The Commercial Bowling League was turned on its head this week at Warwick Lanes as a shock result at the summit transformed the title race into a dead heat. In the biggest upset of the season so far, ninth-placed Pin Heads delivered a clinical performance to topple league leaders Who Gives A Split with a 3-1 victory. The result has sent shockwaves through the division and leaves the long-time pacesetters looking suddenly vulnerable.
The leaders’ slip-up was perfectly timed for Sweet Life. The second-placed side managed a hard-fought 1-1 draw against third-placed Strike Force, a result that proved just enough to see them move into a tie for the top spot. With both teams now neck-and-neck, the battle for the championship trophy looks set to go down to the wire. Strike Force remain in close attendance in third, though they will rue the missed opportunity to gain more ground on the leading pair.
Elsewhere in the league, Spare Parts moved up the standings with an impressive 3-1 win over fourth-placed Horseshoe Bay Rollers. The victory sees Spare Parts tighten their grip on sixth place and puts them within striking distance of the top four. The battle at the lower end of the table saw seventh-placed Secret Weapons overcome Butt & Vallis in eighth with a 3-1 scoreline, while Too Legit To Split remained stationary in fifth place as they took their scheduled bye week.
Hibernian Academy began their 2025/26 CAS Elite League Cup campaign in perfect fashion with a 2-0 victory over St Mirren, despite the absence of Bermuda international Logan Jimenez.
Jimenez, a mainstay in the Hibs youth setup, was forced to watch from the sidelines due to sickness as his teammates navigated a frustratingly tense encounter.
For much of the afternoon, St Mirren proved a stubborn nut to crack, but the deadlock was finally broken in the 77th minute. Josh McDonald provided the moment of quality the hosts craved, cutting inside to find the far corner with a fine curling strike.
As the visitors pushed for a late equalizer, Hibs put the result beyond doubt with the final action of the match. Deep into stoppage time, Dean Cleland was found in the area and lashed a powerful finish into the net to clinch the points.
The result provides a strong foundation for the Academy side as they look to progress in the competition, with Jimenez expected to return to the squad once he recovers from illness.
Rhys Insley has capped off a remarkable weekend of competition at the JP Fiset Invitational in Edmonton, securing a clinical victory on the final day to bolster Harbour Swim Club’s impressive medal haul.
Competing in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke A Final, Insley demonstrated the exceptional form that has defined his meet. He dominated the field to touch the wall in a sharp 1:04.64, a performance that comfortably earned him the Gold Medal and further cemented his reputation as a rising force in the breaststroke events.
The victory provided a fitting finale for the Harbour duo in Canada. Insley’s final-day triumph brought the combined medal tally for himself and teammate Sam Williamson to an impressive total of six across the Invitational. The pair’s consistent presence on the podium highlights a successful international outing for the club as they continue to make their mark on the competitive North American circuit.
With several high-level performances now under his belt, Insley returns from Edmonton as one of the standout performers of the meet, providing plenty of optimism for the remainder of the season.
The 38th Fecchio Junior Cup tees off this Thursday at Turtle Hill Golf Club, with the certain knowledge that a new name will be etched onto the trophy. Defending champion Oliver Betschart is set to miss the event due to a family vacation, leaving the field wide open for the island’s rising stars.
A competitive 43-player field has been assembled, split across five divisions tailored to age and handicap. The premier Blue Division features 17 championship-level players aged 15 and over, while the White and Red divisions will also compete in 36-hole stroke play. For those newer to the tournament circuit, the Gold and Yellow divisions will battle it out using the Stableford format.
Several names stand out in the hunt for the title:
Camilo Legere: The 2023 champion returns looking to reclaim his crown.
Arman Newton: Arrives in high confidence following his recent Tucker’s Point Club Championship win.
Johnny Bart: A course specialist who topped the leaderboard at Turtle Hill just last month.
Sa-Qui Robinson: Returns to local action after a term at the Mike Bender Golf Academy in Orlando.
Lewis MacFarlane: Despite being just 12, he is playing up a division; his 4.6 handicap suggests his short game could be lethal on the par-3 layout.
The action gets underway on Thursday, December 18th, with the final round concluded on Friday.
