Bermuda trail Curacao 2-0 at half-time in their crucial Concacaf World Cup 26 Qualifier at the Flora Duffy South Field Stadium. The match, which is the final home international fixture for Bermudian legend Reggie Lambe, saw Curacao assert control with two first-half goals and dominate possession.
The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifiers will determine the region’s remaining participants in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, joining co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The game began with controversy and an early setback for the home side, as Curacao took the lead in the 6th minute after Bermuda fell victim to the VAR System. The referee was called to the touchline to review a possible handball in the box and subsequently awarded a penalty, which was calmly slotted home by Leandro Bacuna.
The lead was doubled in the 32nd minute when Juninho Bacuna blasted a shot past a diving Dale Eve.
Goalkeeper Dale Eve kept the score respectable for Bermuda with a string of three amazing saves, preventing Curacao from increasing their lead further before the break.
The statistics reflect Curacao’s strong control over the opening 45 minutes:
Curacao maintained 66.8% of the possession, compared to Bermuda’s 33.2%.
Curacao also had the advantage in set-pieces, earning four corners to Bermuda’s two.
Bermuda now face a tough task in the second half, needing to find a way to break down the Curacao defence and secure a goal for their retiring captain.
Affording groceries, healthcare and accommodation is a major source of stress for more than 60% of the population, survey shows
More than sixty percent of Bermuda residents said the soaring costs of groceries, healthcare, and housing — along with the inability to save for the future — are pushing them to despair, especially middle and low income households .
These newly released poll results, released exclusively to Bermuda Broadcasting News today, reveal just how deeply financial pressures are affecting everyday life on-island…
The findings come from an independent survey conducted in September by Narrative Research Bermuda, which compared local responses to similar data collected in the United States.
Our Dianne Brewer sat down with the firm’s C.O.O. and Partner, Margaret Chapman, to unpack the results. (WATCH above)
The results of the poll reflect the opinions of 200 adult Bermuda residents.
The questions were not commissioned by a 3rd party & were collected independently by Narrative Research Bermuda.
The opening round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship was suspended due to darkness late on Thursday, leaving all three Bermudian players still out on the course and set for an early start to complete their first rounds.
Adam Hadwin is the current leader after a round of 6-under par 65. Hadwin posted seven Birdies for the day against a lone Bogey.
The trio experienced mixed fortunes on their home course, highlighted by a dramatic rollercoaster ride up and down the leaderboard for Kenneth Leseur.
Kenneth Leseur currently leads the Bermudian trio, sitting T58th at 1-over par through 15 holes.
Leseur rocketed up the leaderboard early, reaching T4th at an impressive 3-under par after his opening nine holes.
However, the back nine brought challenges; Leseur’s scorecard currently shows 4 Birdies and five Bogeys through 15 holes, leaving him with holes 16, 17, and 18 still to play when action resumes on Friday morning.
Will Haddrell is currently tied T68th at 2-over par through 15 holes. His scorecard shows one birdie and three bogeys as he battles to stay close to the cut line.
Oliver Betschart, the youngest member of the trio, faces a demanding recovery, sitting T114th at 6-over par through 15 holes. His round featured two birdies and eight bogeys.
All three players will tee off for the Second Round on Friday immediately after completing their remaining holes from the First Round.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled against Apple last month after a trial
International News via Reuters:
Apple was on Thursday refused permission to appeal against a London tribunal ruling that it abused its dominant position by charging app developers unfair commissions, though the tech giant said it would pursue an appeal to a higher court.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled against Apple last month after a trial, finding Apple had abused its dominant position by shutting out competition in the app distribution market and “charging excessive and unfair prices” as commission.
The decision left Apple – which has faced mounting pressure from regulators in the U.S. and Europe over the fees it charges developers – facing a potential bill of over 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion).
The CAT refused Apple permission to challenge its ruling, but the company can still apply directly to the Court of Appeal, which an Apple spokesperson said the company would do.
APPLE FACING 1.2 BILLION-POUND DAMAGES BILL
The spokesperson said in a statement that the CAT’s ruling “takes a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy” and overlooked benefits for developers and consumers.
Lawyers representing Rachael Kent, the British academic who brought the case, said in court filings for the hearing on Thursday that they had calculated damages from October 2015 until February 2024, plus interest, at 1.2 billion pounds.
“This case has been a marathon, not a sprint, but we are one step closer to App Store users finally seeing their money rightfully returned to their pockets,” Kent said in a statement.
Last month’s ruling came after Apple was hit with a complaint to European antitrust regulators over the terms and conditions of its App Store under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech.
