Dame Flora leaves the sport after thirty years making the announcement on her social media pages
Olympic Gold Medallist and Bermudian icon Dame Flora Duffy has officially announced her retirement from triathlon.
She leaves the sport after thirty years making the announcement on her social media pages.
Dame Flora gave her heartfelt thanks to her fellow athletes, her husband, Dan and the Bermuda community for their support over the years.
More details to follow
With the next edition of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games rapidly approaching, we look back at the iconic athletes who have flown the flag onto the podium for Bermuda.
Despite its size, the island has punched well above its weight, capturing fifteen historic medals across track and field, swimming, triathlon, tennis, and cycling.
Long jumper Tyrone Smith holds the ultimate distinction of striking gold, leaping to glory at Mayagüez 2010. Smith also claims two silvers (2008, 2018) in a legendary regional career.
Bermuda’s stellar silver collection features future Olympic champion Flora Duffy (Triathlon, 2010), a historic swim from Chris Flook (100m Breaststroke, 1993), and recent pool success from Maddy Moore (50m Freestyle, 2023).
The island’s bronze battles have been equally fierce, ranging from Clarence Saunders’ high jump success in 1982 to Jennifer Fisher’s middle-distance double in 1990, and a recent cycling resurgence from Kaden Hopkins and Conor White in 2023.
As a new generation prepares for the international stage, they follow a path paved by true sporting pioneers.
Bermuda’s Caitlyn Bobb claimed a superb third place in a stacked Women’s 400m Premium race at the Harry Jerome Track Classic in British Columbia.
The 23-year-old Olympian showed trademark early aggression at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium, fighting hard around the final bend to stop the clock at 53.56 seconds. Bobb held off a late surge from the United States’ Brianna Green to secure her podium spot.
Canada’s Grace Konrad took a commanding victory on home soil in a blistering 52.35 seconds, ahead of compatriot Ella Clayton (52.80s).
For national record holder Bobb, the performance offers another highly encouraging indicator of consistency as she continues to cement her status against elite international fields on the senior professional circuit.
In this episode, Chef Anthony DePonte Sousa shares his journey from Bermuda College to becoming a key culinary Chef at Hamilton Princess. He discusses Bermuda cuisine, the importance of local ingredients, and his experiences competing internationally, offering insights for aspiring chefs and food enthusiasts.
MP Jarion Richardson, Shadow Minister for National Security, has tabled the Road Traffic and Motor Car Amendment Bill 2026.
Unannounced sobriety checkpoints and doubled penalties for traffic offenses.
Some of the proposals made by the Opposition in a bill that aims to improve road safety.
MP Jarion Richardson, Shadow Minister for National Security, has tabled the Road Traffic and Motor Car Amendment Bill 2026.
It is due to be debated by MPs on Friday.
Mr. Richardson told us he hopes to limit bureaucracy around the process of approving sobriety checkpoints.
We asked whether Mr. Richardson is anticipating bi-partisan support, considering the urgent need to improve road safety.
To further explain its new proposals on road safety, the OBA is hosting a public meeting Wednesday evening at the Vasco Da Gama Club on Reid Street – starting at 6pm.
The dispute reached the Court of Justice of the European Union after regulators appealed a 2024 General Court ruling that annulled the fine imposed on Google in 2019
International News via Reuters:
Alphabet unit Google on Wednesday urged Europe’s top court to dismiss EU antitrust regulators’ appeal against a lower court ruling that scrapped a €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) fine, saying the regulators’ arguments were flawed.
The dispute reached the Court of Justice of the European Union after regulators appealed a 2024 General Court ruling that annulled the fine imposed on Google in 2019. The lower court cited errors in the European Commission’s assessment of the case.
The Commission, the EU’s competition watchdog, said Google used restrictive clauses in contracts with publishers that prevented rivals from placing search advertisements on the publishers’ websites, reinforcing Google’s dominance in online search advertising.
The Commission said the practices ran from 2006 to 2016. Google, whose AdSense platform provides search advertising, removed the contested clauses from publisher agreements in 2016.
