The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 1.6% lower at 10,276.95 points after surging more than 2% in the previous session
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s FTSE 100 dropped on Thursday, as losses in oil majors Shell and BP and defence firms weighed, while Britons headed to the polls in local and regional elections.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 1.6% lower at 10,276.95 points after surging more than 2% in the previous session. The midcap FTSE 250 gained 0.2%.
• The elections could deal a huge blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, renewing scepticism about his ability to govern. They could also signal the beginning of the end of Britain’s traditional two-party system.
• A recent survey showed that in April, British builders saw one of the biggest month-on-month jumps in cost inflation.
• The pound <GBP=> rose against the dollar on hopes that an end to the U.S.-Iran conflict was near, pressuring multinational firms that earn most of their revenue overseas.
• With earnings season in full swing, markets are assessing consumer demand and any economic impact from the Middle East conflict.
• Shares of oil major Shell dropped 2.9% despite reporting its highest quarterly profit in two years and raising its dividend. Rival BP fell 2.6%, as oil’s slide below $100 weighed on its stock. [O/R]
• Shares of BAE Systems were down 4.7%, among the biggest drags on the FTSE 100, after the defence firm maintained its full-year outlook.
• InterContinental Hotels Group rose 1.5% after topping quarterly room revenue estimates as its U.S. business rebounded.
• Autotrader Group gained 4.1% after a source told Reuters that activist investor Palliser Capital had built an up to 2% stake in the company.
• Helios Towers jumped 14.3%, lifting the mid-cap index, after the mobile tower operator raised its annual profit forecast.
• RELX dropped 6.2% after Morgan Stanley downgraded its rating on the information group to “equal-weight” from “overweight”. Shares of the company were also trading ex-dividend on Thursday.
Reporting by Medha Singh and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara and Alex Richardson
Police say eastbound traffic is being diverted over Burnt House Hill; westbound lane remains open
There has been a two vehicle road traffic collision involving a motorcycle and a motorcar, near the former T.N. Tatem middle school, Middle Road, Warwick.
Traffic flow in the area of the collision is being restricted with eastbound traffic being diverted over Burnt House Hill.
The westbound lane remains open at this time.
Media release supplied by the Bermuda Police Service.
Four refurbished BHC units will be move-in ready next month as housing projects continue island-wide
Image supplied.
Four new affordable rental homes will be move-in ready by June 1.
Minister of Housing and Municipalities Zane DeSilva today unveiled the full refurbishment of the two-bedroom, one-bathroom units on Middle Town Lane in Pembroke, which will be added to the Bermuda Housing Corporation’s rental stock.
The minister said the project reflects the Government’s continued focus on “delivering practical housing solutions for Bermudians.”
Monthly rental costs for the units will range between $1,500 and $1,800.
The project, which began in January 2025, is part of the Residential Building Programme aimed at delivering new and refurbished housing units across the island.
According to Minister DeSilva, more than 60 homes are being added through a mix of new developments and renovations, while the modular housing pilot programme continues to progress.
Currently, there are just over 400 people on BHC’s waiting list, but with a new 10-year housing strategy, the Minister hopes to make a dent in that number soon.
The plan is expected to focus on better coordination between agencies, improved support for victims and survivors, legislative reform, accountability for perpetrators, and more consistent pathways for people seeking help.
Improved support is on its way for survivors of domestic violence but it will take some years before a long-term plan is fully realized.
Led by the Domestic Abuse Reform Steering Committee, the plan is for legislative reform, accountability for perpetrators, and reliable access to help.
Jasmine Patterson sat down with the Attorney General to learn more.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, drew Trump’s ire after becoming a firm critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies
International News via Reuters:
Pope Leo and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio jointly committed at a meeting on Thursday to improving relations between the Vatican and Washington, at a time when President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the pontiff.
Leo and Rubio “renewed the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations,” the Vatican said in a statement after the first meeting between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year, amid an atmosphere of tension with Washington.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, drew Trump’s ire after becoming a firm critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies.
Trump has kept up an unprecedented series of public attacks on the pope in recent weeks, drawing a backlash from Christian leaders across the political spectrum.
Rubio’s meeting with Leo is a sign of a “strong” relationship between the Vatican and the U.S., State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
Rubio spent 2-1/2 hours at the Vatican before driving away in a convoy under tight security. He also met with senior Vatican officials, including top diplomat Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The U.S. embassy to the Holy See said on X that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere”.
The Vatican statement said the two had “exchanged views” on the world situation and spoke about “the need to work tirelessly in favour of peace.”
