The publishers’ feedback could determine the outcome of an ongoing EU investigation that could result in yet another hefty fine for Google if the proposal fails to address competition concerns and publishers’ worries about unfair use of their content
International News via Reuters:
EU antitrust regulators are seeking feedback from publishers on Google’s proposal to let them opt out of AI search without affecting their rankings in search results, a questionnaire seen by Reuters showed.
The publishers’ feedback could determine the outcome of an ongoing EU investigation that could result in yet another hefty fine for Google if the proposal fails to address competition concerns and publishers’ worries about unfair use of their content.
Google announced its AI opt-out for publishers in June, the same day the UK antitrust watchdog ordered it to allow publishers the option to stop their content being used to power its AI features.
The U.S. tech giant, which completed the rollout of the opt-out globally on August 31, declined to comment and referred to its June 3 blog post on the topic.
Its AI Overviews, which are AI-generated summaries that appear above traditional hyperlinks, have triggered EU antitrust complaints by publishers concerned about falling traffic and declining revenue.
The EU questionnaire, sent out in July with an August 28 deadline for replies, asked if publishers would make use of the opt-out and the factors influencing their decision.
The document also asked publishers for their views on changes to Google’s search box announced in May which included bringing AI Overviews and AI Mode into one AI Search.
The world’s most popular internet search engine has racked up more than €10 billion in EU antitrust fines for various violations over nearly two decades.
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Cynthia Osterman
The speech has been scheduled for Monday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity
International News via Reuters:
British finance minister John Healey plans to give his first major speech in his new role next week ahead of his debut budget announcement in October, a person familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.
The speech has been scheduled for Monday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Treasury’s press office declined to comment. News organisation Politico initially reported the speech date.
Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have kept the fiscal rules adopted by the previous government led by Keir Starmer including a target of balancing day-to-day spending with tax revenues by the end of the decade.
However, the margin of error for remaining on course to meet that rule has been reduced by rising borrowing costs in global financial markets, prompting some analysts to say Healey might have to raises taxes in his October 28 budget to stay on track and to fund any extra spending on Burnham’s policy priorities.
Reporting by Sarah Young and William Schomberg; editing by William James and David Milliken
The number of deaths in Congo’s Ebola outbreak has surpassed 3,000, government data showed on Wednesday, as the country’s worst epidemic continues to spread across its northeast
International News via Reuters:
The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday said the Ebola response needs to be scaled up to tackle the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with tracking the chains of transmission still posing a challenge.
“Until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue and will continue to pose a threat to DRC, its neighbours and the region as a whole,” the WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in Geneva.
The number of deaths in Congo’s Ebola outbreak has surpassed 3,000, government data showed on Wednesday, as the country’s worst epidemic continues to spread across its northeast.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, became the largest and deadliest in Congo’s history after surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic.
It is now second only to the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected over 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
But there is now hope of possible progress in treatments and vaccinations. The WHO aims to start clinical efficacy trials of potential vaccines next month or in November, and trials on treatments are under way.
FUNDING NEEDED FOR MORE BEDS
However, Tedros said many deaths were among people who were not on a list of known contacts.
“That means there are chains of transmission we don’t know about,” he said, adding that many of those who died were still being buried unsafely, which is fuelling transmission.
He urged the international community to increase and accelerate funding for the Congolese government-led Ebola response plan, which is seeking $1.3 billion.
While the WHO has managed to ship 320 tons of supplies, and has increased testing capacity to 3,000 tests per day, it needs further funding to help support its response – including to increase bed capacity at Ebola treatment centres.
Luca Fontana, technical officer for health and technical logistics with the WHO, said it costs $15 million per month for a 1,500 bed treatment centre.
“We know that we are making this request at a time when financing for humanitarian assistance has contracted,” Tedros said. “But as we know from previous Ebola outbreaks, we can control this epidemic if we choose to.”
CLINICAL TRIALS
More than 300 Ebola patients have been enrolled for a trial of two treatments, Tedros said.
Trials are also under way of the antiviral drug obeldesivir among people considered high-risk contacts of Ebola cases, to assess if it is effective in preventing disease after exposure to the virus.
Two new vaccines against Bundibugyo virus are in safety trials in Britain and Canada. It is not known whether an approved vaccine against the Zaire Ebola virus would be effective against Bundibugyo virus, so it requires clinical efficacy trials, the WHO said.
