High speed and impaired driving key cause of serious collisions, says BPS
The Bermuda Police Service reported one rider was caught speeding at 102 km/h at the weekend
Viewers will have noticed in recent weeks a spate of separate incidents in which cars have flipped over.
When we spoke to police about it today, they cited speed and impaired driving as key contributors to most of the serious collisions involving cars.
Chief Inspector Robert Cardwell of the Roads Policing Unit says high speeds can maim and kill.
Exclusive-Foreign hacker in 2023 compromised Epstein files held by FBI, source and documents show
The details of who accessed a server at the FBI’s New York Field Office, including the allegation that a foreign hacker was involved, are being reported here for the first time
International News via Reuters:
A foreign hacker compromised files relating to the FBI’s investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a break-in at the bureau’s New York Field Office three years ago, according to a source familiar with the matter and recently published Justice Department documents reviewed by Reuters.
The details of who accessed a server at the FBI’s New York Field Office, including the allegation that a foreign hacker was involved, are being reported here for the first time.
In a statement, the FBI said what it described as a “cyber incident” was “an isolated one.”
“The FBI restricted access to the malicious actor and rectified the network. The investigation remains ongoing, so we do not have further comments to provide at this time.”
Although the source said the intrusion appeared to have been carried out by a cybercriminal rather than a foreign government, the incident underscores the files’ potential intelligence value, one academic said. The legally mandated publication of U.S. Justice Department documents has exposed the dead financier’s ties to prominent people in politics, finance, academia and business, triggering investigations in numerous countries around the world.
“Who wouldn’t be going after the Epstein files if you’re the Russians or somebody interested in kompromat?” said Jon Lindsay, who researches the role of emerging technology in global security at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “If foreign intelligence agencies are not thinking seriously about the Epstein files as a target, then I would be shocked.”
The breach was reported contemporaneously by CNN and Reuters on February 17; the connection to Epstein materials was made by the French magazine Marianne.
Epstein, a longtime associate of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl. He was found hanged in his jail cell in 2019, in what was ruled a suicide, after being arrested again on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors.
FEBRUARY 2023 BREAK-IN
The hack occurred after a server at the Child Exploitation Forensic Lab in the FBI’s New York Field Office was inadvertently left vulnerable by Special Agent Aaron Spivack, who was trying to navigate the bureau’s complex procedures for handling digital evidence, according to the source and the documents.
A timeline written by Spivack and included in the large cache of Epstein documents released earlier this year said the break-in happened on February 12, 2023. It was discovered the following day when Spivack turned on his computer and discovered a text file warning him that his network had been compromised, according to that document.
Further investigation turned up traces of unusual activity on the server, the document said, adding that the activity “included combing through certain files pertaining to the Epstein investigation.”
The timeline does not say which specific files were accessed, whether the hacker downloaded the data, or who the hacker was. Reuters could not establish what, if any, overlap the affected data had with the Epstein documents published earlier this year or the files that remain under wraps.
Spivack, whose name appears elsewhere in the documents in connection with the Epstein investigation, did not return repeated messages seeking comment. Reuters was unable to reach the man identified in the documents as Spivack’s lawyer, Richard J. Roberson, Jr. Seven FBI agents identified in the documents as being involved in the investigation into the incident did not return messages.
HACKER, FBI CHATTED BY VIDEO
In his statement to FBI investigators examining whether he was responsible for the breach, Spivack said he was being made “a scapegoat for the intrusion” and that conflicting bureau policies and faulty guidance around information technology were to blame. Reuters could not establish the result of the bureau’s internal investigation.
The person familiar with the breach said the intrusion was carried out by a foreign hacker who did not appear to realize they had penetrated a law enforcement server. The hacker expressed disgust at the presence of child abuse images on the device and left a message threatening to turn its owner over to the FBI, the person said.
The source said bureau officials defused the situation by convincing the hacker that they actually were the FBI, in part by having the hacker join a video chat where they flashed their law enforcement credentials in front of a web camera.