Google’s lawyer, Josh Holmes, rejected the Commission’s arguments.
“The Commission’s new arguments are flawed. The General Court’s reasons are clear and complete,” he told the panel of five judges.
Holmes said the Commission had ignored evidence showing Google’s rivals had substantial opportunities to compete.
Commission lawyer Anthony Dawes criticised the lower court’s ruling, saying it imposed an unprecedented obligation on regulators to analyse issues already settled by case law.
“This finding turns case law on its head,” he said, adding that the lower court’s reasoning would effectively treat exclusive clauses as lawful by default.
A court adviser is due to issue a non-binding opinion on November 12, with a final ruling expected in the following months.
The AdSense fine was one of four EU antitrust penalties that have cost Google €9.5 billion during its nearly two-decade dispute with the Commission. The lower court’s decision to annul the fine marked a rare legal setback for the EU watchdog.
The case is C-826/24 P Commission v Google and Alphabet (Google AdSense)
($1 = 0.8771 euros)
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee. Editing by Mark Potter
Addressed to European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef, the proposal targets major bodies including the IOC, World Aquatics and the International Fencing Federation (FIE)
International News via Reuters:
Nine European nations have asked the European Union to cut funding to sports bodies including the International Olympic Committee that let Russian and Belarusian athletes return to competition, Estonia’s ministry of culture said on Tuesday.
Addressed to European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef, the proposal targets major bodies including the IOC, World Aquatics and the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
The countries behind the proposal are Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden.
The move marks the strongest collective push yet by EU member states to use the bloc’s financial leverage against international sports bodies over the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, setting up a potential confrontation between European governments and the Olympic movement ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
On July 7 the IOC executive board provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, saying athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their government.
The countries called for the governing bodies to be excluded from Erasmus+, the EU’s programme supporting education, training, youth and sport, as well as other financial support schemes. They did not specify how much funding could be affected.
“Respect for human rights, the rule of law, and peaceful relations between nations are among the core principles underpinning international sport and the Olympic movement,” they wrote in the letter.
World Aquatics defended its decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in World Aquatics events with their respective uniforms, flags and anthems.
“World Aquatics firmly believes athletes of all nationalities should have the right to safely participate in our competitions, and this was reflected in the decision of the World Aquatics Bureau on 13 April 2026,” it told Reuters.
“This is a stance shared by our athlete community, and by the IOC and other International Federations.”
The IOC and FIE, which allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions under their national symbols in June, did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The nine nations said allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition ignored the reality of Ukrainian competitors, who are unable to train under equal conditions.
Russia said at the time the IOC’s decision should clear the way for Russian athletes to make a full return to the international sporting stage.
Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Additional reporting by Suramya Kaushik; Editing by Hugh Lawson
Burnham, who will become Britain’s new Prime Minister within days, has previously argued that public ownership is the best option for Thames Water
International News via Reuters:
Thames Water’s future now rests on decisions to be taken by Britain’s incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham, its CEO said on Wednesday, with the country’s biggest water supplier warning it could run out of money by November unless creditors inject more cash.
The utility, which serves 16 million customers across London and southern England, has become the clearest symbol of the perceived failure of Britain’s privatised water industry and has for years faced criticism over sewage pollution, a lack of investment and a debt pile that has swollen to about £20 billion ($26.77 billion).
Chief Executive Chris Weston told Reuters that a group of creditors seeking to acquire Thames Water was willing to provide additional funding to help the company avoid a cash crunch, but wanted clarity on the new government’s position before committing further support.
“Creditors want to see what the new government thinks before doing anything further,” CEO Chris Weston told Reuters on Wednesday.
Burnham, who will become Britain’s new Prime Minister within days, has previously argued that public ownership is the best option for Thames Water, raising the prospect that the company could eventually be brought back under state control.
A senior creditor group that includes Invesco, Elliott Management and Silver Point Capital has spent months trying to secure government support to keep the company in private hands.