“WHO is working with partners to progress all three vaccines to efficacy trials in DRC, starting in October or November,” Tedros said.
Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Miranda Murray, Alexandra Hudson and Alison Williams
St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Warwick will celebrate its 400th anniversary with a series of special services and commemorative events culminating in a Rededication Service on Sunday 4 October 2026 at 4pm at the historic parish church located at 2 St. Mary’s Road, Warwick, opposite the Warwick Post Office.
The service will be led by The Reverend Carl Williams, Priest-in-Charge of St. Mary’s, and will feature as guest preacher His Grace, The Most Reverend Philip Wright, Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies, Primate, Metropolitan and Bishop of Belize. Archbishop Wright will be accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Carla Suite Wright, during their visit to Bermuda.
Founded in 1626, St. Mary’s Anglican Church has played a significant role in the spiritual, cultural and social life of Bermuda for four centuries. The anniversary provides an opportunity to celebrate the church’s enduring witness while reflecting on its rich and complex history.
Anniversary Events
As part of the 400th anniversary observances, St. Mary’s Anglican Church will host the following special events:
Service of Litany & Lament: Remembrance and Dedication for the Free and Enslaved Black Peoples
Sunday 13 September 2026 | 3pm
Officiant: The Right Reverend Nicholas B. B. Dill, Bishop of Bermuda
Old Warwick Graveyard at the Rubber Tree, Warwick
This solemn service will honour the men, women and children who, during the eras of slavery and racial segregation in Bermuda, were denied burial in St. Mary’s churchyard and were instead laid to rest at the old Warwick Graveyard near the Rubber Tree in Warwick. The service will provide an opportunity for remembrance, reflection, and dedication.
Jazz Vespers Service
Sunday 27 September 2026 | 4pm
St. Mary’s Anglican Church
A special Jazz Vespers service featuring music by Robert Edwards & Friends. Light refreshments will be served following the service.
400th Anniversary Rededication Service
Sunday 4 October | 4pm
St. Mary’s Anglican Church, 2 St. Mary’s Road, Warwick
This landmark service will mark four centuries of Anglican worship and ministry in Warwick and celebrate the church’s ongoing commitment to serving the people of Bermuda.
“Four hundred years is a remarkable milestone in the life of any community of faith,” said The Reverend Carl Williams, Priest-in-Charge of St. Mary’s. “As we celebrate this anniversary, we give thanks for those who have gone before us, acknowledge all aspects of our shared history, and renew our commitment to serving God and our community for generations to come.”
About St. Mary’s Anglican Church
St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Warwick, is one of Bermuda’s historic parish churches and has served the community continuously since 1626. The church remains an active centre of worship, fellowship and outreach within the Anglican Diocese of Bermuda.
About the Clergy
Archbishop Wright was appointed in 2025. He has served as Bishop of Belize since his consecration in November 2005 and is widely respected for his leadership within the Anglican Communion. Born in Belize City in 1967, he trained for the priesthood at Codrington College in Barbados and the University of the West Indies, later earning a Master’s degree in Theology from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
In addition to his diocesan responsibilities, Archbishop Wright serves as one of the Presidents of the World Council of Churches, representing the Caribbean and Latin America. He has also contributed to national commissions in Belize focusing on good governance, education, and family and child welfare.
The Reverend Carl Williams, has a BA Hons in Theology and a diploma with distinction in Pastoral Studies from Codrington College of the University of the West Indies, in Barbados. In 1998 he was ordained deacon in Bermuda and sent to Trinidad & Tobago for tutelage. In 1999, while still in Trinidad, he was ordained a priest.
Rev. Carl was installed as Priest-in-Charge at St Mary’s in 2025. He is the first Black man to hold the position.
Bermudian footballers experienced a breathless weekend across the English pyramid, marked by stoppage-time drama, clinical strikes, and contrasting fortunes.
Midfielder Keziah Martin anchored a disciplined performance in the National League North as Hereford FC ground out a vital 1-0 victory away at Southport.
Further down the tiers, experienced international Reggie Lambe provided the decisive blow for Ipswich Wanderers in the Thurlow Nunn Premier League. Having seen their 3-0 cushion cut to 3-2 by Cornard United, Lambe struck four minutes into added time to seal an emphatic 4-2 triumph.
