Bermudian fighter Krista Dyer has narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the 2025 World Games after a hard-fought contest in the Women’s Sanda 70kg Division.
Representing the Bermuda Sanshou Association, Dyer was defeated on points by Egypt’s Menaalla Aly. Speaking after the bout, Dyer acknowledged the quality of her opponent, stating, “There were things I was able to do that I am proud of, but when you are fighting quality opposition they will capitalize on some areas where I struggle.”
Despite the defeat, Dyer is set to continue her development with a week of training under Coach Wu, a former 60kg Sanda World Champion. Wu’s championship title came in 2011, the same year that Bermuda’s Jermal Woolridge won the island’s first-ever World Championships medal in the sport. This opportunity highlights Dyer’s commitment to improving and competing at the highest level.
Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage
International News via Reuters:
Russia has started restricting some Telegram and WhatsApp calls, accusing the foreign-owned platforms of failing to share information with law enforcement in fraud and terrorism cases, the digital development ministry said on Wednesday.
Russia has clashed with foreign tech platforms for several years over content and data storage in a simmering dispute that intensified after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with critics saying that Russia is trying to expand its control over the country’s internet space.
President Vladimir Putin has authorised the development of a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, as Moscow seeks to establish what it calls digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services and reducing its dependence on platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
“In order to counteract criminals… measures are being taken to partially restrict calls on these foreign messengers,” the Interfax news agency quoted communications regulator Roskomnadzor as saying. “No other restrictions have been imposed on their functionality.”
WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms and Telegram did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Telegram, responding to Russia’s RBC daily, said it was resisting calls for violence and fraud on its platform and that moderators were using AI tools to monitor public parts of the platform to remove millions of malicious messages every day.
Reuters reporters verified the restrictions, noting that voice calls on Telegram had barely functioned since August 11 and that WhatsApp calls had been rendered impossible due to intermittent sound and a metallic buzzing.
The digital development ministry said Telegram and WhatsApp had ignored repeated requests to take measures to stop their platforms being used for activities such as fraud and terrorism.
The blocking measures, which extend only to calls, would be lifted should the platforms comply with Russian law, the ministry said.
This includes opening legal entities in Russia, complying unconditionally with all Russian laws and cooperating with Roskomnadzor and law enforcement, said Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the lower house of parliament’s information technology committee.
Meta was branded an extremist organisation by Moscow in 2022, but WhatsApp, widely used in Russia, was allowed to remain. The messenger has received some penalties for failing to remove information banned by Russia.
Gorelkin last month said that WhatsApp should prepare to leave the market. Another lawmaker described WhatsApp’s presence in the Russian market as a breach of national security.
Critics have voiced concerns that Russia’s new state-backed messaging app may track its users’ activities and have suggested Russia might slow WhatsApp’s speeds in order to get users to migrate to the new platform.
Human Rights Watch said in a report last month that Russia’s government was increasing its technological capacities and control over the country’s internet infrastructure, allowing for more widespread blocking and throttling of unwanted websites and censorship circumvention tools.
Reporting by Moscow bureau; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Trevelyan, Guy Faulconbridge and Barbara Lewis
Bermuda’s Under-19 cricket team endured a tough loss against Canada, falling to a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat in their third match of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Americas Qualifier.
With both teams holding a one-win, one-loss record, Canada won the toss and elected to field. The decision proved to be a masterstroke as they bowled out Bermuda for a modest 60 runs. Jagmandeep Paul was the chief destroyer with the ball, taking three wickets for just seven runs. For Bermuda, three batsmen—Luke Horan, Isaiah O’Brien,** and Callum McIntosh—were joint top scorers with 13 runs each.
In response, Canada chased down the target with ease, reaching 62 for 2 in just 4.5 overs. Aryan Sidhu was the standout with the bat, hitting a rapid 35 not out. The only resistance with the ball for Bermuda came from Luke Horan, who took both of Canada’s wickets to fall.
The result leaves Bermuda with a one-win, two-loss record in the tournament.
The call comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin
International News via Reuters:
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders that support for Ukraine was unwavering and that there should be robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal with Russia.
