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UK mid-caps drop as political uncertainty and Middle East concerns hit sentiment

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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UK mid-caps drop as political uncertainty and Middle East concerns hit sentiment

Starmer defied calls to resign, telling ministers he would get on with governing despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections

International News via Reuters:

British mid-caps slumped on Tuesday, as investors were rattled by the uncertainty surrounding Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s future, while renewed concerns about the war in the Middle East exacerbated inflation worries.

Starmer defied calls to resign, telling ministers he would get on with governing despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections.

His position looks fragile because more ​than 80 Labour lawmakers have publicly called for him to set a resignation date so the party could install a new leader in an orderly manner.

“Increased political risk is intensifying pressures on UK financial conditions, already noted as the tightest among major economies,” Evercore ISI analysts said in a note.

“The potential for prolonged uncertainty may hinder investment and exacerbate recession risks.”

BORROWING COSTS RISE

The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 dropped 1.5%, clocking its biggest one-day fall in over six weeks. The pound also weakened 0.6% against the dollar.

Long-term UK borrowing costs surged to their highest level in nearly 30 years, driven by concerns that a potential successor to Starmer might adopt a more left-wing stance and advocate for increased spending, despite Britain’s already strained finances.

The internationally exposed blue-chip FTSE 100 meanwhile, ended flat at 10,265.32 points after falling as much as 1.1% earlier in the day.

Bank stocks fell 2%, dragged lower by a 5.6% decline in shares of Metro Bank and a 3.3% drop in Barclays.

Aerospace and defence stocks also slipped 2%, while the rate-sensitive real estate sector fell 3.1%.

Defensive sectors including healthcare, food and beverages and personal care all rose, offsetting losses on the broader index.

MIDDLE EAST STALEMATE INCREASES INFLATION RISK

Investors were also concerned by the lack of progress in resolving the Middle East conflict, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support”.

Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal to end the conflict and stuck to a ‌list of demands that Trump described as “garbage”.

Oil prices jumped, with Brent crude futures rising 3% and adding to fears of increasing financial burden on UK households.

British oil and gas stocks also climbed 1.1%.

Reporting by Niket Nishant and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel

Greenland’s leader says US military presence part of talks with Trump’s diplomats

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Greenland’s leader says US military presence part of talks with Trump’s diplomats

President Donald Trump’s assertion that the U.S. must acquire or control Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, has sparked tension between Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen, and more broadly within the NATO alliance

International News via Reuters:

Greenland’s prime minister said on Tuesday that increasing the U.S. military presence in the Arctic territory was part of ongoing negotiations with Washington, as the United States’ desire to own or control the territory remains alive.

President Donald Trump’s assertion that the U.S. must acquire or control Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, has sparked tension between Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen, and more broadly within the NATO alliance.

“From the beginning, one of the issues has been that they don’t think we do enough in terms of national security and surveillance in our region, so security and more military presence in Greenland is part of the discussions,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen.

GREENLAND OPTIMISTIC ABOUT DEAL

Seeking to calm tensions, Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. earlier this year agreed to hold high-level diplomatic negotiations to resolve the crisis, although the outcome of those ongoing talks has yet to be presented.

“The desire is not gone and we need to make some kind of deal in that working group and I am positive that we can figure it out,” Nielsen said, referring to Trump’s interest in gaining control of Greenland.

The BBC on Tuesday reported that U.S. officials in the talks had signalled they aim to open three new bases in southern Greenland, with one source saying Washington had floated designating the facilities as U.S. sovereign territory.

“Right now we have a defence agreement with the United States where it’s already possible to have more bases,” Nielsen said, adding that the existing defence framework was one possible basis for any expansion but that other arrangements could be explored.

Greenland has repeatedly said it is open to wider military and business cooperation with the U.S., including on mineral resources, but that its sovereignty is non-negotiable.

The United States has one active base in Greenland, the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, down from around 17 facilities in 1945 when thousands of U.S. personnel staffed facilities around the island.

General Gregory Guillot, head of the U.S. Northern Command, first disclosed the three-base plan in Senate testimony in March. Guillot was in Copenhagen last week, an Instagram post by the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen showed.

Two of the locations under consideration have been identified by local media as Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Kangerlussuaq in the southwest, both former U.S. bases with existing airstrips and port infrastructure. A third location has not been named.

The airport manager at Narsarsuaq confirmed to Reuters that a U.S. envoy from the embassy in Copenhagen visited recently to inspect the runway, harbour and whether the facilities could be reopened.