‘PLANT OF PEACE’
The meeting appeared to have run longer than planned. The pope arrived 40 minutes late for a subsequent meeting with Vatican staffers and thanked them for being patient.
Vatican video from the beginning of the closed-door encounter showed Leo shaking hands with his guest and addressing him formally as “Mr. Secretary”, to which Rubio, a Catholic, responded: “Great to see you.”
Rubio was also seen giving the pope a small crystal football. He joked that he knew that Leo, originally from Chicago and known as a fan of the White Sox, was more of a “baseball guy”.
Leo gave Rubio a small pen made from wood from an olive tree, which he called “the plant of peace”.
Rubio had told a White House briefing on Tuesday he expected to discuss Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world with Leo. The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, said, also on Tuesday, that the conversation between the pope and Rubio was likely to be “frank”.
In his public criticism of the pope, Trump on Monday falsely suggested that Leo believed it was okay for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and that he was “endangering a lot of Catholics” by opposing the war.
Leo told journalists after the latest attack that he was spreading the Christian message of peace. The pope also firmly rejected the idea that he supported nuclear weapons, which the Catholic Church teaches are immoral.
As Rubio arrived at the Vatican earlier on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was leaving from a meeting with Leo. He told journalists he and the pope discussed how to strengthen international cooperation and generate hope in the world.
“It is still possible that the world does not have to descend into chaos, if good people, people of goodwill, find one another and act in unity,” Tusk said, speaking in Polish.
LEO HAS GROWN MORE OUTSPOKEN
Leo, who on Friday marks his first year leading the 1.4-billion-member Church, has grown more outspoken on the world stage in recent weeks.
During a four-nation African tour last month he forcefully decried the direction of global leadership and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, in comments he later said were not aimed directly at Trump.
Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, who is also a Catholic, met Leo a year ago after attending the pope’s inaugural mass. Trump has not met the pontiff.
During his two-day visit to Rome, Rubio is due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has defended the pope from Trump, on Friday. Meloni’s defence minister has said the war in Iran puts U.S. leadership at risk.
Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Alex Richardson, Crispian Balmer and Gareth Jones
The meeting between Lula and Trump brings together two of the world’s most prominent populist figures despite their sharp ideological differences
International News via Reuters:
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived at the White House on Thursday for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump expected to focus on trade, security and critical minerals as Lula seeks to reset their rocky relationship.
The meeting between Lula and Trump brings together two of the world’s most prominent populist figures despite their sharp ideological differences. Both leaders have built loyal political followings by positioning themselves against established elites, although they differ markedly on issues ranging from economic policy to international alliances.
Brazilian officials were hoping for the best to result from the meeting given tensions last year over Trump’s tariff policy and his outrage over the trial and conviction of Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.
“We don’t know if the visit will help,” one Brazilian official involved in arranging the meeting told Reuters. “But it’s more likely to help than doing nothing.”
Last year, Trump hit Brazilian products with 50% tariffs, among the highest on any U.S. imports, accusing the country of promoting a witch-hunt against Bolsonaro, who was later convicted for attempting to overthrow democracy.
Trump later withdrew most of the levies, including on Brazilian beef and coffee, at least in part to help calm rising U.S. grocery prices. In February, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the global tariffs he imposed under a national emergencies law, eliminating many of the remaining levies.
Brazilian products still face an extra 10% tariff due to expire in July. But, in recent weeks, Brazil has seen signs that its exports could be hit with fresh tariffs connected to a Section 301 investigation into unfair trade practices.
Tensions remain over digital trade – as Brazil has blocked the U.S.-backed renewal of a World Trade Organization e-commerce tariff moratorium – and high Brazilian tariffs on some goods, including ethanol.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative last month also alleged that nearly half of Brazil’s timber exports come from illegal sources – which the Lula administration denies, arguing that it brought deforestation rates to historically low levels.
Brazilian officials became alarmed that a new wave of tariffs could be near during a meeting two weeks ago with U.S. Commerce Department officials. U.S. officials asked few questions, people in the talks said, reinforcing a perception that the investigation aimed to justify tariffs rather than resolve trade issues.
“What they are doing is building a case, even if unfounded, to justify the later adoption of tariffs,” one Brazilian official said.
A thaw started last September at the U.N. General Assembly, when Trump made a comment about “excellent chemistry”, in part recognizing Brazil’s vast reserves of critical minerals, said Monica de Bolle, a Brazilian economist and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics.
The Lula administration does not expect a critical minerals deal to materialize, people close to the president told Reuters, because officials struggled to agree on even a basic memorandum of understanding.
Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and David Lawder in Washington, Ricardo Brito contibuted reporting in Brasilia; Editing by Manuela Andreoni, Christian Plumb, Alistair Bell, Ross Colvin and Chizu Nomiyama
The head and a former expert adviser of a payment agency of agricultural funds in one of Croatia’s counties were among those arrested on May 6
International News via Reuters:
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday it had arrested 21 Croatians, including an acting and a former public official, in a probe into possible corruption and fraud involving European Union farm subsidies.
The head and a former expert adviser of a payment agency of agricultural funds in one of Croatia’s counties were among those arrested on May 6 in coordination with local police and Croatian tax administration authorities for suspected “abuse of office and authority and receiving bribes”, the EPPO said in a statement.
The EPPO, which began operations in 2021, is the EU’s independent public prosecution office tasked with investigating and bringing to judgment crimes against the bloc’s financial interests. It first announced the investigation into the alleged Croatian corruption on Wednesday.
The acting public official under arrest is suspected of coordinating with farmers to help prepare, submit and secure applications for EU farm subsidies under potentially irregular circumstances, in exchange for illicit financial benefits, the EPPO said on Thursday.
It added that a former expert adviser was suspected of having set up a criminal gang with two other suspects to help farmers obtain farm subsidies by inflating the value of pastureland and falsifying documents in return for financial rewards since 2020.
Croatia’s interior ministry confirmed on Thursday that police had investigated 21 persons over suspected organised fraud, abuse of position and corruption after it found irregularities in the allocation of EU farm aid.
“Upon completion of the criminal investigation, the suspects were remanded in custody while criminal charges were filed with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office against a total of 21 persons,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
The arrests followed a scandal in Greece over suspected fraud similarly related to EU farm subsidies that has shaken the centre-right government in recent months.
Reporting by Angeliki KoutantouEditing by Gareth Jones and Paul Simao
Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, both dual Chinese and British nationals, were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024
International News via Reuters:
Two men were found guilty in a London court on Thursday of spying on behalf of Hong Kong and ultimately China, targeting prominent pro-democracy dissidents now based in Britain.
Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, both dual Chinese and British nationals, were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service between December 2023 and May 2024.
A jury at London’s Old Bailey court was unable to reach a verdict on another charge of conducting “foreign interference” by forcing entry on behalf of the Hong Kong authorities into the home in northern England of a woman who has been accused of fraud in the city.
London has repeatedly accused Beijing of espionage activities, a stumbling block in attempts to patch up relations which saw British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visit China in January.
‘SHADOW POLICE OPERATIONS’
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told jurors Yuen and Wai had been tasked to carry out “shadow policing operations” for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and ultimately China.
Atkinson said this had involved spying on dissidents now resident in Britain, including activist Nathan Law, for whom the Hong Kong government had issued bounties of HK$1 million for information leading to their whereabouts or capture.
“They wanted to know where they were, where they live, what they are doing, who they are associating with, who they are communicating with and how they are doing that and those are the very things that these defendants were in the business of obtaining,” Atkinson said.
There have been tensions between Britain and China over a sweeping national security crackdown in Hong Kong since sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 swept the territory, which was under British rule for 156 years before reverting to Chinese sovereignty almost 30 years ago.
The Chinese Embassy in London has accused Britain of fabricating the charges against Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police officer who worked at Hong Kong’s Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London, and Wai, a British Border Force officer and a volunteer officer for City of London Police.
Wai was also convicted of misusing his Border Force job to gain access to the interior ministry’s computer system.
Jurors were shown messages between Yuen, Wai and others, which the prosecution said showed them discussing plans to target activists, who were referred to as “cockroaches”, and to carry out surveillance on British political figures.
A third man who was accused of the same offences, Matthew Trickett, 37, a former British Royal Marine who worked as an immigration officer and private investigator, was found dead not long after the trio were charged. His death was not considered suspicious.
Reporting by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin; editing by William James, William Maclean
Bermudian cyclist Nicholas Narraway has climbed the general classification standings at the 38th Tour of the Gila after a resilient showing in the high deserts of Southwest New Mexico.
Taking on one of North America’s most demanding stage races, Narraway was back in action for Stage Four, a 69.5km circuit that both started and finished in Silver City. In a fast-paced day of racing through the high-altitude terrain, the Bermudian maintained his composure within a tightly packed field.
Narraway crossed the line in 71st place with a time of 1:27:31. Despite the mid-pack finish, the competitive nature of the stage was evident, as he ended the day just 14 seconds adrift of the stage winner, Patrick Welch.
The performance proved vital for Narraway’s overall ambitions in the desert. His consistency over the 69.5km route allowed him to make upward strides in the general classification.
