Bermuda beat Barbados but fall short of qualification
Bermuda’s Under-20 national team concluded their 2026 Concacaf Qualifying campaign on a high note with a clinical 2-0 victory over Barbados at the Proyecto Goal in San Rafael, Costa Rica.
Entering the final Group E fixture, Bermuda faced the daunting mathematical task of needing a 13-goal swing to keep their qualification hopes alive. Despite the pressure, Cecoy Robinson’s side maintained the impressive form that had seen them hold tournament hosts Costa Rica to a thrilling draw earlier in the week.
The breakthrough came in the 11th minute following a period of sustained pressure. Jace Donawa, a constant threat on the flank throughout the tournament, delivered a precise cross that found Kalen Brunson in the area. Brunson showed great composure to direct his effort past the Bajan goalkeeper and give Bermuda an early advantage.
The lead was doubled just nine minutes later as the Barbados defense struggled to deal with a loose ball inside their own penalty box. Malachi Belboda reacted quickest to the hesitation, spinning his marker before firing a powerful shot into the back of the net.
Bermuda remained the dominant force for much of the second half, with the backline led by Emeer Peets and Logan Jimenez largely untested by the Barbados attack. While further goals eluded them, the result ensures Bermuda finishes the qualifying round with a commendable record of two wins and two draws from their four matches.
The victory sees Bermuda end the tournament with eight points, a tally that would often be enough to secure progression in other groups. However, with only the group winners advancing to the Concacaf U-20 Championship in San Juan, the young Gombey Warriors’ journey comes to an end despite a series of performances that earned significant praise across the region.
Young sailors given city tour
Visiting young sailors from the Alexander Von Humboldt II tall ship, which is docked in Hamilton, took part in an educational tour around the city, led by educator Ajala Omodele.
Mr. Omodele, who has an ongoing relationship with the Class Afloat programme, guided the students through key historical sites across the city, sharing Bermuda’s rich history and its connections to other parts of the world.
Here, he shares more about the students’ visit to the island and what they gained from the tour.
Harvard singers return to Bermuda this month
Their traditional Spring Break tour will include a free performance at noon on Friday, March 20 at the Cathedral
The U.S. Consulate and the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity (Anglican Cathedral) invite residents, school groups, and visitors of all ages to attend a free daytime concert on Friday, March 20, at 12:00 p.m. The event will feature a vibrant and engaging performance by the Harvard Krokodiloes and the Radcliffe Pitches.
Harvard University’s oldest a Capella groups return to Bermuda to continue their traditional Spring Break tour to perform an entertaining blend of harmony and humor for audiences at different venues across the island. U.S. Consul General Antoinette Hurtado stated, “I am delighted to welcome the return of students from my alma mater to continue their decades-long tradition of performing in Bermuda. I extend my sincere thanks to Bishop Nicholas Dill and his team for their continued partnership in hosting this traditional daytime concert at the Cathedral. This has become a signature event during Harvard’s annual visit, and I invite everyone to join us over the lunch hour to enjoy a special musical performance. The arts are a universal language that bring people together and highlight our shared experiences, and we look forward to sharing this opportunity with the Bermuda community.”
As two of Harvard’s most distinguished a Capella groups, these students have captivated audiences around the world. The Pitches are known for their repertoire inspired by jazz and soul legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and Stevie Wonder, while the Kroks bring their signature blend of jazz and swing to each show. Harvard University joins several U.S. colleges and universities with alumni resident on island, and this annual visit underscores the longstanding educational and cultural ties between the United States and Bermuda.
US and Britain split over crypto collaboration, sources say
The U.S. and Britain announced in September a taskforce for reducing regulation for companies seeking to access each other’s markets and to improve digital asset cooperation
International News via Reuters:
British and U.S. regulators are divided over how to test blockchain-based versions of financial securities, with Britain pushing for a more cautious approach in talks aimed at boosting crypto collaboration, sources said.
The U.S. and Britain announced in September a taskforce for reducing regulation for companies seeking to access each other’s markets and to improve digital asset cooperation.
The split shows how financial regulators globally have to contend with a pro-crypto U.S. under President Donald Trump. The U.S. has eased crypto regulation and encouraged cryptocurrency adoption.
