Bermuda evening news at 7pm.
King: ‘I can get the OBA more funding than Smith’
OBA leadership hopeful Robert King suggests the current leadership is not strategic or media savvy, and says he’s someone who can get results
WATCH highlights above, SCROLL DOWN for extended interview
Robert King says the OBA was not prepared for an election it called for.
The OBA leadership hopeful says he is a political disrupter, and the party needs to be “loud and effective” – something it has not been under Jarion Richardson and Ben Smith, he suggests.
The political newcomer is a contender to lead the Opposition once Mr Richardson steps down in September. He is up against current Deputy Leader, Ben Smith, whom we featured in an interview earlier this week.
Mr Richardson had said it’s time for an election in response to the PLP Government’s Throne Speech in November. The party went on to lose 25-11 in the February General Election, regaining four seats that they lost in 2020.
Robert King cites the need for a media strategy to rival the PLP’s – and claims that he can attract more of the kind of funding the party needs to run such a campaign.
Union wants public support over sacked dockworker
BIU demands Dock bosses reinstate unfairly dismissed worker; Union & SSL appeal Tribunal decision
WATCH our report above, SCROLL DOWN for the full press conference
The BIU today reiterated its message to bosses at Hamilton Docks: Hire back the worker you unfairly fired.
This, despite an Employment Tribunal ruling that the Docks operator has no obligation to re-instate the man in question.
The six month overtime ban at Hamilton Docks drags on, and the Port Worker’s Division are set to meet on Friday to review the situation.
At Bermuda Industrial Union HQ today, Division President Dawud Tucker made their expectations clear – and called for the community’s help:
“We would like to get, with the public support, management and SSL team to recognize… reinstatement rights.”
The matter concerns Chris Furbert Jr, son of BIU President Chris Furbert, who was fired in February 2020 following a verbal exchange with former Stevedoring boss Warren Jones.
It’s a case stretching over several years.
…and in November last year, an Employment Tribunal ruled that the dismissal was unfair, because SSL had not followed its own grievance procedures.
However, the Tribunal did not not order that he should be reinstated, and even reduced the potential compensation from $355,000 to $250,000, citing “the Complainant’s lack of financial evidence to mitigate his 232 weeks of losses and the Complainant contributing to his dismissal”.
The union maintains that the tribunal’s ruling of unfair dismissal should result in automatic reinstatement – under article 30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Tribunal, chaired by former BPSU President Ed Ball Jr, indicates that the CBA was considered in its ruling.
We understand both the union and SSL are appealing the Tribunal’s decision.
WATCH our report above, SCROLL DOWN for the full press conference
It should be noted that Article 30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement applies to the “unjustified dismissal or suspension of an Employee who is subsequently reinstated…”
Since the Tribunal ruled against reinstatement – does it make this part of the CBA inapplicable?
We have reached out to the BIU for clarity.
RELATED MEDIA:
Employment Tribunal Hearing, Chris Furbert Jr vs XXX, click HERE.
Employment Tribunal Quantum Award, Chris Furbert Jr & BIU vs XXX, click HERE.
Article 30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between BIU Port Workers & SSL, below:
Ethiopian fossils reveal new species in human evolutionary lineage
The scientists also discovered three other teeth dating to 2.59 million years ago that had traits showing they belonged to the oldest-known species of Homo
International News via Reuters:
Researchers have unearthed tooth fossils in Ethiopia dating to about 2.65 million years ago of a previously unknown species in the human evolutionary lineage, one that lived in the same time and place as the earliest-known member of the genus Homo to which our own species belongs.
The scientists discovered in the Ledi-Geraru research project area of northeastern Ethiopia’s Afar Region 10 teeth – six molars, two incisors, one premolar and one canine – that they concluded belonged to a new Australopithecus species. The teeth came from two individuals.
Until now, six species of the genus Australopithecus, an important early human ancestor that displayed a mix of ape-like and human-like traits, were known from fossils at various African sites. The researchers said the newly found teeth bore traits indicating they belonged to a seventh species.
