Government says process separate from commercial development proposals
What should become of one of Bermuda’s largest public green spaces?
As we’ve been reporting recently, it’s a question sparking growing concern.
About 500 people submitted feedback on the plan to shape the park’s future, with an overwhelming majority calling for the greenspace to remain untouched.
Although the deadline has passed, campaigners continue their push to protect Southlands, holding daily rallies at the park and preparing for a protest next Saturday.
Meanwhile, an online petition opposing development has attracted more than 4,600 signatures.
Government had earlier submitted planning proposals to add amenities such as a café, car park, and a public-private partnership for a zipline – plans sharply criticised by environmentalists.
Today, officials stressed that the draft management plan is separate from any proposals for commercial development.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works and Environment explained: “Proposals concerning potential commercial activity remain under review by the Department of Planning through its own statutory process.
“These are two distinct processes, and the conclusion of the draft management plan consultation does not affect or determine the outcome of the Department of Planning’s consideration of development applications.”
With public consultation now closed – extended once already due to high interest – the Parks Commission will begin a detailed review of submissions.
The spokesperson said: “This independent analysis is a critical step in the process, and the Commission will carefully consider every contribution before finalising its recommendations.”
They continued: “The Ministry acknowledges that Southlands, once privately held and inaccessible to the wider community, now presents an opportunity for residents to establish a new relationship with this now public space.
“The Parks Commission’s review will reflect this reality by giving full and careful consideration to all submissions received.”
Bermuda’s amateur golfers had a fantastic third day at the 2025 World Amateur Handicap Championships in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with several players climbing the leaderboard and putting themselves in prime position for the final round.
The standout performance of the day came from Tracy Burgess in the Women’s Gross Division. A superb third-round score of 76 saw her claim sole possession of first place in Flight #54 with a total score of 238. Her teammate, Morgan Lightbourne, remained in eighth place in the same division with a score of 256.
On the men’s side, Richard Marriott has put himself firmly in contention. A third-round Net score of 72 saw him climb to a tie for first place in Flight #10, the Senior Men’s (50-59) Division, with a total score of 222.
In the Senior Women 60 & Above Division, Ann Symonds remains in third place in Flight #57 after a third-round Net score of 75. Meanwhile, Ann Mitchell also had a good day, moving up to third place in Flight #58 with a third-round score of 79.
Multinational energy firms have struggled for years to root out organized crime from their distribution networks in Brazil
International News via Reuters:
Brazilian police and tax officials carried out a series of raids early on Thursday across the country targeting multibillion-dollar money laundering and fraud schemes linked to organized crime in the fuel sector, authorities said.
Multinational energy firms have struggled for years to root out organized crime from their distribution networks in Brazil, and the revenue service said this week’s crackdown related to schemes involving more than 10 billion reais ($1.84 billion) in fuel imports and 52 billion reais in domestic fuel sales.
It said another 46 billion reais in illicit financial transactions linked to the schemes had moved through fintech companies from 2020 to 2024.
“Today we launched one of the biggest operations in history against organized crime,” Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski told reporters.
Authorities said they had served about 350 search warrants in eight states and sought to block more than 1 billion reais in assets.
Asset manager REAG Investimentos was among the targets of the warrants, according to a court decision seen by Reuters.
REAG said in a securities filing it was “fully cooperating with the competent authorities, providing the information and documents requested” as part of the “ongoing investigative procedure.”
The company’s shares dropped sharply in early trading, falling 17% versus the previous day.
In a separate statement, the federal police said they had simultaneously launched the “Quasar” and “Tank” operations, also aimed at cracking down on schemes that allegedly moved more than 23 billion reais in the fuel sector.
($1 = 5.4212 reais)
Reporting by Eduardo Simoes, Alberto Alerigi Jr. in Sao Paulo, Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro, and Bernado Caram in Brasilia;Writing by Gabriel Araujo and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Toby Chopra, Frances Kerry and Helen Popper
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) expects all 193 U.N. member states to submit reports on their human rights records every 4.5 to 5 years
International News via Reuters:
The United States will not participate in a U.N. review of its human rights record, officials said, a move that rights advocates called a worrying retreat from Washington’s global engagement on rights and justice issues.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) expects all 193 U.N. member states to submit reports on their human rights records every 4.5 to 5 years. The reports are reviewed by other member states, which provide non-binding recommendations.