Reuters could not determine – and the source said they did not know – who the hacker was, what country they were operating from, what they did with the material accessed, or whether any effort was made to identify or punish them for breaking into the FBI’s server.
Many of the Justice Department’s documents have been heavily redacted and others have been kept secret altogether despite a law mandating their full release last year. The Trump administration says it is withholding material that could compromise victims’ identities or jeopardize ongoing investigations.
Reporting by Raphael Satter; editing by David Gaffen
Sandys forum to address cost of living and antisocial behaviour
Community discussion at Willowbank on March 12 will bring together local experts and residents to explore economic challenges and youth support initiatives
Residents of Sandys Parish and the wider community are invited to attend Sandys Speaks, a community fireside chat hosted by the Sandys Parish Council on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the Willowbank Conference Center.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., with the discussion taking place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The evening will bring together community members and local voices for real conversations about the issues affecting families today, while exploring practical ideas for building a stronger future for Sandys Parish and Bermuda as a whole.
The first panel, “Cost of Living: Navigating Today, Planning for Tomorrow,” will focus on the economic pressures facing residents and the importance of planning ahead. Speakers will include economist Craig Simmons, Shantel DeShields of Pocket Change, and Mercedes Pringle-DeSilva of Age Concern, who will share perspectives on financial literacy, economic challenges, and the realities facing many households and seniors today.
The second panel will focus on Antisocial Behaviour: Prevention, Accountability, and Early Intervention, highlighting positive community efforts that support young people and create safer neighbourhoods. Panelists will include Taniko Tucker, who works with young people through trade and skills programmes, and Cervio Cox of the TNT Athletics Centre, who uses fitness, mentorship, and discipline to help guide young people toward positive pathways. The discussion will conclude with Devon Simons, co-founder of the Open Your Heart Foundation, who will share insights on community responsibility and the importance of mentorship and compassion in addressing antisocial behaviour.
The Sandys Parish Council says the event is intended to create a welcoming space where residents can listen, learn, share ideas, and contribute to meaningful dialogue about the future of their community.
All are welcome to attend. Light refreshments and door prizes will be available.
For more information, email sandyssecretary@gmail.com.
ECB policymakers acknowledge war risk, promise to keep inflation in check
Speaking on their final day before going into a quiet period ahead of a March 19 policy meeting, they also played down the need for immediate action
International News via Reuters:
European Central Bank policymakers acknowledged on Wednesday the economic risk from surging oil prices and promised swift action if they thought higher inflation was at risk of getting entrenched.
Speaking on their final day before going into a quiet period ahead of a March 19 policy meeting, they also played down the need for immediate action, calling for cool-headed analysis and time to see where energy costs settle.
Oil prices are up nearly 50% since the start of the year on the fallout from the Iran war and financial markets are betting the ECB will be less tolerant than in the past with higher inflation.
“We must be very vigilant,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel told Reuters.
“If it becomes apparent that the current energy price increases will translate into broad consumer price inflation in the medium term … the ECB will act decisively.”
ECB READY BUT NO NEED TO ACT JUST YET
Nagel’s French counterpart, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, had a similar message, while acknowledging that the euro zone is now facing higher inflation and lower growth due to the war.
“We will not allow inflation to take hold, we owe this vigilance,” he told French radio station RTL.
“I do not believe, as things stand today, that interest rates need to be raised right now,” he added.
Financial markets now see 30 to 35 basis points of rate hikes this year, a big shift compared to two weeks ago, when no change was expected for the entire year.
Imminent action is unlikely, however, as inflation was running below the ECB’s 2% target in the early months of the year and past projections saw modest undershooting, suggesting some buffer for the ECB.
Luis de Guindos, the ECB’s vice president, however, acknowledged that financial market volatility can amplify shocks to the economy, making it exceptionally difficult to forecast either growth or inflation.
