Deadline to submit feedback on the draft policy is 13 July
The Government of Bermuda issued the following media release.
The public will recall that the 2022 Throne Speech called for the Ministry of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport to develop a National Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy and Strategy for Bermuda. A key component of this initiative is the Government’s commitment to phase out the sale and importation of internal combustion engine vehicles. Installing a robust electric vehicle charging infrastructure is essential to this initiative’s success.
To facilitate this process, the Ministry established the National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Committee. The Committee’s mandate is to support the Ministry in developing national EV charging policy goals and objectives, which form part of Bermuda’s Economic Recovery Plan 2021. The Committee comprises representatives from various sectors and government departments, including the Ministry of Transport, the Department of Planning, the Department of Energy, the Regulatory Authority and BELCO.
The Committee meets bi-monthly and has been actively reviewing and analysing data, usage trends, and international best practices. Its work has been instrumental in identifying the most strategic, sustainable, and cost-effective approach to deploying EV charging infrastructure across the Island.
As a result of their work, the Committee has produced a draft of the National Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (NEVCI) Policy Goals and Objectives.
As part of the project’s consultation phase, the Ministry of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport invites stakeholders and the public to provide feedback on the individual policy goals and objectives and any additional comments on the adoption of EV charging in Bermuda.
For the latest news and sports, presenters Jasmine Patterson and Earl Basden bring you today’s noon radio cast.
In the headlines, Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operator’s Association members launch new taxi booking app; Bermuda Police Service to host community meetings in the west end; and Premier fosters ties with Canadian partners in meetings with Caribbean Canada Leaders program plus cricket and football sports highlights.
Senior Men’s team faces a challenging series of games
Head Coach Sullivan Phillips
The Bermuda Basketball Association’s Senior Men’s National team program is set to embark on its fourth annual Development tour in the Dominican Republic, marking another significant step in their preparation for future international competitions. The BBA continues to nurture its strong, ongoing relationship with the Dominican Republic Basketball Federation, or FEDOMBAL, a formidable basketball nation currently ranked 18th in the world and 6th in FIBA Americas. This partnership offers invaluable experience for the Bermudian squad. The Bermuda select team has secured a challenging series of games, including matches against two club teams, the Dominican Republic’s Junior Men’s Under-19 team, and a team from their Under-22 Men’s league. The Sr. Men’s program itself has progressively gotten younger and bigger, and it will be interesting to see what this evolving team can achieve in the coming days. The ultimate goal remains to form their strongest team to date and earn an invitation to participate in the FIBA AmeriCup pre-qualifying tournament in July 2026. Guiding the team is Head Coach Sullivan Phillips, supported by Assistant Coach Jason Lowe, Associate Coach Gavin MacKenzie, and Delegate/Team Manager Tim Trott. The roster includes Cameron Basden, Sam Darrell, Jonathan Lowe, Caelin Peters, Kobie Reid, Khalil Robinson, Malachi Scott, Jaelen Williams, and Ramareo Williams-Showers.
Opinion piece written by Fiona Rodriguez-Roberts, Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation
When was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone? Got messy? Tried something new? Felt that mix of nervous energy and self-doubt—and then realized, “I can do this”?
These moments matter. Research shows that trying new things helps build confidence, emotional regulation, and a stronger sense of self. Yet, for many children, these moments are becoming rare.
At Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation, we welcome around 50 children daily and more than 1,000 yearly. We help children push their limits safely and joyfully through art, play and nature. We don’t focus on being “right” or making something “perfect.” We focus on the process: experimenting, solving problems, taking creative risks, and, yes, getting messy. And we do this through play.
Why does this matter? Because we’re seeing more anxiety and burnout in children than ever before. We’re seeing 18-month-olds through teenagers struggling to regulate big feelings. We’re hearing phrases like “I can’t,” “I’m not good at this,” and “It’s not good enough.”
No one deserves to think that way about themselves.
We know that children learn about the world around them when they play. Science tells us that play develops essential cognitive, social, and emotional skills. However, according to a 2022 Omnibus study, the general public in Bermuda places less value on children’s play-based learning and imaginary play than on learning route skills. At Kaleidoscope, we work to change that narrative.
We offer free access to Kaleidoscope programs to over 600 public school students each year. We run a bursary program so more families can participate in classes, camps, and workshops. We’ve worked with more than 40 teachers, helping them integrate creativity into their classrooms, and 100% of those who completed our survey say they’d recommend our programs to others.