A U.S. State Department official told Reuters the U.S. will not participate in the UPR mechanism or submit its report in November, when it and 13 other countries are due to be reviewed.
This followed an executive order by President Donald Trump on 4 February to disengage from the U.N. Human Rights Council, the official said.
“Engagement in UPRs implies endorsement of the (Human Rights) Council’s mandate and activities and ignores its persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators,” the official said.
Spokespeople for the intergovernmental U.N. Human Rights Council and U.N. human rights office said the U.S. Mission in Geneva had notified them of the decision.
According to an analysis of the council’s public records, the U.S. is now on course to be the first country to not deliver a report to the UPR, unless it submits a report within the timeframe of the current review period, which ends in July 2027.
Ravina Shamdasani, chief spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), told Reuters that it regretted the U.S. decision.
“Constructive engagement with the Council, by the U.S. and all States, has contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide over the years,” she added.
DECISION GIVES OTHER COUNTRIES ‘AN EXCUSE’
Although there are no direct consequences of not submitting a UPR report, Michael Posner, director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at N.Y.U. Stern School of Business, said the U.S. was undermining global efforts on human rights.
“By withdrawing from the UPR, the U.S gives gross human rights abusers like Iran, Russia and Sudan an excuse to follow suit,” said Posner, a former senior State Department official who helped direct the UPR process under President Barack Obama.
Phil Lynch, Executive Director of Geneva-based NGO International Service for Human Rights, said that under Trump the “U.S. is rapidly becoming a human rights pariah state”. Washington’s refusal to take part signalled disdain for people facing discrimination, he added.
The State Department official said in response to the criticism that the U.S. is proud of its human rights record and leadership in advancing human rights around the world.
In Trump’s first term in office, in 2017-2021, the U.S. submitted its UPR in April-May 2020, despite withdrawing from the Human Rights Council.
The UPR process consists of a national report submitted by the country under review and a compilation of information from U.N. human rights reports and NGOs.
Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin and Andrew R. C. MarshallEditing by Frances Kerry
Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, 26 August 2025: The third day of racing at ILCA U21 World Championships held at the Royal St. George Yacht Club, co-host with the National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire. Photograph: David Branigan/Oceansport
Bermuda’s Sebastian Kempe had a much better day on the water at the 2025 ILCA Under-21 World Championships in Dublin Bay, Ireland. Despite a more consistent performance, Kempe slipped one place from his overnight eleventh to twelfth overall after two more races, bringing the series total to eight.
In the first race of the day (the seventh of the series), Kempe crossed the line in 16th place, a significant improvement from his previous results. He followed that up with an 18th place finish in the second race of the day.
With a total of 77 net points, Kempe will be looking to build on this improved form and climb back up the leaderboard as the competition heads into its final stages. The event has been a true test of skill and endurance, and the young Bermudian sailor is showing his resilience by battling back from a difficult two days of racing.
Huang on Thursday also indicated that Nvidia would be open to giving the U.S. government a cut of sales from new Blackwell chips for China if it is allowed to sell them to Beijing
International News via Reuters:
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Wednesday dismissed concern about an end to a spending boom on artificial intelligence chips and said opportunities will expand into a multi-trillion-dollar market over the next five years.
Despite Huang’s upbeat view on AI demand, shares of the chip designer clocked losses triggered by a tepid third-quarter sales forecast that excluded potential revenue from China. The stock was down nearly 2% at $178.43 in early trading on Thursday.
Keeping China out of its forecast underscored the uncertainty caused by Sino-U.S. trade tensions despite Nvidia striking a deal with President Donald Trump for export licenses in exchange for 15% of China sales of its H20 AI chips.
Huang on Thursday also indicated that Nvidia would be open to giving the U.S. government a cut of sales from new Blackwell chips for China if it is allowed to sell them to Beijing, a Fox Business reporter said in a post on X.
Following the earnings report, Huang had sought to reassure investors rattled by indications of slowing growth at the chipmaker at the center of the investment frenzy.
The founder and CEO’s bullish outlook contrasts with recent signs of fatigue in AI-focused stocks and comments from industry leaders about overheated investor enthusiasm.
“A new industrial revolution has started. The AI race is on,” Huang said. “We see $3 trillion to $4 trillion in AI infrastructure spend by the end of the decade.”