The CAT ruled developers were overcharged by the difference between a 17.5% commission for app purchases and the commission Apple charged, usually 30%. The CAT also ruled that app developers passed on 50% of the overcharge to consumers.
($1 = 0.7451 pounds)
Reporting by Sam Tobin. Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter
The agreement to introduce duties as soon as possible in 2026 by finance ministers meeting in Brussels sets up negotiations with the European Parliament, whose approval is also required
International News via Reuters:
European finance ministers agreed on Thursday to bring forward to next year customs duties on low-value parcels arriving in the bloc to crack down on cheap Chinese e-commerce imports, in a move set to hit Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu.
The agreement to introduce duties as soon as possible in 2026 by finance ministers meeting in Brussels sets up negotiations with the European Parliament, whose approval is also required.
The European Union is trying to act faster as concern grows over Chinese goods being dumped in Europe.
European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic had proposed to the ministers that the “de minimis” duties exemption for online purchases below 150 euros ($175) be removed in the first quarter of 2026, two years earlier than planned. It should be replaced with a “simplified temporary customs fee”, he said.
In 2023, the European Commission proposed removing the exemption, but only from 2028, when a broader overhaul of the EU’s customs regime is due to take effect and the de minimis exemption will more formally be abolished.
Online platforms like Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Amazon Haul send clothes, accessories and gadgets from Chinese factories directly to shoppers at rock-bottom prices thanks to the customs waiver.
“European industries, particularly retailers, have repeatedly underlined that this distortion of competition be removed without delay,” Sefcovic wrote.
The agreement was welcomed across Europe.
“Ending the exemption will close long-standing loopholes that have been systematically been exploited to avoid customs duties,” Denmark’s economy minister Stephanie Lose told a news conference.
German online retailer Zalando, among those pushing the EU to act, said in a statement that the removal of the exemption should be fast-tracked.
Sweden’s retail industry association and Germany’s e-commerce association separately said the finance ministers’ agreement was a first step towards making competition more fair.
Luca Sburlati, chairman of Italy’s fashion lobby Confindustria Moda, said the taxation of parcels under 150 euros is “essential for the survival of our textile and clothing sector”.
MOVE TO HIT SHEIN, TEMU
Shein declined to comment, while Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shein is facing legal proceedings in France over the sale of child-like sex dolls on its platform.
The number of low-value e-commerce packages arriving in the bloc doubled last year to 4.6 billion, over 90% of them from China, and the Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, is facing pressure from EU companies to stem that flow more quickly.
“We’ve already received more parcels than in the entire year of 2024, and Black Friday and Christmas are just around the corner,” EU lawmaker Dirk Gotink, chief negotiator on the new customs legislation, said in a statement.
The U.S. has scrapped its own “de minimis” policy that allowed duty-free entry to parcels worth less than $800, leading to concerns that cheap Chinese imports would divert more to Europe.
There is also added urgency as individual EU countries have moved to introduce national handling fees.
Romania has proposed a 25 lei ($5.73) fee on low-value packages, while Italy is working on a tax by the end of the year to protect its fashion industry, its industry minister said on Wednesday.
RETAILERS WARN AGAINST ASSORTMENT OF NATIONAL FEES
European retailers and wholesalers’ lobby group EuroCommerce have warned that an assortment of different national fees risks undermining the EU single market. The Commission has proposed a 2 euro fee, but it is not clear when it would be imposed.
How effective such a fee would be in practice is also unclear.
“Usually the market readjusts … One or two euros will not really change the attractiveness of those platforms,” the CEO of Poste Italiane, a state-backed business handling millions of parcels a year, said on Thursday.
French retail association president Alexandre Bompard, who also heads up supermarket group Carrefour, said in July that a 2 euro fee on low-value parcels was “a joke”.
($1 = 0.8575 euros; 4.3595 lei)
Reporting by Jan Strupczewski, Inti Landauro in Brussels, Helen Reid in London, Angeliki Koutatou in Athens, Greta Rosen Fondahn in Stockholm, Elisa Anzolin and Elvira Pollina in Milan. Writing by Philip Blenkinsop and Helen Reid. Editing by Conor Humphries, Ed Osmond and Mark Potter
More than 100 executives wrote to Britain’s finance minister last week urging action to reverse the decline in buying domestic shares
International News via Reuters:
Proposals from the London Stock Exchange Group and more than 100 British business executives to get pension funds investing more into UK stocks are ignoring the interest of savers, the pensions industry told Reuters.