Without a creditor-backed rescue, Thames Water could enter the government’s Special Administration Regime, a form of temporary public ownership to ensure services continue.
THE COST OF FAILURE
Critics say Thames Water’s previous owners extracted dividends while allowing the company to take on too much debt, leaving it unable to invest in upgrading its ageing network.
During Macquarie’s ownership from 2006 to 2017, Thames paid its investors dividends of 2.7 billion pounds while its debt tripled to almost 11 billion pounds, a period many commentators now blame for the unravelling of the company’s finances.
Burnham has been a vocal critic of the sector, telling the Guardian in June that water was an industry where “the shareholders can never lose and the bill payers never win.”
The current Labour government under Keir Starmer has already begun overhauling water regulation to address environmental failings and chronic under-investment, but Burnham’s arrival raises questions about whether Thames Water will ultimately remain in private hands.
Any move to public ownership could prove costly for the government, potentially adding Thames Water’s debt to Britain’s already strained public finances. It also risks losses for investors and creditors.
Weston said the creditor rescue deal was still a viable option despite the discussions going on for a year, far longer than anyone had expected.
“It absolutely can still result in a market-led solution,” he said.
“I think as long as everyone has confidence that the process is moving forward, then that liquidity will be forthcoming.”
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE UNDER SCRUTINY
Among the sticking points are the creditor group’s request for leniency over the hundreds of millions of pounds of environmental fines for which Thames Water remains liable.
Publishing results on Wednesday, Thames Water said sewage pollution was down 18% in the 12 months to the end of March, while its underlying profit after tax came in at £204 million up from £13 million last year. Revenues were up 39%, driven by increased customer bills.
Debt servicing costs rose 12% to £970 million.
The recapitalisation plan being considered would write off £9.4 billion of debt, including some senior creditor debt and most junior debt, and an injection of £3.35 billion of new equity.
($1 = 0.7470 pounds)
Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Muvija M and Louise Heavens
The strikes mark the latest escalation of attacks and counterattacks launched by the two sides as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war
International News via Reuters:
The U.S. said it had begun a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports.
The strikes mark the latest escalation of attacks and counterattacks launched by the two sides as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
“At 6 a.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching a wave of strikes against Iran,” the U.S. military said.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The U.S. statement gave no further details and there were no immediate reports of attacks in Iranian media.
Late on Tuesday the U.S. military said it had hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas in strikes lasting seven hours.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday it had struck U.S. military targets in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
It also threatened on Wednesday to shut off more regional energy exports, saying the U.S. “must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies”.
The U.S. has said Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the last week, leading to nearly a dozen crew members being killed, missing or injured.
The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, triggered Iranian attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. bases and caused major disruption to global energy supplies, raising fears of a surge in inflation.
Oil prices extended gains by about 1% on Wednesday, after settling on Tuesday on a new one-month high.
An interim ceasefire deal in the conflict signed last month was meant to lead to further negotiations and a permanent truce, but a return to talks has faltered.
Additional reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Alexandra Hudson
At a news conference, Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs policy chief, accused other politicians and the media of fuelling hostility against the party, which, he said, had led to death threats against Farage and other lawmakers
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s populist Reform UK called on Wednesday for all lawmakers to be given “full security” if they want it after the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a prominent member of the party led by veteran Brexit campaigner, Nigel Farage.
At a news conference, Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs policy chief, accused other politicians and the media of fuelling hostility against the party, which, he said, had led to death threats against Farage and other lawmakers.
Paying tribute to Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former Conservative minister who was found murdered in her home last week, Yusuf said lawmakers needed better security provision. A British man has been arrested.
“If Reform win the next general election … I will ensure that all members of parliament, of all parties, are provided with round-the-clock protection,” Yusuf said.
“We will also allocate significant new resources to protect former politicians still active in public life.”
In Britain, politicians are no strangers to abuse from the public, but in recent years many lawmakers have said the tone has become increasingly ugly and dangerous, with some changing their routines and behaviour to avoid confrontation.
In 2021, Conservative lawmaker David Amess was stabbed to death in a church by a man inspired by Islamic State. Five years earlier, Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed attacker during the Brexit campaign.