The UK contribution for the 2027/28 academic year will be 570 million pounds ($760 million)
International News via Reuters:
Britain and the European Union agreed on Wednesday to allow UK students to rejoin the bloc’s popular student exchange programme Erasmus+, a small but symbolic sign of improved relations after Brexit.
The UK contribution for the 2027/28 academic year will be 570 million pounds ($760 million), the British government said, adding that the deal included a 30% discount compared to the default terms under the current trade deal with the EU.
The two sides have also agreed to start negotiations on electricity market integration, and have set a deadline to finalise a food and drink trade deal and carbon markets linkage next year, the statement said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought closer ties with the EU since he was elected last year and he hailed a “new era” in the relationship in May when the two sides agreed the most significant reset of defence and trade ties since the country’s departure from the bloc in 2020.
Starmer has sought to distinguish his approach from the often tense relations between previous Conservative governments and the EU during the Brexit negotiations.
“Today’s agreements prove that our new partnership with the EU is working,” EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said, calling the Erasmus+ deal “a huge win for our young people”.
“We have focused on the public’s priorities and secured a deal that puts opportunity first,” he said.
More than 100,000 people in the UK could benefit from the scheme in the first year, the government said.
The UK’s return to the Erasmus+ scheme, which allows hundreds of thousands of EU students each year to study in another country in the bloc for up to a year, has long been a key EU demand for strengthening ties between the two sides.
Britain previously left the programme following Brexit.
($1 = 0.7505 pounds)
Reporting by Catarina Demony and Muvija M, Editing by Paul Sandle
The decline in inflation reflected falls in the cost of cakes, biscuits, cereals and confectionery, as well as a smaller impact from tobacco prices and Black Friday discounts on women’s clothes
International News via Reuters:
British inflation fell much more sharply than forecast in November to 3.2%, its lowest since March, from 3.6% in October, official data showed on Wednesday, cementing market expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates on Thursday.
The decline in inflation reflected falls in the cost of cakes, biscuits, cereals and confectionery, as well as a smaller impact from tobacco prices and Black Friday discounts on women’s clothes, the Office for National Statistics said.
The reading was below all forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists – which had pointed to a fall to 3.5% – and undershot the BoE’s own expectation of a drop to 3.4%.
Sterling dropped by more than half a cent against the U.S. dollar after the data came out while interest rate futures priced in a near 100% chance of a quarter-point rate cut on Thursday and a higher chance of multiple rate cuts in 2026.
Before the decision, markets had priced in a more than 90% chance of the BoE cutting rates by a quarter point to 3.75% on Thursday, but many economists had viewed the decision as finely balanced and still see the BoE nearing the end of its rate-cutting cycle.
“An MPC interest rate cut tomorrow is beyond doubt now that inflation surprised to the downside,” said Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
“But much of the inflation surprise will likely unwind in the coming months because it was concentrated in erratic or volatile items … or was likely driven by the temporary effect of early Black Friday discounts,” he said.
UNDERLYING INFLATION MEASURES SOFTEN
Wednesday’s data showed services price inflation, which the BoE sees as a guide to longer-term price pressures, fell to 4.4% rather than holding at 4.5% as economists and the BoE had expected.
Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation dropped to 4.2% from 4.9% in October. The BoE had said it expected it to reach 5.3% in December, the highest in nearly two years.
Core consumer price inflation – which excludes more volatile food, alcohol, energy and tobacco prices – also slowed to 3.2% rather than holding at 3.4% as economists had forecast in the Reuters poll.
Last month the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to keep interest rates on hold, breaking the quarterly cadence of rate cuts it followed since 2024, and economists polled last week expected a December rate cut by only a narrow 5-4 margin.
Of those members who opposed a cut in November, Governor Andrew Bailey looks most likely to switch sides as he said in minutes of the decision that he wanted to see further falls in price pressures “this year” before backing a cut.
GOVERNMENT BUDGET TO EASE PRESSURE ON BILLS
British inflation has been higher than in other major advanced economies and in November the central bank forecast it would remain above its 2% target until the second quarter of 2027.
Since then, finance minister Rachel Reeves announced measures in her November 26 budget that will shift climate change costs away from levies on energy bills towards general taxation.
BoE Deputy Governor Clare Lombardelli said the move might temporarily lower inflation by up to half a percentage point from April 2026 – potentially allowing the BoE to hit its CPI target sooner – but do little to change the longer-term outlook.