We also hear directly from families about the difference it makes. One parent shared, “I feel that they are giving children the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe environment—allowing them to create their own masterpieces, which they feel proud of!”
This isn’t just about children, though. Adults need this creative space too.
So, we invite you to take the challenge.
Get a little messy. Try something new. Say “yes” to the creative process, even if the outcome isn’t perfect. Help the children in your life do the same—whether at home, in your classroom, or in your community.
At Kaleidoscope, we believe every child deserves access to creative outlets and opportunities. With the help of volunteers, donors, and community support, we’re working to make that belief a reality. If you’d like to join us – by supporting, volunteering, or learning more – visit KAF.bm,
Together, we can make space for children’s creativity, courage, and confidence to blossom.
This op-ed is part of the Third Sector Spotlight Series, a collective media campaign coordinated by the Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the value, impact and contributions of Bermuda’s nonprofit sector.
Course which helps police officers to recognise trauma in individuals was extended to other agencies
Twenty-five people from various agencies took part in the most recent training course. Photos supplied
Press release: Last November, 2024, the Bermuda Police Service (BPS) hosted two UK instructors from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, who provided BPS staff, frontline patrol officers and investigators with essential skills and knowledge on trauma-informed approaches. This training equipped the initial group of BPS officers to recognise the signs and symptoms of trauma in individuals, to prevent re-traumatisation, and to ensure that they are aware of available support agencies. Additionally, the training emphasised the importance of police officers recognising these signs in themselves. Building on that foundation, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police James Howard highlighted that, “The BPS continued the trauma-informed training initiative this year, from 14th May, for two weeks. To date nearly 70 officers have received this training, enhancing their ability to serve our community with empathy, and understanding, to better serve the public.” He further stated, “In addition to our officers, we extended the latest trauma-informed awareness training opportunity to several of our sister agencies, which included the Department of Child & Family Services, the Centre Against Abuse, Saving Children And Revealing Secrets (SCARS), the Mirrors Programme, Court Services, the Department of Health, Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, the Department of Corrections, as well as the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service. The course was very well received, with 25 participants attending.”
In conclusion, Acting Assistant Commissioner Howard noted, “We are excited about the positive impact this training has had and are considering bringing the trainers in again later this year. Trauma-informed training is crucial in fostering a compassionate and effective approach to not only law enforcement, but also any helping agency, thereby ensuring we all can better support the community and each other.”
The Kronen Zeitung tabloid said a suspect had been found dead in a bathroom
Police officers stand as children are evacuated from the school, following a deadly school shooting in Graz, Austria, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic
International news via Reuters:
A gunman killed at least nine people at a secondary school in the southern Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday, in the worst school shooting in the country’s modern history.
Police said the attacker also died and that they were working on the assumption that he had operated alone. National broadcaster ORF said about 30 people were wounded. Austrian media reported that most of the dead were pupils at the school.
Police did not publicly identify the killer, but Austrian media cited unconfirmed reports saying he was a former pupil who had entered the school and opened fire on pupils.
“The rampage at a school in Graz is a national tragedy that has deeply shaken our entire country,” Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said in a statement.
“There are no words for the pain and grief that we all – all of Austria – are feeling right now.”
At the scene, police had set up a perimeter a few hundred meters away from the school, barring access routes with police cars.
A local police spokesman said the area had been secured, the school had been evacuated and relatives of the victims and pupils were being cared for.
In reports that Reuters could not immediately verify, the Kurier and Salzburger Nachrichten newspapers identified the suspect as a 22-year-old former student.
Salzburger Nachrichten said he was Austrian, believed to have had no criminal record, and that he had recently purchased one of the weapons.
It said the gunman had been a victim of bullying. He carried a pistol and a shotgun and opened fire on pupils in two classrooms, one of which had once been his own.
The Kronen Zeitung tabloid said a suspect had been found dead in a bathroom.
UNBEARABLE
Police were called to the scene at around 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) after shots were heard at the school.
Julia Ebner, an extremism expert at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think-tank, said the incident appeared to be the worst school shooting in Austria’s post-war history, describing such shootings as rare compared to some countries including the United States.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X: “Every child should feel safe at school and be able to learn free from fear and violence. My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the Austrian people in this dark moment.”
Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 persons, according to the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project.
