Southampton Parish Council, along with the Attorney General’s Chambers, will host a public meeting on jury reform.
It will take place at Vernon Temple AME Church on Middle Road, Southampton, on Thursday, January 29, starting at 6:30p.m..
Final town hall on electoral reform
It takes place tomorrow at West End Sailboat Club from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP, is encouraging members of the public to take part in the final Electoral Reform Town Hall to be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at the West End Sailboat Club from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
This meeting marks the last opportunity in the Government’s island-wide consultation series seeking input on how Bermuda’s voting system can be made easier, fairer, and more accessible for all Bermudians.
These town halls form part of the Government’s efforts to modernise Bermuda’s electoral system and strengthen public confidence and participation in the democratic process. A strong democracy relies on the voices of its people, and these forums provide an important opportunity for residents to share their views and learn about proposed improvements to election administration.
The town hall will include a brief presentation followed by a moderated discussion providing the opportunity to ask questions and contribute directly to the conversation.
Minister Rabain said, “We want to continue hearing directly from the community. Your experiences and ideas will help guide meaningful improvements to Bermuda’s electoral system. Now is the time to take part, and if you haven’t yet had the chance to participate, I encourage you to join us at the final town hall and be part of shaping how our democracy works.”
The discussions focus on key areas under consideration as part of broader electoral reform, including:
• Implementing absentee voting for eligible Bermudian students studying overseas
• Establishing clear and transparent standards for political parties and campaign financing
• Ensuring the voters’ register remains accurate, private, and transparent
• Embracing practical modernisation of our electoral systems and technology
• Setting consistent and fair rules for polling day administration
Final Electoral Reform Town Hall
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
West End Sailboat Club
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend, take part in the discussion, and help shape the future of Bermuda’s electoral system.
Gold races to $5,100 record peak on frantic safe-haven demand
Spot gold was up 2.2% at $5,091.61 an ounce by 1140 GMT after hitting a record $5,110.50. U.S. gold futures for February delivery gained the same amount to $5,089.90
International News via Reuters:
Gold prices extended their record-setting rally to surge past $5,100 on Monday as central banks and investors sought refuge from geopolitical risks and Trump-induced market volatility.
Spot gold was up 2.2% at $5,091.61 an ounce by 1140 GMT after hitting a record $5,110.50. U.S. gold futures for February delivery gained the same amount to $5,089.90.
Gold soared 64% in 2025 for its biggest annual gain since 1979, shattering multiple records on the back of safe-haven demand, U.S. monetary policy easing, robust central bank purchases and record inflows into exchange-traded funds.
Prices have already risen about 18% since the start of this year.
U.S. President Donald Trump and the uncertainty he creates on multiple levels remain the main driver of surging prices and investment momentum driven by a fear of missing out, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.
In his latest tariff threats, Trump said on Saturday that he would impose a 100% tariff on Canada if it follows through on a trade deal with China.
Meanwhile, the yen hit a two-month peak against the dollar as speculation grew over possible U.S.-Japan intervention while investors also unwound dollar positions ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting and possible announcement of a new Fed chair.
The dollar index fell to a four-month low, indicating weakness that makes dollar-priced metals more attractive for overseas buyers. [USD/]
Analysts have said that gold has more room to climb this year, potentially towards $6,000, on mounting global tensions and strong demand from central banks as well as consumers.
Further upside cannot be ruled out in stress scenarios, particularly if confidence in currencies or financial assets deteriorates further, said Alexander Zumpfe, precious metals trader at Heraeus Metals Germany, adding that such moves could be accompanied by sharp interim corrections.
Spot gold has cleared resistance at $5,070 and is expected to rise into a range of $5,154 to $5,206 an ounce, said Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
Eventually, it could climb to $5,427, he added.
Spot silver scaled new heights at $110.11 an ounce and was last up 5.8% at $108.92.
Silver climbed above $100 for the first time on Friday, building on its record 147% rise last year as retail flows and momentum-driven buying compounded a prolonged spell of tightness in physical markets.
Spot platinum jumped by 4.4% to $2,888.51 an ounce after touching a record $2,918.80 while spot palladium climbed by 5.3% to $2,115.75 after registering a more than three-year high of $2,142.70.
Reporting by Swati Verma, Kavya Balaraman and Pablo SinhaEditing by David Goodman
EU investigates Musk’s X over whether Grok breached rules
The Commission said on Monday that its investigation will examine whether X properly assessed and mitigated risks related to Grok’s functionalities in the 27-country bloc
International News via Reuters:
Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot faces an investigation by the European Commission into whether it disseminates illegal content such as manipulated sexualised images in the EU.