There was late agony for Willie Clemons in the Southern League Premier Central. The midfielder rattled home an 84th-minute equaliser off the bar for Leiston FC to make it 3-3, only for hosts Bury Town to snatch a 4-3 winner in stoppage time. Milan Butterfield also found the net, scoring Halesowen Town’s lone marker in a 3-1 reverse at Redditch United.
Elsewhere, Harry Twite celebrated a 2-1 win with Basford United over Belper Town, while Milai Perrott featured in Corby Town’s pulsating 3-3 draw against AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
Defeats rounded off the weekend for CJ Fubler and Brighton Morrison in Binfield’s 1-0 loss to Hartley Wintney, while coach Daizhari Tucker’s Worcester Raiders exited the FA Trophy after a 2-1 defeat to Sutton Coldfield Town.
Ann Symonds surged into outright lead and Dave Abraham mounted a dramatic climb up the leaderboard as Bermuda’s golfers starred on day two of the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championships in South Carolina.
Symonds delivered a clinic in Flight 53 (Women 59 & Under), firing an impressive second-round 78 to take command of her division. Compatriot Angela Cook also made headway, posting a 93 to sit tied for 18th.
In Flight 22 (Mid Senior Men 60–69), Abraham provided the comeback of the day. Rebounding from an opening 83, he carded a sparkling 78 to rocket into second place overall, while playing partner Antony Than shot 96 to sit tied for 45th.
The yield on 10-year gilts peaked at 5.294% on Wednesday, the highest since August 2007, shortly after 0900 GMT before easing back after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government would stick to its fiscal rules
FILE PHOTO: Pound Sterling notes and change are seen inside a cash resgister in a coffee shop in Manchester, Britain, Septem,ber 21, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
International News via Reuters:
British government bond yields hit their highest since the global financial crisis on Wednesday, tracking a global sell-off caused by the Iran war and adding to the challenges facing finance minister John Healey ahead of his first budget next month.
The yield on 10-year gilts peaked at 5.294% on Wednesday, the highest since August 2007, shortly after 0900 GMT before easing back after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government would stick to its fiscal rules.
“We are taking the action needed to get debt down,” Burnham told lawmakers in parliament.
“This will be a government grounded in fiscal responsibility. It will stick to the fiscal rules, but at the same time, we will help reduce cost of living pressure on our constituents, and that’s the approach that we will take.”
RISE IN BORROWING COSTS
The rise in borrowing costs was largely in line with rising borrowing costs for other European governments as investors worried about the inflationary impact of rising oil prices caused by the resumption of conflict in the Gulf.
Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics said the jump in gilt yields had sharply reduced Healey’s margin of error for hitting the government’s targets for improving the public finances.
“Higher interest costs cut fiscal headroom to about £13 billion ($18 billion), from £23.6 billion in the Spring Statement,” they told clients in a note.
“The chancellor needs to raise taxes or reduce spending by £11 billion per year just to get the thin margin of headroom back to where it was. Markets will be on edge as the budget approaches and the government keeps making spending commitments.”
Healey will deliver the first budget under Burnham, who became prime minister in July, on October 28.
Jim O’Neill, a former Goldman Sachs economist and an informal adviser to Burnham, said further rises in borrowing costs would force the government into spending cuts.
“The penalty of the debt servicing cost and the knock-on effect to other markets including mortgage rates will be too severe for a government to resist,” O’Neill told Times Radio.
Longer- and shorter-dated borrowing costs also rose on Wednesday. Five-year gilt yields hit their highest since September 2023 while 30-year bond yields briefly hit a nearly three-decade high.
($1 = 0.7404 pounds)
Reporting by Suban Abdulla; Additional reporting by Muvija M and Andy Bruce; Editing by William Schomberg and Barbara Lewis
National Olympic Committees from across the Americas — including representatives from Bermuda — have gathered in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, to accelerate strategic preparations for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
The Americas LA28 NOC Games Preparation Forum brought together continental sports leaders alongside delegates from the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), the International Olympic Committee, and Panam Sports.
Bermuda was directly represented during the English-speaking sessions by Bermuda Olympic Association Vice President Brandon Sousa and Secretary General Branwen Smith-King.