Britain also wants to expand its digital assets industry, but some UK regulators, such as the Bank of England, are cautious about moving too quickly.
The U.S. and Britain are already in broad agreement on the taskforce’s aims, including working towards closer alignment of rules for stablecoins, digital assets backed by actual currencies.
But Britain’s preference for testing joint work on tokenised securities – blockchain-based versions of financial assets such as stocks or bonds – via a so-called “sandbox” emerged as an obstacle when the regulators met earlier this year, two sources who attended the discussions said.
Regulatory sandboxes are used by Britain’s financial watchdog to test innovative financial products in a controlled environment.
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission representative at the meeting in January this year expressed concern about using a sandbox, citing doubts about the commercial viability for participants and its potential impact on innovation, the two sources, who attended the January meeting of the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, said.
The SEC is weighing a different approach to tokenisation, known as “exemptive relief”, which has the backing of the U.S. crypto industry, the sources said, asking for anonymity because the talks were private.
The SEC told Reuters it would continue working with the UK “to build consensus and harmonize rules for international market participants”, adding there was “significant opportunity to align our frameworks to support the future of finance.”
The BoE and UK finance ministry declined to comment. The U.S. Treasury did not respond to a request for comment.
The FCA said sandboxes can be valuable as the two countries develop capital markets and payments systems while “maintaining trust and integrity.”
Regulatory sandboxes give firms “space to test new ideas in a live but controlled environment and helping us understand emerging risks and opportunities,” the FCA said.
Tokenisation’s supporters say it can be more efficient and cheaper, but regulators say tokenised stocks create new risks for investors and could harm market integrity.
Both sides of the taskforce also want to agree on reciprocity, so that companies regulated in one market will be able to transact in tokenised stocks in the other with limited additional checks, the two sources said.
The taskforce will report its recommendations by the summer.
Reporting by Phoebe Seers and Elizabeth Howcroft; Additional reporting by Hannah Lang and Douglas Gillison; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Jane Merriman
Tesla’s UK sales plummet in February but outpace BYD, New Automotive data shows
Tesla sold 2,208 vehicles in February, down 45.2% from a year earlier
International News via Reuters:
Tesla’s UK sales fell sharply in February, but still outpaced Chinese rival BYD, data from New Automotive showed on Wednesday, as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) made up a quarter of the overall car market.
Tesla sold 2,208 vehicles in February, down 45.2% from a year earlier. BYD’s sales rose 40.9% to 968 units.
Reporting by DhanushVignesh Babu in Bengaluru and Alessandro Parodi; Editng by Tasim Zahid
Turkey says NATO defences destroyed Iran missile, risking war expansion
It was unclear where the missile was headed
International News via Reuters:
Turkey said that NATO air defences destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile headed into Turkish airspace on Wednesday, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into the Middle East conflict and raising the possibility of a major expansion involving its bloc allies.
Turkey – Iran’s neighbour that had sought to mediate U.S.-Iran talks before the air war that began at the weekend – warned “all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation,” suggesting it was not poised to call upon the trans-Atlantic defence bloc for support.
But Ankara could potentially invoke NATO’s Article 4 after the airspace breach if it deemed the threat serious enough, a step that could lead to the alliance’s Article 5, which would oblige members to come to its defence.
It was unclear where the missile was headed. NATO condemned Iran’s targeting of Turkey, which has the bloc’s second-largest military, and said it stood firmly with all allies.
U.S. BASE IN NEIGHBOURING PROVINCE
The U.S. has air forces stationed at southern Turkey’s Incirlik base, which is located in an area neighbouring Hatay province, where authorities said debris from the intercepting NATO missile had fallen.
Ankara says that Washington has not used Incirlik in its air assault, alongside Israel, on Iran, which triggered Tehran’s missile and drone attacks.
Iran did not immediately comment on the incident. In a separate call about Iranian missile attacks in Qatar, a close Turkish ally, Iran’s Araqchi told his Qatari counterpart that the missiles targeted only U.S. interests, and not Qatar.
The Turkish defence ministry said the missile had passed over Iraq and Syria before it was downed by NATO air and missile defence systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, adding there were no casualties in the incident.
“All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken… (and) we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions,” the ministry said, adding: “We will continue to consult with NATO and our other allies.”
Statements by senior Turkish officials did not mention Article 4 and Ankara did not comment when asked by Reuters.
The article states that NATO allies will “consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security” of a member is threatened.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there was no sense that the incident would trigger Article 5, which has only been invoked once before, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and which would mark a major escalation in the conflict.
ANKARA PROTESTS TO TEHRAN
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conveyed a protest to Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in a call after the incident, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
Several countries in the Gulf and elsewhere – including as far west as EU member Cyprus, where a British air base was hit by a drone – have been caught in the fallout.
Ankara had sought to mediate between the sides in the weeks before the conflict erupted.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Additional reporting by Daren Butler; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Aidan Lewis
Mexico court orders army to hand in missing documents on students that disappeared
The case of the disappearance of the students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College has been marred by missteps and interference
International News via Reuters:
A Mexican court ordered the army to hand over long-awaited documents that could advance the landmark investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in southern Guerrero state at the alleged hands of organized crime and local security forces.
The ruling, seen by Reuters on Wednesday, rejected the army’s prior assertion that 853 missing pages of information generated by the CFRI, an army intelligence agency, did not exist, and ordered that these must now be handed over.
The government has for over a decade promised to find those responsible for one of the country’s worst human rights atrocities, but no one has been convicted, though over 100 have been arrested and face ongoing prosecutions.
The case of the disappearance of the students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College has been marred by missteps and interference. International probes have ruled that they were killed by organized crime members in cahoots with police.
The documents may not be considered classified due to the “overriding interest on the part of the victims’ families, as well as society in general, to know the truth,” the ruling said.
The families’ legal representative, the Agustin Pro Human Rights Centre, known as Centro Pro, hailed the order.
“This ruling recognizes the right to the truth of the families and of society as a whole, underlining the obligation of SEDENA (defense ministry) and other military bodies to provide key information for the search for the students,” it said in a statement.
Only the remains of three of the 43 students have been positively identified. The locations of the others remain unknown.
Mexico’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling, dated February 19.
Asked about the case in a morning press conference on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had no knowledge of the ruling but would meet with the victims’ parents at the end of this month.
Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Mark Porter
Baseball: Hall & Canada banking on unprecedented depth
Team Canada enters the 2026 World Baseball Classic grappling with a problem once unthinkable for the national program: an embarrassment of riches.
With Major League quality spanning almost every position, there is a burgeoning sense of self-belief that this squad can finally navigate a path beyond the group stage for the first time in history. Leading that charge is the versatile Adam Hall, who joins a roster brimming with high-end offensive threats.
Veteran manager Ernie Whitt admitted that interest has reached an all-time high, with the coaching staff potentially forced to turn away established big-leaguers due to limited roster spots. “We’re going to start a potential Major League lineup in every position,” Whitt noted. “We haven’t really had that too many times.”
While pitching has often been an Achilles’ heel, the inclusion of Matt Brash and Michael Soroka provides a formidable foundation. Crucially, the 2026 draw sees Canada avoid heavyweights USA and Mexico in the opening round. Instead, Hall and his teammates head to San Juan to face Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, and Colombia.
The journey begins on March 7th against Colombia. Should they secure a top-two finish in Pool A, the knockout stages in Miami await, with the championship game scheduled for March 17th.
‘Dense fog’ prompted flight U-turn, authorities confirm
Foggy conditions at the L.F. Wade International Airport on Friday evening. Photo: Tony McWilliam
Statement by Bermuda Airport Authority
On the evening of 27 February, Bermuda experienced periods of dense fog which reduced visibility at the airport.
During this time, Air Canada Rouge flight ROU1818 elected to return to Toronto after receiving updated information regarding the potential of these conditions persisting up to 3 hours while enroute.
The aircraft was still under the control of New York Air Route Traffic Control Centre when the decision was made by the flight crew of Air Canada to return to its original point of departure.
No other aircraft were required to divert or turn back due to the weather conditions. Operations continued once visibility levels met the required safety minimums.
Decisions regarding diversions are made by flight crews in coordination with air traffic control based on prevailing weather conditions, with safety remaining the top priority.
Individual brilliance and late drama for Bermudians in non-league
Bermuda’s contingent in English non-league football experienced a night of contrasting emotions as Ajani Burchall took individual honors while Reggie Lambe inspired a dramatic comeback.
The standout performance of the evening came at the Wyatt Homes Stadium, where Ajani Burchall delivered a commanding display for Wimborne Town. In a tightly contested Southern League encounter against Taunton Town, Burchall was the driving force behind a crucial 1-0 victory. His influence throughout the ninety minutes did not go unnoticed, as he was named Man of the Match by the evening’s sponsors, Harold G Walker Solicitors, for a performance that keeps Wimborne’s momentum building.
In the Southern League Premier Central, veteran playmaker Reggie Lambe was at the heart of a spirited recovery for Needham Market. Facing a daunting two-goal deficit away at Real Bedford, the Marketmen looked to be heading for a disappointing defeat at the Meadow Lane Ground. However, Lambe and his teammates displayed remarkable resilience to claw their way back into the contest. Two second-half goals ensured a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw, a result that could prove pivotal in the club’s league campaign.
It was a more sombre night for the Bermudian duo of Coleridge Fubler Jr and Remy Coddington at the Robert Parker Stadium. Representing Binfield in the Isthmian League, the pair faced a stern test against a disciplined Harrow Borough side. Despite a competitive showing from the Binfield teammates, including a second-half equalizer from Toby Thompson, they were unable to overcome their visitors, eventually succumbing to a narrow 2-1 defeat following a 94th-minute winner.
Op-ed: Ride share bill ‘skips over real issue’, says Shadow Transport Minister
One Bermuda Alliance MP Dwayne Robinson argues that real problem within the transport industry is a lack of accountability and enforcement of exisiting rules
Full statement from the OBA’s Dwayne Robinson:
The One Bermuda Alliance is supportive of the modernisation of our transport system. It is without a doubt the biggest source of concern for our locals, tourists, and hotels alike.
However, to attempt to introduce a new wave of transportation without properly enforcing our current one is skipping over the real issue.
The real problem is accountability and enforcement for our service providers and those meant to regulate them.
The Minister has not provided concrete answers on TCD’s ability to properly regulate the potential rideshare drivers or his plan to ensure that proper enforcement occurs.
We still do not have all 600 taxis on the road or enforcement of the16 hours a day requirement which means the current industry is not operating at full capacity. How can we properly measure supply and demand without getting our current system to function optimally?
How can the public have faith that the rideshare drivers will not fall into the same bad habits without seeing any regulations?
This makes the rideshare legislation seem more like the easy way out by simply adding more cars into a system that is already poorly regulated, or even worse a strong-arming tactic towards taxi drivers, rather than an actual method to improve transportation in Bermuda.
The One Bermuda Alliance is open to the consideration of any modernisation that improves the experience for customers and properly supports the service providers. We do not support band-aid fixes but instead opt for systemic ones.
The Minister has not addressed the concerns of the dispatch companies who claim illegal dispatching and unregulated dispatching services, another structural issue that will remain within the industry. Rideshare drivers will be required to operate through dispatching companies, but we still have gypsy cabs, so rideshare will not be the magic pill.
The introduction of this legislation does not make taxi operators disappear. Where is the plan to assist them in improving their service to the public and the weeding out of potential bad apples through a robust enforcement regime?
The Government finds itself with no shortage of funds, so there is no reason TCD cannot see its traffic officer numbers and resources bolstered.
If this is the direction the Minister wishes to take, he should showcase the work he has done with the taxi operators to improve their service, rather than giving ultimatums in the press.
I am keenly aware that there is a level of dissatisfaction in our community with the taxi service, and I am not making any excuses for that or any poorly performing taxi drivers.
However, there is a right and a wrond way to implement a new system. Accusations of refusing to meet with the primary service providers, the Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operators Association, refusing input from them, and not responding to their requests to make improvements to their industry is the wrong way.
The taxi industry services 87% of our visitors, so let’s apply changes that affect the majority first.
