Favorites dominate at Gnosis National Squash Championships
The Bermuda Squash Club in Devonshire was the focus of the island’s sporting landscape tonight as the Gnosis National Squash Championships reached a critical stage.
In the Men’s Open, perennial favorite Micah Franklin signaled his intentions with a ruthless 3-0 victory over Jason Shrubb, securing a triple 11-5 scoreline. Taylor Carrick was equally efficient, conceding just eight points in a dominant straight-sets win over Dylan Pratt. Meanwhile, Kristian Muldoon overcame a second-game blip to defeat Alex Southern 3-1, regaining his rhythm to close out the final two sets 11-6.
The Women’s Open produced equally compelling narratives as Melina Turk delivered a masterclass in precision, dropping only 12 points in a swift 3-0 win over Susie Howells. Sydney Wallace showed superior stamina to overcome Abigail Brewer 3-1, while Eilidh Franklin displayed impressive mental toughness. After dropping the opening game, Franklin pivoted her strategy to sweep the next three sets against Juliette Ferrari-McComb.
The evening’s action concluded with Alex Furtado and Rachel Barnes preparing to battle for their own place in the next round of Bermuda’s premier domestic event.
Maycock completes challenging Florida double-header
Bowler David Maycock has concluded a demanding stint on the Professional Bowlers Association circuit in Port Saint Lucie, Florida.
The experienced international tested himself against a high-caliber field, starting with the PBA Sweeper Tournament. In a format where precision is paramount, Maycock racked up a total pinfall of 1,020 over five games to secure a respectable 17th-place finish.
He then shifted his focus to the 2026 PBA Saint Lucie Lanes Non-Champions Open. Navigating a grueling seven-game qualifying set on testing professional oil patterns, the Bermudian finished in 34th position with a total of 1,428 pins.
While he missed out on the matchplay rounds, the Florida swing remains a vital component of Maycock’s preparations for the international stage. Having recently dominated domestic selection trials, these appearances against the regional tour’s most consistent performers provide crucial sharpness ahead of his upcoming assignments with the Bermuda national squad.
London stocks rise after two-day slide; home builders slump
Heavyweight lenders, which took a beating on economic concerns stemming from the war this week, led the recovery with HSBC, Standard Chartered and Barclays up about 0.9% each
International News via Reuters:
UK shares stabilized on Wednesday after a two-day slump due to an escalating war in the Middle East, while shares of home builders slumped following mixed results and leadership changes at Barratt Redrow and Vistry.
Heavyweight lenders, which took a beating on economic concerns stemming from the war this week, led the recovery with HSBC, Standard Chartered and Barclays up about 0.9% each.
The FTSE 100 index rose 0.7% at 1124 GMT after the escalation in the Middle East conflict over the weekend pushed the index almost 4% below its record high on Friday. The FTSE 250 midcap index also firmed 0.7%.
Despite continued military actions by Israeli and U.S. forces against Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes around the Gulf, investors found reassurance in U.S. President Donald Trump’s promise of political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade in the Gulf.
It is one of the administration’s most aggressive steps yet to contain soaring energy prices amid escalating conflict in the Middle East that has stoked worries about global inflation.
The latest survey showed UK’s services sector grew robustly last month, while job cuts and price pressures persisted, a potential worry for the Bank of England ahead of this month’s interest rate decision.
Investors see a one-in-three chance that the BoE would trim borrowing costs at its March 19 meeting.
Metro Bank rose 1.7% after the lender forecast a key profitability metric to more than double over the next six months and nearly triple over the next 18.
Barratt Redrow fell 1.2% after the UK’s largest homebuilder said it had appointed Ventia CEO Dean Banks as its new chief executive, with David Thomas to retire after more than a decade at the helm.
Smaller peer Vistry’s shares slumped nearly 20% to the bottom of the midcap index after it warned profit margins would fall in 2026 and that CEO and executive chair Greg Fitzgerald was to retire.
Reporting by Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore
SailGP taps Bermuda’s young innovators
1,800 students from across the island’s schools to design model F50 catamarans
SailGP will pair 16 Bermuda schools with its international teams this season as part of the global sail racing championship’s award-winning SailGP Inspire program. SailGP is partnering with Bermuda-based registered charity Endeavour to deliver its Next Gen Challenge, in which approximately 1,800 youth ages 11-14 across Bermuda’s schools will be invited to take part.
SailGP Inspire, proudly supported by global partner Mubadala, opens new pathways for young people to experience the possibilities of sailing, through hands-on action on the water or by tackling innovation-driven challenges in the classroom. To date, more than 34,000 youth have been engaged through SailGP Inspire in race destinations across the globe.