Sources have previously said the expansion is being negotiated under a 1951 U.S.-Danish defence agreement that gives Washington broad military access to Greenland. Experts say Denmark has little practical ability to block U.S. requests under the pact, which was last updated in 2004 to include Greenland as a signatory.

Trump envoy Jeff Landry is scheduled to visit Greenland next week to attend a business conference in the vast Arctic island of 57,000 people. He has not been confirmed to meet any Greenlandic politicians.

Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Soren Jeppesen, editing by Terje Solsvik, Rod Nickel

EU takes aim at TikTok, Meta’s ‘addictive designs’ for teens

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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EU takes aim at TikTok, Meta’s ‘addictive designs’ for teens

Europe is hardening its stance against social media, with nations from Norway and France to Turkey and Britain debating or rolling out legislation to ban or limit teenage social media use, looking to Australia’s early move for inspiration

International News via Reuters:

The head of the European Commission called on Tuesday for more protections for children against the “addictive designs” of social media platforms like TikTok, Meta and X, raising the possibility of an age limit on teens accessing them.

Europe is hardening its stance against social media, with nations from Norway and France to Turkey and Britain debating or rolling out legislation to ban or limit teenage social media use, looking to Australia’s early move for inspiration.

“The question is not whether young people should have access to social media, the question is whether social media should have access to young people,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU’s executive Commission, said in Copenhagen.

“Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviour, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, suicide. Risks are multiplying fast.”

Von der Leyen said the Commission would target “addictive and harmful design practices” in its Digital Fairness Act (DFA), to be proposed towards the end of the year, while an expert panel was preparing advice on how to proceed.

“Without pre-empting the panel’s findings, I believe we must consider a social media delay. Depending on the results, we could come with a legal proposal this summer,” she said.

BANNING MANIPULATIVE, ADDICTIVE FEATURES

The DFA would ban manipulative practices, addictive features and misleading influencer marketing on digital platforms.

Digital world risks are “the result of business models that treat our children’s attention as a commodity,” von der Leyen said, calling for strict limits on AI use in social media.

“We are taking action against TikTok and its addictive design, endless scrolling, autoplay and push notifications,” said von der Leyen, referring to ongoing cases. 

“The same applies to Meta, because we believe Instagram and Facebook are failing to enforce their own minimum age of 13.”

Spokespeople at TikTok, Meta and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

CRACKING DOWN ON TEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USE

The new regulation will strengthen and expand the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires large platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content, von der Leyen said.

Under the DSA rules, the Commission is already investigating TikTok, X and Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook. 

It has been investigating X over possible risks from deploying Grok in the EU, including the spread of manipulated sexualised images.

On Tuesday, Europe’s top court sided with Italy’s telecoms watchdog against Meta saying it should compensate publishers for using snippets of their articles. 

TikTok, meanwhile, made a last-ditch attempt to scrap its designation as a “gatekeeper” under EU rules, which require it to meet tougher standards.

Reporting by Inti Landauro and Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Gareth Jones, Adam Jourdan and Bernadette Baum

Battle of the Atlantic: Bermuda braced for high-stakes Cayman clash

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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Battle of the Atlantic: Bermuda braced for high-stakes Cayman clash

The Rugby Americas North (RAN) interregional test cycle reaches a fever pitch this week as Bermuda prepare to host the Cayman Islands in a pivotal Men’s Tier 2 encounter.

Bermuda enter the fixture with significant wind in their sails following a resilient display on the road. Currently ranked 74th in the world, the side defied both the rankings and the elements in their tournament opener, grinding out a hard-fought 9–5 victory over 70th-ranked Guyana in Georgetown. That win was built on defensive steel and tactical discipline, proving this squad possesses the temperament to secure results in the high-pressure environment of regional test rugby.

However, the task ahead at the National Sports Centre is formidable. The Cayman Islands arrive boasting a world ranking of 48th—a significant 26-place gap that serves as both a warning and a motivation for the hosts. Widely considered the favorites in the Tier 2 bracket, the visitors are renowned for a physical forward pack and a clinical backline that has consistently tested higher-tier nations.

For Bermuda, a victory on the North Field would not only throw the Tier 2 standings wide open but would signal a major statement of intent for the island’s international program. With a vocal home crowd expected to play the role of the “sixteenth man,” the stage is set for a classic encounter that could have lasting implications for the regional rankings.

