Royal Gazette

The trading of shares in Ascendant Group Limited, the parent company of power utility Belco, has been suspended on the Bermuda Stock Exchange at the request of the company, pending an announcement.A target deadline for the Regulatory Authority’s decision on the company’s proposed takeover by Canadian firm Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp, was yesterday. The Royal Gazette reached out to the RA last Friday to ask when the public could expect an announcement on the proposed change of ownersh

Firefighters tackled a house blaze this morning.Two firefighters wearing breathing gear entered the home in Hillsdale, Devonshire, to put out the fire.A fire service spokesman said thick smoke was billowing out of the windows and doors of the lower apartment of a two-storey house.He added the cause of the blaze, which happened around 9am, was under investigation.A total of five fire crews from the Hamilton and Port Royal fire stations dealt with the incident.

Southampton 0 North Village 2Second-half tallies from Ian Simmons and Jaizel Smith-DeShields powered North Village to an impressive shutout win over Premier Division rivals Southampton Rangers at Southampton Oval yesterday.Simmons opened the scoring for the league champions around the hour mark before Smith-DeShields pounced late with his third goal in as many outings to put the game beyond Rangers’ reach.Village were unfortunate to not have come away with a wider

Next week’s Bermuda Blockchain and Sustainability Symposium will aim to shine a light on how digital-asset technology can strengthen some of the island’s key industries.Some of the speakers for the October 12 and 13 event, which will kick off Bermuda Technology Week have been announced by Penrose and Partners, the blockchain-focused consulting firm that is presenting the symposium, which will kick off Bermuda Tech Week.”Top industry leaders will be discussing innovations across the blockcha

St George’s Colts 0 Somerset Trojans 1Somerset Trojans made it two wins out of two against the promoted sides when defender Matteo Turner scored the game’s only goal early in the second half at Wellington Oval yesterday. Turner went up for a free kick on the right side and, after Malik Joell’s high ball into the box was not cleared, blasted the ball home from close range. Just minutes earlier, Dequan Crockwell, the Somerset goalkeeper, denied striker Clay Darrell t

Parents and staff at a primary school have joined forces to complain about a string of problems, including poor Covid-19 safety enforcement and “dictatorial” management.The anonymous group, said to include 100 parents of pupils and 12 staff, added that Harrington Sound Primary School in Smith’s also had serious mould problems and had suffered from an infestation of rats. The group, separate from the Parent Teacher Association, listed what it claimed were a string of failures over the past two year

Zoe Lopes always intended to start her own graphic arts business, but not right after university.Instead, after graduating from Solent University in Southampton England earlier this year, she had a summer internship lined up in London. “It was very exciting,” the 21-year-old said. “It was with Free the Birds. They have done work for Marks & Spencer and Olay.”But the internship was cancelled when London went into lockdown. “I was really disappointed,” she said. “But they di

Hamilton Parish and Boulevard have sent out an early warning about their promotion intentions in the First Division after picking up their second wins yesterday. Parish, with winger Jordan Outerbridge adding to his four goals last weekend against Vasco with three more at Wellington Oval, were comfortable 5-1 winners against Young Men’s Social Club while Boulevard beat Vasco 3-1.Outerbridge opened the scoring for Parish in the seventh minute before Che Lindo added to the lead in the 29th min

A new chief information officer has been appointed in the Government’s Department of Information and Digital Technologies.The appointment of Daron Raynor was announced by Derrick Binns, the Head of the Public Service.Dr Binns said: “I am pleased to welcome Daron Raynor to the Public Service and specifically to lead the Department of Information and Digital Technology. “His knowledge, skills and background will help to drive the technology strategy for the Government of Bermuda and in

Dennis Rahiim Watson is returning home – and bringing change with him. For decades the motivational speaker has led the charge against gun violence in African-American communities. In return, honours have come from US and African presidents; more than 100 mayors have declared a “Dennis Rahiim Watson Day” in cities.He is hoping that Bermuda takes his experience on-board. “Everywhere I go I promote black student achievement,” Mr Watson said. “I tell students and adults in my lectures througho