This is why the ECB is likely to look at several scenarios next week, much like it did two years ago when Russia attacked Ukraine, plunging Europe into an energy crisis, he told a conference in Madrid.
With energy prices moving rapidly, economists have struggled to estimate the inflation impact but some have said price growth could accelerate to as high as 2.5% this year.
The ECB generally looks past energy-induced inflation spikes as factors outside monetary policy’s control.
However, the experience of the 2021/2022 shock, when the bank’s delayed response forced it to raise rates at a record pace when inflation reached double digits, could prompt it to act more quickly now, analysts say.
Like her colleagues, ECB President Christine Lagarde also acknowledged the uncertainty and promised the ECB will not let inflation take hold again.
“I can assure you … that we will do everything necessary to keep inflation under control and to ensure that the French, the Europeans, do not experience inflationary increases like those we saw in 2022 and 2023,” she said.
While no policymaker has called for a rate hike already next week, some have openly discussed the possibility of having to tighten policy eventually.
Peter Kazimir, one of the most outspoken policy hawks, said action may be closer than some expect.
“For the time being, we need to stay calm,” he told Bloomberg. “I’d say a reaction by the ECB is potentially closer than many people think.”
Reporting by Balazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa, Reinhard Becker, Jesus Aguado and Paolo LaudaniEditing by Tomasz Janowski
Iran fires back at bases and ships despite war’s most intensive strikes
Oil prices that shot up earlier this week have eased and stock markets have rebounded
International News via Reuters:
Iran fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, while at least three ships were hit in the Gulf, demonstrating Tehran can still fight back and disrupt energy supplies despite the most intense U.S.-Israeli strikes yet.
Oil prices that shot up earlier this week have eased and stock markets have rebounded, with investors betting for now that U.S. President Donald Trump will find a quick way to end the war he began alongside Israel nearly two weeks ago.
But so far there has been no let-up on the ground, or any sign that ships can resume sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil has been blockaded behind a narrow channel along the Iranian coast in the worst disruption to energy supplies since the oil shocks of the 1970s.
The Pentagon described its attacks on Iran on Tuesday as the most intensive of the war so far. After offices of an Iranian bank were hit overnight, Iran said it would now attack U.S. and Israeli banking targets across the Middle East.
ISRAEL BELIEVES MOJTABA KHAMENEI INJURED
A source told Reuters that Israel believed Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had been injured early in the war, when airstrikes killed his father, mother, wife and a son.
Reuters was unable to confirm the younger Khamenei’s condition, but state television has used a term that means “wounded veteran” to describe him. He has not appeared in public or issued any direct message since being named the successor for his long-ruling father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian military said on Tuesday it had launched missiles at a U.S. base in northern Iraq, the U.S. naval headquarters for the Middle East in Bahrain, and at Be’er Ya’akov city in central Israel.
Explosions rang out in Bahrain, while in Dubai four people were injured by two drones that crashed near the airport, the world’s busiest for international travellers, now scaled back because of the war.
In Tehran itself, residents said they were growing accustomed to the nightly airstrikes that have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing to the countryside and contaminated the city with black rain from oil smoke.
“There were bombings last night but I did not get scared like before. Life goes on,” Farshid, 52, told Reuters by phone.
Three more merchant ships were struck in the Gulf by unknown projectiles, according to agencies that monitor maritime security, raising the number of ships reportedly hit since the war began to 14.
Crew were evacuated from a Thai-flagged bulk freighter, after an explosion caused a fire on board. A Japan-flagged container ship and a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier also sustained damage.
IEA PROPOSES HUGE RELEASE OF OIL RESERVES
Oil prices, which shot up briefly to nearly $120 a barrel on Monday, have since settled below $90, suggesting investors are betting that Trump will be able to halt the war and reopen the strait before an oil supply shock causes an economic meltdown.
Sources said the International Energy Agency would recommend releasing as much as 400 million barrels from global strategic oil reserves to stabilise prices, by far a record. That would still amount to less than three weeks’ flow through the strait.