Over the next few months, SailGP Inspire will connect Bermuda’s youth with STEAM learning opportunities, while celebrating Bermuda’s heritage and influence on the F50 catamaran design, often called the Bermuda rig. The program will generate strong support for SailGP’s international teams across the island leading into the Grand Prix in May.
Through the Next Gen Challenge, students will build a model F50 catamaran using repurposed materials, encouraging them to apply sustainability principles, innovation and engineering design thinking in a practical, team-based environment. Each school in the program will be offered an exclusive behind-the-scenes STEAM-focused tour of the SailGP Tech Site at the Apex Bermuda Sail Grand Prix, where all the F50 catamarans are housed and where all the nations have their team bases. Projects will be evaluated by SailGP, with the top three schools in the Next Gen Challenge winning up to six tickets to attend the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix. The project submission deadline for schools is March 18, and the winners will be announced in mid-April.
Endeavour is dedicated to making sailing accessible to young people of all backgrounds and abilities by providing hands-on STEAM through sailing learning opportunities within a fun, safe, supportive, and diverse environment. Endeavour and SailGP share a vision of making sailing – and the broader marine industry – more accessible and inclusive for young people of all backgrounds and abilities through community engagement and experiential learning opportunities.
The Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix will be the fifth stop of the 2026 Rolex SailGP Championship from May 9-10, as international teams race in identical 50-foot foiling catamarans faster than wind speeds over 100/km per hour.
The event will be a spotlight moment for Bermuda, showcasing the island’s capabilities, beauty and status as a top global sailing destination on the world’s stage. This will be the fourth time Bermuda hosts the Rolex SailGP Championship. Tickets remain on sale to the general public for the event at SailGP.com/Bermuda.
Rego Sotheby’s honours top agents
Margaret Young, Christina Georgopoulos and Rachel Sawden recognised for 2025 performance
Rego Sotheby’s International Realty proudly recognized the outstanding accomplishments of its top-performing real estate professionals for 2025, honoring excellence across the key categories of revenue, rentals, sales, and listings.
Margaret Young, Christina Georgopoulos, and Rachel Sawden were honored as this year’s award recipients, each having previously earned recognition for their achievements in past years.
Margaret Young was awarded both Top Producing Agent and tied with Christina Georgopoulos for Most Valuable Sales Agent.
Of her win Margaret said, “I’m honoured to receive these awards as I celebrate 25 years with Rego Sotheby’s in a career that began in 1979. This recognition truly belongs to the many loyal buyers and sellers who have trusted me to guide them on their real estate journeys
over the years. I’m deeply grateful.”
Along with her tie for Most Valuable Sales Agent, Christina Georgopoulos is also 2025’s Most Valuable Listing Agent – having the most listings that sold within the company over the past year. Christina said, “I couldn’t have achieved these awards without the incredible clients
and relationships that make this work so meaningful. I’m beyond grateful to have the trust, support, and referrals that continue to fuel my passion for delivering exceptional client service in the real estate industry.”
Rachel Sawden was awarded Top Rental Agent for 2025, for her work in both the residential and commercial markets. Rachel said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to guide both residential and commercial clients and prospects through successful leasing transactions.
Each lease is an important step for a business owner or family, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I am honoured by the relationships built and results achieved with clients and prospects, along with my amazing team.”
Agency Manager of Rego Sotheby’s International Realty Ben Rego said, “I’m incredibly proud of the continued growth and performance of our individual agents, alongside those consistent top performers and market leaders who truly make a difference for our clients year after year. “
Inflation biggest risk to debt markets facing ‘big stress test’, OECD official says
Oil prices are up 16% this week and government bond yields have jumped on investor fears over inflation if higher energy prices persist
International News via Reuters:
Inflation is the major risk facing global bond markets, a senior OECD official told Reuters, as energy prices surge following the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran.
“Now we are having another big stress test,” Carmine Di Noia, the OECD’s director of financial and enterprise affairs said in an interview ahead of the release of the Paris-based organisation’s annual debt report on Wednesday.
Oil prices are up 16% this week and government bond yields have jumped on investor fears over inflation if higher energy prices persist.
If that happens, higher bond yields would “put even greater pressure” on debt markets given financing needs and borrowing costs remain high, Di Noia added.
SHORTER MATURITIES RAISE RISK OF REFINANCING
The OECD expects governments and companies to borrow $29 trillion this year, up from over $25 trillion last year.
They have reduced the maturities of the new debt they sell and higher yields could reinforce that dynamic, Di Noia said.
He noted that the conflict has stoked uncertainty at a time when the investor base for bond markets is changing. Price-sensitive investors like hedge funds are playing a bigger role in the markets, which the OECD warned could stoke volatility.
The share of government bond issuance maturing in more than 10 years reached its lowest point since 2009 and the lowest on record for corporates in 2025, the OECD report said.
