Travel Edge agent Joe Amaral said clients, many of them employed in the hospitality sector, are struggling to secure flights to Bermuda due to ongoing conflict in the gulf region
Its a level of disruption to global travel not seen since the 2020 pandemic.
That’s the assessment from one of the islands travel agents who tells us how the airspace closures in Iran and the gulf region are potentially having an impact on local business.
Guest workers, many of them in the hospitality sector, are struggling to find flights back to the island in time for the busy summer period.
The 1.42-billion-euro ($1.65 billion) joint venture includes UPM’s communication papers unit and Sappi’s graphic paper business in Europe
International News via Reuters:
EU antitrust regulators will decide by April 28 whether to approve a proposed graphic paper joint venture between Finnish forestry firm UPM-Kymmene and South Africa-listed wood fibre group Sappi, according to a filing on the European Commission site.
The 1.42-billion-euro ($1.65 billion) joint venture includes UPM’s communication papers unit and Sappi’s graphic paper business in Europe.
UPM will contribute assets in Germany, Finland, Britain and the United States to the joint venture while Sappi’s contribution will come from assets in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland.
The deal comes amid falling demand in the industry due in part to digitalisation, structural overcapacity, high energy costs and rising paper imports from Asia and Latin America.
The Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, can clear the deal with or without demanding concessions after its preliminary review or it can open a full-scale investigation subsequently if it has serious concerns.
($1 = 0.8628 euros)
Reporting by Foo Yun CheeEditing by Tomasz Janowski
Consumer confidence fell to -16.3 this month from a revised -12.3 in February, coming well below expectations for -14.4 in a Reuters poll of economists
International News via Reuters:
Euro zone consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since late 2023 this month, a European Commission survey showed on Monday, offering early evidence of how the war with Iran and surging energy prices may impact the broader economy.
Consumer confidence fell to -16.3 this month from a revised -12.3 in February, coming well below expectations for -14.4 in a Reuters poll of economists. For the broader EU, the indicator fell to -15.2 from -11.8, the Commission said in a flash release that will be followed by more detailed results later this week.
“The four-point drop in March is one of the largest falls on record other than at the start of the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict,” Andrew Kenningham at Capital Economics said. “Based on our current working assumptions about oil and gas prices, we think household spending will decline and cause GDP to stagnate over the next two quarters.”
PRICE GROWTH SEEN ACCELERATING
Oil prices have surged since the start of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, pushing up household fuel costs immediately and raising the prospect of rapid inflation.
This has already raised borrowing costs for households, including through some mortgage rates, as financial investors think the European Central Bank will be forced to raise interest rates to curb price pressures.
This is likely to be especially painful for households as they are hit with higher pump prices and increased borrowing costs, eroding their disposable income.
All this is coming as wage pressures have finally dissipated in the euro zone, according to the ECB’s own wage tracker, which shows negotiated wage growth of 2.6% this year, a figure that is largely consistent with inflation holding at the bank’s 2% target.
However, price growth is now certain to accelerate given the spike in energy costs and the ECB’s most benign scenario sees it jumping to 2.6% this year and the severe scenario putting it above 4%.
While the ECB normally looks past such energy price surges, policymakers said they will raise interest rates if there is risk that price growth is getting entrenched.
“We can do little about the inflation spike in the next few months,” ECB policymaker Peter Kazimir said. “But if we judge that the risk of inflation remaining above our target for a prolonged period is significant, we will act with appropriate forcefulness to bring inflation back down to our target.”
Reporting by Rafal Nowak in Gdansk and Balazs Koranyi in Frankfurt; Editing by Alison Williams
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and six others including singer Elton John have accused Associated Newspapers’ tabloids of being involved in widespread unlawful information
International News via Reuters:
A key witness in a privacy lawsuit brought by Prince Harry and other high-profile figures against the Daily Mail told London’s High Court on Monday the claimants had been conned and he denied signing a damning statement against the paper’s publisher.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and six others including singer Elton John have accused Associated Newspapers’ tabloids of being involved in widespread unlawful information gathering including phone-hacking dating back 30 years.