“The Prime Minister was clear that our support for Ukraine is unwavering – international borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal,” a readout of a call from Starmer’s Downing Street office said.
The call, which also included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, NATO and the European Union, comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Reporting by William James, writing by Sachin Ravikumar, editing by Catarina Demony
Bermuda has secured its first medal of the Junior Pan American Games, with swimmer Jack Harvey claiming bronze in the Men’s 100m Backstroke.
Harvey delivered a powerful performance in the ‘A’ Final, touching the wall in a time of 54.69 to finish third. The medal-winning swim capped off a superb day for Harvey, who had earlier advanced to the final by winning his preliminary heat with a time of 55.74.
In other swimming action, Marleigh Howes finished 27th overall in the Women’s 100m Freestyle, while in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke, Sam Williamson placed 17th and Elijah Daley finished 18th.
On the archery range, it was a day of close calls for Bermuda’s archers. Jaydon Roberts and Robin Selley competed in the Mixed Recurve bronze medal match but were defeated 6-2 by Cuba. Roberts later took on Esteban Silva of Argentina for the Men’s Recurve bronze but was also defeated 6-2. Despite missing out on a medal, the archers’ deep runs are a testament to their determination and skill on the international stage.
The Ministry of Health invites the participation of residents who have received care for Type I or Type II Diabetes in completing the Diabetes Patient Care Survey.
The Diabetes Patient Care Survey will launch on Wednesday 13 August 2025. All responses must be submitted by Wednesday 10 September 2025. The Survey can be accessed through the following link – Diabetes Disease: Survey for Diabetic Patients and Caregivers – and will take approximately 15 – 20 minutes to complete. All feedback will remain anonymous.
As part of the Ministry’s work to better understand the journey of Diabetes patients through Bermuda’s health system and strengthen their overall care experience, the Survey will be collecting perspectives on experiences accessing and using health services related to the support of Diabetes care.
The Survey is a component of the Ministry’s current Diabetes Integrated Care Pathway initiative that is being led by a multi-disciplinary working group that is Chaired by Dr. Andrew Jamieson, with the support of the Ministry’s Universal Health Coverage (“UHC”) Project Management Office.
Integrated Care Pathways take a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to managing care for individuals with specific needs, in this case individuals with Type I and Type II Diabetes. They outline a patient’s entire care journey, specifying what happens, when, and who is responsible at each stage. This process includes working group sessions and one-on-one interviews with both patients and health service providers. To date 16 patients and 18 health service providers have been interviewed, and three workshops and six focus groups have been held. Participants include patients with lived experience, and specialist health providers from fields such as endocrinology, pharmacy, dietetics, diabetes education, podiatry, and nursing.
“Implementing the Diabetes Integrated Care Pathway, based on the 2023 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (“JSNA”) findings, is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing the impact of these conditions on costs and quality of life,” says Minister of Health, Kim Wilson. “Collaboration among health system stakeholders is key to understanding patient care journeys, identifying challenges and opportunities, and enhancing care and health outcomes.
Although Bermuda lacks a comprehensive surveillance system for non-communicable diseases, surveys estimate that 13% of the population has diabetes. By working together, we can better manage and prevent metabolic diseases.”
Diabetes was identified in the JSNA as the leading cause for insurance claims in 2021 and the third highest cost of insurance claims. It recommended that Diabetes be one of the ‘priority physical health diseases’ to have an Integrated Care Pathway developed out of the UHC Programme.
“Around the World, all types of Diabetes are increasing. In particular, Type II Diabetes is an extremely common and potentially preventable health issue in Bermuda that must be addressed,” states Dr. Jamieson. “This task, however, can only be successful if undertaken collaboratively across the health system. Within that, the voices of the Patients and the Service Providers play a critical role. With this survey, we would like to hear from as many people living with Type I or II Diabetes as possible. So please take the opportunity to complete it or share it with anyone you know may live with Diabetes. Feedback provided from the completed surveys will inform the development of the Diabetes and Metabolic Disease patient care pathway and assist in implementing solutions to improve experiences and outcomes overall.”
