Jersey will face Scotland, Netherlands, Italy and neighbours Guernsey next summer for a place in the T20 World Cup finals in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
The top two from the group will progress, with Jersey having come fourth in qualifying in 2023 and been one win off making the knockout stages of the global qualifying tournament a year earlier.
“Playing against those kind of sides – Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands – it’s the games that you want to be part of as a player,” says Tribe.
“We have come very close to beating the likes of Scotland in the past and we know as a side we’re not far off it, so we always step out onto that field expecting to kind of come off it with a win in our hands.
“It’s those games that you gear up for over the winter, you do all your pre-season work for, so hopefully you can go out there and perform at the best you can on the day.”
“These world tournaments are so brutal now,” adds Carlyon.
“All these other sides are getting better and finding players and just getting stronger and stronger.
“In Jersey that’s different. The core squad of players are all from Jersey and all homegrown players, so we have to work hard and be professional and to compete with these sides.”
Brazil’s Supreme Court has been evacuated and a man has been found dead after two explosions were heard outside the building on Wednesday evening.
The blasts hit the centre of Brazil’s capital – where the Supreme Court, parliament and presidential palace are located.
A spokesperson for the federal police told the AFP news agency that a body had been recovered in front of the court. It is unclear how the man was connected with the blasts.
The country’s solicitor general, Jorge Messias, condemned what he said was a deliberate attack and vowed that a full investigation into the blasts would be launched.
“I strongly condemn the attacks against the Supreme court and the lower house,” he said in a statement posted to X.
“We must know the motivation behind the attacks, and to re-establish peace and safety as fast as possible.”
Images carried by news agencies showed the deceased man lying in an area outside the court, as officers cordoned off the area.
Earlier, the Supreme Court said in a statement that the building had been evacuated as a “precautionary measure” after explosions were heard.
The building is located across the square from the presidential palace, Local media reported that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had left the area shortly before the blasts.
NexGen’s operation in Canada’s remote Athabasca Basin
Uranium is making a comeback thanks to a renewed focus on nuclear energy as a climate crisis solution. Canada, rich with high-grade deposits, could become a nuclear “superpower”. But can its potential be realised?
Leigh Curyer had been working in uranium mining for nearly two decades when he noticed a striking shift.
In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan badly damaged the world’s view of nuclear power, and the price for the heavy metal – a critical component for nuclear fuel – cratered.
But the last five years has seen a reversal, with the global price of uranium spiking by more than 200%one of this year’s top-performing commodities.
Mr Curyer, an Australian-born businessman, credits this to a changing attitude that began soon after Microsoft founder Bill Gates touted nuclear energy as “ideal for dealing with climate change” in 2018.
Shortly after, the European Union voted to declare nuclear energy climate-friendly.
These events were “catalytic” for the uranium industry and a turning point for Mr Curyer’s company NexGen, which is behind the largest in-development uranium mine in Canada.
His phone began to ring with calls from investors worldwide – something that “had never happened in my previous 17 years in the industry”, he said.
NexGen
Leigh Curyer is the head of NexGen, whose mine is the largest in development in Canada
NexGen, whose project is located in Canada’s remote, uranium-rich Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan, is now worth nearly $4bn (£2.98bn), despite the fact that the mine won’t be commercially operational until at least 2028.
If fully cleared by regulators, NexGen’s project alone could push Canada to become the world’s largest producer of uranium over the coming decade, knocking Kazakhstan out of the number one spot.
Other companies have also rushed to Saskatchewan to capitalise on the boom, starting their own exploration projects in the region, while existing players re-opened dormant mines.
With its rich resources, Canada’s mining companies see the country playing a major role in the future of nuclear energy, meeting a demand for uranium that is poised to rise after nearly two dozen countries committed in COP28 climate conference to tripling their nuclear energy output by 2050.
Nuclear energy is often hailed for its low carbon emissions compared to other sources like natural gas or coal.
The World Nuclear Association estimates that 10% of power generated worldwide comes from nuclear sources, while more than 50% is still generated by gas or coal.
At this year’s COP29, the focus has been on ramping up funding for nuclear projects in the wake of a recent UN report indicating that current policies and investments fall short of what is needed to slow global temperature rise.
Canada’s role in supplying the commodity is made more urgent by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, particularly for the US, which had relied heavily on Russian-supplied enriched uranium to fire up its commercial nuclear reactors.
Mr Curyer believes his mine could prove to be “absolutely critical” to America’s nuclear energy future, as the US is now hunting for alternatives to Russia, including by ramping up exploration on its own soil.
Uranium can be found around the world, though it is heavily present in Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan.