Associated, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday, has denied any wrongdoing.
The trial has already heard evidence from Harry and the other claimants as well as numerous senior current and former journalists and staff at Associated.
On Monday private investigator Gavin Burrows, whose testimony could decide the outcome, said the lawsuit “was based on a pack of lies”.
WITNESS: STATEMENT ‘HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME’
In August 2021, the claimants’ lawyers say Burrows signed a witness statement in which he stated he had “targeted hundreds, possibly thousands of people” for Associated, from tapping landlines and hacking voicemails to obtaining information by deception.
Those allegations help form a substantial part of the claimants’ case.
Burrows later told Associated’s legal team he had never made this statement and that his signature had been faked, telling the court he had first heard about the allegations attributed to him by reading a newspaper report.
“This statement has nothing to do with me,” Burrows – who gave evidence from an undisclosed overseas location as he says he and his family have received threats – told the court by videolink.
“You have got to explain to your claimants how you have been conned,” he said during testy exchanges with their lawyer David Sherborne who was given permission to treat his own witness as “hostile”. “This thing is based on a pack of lies.”
Associated have cast the whole case as manufactured and funded by opponents of the press such as the late motor racing boss and privacy campaigner Max Mosley, and that a “research team” assisting the claimants’ lawyers had paid witnesses to provide evidence.
Sherborne accused Burrows of lying, suggesting he had only decided to change his evidence after he fell out with one of the research team, Graham Johnson, a journalist who was convicted of phone-hacking and now writes about tabloids’ unlawful activities.
Johnson has previously told the court that Burrows had agreed to a book deal and to help with documentaries for which he had been paid 75,000 pounds ($100,747.50), and that their relationship fell apart in early 2022.
Burrows said he had no knowledge that he would be used in the Associated litigation until January 2023 when he became “absolutely furious” that his name was being linked. He said he approached the publisher because he thought one of the claimants, racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence, was being conned.
“The whole thing is a thing of fiction,” he said. He told the court he had never worked for or been paid by Associated.
Burrows is the last witness at the trial, which began in January, with closing submissions due later this month.
($1 = 0.7444 pounds)
Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew Heavens
“We are looking at measures to deal with profiteering … we might look at what further teeth we can give the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) to deal with this,”
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that his government may consider expanding the powers of the competition regulator to tackle price gouging and profiteering in the energy market, given the impact of the Middle East conflict.
“We are looking at measures to deal with profiteering … we might look at what further teeth we can give the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) to deal with this,” Starmer told a parliamentary committee.
“I want to see more on price gouging or profiteering … we’re actively considering whether the CMA should have additional powers to deal specifically with that, but at the moment we’re making sure they’re focused on anti-profiteering.”
David Maycock has fallen just short of the elimination rounds at the Beast’s Eliminator Bowling Tournament following a high-scoring opening session in California.
Competing in a field defined by its relentless scoring pace and narrow margins for error, Maycock produced a solid series across his opening three games. The Bermudian international posted a combined score of 630, maintaining a competitive average as he navigated the challenging oil patterns of the West Coast lanes.
However, in a testament to the elite level of the competition, even a 210-game average was not quite enough to secure a place in the next stage of the bracket. Maycock ultimately missed the cut by an agonising 29 pins, as the qualifying line moved just out of reach during the final frames of the session.
Despite the early exit, the performance marks another active week for Maycock on the professional circuit as he continues to test himself against top-tier opposition in the United States. He will now look to refine his late-game execution ahead of his next appearance on the tour.
Bermuda’s archery scene reached new heights this weekend as a trio of athletes rewrote the history books during the National Indoor Championships.
The 18-metre range at the NAAB Championships provided the backdrop for a triple-record-breaking afternoon, with Camerin Pickering, Jaydon Roberts, and Robin Selley all setting new national benchmarks.
Camerin Pickering asserted his dominance in the Men’s Olympic Recurve, claiming gold with a clinical score of 572 out of 600. The performance officially established a new Senior National Record and set a formidable standard for the rest of the field.