NMB lecture examines heritage tourism

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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NMB lecture examines heritage tourism

The talk will be presented by Dr. Alexander Goodrich this Thursday via Zoom  

The National Museum of Bermuda (NMB) is continuing its free Bermuda and the Atlantic World lecture series with a virtual lecture this Thursday, 14 May at 5:30 PM AT via Zoom. 

Heritage Tourism and the Politics of Public Memory in Bermuda will be presented by Dr. Alexander Goodrich.  

As tourism expanded in the early twentieth century, Bermuda’s historic sites came under increasing pressure, prompting key organisations to decide what would be preserved and shared with the public. These choices shaped a curated version of the Island’s past—often highlighting colonial connections while overlooking stories of enslavement, inequality, and social struggle within a segregated society. 

In this lecture, Dr. Alexander Goodrich explores how these narratives have evolved over time, examining how history has been shaped, challenged, and reinterpreted to better reflect Bermuda’s diverse and complex past—and why that matters today. 

“History is not simply a timeline of events, it is a human story, complex and often contested,” Says NMB Curator, Dr. Deborah Atwood. “By looking beyond the past itself to the ways it has been interpreted and shared, we deepen our understanding of the present and open up space for dialogue and reflection about why our stories matter and what they say about us.” 

Admission is free, but registration is required. Sign up at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xmEzqPnGQx6vctcBhIa9VA#/registration to attend and explore this compelling chapter of Bermuda’s past. 

NMB Executive Director Elena Strong shared: “How we tell our history matters. This lecture invites us to examine the stories we’ve inherited, the voices that have been left out, and the importance of continuing to broaden our understanding of Bermuda’s past.” 

Previous lectures in the series include:  

  • Higglers, Hucksters and Pedlars: Informal Trade at Dockyard presented by Dr. Neil Kennedy 
  • The Early Atlantic Age (1250-1609): Why and how did we get here? and Building a Maritime Community & Maritime State: Early Settlement & Economic Growth (1609-1800), both presented by Dr. Clarence Maxwell 
  • Pushing the Boundaries of Freedom presented by Dr. Kristy Warren 
  • Reckoning with the Slave Ship Enterprise in Bermuda, 1835 presented by Dr. Neil Kennedy 
  • Societal Changes in Post-Emancipation Bermuda and the ‘Friendly Society’ Effects by Dr. Michael Bradshaw 
  • From Hamilton to Charleston: A History of Bermuda Stone in Charleston, South Carolina by Justin Schwebler 
  • ‘Faint and Weary by Working in the Burning Sun’: Britain’s Convicts in Bermuda (1824-1863) by Dr. Anna McKay.  
  • Early Bermuda Indigo Resist Textiles: Unraveling Bermuda’s 17th-Century Textile Legacy, by Lori Lee Triplett 

You can watch all previous lectures at: www.nmb.bm/lecture or on the Museum’s YouTube channel. 

NMB’s Bermuda and the Atlantic World lecture series and education programs are supported by the Anchor Fund. To donate, please here: https://nmb.bm/donate/ 

Media release supplied by the National Museum of Bermuda.

History rewritten: Trott identified as Premier Division pioneer

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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History rewritten: Trott identified as Premier Division pioneer

The history books of Bermudian cricket have undergone a significant revision this week, following the discovery that Cleveland County’s Ja’Shay Trott was the first female to feature in the Premier Division.

While the sporting community recently celebrated Somerset’s Brianna Ray for a perceived “first,” archival data reveals the glass ceiling was actually shattered a full year earlier. On May 11, 2025, Trott made her senior top-flight debut against Eastern County rivals St. David’s, marking a historic moment for the domestic game.

A quintessential product of the Harris Bay development system, Trott’s journey began in the Under-7s. Her rise through the ranks has been exhaustive, recently adding another accolade to her resume after being crowned Miss CedarBridge Academy 2026.

Cleveland County Chairman of Cricket, Domain Rabain, welcomed the clarification, noting that while they celebrate Ray’s progress, Trott’s milestone deserves its place in the island’s sporting heritage. With both women now regular features in the 2026 season, the presence of female talent in the Premier Division is rapidly evolving from a novelty into a standard of the game.

BBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 12 May 2026

Alisa Bernardo
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BBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 12 May 2026
Bermuda BroadcastingBBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 12 May 2026
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  1. BBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 12 May 20267:04
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International return: Bermuda set for June showdown with Belize

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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International return: Bermuda set for June showdown with Belize

International football returns to the Flora Duffy South Field this June as Bermuda’s senior women prepare to reignite their rivalry with Belize.

