Gov’t recommended Green Land Farm remedy the outstanding issues – or close
Railway Trail walkers in Smith’s will be well aware of historical issues with odours and runoff from the farm above the trail.
Gary Foster Skelton reports on the problem, some of the efforts made to address it, and asks whether it will be enough for Government – or the neighbouring homes. (WATCH above)
In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on at least six suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, killing at least 27 people
International News via Reuters:
U.S. strikes against Venezuela in international waters are a dangerous escalation and amount to “extrajudicial executions,” a group of independent United Nations experts said on Tuesday.
In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on at least six suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, killing at least 27 people.
The strikes are part of Trump’s ongoing campaign against what he says is a “narcoterrorist” threat emanating from Venezuela and linked to its president, Nicolas Maduro.
The U.N. experts acknowledged Trump’s justification for the military action, but said: “Even if such allegations were substantiated, the use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis violates the international law of the sea and amounts to extrajudicial executions.”
The independent experts, who are appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said the strikes violate the South American country’s sovereignty and the United States’ “fundamental international obligations” not to intervene in domestic affairs or threaten to use armed force against another country.
“These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with grave implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region,” they said in a statement.
Washington rejects Maduro’s 2024 election victory and says there was “overwhelming evidence” his opponent won.
“These so-called ‘experts’ fail to acknowledge the fact that they’re advocating for an illegitimate leader who is a fugitive of American justice who undermines our regional security and poisons Americans,” said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The United States has justified its actions as consistent with Article 51 of the founding U.N. Charter, which requires the Security Council to be immediately informed of any action states take in self-defense against armed attack.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the experts have corroborated Caracas’ concerns about the U.S. military campaign.
“The United States fabricates enemies to justify a supposed right to self-defense, which results in massacres in the Caribbean,” Gil said in a message on Telegram about the U.N. statement.
The U.S. strikes come against the background of a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops as Trump escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.
Trump said last week that he had also authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
The experts, who said they have been in contact with the U.S. regarding their concerns, said covert or direct military action against another sovereign state would constitute “an even graver breach” of the U.N. Charter.
Reporting by Jasper Ward; Additional reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Daniel Wallis
In what some politicians branded a national humiliation, four people broke into the Louvre on Sunday using a crane to smash an upstairs window
International News via Reuters:
Thieves who staged a daring daylight heist at the Louvre museum in Paris made off with jewels worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102.63 million), Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Tuesday.
“It is important to remember that this damage is an economic damage, but it is nothing compared to the historical damage caused by this theft,” the prosecutor told RTL radio.
In what some politicians branded a national humiliation, four people broke into the Louvre on Sunday using a crane to smash an upstairs window. They took objects from a gallery for royal jewellery before escaping on motorbikes.
The eight items of stolen jewellery included a tiara and earrings from the set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, of the early 19th century. The crown of Empress Eugenie was found outside the museum, apparently dropped during the getaway.
($1 = 0.8575 euro)
Reporting by Zhifan Liu and Dominique Vidalon in Paris; Editing by Matthew Lewis
Silver was asked if players from the Women’s National Basketball Association deserved a higher share of the league’s revenue
International News via Reuters:
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Tuesday he expects WNBA players will get big raises when they eventually strike a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Appearing on NBC’s “Today” show ahead of the NBA season-opening double-header on Tuesday, Silver was asked if players from the Women’s National Basketball Association deserved a higher share of the league’s revenue.
“Yes,” said Silver. “I think ‘share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA,” said Silver.
“I think you should look at it in absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making, and they are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it.”
The NBA owns 42% of the WNBA, whose commissioner reports to Silver.
The current CBA between the WNBA players’ union and the league is set to expire on October 31. That labor pact was once seen as a landmark deal for women’s sports but is now viewed by many players as woefully inadequate amid a surge in popularity of the WNBA.
Players are not seeking salaries that are equivalent to NBA players but rather a bigger share of the league’s revenue that’s roughly equivalent to their NBA counterparts.
WNBA players used the spotlight of the league’s All-Star game in July to champion their cause, warming up in T-shirts bearing slogans such as “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” and fans began cheering “Pay them!” after the final buzzer sounded.
Any disruption to the 2026 season stands to dent the tremendous momentum the league now enjoys, with two new clubs set to debut next year in Portland and Toronto.
Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Toby Davis
The OBR has estimated that Brexit will reduce Britain’s long-term level of productivity by 4% compared with remaining in the European Union
International News via Reuters:
British finance minister Rachel Reeves said Brexit along with spending cuts by previous governments had weighed more heavily on the economy than originally thought as she readies a budget likely to tax increases but also measures to boost growth.
