Insurance stalwart Duffy to lead new program at Bermuda College
The Bermuda College has appointed insurance leader, Catherine Duffy, to build the sector’s first formal academic pathway on island
Catherine Duffy. Photo: Bermuda College
Full statement from the Bermuda College:
Bermuda College has appointed a senior insurance executive to help develop what is intended to become Bermuda’s first formal academic pathway in insurance.
The initiative will build on the College’s existing associate programme in business and strengthen routes into one of the island’s most important industries.
In the longer term, the programme is expected to attract broad industry backing and financial commitment to expand the College. It could also bring in students from overseas.
Cathy Duffy will join Bermuda College in August 2026 as Chair and Professor of the Practice (Insurance).
Ms Duffy brings more than 30 years of insurance experience to the role. She served as AIG’s Bermuda country leader from 2018 to 2024 and previously held senior positions at XL Bermuda Ltd and Torus Insurance.
Her CV also lists board and advisory service with Clear Star Re, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and Bermuda College’s Insurance Advisory Committee. She is the author of Held Captive: A History of International Insurance in Bermuda, the first comprehensive book on the development of Bermuda’s insurance industry.
In her new role, Ms Duffy will oversee curriculum design, academic delivery and industry partnerships for what she describes as the island’s first applied insurance programme.
Currently, Bermuda College offers two insurance classes as part of a broader business associate degree offering, and Ms Duffy said her immediate focus would be on teaching those courses while helping to shape a fuller insurance pathway at the College.
The longer-term aim is to create an associate degree in insurance, allowing students either to move directly into the workforce after graduating from Bermuda College or to continue their studies at universities overseas.
Ms Duffy also spoke of a wider ambition for a future four-year degree pathway in Bermuda.
She said Bermuda has never had a formal insurance programme, structured as an academic programme, which could lead students into further university study.
She added that such a pathway could widen access for students unable to go overseas straight away.
“This is an important opportunity for Bermuda to build on one of its greatest strengths. A formal insurance pathway can help more Bermudians into the (re)insurance industry, create a clearer bridge into further study and, over time, attract overseas students to Bermuda.
“I see education as another pillar that can support Bermuda’s global insurance market. Industry involvement will be essential, whether through internships, guest speakers, mentoring or executive education.
“College President Dr David Sam saw that opportunity quickly, and his vision helped bring this idea into focus.”
Dr Sam said the new programme was a milestone in the history of the College, drawing it closer to the island’s largest business sector, which it was now better placed to support.
“We are pleased to welcome Ms Duffy to Bermuda College. Her experience at the highest levels of the international market, and her commitment to mentorship and leadership development, make her exceptionally well placed to help shape this new direction,” said Dr Sam.
He added: “Bermuda College wants to be at the centre of helping Bermudians into the (re)insurance industry and at the centre of supporting the industry itself.
“This appointment supports that goal and also strengthens our long-term ambition to position the College as a recognised centre for reinsurance education with relevance well beyond Bermuda.”
‘Shooting reminds us that public safety must remain a priority’
OBA comments on yesterday’s fatal attack
Statement from Robert King, Shadow Minister of National Security
The shooting death of a young man this weekend is deeply troubling and heart breaking. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very difficult time.
Gun violence has no place in Bermuda. The loss of life to firearms in a country our size is simply unacceptable.
This tragedy comes at a time when Bermuda has already recorded four road fatalities in the opening months of 2026. Together, these incidents highlight the need to keep public safety a national priority.
Preventing violence requires earlier intervention with young people who may be at risk, stronger partnerships across our communities, and firm consequences for those who bring firearms into our neighbourhoods.
Keeping our communities safe is a responsibility we all share. Bermuda must never accept gun violence as part of island life.
Britain unveils jobs drive for young people to tackle high unemployment
Britain’s youth unemployment has reached a 10-year high, according to figures released last month, outpacing other European nations
International News via Reuters:
Britain will invest an additional 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) to unlock jobs for young people, the government said on Monday, part of a drive to reduce the nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training.
Britain’s youth unemployment has reached a 10-year high, according to figures released last month, outpacing other European nations and posing tough questions for the governing Labour Party over its decision to raise the minimum wage.
Work and pensions minister Pat McFadden announced that the 1 billion pounds will be invested in grants to companies willing to engage young people and in more subsidised jobs – measures that he says will help create 200,000 jobs.