A former Progressive Labour Party government minister arrested by police at his home the day after the General Election triumph hit back yesterday and insisted he had nothing to hide.Zane DeSilva, a former tourism and transport minister, confirmed the Friday night raid was in connection with almost $800,000 of public cash given to US music promoter Anthony Blakey to create a recording studio in Dockyard.But he insisted he had “absolutely no involvement” in the deal. He added: “Had the polic

X-Roads Warriors 0 Devonshire Cougars 3Devonshire Cougars scored three unanswered goals against home side X-Road Warriors at Garrison Field yesterday to earn their first points of the season. Substitute Lejuan Simmons set up the second goal before scoring the third himself to add to Zekiro White’s first-half header. The loss leaves X-Roads pointless as well as goalless after two rounds of play.X-Roads started the game with the more attacking formation, playing five

Gibbs Hill lighthouse will be shut from tomorrow until Saturday for repairs.A spokesman for marine & ports said that the access road to the lighthouse and the car park will also be closed as a safety precaution.He added: “The Department of Marine & Ports Services asks for the public’s cooperation while this necessary repair work is being conducted.”

A new chief information officer has been appointed in the Government’s Department of Information and Digital Technologies.The appointment of Daron Raynor was announced by Derrick Binns, the head of the public service.Dr Binns said: “I am pleased to welcome Mr Daron Raynor to the Public Service and specifically to lead the Department of Information and Digital Technology. “His knowledge, skills and background will help to drive the technology strategy for the Government of Bermuda and

A former Progressive Labour Party government minister arrested by police at his home the day after the General Election triumph today hit back and insisted he had nothing to hide.Zane DeSilva, a former tourism and transport minister, confirmed the raid was in connection with almost $800,000 of public cash given to US music promoter Anthony Blakey to create a recording studio in Dockyard.Most of the cash has not been paid back and Mr Blakey, of Savvy Entertainment, could not be traced by law

Nahki Wells grabbed his second goal of the season as Bristol City maintained their perfect record in the Sky Bet Championship with a hard-fought 2-1 win away to Nottingham Forest.The league leaders found themselves 2-0 ahead after just 22 minutes with Andreas Weimann opening the scoring in the twelfth minute with a well-placed finish, before Wells doubled the advantage just ten minutes later.Reminiscent of his first goal of the season in the 2-0 victory over Stoke City, the Bermuda striker

Robin Hood 4 Somerset Eagles 1Robin Hood picked up their second league victory of the campaign as they beat Somerset Eagles 4-1 at Goose Gosling Field last night. After falling behind in the first half to an opportunistic goal from Nathan Rego, the men in green collected themselves and score four unanswered to cruise to a comfortable win. Coach John Barry Nusum was happy with the result and his team’s response to the early setback. “We found ourselves in a very similar si

Part of Middle Road in Smith’s has been blocked to vehicles after a crash, police said tonight.The incident happened near the Whitney Institute.A Bermuda Police Service spokesman said: “Motorists are advised to avoid the area and instead use the North Shore Road or other alternative routes to get to their destinations.”

Scott Fox completed an impressive comeback from injury after claiming his first major title in the Comet class.Competing along with crew Joanna Santiago, the experienced East End Mini Yacht Club sailor held off a charging Gladwin Lambert in a fierce tacking duel to the finish to win last month’s 50th Warren D “Mickey” Foggo Flagpole to Flagpole Race, one of three major titles up for grabs annually in the class.”It felt good to win my first Flagpole because I have had some pretty bad experie

Dear Sir,The Royal Gazette of September 24 and 25 contained three related articles showing the dramatic decline in the wellbeing of Bermuda’s working population. The Fairmont Southampton is to close for 18 months with a resultant 750 job losses – of which 500 are Bermudians.The numbers of persons on financial assistance is now just under 2,500.The Premier authorised a loan of $800,000 to a non-Bermudian, Anthony Blakey, to create a recording studio at Dockya