The two countries last met in July 2024, trading victories in a hard-fought series in Belmopan. Now, under a reciprocal agreement, the narrative shifts to Devonshire for two high-stakes fixtures on June 4th and 7th.

A new era begins on the sidelines as Karl Roberts and Calvin Dill step up to lead the side. Both were long-term assistants to former coach Naquita Robinson and will look to capitalize on the squad’s “anxious” energy to perform in front of a home crowd.

Currently ranked 141st by FIFA, Bermuda will be favorites against the 186th-ranked visitors, but after the balanced results in 2024, nothing is being taken for granted.

Match Day Information

  • Dates: June 4th & June 7th, 2026
  • Kick-off: 7:00 PM (Both matches)
  • Venue: Flora Duffy South Field, National Sports Centre

Tickets: Available at GPASS.bm

Muso earns all-region honours after record-breaking debut

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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Muso earns all-region honours after record-breaking debut

McDaniel College freshman Dylan Muso has been named to the PING All-Region III Team, capping a historic first year in the American collegiate ranks.

The announcement, made during the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships, sees Muso join an elite group of just 112 players honored nationally. It is a fitting reward for a season where the first-year standout consistently challenged veteran fields and rewrote the Green Terror record books.

Muso posted a scoring average of 73.61—the fifth-best in program history—and recorded six rounds at par or better across 10 events. His season was highlighted by a blistering career-low 68 at Camp Lejeune and a resilient top-ten finish in his first-ever conference championship.

With three years of eligibility remaining, the GCAA recognition confirms Muso as one of the most clinical young starters in the region.

Bermuda takes the leap with first skydiving venture

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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Bermuda takes the leap with first skydiving venture

A brand-new tourism experience is preparing to send Bermuda to exhilarating new heights.

Skydive Bermuda, the island’s first-ever skydiving company, has successfully completed its first test dives, with jumpers soaring from 13,000 feet above Bermuda in what organizers are calling a major milestone for adventure tourism on the island.

The historic jumps took place last week over Cross Island in Dockyard, the location being eyed as the permanent drop zone for the operation when it officially launches in 2027, pending final permits and approvals.

Four skydivers, including co-founders Spencer Butterfield and Christopher Oates, completed multiple jumps from a helicopter, experiencing panoramic views stretching across Bermuda’s turquoise waters, pink sand coastlines and surrounding reefs.

For the founders, the experience confirmed what they already believed about Bermuda’s beauty,  but from an entirely new perspective.

“We always suspected we lived in the most beautiful place on the planet,” said Mr. Butterfield. “Now we know for sure.”

Skydive Bermuda hopes to offer both residents and visitors an adrenaline-fueled experience unlike anything currently available on the island, with options expected to include tandem dives for beginners alongside solo jumps for experienced skydivers.

The venture is being supported by Paradise Aviation, the holding company behind Azura helicopters, a four-generation helicopter family business with roots in Montana that is also preparing to launch tour operations in Bermuda next year.

Mr. Butterfield described the initial dives as “exhilarating and astounding,” adding that the company believes the attraction could become a game-changing addition to Bermuda’s tourism product.

Meanwhile, co-founder Christopher Oates, a veteran skydiver with thousands of jumps worldwide,  said Bermuda’s aerial scenery stood apart from anywhere else he has dived.

“I can honestly say that the dives we’ve done over Bermuda have been the most visually stunning by far,” he said. “We have something truly special here.”

The company also thanked the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority, West End Development Corporation, Bermuda Aviation Authority and Skyport for supporting the project as it moves toward launch.

If all goes according to plan, thrill seekers could soon be free-falling high above one of the world’s most picturesque islands — proving that for Bermuda tourism, the sky may truly be the limit.

Meta loses court fight over compensation to Italian publishers

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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Meta loses court fight over compensation to Italian publishers

The case came before the Court after Meta challenged the Italian communications authority AGCOM’s power to set the compensation that online platforms should pay for using press articles

International News via Reuters:

Meta Platforms on Tuesday lost its fight against an Italian regulatory order that it should compensate publishers for using snippets of their news articles after Europe’s top court sided with the Italian telecoms watchdog.

The case underscores the ongoing copyright battle between publishers and creators and tech companies over the use of newspaper articles or authors’ work for AI training that have triggered litigation against companies including Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic for infringement.

“The Court finds that a right to fair compensation for publishers is consistent with EU law, provided that that remuneration constitutes consideration for authorising their publications to be used online,” said the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The case came before the Court after Meta challenged the Italian communications authority AGCOM’s power to set the compensation that online platforms should pay for using press articles.