In comments reported by the Guardian newspaper, Reeves said she was aiming to defy an expected downgrade in the economic growth forecasts from Britain’s independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility.
“We also know – and the OBR, I think, is going to be pretty frank about this – that things like austerity, the cuts to capital spending and Brexit have had a bigger impact on our economy than even was projected back then,” she was quoted as saying by the newspaper during a conference in Birmingham.
“That’s why we are unashamedly rebuilding our relations with the European Union to reduce some of those costs that were, in my view, needlessly added to businesses since 2016 and since we formally left a few years ago.”
The OBR has estimated that Brexit will reduce Britain’s long-term level of productivity by 4% compared with remaining in the European Union.
On Saturday, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said Brexit was likely to continue to weigh on British economic growth over the coming years.
Data published earlier showed Britain’s public borrowing in the first half of the financial year was the highest on record except during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, keeping up the pressure on Reeves ahead of the November 26 budget.
Writing by William Schomberg; editing by William James
Bermuda’s prisons were put under the spotlight by a visiting team of international experts
Bermuda has wrapped up an international peer review of its correctional facilities – part of an independent check on conditions and rehabilitation.
At the request of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Kim Wilkerson, Governor Andrew Murdoch invited a Detention Standards Review team to the island.
The delegation included senior corrections leaders from the UK – among them experience from HMP Belmarsh – along with the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos, led by Robert Harper from the UK Ministry of Justice.
Over ten days, from October 6th to 15th, the panel met with the Governor and Minister, toured Westgate and the Co-Ed Facility, and interviewed inmates, officers, leadership, the Treatment of Offenders Board, the Parole Board, and outside rehab partners.
They were granted unfettered access and assessed Bermuda’s prisons, using the UN’s Nelson Mandela Rules – the global baseline for the treatment of prisoners, with a strong focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Minister Wilkerson says government welcomes the team’s findings and is committed to urgent improvements, noting the UK has offered support to help implement recommendations.
As part of October’s Art Month celebrations, we are shining a spotlight on up-and-coming Bermudian artists.
We sat down with Carlos Santana, who is known for vibrant and expressive works that capture the essence of island life.
Mr. Santana’s innovative techniques have earned him recognition both locally and internationally.
He also runs a business that hosts sip and paint events, which aim to inspire creativity and connection through art.
Kendal Trott reports.
Known a generation ago as an ecological jewel of green oases, today the town is a toxic wasteland rife with cancer, respiratory illness and bone disease
International News via Reuters:
Beneath a smog-choked sky, the once-glistening waters of Gabes in southern Tunisia run dark with rust-coloured streaks. Trees are dying, fish vanishing and a suffocating stench infuses the air.
Known a generation ago as an ecological jewel of green oases, today the town is a toxic wasteland rife with cancer, respiratory illness and bone disease.
The culprit – residents, environmentalists and officials say – is a phosphates processing plant run by the state-owned Tunisian Chemical Group, or CGT, whose smokestacks loom over rubbish-strewn beaches.
This month, anger at the plant exploded into one of President Kais Saied’s biggest challenges since he took power in 2019. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who stormed the complex, and thousands returned to the streets last Wednesday.
Unlike other recent protests, those in Gabes are not demanding civic freedoms but rather an end to conditions they find unbearable.
“The plant has poisoned everything – the trees, the sea, the people,” Safouan Kbibieh, a local environmental activist, told Reuters during a recent visit. “Even Gabes’ pomegranates now taste like smoke.”
Saied has described conditions in Gabes as an “environmental assassination,” but blamed a previous government and called on ministries to fix chemical leaks.
CGT did not respond to questions sent by Reuters. Tunisia’s health ministry could not immediately comment.
‘LET US BREATHE’
Built a half-century ago, the Gabes complex is Tunisia’s biggest phosphates processing plant and accounts for over half of its output. The industry provides vital revenues for a government beset by soaring debt and weak growth.
But residents describe a heavy cost. In the towns of Ghannouch and Chott Essalem on the plant’s outskirts, it is hard to find families whose lives are not shaped by sickness and loss.
Rimel El-Haji, 45, described how her nine-year-old daughter started gasping and walking slower about a month ago, along with dozens of other students apparently affected by toxic emissions.
Today the girl relies on her mother to help with even simple movements – the result of neurological damage, Haji said, caused by suffocation.
“She can’t walk more than two steps,” Haji said. “She’s fading, like a flower under the burning sun.”