More than 100 executives including the chairs of Anglo American and Barclays and the CEO of Compass Group wrote to Britain’s finance minister last week urging action to reverse the decline in buying domestic shares. They said it was depriving companies of cash, exporting wealth creation and damaging economic growth.
In response, they proposed that defined contribution pension schemes ensure default funds – the funds that pension savers are automatically invested in – put a minimum 25% of their assets into UK investments across asset classes. Savers would continue to be free to opt out and choose alternatives.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at industry body Pensions UK, said schemes were already seeking out UK investments with attractive risk-adjusted returns.
“Going further by requiring a proportion of default fund assets to be invested in UK would introduce significant risk to investment returns. Somehow, the interests of the saver are being lost in this debate,” Alexander told Reuters.
Incentivising UK asset ownership has become a key objective of governments to revive growth. But many warn against mandating how they invest, a power the government has in reserve.
UK pension funds hold 4.1% of their equity investments in UK-listed companies, against 53% in 1997 and a global average for defined contribution funds of 13%-plus, according to the letter, authored by LSEG’s chairman, Don Robert, and CEO David Schwimmer.
Their proposal, if enacted, would increase overall investment in UK equities by between 76 and 95 billion pounds ($127 billion) by 2030, they said.
LSEG declined to comment. Britain’s finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Past regulations have been blamed for encouraging some schemes into government bonds and out of stocks.
But investors say the appeal of overseas markets has played a role too. The U.S. S&P 500 has soared nearly 500% since 2010; Britain’s FTSE 100 80%.
The Association of British Insurers’ Yvonne Braun said in response to LSEG’s proposal that investments should not be influenced by external pressures and savers “must be at the heart of all policy decisions”.
($1 = 0.7451 pounds)
Additional reporting by Phoebe Seers; Editing by Alexandra Hudson
Police Commissioner suspects prohibited items enter in air luggage; Governor’s Council discusses improvements to border security
Strengthening border security to prevent illegal weapons arriving in Bermuda has been a discussion point at the Governor’s Council.
Governor Andrew Murdoch this week said they were considering how to equip and enable customs personnel “to better detect things coming in that are prohibited – whether it’s drugs, but it’s also all other prohibited items as well.”
At the same meeting, Police Commissioner Darrin Simons announced that eight more articles – including bladed weapons – are being added to the prohibited items list. An amnesty is being launched to give people the chance to hand in such weapons without consequence.
The Commissioner also responded to the question on border security, saying he suspects many prohibited items are entering through the airport in people’s luggage.
“Law enforcement at our ports of entry is particularly focused on things like drugs”, he said.
Bermuda Broadcasting subsequently asked the Police Commissioner if Bermuda is missing something in our border security.
“I don’t know that we’re necessarily missing something”, he responded. “…there’s maybe opportunities, which are currently even being discussed, about different technologies, different tactics that we may be able to put in place.”
Commissioner Simons suggested that such technologies may improve the scanning of luggage brought to Bermuda by arriving passengers.
The Commissioner said he was not at liberty to provide further detail on this discussions at the Governor’s Council.
When asked whether we may hear more on this matter, he said “in the elapse of time, there may be media releases…”
“…or you might just see something different at the airport.”
The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, has created what the U.N. has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis
International News via Reuters:
The funding gap for aid agencies is accentuating Sudan’s crisis, leaving them unable to help many of the tens of thousands of people fleeing from the Darfur city of al-Fashir and other areas, U.N. migration chief Amy Pope said.
The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, has created what the U.N. has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis at a time when global aid budgets are shrinking.
Some 12.5 million Sudanese were displaced within and outside the country as of mid-October, with an additional 140,000 since fleeing RSF attacks on al-Fashir and towns in the Kordofan region.
FUNDING SHARPLY DOWN
But the International Organization for Migration’s $229 million appeal for Sudan for this year is less than 10% funded, according to U.N. data. That is down from 44% of $212 million last year, before cuts to foreign aid by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and other donors.
“We’ve just shipped out our last 35 tents from a warehouse. Now we have another 2,000 that are in customs right now, but if you think about the scale of the need … it’s nowhere close,” IOM head Pope told Reuters in an interview by video link from Sudan.
In the town of Tawila, an assessment before the latest influx of people found only 10% of people in camps there had reliable access to water and even fewer had access to latrines.
Nearly 100,000 people are known to have left famine-stricken al-Fashir since the RSF overran it, with many more unaccounted for. IOM data shows most have fled to areas around al-Fashir, inaccessible to aid agencies, in part due to safety concerns.
“The first response is simply insufficient to meet needs, and when people do not get their most basic needs met in the first instance, then the needs become compounded,” Pope said.