A former Progressive Labour Party minister was taken into police custody tonight in connection with an $800,000 government deal with an American music promoter.Police did not name the man but The Royal Gazette understands that it is Zane DeSilva, the ex-tourism and transport minister and just-returned PLP MP.A police spokesman said tonight: “The Bermuda Police Service can confirm that a second person has been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the ongoi

A man was taken into police custody tonight in connection with an $800,000 government deal with an American music promoter.Police did not name the individual but The Royal Gazette understands that it is Zane DeSilva, a former Cabinet minister and just-returned Progressive Labour Party MP.A police spokesman said tonight: “The Bermuda Police Service can confirm that a second person has been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the ongoing investigation into

Two stocks traded on the Bermuda Stock Exchange, but neither changed value, as The Royal Gazette/BSX Index remained unchanged on 1,698.14.Argus Group Holdings Ltd closed unchanged on $2.73, as 600 of the insurer’s shares changed hands.One Communications Ltd remained on $3.90, as 630 of the telecoms carrier’s shares were traded.The BSX Insurance Index gained 6.44 points, or 0.48 per cent, to close on 1,342.62.Butterfield Bank’s US-listed shares gained 68 cents, or 2.98 per cent

The new Government’s Cabinet and Senate team will be unveiled next week, it was revealed today.A Government spokeswoman said David Burt, the Premier, had met John Rankin, the Governor, this afternoon.She added that Mr Rankin had congratulated Mr Burt on the Progressive Labour Party’s victory at the polls yesterday and said that “he looked forward to working with him”.

The Bermuda Hospitals Board today warned members of the public of a temporary road closure next week.The road through the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital site in Paget will be closed from 6.30pm to midnight next Monday.A BHB spokeswoman said that a container truck will arrive at around 6.30pm with replacement beds for the hospital’s General Wing and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.She added that traffic along Point Finger Road will be disrupted for about an hour the truck’s arr

Vehicle examinations at the Transport Control Department halted this afternoon for a union meeting.A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said work paused from 11.45am until 15 minutes after the end of a Bermuda Public Service Union membership meeting.The spokesman said that the ferry service will run as scheduled with no anticipated disruptions.He added: “The Ministry of Transport apologises for the short notice and appreciates the understanding of the public.”

The small container David Burt carried when he returned to his constituency polling station last night summed up just how busy the Progressive Labour Party leader was during the General Election yesterday.The Premier had been out most of the day visiting other polling stations to offer support to party candidates and by the time he returned to the Berkeley Institute nerve centre for Pembroke West Central, the food inside the container had gone cold.What was meant to be lunch did not get eat

The Progressive Labour Party swept the board in the East End last night after it retained all four seats.It was the second election in a row that the PLP has held the seats in St George’s and St David’s. Renée Ming took St George’s North with 75.72 per cent of the vote, Kim Swan won St George’s West with 70.42 per cent, Lovitta Foggo won the St David’s seat with 84.14 per cent and Tinée Furbert won St George’s South with 74.60 per cent. In St George’s West, Mr Swan won his seat with

Kitson and Company Ltd has exited the business of providing real-estate services to third parties as of today, the company announced.Kitson has referred their existing portfolio of business to Think Real Estate, a new agency started by Jane Burt who previously managed Kitson’s residential real-estate operations.The new business will continue to operate from the same offices on the ground floor of Windsor Place on Queen Street in Hamilton. Kirk Kitson, chairman of the Kitson Group of

D’Andre Wainwright, the Durham City striker, continued his prolific start to the season after getting on the scoresheet in his team’s last two outings in the Northern League Division Two.The 20-year-old netted a brace in Durham’s 2-2 home draw against Tow Law Town at the weekend and was also on target during Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat also at home to Newcastle University.Wainwright, who has now scored seven goals in as many games including a hat-trick on his club debut in a 4-3 defeat at home to

The Free Democratic Movement will build on its momentum and solidify itself as a political force, leader Marc Bean said last night.Mr Bean added that, although the FDM did not win any seats at the General Election, its results showed popularity among voters and that people were “ready for a change”.He said: “At this point, since I have lost, my job is to continue to build the Free Democratic Movement and institutionalise it.”To institutionalise it, you need a constitution … and tha

