The Ministry of Public Works and Environment advises the motoring public of upcoming traffic disruptions on Middle Road near Fort Hill Road in Devonshire and Mangrove Bay Road in Sandys.
Middle Road Near Fort Hill Road, Devonshire: Temporary Lane Closures
Temporary lane closures will be in effect on Middle Road near Fort Hill Road to accommodate Link Bermuda trench works.
The works will take place from Saturday, 16 May 2026, through Monday, 18 May 2026, between 7.30 a.m. and approximately 6.00 p.m.
Motorists travelling eastbound and westbound along Middle Road should expect delays due to temporary traffic lights. Detour routes will be available via Tee Street, Montpelier Road and Flora Duffy Hill.
Mangrove Bay Road, Sandys: Temporary Road Closure
A temporary road closure will be in effect on Mangrove Bay Road, from Cambridge Road through to Somerset Road, on Monday, 25 May 2026, to accommodate a community restoration ceremony. The closure will take place from 5.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
Motorists are advised to use detour routes via Cambridge Road or Somerset Road. Residents will have access from Cambridge Road to enter homes on Mangrove Bay Road.
Motorists are encouraged to plan accordingly, proceed with caution and follow traffic management instructions in the affected areas.
Please refer to the attached Road Traffic Notices for more information.
Kim Burns lost her battle with ovarian cancer three years ago at the age of 61. But this weekend, her legacy as one of Bermuda’s most passionate and beloved pickleball ambassadors will once again bring the community together. Players will gather at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium for the third annual Kim Burns Memorial Pickleball Tournament — now one of the signature events on the Pickleball Association of Bermuda calendar. Her daughter Jessica says seeing her mother honoured in this way means everything to the family.
Away from the court, Kim Burns also dedicated her life to helping others. A nurse by profession, she worked at PALS, managed Agape House, and helped introduce the pay management programme still used at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital today. Jessica Burns says proceeds from the tournament will support free cancer patient retreats launched in her mother’s memory — creating a safe space for patients to speak openly about their fears and emotions.
The draft resolution demands Iran halt attacks and mining in the strait, but diplomats have said it is likely to meet with Russian and Chinese vetoes if it comes to a vote
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 15, 2026. REUTERS
International News via Reuters:
China’s U.N. ambassador on Friday criticized a proposed U.S.-Bahraini resolution on the Strait of Hormuz, saying the content and timing were not right and passing it would not be helpful.
The draft resolution demands Iran halt attacks and mining in the strait, but diplomats have said it is likely to meet with Russian and Chinese vetoes if it comes to a vote. Both countries vetoed a similar U.S.-backed resolution last month, arguing it was biased against Iran.
The Pass Blue news portal, which focuses on U.N. news, posted a short clip of an impromptu interview with China’s U.N. envoy Fu Cong in which he said, when asked about the resolution: “We don’t think the content is right, and the timing is not right.
“What we need is to urge both sides to engage in serious and good-faith negotiations that can resolve the issue. So passing a resolution at this stage, we don’t think is going to be helpful,” he said.
Fu said that if it were up to China as the current president of the 15-member U.N. Security Council, the resolution would not be put up for a vote.
China’s U.N. mission said it was China’s responsibility as council president to arrange a vote if the resolution drafters requested this, but so far there had been no request.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fu’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump held a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that ended on Friday, during which, according to the White House, they agreed that the strait must remain open and Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the waterway and any effort to charge a toll for its use.
Xi did not comment on the issue, although China’s foreign ministry aired Beijing’s frustration with the Iran war, saying: “This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue.”
Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Daniel Wallis
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq sold off after climbing to closing records on strength in artificial intelligence-related technology stocks in the previous two sessions
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, May 13, 2026. REUTERS/staff
International News via Reuters:
Global equity indexes fell on Friday while bond yields soared as investor euphoria over technology stocks gave way to inflation fears and traders raised bets that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates this year.
U.S. President Donald Trump left China on Friday with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from Beijing to end the Iran war.
And uncertainty over a Middle East peace deal drove oil prices higher, adding to concerns about inflationary pressures after two batches of high inflation readings for April were released earlier this week.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq sold off after climbing to closing records on strength in artificial intelligence-related technology stocks in the previous two sessions.
“There’s a realization that the market had gotten way ahead of itself. It wasn’t paying enough attention to what the bond market and economic data was telling it. It was caught up in this momentum AI trade,” said Kenny Polcari, chief market strategist at Slatestone Wealth.
“The market is finally paying attention to what the bond market and the economic data is telling it. Inflation remains sticky and is potentially going to move higher in the months ahead.”
EQUITIES GO INTO REVERSE
On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 537.29 points, or 1.07%, to 49,526.17, the S&P 500 fell 92.74 points, or 1.24%, to 7,408.50 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 410.08 points, or 1.54%, to 26,225.15.
Still, the S&P 500 logged its seventh straight weekly gain, its longest winning streak since late 2023. But the Nasdaq and the Dow fell on the week, with the Nasdaq snapping a six-week winning streak.
MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe fell 17.06 points, or 1.53%, to 1,099.00.
Earlier, the pan-European STOXX 600 index finished down 1.48%. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 2.5% and Japan’s Nikkei slid 1.99% after data showed wholesale inflation accelerated to 4.9% in April, the fastest pace in three years, keeping the Bank of Japan on track to raise rates.
In South Korea the Kospi index fell more than 6% on Friday after a steep run higher in recent months. It is still up 77.8% year to date.
GOVERNMENT BOND YIELDS SPIKE
In government bonds, U.S. Treasury yields climbed to their highest levels in a year as elevated oil prices added to fears that ongoing energy disruptions in the Middle East could add to inflation.
The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 13.8 basis points to 4.597%, from 4.459% late on Thursday while the 30-year bond yield rose 10.9 basis points to 5.122%.
The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, rose 8.7 basis points to 4.079%, from 3.992% late on Thursday.
In currencies, the dollar rose for its fifth consecutive day, placing it on track for its biggest weekly gain in two months, as the inflationary pressures drove bets for a Fed rate hike this year.
Traders were last betting on a roughly 38.8% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike by year-end compared with a less than 14% probability a week ago, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool, which showed a 9.9% chance rates would be 50 basis points higher by year end.
Friday is Jerome Powell’s last day as Fed Chair before he is replaced by Kevin Warsh. The incoming Chair was nominated by Trump, who has pressured Powell to cut interest rates.
“The market is going to test Kevin Warsh. They’re going to press him to see what he really stands for,” Polcari said.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.33% to 99.28, with the euro down 0.38% at $1.1624.
Against the Japanese yen, the dollar strengthened 0.25% to 158.74.
Sterling fell for the fifth straight day, and hit its lowest in more than five weeks. It was last down 0.61% at $1.3318 after sliding 0.9% on Thursday.
Britain’s governing Labour Party said it agreed to let Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham seek a return to parliament, a step toward a possible challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. Meanwhile British Housing Minister Steve Reed urged Labour Party lawmakers to get behind Starmer, saying nobody positioning to replace him had shown enough support.
Oil prices rallied on supply worries after Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran has “no trust” in the U.S. and is interested in negotiating only if Washington is serious. Trump said he was running out of patience with Iran and that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. crude settled up 4.2%, or $4.25, at $105.42 a barrel while Brent rose to $109.26 per barrel, up 3.35%, or $3.54, on the day.
Among precious metals, gold fell to a more than one-week low under pressure from the rising dollar and Treasury yields as well as the bets for higher interest rates.
Spot gold fell 2.35% to $4,540.11 an ounce. U.S. gold futures fell 3.29% to $4,524.30 an ounce.
Reporting by Sinéad Carew and Stephen Culp in New York, Sophie Kiderlin in London and Stella Qiu in Sydney; Editing by Sam Holmes, Mark Potter, Joe Bavier, Barbara Lewis and David Gregorio
The Lebanese and Israeli delegations issued positive statements about the talks, their third meeting since Israel intensified air attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on March 2, three days into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran
An Israeli military vehicle operates in Lebanon by the Israeli‑Lebanese border, as seen from northern Israel, May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem
International News via Reuters:
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire that has tamped down the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as two days of talks facilitated by Washington concluded on Friday with an agreement to hold further meetings in the coming weeks.
“The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X, adding that the talks aimed at settling decades of conflict between the two countries were “highly productive.” The ceasefire was set to expire on Sunday.
The Lebanese and Israeli delegations issued positive statements about the talks, their third meeting since Israel intensified air attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on March 2, three days into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion into Lebanon’s south displaced some 1.2 million people, before U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire last month following initial talks between the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington.
Hezbollah and Israel have continued to trade blows, with hostilities focused in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are occupying a self-declared security zone.
LEBANON WANTS HOSTILITIES TO CEASE
The U.S.-led mediation between Lebanon and Israel has emerged in parallel to diplomacy aimed at ending the U.S.-Iran conflict. Iran has said ending Israel’s war in Lebanon is one of its demands for a deal over the wider conflict.
Lebanon’s delegation, which is attending despite objections from Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, has prioritized a cessation in hostilities in the talks. Israel says Hezbollah must be disarmed as part of any broader peace agreement with Lebanon.
The Washington meetings, the highest-level contact between Lebanon and Israel in decades, have evolved to include security and military officials. Pigott said on X that a new “security track” of the negotiations would be launched at the Pentagon on May 29, while the State Department will convene the two sides again June 2-3 for a political track of negotiations.
“We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” Pigott said.
Lebanon’s delegation said in a statement that it wanted to turn the momentum from the ceasefire into a lasting peace agreement. “The extension of the ceasefire and the establishment of a U.S.-facilitated security track provide critical breathing space for our citizens, reinforce state institutions, and advance a political pathway toward lasting stability,” the delegation said.
Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said the talks were “frank and constructive.”
“There will be ups and downs, but the potential for success is great. What will be paramount throughout negotiations is the security of our citizens and our soldiers,” Leiter said on X.
Reporting by Simon Lewis; Bhargav Acharya and Katharine Jackson; additional reporting by Maya Gebeily in Beirut; editing by Michelle Nichols, Rod Nickel
Last month BoE governor Andrew Bailey said he saw major cybersecurity risks from Anthropic’s Mythos product
FILE PHOTO: A message reading “AI artificial intelligence”, a keyboard, and robot hands are seen in this illustration taken January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
International News via Reuters:
British companies should take steps to plan for and mitigate risks from new artificial intelligence models, the country’s finance ministry, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority regulator said on Friday.
“The cyber capabilities of current frontier AI models are already exceeding what a skilled practitioner could achieve, and at a significantly higher speed, greater scale, and lower cost,” they said in a joint statement.
“These capabilities, if used maliciously, amplify cyber threats to firms’ safety and soundness, customers, market integrity, and financial stability.”
Last month BoE governor Andrew Bailey said he saw major cybersecurity risks from Anthropic’s Mythos product.
Mythos has drawn warnings from cyber experts about its potential to supercharge complex cyberattacks which could challenge the banking industry and its existing technology.
Reporting by Muvija M; writing by Suban AbdullaEditing by William Schomberg
People gathered today at City Hall as OUTBermuda marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia with speeches, community discussions, and a show of solidarity. The gathering brought together advocates, non-profit leaders, politicians, and members of the public to recognize the importance of inclusion and awareness within the community.
Organizers also shared information about an upcoming event planned for June, encouraging the public to attend and learn more about the root causes surrounding discrimination and challenges faced within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Premier David Burt says a proposed five-phase reform process will update Bermuda’s constitutional framework after decades without major change
Work to modernise Bermuda’s Constitution is underway, according to Premier and Finance Minister David Burt.
Speaking in the House of Assembly, the Premier said it has been more than twenty years since substantial reforms were last pursued, adding that the island’s governing framework must evolve to reflect modern times.
He also said draft recommendations outlining a five-phase reform process have been shared with key stakeholders and further consultation will later involve the public.
Addressing concerns over broader constitutional change, Premier Burt insisted the process is focused on modernisation.
“Mr Speaker, the mention of Constitutional reform can understandably give rise to concern that intended change of this nature is a pretext for something larger, something more fundamental – that has not been put to the people. Let me be clear: what we are embarking upon is a process of modernisation – the kind of careful, considered maintenance that any living constitutional document requires after six decades.
“I would note that this is not a process Bermuda is undertaking alone: the United Kingdom has itself committed, most recently at the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council, to engage closely and proactively with each Overseas Territory whose democratic will is to revise its constitution. That commitment reflects a shared understanding that modernisation of this kind is both reasonable and overdue.”
Government says any future system would focus on regulated access, patient safety and strict oversight
Work to develop a regulated medical cannabis framework was discussed in the House of Assembly today, with Government stressing that policy and legislative work remains under development.
National Security Minister Michael Weeks said the aim is to create a clinically responsible and legally sound system that would improve access for patients with legitimate medical needs, while protecting against misuse and abuse.
He stated: “Mr. Speaker, it is important to be clear with the public on this matter so that there is no confusion about what we are trying to achieve. I, therefore, want to state that this work remains in development and that no final legislative model has been settled. That is intentional.”
Minister Weeks said the framework would be grounded in several principles including: medical autonomy, patient protection and access, public safety and accountability, and regulatory consistency.
“… the Government’s focus at this stage is on getting the framework right, rather than moving prematurely toward a predetermined outcome. What is settled, however, is the policy direction.
“… we are seeking an approach that supports legitimate patient access to medical cannabis through proper medical channels, respects clinical judgment, maintains appropriate oversight, and preserves the safeguards necessary to prevent misuse.”
A reported waterspout caused damage to both private properties and BELCO’s overhead network
Wayne Caines, President, BELCO issued the following statement.
“Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) is providing an update on two recent outage events affecting customers across the island.
On Sunday evening, BELCO crews responded to an underground cable fault affecting customers in the west end of the island. We thank affected customers for their patience during that time.
Over the past two days, Bermuda has experienced high winds and severe weather conditions that have caused pockets of outages across the island. The most significant impact was in St. David’s, where a waterspout came ashore and caused damage to both private properties and BELCO’s overhead network, leaving approximately 40 customers without power. During restoration work, approximately 900 homes in the area were temporarily de-energised to protect the safety of both the public and our teams while repairs were carried out. Across the rest of the island, outages were small and restored quickly. We thank all affected customers for their patience and understanding.
As a reminder if you experience a power outage, we encourage all customers to unplug sensitive electronics and devices such as TVs, computers, gaming systems and appliances. This simple step can help protect your valuable equipment from damage.”
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