The youth divisions proved equally historic. Jaydon Roberts secured the silver medal behind Pickering, but his personal best of 558 shattered the Junior National Record. Not to be outdone, Robin Selley produced a golden performance in the Women’s Cadet Recurve, staying composed to post a new National Cadet Record of 532.
With three major records falling in a single session, the championships serve as a significant statement of intent for Bermuda’s archery program as the focus shifts toward international assignments later this season.
The Department of Marine and Ports Services advises that urgent repairs are required on the ferry serving the Pink Route. Ferry service is suspended until further notice.
Marine & Ports Services apologises to the public for this service interruption and any inconvenience it may cause.
Bermuda’s Tyler Smith kick-started his 2026 season with a resilient tenth-place finish at the Africa Triathlon Premium Cup in Swakopmund, overcoming a freak technical failure in the water.
The Olympian clocked a total time of 57:57 in the sprint event, but his afternoon was nearly derailed during the swim. In a chaotic second lap of the Atlantic swell, a competitor accidentally unzipped Smith’s wetsuit, causing it to inflate and act as a literal anchor.
“You end up dragging a lot of water behind you once the suit is open,” Smith explained. The mishap cost him his position in the lead group, forcing a gruelling transition as he exited the water in 11:06.
However, a powerful winter training block paid dividends. Smith produced a gritty 30:58 on the bike before closing out with a blistering 15:08 run to claw his way back through a high-calibre international field.
Finishing 10th overall, Smith described the result as a “solid performance” given the circumstances. The focus now shifts immediately to South Africa next weekend, where he will step up to the full Olympic distance.
Bermuda’s Female Athlete of the Year Caitlyn Bobb delivered a resilient performance on the opening day of the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships, lowering her season’s benchmark on the global stage.
Competing in a high-calibre field in Toruń, Poland, the 23-year-old lined up in the seventh heat of the Women’s 400m. Facing a daunting task against the world’s premier indoor specialists, Bobb showcased her trademark finishing kick to cross the line in fourth place, stopping the clock at a season-best 54.15.
While the result saw her narrowly miss out on automatic qualification for the semi-finals, the time represents a significant step forward. Reflecting on the race, Bobb remained upbeat, noting it was only her second competitive outing of the year as she navigates transitions to a new coach and environment.
The former Carifta champion emphasized that progress is about evaluating weaknesses to ensure a consistent linear trend. Having successfully navigated her World Indoor debut with a peak seasonal performance, Bobb’s focus now shifts toward the upcoming outdoor circuit and her continued pursuit of Olympic qualifying standards.
A passenger train carrying students from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train at Tempi in central Greece on February 28, 2023
International News via Reuters:
The long-awaited trial over a train crash that killed 57 people in Greece in 2023 begins on Monday amid protests and strikes against what many see as the state’s role in the incident.
A passenger train carrying students from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a freight train at Tempi in central Greece on February 28, 2023. It was the worst disaster of its kind in Greece and triggered a years-long investigation.
The crash, which caused a fireball and an explosion, shed light on state failings, including corruption, safety deficiencies and years of neglect of the rail network during last decade’s debt crisis.
It has led to mass protests across Greece in which demonstrators have demanded political accountability and an end to politicians’ immunity.
On Monday, 36 people, including a station master and rail managers, will stand trial on charges ranging from traffic disruption that led to the deaths to negligent manslaughter and causing bodily harm. No politicians have been tried.
More than 350 witnesses will testify, victims’ relatives, survivors and train workers among them.
Most of the victims died in the crash, but up to seven were killed by the fire, national investigators have said.
Rail services were halted on Monday as Greek train workers staged a symbolic 24-hour strike. People rallied outside the court in the city of Larissa.
Probes have found that a project co-funded by the European Union to install safety systems was launched in 2014 but was years behind schedule in 2023. Relatives have also accused authorities of trying to cover up evidence.
The centre-right government, which denies wrongdoing, has promised justice and pledged full railway reform by 2027.
Reporting by Renee Maltezou; editing by Edward McAllister and Toby Chopra
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