squads hold their own in such massive fields “speaks volumes” about the sport’s trajectory. As the teams return to the 21-square-mile island, they do so having earned the hard-won respect of their international peers.
A U.K.-based education consultancy is visiting Bermuda this week to share information about international school opportunities.
Beach Education will host an education fair this weekend at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, where representatives from eight international schools will be on hand to speak with parents and students about studying abroad, application timelines, and the process of preparing for overseas education. We spoke to Fiona Beach-MacGeagh, founder of Beach Education, and Gareth James of Repton School, who shared more about the upcoming event.Thank you!Done!Approved.ReplyForward
NATO air defences shot down the first Iranian ballistic missile fired at Turkey on March 4, followed by the shooting down of a second Iranian missile on March 9
International News via Reuters:
NATO air defences in the eastern Mediterranean have shot down a third ballistic missile that was fired from Iran towards Turkey, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Friday, adding that it was asking Tehran for clarification.
NATO air defences shot down the first Iranian ballistic missile fired at Turkey on March 4, followed by the shooting down of a second Iranian missile on March 9. The ministry has said the first incoming missile was downed en route to Turkish airspace, while the second entered it.
The missiles increasingly pose a test for NATO member Ankara and the alliance. Turkey, NATO’s second-largest army and Iran’s neighbour, has warned Tehran against any more attacks. It also protested to Tehran after every incident, but has not suggested it wants to formally call on alliance members for protection.
“All necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at our country’s territory and airspace. Consultations are being conducted with the relevant country to clarify all aspects of the incident,” the ministry said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Iran, but it has so far repeatedly rejected deliberately targeting Turkey amid its war with the United States and Israel.
Following the incidents, NATO has beefed up its ballistic missile defences in the region and deployed a U.S. Patriot air defence system to the southeastern Turkish province of Malatya to increase defence at the Kurecik radar base there used by the alliance.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler, Editing by William Maclean
Output in the 21 nations sharing the euro currency dropped by 1.5% on the month, underperforming expectations for 0.6% growth
International News via Reuters:
Euro zone industrial production unexpectedly fell in January, data from Eurostat showed on Friday, casting doubt on the sector’s long-predicted recovery, especially as the recent surge in energy costs will also weigh on demand.
Output in the 21 nations sharing the euro currency dropped by 1.5% on the month, underperforming expectations for 0.6% growth, while compared to a year earlier, output was down 1.2% against expectations for 1.4% growth in a Reuters poll of economists.
Industry has been broadly stagnant for years and its output is still below its 2021 level as high energy costs, stiffening competition from China, U.S. tariffs, poor productivity growth and low global demand for European cars have all hurt the bloc.
Output in Germany, the euro zone’s biggest country and the bloc’s dominant car maker, is 9% below its 2021 level and has been trending down for years, keeping the overall German economy stagnant for the past three years.
Euro zone industry was expected to recover this year, partly on the German government spending spree on defence and infrastructure, but the recent jump in energy costs has cast a shadow over this rebound.
Oil prices are up around two thirds since the start of the year and natural gas costs are up around 80% on the U.S.-led war in Iran, a double whammy for industry as it raises costs and saps purchasing power.
Europe is a net importer of energy and its industry is especially sensitive to commodity price shocks as the bloc has relatively few natural resources.
Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Toby Chopra
Two national 50-plus teams represent the island after a strong international run
Bermuda’s senior pickleball players are riding a wave of international success. After reaching the World Cup quarterfinals and winning bronze at last year’s Caribbean Championships in Cayman, expectations are growing ahead of this year’s tournament,which gets underway here in Bermuda in less than a week. And this time, two national 50-plus teams will be flying the island’s flag.
Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have begun rolling out measures to counter the economic impact
International News via Reuters:
ASEAN foreign and economic ministers on Friday called for an immediate halt to the war in the Middle East, and said the effects of surging oil prices and disrupted trade are already hitting Southeast Asia’s economies.
Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have begun rolling out measures to counter the economic impact, with governments moving quickly to conserve energy, stabilise domestic markets and protect vulnerable sectors such as tourism.