The leader of the One Bermuda Alliance said last night that he would spend the next few days thinking about what comes next after the party was reduced to six MPs when it lost five seats in the General Election.Craig Cannonier admitted he would think about his own political future after the OBA was trounced at the polls by 30 seats to six. He said: “Well, let’s talk about that. We’ll talk about that. It’s too early right now. I don’t plan on going anywhere right now because we have built a

One of the Progressive Labour Party’s most important seats was the first to be retained last night as Curtis Dickinson held Pembroke South East.The party’s “determination” to keep the finance minister’s place in the House of Assembly, in the seat Rolfe Commissiong held in the last Parliament, was confirmed by a member of the PLP team outside the polling station last night.It was the first constituency to have its final count announced, just before 9.30pm. Mr Dickinson took 432 votes, 79.64

Winston Trott Jr, the PHC coach, hopes Wednesday’s second-half performance against Dandy Town can kick-start their campaign after two opening losses, including a 6-1 defeat to Robin Hood last weekend. PHC looked like their old selves with a second-half fightback that twice erased a two-goal deficit before two missed penalties and other wasted opportunities denied them the victory that would have taken them into the semi-finals. “They missed a few more chances in there, too, they had a coupl

Attorney-General Kathy Lynn Simmons and political newcomers Jason Wade and Jache Adams will enter the House of Assembly for the first time after winning their seats for the Progressive Labour Party.Ms Simmons, who was the Senate leader in the last Parliament, received 431 votes in Sandys North, to 185 for Marc Bean, the leader of the Free Democratic Movement, and 114 for Jeff Sousa, of the One Bermuda Alliance.Mr Wade won Southampton East Central, taking the seat from Leah Scott, the OBA de

The Progressive Labour Party is on target to win 29 seats to just seven for the OBA after early counts at the General Election.OBA deputy leader Leah Scott lost her seat to Jason Wade of the PLP by 486 votes to 400 in Southampton East Central.Jache Adams of the PLP defeated Marcus Jones of the OBA by 368 votes to 307 after the third count in Pembroke West, a seat won by the OBA in 2017. FDM candidate LeYoni Junos had 39 votes.Anthony Richardson of the PLP was leading Robin Tucker of

General Election 2020 polling stations will close at 8pm. The Royal Gazette will provide live updates on this page.7pm:There is an hour left for people to cast their votes before polling stations close.Candidates have been joined by family and friends as they greet residents making their way to ballot boxes.Covid-19 guidelines mean that voters are having their temperatures checked and must use hand sanitisers before entering polling stations.

Butterfield Bank shares fell by 90 cents, or 3.9 per cent, to $22.10 after 1,103 traded on The Royal Gazette/BSX Index.On the New York Stock Exchange, shares of the bank were up 51 cents, or 2.29 per cent, at $22.79.On the local exchange there was trading in 210,652 shares of One Communication, but with no change to the closing price of $3.90.The Royal Gazette/BSX Index was down 40.48 points, or 2.33 per cent, to 1,698.14, while the BSX Insurance Index was up 9.69 points, or 0.73 per

No positive cases of Covid-19 were recorded out of 895 test results received by the Ministry of Health today.Bermuda has had a total of 181 confirmed positive cases, including four which remain active and are under public health monitoring. None are in hospital.A total of 168 people have recovered nine have died.The average age of all confirmed positive cases is 56 and the age range is from 9 to 101.Bermuda’s country status is “sporadic cases”. The seven-day average of real ti

A man who evaded a speeding charge for three years was fined more than $1,000 today after police found a warrant for his arrest when he was pulled over for speeding earlier this year.Thomas Heyliger-Crane, 26, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to speeding at 81km/h and riding without the proper licence in 2017.He also pleaded guilty to speeding at 66km/h earlier this year.The court heard that Heyliger-Crane was stopped by police on North Shore Road in Devonshire for riding a motor