The Commission, which acts as the European Union’s executive, said on Monday that its investigation will examine whether X properly assessed and mitigated risks related to Grok’s functionalities in the 27-country bloc.
“Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
X referred to a statement issued on January 14 in which it said xAI had restricted image editing for Grok AI users and blocked users, based on their location, from generating images of people in revealing clothing in “jurisdictions where it’s illegal”. It did not identify the countries.
The move by the Commission under the Digital Services Act, which requires Big Tech to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content, came after xAI’s Grok produced sexualised images of women and minors that alarmed global regulators.
Companies risk fines as much as 6% of their global annual turnover for DSA breaches.
While the changes made by xAI were welcomed, they do not resolve all the issues and systemic risks and the Commission had grounds to believe X did not carry out an ad hoc assessment when it rolled out Grok’s functionalities in Europe, a senior official for the executive told reporters on Monday.
The investigation risks antagonising the administration of President Donald Trump as an EU crackdown on Big Tech has triggered criticism and even the threat of U.S. tariffs.
“With this investigation, we will determine whether X has met its legal obligations under the DSA, or whether it treated rights of European citizens – including those of women and children – as collateral damage of its service,” Virkkunen said.
The Commission said earlier this month that the AI-generated images of undressed women and children being shared on X were unlawful and appalling, joining condemnation across the world.
EU regulators also extended an investigation into X opened in December 2023 to establish whether it has properly assessed and mitigated all systemic risks related to its so-called recommender systems, including the impact of its recently announced switch to a Grok-based system.
They said X may face interim measures in the absence of meaningful adjustments to its service. X was hit with a 150 million euro fine in December for breaching its transparency obligations under the DSA.
Separately, Britain’s media regulator Ofcom launched its own separate investigation earlier this month into whether X has complied with its duties under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
Additional reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by William James and Alexander Smith
Boeing 737 production increase plans likely to overshadow expected fourth-quarter loss
Boeing’s share price has nearly caught up to where it was about two years ago, before a mid-air panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX
International News via Reuters:
Boeing’s plans to increase jetliner production and its outlook for improving free cash flow in the coming years will be key topics for analysts and investors when the planemaker reports fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday. While the company is expected to report another quarterly loss, investors are looking for continued recovery from years of crises.
Boeing’s share price has nearly caught up to where it was about two years ago, before a mid-air panel blowout on a nearly new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX. The accident exposed systemic production-quality problems at Boeing that dropped the share price over 30% in 2024.
Last year appears to have been a turnaround year for Boeing, which stabilized and raised output of its cash-cow 737 MAX jet. It also sold subsidiary Jeppesen for $10.6 billion, acquired its largest supplier Spirit AeroSystems, won the U.S. F-47 fighter contract, and beat European rival Airbus on new orders for the first time in several years.
CERTIFICATION STRUGGLES CONTINUE
But the company is still struggling to certify the 737 MAX 7 and 10 – the smallest and largest variants of the popular single-aisle jet – and the wide-body 777X, which is already six years behind schedule.
Boeing is expected by Wall Street analysts to post a loss of 39 cents per share in the fourth quarter, according to LSEG data.
The view among many top analysts is that Boeing has more upside than risk – 24 of 29 analysts surveyed by LSEG recommend buying. Which way it goes depends in large part on whether Boeing can continue increasing 737 production above a federally imposed cap of 38 airplanes a month. Federal regulators approved increasing output to 42 per month in October.
“They built up a lot of inventory over the last couple of years, so 42 a month is not a major challenge,” Bernstein aerospace investment analyst Doug Harned said. “When they get to 47 a month, then they’re going to have to get the supply chain to ramp up.”
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has previously said the company will not increase the rate more often than every six months. Even taking nine to 12 months to increase the production rate is OK, so long as it is stable and not plagued with quality and safety problems as it was after the pandemic, Harned said.
With enough jet orders to keep it busy past 2030, investors want to know when Boeing’s free cash flow, a metric closely watched by investors, will break $10 billion. Bernstein forecasts passing that mark in 2028. Cash flow was expected to be negative in 2025.
The “math needs to add up to more than $10 billion” in free cash flow sooner than later to “satisfy the bulls,” BNP Paribas analyst Matthew Akers wrote in a research note previewing earnings. A rare bear on Boeing, Akers projects Boeing hitting $9 billion in free cash flow in 2029.
Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; editing by Peter Henderson, Rod Nickel
‘Young people must be included in the construction of education’
Bermuda Union of Teachers observed UNESCO’s International Day of Education at the weekend
The Bermuda Union of Teachers issued the following media release on Saturday, January 24, 2026 in recognition of UNESCO’s International Day of Education.
Today is UNESCO’s International Day of Education. The Bermuda Union of Teachers finds it timely that, “The power of youth in co-creating education” was selected as this year’s theme.
UNESCO Director General Khaled El-Enany’s message strongly affirms the hard work of our teachers involved in transformation teams over the last several years, as they intentionally looked to our young people to understand their desires – and sought authentic feedback via prototyping sessions on school features that would prepare them for the future.
“Education systems are more effective when designed in collaboration with the people they are intended to serve.”
We commend our members who have served on the transformation teams at Purvis, Francis Patton, Cedarbridge Academy, Berkeley Institute, Elliot, Harrington Sound, and Sandys Secondary Middle School. You spent endless hours consulting and collaborating with, not only the young people who attended your schools, but also other students across the system – garnering volumes of rich, constructive feedback in the process.
Director General El-Enany shares, “…education can no longer be conceived of without young people’s input; it can no longer ignore the voices of those it is intended to benefit. Young people must be included in the construction of education.”
We see you, Francis Patton. Your students are standing up with agency because they know they have a voice – and are demanding to have a choice in their future! This is no happenstance. It is a direct product of the culture, community and environment that has been developed on your campus.
To every one of our members: International Day of Education reminds us of not just the importance of, but the fundamental urgency in, the job of preparing our students for a future that is rapidly evolving – a job we embrace with open arms each and every day.
Mirrors launches ‘Finding Funds for College’ series
February webinars help families navigate college financing options
The Mirrors Programme is proud to announce the “Finding Funds for College” Webinar Series 2026, a comprehensive initiative designed to help parents, guardians, and college-bound students navigate the financial landscape of higher education.
This informative series will be held every Tuesday throughout the month of February 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM via Zoom. The initiative aims to provide the community with direct access to experts from leading financial institutions, scholarship bodies, and government departments to ensure that every student has a clear path to funding their academic or vocational future.
The webinar series is structured to cover a wide range of financial topics across four specialized sessions:
- February 3rd: Lending Institutions & Financing Options – Featuring insights from the Bermuda Pension, Clarien Bank, Bermuda Credit Union, Freisenbruch, and Ocean Tree Financial.
- February 10th: College, Vocational & Technical Scholarships – Highlighting opportunities from BermudaScholarships.Com, Bermuda College, and BELCO, alongside testimonials from scholarship recipients.
- February 17th: Centennial Bermuda Foundation – A deep dive into scholarship opportunities, featuring students who have been awarded scholarships from Centennial.
- February 24th: Government & Workforce Development – Guidance from the Department of Workforce Development and the Ministry of Education.
The initiative is designed to answer critical questions that often cause stress during the college application process, such as what scholarship committees are looking for and how parents can best support the journey. Furthermore, the series will highlight specific funds available for trades and vocational education, ensuring that all career paths are supported.
To further encourage student participation, co-curricular hours are available for student attendees. Additionally, participants will be eligible to win a surprise gift at every session.
The 2026 series is supported by several key partners, including Build A Brand, Centennial Bermuda Foundation, and Peer Forward.
Interested participants are encouraged to register now. For any queries regarding the webinar series, please contact Mirrors via email at srlee@gov.bm or by calling 246-7533.
Registration Details: Finding Funds for College Registration Link
About the Initiative: The “Finding Funds for College” series is a collaborative effort to ensure that financial barriers do not hinder the educational aspirations of Bermuda’s youth. By bringing together lending institutions, scholarship providers, and government agencies, the initiative provides a “one-stop shop” for educational financial planning.
EU and India to explore defence cooperation, draft document says
The new partnership comes at a time when Europe is seeking to reduce its dependence on the U.S. and China and deepen its diplomatic and economic ties to other regions
International News via Reuters:
The European Union and India will explore possibilities for Indian participation in European defence initiatives, according to a draft security and defence partnership document seen by Reuters.
The new partnership comes at a time when Europe is seeking to reduce its dependence on the U.S. and China and deepen its diplomatic and economic ties to other regions.
“The EU and India will consult on their respective defence initiatives, including through exchanges on defence industry-related matters,” the draft partnership, which is set to be signed on Tuesday, said.
“They will explore, where there are mutual interest and alignment of security priorities, possibilities for India’s participation in relevant EU defence initiatives, as appropriate, in line with respective legal frameworks,” it added.