FIRMS TO GET MONEY FOR HIRING YOUNG UNEMPLOYED
“These measures will give life-changing opportunities to young people and significantly reverse the increase we inherited in those not in education, employment or training,” McFadden said in a statement.
Businesses will receive a 3,000-pound subsidy if they hire someone aged 18-24 who has been receiving unemployment benefits for the past six months. Small and medium-sized businesses will get 2,000 pounds for each apprentice aged 16-24.
A scheme offering 25 hours a week of subsidised work to people who have been unable to find work for 18 months will be widened to include those aged up to 24.
Some companies say they struggle to afford to hire younger people, citing increases to the minimum wage alongside a rise in employers’ social security contributions and other costs.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation, an industry body, welcomed the steps but said rules around apprenticeships remained too rigid and hiring costs were too high.
“It is time for more decisive action to get young people into work by making taking a chance on young people more practical for firms, from employment tax costs to the approach taken to new employment rights,” REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said.
Some employers complain that new legislation giving more rights to workers will make hiring more expensive.
RISING YOUTH MINIMUM WAGE RATE UNDER SCRUTINY
The government has also pledged to end lower minimum pay rates for 18- to 20-year-old workers. The main minimum wage rate now stands at 12.21 pounds an hour – up 29% over the past three years – while the rate for 18- to 20-year-old workers has risen 46% to 10 pounds an hour over the same period and is due to increase to 10.85 pounds in April.
McFadden said he accepted that “business costs matter, and of course we’re mindful of them, but this issue is deep-rooted and is long term”.
Later on Monday, business minister Peter Kyle told the body that oversees Britain’s minimum wage that he was giving it “full flexibility” on the rate it recommends for 2027 for workers aged 18-20 “with priority being given to the employment prospects of younger workers”.
Kyle said the government was still committed to abolishing the lower minimum wage rate, but the remit he has given to the Low Pay Commission this year places greater emphasis on minimising the impact on employment than in 2025.
Official figures show Britain’s jobless rate for people aged 16-24 rose to 16.1% in the final quarter of last year, up from 13.8% in the middle of 2025.
($1 = 0.7563 pounds)
Reporting by David Milliken and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Andrew Heavens
Portugal demands that TAP bidders bolster operations in all its airports, not just Lisbon
British Airways owner IAG, Air France-KLM and Germany’s Lufthansa formally submitted expressions of interest to buy a 44.9% stake in TAP
International News via Reuters:
The three bidders in the privatisation of Portugal’s flag carrier TAP must submit plans to bolster its operations and routes in all Portuguese airports, not just its main Lisbon hub, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Monday.
British Airways owner IAG, Air France-KLM and Germany’s Lufthansa formally submitted expressions of interest to buy a 44.9% stake in TAP, and the Portuguese government invited them in early January to present non-binding offers.
TAP’s most attractive assets are its connections to Brazil, Portuguese-speaking African countries and the United States from its Lisbon hub, which the government wants to keep and expand, while also boosting the airline’s scale and competitiveness.
However, Montenegro said bidders must strengthen TAP’s operations and routes not only at its Lisbon hub but also at Portugal’s nine other airports, including Porto, Faro in the Algarve tourist region, and those in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
“We will demand that the full use of our airport capacity potential is guaranteed. There will be no privatisation if we don’t guarantee this,” Montenegro told reporters at an event at Porto airport.
The non-binding offers, due by April 2, must include a price proposal for the TAP stake, along with an industrial and strategic plan for the airline. The privatisation is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.
Bernstein analysts valued TAP’s 44.9% stake at 700 million euros ($804.23 million) in November.
They said this represented a roughly 25%–30% premium over European peers, justified by TAP’s strategic upside.
($1 = 0.8704 euros)
Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Charlie Devereux and Keith Weir
Dubai airport hub rattled after drone strike spotlights Iran war risks
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, now in its third week, has thrown global aviation into turmoil, with flights cancelled, rescheduled and rerouted
International News via Reuters:
Dubai’s international airport was gradually resuming flights on Monday after a fuel tank fire caused by a drone attack forced a temporary closure and flights to reroute, spotlighting the challenge for airlines grappling with the Middle East crisis.
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, now in its third week, has thrown global aviation into turmoil, with flights cancelled, rescheduled and rerouted, as most Middle East airspace stays shut over fears of missile and drone attacks.
With the Gulf a global crossroads for commercial aviation, the war has disrupted travel, sent fuel charges and ticket prices surging, hit flows of goods such as critical medicines and thrown holiday plans into disarray.