A genus is a group of closely related species that share similar characteristics. For example, lions and tigers are from the same genus but represent different species.
The scientists also discovered three other teeth dating to 2.59 million years ago that had traits showing they belonged to the oldest-known species of Homo, one that was first revealed by a jawbone unearthed in the same vicinity in 2013.
Scientists have not yet assigned names to the Australopithecus and Homo species represented by these 13 teeth because of the incomplete nature of the fossil remains. Our species Homo sapiens is the most recent member of the Homo genus, first appearing roughly 300,000 years ago in Africa before later spreading worldwide.
The new dental fossils provide insight into a poorly understood period in human evolution. The close age of the teeth suggests that this newly identified Australopithecus species coexisted in this region with the early Homo species, raising questions about whether they competed for the same resources.
The teeth also indicate that there were four hominins – as species in the human evolutionary lineage are known – that inhabited East Africa at the time. Previous fossils showed that another Australopithecus species and a species of Paranthropus, a hominin possessing a specialized skull adapted for heavy chewing, lived in East Africa during this time. An additional Australopithecus species also inhabited southern Africa, bringing the number of hominins then on the continent to five.
The presence of these contemporaneous hominins illustrates the complicated nature of the human evolutionary process.
“This reinforces the idea that the story of human evolution is not of a single lineage changing slowly through time,” said University of Nevada, Las Vegas paleoanthropologist Brian Villmoare, lead author of the research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
“Rather, the pattern of human evolution is similar to that of other organisms, repeatedly branching into multiple species throughout the fossil record, many of whom lived at the same time,” Villmoare added.
The researchers are seeking clues about the nature of any interaction between the Australopithecus and Homo species represented by the 13 teeth.
“We are currently analyzing teeth to see if we can tell if they ate the same thing,” said Arizona State University paleoecologist and project co-director Kaye Reed.
If so, they may have fought over resources, Reed said. Crude stone tools dating to about the same time were previously discovered nearby, Reed said, probably made by the Homo species.
The researchers determined the age of the teeth using a technique that dated feldspar crystals contained in volcanic ash in the sediments where they were discovered based on radioactive decay of the element argon.
The Afar Region, one of Earth’s hottest and lowest places, is an arid expanse of badlands. But at the time of these species, rivers flowed across a vegetated landscape into shallow lakes in a landscape populated by a splendid array of animals. These included giraffes, horses, pigs, elephants, hippos and antelopes as well as predators such as saber-toothed cats and hyenas.
Homo is generally thought to have descended from a species of Australopithecus, though the exact species and the timing have been a matter of debate. Australopithecus eventually died out.
Australopithecus includes the famous fossil Lucy, who was a member of the species Australopithecus afarensis who lived approximately 3.18 million years ago. Lucy’s remains were discovered in 1974, also in the Afar Region. The newly discovered teeth had characteristics that showed they did not belong to Lucy’s species, the researchers said.
“This new Australopithecus species is in no way some ‘missing link,’ and we actually don’t think that it was necessarily ancestral to any known species,” Villmoare said.
“Species arose and many went extinct,” Reed said. “Each find is a piece of the puzzle that puts human evolution into a twiggy tree, rather than a linear graphic.”
Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien
Walmart broadens 10% staff discount to include most grocery products
Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, had previously extended its grocery discount during the holidays
International News via Reuters:
Walmart is expanding its 10% employee discount to nearly all of its grocery items, including dairy and meat, through the year, the company’s chief people officer told its staff in a letter on Wednesday.
The discount, previously limited to fresh produce and general merchandise such as apparel, now extends to almost all food categories — including milk, meat, dry grocery, and seafood — in stores and online, effective immediately.
Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, had previously extended its grocery discount during the holidays, but the perk will now be available year-round, the company said.
“We’ve heard your feedback that these savings make a real difference for you and your families,” Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer, wrote in the letter.
Morris said the extension of the discount card program, first introduced more than 50 years ago, was among the company’s most requested benefits.
The company has also raised wages for U.S. hourly workers and launched a bonus program for about 700,000 front-line staff over the last couple of years to help retain workers.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the extension of the discount program.
Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid
Biggest IKEA retailer names veteran Juvencio Maeztu CEO as Brodin steps down
Maeztu takes the top job at Ingka Group as the Swedish retailer grapples with U.S. tariffs, wars and geopolitical tensions
International News via Reuters:
The world’s biggest retailer of IKEA furniture said on Wednesday CEO Jesper Brodin was stepping down after eight years, to be succeeded by Spaniard Juvencio Maeztu, the first non-Swede to lead the group.
Maeztu takes the top job at Ingka Group as the Swedish retailer grapples with U.S. tariffs, wars and geopolitical tensions that risk disrupting its operations spanning 31 countries from Europe to China, India and the United States.
Brodin, CEO since 2017, said his decision to step down was not easy, but that it was the right time to do so. Maeztu is to start in the new role by November 5, with Brodin staying at the company until the end of February to ease the transition.
Deputy CEO and chief financial officer since 2018, Maeztu, 57, started at IKEA in 2001 as manager of the Alcorcon store in Madrid, later managing the Wembley store in London, before a six-year stint as CEO of IKEA India.
“We’ve been riding through quite some storms together – pandemic, geopolitical issues, war, etcetera,” Brodin, 56, told Reuters.
“So in a way I feel proud of the things we have achieved but also super confident that the IKEA house is in good order and we’ll be able to take off for the future with Juvencio.”
Under Brodin, Ingka Group invested heavily to improve online shopping for IKEA, driving the retailer’s online sales up. Ingka also set new emissions reduction targets and reported in January that emissions fell by 30.1% from its 2016 baseline.
Brodin said the appointment of Maeztu, who grew up in Cadiz and does not speak Swedish, shows IKEA’s global culture works.
The incoming CEO is setting off on a “listening tour” of its big blue stores around the world, starting in Asia, as he builds his strategy to grow the company which last year reported weaker net profit and revenue after slashing prices.
“I am fully determined to make IKEA grow and to really be relevant for many millions more consumers around the world,” Maeztu told Reuters. He has said tariffs make it harder for IKEA to keep prices low.
Privately-held Ingka Group will report sales figures in mid-October for its financial year ending August 31. As the biggest franchisee, Ingka sells IKEA products manufactured by brand owner and franchiser Inter IKEA.
Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe
Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so far in 2025
International News via Reuters:
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so far in 2025, double the average for the same period of the year since 2006, according to the EU Science Hub’s Joint Research Centre.
Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic on the outskirts of the Greek city of Patras, west of Athens.
“What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here,” said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help.
Authorities ordered residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras to evacuate on Tuesday and issued new alerts on Wednesday, advising residents of two nearby villages to leave.
On the Greek islands of Chios, in the east, and Cephalonia, in the west, both popular with tourists, authorities told people to move to safety as fires spread.
In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as state weather agency AEMET warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire.
The 35-year-old man had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he was trapped in the blaze, regional officials said.
He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Others include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services.
Working in unprepared landscapes puts firefighters’ lives at risk, said Alexander Held, a senior expert in fire management at the European Forest Institute, adding authorities should prepare by creating buffer zones and clearing combustible vegetation.
“Take an industrial building and imagine there would be no fire detectors, no sprinkler systems, no fire protection doors and no escape routes – firefighters would just refuse to go in, but in our landscape we expect them to do this,” Held said.
Investing 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) a year in forest management could save 9.9 million hectares – an area the size of Portugal – and 99 billion euros spent on fighting fires and restoration work afterwards, according to Greenpeace.
SUSPECTED ARSON
Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told the SER radio station that many fires across the country were thought to be the work of arsonists due to their “virulence”.
A male firefighter was arrested on Tuesday for fires started in the Avila area north of Madrid two weeks ago, while police said on Tuesday they were investigating a 63-year-old woman for allegedly starting fires in Galicia’s Muxia area in August.
Police have also identified a suspect who is believed to have suffered burns to his hands after starting a small fire in a beachfront development in the southern coastal Cadiz area, Europa Press reported.