U.S. and Israeli officials say their strikes have severely damaged Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, as well as decapitating its leadership. Their stated aim is to end Iran’s ability to project force beyond its borders and destroy its nuclear programme, though they have also invited Iranians to rise up and topple the country’s clerical rulers.
But the longer the war goes on, the greater the risk to the global economy from an energy shock, and if the war ends with Iran’s system of clerical rule still in place Tehran is likely to declare victory.
While many Iranians want change and some openly celebrated the death of the supreme leader whose security forces killed thousands of anti-government protesters just weeks ago, there has been no sign of protest since the war began.
Iran’s police chief Ahmadreza Radan said on Wednesday anyone taking to the streets would be treated “as an enemy not a protestor. All our security forces have their fingers on the trigger.”
Iran has said it will not let ships through the strait until U.S.-Israeli attacks cease, and it will not negotiate. Trump has threatened to hit Iran “twenty times harder” if it blockades the strait, but U.S. officials have not revealed any military plan to unblock it by force.
The U.S. Central Command said 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels had been “eliminated” near the strait on Tuesday.
In Israel, explosions from air defences intercepting missiles punctuated the pre-dawn darkness as air raid sirens blared and Israelis scrambled to safe rooms and shelters.
Israeli launched a barrage on Beirut aimed at rooting out the Iran-backed group Hezbollah which has fired into Israel from Lebanon in solidarity with Tehran.
More than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the U.S. and Israeli air strikes began on February 28, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani. Scores have also been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Iranian strikes on Israel have killed at least 11 people and two Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon. Washington says seven U.S. soldiers have been killed and around 140 have been wounded.
Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv and Reuters bureauxWriting by Peter Graff; Editing by Sharon Singleton
KLM cancels all flights to Dubai until March 28
KLM added that it remained available to repatriate stranded travellers, a process handled through the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
International News via Reuters:
Dutch airline KLM has canceled all flights to Dubai until March 28 due to the war in the Middle East, it said on Wednesday.
“Due to the ongoing geopolitical unrest in the Middle East, KLM has decided to cancel all flights to Dubai through March 28th”, KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM, said.
KLM added that it remained available to repatriate stranded travellers, a process handled through the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout. Editing by Mark Potter
UK’s Reeves says she will do what she can to soften energy price hit
“At this stage I think it would be unwise to speculate on what the impact on inflation, growth or interest rates would be,” Reeves told lawmakers
International News via Reuters:
British finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday it was too soon to judge the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the UK economy but she would do what is possible to soften the hit to consumers.
“At this stage I think it would be unwise to speculate on what the impact on inflation, growth or interest rates would be,” Reeves told lawmakers.
“But of course we are looking at a number of scenarios and monitoring very carefully this situation,” she said.
Reeves has previously said inflation is likely to rise as a result of the rise in global energy prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
An official with Britain’s fiscal forecasters said on Tuesday the country’s inflation rate could end the year at around 3% rather than 2% as assumed by the Office for Budget Responsibility if energy prices stayed at current levels.
Asked whether Britain could fund big cost-of-living support measures, as it did in after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Reeves said the government would “always make sure that we do everything we can to protect consumers but also to ensure our national security as an economy.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he wants to speed up an increase in defence spending.
“We are in a stronger position than when I became chancellor to respond to shocks like these, and we are in a stronger position in many ways than when Russia illegally invaded Ukraine,” Reeves told parliament’s Treasury Committee.
She added that it was now more practical to offer targeted support to consumers than it was four years ago.
British government bonds have fallen sharply since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, in part due to concerns among investors about the risk of higher borrowing by the government to shield households and businesses from higher energy bills.
Reporting by David Milliken and Andy Bruce Writing by William Schomberg
Six die in Swiss bus blaze after reports that person set fire to themself
Police said the bus became engulfed in flames on Tuesday evening on a road in Kerzers, a town of about 5,000 inhabitants in the western canton of Fribourg
International News via Reuters:
At least six people died and three were injured in a bus fire in Switzerland possibly caused by someone setting fire to themself.