Machine guns and pump action guns are banned, while revolvers, pistols and semi-automatic weapons are allowed only with official authorisation. Rifles and shotguns are permitted with a firearms licence or a valid hunting licence, or for members of traditional shooting clubs.
Four people were killed and 22 injured when a convicted jihadist went on a shooting spree in the centre of Vienna in 2020. In November 1997, a 36-year-old mechanic shot dead six people in the town of Mauterndorf before killing himself.
Reporting by Francois Murphy, Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich, John Revill, Dave Graham, Thomas Seythal and Friederike Heine, Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Peter Graff and Gareth Jones
The Hon. Jache Adams attending the 5-day event in Nice, France
Minister of Public Works & Environment Jache Adams speaking on global and regional developments, including steps for closer ties with the Azores islands. Full interview, below:
OpenAI said in March it would raise up to $40 billion in a new funding round
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
OpenAI said on Monday that its annualized revenue run rate surged to $10 billion as of June, positioning the company to hit its full-year target amid booming AI adoption.
Its projected annual revenue figure based on current revenue data, which was about $5.5 billion in December 2024, has demonstrated strong growth as the adoption and use of its popular ChatGPT artificial-intelligence models continue to rise.
This means OpenAI is on track to achieve its revenue target of $12.7 billion in 2025, which it had shared with investors earlier.
The $10 billion figure excludes licensing revenue from OpenAI-backer Microsoft and large one-time deals, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed. The details were first reported by CNBC.
Considering the startup lost about $5 billion last year, OpenAI’s revenue milestone shows how far ahead the company is in revenue scale compared to its competitors, which are also benefiting from growing AI adoption.
Anthropic recently crossed $3 billion in annualized revenue on booming demand from code-gen startups using its models.
OpenAI said in March it would raise up to $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group, at a $300 billion valuation.
In more than two years since it rolled out its ChatGPT chatbot, the company has introduced a bevy of subscription offerings for consumers as well as businesses.
OpenAI had 500 million weekly active users as of the end of this March.
Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Pooja Desai
The Sizewell C plant is expected to create around 10,000 jobs during the peak of construction
Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk, southeast England, April 10, 2013.
REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
Britain will invest 14.2 billion pounds ($19.25 billion) to build the Sizewell C nuclear plant in southeast England, the government said on Tuesday, as part of its wider spending reviewwhich will define its priorities over the next four years.
Britain is seeking to build new nuclear plants to replace its ageing fleet to help boost its energy security and also reach its climate targets.
The Sizewell C plant in Suffolk is expected to create around 10,000 jobs during the peak of construction and produce enough electricity to power around 6 million homes when built.
“We need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance, because that is the only way to protect family finances, take back control of our energy, and tackle the climate crisis,” Britain’s energy minister Ed Miliband said in a statement.
Britain has been seeking to bring new investors into the project but Tuesday’s announcement did not mention any other parties.
The government has not said how much the project is expected to cost in total or given a date for when it is expected to be completed.
People demonstrate during the Stop Sizewell C protest in front of Guildhall on the day of the International Investment Summit in London, Britain October 14, 2024. Stop Sizewell C/Chris J Ratclife/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Sizewell is expected to use a regulated-asset-base (RAB) funding model where companies building new plants would be paid during the construction phase, cutting down their development risk and allowing them to secure cheaper financing.
Critics of RAB say it will leave taxpayers liable for any cost over-runs and delays during construction and add costs to energy bills at a time when many people are already struggling.
It would be only the second new nuclear plant built in Britain in more than two decades, after French state-owned EDF’s Hinkley Point C which has had several delays and cost overruns and is currently expected to start operations in 2029, with an estimated cost of between 31 and 34 billion pounds at 2015 prices.
Simone Rossi, CEO of EDF in the UK welcomed the British government’s decision to go ahead with Sizewell C and said: “It is also a vote of confidence in Hinkley Point C, which has re-started the UK nuclear industry and built the experience and skills that will benefit Sizewell C.”
Sizewell C was originally an EDF project but is now majority owned by the British government with EDF a minority shareholder.
The UK government’s stake was 83.8% and EDF’s stake was 16.2% at the end of December, EDF financial results showed in February with EDF’s stake expected to decrease following Tuesday’s announcement.
The project’s developer last December told Reuters there were five investors involved in a bidding process.