“We expressed serious concern over the situation in the Middle East and its impacts in the region, and emphasised the importance of the immediate cessation of hostilities,” Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro told a press conference after a special meeting on the crisis, adding that ASEAN called on all parties to exercise the utmost self-restraint.
The Philippines, which is chairing ASEAN this year, convened the special meeting as concerns over the Iran conflict deepened. The ministers called for global energy supply chains to be kept open and to activate regional mechanisms to mitigate the economic fallout.
Crude oil is trading near $100 a barrel on worries about supplies, which have been heightened by the vow from Iran’s new supreme leader to keep the Strait of Hormuz, the route for a fifth of global oil supply, closed.
“The escalating conflict has generated broader economic repercussions beyond the region, particularly through heightened volatility in global energy markets and disruption of key maritime and supply chain routes,” the economic ministers of the 11-member bloc said in a statement after a separate meeting.
Lazaro said the Philippines, which is heavily dependent on imported fuel from the Middle East, was considering buying oil from Russia, but she did not elaborate.
The economic ministers warned that the region’s exposure to global oil and LNG supply routes made it especially vulnerable to further shocks, adding that reinforcing supply chain resilience, accelerating renewable energy transitions and deepening regional cooperation would be essential to preserving economic stability.
Reporting by Mikhail Flores, Nestor Corrales and Karen Lema; Editing by John Mair
Economy and Labour Minister says amendment extending protections to adoptive parents ensures parity with biological parents
Statement from the Minister of Economy and Labour, Jason Hayward:
The Ministry of Economy and Labour welcomes the passage of the Employment Amendment Act 2026, which extends parental leave protections to adoptive parents and legal guardians of children under the age of twenty-four months. This amendment represents an important and progressive step in Bermuda’s employment framework and reflects the evolving realities of modern families in our community.
The purpose of the legislation is straightforward: to ensure that parents who welcome a child into their home through adoption or legal guardianship are afforded protections similar to those already provided to biological parents under the Employment Act 2000. These parents assume the same responsibilities for the care, wellbeing and development of a child and therefore should have comparable opportunities to establish early bonds and provide stability during a critical stage of childhood development.
Concerns raised by the Opposition suggesting that the Act is discriminatory because adoptive mothers are entitled to thirteen weeks of leave while adoptive fathers receive five days, appear to misunderstand the intent and structure of the legislation. It is important to emphasise that the amendment does not create a new distinction, nor does it single out adoptive families for differential treatment. Rather, it mirrors the existing maternity and paternity leave framework that already applies to biological parents in Bermuda by extending the same statutory structure of parental leave to adoptive parents and legal guardians, ensuring legislative consistency. If the legislation were drafted differently for adoptive parents than for biological parents, it could introduce inequity within the employment framework.
The Act reflects a principle of legislative parity: adoptive parents and legal guardians should not be placed at a disadvantage when compared with biological parents in the workplace and vice versa. By aligning entitlements, the legislation ensures that families formed through adoption or guardianship receive the same standard protections that already exist in the Employment Act 2000.
It is also important to recognise the broader policy objective of this amendment. The first years of a child’s life are foundational for emotional, psychological, and social development. The availability of parental leave allows caregivers to provide stability and support the emotional and developmental needs of the child during this critical period, which ultimately benefits families, workplaces and the wider community.
The Employment Amendment Act 2026 therefore represents a balanced and practical step in the right direction. It strengthens Bermuda’s labour protections, promotes family wellbeing and ensures that the legislation reflects the diverse ways in which families are formed within our community. All children deserve the opportunity to form strong bonds with their caregivers and all parents who undertake that responsibility should have reasonable workplace protections to support them.
Constructive debate is a valued part of the legislative process and the Ministry of Economy and Labour welcomes continued dialogue on the evolution of parental leave policies in Bermuda. However, it is important to recognise that the Act, as drafted, extends existing rights fairly and consistently rather than creating discrimination.
The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that Bermuda’s labour laws continue to evolve in a way that is fair, practical, and responsive to the needs of our community. With that said, the Ministry will engage with and seek feedback from the Labour Advisory Council regarding a further, in-depth review of current leave benefits for biological and adoptive fathers/male legal guardians. This is a first step.
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