Monday’s incident, causing a fuel tank blaze but no injuries, is the third attack on the Dubai airport since Iran launched assaults on Gulf nations on February 28, with strikes Tehran says aim at the U.S. presence in the region.
While the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries host U.S. military facilities, Iran has used missiles and drones to target civilian facilities such as airports, hotels and ports.
Flights in the region are at about half their usual level, though their number has risen from just after the start of the war.
ATTACKS PROMPT DIVERSIONS
Drone and missile fire has regularly kept aircraft circling Dubai’s busy airport, heavily affecting Middle East tourism worth about $367 billion a year. Air freight rates have also surged as much as 70% on some routes.
In a statement on X posted by the Dubai Media Office earlier on Monday, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority flagged a “gradual resumption” of some flights to selected destinations.
Reuters could not immediately establish how many scheduled commercial flights were due to depart from the hub, which last year handled over 1,000 flights per day.
“Civil Defense teams have confirmed that the fire in a fuel tank in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport has been extinguished. Cooling operations are now underway,” the media office said in a separate post.
Emirates airline said it expected to partially resume operations at 0600 GMT after the attack, which prompted authorities to divert some flights to the smaller Al Maktoum international airport.
A Reuters reporter on board an Emirates plane from Rome to Dubai observed the disruption, as security concerns forced the aircraft to divert abruptly when it came in to land early on Monday, going instead to the inland city of Al Ain.
The airline told passengers it planned to fly them back to Dubai as the airspace had re-opened. At one point it said it would arrange a bus for the 130-km (81-mile) road trip back to the coastal city.
FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS EXTENDED
On its website, Emirates said it had cancelled some flights scheduled for Monday. Flightradar24 tracking showed some flights to Dubai turning back to their departure airports. Sister airline flydubai said it was restarting flights.
Air India and Air India Express said in a statement flights with Dubai had been cancelled for the day. Polish carrier LOT said it was extending cancellations of flights to Dubai, Riyadh, Tel Aviv and Beirut to dates later in March and April.
“We are acting in accordance with the recommendations of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) – safety remains our priority,” LOT said in a statement.
Gulf Arab states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since February 28, with targets including U.S. diplomatic missions and military bases but also key oil infrastructure as well as homes and offices.
The UAE, which normalised relations with Iran’s arch-foe Israel in 2020, has faced the brunt of the attacks.
Reporting by Yomna Ehab and Menna Alaa El Din in Cairo; Linda Pasquini, Maha El Dahan and Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Clarence Fernandez and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Police name shooting victim, seek two suspects
A 26-year-old father of two was gunned down in Southampton yesterday
Detectives have launched an investigation into the murder of 26-year-old Kawaje Raynor, who shot on Sunday, March 15th in Southampton Parish.
During a news conference at the Hamilton Police Station today, Police Commissioner Darrin Simons offered condolences to the family of Mr. Raynor and pledged that officers would be actively patrolling the area of the shooting to determine the ‘sudden and violent circumstances’ of the death.
Kawaje Raynor, a father of two small children, was shot multiple times in an incident that occurred yesterday
at around 3.40pm on the Railway Trail near Riviera Crescent in Southampton.
Despite lifesaving efforts made by police and first responders at the scene, he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
No arrests have been made, so far.
Early information suggests area residents heard a motorcycle circling the area. Detectives believe the suspects, travelling on a motorcycle may have been “hunting” for their intended target.
The Commissioner said Mr. Raynor’s death marks the 5th fatal shooting since last August, and detectives would dedicate all resources to finding those responsible.
Anyone with exterior footage of the area or any information connection to the crime is urged to contact the Senior Investigating Officer Detective Sgt. Mark Raposo on 717 2417, call the anonymous and confidential crime stoppers hotline 800-8477 or police directly on 211.
For the full news conference, watch below:
Greece approves purchase of air defence system, upgrade of F-16 jets
Greece is already in talks with Israel to provide a big part of the missile systems for the dome, called “Achilles Shield” with an estimated cost of about 3 billion euros
International News via Reuters:
A Greek parliamentary committee approved on Monday the purchase of a three-billion euro multi-layer air and drone defence system and the upgrade of 38 F-16 fighter jets, with the total cost estimated at about 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion), two sources told Reuters.
Greece is already in talks with Israel to provide a big part of the missile systems for the dome, called “Achilles Shield” with an estimated cost of about 3 billion euros.