ABOUT THE BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY AND UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE:
The Bermuda Health Strategy 2022 – 2027 (“The Health Strategy”) was developed as the next phase of work for the Ministry of Health as it works to achieve the vision of “healthy people in healthy communities”. The Health Strategy provides the frame to shift Bermuda’s health system as it works to implement Universal Health Coverage (“UHC”) and shift to a more people-centred approach to healthcare that focuses on delivering better care that meets the needs of individuals and families today and into the future. Bermuda’s UHC programme is a multi-year, multi-phased initiative that seeks to ensure “all people have equitable access to needed informative, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative essential health services, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for these services and critical medicines.”
At last check, 260 customers are out in Devonshire, 151 in Smith’s, 40 in Pembroke
Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) today advised that severe weather is currently impacting the island and a lightning strike is the likely cause of an outage in Smiths and Devonshire that has impacted a large number of customers.
BELCO crews have been dispatched and are currently investigating the cause in order to make repairs. However, should overhead line crews need to make repairs they must wait until the weather subsides before they can begin restoring power safely.
Please check for updates on outages on BELCO’s website or social media pages, inclusive of Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
Last year, Britain was rocked by days of rioting after the murder of three young girls in Southport after misinformation spread online that the teenage suspect was an Islamist migrant
International News via Reuters:
British police have been told they can release details of a suspect’s ethnicity and nationality in high-profile and sensitive cases to prevent false information being spread on social media.
Last year, Britain was rocked by days of rioting after the murder of three young girls in Southport after misinformation spread online that the teenage suspect was an Islamist migrant.
The issue has remained highly contentious since, with the populist Reform UK party, which is leading in opinion polls, last week accusing police of covering up the immigration status of suspects involved in the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in central England.
That incident had led to anti-immigration protests after the Reform leader of the local council said the suspects were asylum seekers, while police said they could not give out such information because of existing guidance which limited details that could be shared to ensure people received a fair trial.
Under new guidelines from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, police forces will now be encouraged to disclose details “to reduce the risk to public safety” and where misinformation was being spread.
“We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels,” said Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya.
“Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest.”
A Home Office (interior ministry) spokesperson said they supported the change and would authorise the release of any relevant immigration information in future cases where it was appropriate.
Reporting by Michael HoldenEditing by Alexandra Hudson
The brokerage also raised its 2028 year-end ether forecast to $25,000 from $7,500
International News via Reuters:
Standard Chartered raised its year-end target for ether to $7,500 from $4,000 on Wednesday, citing improvement in industry engagement in recent months and emergence of Ethereum treasury companies.
The brokerage also raised its 2028 year-end ether forecast to $25,000 from $7,500
World’s no.2 crytocurrency was last trading at $4,679.47, a level last seen in November 2021.
Reporting by Kanchana Chakravarty in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair
Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous east coast facing the Pacific
International News via Reuters:
Typhoon Podul blew through southern Taiwan on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph) and leaving one person missing, as a large swathe of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled.
Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous east coast facing the Pacific.
Podul slammed into the southeastern city of Taitung around 1 p.m. (0500 GMT), passed through the southern tip of the island and then into the Taiwan Strait some three hours later, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said.
It is expected to next make landfall on China’s southern coast late on Wednesday or early Thursday, affecting Fujian and Guangdong provinces, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
In Taiwan, one person was reported missing and 33 others injured, the government said.
Nine cities and counties announced the suspension of work and school for Wednesday, including the southern metropolises of Kaohsiung and Tainan.
In the capital Taipei, home to Taiwan’s financial markets, there were blustery winds but no impact.
Authorities also evacuated those whose homes were damaged by a July typhoon that brought record winds and damaged the electricity grid in a rare direct hit to Taiwan’s west coast.
The government said more than 5,500 people had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon’s arrival.
All domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday – 252 in total – while 155 international flights were also called off, the transport ministry said.
Taiwan’s two main international carriers China Airlines and EVA Air said their cancellations were focused on routes out of Kaohsiung, with some flights from the island’s main international airport at Taoyuan stopped as well.
As much as 600 mm (24 inches) of rain was forecast in southern mountainous areas over the coming few days, the Central Weather Administration said.
More than a year’s rainfall fell in a single week this month in some southern areas, unleashing widespread landslides and flooding, with four deaths.
Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Editing by Michael Perry, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Joe Bavier
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