About two kilometers away, Amina Mansour, 53, lives in a modest brick house caked with dust and chemical residue. Inside, her shelves are packed with medicines to treat osteoporosis and the throat cancer she discovered six years ago.
“The doctors told me I need to leave this town to survive,” she says. “But where would we go? This is our home.”
She counted six relatives in her family diagnosed with cancer: “This pollution is slowly killing us,” she said.
Next door, her neighbour Maha Mahmoud clutches an inhaler she calls her “daily bread.”
“We no longer ask for food or jobs. We want one thing: dismantle the chemical units. Let us breathe,” she said.
Residents also blame the plant for a collapse of fishing stocks. One fisherman, Sassi Alaya, told Reuters his daily catch used to earn him up to 700 Tunisian dinars ($240) – but he is now lucky to make 20. After more than a quarter-century at sea, he’s turned to farming to feed his five children.
“The sea was everything — our income and dignity,” he said. “Now, it’s a nightmare.”
‘LIKE A WAR ZONE’
A July 2025 expert audit of the plant commissioned by CGT found “serious non-conformities relative to national standards and international requirements,” according to a copy seen by Reuters.
The complex had dumped 14,000-15,000 tons of phosphogypsum — a byproduct of processing phosphates — into the sea and along the coast a day, along with high emissions of ammonia, nitrogen oxides and sulfates, the audit said. The discharges had “greatly damaged marine seagrass beds and led to desertification of large marine areas”.
Phosphogypsum contains radium, which decays to form radon gas, the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, noting that radium and radon are radioactive and can cause cancer. In the United States, the EPA requires that phosphogypsum be managed in engineered piles or stacks to limit public exposure from radon emissions.A lack of studies makes it hard to definitively link the pollution in Gabes to the diseases suffered by residents. But Kraiem Taoufik, a local doctor, confirmed he’d seen illnesses spike as conditions worsened.
“The city feels like a war zone,” he said. “Where we once saw a few cancer cases quarterly, now they appear daily. Residents live atop a chemical time bomb.”
Caught between the unrest and flagging state finances, authorities have vowed to rehabilitate the plant. But the plans have done little to soothe activists and residents who say they are at breaking point.
“For every ton of phosphate processed, a soul is lost,” Kbibieh, the environmental activist, said. “But we won’t abandon our land. We’ll keep fighting until Gabes can breathe again.”
Reporting by Tarek Amara, Editing by Alexander Dziadosz and William Maclean
Bermudian duo Michael Madeiros and Jah’Zion Taylor, along with Bermuda resident Heris Ziai, anchor SAC’s unbeaten title run
Aurora, Ontario – A powerful trio of players with ties to Bermuda—Bermudians Michael Madeiros and Jah’Zion Taylor, along with Bermuda resident Heris Ziai—played a leading role in St. Andrew’s College (SAC) capturing its second consecutive Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) National Championship this past weekend. SAC went undefeated (4-0-1) at the tournament, held at Stanstead College in Quebec, and remarkably did so without conceding a single goal.
Starting fullback Michael Madeiros ’27 was once again a defensive standout, combining speed, precision, and tactical discipline to anchor SAC’s back line. In the center of defense, Heris Ziai ’27, also a regular starter and Bermuda resident, brought strength and stability, while Jah’Zion Taylor ’27, a dynamic Bermudian winger, added attacking power and pace that created problems for every opposing defense.
The team’s efforts culminated in a commanding 2-0 victory over St. George’s School (BC) in Saturday’s championship final. Madeiros and Ziai shut the door defensively, while goals from Jayden Walters ’26 and a follow-up finish by Luscien Yu ’29 ensured the win. The Bermudian duo and their Bermuda-based teammate were critical to preserving the clean sheet and maintaining SAC’s championship dominance.
“Michael continues to grow into a leader on this team,” said Adrian Bradbury, Head Coach & Director of Soccer at SAC. “He’s tenacious, tireless and a consistent ball winner, and works in perfect sync with Heris who adds a great range of passing from centre back. And Jah’Zion brings a spark and energy going forward that lifts squad. All three are making Bermuda proud.”
In the semifinal against Crescent School (ON), SAC cruised to a 4-0 win, with Jah’Zion Taylor opening the scoring and further establishing himself as a key offensive threat. SAC limited their opponents to just one shot on target, with their defensive core—led by Madeiros and Ziai—controlling the tempo and shutting down opportunities.
Earlier in round-robin play, SAC opened with a 0-0 draw against RSGC (ON), followed by a 2-0 win over Saltus Grammar School (Bermuda), and a 1-0 victory over UCC (ON). Contributions came from all 19 players, with notable support from Yu, Alex Wang ’29, and Joshua Shi ’27 off the bench.