“The parliament committee approved the project and also the upgrade of the F-16s,” said a senior source with direct knowledge of the issue. The session took place behind closed doors.
Greece plans to upgrade an additional 38 F-16 Block 50 jets, dating back to the 1990s, to the modern “Viper” version at an estimated cost of about one billion euros, the source added.
A second person confirmed the information.
Greece has a fleet of about 150 F-16s and has already upgraded about 40 of them.
The Greek government has said that it plans to spend in total about 28 billion euros ($32 billion) by 2036 to modernize its armed forces as it emerges from a 2009-2018 debt crisis and tries to keep pace with its historic rival Turkey.
The new purchase will also need to be approved by the country’s top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defense matters, KYSEA.
The committee on Monday also gave the green light for the upgrade of four old MEKO 200 frigates and a maintenance agreement for C29J military transport aircraft.
($1 = 0.8718 euros)
Reporting by Lefteris PapadimasEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Peter Graff
Walking Football League launches as Bermuda targets 2027 World Cup
The historic gymnasium at Bermuda College was the scene of a poignant sporting milestone this weekend as Leroy “Curly Joe” Wilson officially launched his much-anticipated Walking Football League.
West Ham United legend Clyde Best joined Wilson and Polaris CEO Randy Rochester to cut the ribbon, marking a new chapter for veteran athletes on the island. The league transforms the “beautiful game” into a low-impact pursuit for men over 50 and women over 40, focusing on fitness and joint safety.
The initiative serves as the cornerstone of Wilson’s vision to field a Bermudian national team at the 2027 FIFWA Walking Football World Nations Cup. Following a successful 4–2 victory on a tour to Liverpool last November, this domestic structure aims to sharpen the island’s elite talent through six-a-side matches with strictly enforced non-running rules.
Matches will take place every Saturday morning, alternating between Bermuda College and CedarBridge Academy. As the first whistles blew, it was clear that the competitive fire still burns brightly among Bermuda’s veterans—only now, it’s being channeled one step at a time.
Leverock heroics in vain as Mumbai Spartans edge India Tigers
Kamau Leverock produced a “swashbuckling” individual masterclass in Haldwani today, though his India Tigers side eventually fell to a 17-run defeat in the Legends League Cricket.
The Mumbai Spartans posted a competitive 160 for 8 at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium, anchored by a fluent 42 from Bharath Chipli. Despite disciplined bowling from the Tigers—led by Shadab Jakati’s 3 for 24—the target proved just out of reach on a surface that became increasingly difficult to navigate.
In pursuit of 161, the Tigers slumped early before Leverock ignited the chase with a defiant 49 off 37 balls. The Bermudian all-rounder struck eight boundaries and a towering six, forcing the Spartans into defensive field sets. However, his dismissal by veteran seamer Sreesanth proved the turning point.
The Tigers finished on 143 for 6, falling short despite Leverock’s heroics. While the result is a setback, Leverock’s explosive form remains a major positive for the franchise as the tour continues.
Daley destroys national records in Toronto swimming masterclass
Fresh from being crowned Bermuda’s Junior Male Athlete of the Year, Elijah Daley has delivered a record-breaking tour de force at the 2026 U Sports Swimming Championships.
Representing the University of Toronto, Daley systematically dismantled his own national short course benchmarks across a grueling weekend of elite collegiate competition. The onslaught began in the 100m butterfly, where he clocked 52.81 seconds in the heats before finding another gear in the final to touch the wall in 52.56 seconds.
The records continued to tumble in the 200m butterfly, as Daley surged to a fourth-place finish in a blistering 1:57.32, shattering the previous mark he had established only hours earlier in the morning session. Not content with a single discipline, he also navigated a world-class field in the 200m individual medley, lowering his own national record to 1:58.91 in the A Final.
Daley’s ability to peak for major finals cements his status as the island’s premier junior prospect heading into a massive international summer season.
Amendments to traffic laws under review, says Transport Minister
The Bermuda Road Safety Council have drafted a new road safety strategy to address attiudes and possibly, amending laws governing the roadways
The rate of collisions and chaos on the roads has been branded a ‘national crisis’ by the Bermuda Road Safety Council, an advisory board that has drafted a new strategy to deter poor driving.
Transport Minister Owen Darrell told us their recommendations will likely include amendments to traffic laws that could curb the high rate of collisions on the roads.
Here’s what we learned.