($1 = 0.7378 pounds)
Reporting By Susanna Twidale; additional reporting by Forrest Crellin in Paris, editing by David Evans and Susan Fenton
The European defence industry raised concerns about EU red tape and delays in accessing funds
FILE PHOTO: EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius speaks during an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Bart Biesemans/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
The European Commission will propose next week to give governments more flexibility on defence procurement and make access to European funding easier, European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Tuesday.
“Without this simplification, nothing else in defence readiness will be possible to achieve,” Kubilius told a conference in Brussels. “Putin will not wait for us to get our paperwork in order,” he added.
The European defence industry has raised concerns about EU red tape and delays in accessing funds.
The proposal, expected to be presented on June 17, will aim to address some of these complaints.
“We intend to give more flexibility to member states in common procurements, more flexibility on framework agreements, and we intend to facilitate innovation procurement,” he said, adding that the Commission also wants to make access to the bloc’s defence fund “easier”.
The commissioner said it would also be important to look at other rules that impact defence, pointing to permits, reporting obligations, competition rules and sustainable finance.
Kubilius said the Commission will propose simplifying a directive on defence procurement and a directive on intra-EU transfers of defence products.
People attend a rally against federal immigration sweeps, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 9, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder
International news via Reuters:
The Trump administration on Monday ordered U.S. Marines into Los Angeles and intensified raids on suspected undocumented immigrants, fueling more outrage from street protesters and Democratic leaders who raised concerns over a national crisis.
Some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning, officials said, as part of a federal strategy to quell street demonstrations opposing the immigration raids, which are a part of a signature effort of President Donald Trump’s second term.
People attend a rally against the detention of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW union president David Huerta amid federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 9, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder
Although their mission to protect federal personnel and property is temporary – filling the gaps until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops can reach Los Angeles – the deployment is an extraordinary use of military force in support of a police operation, and it comes over the objection of state and local leaders who did not request help.
Meanwhile, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry out even more operations to round up suspected immigration violators, extending a crackdown that provoked the protests. Trump officials have branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for permitting upheaval and protecting undocumented immigrants with sanctuary cities.
The military and federal enforcement operations have further polarized America’s two major political parties as Trump, a Republican, threatened to arrest California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, for resisting the federal crackdown.
California sued the Trump administration to block deployment of the National Guard and the Marines on Monday, arguing that it violates federal law and state sovereignty.
The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, said he was “gravely troubled” by Trump’s deployment of active-duty Marines.
“The president is forcibly overriding the authority of the governor and mayor and using the military as a political weapon. This unprecedented move threatens to turn a tense situation into a national crisis,” Reed said.
“Since our nation’s founding, the American people have been perfectly clear: we do not want the military conducting law enforcement on U.S. soil,” he said.
The announcement that Marines would be deployed was made on the fourth straight day of protests. Late on Monday police began to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles where immigrants have been held. Police said arrests were being made.
National Guard forces had formed a human barricade to keep people out of the building. Then a phalanx of police moved up the street, pushing people from the scene and firing “less lethal” munitions such as gas canisters. Police had used similar tactics since Friday.
RARE USE OF MILITARY
U.S. Marines are known as the first American forces to establish a beachhead in U.S. military interventions, and as the last forces to leave any occupation.
Though military forces have been deployed domestically for major disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the attacks of September 11, 2001, it is extremely rare for troops to be used domestically during civil disturbances.
Even without invoking the Insurrection Act, Trump can deploy Marines under certain conditions of law or under his authority as commander in chief.
The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush to help respond to Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.
Newsom contends it is his charge as governor to call in the National Guard, labeling Trump’s” action as “an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
Trump in turn said he supported a suggestion by his border czar Tom Homan that Newsom should be arrested over possible obstruction of his administration’s immigration enforcement measures. “I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump told reporters.
FOUR DAYS OF PROTESTS
The protests so far have resulted in a few dozen arrests and some property damage.
“What is happening effects every American, everyone who wants to live free, regardless of how long their family has lived here,” said Marzita Cerrato, 42, a first-generation immigrant whose parents are from Mexico and Honduras.
Protests also sprang up in at least nine other U.S. cities on Monday, including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, according to local news outlets.
In Austin, Texas, police fired nonlethal munitions and detained several people as they clashed with a crowd of several hundred protesters.
Before the Los Angeles dispersal, several hundred protesters outside a detention center chanted “free them all,” flew Mexican and Central American flags, and directed sometimes-vulgar insults toward federal officers.