That raises the risk of refinancing, which at a record $13.5 trillion, reached 80% of borrowing for OECD countries in 2025, as more debt comes due sooner and rising yields feed faster into debt costs. Emerging markets, where over a third of the debt stock matures in the next three years, are particularly vulnerable.
Post-pandemic rate hikes to tackle inflation raised bond yields significantly and pushed government interest payments up. By 2024 those had already exceeded defence spending, the OECD noted.
AI DEBT COULD TRANSFORM CORPORATE BOND MARKET
The OECD said surging borrowing by AI companies as they race to expand data centres and processor needs may make corporate bond markets more “equity-like”.
Nine major hyperscalers will need to fund $4.1 trillion of capital spending until 2030, the report said. Funding half of that on the bond markets would mean the nine companies may account for 15% of corporate issuance globally. They include Amazon, Alphabet’s Google, Meta and Microsoft.
As the nine also make up 12% of global stock market capitalisation, convergence between the two markets might make it harder for investors to diversify investments and hedge risk, Di Noia said.
AI infrastructure may also require additional investments of roughly $5 trillion by 2030, which is likely to raise borrowing by sectors like real estate, energy and IT hardware significantly.
“This calls into question the ability of the currently $17.2 trillion global non-financial corporate bond market to absorb new supply of this magnitude, especially in a context of still-expanding sovereign bond borrowing and a changing investor base,” the OECD warned.
Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli; editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Weekend road races to affect traffic
Police and race marshals to manage traffic during two road running events
Government media release:
The Ministry of Public Works and Environment advises the motoring public of two road race events taking place on Saturday, 7 March 2026 and Sunday, 8 March 2026, which will affect traffic in several areas.
The Bermuda Connection 5K and 10K Races will take place on Saturday, 7 March 2026, between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
The races will commence at the Hamilton Princess Beach Club entrance at the intersection of South Road and Sonesta Drive and will travel along sections of Lighthouse Road, the Railway Trail, Church Road, Middle Road and South Road before finishing at Boat Bay.
The Lindo’s to Lindo’s 10K Run and 4 Mile Walk will take place on Sunday, 8 March 2026, between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
The 10K race will start at Lindo’s Home Foods Store on Middle Road, Warwick and finish at Lindo’s Devonshire car park, travelling along Middle Road, South Road, Collector’s Hill, Chaingate Hill and Watlington Road East.
The 4 Mile Walk will follow a similar route, diverting at Brighton Hill Road before rejoining Watlington Road East to the same finish location.
There will be no road closures for either event; however, traffic will be under the control of Race Marshals and Police Officers.
Motorists are expected to exercise caution and follow all instructions given by event officials to assist with traffic control and to avoid collisions with participants.
The Bermuda Police Service is authorised to close off streets or portions of streets and authorise parking as the Commissioner of Police decides.
The Ministry encourages the full cooperation of the motoring public and apologises for any inconvenience that may result.
Please refer to the attached Road Traffic Notices for full details on race routes and traffic controls for both events.
Six new corrections officers pass out at Warwick Camp
Attorney-General Kim Wilkerson praises recruits’ training, professionalism and commitment to public safety
Images and media release supplied by the Government of Bermuda.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Kim Wilkerson, JP, attended the Passing-Out Parade for the Department of Corrections’ Class of 2025/26 at Warwick Camp last week.
The ceremony marked the successful completion of an intensive training programme for the newest cohort of six correctional officers, whose course commenced in 2025 and concluded earlier this year.
Addressing the graduating recruits, the Minister acknowledged the rigour of their training and the responsibility they now assume as officers within Bermuda’s correctional system.
The Minister stated during the ceremony, “the training you have completed was structured to prepare you for the realities of this profession.”
“You have studied the legal framework that governs your authority, worked through policies and procedures, and trained in areas including mental health awareness, human rights, first aid and professional conduct. That preparation matters.”
The Minister reflected on her recent visit to observe the recruits during use-of-force training, noting the importance of measured authority and accountability.
“What I observed was careful instruction and disciplined practice. The lawful use of force is about control, proportionality and accountability, not aggression. That understanding is essential to public confidence and to your own safety.”
In her remarks, Minister Wilkerson underscored the importance of professionalism and integrity at every level of the organisation.
“Standards are not abstract concepts. They are reflected in how officers apply policy, document incidents, communicate with colleagues and exercise discretion.
“Work is underway to strengthen standards and modernise operations within the Department, but no policy or review can substitute for personal integrity.”
The Minister also acknowledged the dual responsibility correctional officers carry: maintaining order and security within facilities while contributing to an environment that supports rehabilitation.
“The public expects you to maintain order,” she added. “The justice system expects you to uphold the law. Your colleagues will depend on your consistency and reliability.
“This profession requires steady judgement, composure under pressure and sound character.”