Thunderstorms have caused other fires.
On Tuesday, shortly after 5 p.m., Andalusia’s fire department was flooded with calls by residents reporting a fire caused by a lightning strike on a chestnut and oak forest in Los Romeros, north of the city of Huelva. The fire prompted the evacuation of around 250 residents but was largely controlled by Wednesday morning.
A blaze in Trancoso in Portugal that has been burning since Saturday got worse during the night as a lightning reignited an area that was thought safe, the civil protection service said.
In Albania, Defence Minister Pirro Vengu said it was a “critical week”, with several major wildfires burning across the country.
Some 10,000 firefighters, soldiers and police emergency units struggled with a total of 24 wildfires on Wednesday, the defence ministry said.
Flames reached two villages in the centre of the country, forcing villagers to flee, taking their livestock with them.
“We are going in the middle of two rivers because the fire has arrived,” said Hajri Dragoti, 68, from Narte, who fled with his wife taking a cow, a donkey and a dog. “We can’t do anything, it is like gunpowder.”
Spain was in its 10th day of a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and which AEMET expected to last until Monday, making it one of the longest on record.
Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter’s Square to an indoor venue in the Vatican, “to stay a little bit out of the sun and the extreme heat” as Italy’s health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 16 cities on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 39C (102F) in Florence.
($1 = 0.8538 euros)
Reporting by Louiza Vradi, David Latona, Aislinn Laing, Ivana Sekularac, Ilse Filks, Andrei Khalip and Gavin Jones; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Alex Richardson and Giles Elgood
BELCO on storm-related power cuts
BELCO’s Shelly Leman said a majority of the 1,500 customers impacted have had power restored
BELCO crews have been working to restore two transformers that were struck in today’s lightning strikes.
Hundreds of customers were affected.
At about 10.15am, a severe weather squall passed the island.
There were reported lightning strikes on Hermitage Road, in Smith’s affecting 1,500 customers and First Avenue in Devonshire impacting 30 customers.
Ferrar’s Lane in Pembroke was also impacted where 30 customers had a power outage.
Shelly Leman, the Managing Director of TD&R at BELCO is encouraging everyone to exercise caution during extreme weather events to ensure their safety.
Premier denounces ‘a callous and terrifying event’
In wake of fatal shootings, Premier Burt says lasting change will come when the entire community decides that ‘enough is enough’
Premier David Burt: “When even one family mourns, we all mourn. When violence takes lives, it hurts our entire island.”
Statement by Premier David Burt:
The tragic events of yesterday, which claimed the lives of two young men, have shaken our island once again. My deepest condolences go to the families of those who were killed and who are facing unimaginable loss.
As a father, I can only begin to comprehend the grief that the parents of the two victims are going through.
I am also praying for the family of the third victim, who is recovering in the hospital and all of those who may have witnessed yesterday’s shooting or been in the vicinity, as such a callous and terrifying event took place in broad daylight on a busy street as workers and families walked around the City of Hamilton.
If you have any information, come forward and speak to the police or call Crime Stoppers anonymously. Silence only allows this cycle of violence to continue, and it must end.
Bermuda is a close-knit community. When even one family mourns, we all mourn. When violence takes lives, it hurts our entire island. We are not defined by these tragedies but how respond to them as a community, so it’s vital that we stand together and be there for one another.
Your Government will continue to support the Bermuda Police Service, and first responders.
We will also continue to invest in resources to support individuals and families affected by violence, and programmes that address the root causes of that violence.
But lasting change will only come when we, as a community, decide together that enough is enough.
Photos: The suspected double-murderers
Police release images of two men wanted for fatal shootings on Court Street
Police today released these images of two men wanted in connection with yesterday’s double-murder.
18-year-old Nahkai Robinson and 23-year-old Netrae Eversley died after two men riding on a motorcycle opened fire on the men at the junction of Court Street and Dundonald Street in Hamilton.
Another victim, 24, is recovering in hospital.
Anyone with information in connection to the fatal shooting or the suspects pictured tonight should contact Detective Kenten Trott on 717-2345, speak with an officer you know or contact Crime Stoppers on 800-8477.
Mixed Fortunes for Bermuda’s Footballers in UK Cup and League Action
It’s been a busy period for Bermudian footballers across the United Kingdom, with a variety of results in cup and league competitions.
In Carabao Cup action, Nathan Trott’s Cardiff City advanced with a 2-1 victory over Swindon Town. Trott, who started for the team, conceded his first goal in the club’s colours but his side ultimately progressed. Meanwhile, Nahki Wells and Luton Town were knocked out of the competition, falling 1-0 to Coventry in a match where Wells was part of a heavily rotated squad.
In other competitions, Reggie Lambe and Needham Market secured their first point of the season with a goalless draw. There were also wins for Justin Donawa’s Brackley Town, who picked up a 2-0 victory in the National League Cup, and for Roger Lee, whose Heanor Town teammates defeated Clay Cross Town FC 4-1.
It was a difficult week for others, however. Kane Crichlow’s Sutton United went down to a heavy 7-0 defeat against Fulham Academy. Harry Twite and his Loughborough Student FC team lost 2-1, while Aunde Todd’s Binfield FC suffered a 3-1 loss.
‘Grief does not end when the headlines fade’
OBA leader sets recent violence in the context of ‘deepening divisions across our community’
Jarion Richardson: “These acts of violence are a symptom of a wider decline in our civil society — a fraying of the bonds of respect and trust that hold us together.” Photo shows scene of yesterday’s shootings on Court Street
Statement by Opposition Leader Jarion Richardson:
Bermuda is in mourning once again. In recent days, lives have been lost to violence — in our streets, in broad daylight, in front of the very communities we are supposed to protect. These tragedies do not only claim the lives of their victims. They leave children without parents, parents without children, families without answers, and communities without peace.
The grief does not end when the headlines fade. It lingers — in the empty chairs at the dinner table, in the classrooms where friends notice a desk is vacant, in the hearts of neighbours who now walk their streets in fear. Many of our charities, including our schools, have seen this pain up close. Their work with families affected by traumatic homicide shows the depth of the wound left by violence, and the urgent need for structured grief recovery to help victims’ loved ones cope and heal.
But this is not just about individual grief. These acts of violence are a symptom of a wider decline in our civil society — a fraying of the bonds of respect and trust that hold us together. We see it in the hostility that too often replaces healthy debate, in the disrespect shown in public spaces, and in the deepening divisions across our community. That same erosion of trust is one reason too many people remain silent when the police ask for help in solving crimes. Without witnesses, without community cooperation, justice is too often denied, and the cycle of violence continues.
And yet, the police themselves are struggling. The Bermuda Police Service is still below its target staffing level. Internally, officers report low morale, lack of trust, and a culture that must change. They are working under strain, with fewer resources than they need, and often without the cooperation of the public they serve. No strategy can succeed under those conditions.
The Government’s own National Violence Reduction Strategy admits that violence “threatens the very fabric of our island home” and that no one is immune. We know the causes. We have strategies on paper. We have community organizations already on the ground addressing the trauma. What we lack is national leadership to bring these efforts together, set measurable goals, and deliver results that people can see and feel.
That is why I am calling for:
- Urgent integration of community-based trauma recovery into the violence reduction strategy — ensuring grief support is a core part of how we break the cycle.
- Island-wide trust rebuilding between police and communities — not as a slogan, but through consistent presence, genuine listening, and visible service in every parish.
- Transparent, measurable progress reporting — with clear timelines, public benchmarks, and independent oversight for both the NVRS and police cultural reform.
- Support for police capacity and culture change — so that officers are equipped, resourced, and trusted to do the job effectively and fairly.
We cannot meet this moment with more reassurances and the same old promises. We must meet it with action, urgency, and accountability. Bermuda is hurting — but Bermuda can heal. That healing will take leadership that is willing to listen, to unite, and to deliver.
Our people deserve to feel safe in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in their hearts. The time to act is now.