While Nvidia shares have outpaced a roughly 10% gain in the broader market, AI-facing stocks have shown signs of fatigue. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman set off alarm bells this month when he said investors may be “overexcited” about AI.
On Wednesday, Huang sounded unperturbed.
“The more you buy, the more you grow,” Huang said, arguing that Nvidia’s technological advances allow customers to process increasing amounts of data while using less energy. “The buzz is: everything sold out.”
Case in point: A customer outside China bought $650 million worth of Nvidia’s H20 reduced-capability chip aimed at the Chinese market in the latest quarter, the chipmaker said.
For China, Nvidia has been working to get a variant of its latest Blackwell chips approved for sale in the region, after Trump suggested he might allow the company to sell a scaled-down version.
HOME TURF DEMAND
Besides China, expectations of demand from Big Tech and data center owners known as hyperscalers have pushed up Nvidia’s shares over the last two years ago.
“The mega caps are the ones propelling a lot of the capex that Nvidia is benefiting from. But obviously Nvidia still is growing, is able to sell,” said Matt Orton, head of advisory solutions at Raymond James Investment Management.
“If anything, this just highlights that there’s a lot of durability to this (AI) trade… The businesses of these hyperscalers can continue to accelerate, and you’re not seeing any sort of sign of a slowdown being reflected in the results of Nvidia.”
Huang based his forecast in part on the $600 billion he expects for data center capital spending this year from major customers such as Microsoft and Amazon.
For a data center costing as much as $60 billion, Nvidia can capture about $35 billion, Huang said.
Nvidia and Huang, however, see little reason for AI chip profit growth to slow as second-quarter net income surpassed the fiscal third-quarter profit of Big Tech peer Apple.
The company’s high-end Blackwell chips are largely spoken for based on 2026 forecasts from its biggest customers. Its earlier-generation Hopper processors are being snapped up too.
“When you have something that is new, and it’s growing as fast as it is, and with all of the huge capex announcements from the hyperscalers, it’s evidence that we’re in the early stages” of the AI boom, said Globalt Investments portfolio manager Thomas Martin.
Reporting by Max A. Cherney in San Francisco; additional reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa, Shashwat Chauhan and Siddarth S in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Henderson, Sayantani Ghosh, Christopher Cushing and Arun Koyyur
The pound was 0.17% higher on the day at $1.3502, and set for a 2.4% monthly rise against the dollar in September
International News via Reuters:
Sterling edged up against a weakening dollar on Thursday as traders continued to worry about threats to the U.S. central bank’s independence.
The pound was 0.17% higher on the day at $1.3502, and set for a 2.4% monthly rise against the dollar in September. The U.S. currency has been under pressure from President Donald Trump’s ramped-up campaign to exert more influence at the Federal Reserve.
Fed Governor Lisa Cook asked a U.S. judge to issue a temporary order declaring that Trump’s effort to fire her is unlawful and to bar the Fed from taking steps to remove her.
Sterling has also had some support by a pullback in expectations of rate cuts by the Bank of England and buoyant economic data.
Money markets expected the BoE to keep rates unchanged at 4% when it meets in September.
BoE Monetary Policy Committee member Catherine Mann said on Tuesday that she saw a strong case to keep the Bank Rate on hold for a prolonged period but stood ready to cut rates forcefully if downside risks to growth materialise.
“Since the beginning of the year, the pound has tended to move sideways against the G10 currency average, while the U.S. dollar has depreciated significantly,” said Michael Pfister, FX analyst at Commerzbank, mentioning concerns about the independence of the Fed as bad news for the dollar.
Commerzbank has changed positioning around sterling saying in a note on Thursday that the risks of a weaker pound are increasing amid a difficult upcoming autumn budget, persistent UK inflation and cooled-down labour market.
“The latest data makes it clear that the United Kingdom is in a difficult situation, and our previously rather optimistic view of the pound is probably no longer justified,” Pfister said.
British producer output price inflation rose to a two-year high of 1.9% in June, up from 1.3% in May, according to preliminary official data released on Wednesday, which adds to signs of inflationary pressures facing the British economy.
Earlier this month the BoE revised up its near-term inflation forecast to 4% for September and forecast that inflation would not be back at its 2% target until the second quarter of 2027.
Against the euro, sterling was 0.2% higher at 86.40 pence.