That fuels repeated displacements, including westward to impoverished Chad, and to other countries including Libya, a common departure point for risky boat journeys across the Mediterranean, Pope said.
The IOM said on Wednesday that some 29 Sudanese people were presumed dead after the rubber boat they were in capsized off the Libyan coast.
REPRISALS AGAINST PEOPLE TRYING TO FLEE
People who made it out of al-Fashir after it fell to the RSF following a long siege continue to give accounts of reprisals against those trying to leave.
The RSF says it is providing assistance to displaced people and taking care of those inside al-Fashir.
Mohieldin Bakheet, who lost two children when a drone targeted their shelter inside the city, said RSF fighters intercepted his group as they left the city.
The RSF started a livestream on their phones, he said, speaking from the army-controlled town of al-Dabba. “At first it was really great talk about helping us… Then one of the armoured vehicles came and ran people over without any warning.” At least 30 were killed in the incident, he said.
Reuters could not independently verify his account. Reached for comment, an RSF official said that the RSF is investigating such claims but that there was an organised media campaign against the force.
“I’m burning inside,” Bakheet said of losing his wife, children, and sisters to the war.
Reporting by Eltayeb Siddig in al-Dabba and Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Andrew Heavens
‘Operational improvements’ have reduced BOTC passport processing times from 20 weeks to between 4 and 8 weeks, according to Government
Passport processing times have been cut down, Government announced today.
The news was published following online complaints from people waiting months for their passports.
The Department of Immigration said there has been “significant improvement in processing times for British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) Bermuda passports.”
“Applicants no longer need to wait up to 20 weeks to receive a new passport. Thanks to recent operational enhancements, first-time, lost, or stolen passport applications are now processed within 6 to 8 weeks, and renewal applications within 4 to 6 weeks.”
Several responders said the Immigration Department was quoting up to 20 weeks, while others complained about a much longer wait.
“Mine has been on since May. Not back yet”, said one commenter, while another said “mine took 26 weeks”.
Another responder recommended getting a UK passport instead, and having it stamped with Bermuda status.
BOTC passports are printed in the UK, but local improvements have streamlined turnaround times, Government advised.
The restoration of the ‘BMU’ country code is also cited as a “major achievement” which, along with the reduced processing times, “demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to delivering faster, more reliable service and passports that continue to support seamless international travel.”
The Department of Immigration thanked the public for their patience.
Government of Bermuda Press Release:
The Department of Immigration is pleased to announce a significant improvement in processing times for British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) Bermuda passports.
Applicants no longer need to wait up to 20 weeks to receive a new passport. Thanks to recent operational enhancements, first-time, lost, or stolen passport applications are now processed within 6 to 8 weeks, and renewal applications within 4 to 6 weeks.
Although BOTC Bermuda passports continue to be printed at His Majesty’s Passport Office in the United Kingdom, the Department’s local process improvements have streamlined turnaround times, reducing the processing times for passport applications.
The restoration of the “BMU” country code to BOTC Bermuda passports on April 30, 2024, was a major achievement. Combined with the reduction in processing times, this demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to delivering faster, more reliable service and passports that continue to support seamless international travel.
The Department of Immigration thanks the Bermuda public for its patience. For questions or more information about the passport application process, please visit www.gov.bm/department/immigration or call 246-8093.
Taylor White was named the Northeast 10 Women’s Swimmer of the Week after she won two individual races in Bentley’s victory over Brandeis.
White won both the Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle and the Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke and swam the anchor leg for the winning Women’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay team.
She swam a season best 2:00.30 in the Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle to win by more than eight seconds. Her time in the Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke of 2:11.65 was also a season best and won that race by almost 15 seconds.
The award is White’s third career NE10 weekly award.
Saltus Grammar School student Zach McGuire has officially signed his commitment to Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, marking a major milestone as he prepares to join the Sacred Heart Men’s Tennis Team this fall.
McGuire’s move into the collegiate sports program at Sacred Heart signals the next step in his athletic and academic journey in the United States.
Director of Athletics, Tim Figureido, praised McGuire’s unique athletic talent, emphasizing his rare combination of skill and drive. “Zach is a rare and exceptional talent, capable of excelling in nearly any sport he takes on,” Figureido said. “That versatility and drive will undoubtedly elevate his tennis game even further. We couldn’t be prouder of Zach and have every confidence that he will shine as a student-athlete at Sacred Heart University.”
The school expressed immense pride in McGuire, adding, “We are beyond proud of Zach and cannot wait to see all that he accomplishes at the next level, both on and off the court.”
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