The partnership envisages an annual dialogue between the EU and India on security and defence, as well as deepening cooperation on maritime security, cyber issues, and counterterrorism.
“The growing complexity of global security threats, rising geopolitical tensions, and rapid technological change underscore the need for closer EU-India dialogue and cooperation in security and defence,” the document said.
India and the EU are also expected to announce on Tuesday the conclusion of protracted negotiations for a free trade pact.
Reporting by Lili Bayer; Editing by Bart Meijer and Alex Richardson
Winter storm snarls US travel, forces mass flight cancellations
Over 3,600 flights were canceled and 714 were delayed as of early Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, following more than 11,000 cancellations reported on Sunday
International News via Reuters:
A powerful winter storm sweeping across much of the United States forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and delayed hundreds on Monday, as freezing rain and heavy snowfall disrupted travel and snarled transportation networks.
Over 3,600 flights were canceled and 714 were delayed as of early Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, following more than 11,000 cancellations reported on Sunday.
The number of cancellations and delays was expected to rise as the day progressed.
Low pressure south of New England is expected to move east over the Atlantic on Monday, bringing heavy snow to parts of the Northeast and freezing rain across sections of the Mid-Atlantic, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
Snow is also expected along the Appalachian region, while rain will spread along the Southeast coast as a cold front moves offshore, the agency said.
American Airlines accounted for the largest share of disruptions on Monday, with nearly 570 flights canceled and about 57 delayed, followed by Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines.
Boston’s Logan International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport were among the hardest hit.
Major U.S. carriers rolled out sweeping travel waivers and flexible re-booking options to assist passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the cancellations.
Airline operations are highly interconnected, meaning cancellations can leave aircraft and crews out of position, complicating efforts to restore normal flight schedules.
The storm also impeded road travel. The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that driving conditions could become dangerous as blizzard-like conditions, strong winds and ice spread further.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of customers across several U.S. states, from Tennessee to the Carolinas, reported power outages, with Tennessee reporting the highest number of cases.
More than 820,000 customers were without electricity as of early hours on Monday, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli
Oil prices rise as harsh winter disrupts US output
Brent crude futures rose 7 cents, or 0.1%, to $65.95 a barrel at 1107 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $61.10 a barrel, up 3 cents, or 0.1%
International News via Reuters:
Oil prices edged higher on Monday after climbing more than 2% in the previous session, as output disruptions in major U.S. crude-producing regions and tensions between the U.S. and Iran boosted prices.
Brent crude futures rose 7 cents, or 0.1%, to $65.95 a barrel at 1107 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $61.10 a barrel, up 3 cents, or 0.1%.
Both benchmarks notched weekly gains of 2.7% to close on Friday at their highest points since January 14.
“Winter storm Fern struck the U.S. coast, forcing shut-ins in major crude and natural gas producing regions and adding stress to the power grid,” said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova, adding that oil markets are experiencing a mild upswing as outages tighten physical flows.
About 250,000 barrels per day of crude production has been lost in the U.S. due to harsh weather, including declines in the Bakken field in Oklahoma and parts of Texas, JPMorgan analysts said in a note on Monday.
Traders are also wary of geopolitical risks, analysts said, as tensions between the U.S. and Iran kept investors on edge.
President Donald Trump said last week that the U.S. has an “armada” heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.
“Unusually cold U.S. winter weather with higher heating oil demand and likely U.S. oil supply outages was probably part of the bullish drive at the end of last week, but U.S. threats towards Iran with USS Abraham Lincoln being deployed to the Middle East was probably more important,” an SEB research note said on Monday.
On Friday, a senior Iranian official said Iran would treat any attack “as an all-out war against us.”
Separately, Kazakhstan’s Caspian Pipeline Consortium said it returned to full loading capacity at its terminal on the Black Sea coast on Sunday after completing maintenance at one of its three mooring points.
And Tengizchevroil, which operates Kazakhstan’s giant Tengiz oilfield, has begun a gradual resumption of production after an extended outage, it said on Monday.
Reporting by Stephanie Kelly, Florence Tan and Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus, Jacqueline Wong and Sharon Singleton
India to slash tariffs on cars to 40% in trade deal with EU, sources say
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has agreed to immediately reduce the tax on a limited number of cars from the 27-nation bloc with an import price of more than 15,000 euros ($17,739)
International News via Reuters:
India plans to slash tariffs on cars imported from the European Union to 40% from as high as 110%, sources said, in the biggest opening yet of the country’s vast market as the two sides close in on a free trade pact that could come as early as Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has agreed to immediately reduce the tax on a limited number of cars from the 27-nation bloc with an import price of more than 15,000 euros ($17,739), two sources briefed on the talks told Reuters.