Reporting by Joice Alves; Editing by Sharon Singleton
Ayleal Dill and his Southwell City FC teammates showed remarkable resilience to secure a 2-1 victory over Radford FC in their United Counties Division One match. The win was a testament to the team’s fighting spirit, especially after a poor first half where they were reportedly outplayed and outfought.
However, a different Southwell City side emerged after the break. The team came out with renewed purpose and energy, putting in a dominant second-half performance to earn all three points and a much-needed morale boost.
In other football news, Joshua Joseph was an unfortunate spectator as his team, Cheadle Heath Nomads, were knocked out of the FA Vase. In a thrilling First Round Qualifying match against Wythenshawe Football Club, the two teams finished regulation time level at 3-3. The dramatic contest then went to a penalty shootout, with Wythenshawe ultimately winning 4-3, a disappointing exit for Joseph’s side.
Apple said such a designation by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would undermine privacy and security protections and limit innovation in the sector
International News via Reuters:
Apple said on Thursday Britain’s plans to increase competition in the mobile operating system market could harm users and developers, and potentially force the company to share its technology with foreign competitors for free.
Last month, Britain’s competition regulator told Apple and Android-owner Google to be fairer in how they distribute apps on their mobile platforms, setting out possible interventions as it plans to designate the U.S. tech companies with strategic market status over their duopoly.
Apple said such a designation by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would undermine privacy and security protections and limit innovation in the sector.
“We’re concerned these EU-style rules the UK is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers,” an Apple spokesperson said.
“This approach undermines the privacy and security protections our users have come to expect, hampers our ability to innovate, and forces us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors.”
Designating Apple and Google with strategic market status would allow the regulator to impose behavioural rules to promote fair competition.
The CMA is due to make a final decision in October.
Apple said the CMA’s roadmap for the sector prioritises measures including interoperability, which would require Apple to make its systems more compatible with third-party apps and services. It also focuses on so-called steering, which would let developers direct users to make purchases outside of Apple’s App Store.
The company says these changes could expose users to scams and reduce its ability to invest in new technologies. It also questioned the evidence base used by the CMA, citing limited developer feedback and survey data.
Apple said it competes with companies such as Samsung and Google, and warned that the regulator’s proposals could create an uneven playing field.
A CMA spokesperson said Britain’s approach to digital market regulation differs significantly from the European Union model, offering more flexibility to tailor solutions that are proportionate and practical for both businesses and consumers.
“Driving greater competition on mobile platforms need not undermine privacy, security or intellectual property,” it said.
Reporting by Sam Tabahriti;Editing by Paul Sandle and Helen Popper
The company partnered with the cloud computing services unit of Amazon.com to create a digital production platform
International News via Reuters:
Volkswagen has extended its ‘factory cloud’ partnership with Amazon Web Services by another five years, the German carmaker said on Thursday, as it rolls out the use of artificial intelligence to improve production and reduce costs.
The company partnered with the cloud computing services unit of Amazon.com to create a digital production platform, or DPP, which Volkswagen says is already used in 43 locations in Europe, North America and South America.
Globally, Volkswagen has over 114 production sites.
“Our ambition is to become a global technology driver for the automotive industry. To this end, we are consistently digitising and networking our company in all areas,” Hauke Stars, Volkwagen’s chief executive for IT, said in a statement.
Volkswagen factories connected to the cloud platform can operate more efficiently, for example by optimising the interaction of complex processes in vehicle assembly, the statement said.
The company, which is undergoing a major overhaul to cut costs, estimates group-wide savings in the tens of millions of euros as a result of these systems in the medium term.
Reporting by Rachel MoreEditing by Madeline Chambers
The AG and Minister of Justice Kim Wilkerson said a review has been requested by Department of Corrections in to the incident
A video has been making its rounds showing a female inmate in a tussle with a Department of Corrections prison officer while being transported Wednesday afternoon.
While being taken from the Dame Lois Browne Evans Court building in Hamilton to the Co-Ed facility in St. George’s, the vehicle was stopped around 1:24 p.m on North Shore Road due to the disruptive prisoner.
A Government spokesman confirmed, the inmate “became disruptive and attempted to manipulate their restraints.
“The escort stopped to ensure the safety of the offender and staff and additional officers were called to assist. The situation was contained, and the inmate returned to the Co-Ed Facility without further incident.”
Attorney General Kim Wilkerson thanked the officers involved and requested a review by the Department of Corrections.
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