At dusk, officers had running confrontations with protesters who had scattered into the Little Tokyo section of the city. As people watched from apartment patios above street level, and as tourists huddled inside hotels, a large contingent of LAPD and officers and sheriffs deputies fired several flash bangs that boomed through side streets along with tear gas.
Homeland Security said its Immigration and Customs Enforcement division had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day in recent days, far above the 311 daily average in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joe Biden.
“We conducted more operations today than we did the day before and tomorrow we are going to double those efforts again,” Noem told Fox News’ “Hannity.” “The more that they protest and commit acts of violence against law enforcement officers, the harder ICE is going to come after them.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass opposed the clampdown, telling MSNBC, “This is a city of immigrants.”
Noem countered that, “They are not a city of immigrants. They’re a city of criminals.”
Reporting by Jane Ross, Jorge Garcia, Brad Brooks and Arafat Barbakh in Los Angeles and Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington;Additional reporting by Sandy Hooper, Joel Angel Juarez, Kanishka Singh, Ismail Shakil, Doina Chiacu, Steve Holland, Nandita Bose, Lizbeth Díaz, Noé Torres, Alexia Garamfalvi and Dietrich Knauth;Writing by Andy Sullivan, James Oliphant and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Mary Milliken, Ross Colvin, Michelle Nichols, Rod Nickel, Leslie Adler and Michael Perry
Vacancies fell by 63,000 in the three months to May to 736,000
FILE PHOTO: A passer-by walks past a job centre in Borough, in London, Britain, December 1, 2024. REUTERS/Mina Kim/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
Pay growth in Britain slowed sharply and unemployment rose to its highest in nearly four years in the three months to April, official data showed on Tuesday, potentially making the Bank of England less cautious about cutting interest rates further.
Wage growth excluding bonuses slowed to 5.2%, its weakest since the three months to September and down more than expected from 5.5% in January to March this year. The jobless rate rose to 4.6% from 4.5%, its highest since the three months to May 2021, the Office for National Statistics said.
The April data was the first since employers were hit by a 25 billion pound ($34 billion) rise in social security contributions which came into force at the start of the month, as well as a 6.7% increase in the minimum wage.
The downturn appeared to gather pace in May, according to separate tax office data which showed a slump of 109,000 in the number of employees on company payrolls, the most since May 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bank of England – which is expected to keep rates on hold at next week’s meeting – has been trying to gauge if inflation pressures in Britain’s labour market are easing sufficiently for it to continue cutting interest rates at its current quarterly pace.
“While the bar for the Bank of England to speed up rate cuts seems to be set fairly high, this data helps cement cuts in August and November,” James Smith, economist at Dutch bank ING, said.
Sterling fell three quarters of a cent against the U.S. dollar, two-year gilt yields dropped to a two-week low and interest rate futures priced in a greater chance of two further rate cuts this year following the data.
WAGE PRESSURES SOFTEN
BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said last month that domestic wage and price developments were likely to be more important for future reductions in borrowing costs than U.S. trade policy, although April’s U.S. tariffs did help swing some policymakers’ decision to vote for a cut at its last meeting in May.
In the private sector alone – watched closely by the BoE – earnings excluding bonuses rose by 5.1% in the three months to the end of April, also the weakest pace since the third quarter of 2024 the Office for National Statistics said.
Growth in total pay, including bonuses, slowed to 5.3% in April from an upwardly revised 5.6% compared to economists’ forecasts for 5.5%.
There were also other signs of loosening in Britain’s jobs market.
Vacancies fell by 63,000 in the three months to May to 736,000, their lowest level since the three months to April 2021.
Andrew Griffith, spokesman for business and trade for the opposition Conservative party, said the rise in unemployment was not surprising.
“Businesses are still absorbing a 25 billion pound jobs tax but things are about to get even worse as … (the government) hits businesses with higher regulation,” Griffith said.
Labour’s employment minister, Alison McGovern, said the ONS data showed that half a million more people were in work than when Labour won a national election last July and that wages had grown faster since then than during a decade of Conservative-led rule after 2010.
With the country’s public finances under pressure, finance minister Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her first multi-year spending review on Wednesday to set budgets for public services.
($1 = 0.7427 pounds)
Reporting by Suban Abdulla; Editing by Sarah Young, David Milliken, Kate Holton and Susan Fenton
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