Current Overall Position: 46th
Cumulative Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes, and 30 seconds
With momentum on his side, Narraway continues to navigate the heavy attrition and thin air of New Mexico as the prestigious stage race enters its final chapters.
The Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) recently completed a two-day training course focused on fire inspections, code application, fire protection systems and building life safety.
The training was held from April 29 to 30, 2026, in collaboration with a visiting representative from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in the United States.
The NFPA is an internationally recognised organisation that develops fire, electrical, building and life safety codes and standards used by jurisdictions, fire services, building professionals and safety practitioners around the world.
The NFPA states that its codes and standards serve as a foundation for fire, electrical and life safety globally.
The BFRS adopted the NFPA code in 2014, and the training supported the Service’s continued work to apply those standards consistently in Bermuda.
The course brought together the entire Fire Protection Division, members of the Operations Division, and community industrial stakeholders.
The aim was to build a shared understanding of practical fire prevention requirements, including how fire safety codes are applied during inspections, how hazards are identified, how fire protection systems are assessed, and how compliance supports safer buildings, workplaces and public spaces.
Building on participants’ existing familiarity with NFPA standards, the session focused on further strengthening their understanding and practical application, particularly in relation to NFPA 20 and 25 and the inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems.
The training also covered areas linked to plan review, field inspections, water-based fire protection systems, inspection, testing and maintenance, occupancy safety and life safety requirements. These are recognised areas of professional focus within NFPA’s fire inspection and fire protection training framework.
The Minister of National Security, the Hon. Michael Weeks, JP, MP, greeted the participants at the start of the course and congratulated them on completing the training.
Minister Weeks said: “This training entails the principles of practical public safety. It helps ensure that the people inspecting buildings, reviewing safety requirements and working with industry have a clear and consistent understanding of the standards that protect lives and property.”
The Minister added: “I was pleased to meet the participants and thank them for their commitment. Fire safety is more than emergency response. It is involves prevention, preparation and ensuring that risks are identified before they become tragedies.
“I commend the BFRS, the NFPA instructor and the participating stakeholders for taking this work seriously.”
Chief Fire Officer Dana Lovell said the training was especially important because BFRS has followed NFPA standards for more than a decade.
Chief Lovell stated: “The BFRS adopted the NFPA code in 2014, and our firefighters and fire protection officers are ambassadors to this code. That means we must understand the standards, apply them properly and explain them clearly to the people and organisations with whom we work.”
He added: “The training given was not abstract. It dealt with the practical work our officers face when inspecting buildings, reviewing fire safety measures, assessing fire protection systems and helping property owners and industry partners understand what compliance looks like.
“It also helps ensure that the Fire Protection Division and Operations Division are speaking the same language when it comes to prevention, response and life safety.
“Fire safety is a shared responsibility. When the BFRS and industry stakeholders receive the same guidance and discuss the same standards together, it reduces confusion and supports more consistent application across Bermuda. That is important for inspections, maintenance, emergency planning and the overall safety of the community.”
The Ministry said the course forms part of the BFRS’s ongoing professional development programme and its continued commitment to fire prevention, life safety and safer built environments across Bermuda.
Today in London, the Fairmont Southampton, in collaboration with the Government of Bermuda’s London Office, is hosting a recruitment and engagement event for Bermudians living in the U.K.. Taking place at the Savoy Hotel and beginning at 6PM, the event aims to connect with Bermudian students and professionals ahead of the resort’s planned reopening later this year. Organizers say the initiative is part of a broader effort to encourage Bermudians abroad to return home and contribute to Bermuda’s hospitality industry.
Bermudian middle-distance standout Sancho Smith continued his consistent outdoor campaign with a gritty performance at the 2026 Emory Qualifier in Atlanta.
Representing Clayton State University, Smith took to the track at Emory University to test himself against a competitive field in the Men’s 800 Meters. In a tactical race, the Laker standout crossed the line in 1:53.36 to secure ninth place overall.
The performance comes just days after Smith’s impressive showing at the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Outdoor Championships in Florida, where he clocked a season-best time of 1:52.11 to finish fifth.
Smith’s transition from the indoor circuit—where he established himself as a school record-holder in the 600m—to the outdoor 800m has been defined by steady improvement.
Throughout the 2026 spring circuit, he has consistently hovered around the 1:53 mark:
Emory Qualifier: 1:53.36
Emory Dooley Elite (April): 1:53.37
With the collegiate season reaching its climax, Smith’s reliability in high-stakes qualifier meets continues to provide vital momentum for the Clayton State programme.
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