Key Takeaways from the Summit
Comprehensive Briefing: The LA28 organising committee delivered detailed briefings on the Games Master Plan, competition programme, Olympic Village operations, ticketing, transport logistics, and accreditation.
Support Programmes: ANOC highlighted essential support systems for participating delegations, including the ANOC-PEAK Uniform Programme, the Digital Content Hub, and dedicated ANOC.tv Studio resources to enhance committee visibility.
Regional Collaboration: Split across Spanish and English-speaking forums, delegates exchanged case studies to align operational pathways, keeping athlete experience at the heart of Games planning.
The forum marked a pivotal milestone for continental committees looking to translate operational blueprints into medal-winning environments in California.
Germany blamed Moscow for the attack, characterising it as part of hybrid warfare meant to intimidate and cause divisions in countries that have rallied around Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion
International News via Reuters:
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Wednesday to increase pressure on Russia, including with new sanctions, after an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany that she said showed Moscow’s growing “recklessness”.
Airport workers last month found a drone laden with explosives and a detonator at the airport, an important civilian freight and NATO logistics hub in eastern Germany that is also a base for several giant Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo planes.
Germany blamed Moscow for the attack, characterising it as part of hybrid warfare meant to intimidate and cause divisions in countries that have rallied around Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Russia denies involvement. It says it will respond to what its foreign ministry spokesperson called “anti-Russian action”, and summoned Germany’s top diplomat in Moscow.
“Europe and NATO will not just maintain our pressure on Russia; we will increase it, and we will not stop – not until Russia stops bombing and killing innocent children, men and women in Ukraine,” von der Leyen said in Brussels after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“Europeans are faced with the hard truth that this is the new normal. We have to step up, and that means being ready to respond to Russia’s recklessness faster and better.”
The full scope of new sanctions was not immediately clear.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was working on sanctions related to Russia’s military complex, and France’s foreign minister called for action against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ships accused of circumventing energy sanctions.
Rutte said more drones and missiles had crossed into NATO airspace on Europe’s eastern flank, and there was an increase in malign activities including the Leipzig attack.
“If Russia thinks we will be divided by the threat, or if they think we will be deterred from supporting Ukraine, they are mistaken,” he said.
The EU and several EU member states summoned Russian embassy officials. Germany said it would close Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and terminate its agreement with the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.
TWO SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED, MEDIA OUTLETS SAY
Details of two Leipzig attack suspects were reported by German media outlets Sueddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR.
Investigators have identified the logistics coordinator and instructor behind the attack, the outlets reported.
The man, Russian-born but holding a Latvian passport, was believed to have ties to Russian intelligence, they said. He is thought to have flown into Berlin in late July and driven a rental car towards Leipzig. Two days before the failed drone attack, the suspect left Germany by plane, they reported.
The second suspect was a man from Belarus who also holds a Russian passport and is thought to have entered the country on an Italian tourist visa obtained in Minsk, the outlets said.
Germany’s Public Prosecutor General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia also did not immediately comment further on the case.
GERMANY PROBES SABOTAGE CASES
As the EU prepared its response, Germany was grappling with two new suspected sabotage cases within 24 hours.
In the first, authorities were investigating vandalism at a substation in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) that prompted lignite power plant units with 4,200 megawatts (MW) in combined capacity to go off the grid.
In the other, also on Tuesday, devices carrying conductive material damaged power lines at one of the most critical high-voltage nodes in the eastern state of Brandenburg.
NRW’s interior minister said the work of foreign powers or left-wing extremists could not be ruled out.
Brandenburg’s interior minister, Jan Redmann, said there appeared to be parallels between the attacks but that investigations were at an early stage.
The incidents come at a sensitive time as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which calls for closer ties to Moscow, is topping polls before a state election this weekend.
Lawmaker Alexander Throm, an interior policy expert from Germany’s ruling conservatives, said it was striking that such incidents were occurring before elections.
“The clear goal is to unsettle the public. Of course, that is a goal shared not only by Russia but also by others, such as left-wing extremists,” Throm told Reuters.
Additional reporting by Bart H. Meijer, Padraic Halpin, Conor Humphries, John Irish, Dominique Vidalon, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Lili Bayer, Christoph Steitz, Matthias Inverardi and Miranda Murray; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Timothy Heritage
The extensive damage to the G216 national highway had meant that China had been airdropping equipment and supplies to frontline rescuers, some of whom trekked through the mountains to get to the site
International News via Reuters:
China has fully reopened the only road leading to the Gyirong border crossing into Nepal a week after sections were washed away by catastrophic flooding, allowing heavy machinery to reach the main disaster zone for the first time.