Part of Britain’s higher inflation this year reflects rises in regulated prices, such as utility bills, introduced in April at the same time as a big increase in employers’ social security payments.
But some of the higher inflation also reflects wage growth which remains well above the level of around 3% which most of the MPC view as compatible with 2% inflation.
Private-sector growth in regular pay slowed to 3.9% in the three months to October, its lowest since December 2020, but it remains above the 3.5% the BoE forecasts for the final quarter of the year.
MPC members are divided on the extent to which they expect rising unemployment to dampen wage growth and how much this will be offset by structural problems that have been present around labour force participation since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reporting by David Milliken and Suban Abdulla; Editing by William Schomberg and Tomasz Janowski
The UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 1.7% by 1032 GMT — on pace for its best day since April 14
International News via Reuters:
The UK’s stock market indexes rebounded on Wednesday, led by gains in heavyweight banks, as lower-than-expected domestic inflation reinforced expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates.
The UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 1.7% by 1032 GMT — on pace for its best day since April 14. Sharp declines in energy and defence stocks had pushed the benchmark index lower on Tuesday.
The midcap FTSE 250 index added 1% to hit a near-seven-week high.
British inflation fell sharper than expected to 3.2% in November from 3.6% in October, its lowest level since March, amplifying hopes of a rate cut by the BoE on Thursday.
The surprise decline, driven by lower food prices and Black Friday discounts, sent the sterling lower and increased odds of more rate cuts in 2026.
The FTSE 350 index tracking banks led gains, up 2.9%, the highest level since 2008. HSBC Holdings was up 3.8%, with traders pointing to a brokerage upgrade. Standard Chartered and Barclays added 2.2% and 2.3% respectively.
Energy stocks jumped 2.5% after a sharp decline in the previous session, buoyed by soaring oil prices after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Industrial metal miners surged 2.4%.
The day’s moves kept the FTSE 100 on track for its best year since 2009, climbing 20.5% year-to-date and outpacing Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index, which has risen 15.6% this year.
Among individual stocks, outsourcing firm Serco’s shares jumped 5.6% to surpass a decade high after the company forecasted profit above analyst expectations for this year and the next.
Business supplies distributor Bunzl lost 2.8%, becoming the top loser on the FTSE 100 index, after the company forecast a slight year-on-year drop in its 2026 operating margin.
Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi and Nikhil Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed
Nunez had said on December 12 that there was no evidence to suggest the servers had been seriously compromised
International News via Reuters:
A cyberattack that hit the French interior ministry’s email servers last week compromised at least a few dozen files, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Wednesday, adding that the incident was more serious than initially thought.
Nunez had said on December 12 that there was no evidence to suggest the servers had been seriously compromised.
“It’s serious,” he told Franceinfo radio on Wednesday.
“A few days ago, I said that we didn’t know whether there had been any compromises or not. Now we know that there have been compromises, but we don’t know the extent of them.”
The compromised files included criminal records.
There was no indication yet who carried out the attack.
Nunez said a judicial probe and administrative investigation were underway, and the National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties (CNIL) has been notified.
“I can tell you that there have not been millions of pieces of data extracted as of this morning (…), but I remain very cautious about the level of compromise,” he added.
Reporting by Louise Breusch RasmussenEditing by Dominique Vidalon and Frances Kerry
The CBI’s monthly order book balance rose to -32 in December from -37 in November after weakening in the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves’ November 26 budget
International News via Reuters:
British industrial orders fell again in December but by the smallest amount since September, while the expected decline in output was also less severe, the Confederation of British Industry said on Wednesday.
The CBI’s monthly order book balance rose to -32 in December from -37 in November after weakening in the run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves’ November 26 budget. But the index level remains well below its long-run average of -14.
Export orders fell by the smallest amount since July.
“Activity was clearly held back by uncertainty ahead of the Budget, and with that now out of the way firms can look to 2026 with a little more certainty,” CBI economist Ben Jones said.
Output expectations for the next three months also rose to their highest since September.
“Significant headwinds remain nonetheless, with demand still soft, high energy, labour and regulatory costs squeezing margins, and uncertainty around key policies and global conditions continuing to weigh on confidence,” Jones added.
Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Suban Abdulla
The partial reopening means visitors will be able see the museum’s masterpieces including the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture, the Louvre said
International News via Reuters:
France’s Louvre museum in Paris partially reopened on Wednesday despite its staff unanimously voting to extend a strike they began on Monday over pay and working conditions.
The partial reopening means visitors will be able see the museum’s masterpieces including the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture, the Louvre said.
The strike comes in the wake of a spectacular jewel heist in October, as well as recent infrastructure problems, including a water leak that damaged ancient books, which have exposed glaring security gaps and revealed the museum’s deteriorating state.
Nearly 9 million people visited the museum in 2023, or roughly 30,000 visitors per day.
Unions have said that staff at the Louvre are overworked and mismanaged, and they are calling for more hiring, pay increases and a redirection of spending.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who has faced intense criticism since burglars in October made off with crown jewels worth 88 million euros ($103.14 million), is due to answer questions from the French Senate on Wednesday afternoon.
Reporting by John Cotton, Dominique Vidalon, writing by Louise Breusch Rasmussen
British consumer price inflation fell to 3.2% in November, its lowest since March, from 3.6% in October, official figures showed on Wednesday
International News via Reuters:
Sterling was set for its biggest one-day drop in weeks on Wednesday as investors added to bets that the Bank of England will cut rates on Thursday after data showed British inflation unexpectedly fell sharply in November.
British consumer price inflation fell to 3.2% in November, its lowest since March, from 3.6% in October, official figures showed on Wednesday.
The median forecast in a poll of economists surveyed by Reuters had been a decline to 3.5%.
DATA STRENGTHENS CASE FOR RATE CUT
Interest rate futures are now pricing in a close to 100% chance of a 25 basis point cut by the BoE, compared with a 90% chance before the inflation figures.
The pound fell 0.7% against the dollar to as low as $1.3343, its weakest level in a week, and was set for its biggest one-day drop since early November. Against the euro, it also fell, with the euro up 0.43% to 87.90 pence.
The inflation decline strengthened the case for a BoE rate cut this week, said Lale Akoner, Global Market Analyst, eToro.
“A rate cut would signal the start of an easing cycle aimed at supporting demand, and markets have moved quickly to price that in, with the pound weaker and gilt yields heading lower,” she said.
Yields on British government bonds fell sharply across maturities.
Also supporting the case for a rate cut, Britain’s economy shrank unexpectedly in the three months to October, losing momentum in the fraught run-up to finance minister Rachel Reeves’ budget, according to data on Friday.
ANOTHER 5-4 BOE VOTE SPLIT EXPECTED
Last month the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to keep interest rates on hold. Economists expect a December rate cut by only a narrow 5-4 margin.
Of those members who opposed a cut last month, Governor Andrew Bailey looks most likely to switch votes.
British inflation has been higher than in other major advanced economies, and in November the central bank forecast it would remain above its 2% target until the second quarter of 2027.
But since then some economic figures have suggested that Reeves’ budget could help support growth.
Last week, the Confederation of British Industry on Friday bumped up its economic growth forecast for next year, citing a temporary boost to government spending following the budget, while warning that deep-rooted problems remained.
British businesses have reported some renewed momentum after months of worry about possible tax increases, PMI figures showed on Tuesday.
BoE Deputy Governor Clare Lombardelli said plans announced in the budget to shift climate change costs away from levies on energy bills towards general taxation might temporarily lower inflation by up to half a percentage point from April 2026 – potentially allowing the BoE to hit its CPI target sooner – but do little to change the longer-term outlook.
On Tuesday, data showed Britain’s unemployment rate hit its highest since the start of 2021 and private sector pay growth was the weakest in nearly five years in the run-up to Reeves’ annual budget.
Reporting by Joice Alves and Samuel Indyk in London; ediitng by Stefano Rebaudo and Alex Richardson
The alleged father-and-son perpetrators opened fire on the celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation
International News via Reuters:
A man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism, police said on Wednesday.
The alleged father-and-son perpetrators opened fire on the celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising antisemitism and violent extremism.
Funerals of the Jewish victims of the attack began on Wednesday, amid anger over how the gunmen – one of whom was briefly investigated for links to extremists – were allowed access to powerful firearms.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police.
New South Wales Police said on Wednesday that a man had been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with attempt to murder, as well as a terror offence and other charges.
“Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,” it said in a statement.
“Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia.”
A court filing on Wednesday named Naveed Akram, who remains in a Sydney hospital under heavy police guard, as the man charged.
He will appear via video link before a local court on Monday morning.
The father and son had travelled to the southern Philippines, a region long plagued by Islamist militancy, weeks before the shooting that Australian police said appeared to be inspired by Islamic State.
U.S. President Donald Trump told a Hanukkah event at the White House late on Tuesday that he was thinking of the victims of the “horrific and antisemitic terrorist attack”.
“We join in mourning all of those who were killed, and we’re praying for the swift recovery of the wounded,” he said.
STATE GOVERNMENT TO PASS GUN REFORMS
The leader of the Australian state of New South Wales said on Wednesday he will recall parliament next week to pass wide-ranging reforms of gun and protest laws, days after the country’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades.
Chris Minns, the Premier of New South Wales state where the attack took place, told a news conference parliament would return on December 22 to hear “urgent” reforms, including capping the number of firearms allowed by a single person and making certain types of shotguns harder to access.
The state government will also look at reforms making it harder to hold large street protests after terror events, in order to prevent further tensions.
“We’ve got a monumental task in front of us. It’s huge,” he said.
“It’s a huge responsibility to pull the community together. I think we need a summer of calm and togetherness, not division.”
FUNERALS FOR JEWISH VICTIMS BEGIN
A funeral for Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi Synagogue and a father of five, was held on Wednesday.
He was known for his work for Sydney’s Jewish community through Chabad, a global organization fostering Jewish identity and connection. Schlanger would travel to prisons and meet with Jewish people living in Sydney’s public housing communities, Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin said on Monday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing criticism that his centre-left government did not do enough to prevent the spread of antisemitism in Australia during the two-year Israel-Gaza war.
“We will work with the Jewish community, we want to stamp out and eradicate antisemitism from our society,” Albanese told reporters.
The government and intelligence services are also under pressure to explain why Sajid Akram was allowed to legally acquire the high-powered rifles and shotguns used in the attack. The government has already promised sweeping reforms to gun laws.
Naveed Akram, meanwhile, was briefly investigated by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency in 2019 over alleged links to Islamic State, but there was no evidence at the time he posed a threat, Albanese said.
MAN PRAISED AS HERO TO UNDERGO SURGERY
Albanese said Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, the man who tackled one of the shooters to disarm his rifle and suffered gunshot wounds, was due to undergo surgery on Wednesday.
Al-Ahmed’s uncle, Mohammed al-Ahmed in Syria, said his nephew left his hometown in Syria’s northwest province of Idlib nearly 20 years ago to seek work in Australia.
“We learned through social media. I called his father and he told me that it was Ahmed. Ahmed is a hero, we’re proud of him. Syria in general is proud of him,” the uncle told Reuters.
The family of 22-year-old police officer Jack Hibbert, who was shot twice on Sunday and had been on the force for just four months, said in a statement on Wednesday he had lost vision in one eye and faced a “long and challenging recovery” ahead.
“In the face of a violent and tragic incident, he responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to protect and help others whilst injured, until he was physically no longer able to,” the family said.
New South Wales Premier Minns said 23 people were still in several Sydney hospitals.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR AMONG VICTIMS
Other shooting victims included a Holocaust survivor, a husband and wife who first approached the gunmen before they started firing, and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, according to interviews, officials and media reports.
Matilda’s father told a Bondi vigil on Tuesday night he did not want his daughter’s legacy to be forgotten.
“We came here from Ukraine … and I thought that Matilda is the most Australian name that can ever exist. So just remember the name, remember her,” local media reported him as saying.
In Bondi on Wednesday, swimmers gathered on Sydney’s most popular beach and held a minute’s silence. A New Year’s Eve party due to be held on the beach was cancelled by organisers.
“This week has obviously been very profound, and this morning, I definitely feel a sense of the community getting together, and a sense of everyone sitting together,” Archie Kalaf, a 24-year-old Bondi man, told Reuters. “Everyone’s grieving, everyone’s understanding and processing it in their own way.”
Reporting by Scott Murdoch, Alasdair Pal and Renju Jose in Sydney; Additional reporting by Christine Chen and Jeff Mason; Editing by Howard Goller, Lincoln Feast and Saad Sayeed
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