Police said the bus became engulfed in flames on Tuesday evening on a road in Kerzers, a town of about 5,000 inhabitants in the western canton of Fribourg, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Swiss capital Bern.
“At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus,” said Frederic Papaux, a spokesperson for Fribourg police.
Investigators were looking into reports that a person had poured fuel on themselves, said Christa Bielmann, another local police spokesperson. It was too early to say whether the incident was terrorism-related, she told a press conference.
“We have no indication that suggests we might be dealing with a terrorist attack,” Romain Collaud, a local politician in Fribourg, told the Swiss-French broadcaster RTS.
Three injured people were taken to hospital, police said. Two others caught in the blaze also received attention but did not need to be hospitalised.
Passengers had been seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured, Papaux said. Video after the flames were extinguished showed the charred remains of the yellow vehicle.
Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes said it had seen a video taken at the scene in which an injured person said: “A man set himself on fire. He poured gasoline over himself and then lit himself.”
Mina Gendre was about to close up the shop she works in when she saw the bus, which had stopped unexpectedly across the road, had a small fire inside.
Within half a minute or so, it burst into flames, she said.
“It was so shocking,” said Gendre. “I saw someone come running out of the bus on fire.”
With smoke billowing out of the bus, Gendre shut the door of the shop to protect it as bystanders helped put out the fire on the person with a jacket, she said.
SHOCKED TOWN
Vanessa Liuzzi, 37, a local resident who left flowers at the scene, said the story doing the rounds was that someone had set fire to themselves.
“That’s what people are saying. And that things have got to the point where there are attacks or attempts on people’s lives is obviously really sad. No one thought that it could happen here in Kerzers,” she said.
“I’m shocked, I’m sad, I’m in despair,” she said.
Margrit Schneider, an 82-year-old local resident, fought back tears at the scene. “I’ve been here 65 years, something like this has never happened here before,” she said.
The identification of the six people who died could take several days, Collaud said, adding it was not known if the person suspected of starting the fire was among the victims.
Nirosan Vickneswaran, 37, was waiting anxiously for news of his cousin who was on the bus when it went up in flames.
“We don’t know if he’s injured or worse,” he said.
Police had taken DNA samples from the family and indicated it might take up to 48 hours to find out, he said.
“All we know is that somebody set fire to themselves,” he added.
A memorial was being erected in the village square, Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve reported.
The head of the bus company Postauto, Stefan Regli, said it was a terrible tragedy and extended his condolences.
“All Postauto and Swiss Post employees, like myself, are shocked and deeply saddened,” Regli said in a statement.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin offered his condolences and said the incident was being investigated.
“It shocks and saddens me that once again people have lost their lives in a serious fire in Switzerland,” he said in a statement on X, noting investigations were under way.
In January, Switzerland was rocked by a fire in a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 41 people and injured 115.
“The wounds from Crans-Montana are still fresh, fuelling strong reactions today,” Collaud said. “These are clearly events no one wants to experience, or relive. Yet they seem part of everyday life now, happening more frequently in Switzerland and worldwide, which is unfortunate,” he told RTS.
Reporting by Dave Graham in Kerzers, Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; additional reporting by Cecile Mantovani; Editing by Alex Richardson and Andrew Cawthorne
Kremlin says Britain was involved in Ukraine’s missile strike on Russia
The Bryansk regional governor said Tuesday’s strike killed at least six civilians and injured 37 in what he called a “terrorist missile attack”, without saying what was hit
International News via Reuters:
The Kremlin on Wednesday accused British specialists of involvement in a deadly Ukrainian strike on the Russian city of Bryansk that used British Storm Shadow missiles and said it would take Britain’s role “into account”.