This will be further lowered to 10% over time, they added, easing access to the Indian market for European automakers such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
The sources declined to be identified as the talks are confidential and could be subject to last-minute changes. India’s commerce ministry and the European Commission declined to comment.
PACT ALREADY DUBBED ‘MOTHER OF ALL DEALS’
India and the EU are expected to announce on Tuesday the conclusion of protracted negotiations for the free trade pact, after which the two sides will finalise the details and ratify what is being called “the mother of all deals.
The pact could expand bilateral trade and lift Indian exports of goods such as textiles and jewellery, which have been hit by 50% U.S. tariffs since late August.
India is the world’s third-largest car market by sales after the U.S. and China, but its domestic auto industry has been one of the most protected. New Delhi currently levies tariffs of 70% and 110% on imported cars, a level often criticised by executives, including Tesla chief Elon Musk.
New Delhi has proposed slashing import duties to 40% immediately for about 200,000 combustion-engine cars a year, one of the sources said, its most aggressive move yet to open up the sector. This quota could be subject to last-minute changes, the source added.
Battery electric vehicles will be excluded from import duty reductions for the first five years to protect investments by domestic players like Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors in the nascent sector, the two sources said. After five years EVs will follow similar duty cuts.
MARKET CURRENTLY DOMINATED BY SUZUKI AND LOCAL MAKERS
Lower import taxes will be a boost for European automakers such as Volkswagen, Renault and Stellantis, as well as luxury players Mercedes-Benz and BMW which locally manufacture cars in India but have struggled to grow beyond a point in part due to high tariffs.
Lower taxes will allow carmakers to sell imported vehicles for a cheaper price and test the market with a broader portfolio before committing to manufacturing more cars locally, said one of the two sources.
European carmakers currently hold a less than 4% share of India’s 4.4-million units a year car market, which is dominated by Japan’s Suzuki Motor as well as homegrown brands Mahindra and Tata that together hold two-thirds.
With the Indian market expected to grow to 6 million units a year by 2030, some companies are already lining up new investment.
Renault is making a comeback in India with a new strategy as it seeks growth outside Europe, where Chinese carmakers are making strong inroads, and Volkswagen Group is finalising its next leg of investment in India through its Skoda brand.
Reporting by Aditi Shah and Philip Blenkinsop; Additional reporting by Lili Bayer in Brussels, with Shivangi Acharya in New Delhi; Editing by David Holmes
Pound touches four-month high against weaker dollar
British businesses reported their fastest upturn in activity since April 2024 in January, while retail sales rose unexpectedly last month
International News via Reuters:
The British pound rose to a four-month high against a softening dollar on Monday, extending gains from last week when strong domestic data pushed the currency higher.
British businesses reported their fastest upturn in activity since April 2024 in January, while retail sales rose unexpectedly last month, data showed on Friday, adding to signs of a pickup in the economy.
That helped push the pound 2% higher last week, its biggest weekly gain since March last year, although the broad dollar fell by a similar amount.
The pound was last 0.2% higher versus the dollar at $1.3675, its highest level since September 17.
“Cable (sterling-dollar) is going to be at the mercy of the U.S. story, more so than the UK story,” said Dominic Bunning, head of G10 FX strategy at Nomura.
The dollar, which measures the currency against six others including the pound, slipped 1.9% last week, its biggest weekly drop since April as investors revived the “sell America” trade following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European allies over Greenland.
Against the euro the pound was down around 0.1% at 86.79 pence.
The pound was also down 1% to 210.17 yen, with the Japanese currency strengthening across the board as speculation mounted of coordinated currency intervention by Japanese and U.S. authorities to strengthen the yen.
Nomura’s Bunning believes the pound could weaken further against the euro given the challenges facing the UK economy.
“We think base effects will really bring inflation down below target by the April print,” Bunning said.
“We expect disinflation coming through in the next few months in the headline rates and that can potentially lead to a risk that the Bank of England cuts more than is priced.”
The BoE meets next week but is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged.
Money market traders are pricing in around 36 basis points of easing by year-end, implying one quarter-point rate cut and around a 45% chance of a second.
The pound also remains sensitive to large swings in government bond yields, which fell slightly on Monday after the Labour Party blocked the return to parliament of Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, seen as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Britain’s benchmark 10-year gilt yield was last down 3 basis points at 4.49%.
Reporting by Samuel Indyk; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne
