There has been a road traffic collision involving a motorcycle just east of Barker’s Hill on the North Shore Road in Devonshire.
The male motorcycle rider was attended to at the scene by Emergency Medical Services personnel.
He has since been transported by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for further treatment of his injuries, the extent of which is unknown at this time.
The roadway is currently closed to vehicular traffic with vehicle diversions in place at Barker’s Hill and Store Hill at their junctions with North Shore Road.
Motorists are urged to approach these areas with caution and to expect minor delays.
Update from BPS at 3.54pm:
The collision scene has now been cleared and the roadway reopened to regular traffic flow.
One arrest was made prior to midnight during island-wide police operations
Images: Bermuda Police Service
Two people were arrested as the island rang in the New Year, with one of the arrests made prior to the stroke of midnight.
The Bermuda Police Service provided updates via its social media channels, outlining island-wide activity that included 315F operations, roadside sobriety checks, and engagements at liquor-licensed premises.
Police said both individuals were in custody after each being found in possession of a knife.
Several speeding tickets were also issued overnight, including one vehicle clocked at 73km/h.
Police urged members of the public to slow down on the roads and not to drive while impaired, encouraging those who had been drinking during celebrations to find a safe way home.
Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda Third Sector Spotlight: OUTBermuda
Images supplied.
By Joshua Samuels, Executive Director, OUTBermuda
In Bermuda, we often speak proudly of being a community that cares – a place where neighbours matter and where we look out for one another. Yet for many LGBTQ+ Bermudians, that promise remains unfulfilled.
Across our island, LGBTQ+ people continue to face discrimination, stigma, bullying, and barriers to inclusive healthcare and education. Too many still feel invisible – especially Black queer Bermudians and transgender people. The impact is profound: a recent Bermuda study found that over 70% of adolescents who do not identify as male or female experience moderate to severe anxiety or depression, nearly double the national average. The global picture is equally troubling: a 2020 survey showed that nearly one-quarter of the world’s population believes being LGBTQ+ is a crime
Behind those statistics are young people who tell us they feel unsafe at school, unseen at home, or fearful of being themselves. That desire – to be valued, accepted, and free – is something every human being deserves.
At OUTBermuda, we believe community is the solution. We create spaces where LGBTQ+ people of all ages can connect, learn, and thrive.
Through OUTLET Junior (ages 14–17) and OUTLET (ages 18–29), developed in partnership with Solstice Bermuda, we provide peer support groups that combine connection, creativity, and candid conversation. These spaces are lifelines – places where young people can share their experiences, find understanding, and build confidence.
We also empower individuals to shape their future through our Empowerment Grants, which support community projects, training, and advocacy. And each year, we award a $10,000 education bursary to help LGBTQ+ students pursue higher education, alongside $5,000 in smaller community grants.
With only two staff and the support of dedicated volunteers, OUTBermuda serves an estimated 4,000+ LGBTQ+ residents through programmes and advocacy that make tangible change. Our impact includes:
Providing peer support for LGBTQ+ youth ages 14–29
Offering subsidised counselling services (85 sessions to 19 residents last year)
Hosting community events and workshops to promote inclusion
Collaborating with partners like Solstice, CURB, HOME, the Human Rights Commission, The Department of Health and the Department of Education
Producing Bermuda Pride, which mobilises thousands in a movement of visibility and belonging
Each interaction – whether a counselling session, support group or Pride event – builds a stronger, more connected, more inclusive Bermuda.
Progress takes more than goodwill. It requires systems that are fair, inclusive, and accountable. That’s why OUTBermuda released Bermuda’s first LGBTQ+ Policy Manifesto, a practical roadmap for action. It outlines policies to:
Improve mental health supports
Advance inclusive education
Promote safety in schools and workplaces
Strengthen equality under the law
Our goal is clear: to build a Bermuda where every person can live with dignity, safety, and pride – free from discrimination and fear.
Change does not happen by accident; it happens when people show up. Parents reach out to learn how to support their children. Businesses call to ask how they can become more inclusive. Young people arrive at OUTLET ready to listen, lead, and lift each other up.
To everyone who has marched, donated, learned, volunteered, or simply stood beside someone who needed support – thank you. You are helping to build a future where belonging is not a privilege but a birthright.
To LGBTQ+ people of all ages who may still be struggling: You belong. You matter. Bermuda is better with you in it.
At OUTBermuda, we will continue to stand with you – until every person, no matter who they are or who they love, can live openly, safely, and proudly.
In his New Year’s Message, David Burt says he enters 2026 with ‘deep gratitude for the opportunity to serve Bermuda’
File photos: David Burt, Premier of Bermuda / The Onion Drop in King’s Square, St George’s
Press Release from David Burt, Premier of Bermuda
As one year closes and another begins, we pause to reflect, and to renew our hope for what we know is possible. I enter this, my final year serving as your Premier, with deep gratitude for the opportunity to serve Bermuda.
Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the quiet but meaningful progress taking place across our Island. I have drawn inspiration from the growing number of Bermudians, young and old, stepping into training, educational, and employment opportunities across various sectors of our workforce. These small steps may not make headlines, but they point to a brighter future for Bermuda and reaffirm the importance of investing in our people.
We also know that many challenges remain. The cost of living continues to affect families across our Island, and meeting these pressures remains a priority. We are working every day to deliver on a more stable and affordable Bermuda, the future Bermudians voted for in February.
That is why our focus has been on building an economy that grows with people, investing in affordable housing, restoring our infrastructure, improving access to affordable healthcare, and supporting the community institutions that play vital roles in our everyday lives.
As we look to the year ahead, I remain hopeful. Hopeful because over the last eight years, I have seen Bermudians rise time and again to the challenges placed before us. My commitment to you is to continue serving with energy and focus right through my final day in office.
As you spend time with family and friends this New Year, I wish you and your loved ones happiness, good health, and every success in 2026.
Macron has convened a meeting of the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ next Tuesday
International News via Reuters:
European leaders meeting in Paris on January 6 will make firm commitments towards protecting Ukraine after any peace deal with Russia is brokered, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday during his New Year Eve’s speech.
Macron has convened a meeting of the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ next Tuesday. The Coalition grouping led by Britain and France includes more than 30 nations.
“On January 6 in Paris, many European states and allies will make concrete commitments to protect Ukraine and ensure a just and lasting peace on our European continent,” Macron said.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier said that ways to strength security guarantees for Ukraine were discussed during Wednesday talks between U.S. officials, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and national security advisers from the UK, France and Germany.
In mid December, the leaders of several European countries including Germany, France and Britain, said there had been “strong convergence” with the U.S. after talks in Berlin and stated a list of goals for both sides to work towards.
These included commitments to supporting Ukraine’s armed forces, a European-led peacekeeping force and guarantees to use force if Ukraine came under attack again.
Kyiv has come under intense pressure from the Trump administration to make concessions to Russia to enable a deal. Ukraine’s European allies say any peace accord must ensure robust security guarantees backed by U.S. support.
Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Richard Lough
The sanctions mark the latest action in Trump’s pressure campaign against Maduro, which has included a ramped-up U.S. military presence in the region
International News via Reuters:
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four companies it said were operating in Venezuela’s oil sector as well as associated oil tankers, as President Donald Trump’s administration increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The sanctions mark the latest action in Trump’s pressure campaign against Maduro, which has included a ramped-up U.S. military presence in the region and more than two dozen strikes on vessels allegedly involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Earlier this month, Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of Venezuelan waters as part of a strategy to pressure Maduro, a move that has helped knock down Venezuela’s oil exports this month to about half of their November levels.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement it imposed sanctions on oil traders engaged in sanctions evasion for Maduro’s government. Among the targets were four tankers, some of which the Treasury accused of being part of the so-called “shadow fleet”.
The “shadow fleet” refers to ships that carry oil that is under sanctions. They are typically old, their ownership opaque and they sail without top-tier insurance cover to meet international standards for oil majors and many ports.
“Today’s action further signals that those involved in the Venezuelan oil trade continue to face significant sanctions risks,” the Treasury said in the statement.
The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press queries for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Panama-flagged Nord Star, Guinea-flagged Lunar Tide and Hong Kong-flagged Della – all hit with sanctions on Wednesday – have transported Venezuelan crude or fuel this year to destinations in Asia and the Caribbean, according to internal documents from Venezuela’s state energy company PDVSA and ship tracking information.
Hong Kong-flagged supertanker Valiant, which is also owned by one of the sanctioned companies, Aries Global Investment LTD, has not carried Venezuelan crude, according to PDVSA’s records.
The supertanker Della, which was scheduled to load crude at Venezuela’s Jose port this month, made a u-turn on December 21 after the U.S. Coast Guard tried to intercept two more Venezuela-related vessels in the Caribbean Sea, and is now on its way to Asia, the tracking data showed.
The sanctions on the four vessels come after Washington earlier this month designated six Venezuela-related tankers.
“President Trump has been clear: We will not allow the illegitimate Maduro regime to profit from exporting oil while it floods the United States with deadly drugs,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.
Maduro and his government have vehemently denied involvement in criminal activity and says the U.S. is pursuing regime change to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
The U.S. blockade stopping sanctioned tankers going in and out of Venezuela has kept the country’s exports almost paralyzed, and the accumulation of residual fuel inventories at Venezuela’s onshore tanks is forcing state company PDVSA to resort to extreme solutions to avoid the shutdown of refining units, Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday.
Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Marianna Parraga in Houston; Additional reporting by Christian Martinez; Editng by Doina Chiacu and Diane Craft
Despite reaching a fresh record high this year, bitcoin has struggled to regain its footing since October, and last month experienced its biggest monthly drop since mid-2021
International News via Reuters:
Bitcoin is on track to post its first annual loss since 2022, as macroeconomic pressures and fading momentum weighed on the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
Despite reaching a fresh record high this year, bitcoin has struggled to regain its footing since October, and last month experienced its biggest monthly drop since mid-2021. Now, it is on track to end the year more than 6% lower, after posting yearly gains the previous two years. It was last trading at $87,474.2.
After soaring earlier this year with the election of crypto-friendly U.S. President Donald Trump, cryptocurrencies – along with stocks – plummeted in April on his tariff announcements. They quickly rebounded, with bitcoin hitting an all-time peak above $126,000 in early October.
But just days later, on October 10, the market plunged again when Trump announced a new tariff on Chinese imports and threatened export controls on critical software. That sparked more than $19 billion worth of liquidations across leveraged crypto market positions, the largest liquidation in crypto history.
The world’s main stock benchmarks have also had a turbulent year, repeatedly hitting record peaks and then pulling back as worries over tariffs, interest rates and a possible AI bubble whipsawed markets.
“In 2025, the market showed that bitcoin increasingly exhibits the characteristics of a risk asset within the global financial system, with a notable correlation to the U.S. equity market during multiple periods,” said Linh Tran, a senior market analyst at XS.com.
Analysts say bitcoin’s gyrations in 2025 increasingly tracked stock market sentiment as traditional retail and institutional investors jumped into cryptocurrencies, which next year may be even more closely tethered to factors driving stocks and other risk assets, such as monetary policy shifts and nervousness over the lofty valuations of AI-related stocks.
Historically, bitcoin and stocks did not move in tandem because crypto was seen as an alternative investment. But with broader crypto adoption by traditional retail investors and some institutions, the correlation looks to be strengthening, analysts said.
WINS IN WASHINGTON
The crypto industry notched major regulatory wins in the U.S. under the first year of the Trump administration, including the Securities and Exchange Commission’s swift move to dismiss Biden-era lawsuits against Coinbase, Binance and others, as well as the passage of a landmark law creating federal rules for dollar-pegged crypto tokens.
But crypto market structure legislation and carve-outs from SEC rules that should fix core, longstanding problems for the industry are yet to come, threatening to sap the industry’s celebratory mood, according to multiple industry executives.
Trump courted industry cash pledging to be a “crypto president,” and his family’s own crypto ventures have helped to propel the sector into the mainstream, say executives.
Crypto companies and executives donated more than $245 million in the 2024 election cycle to promote pro-crypto candidates including Trump, according to Federal Election Commission data.
Reporting by Hannah Lang in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
The Southeast Asian neighbours agreed to halt fighting at noon on Saturday (0500 GMT), ending about 20 days of clashes that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million civilians on both sides
International News via Reuters:
Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers on Wednesday under a renewed ceasefire agreed by the two countries at the weekend, authorities from both countries said, easing tensions after weeks of deadly border clashes.
The Southeast Asian neighbours agreed to halt fighting at noon on Saturday (0500 GMT), ending about 20 days of clashes that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million civilians on both sides. The fighting included fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.
Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the soldiers were transferred at a border checkpoint at 10 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, after 155 days in Thai custody. The governor of Cambodia’s Battambang province, Sok Lou, described the returnees as “heroic soldiers”.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said the detainees had been treated “in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles” during their detention.
The border clashes flared up again this month after a previous ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim collapsed.
As part of Saturday’s deal to halt the fighting, Thailand agreed to release the 18 soldiers in its custody if the ceasefire held for 72 hours.
However, the handover was delayed by one day after Thailand made allegations of ceasefire violations by Cambodia, which Cambodia denied.
“Today’s release and repatriation of prisoners of war allows families to be reunited and marks an important step in translating the commitments outlined in the Joint Statement into action,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which supervised the handover.
The United States welcomed the December 27 ceasefire agreement and said Thailand’s release of the soldiers was “a positive step towards rebuilding neighborly relations and trust,” according to a State Department statement.
Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu Wongcha-um and Reuters staff; Editing by John Mair and David Stanway
Anyone looking to start the New Year on a high note can do so on the water.
Rusty G presents the Sun Kissed Sunrise Cruise aboard the Uber Vida, taking place on New Year’s Day from 6am to 9am.
The early-morning cruise promises good vibes, music, and scenic views as guests welcome the first sunrise of the year. Tickets are available at www.djrustry.com
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