The Minister then turned to address the families and loved ones gathered for the occasion, recognising their role as an essential part of each recruit’s journey to this day.
“I want to speak directly to the families in this room,” Minister Wilkerson said. “Behind every officer, there is someone who encouraged them on the difficult days and supported them when the finish line felt far away.
“You are part of this achievement. The support you gave helped bring them to where they stand today, and I thank you for that.”
The Minister encouraged families to continue that support as the recruits’ transition into the realities of active service and expressed appreciation to the senior officers and leadership of the Department of Corrections for their role in guiding the recruits.
Congratulating the graduates, the Minister stated: “Today you celebrate your achievement. From tomorrow, you carry responsibility. Wear your uniform with pride and discipline. Bermuda is better for the fact that people like you choose this profession.”
The Passing-Out Parade formally marks the recruits’ transition from training to active service within the Department of Corrections.
AI may be creating instead of destroying jobs for now, ECB blog argues
A recent study by Germany’s Ifo Institute found that more than a quarter of German firms expect AI to lead to job cuts in the next five years
International News via Reuters:
The increasing use of artificial intelligence by firms may be creating some jobs in the euro zone rather than destroying them as many fear, a European Central Bank blog post argued on Wednesday.
Economists have been debating whether AI could put white collar staff out of work, and a recent study by Germany’s Ifo Institute found that more than a quarter of German firms expect AI to lead to job cuts in the next five years.
But the ECB’s own Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises found that companies making significant use of AI are more likely to take on additional staff in the near term.
“In other words, AI-intensive firms tend, on average, to hire rather than fire,” the blog post, which is not necessarily the view of the ECB, said.
Firms planning to invest in AI are also more likely to have positive expectations for future employment growth, the blog argued.
“This is true regardless of the level of planned AI investment and suggests that a pause in hiring due to investment in AI technology is also unlikely over the next year,” the blog, written by two ECB staff economists, said.
However, the outlook may change on the longer horizon, the authors said. Most of the gloomier surveys cover longer horizons than the ECB’s own question and the outlook could change once AI starts to significantly transform production processes.
Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Andrew Heavens
Britain fines Wood Group $17 million for inaccurate results
Wood Group’s issues came to light from November 2024, triggering a 85% plunge in its share price by April 2025 and leading to a share suspension the following month
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority fined Wood Group nearly 13 million pounds ($17.39 million) on Wednesday for publishing inaccurate information in its financial results for 2022, 2023 and the first half of 2024.
The financial watchdog said following the poor performance of certain projects, the company’s accounting judgments were inappropriately influenced by a desire to maintain previously stated financial results and that it did not have adequate systems or controls to prevent this.
Wood Group’s issues came to light from November 2024, triggering a 85% plunge in its share price by April 2025 and leading to a share suspension the following month. The company agreed to a $292 million takeover by Dubai-based Sidara later in the year.
Sidara had tabled a lowered bid for Wood Group in August 2025, following the regulatory investigation and had made the deal’s completion conditional on the British company publishing its delayed 2024 results and ensuring that certain debt facilities were not terminated.
Wood Group met the regulatory conditions for the deal earlier this week and expects to close the transaction on March 10.
($1 = 0.7477 pounds)
Reporting by Sam Tabahriti in London and Yamini Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Kate Holton and Mrigank Dhaniwala
Europe’s growth model is coming to an end, Eurogroup chair says
Kyriakos Pierrakakis told a conference organised by the European Investment Bank that Europe’s economy was facing strong demographic headwinds
International News via Reuters:
Europe’s decades-old economic model, which has relied heavily on an expanding workforce, is coming to an end, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers said on Wednesday, pointing to the need to mobilise savings to finance investment and innovation.
Kyriakos Pierrakakis told a conference organised by the European Investment Bank that Europe’s economy was facing strong demographic headwinds and by 2040 its workforce, currently around 200 million people, could be shrinking by close to two million people per year.
“That matters because it changes the equation. Growth can no longer rely on expanding labour supply. It must come from higher productivity. And higher productivity comes from innovation, investment and efficient capital allocation,” he said.
“The growth model that supported European prosperity for decades is reaching its limits,” he said.
Pierrakakis told the conference that the strategic task for the European Union was to mobilise capital more effectively to finance innovation and scale.
“That is the only lever that can raise productivity, increase incomes, strengthen strategic autonomy and build resilience,” he said.
The 27-nation bloc seeks to integrate its different capital markets into a single market where capital would flow more freely so that some 10-11 trillion euros ($12.8 trillion) of Europeans’ savings in bank deposits could be used more productively to finance the growth of innovative companies.
The integration has been slow because of vested national interests and political differences, but geopolitical changes over the last 12 months have given the work a new sense of urgency.
($1 = 0.8596 euros)
Reporting by Jan Strupczewski. Editing by Mark Potter