The extensive damage to the G216 national highway had meant that China had been airdropping equipment and supplies to frontline rescuers, some of whom trekked through the mountains to get to the site.
Large numbers of heavy machines have now reached the area where a Chinese border inspection complex once stood, along with equipment to reinforce search operations, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
Showing footage of rescue teams and excavators, CCTV said rescue crews equipped with life-detection devices and search dogs had been deployed.
Progress has been hampered by persistent rain and challenging terrain, as crews have to work in a narrow mountain gorge, hemmed in between unstable cliffs and a fast-flowing river.
Authorities, which have been monitoring upstream lakes that could cause more flooding if they burst, said those risks have diminished but landslides were still a concern.
In Nepal, authorities said hopes of finding more survivors were fading. At least 1,114 people have been killed there and nearly 4,000 remain unaccounted for.
OVER 30 LATVIAN TOURISTS BELIEVED MISSING
Across the border in Tibet, China’s official death toll climbed to 21 on Wednesday, and 541 remained missing. Authorities previously said 104 Nepali citizens, 49 Indians, 33 Latvians and six Canadians were among the people missing.
Karlis Eihenbaums, Latvia’s ambassador to China, said the country’s embassy was in permanent contact with the Chinese foreign ministry and authorities in Tibet for updates.
Embassy personnel have not sought to visit the Tibetan disaster site as information received from Nepal suggested the missing Latvians could have been swept away to the Nepali side, he said.
Canada said in a statement on Tuesday that its officials were in regular contact with representatives of China’s foreign ministry, who have confirmed that response efforts continue to locate missing Canadians in Gyirong County.
Much of the information about the disaster in Tibet has only been made available through specific sources, mainly China’s state-controlled media.
When asked on Tuesday why the Chinese government had not allowed foreign journalists to visit the disaster zone, the foreign ministry cited loss of access to roads and communication in the area as well as major safety risks from secondary disasters.
Reporting by Liz Lee, Ethan Wang, Joe Cash, Chu Mei Mei, Qiaoyi Li and Yukun Zhang in Beijing; Additional reporting by Sydney newsroom; Editing by Saad Sayeed and Edwina Gibbs
The 43-year-old Swiss man was arrested on Monday, a day after the shooting
International News via Reuters:
The suspect in a shooting that killed one person and injured six others at a rave party in Aarau, northern Switzerland, at the weekend handed himself in and admitted responsibility for the attack, Swiss police said on Wednesday.
The 43-year-old Swiss man was arrested on Monday, a day after the shooting.
In a press conference on Wednesday the commander of Aargau cantonal police said there was no indication anyone else had been involved.
“We can say with near certainty that the arrested man is the person who shot at the rave partygoers on Sunday,” Michael Leupold said.
“We therefore assume, with a high degree of certainty, that the shooting was the act of one individual — a lone perpetrator.”
Police had been seeking to trace the man and his vehicle when he went to a police station in Delemont, about 33 miles (53 km) away from Aarau in his home canton of Jura, and said he was responsible.
The man has not been named, in accordance with Swiss law.
Police found three weapons in his car: an AK-74 Kalashnikov assault rifle and two pistols. Investigators said the assault rifle and one of the pistols had been fired during the attack.
Police said the man drove to the venue, and fired more than 40 shots indiscriminately into the crowd of more than 100 people.
He then returned to the parking lot where he fired several shots from a pistol including at a vehicle that was driving away.
A 22-year-old Italian woman was killed in the shooting, while six other people were injured. Two remain in hospital, where their condition was said to be improving.
Prosecutors said there were indications the suspect may have mental health issues. Police said there was no evidence of an ideological or extremist motive.
Reporting by John Revill; editing by Barbara Lewis
Lisa James, Founder and Chair of the new organisation, the Bermuda Caregivers Alliance is calling for greater support and resources for those carers employed on island
Caregivers are calling for more care — for themselves.
As Bermuda’s population ages, the demand for caregiving is growing, with around one in five residents now over the age of 65.
The Bermuda Caregivers Alliance hopes to become a vital resource for those who spend their days caring for others. More in this report.
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