But what makes Canada’s Athabasca Region unique is that its uranium is especially high grade, said Markus Piro, a professor of nuclear engineering at McMaster University.
Canada has set strict rules for the sale of its uranium to other countries, Prof Piro said, and mandates it only be used for nuclear power generation.
The country is also referred to as a “tier-one nuclear nation”, he said, due to its capability to produce nuclear fuel from the mining to the manufacturing stage.
Once mined, uranium is milled to produce what is called calcined yellowcake, and then enriched, either at facilities in Canada or overseas, to create fuel for nuclear reactors.
“We’ve got a one-stop shop here in Canada, not every nation’s like that,” Prof Piro said.
Canada is currently the world’s second largest producer of uranium, accounting for roughly 13% of the total global output, according to the Canadian government. NexGen anticipates that once its mine is operational, it will boost that to 25%.
Meanwhile, Cameco, which has been mining uranium in Saskatchewan since 1988 that supplies 30 nuclear reactors around the world, re-opened two of its mines in late 2022 to increase output.
CEO Tim Gitzel told the BBC that he believes “Canada could be a nuclear superpower around the world”.
But enthusiasm around nuclear energy is not without its critics.
Some environmental groups worry nuclear projects are too costly and come with timelines that do not meet the urgency of the climate crisis.
Data from the UK-based World Nuclear Association shows that 60 nuclear reactors are under construction across 16 countries, most of them in China, and a further 110 are in the planning stages.
Some are expected to come online this year – others won’t be ready until at least the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, more than 100 nuclear plants have been closed in the last two decades around the world, including New York State’s sole nuclear power plant, which was retired in 2021 due to high operating costs and environmental and safety concerns.
Plants were also shuttered in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Quebec, Canada.
And not all of Canada is on board with the country’s uranium industry.
British Columbia sits on its own supply of uranium but has not allowed any nuclear plants or uranium mines to operate in the province since 1980.
Critics have also expressed concern about radioactive waste nuclear reactors leave behind for future generations.
Others fear another Fukushima-scale disaster, where a tsunami disabled three reactors, causing the release of highly radioactive materials and forcing mass evacuations.
“The risk is not zero, that is for sure” though t can be reduced, said Prof Piro.
“Even though amongst the general public there are mixed feelings about it, the reality is that it has produced very safe, very reliable and affordable electricity worldwide.”
The industry maintains the technology is both promising and viable.
Mr Gitzel of Cameco said the industry has learned from past safety errors.
“And the public is buying on,” he said. “I can tell you that we have in Canada great public support for nuclear power.”
A 2023 Ipsos poll indicates that 55% of Canadians support nuclear energy.
Getty Images
Uranium City, photographed in this 1975 photo, was once home to 2,500 residents
Still, past uranium booms in Canada have turned into dramatic busts.
North of NexGen’s proposed mine stands Uranium City, once home to 2,500 residents in its mid-20th Century heyday. In 1982, a major local mining firm shuttered operations over high costs and a soft market for uranium.
Now, Uranium City’s population is 91 people.
But investors argue that there is a true global burgeoning demand for the commodity that poses a golden opportunity for Canada.
NexGen anticipates that construction on its mine – which is awaiting clearance from Canada’s federal nuclear regulator – will begin early next year.
Mr Gitzel says around 100 other companies are now actively exploring Saskatchewan for deposits.
As to when it will be on the market remains unclear.
Mr Gitzel cautioned that some companies have started explorations in the past that never reached production stage. The timeline to get mining projects approved in Canada can also be lengthy.
“Building a mine is going to take five to 10 years, and so far, the only ones in operation are ours, so we will wait and see how it plays out,” he said.
For Mr Curyer, it is crucial that his project and others are realised in the next four years, for both Canada and the world.
“Otherwise, there is going to be a shortage in uranium, and that will subsequently impact power prices,” he said.
Apple is facing a legal claim accusing it of effectively locking 40 million British customers into its iCloud service and charging them “rip off prices.”
Consumer group Which? says the legal action – which it has launched – could result in a £3bn payout if it is successful, equivalent to £70 per customer.
Apple has rejected the suggestion its practices are anti-competitive, saying users are not required to use iCloud, many rely on third-party alternatives and insisting it “works hard to make data transfer as easy as possible.”
It is another example of the “growing tide of large class actions against Big Tech” which has “operated without sufficient constraint”, Toby Starr from legal firm Humphries Kerstetter told the BBC.
“Although most of these claims are in their infancy and take a long time to resolve, there will be more decisions coming out over the next couple of years and there will be settlements – these will start to affect the tech giants’ businesses,” said Mr Starr.