SAC’s season record now stands at 15-1-2, with the team also undefeated in CISAA league play. They’ve secured the top seed and a playoff semifinal bye, heading into the final stretch of their fall season.
Back in Bermuda, Madeiros, Taylor, and Ziai continue to train with Warwick Football Academy and Robin Hood Football Club under the leadership of Coach Richard Todd. “Michael’s progression is a direct result of the hard work he’s put in during his early development in Bermuda which also offered him the opportunity to train and play with the National Team Program this summer in the Triangle Cup” said Todd. “Jah’Zion has stepped up in his commitment and dedication to his performance, and Heris brings intensity and dedication to every training and game. These young men are opening doors—not just for themselves, but for the next generation of players from the island.”
St. Andrew’s College offers one of Canada’s premier high school soccer programs, competing nationally and developing players for collegiate and international success. For more information about the SAC soccer program or upcoming recruitment opportunities, please contact Coach Adrian Bradbury at adrian.bradbury@sac.on.ca
HTS, a former al Qaeda affiliate, was proscribed in 2017, meaning that Britain designated it as a terrorist group
International News via Reuters:
The British government on Tuesday removed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group which spearheaded the Syrian rebel alliance that helped oust President Bashar al-Assad, from its list of banned terrorist organisations.
HTS, a former al Qaeda affiliate, was proscribed in 2017, meaning that Britain designated it as a terrorist group, making it illegal to support or join it.
The government said in December last year that it could rethink the proscription, while President Donald Trump’s administration revoked the U.S. foreign terrorist organisation designation for HTS in July.
Britain had joined other nations in welcoming the end of the Assad’s autocratic government, which marked one of the biggest turning points for the Middle East in generations and followed years of civil war. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria’s president.
The British government said in a statement that removing HTS from the list of proscribed organisations would allow for closer engagement with the new Syrian government. It added it would also allow cooperation with Syria to eliminate Assad’s chemical weapons programme.
“The UK will continue to press for genuine progress and hold the Syrian government accountable for its actions in fighting terrorism and restoring stability in Syria and the wider region,” the government said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Syria’s Economy Minister Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar told Reuters at a conference in London that he hoped U.S. sanctions against the country would be formally lifted in the coming months.
Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Michael Holden
The shortfall is largely driven by a pullback from foreign aid led by the United States and other wealthy donor governments
International News via Reuters:
Eradicating polio is still possible despite significant funding cuts to the effort, global health officials said on Tuesday as they outlined how they will cope with the shortfall.
The budget of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership including the World Health Organization and the Gates Foundation, will take a 30% cut in 2026 and has a $1.7 billion funding gap up to 2029, the organisation says.
The shortfall is largely driven by a pullback from foreign aid led by the United States and other wealthy donor governments.
In response, the GPEI partners say they plan to focus more on surveillance and vaccination in areas where there is a high risk of polio transmission.
The GPEI will also collaborate more with other global health programmes like measles campaigns, and use strategies like fractional dosing – where as little as a fifth of a vaccine dose is used to stretch out supplies and cut costs, as studies have shown this still protects children from infection.
SOME ACTIVITIES WILL STOP
The partnership will reduce its work in lower-risk areas, unless there are outbreaks, as well as focusing on efficiencies.
“The significant reductions in funding… mean that certain activities will simply not happen,” said Jamal Ahmed, WHO director of polio eradication in a press conference on Tuesday.
Wiping out the paralysis-causing viral disease has been a global health aim for decades. Despite significant progress due to mass vaccination since 1988, ending the disease has proved challenging: the first missed deadline for doing so was in 2000.
Some infectious disease experts have questioned whether it is possible to eradicate the disease, which often causes no symptoms, making it harder to track the spread. Advocates say that it would be foolhardy to stop when the world is so close, despite challenges like conflict and vaccine hesitancy.
“Eradication remains feasible and is doable,” said Ahmed. “We need everybody to remain committed and ensure that no child is left behind.”
In 2025, there have been 36 cases of wild polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two countries where it remains endemic and where essential activities will continue, the GPEI said.
There have been 149 cases of the vaccine-derived form of the virus this year in countries including Nigeria. Cases of both forms have fallen since 2024.
Vaccine-derived polio can occur when children are immunised with a vaccine containing a weakened version of the live virus. They are protected, but the virus excreted by these children can spread and mutate among an unvaccinated population.
Reporting by Jennifer RigbyEditing by Ros Russell