Yusuf said Farage, who is under pressure over funds he received from wealthy donors, had received almost 600 death threats since February.
That was why, he said, Farage had accepted donations to fund his own security detail — an argument, among others, the Reform leader has used to justify his acceptance of a £5 million ($6.70 million) donation from a billionaire cryptocurrency investor.
“Those who question Nigel Farage’s need for security should stop,” Yusuf said.
Security measures were bolstered after Cox’s murder, with lawmakers offered panic buttons and additional locks at their homes and offices. After Amess’ murder, the Conservative government and parliament offered lawmakers trained security protection when meeting voters.
Reporting by Elizabeth PiperEditing by Ros Russell
Von der Leyen said the EU could offer advantages to Ukraine such as “huge technological and industrial capacity” and “safe and secure production sites”
International News via Reuters:
Ukraine and the European Union have sealed a “drone deal” to combine Kyiv’s expertise with European industrial capacity to establish joint projects and scale up production, European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
“We need to combine our strengths,” von der Leyen said in a speech in Kyiv at a ceremony to mark the countryss Statehood Day. “This deal will bring together Ukrainian ingenuity and Europe’s industrial scale.”
Ukraine has signed a series of such deals with individual countries. At last week’s NATO summit in Akara, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed three more, saying that brought the total to nine.
But Wednesday’s deal is the first agreement intended to cover countries and companies across the European Union.
“The knowledge you have gained on how to work drone and anti-drone systems is truly unique,” von der Leyen said, addressing Zelenskiy.
“We must tap into this together. Because we know the threats that Europe faces in this area – we have seen incursions and alerts across many (EU) member states,” she added.
Von der Leyen said the EU could offer advantages to Ukraine such as “huge technological and industrial capacity” and “safe and secure production sites”.
Ukraine has developed a highly sophisticated drone industry after having only limited expertise in the sector when Russia invaded its smaller neighbour in February 2022.
Zelenskiy has travelled widely to promote drone deals, particularly in the Middle East, where Gulf countries have been keen to tap into Ukrainian expertise to counter Iranian strikes.
Reporting by Andrew Gray, editing by Bart Meijer
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.1% to 10,515.73 points by 1013 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.09%
International News via Reuters:
London’s FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday as investors remained cautious over escalating tensions in the Middle East, while losses in precious metal miners outweighed gains in energy shares as oil prices rose.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index fell 0.1% to 10,515.73 points by 1013 GMT, while the midcap FTSE 250 slipped 0.09%.
• Precious metals miners declined 2.3%, making them the worst-performing sector, with Fresnillo and Endeavour Mining falling 2.8% and 2%, respectively, among the top losers on the benchmark index.
• On the flip side, energy stocks rose 0.3% as oil prices climbed around 2% after U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed a naval blockade on all Iranian ports and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to close “all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies”. [O/R]
• The personal goods index rose 2.4% to lead sectoral gains, buoyed by a 4.8% jump in Watches of Switzerland Group after brokerages Barclays and UBS lifted target price on the stock.
• The OECD said Britain must maintain fiscal discipline, tackle rising pension costs and address high energy prices to boost economic growth, underscoring the challenges facing Andy Burnham, who is set to become prime minister next week.
• On Tuesday, Britain’s FTSE 100 closed higher as bank stocks led gains after strong earnings from major U.S. lenders kicked off the reporting season, while a softer-than-expected U.S. inflation reading fuelled expectations of a delay in interest rate cuts.
• Among individual stocks, Rio Tinto rose 1.1% after the mining major reported better-than-expected second-quarter iron ore sales, supported by strong operational performance.
• Shares of B&M fell 6.9% after the discount retailer reported a 2.3% decline in first-quarter like-for-like sales in its core UK market, as a slow start to the gardening season weighed on trading, though growth in France helped lift group revenue.
• Barratt Redrow rose 3.3% after the housebuilder said it would return £400 million ($536 million) to shareholders through share buybacks instead of dividends.
Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala
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