A price to pay
Users of Apple products get a small amount of digital storage for free – and after that are encouraged to pay to use its iCloud service to back up photos, videos, messages, contacts and all the other content which lives on their device.
Prices for this storage range from £0.99 a month for 50GB of space to £54.99 a month for 12TB.
Apple does not allow rival storage services full access to its products.
Which? says over a period of nine years dating back to 2015 Apple has been effectively locking people into its services – and then overcharging them.
“By bringing this claim, Which? is showing big corporations like Apple that they cannot rip off UK consumers without facing repercussions,” the body’s chief executive Anabel Hoult said.
“Taking this legal action means we can help consumers to get the redress that they are owed, deter similar behaviour in the future and create a better, more competitive market.”
Apple has strongly denied Which’s accusations.
“We reject any suggestion that our iCloud practices are anti-competitive and will vigorously defend against any legal claim otherwise,” it said in a statement.
‘Very high value damages’
Though being launched by Which?, the legal action is being funded and taken forward by international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Which? said they would be paid fees as the case progressed, getting additional payments if it was successful – but they would not be getting a percentage of any damages.
Alan Davis, from law firm Pinsent Masons, said there were very likely to be more, similar cases in the future.
“It is inevitable that further claims of this nature will continue to be brought given the very high value of the aggregate damages and the role of and incentive for litigation funders to support these claims which might not otherwise be brought without that financial support,” he told the BBC.
He added the absence of any infringement decisions under EU or UK competition law meant it would be down to the claimant to prove the market abuse it was alleging was actually taking place.
In a warming Arctic, polar bears are spending more of their time on land
As the Arctic warms, polar bears face a growing risk of contracting viruses, bacteria and parasites that they were less likely to encounter just 30 years ago, research has revealed.
In a study that has provided clues about how polar bear disease could be linked to ice loss, scientists examined blood samples from bears in the Chukchi Sea – between Alaska and Russia.
They analysed samples that had been gathered between 1987 and 1994, then collected and studied samples three decades later – between 2008 and 2017.
The researchers found that significantly more of the recent blood samples contained chemical signals that bears had been infected with one of five viruses, bacteria or parasites.
USGS
Wildlife biologist Karyn Rode (here with a sedated wild polar bear) and her colleagues collected blood samples from wild bears to monitor the animals’ health
It is difficult to know, from blood samples, how the bears’ physical health was affected, but wildlife biologist Dr Karyn Rode from the US Geological Survey said it showed that something was changing throughout the whole Arctic ecosystem.
The researchers tested for six different pathogens in total – viruses, bacteria or parasites that are primarily associated with land-based animals but have been recorded before in marine animals, including species that polar bears hunt.
The study covered three decades, Dr Rode said, “when there had been a substantial loss of sea ice and there’s been increased land use in [this population of polar bears]”.
“So we wanted to know if exposure had changed – particularly for some of these pathogens that we think are primarily land-oriented.”
The five pathogens, as disease-causing agents are collectively called, that have become more common in polar bears, are two parasites that cause toxoplasmosis and neosporosis, two types of bacteria that cause rabbit fever and brucellosis, and the virus that causes canine distemper.
“Bears in general are pretty robust to disease,” explained Dr Rode. “It’s not typically been known to affect bear population, but I think what it just highlights is that things [in the Arctic] are changing.”
Key polar bear facts
There are about 26,000 polar bears left in the world, with the majority in Canada. Populations are also found in the US, Russia, Greenland and Norway
Polar bears are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with climate change a key factor in their decline
Adult males can grow to be around 3m long and can weigh close to 600kg
Polar bears can eat up to 45kg of blubber in one sitting
These bears have a powerful sense of smell and can sniff out prey from up to 16km away
They are strong swimmers and have been spotted up to 100km offshore. They can swim at speeds of around 10km per hour, due in part to their paws being slightly webbed
USGS
Studies with collar cameras have revealed what polar bears eat during the ice-free summer, as well as capturing surprising social interactions
In the US, polar bears are classified as a threatened species; scientists say the biggest threat to their future is the continuing loss of sea ice habitat, which they depend on as a platform from which to pounce on their marine prey.
Previous research using collar cameras on bears has shown that, as they spend more of the year on land – when there is no available sea ice to hunt from – the bears are unable to find enough calories.
Dr Rode explained that polar bears are top predators: “Our study suggested that they’re getting their exposure to some pathogens primarily through their prey species.
“So what we saw as changes in pathogen exposure for polar bears is indicative of changes that other species are also experiencing.”