Meta argued that such national measures are incompatible with rights already granted to publishers under EU copyright legislation. An Italian court subsequently sought guidance from the CJEU.

“We will review the decision in full and engage constructively as the matter returns to the Italian courts,” said a Meta company spokesperson.

The European Publishers Council said the court ruling was good for the journalism and news industries.

“This important ruling will pave the way for fairer negotiations with gatekeepers which have been abusing their dominance by refusing to negotiate in good faith. Quality journalism depends on the ability of publishers to recoup the investments required to produce trusted news and information,” said Angela Mills Wade, executive director at the European Publishers Council.

“The Court has recognised that this objective is not only economically legitimate, but also closely linked to media freedom and pluralism in democratic societies,” she added.

The case is C-797/23 Meta Platforms Ireland (Fair compensation).

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta

UK’s Starmer defies calls to quit, says he’s getting on with governing

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
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UK’s Starmer defies calls to quit, says he’s getting on with governing

It was the latest pledge from Starmer to press on with a premiership that has been dogged by scandal and policy U-turns since he won a large majority at a national election in 2024

International News via Reuters:

Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would “get on with governing” despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections.

At a meeting of his cabinet, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that, while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest. Several loyal ministers expressed their support for him.

It was the latest pledge from Starmer to press on with a premiership that has been dogged by scandal and policy U-turns since he won a large majority at a national election in 2024. On Monday, he promised to be bolder in tackling the problems besetting Britain to try to shore up his political future.

BORROWING COSTS RISE

In a nod to an increase in borrowing costs on the markets over fears of another bout of political instability in Britain, Starmer said the “past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families”.

“The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered,” Starmer told his cabinet, according to his Downing Street office.

“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a cabinet.”

Leaving Downing Street, several senior ministers offered Starmer their support, with pensions minister Pat McFadden telling reporters that no one had challenged the prime minister at cabinet.

Others who are thought to want Starmer to go, including health minister Wes Streeting and interior minister Shabana Mahmood, either left without comment or did not leave via Downing Street, where reporters were gathered.

Some of those Labour lawmakers calling for Starmer to announce his departure had hoped a senior minister might quit to force the issue.

Keeping up the pressure, several more Labour lawmakers, including a junior minister, called for his removal on Tuesday. More than 80 Labour lawmakers have publicly called for him to set a resignation date so the party could install a new leader in an orderly manner.

MUCH-PROMISED STABILITY EVAPORATES

It was a long way from when Starmer first became Labour leader in 2020, inheriting the party after its worst national election showing since 1935 under his predecessor, veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn.

He was then seen as a safe pair of hands able to drag Labour more towards the centre ground.

At the 2024 election, he won one of the largest majorities in modern British history for Labour with an offer of stability after years of chaos under the Conservatives, who oversaw five prime ministers in eight years and left, what his government called a “black hole” in the public finances.

Now, he is fighting for his political survival.

Bond markets have been sensitive to any suggestion that Starmer and his finance minister Rachel Reeves could go.

Investors are worried that a more left-wing replacement would push for more spending at a time when Britain’s finances are already stretched, with borrowing costs the highest among the Group of Seven advanced economies. 

HARD TO REMOVE LABOUR PM

“I can’t see how he gets through the day,” one Labour lawmaker told Reuters on the condition of anonymity. “If we’re on 70-odd now, the number who think he should go but haven’t gone public is easily double that.”

It is generally harder for Labour lawmakers to remove a prime minister than the opposition Conservative Party. While dozens of Labour lawmakers might have expressed their dissatisfaction with Starmer, 81 of them need to rally behind one single candidate to trigger a contest.

Of those who have called for him to go, about half of them are on the left of the party, while just over a quarter are more centrist, according to a Reuters tally. That would suggest there is no one candidate who commands the numbers yet.

Jenny Chapman, a junior minister in the foreign office, said the majority of Labour’s 403 lawmakers “don’t want the chaos”.

Removing Starmer now – or forcing him to set a departure date – would likely favour health minister Wes Streeting, who is in a position to move first. His supporters say Streeting, who hails from the right of the party, would be a better communicator than Starmer.

Other possible challengers, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner face obstacles to running, both seen as favourites of the moderate left of the party.

Burnham does not have the seat in parliament ‌he needs ⁠to mount a challenge and Rayner has yet to fully resolve the tax issues that prompted her resignation from office last year.

Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Sarah Young; additional reporting by William James and Alistair Smout; editing by William James, Alex Richardson and Kate Holton

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