A man who denied posting a threat against the Premier on social media will be released after almost three months in custody.Magistrates’ Court heard today that Jared Gordon, 31, will be released on $3,500 bail on the condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device.Mr Gordon, from Sandys, was charged with posting a message against David Burt on social media that was “menacing in character”.The incident was alleged to have happened on July 15.Mr Gordon appeared in Magistr

It’s time to take a look around and celebrate some of the most dedicated people in the school, our custodians! October 2nd is National Custodians Day and never has their job been more important than in the age of Covid-19, when cleanliness is key.Our Custodians help to keep our school up and running and without them life at school as it is today would not be possible. We are fortunate to have 4 in the department, Gary McCullough, Jet Thorne, Roger Ramatar and Emanuel Rodriques. Although ma

A teenager this morning admitted robbing a grocery store with an imitation firearm in May.OJ Campbell, 17, from Pembroke, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to charges of robbery and using an imitation firearm to commit an indictable offence on May 28.However he denied a charge of taking a motorcycle without consent on the same day.All of the offences were linked to an incident at the Rubis gas station on St John’s Road, Pembroke.Prosecutor Carrington Mahoney accepted the ple

A long-promised code of conduct for MPs will be tabled soon after the new parliamentary session begins in November, according to the most recent Speaker of the House.Dennis Lister, who became Speaker after the Progressive Labour Party’s election win in 2017, said the document had “been in the works for a period of time” but had been delayed in part due to the coronavirus pandemic.”Once the new House convenes, it will be one of the early items that will be assented,” he said. “It’s part of m

Members of the island’s white collar union have been asked to attend an “urgent” meeting tomorrow.A message from the Bermuda Public Services Union advised workers that the gathering was about “the Government’s austerity measures”.It added: “Please make every effort to attend this important meeting.”Public officers were told that the event will be in Victoria Park from noon.They were advised that masks should be worn and that they must adhere to physical distancing guidelines.

Bacardi Ltd has appointed Todd Grice, an 18-year veteran of Coca-Cola, as senior vice-president and general counsel. Mr Grice brings 25 years of legal practice to Bacardi, with expertise in corporate governance, competition law, securities law, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial transactions. This appointment follows the long-planned retirement of Eduardo Sanchez who served as Bacardi’s senior vice-president and general counsel for 17 years. Pending appro

Bermudian-based White Mountains Insurance Group has agreed to invest up to $1 billion of fresh capital into Ark Insurance Holdings Ltd and acquire a majority stake in the Lloyd’s of London insurer.One of the results of the deal will an upgrade of Ark’s existing Bermuda operation into a Class 4 reinsurer – the largest category under the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s licensing regime – and the hiring of new underwriters on the island. Ark is the parent company of Ark Syndicate Management Ltd,

Bittrex Global (Bermuda) Ltd has been given a licence to operate its cryptocurrency exchange under the supervision of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.The Bittrex Global executive team is to begin growing its presence in Bermuda and intends to open an opening a Bermuda office and hire up to three people this year, with further hires as the business grows.Brittrex Global (Bermuda) Ltd has received a full Class F Digital Assets Business Act licence from the BMA.Tom Albright, chief execut

Election candidates from all three parties have praised Bermuda for its high level of gender diversity in the workplace.Tinée Furbert, of the Progressive Labour Party, Gavin Smith, of the Free Democratic Movement and Daquan Scott, of the One Bermuda Alliance, pledged to continue to combat sexism on the island.Ms Furbert, the PLP candidate in St George’s South, said that she wanted to support gender diversity in different sectors across the island, particularly politics.She added: “Wo

Kwame Steede, the Dandy Town Hornets coach, admits he was relieved his side advanced to the semi-finals of the Dudley Eve Trophy after they blew a two-goal lead and then saw PHC Zebras miss two penalties in a thrilling 3-3 draw at the National Stadium last night. Town needed just a draw to claim the second spot from group B but were almost denied as a brave PHC fightback in the second half kept the tie wide open. “It was a poor performance on our behalf, we had a great first half but the se