The Bryansk regional governor said Tuesday’s strike killed at least six civilians and injured 37 in what he called a “terrorist missile attack”, without saying what was hit. Ukraine said it had struck a key plant producing missile components. Moscow accused it of deliberately targeting civilians.
Asked by Reuters if there would be a military response to the use of British missiles against sovereign Russian territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take into account the British involvement.
“It is obvious that the launch of these missiles was impossible without British specialists,” Peskov told reporters. “We are aware of this, we know it well, and we naturally take it into account.”
“In order to prevent such barbaric actions by the Kyiv regime from continuing, the special military operation is being conducted,” he said, adding that one of the goals of the operation was to demilitarise Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from London, though Russia has repeatedly said that Ukraine needs Western expertise and Western-supplied targeting data and satellite imagery to fire advanced missiles deep into Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Kyiv had struck one of the most important military factories in Bryansk that produced electronics for Russian missiles.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the strike was premeditated and directed against civilians, and challenged the U.N. to assess what had occurred.
Reporting by Dmitry AntonovWriting by Maxim Rodionov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Philippa Fletcher
European shares fall as Mideast tensions keep investors on edge
The pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 fell 1% to 600 points by 0927 GMT with most major sectors in negative territory
International News via Reuters:
European shares declined on Wednesday as investors weighed the economic fallout from the 12-day Middle East war and digested a slate of mixed corporate updates.
The pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 fell 1% to 600 points by 0927 GMT with most major sectors in negative territory.
Among regional indexes, Germany’s DAX fell the most, shedding 1.7%, weighed down by a nearly 5.9% drop in Rheinmetall after the defence firm’s 2025 sales growth outlook fell short of some analyst forecasts.
The decline also pulled the broader defense sector down 2.8%, while the industrial sector fell 2%.
The U.S. and Israel traded air strikes with Iran following heavy bombardments the previous day, contrasting with U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments that sparked hopes of a de-escalation and helped the STOXX 600 log its best day since April 2025 on Tuesday.
“There is a chance that the Iran war will not be done and dusted quickly,” said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank.
The war has disrupted key shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of the global oil trade, lifting oil prices and raising the risk of a price shock and trimming more than 5% off the STOXX 600 from its late February record high.
European Central Bank policymakers are also contending with sluggish growth in the region, while renewed inflation fears have increased bets for an interest rate hike this year, as per LSEG data. This is a sharp contrast to a previous expectation of a slight cut before the conflict began.
The ECB will move quickly and decisively if more expensive fuel due to the Iran war feeds into durably higher eurozone inflation, policymaker Joachim Nagel told Reuters.
Beata Manthey, Citigroup’s European Equity strategist also flagged supply chain risks stemming from disrupted commodity flows.
“While some sectors’ hedging practices could offset the recent rise in commodity prices over the near term, margins could nevertheless prove hard to protect should input prices remain high for a sustained period,” Manthey said in a note.
Barclays warned the index could fall to about 550 points if oil prices stay near $100 a barrel.
Among other movers, Gerresheimer slumped 9.2% after the German medical equipment maker deferred the release of 2025 financial statements to June, citing probes into its business deals.
Legal & General shares declined 5% after the insurer missed annual profit expectations.
On the flip side, Balfour Beatty forecast a high-single-digit percentage rise in 2026 profit from operations, sending the construction group 7.3% higher.
On the macro front, the inflation in euro zone’s largest economy eased slightly in February to 2.0%. Attention now turns to U.S. inflation data due later in the day as well as comments from European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, Vice President Luis de Guindos and board member Isabel Schnabel.
Reporting by Avinash P in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Vijay Kishore
Serious Round Traffic Collision in Devonshire
Police Statement at 12.34am:
There has been a serious road traffic collision in the area of Devonshire Bay and South Road, Devonshire.
The roadway is currently blocked, with traffic diversions at Collector’s Hill and Brighton Hill.
Motorists are advised to approach these locations with caution and follow the instructions of officers assisting with traffic flow.
