The Atom 6 Cycleur de Luxe Cycling Team from Belgium has completed its roster for the 2026 season, announcing the signing of all-round Bermudian talent, Kaden Hopkins, as their 17th and final rider.
Hopkins joins the continental team as a versatile rider with a proven winning instinct, bringing significant power, adaptability, and race intelligence. The team highlighted his ability to perform when it matters, noting his multiple stage victories across his career.
His skill set is expected to benefit the team in various scenarios, whether “pushing hard on the climbs, controlling the pace on the flat, or striking at the perfect moment”. The team concluded that his mentality and consistency make him a perfect fit for their ambitious goals.
Hopkins himself expressed his excitement about the move to a higher level of European cycling. “I am really excited and motivated to start this journey with Atom 6 – Cycleur de Luxe – Auto Stroo Continental Team,” Hopkins said.
He added: “The opportunity to race at this higher level in Belgium has always been a dream of mine, and I am looking forward to playing my part towards the team success and having a great season with the rest of the team”. The move places Hopkins on the Belgian continental circuit, a key proving ground for professional cyclists.
Conor White has secured a new ride for the 2026 season, signing with the British race team JAKROO Handsling Racing, an elite squad with ambitions to compete both domestically and on the international stage.
The move follows the disbandment of White’s previous team, and JAKROO Handsling Racing announced that the 26-year-old brings significant international pedigree to the squad.
White’s résumé features success against world-class fields, including reclaiming his Bermuda national road race title in 2025 and holding multiple national time-trial crowns. He is a proven winner with five UCI victories and a medal at the Pan American Games.
His new team will target the UK National Road Series and National Criterium Series, along with selected UCI 1.2 and 2.2 races in Europe from 2026.
White is also setting his sights on major international events, shifting his focus to include track cycling. He is set to head to Santiago for the Pan American track championships in February, where he will be the first cyclist to represent Bermuda in the velodrome at the continental level. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are also on his agenda.
The Bermuda Volleyball Association (BVA) is set to begin its 2025/2026 season with a significant overseas commitment, sending two teams to the highly competitive 2025 Nike Florida Holiday Challenge Volleyball Tournament in Daytona Beach, Florida, this weekend, December 13th and 14th.
The tournament marks the first overseas event of the season, serving as a key benchmark for the island’s junior players who have been training intensively since September.
Both teams will compete under the Paradise Hitters Volleyball Club banner in the 15 & Under and 17 & Under divisions.
Gary LeBlanc, National Team Committee Chairman (Indoor), emphasized the value of the competition: “This is a smaller tournament but is always a great way to test our teams in a highly competitive environment. We are very excited to see how they do”.
Head Coach Sean Tucker confirmed his Under 15 Girls have worked hard to earn this international opportunity. The team is looking to build on their strong performance last year in the U14 category, where they won the silver bracket in Boston. Tucker noted the team features many of the same players but with some new faces, providing new ways to uplift the squad on this bigger stage.
The deal marks Aberdeen’s tenth acquisition of U.S. closed-end funds since 2000, and the firm said it was well-placed to further consolidate the sector to build bigger funds that deliver greater economies of scale
International News via Reuters:
British money manager Aberdeen said on Friday it would acquire the management of nine U.S.-based closed-end funds with assets totalling 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion), part of an ongoing drive to expand in the U.S. market.
Aberdeen will buy the funds from Boston-based investment manager MFS and merge them into two larger funds together with one existing Aberdeen fund, which will then invest in areas including bonds and the hot private credit market.
The deal marks Aberdeen’s tenth acquisition of U.S. closed-end funds since 2000, and the firm said it was well-placed to further consolidate the sector to build bigger funds that deliver greater economies of scale.
The company’s shares were up 0.7% after the announcement. Aberdeen CEO Jason Windsor said in a statement that the company would continue to invest in areas where it saw significant room for growth.
No staff will transfer as part of the deal and no acquisition value was stated.
($1 = 0.7467 pounds)
Reporting by Iain Withers in London and Yamini Kalia in Bengaluru. Editing by Rashmi Aich and Mark Potter
National Security Minister urges islanders to keep their belongings, gifts and homes safe
Residents were today reminded about the importance of personal safety and responsible behaviour at this time of year.
Speaking in the House of Assembly, Michael Weeks, Minister of National Security, said while the holiday season is a time of celebration, it’s also a period when crimes of opportunity traditionally increase.
He encouraged the public to take routine precautions to minimise risk such as remaining aware of your surroundings, avoid carrying or displaying large sums of cash or expensive jewellery and securing homes.
Minister Weeks also urged responsibility on the roadways.
The looting of Italy’s rich artistic and archaeological heritage is a centuries-old problem, but the Carabinieri police art squad has had some success in recent years in recovering stolen artefacts
International News via Reuters:
Italian authorities said on Friday they had arrested 34 “tomb raiders” suspected of looting treasures from archaeological sites in Sicily and the neighbouring region of Calabria.
The looting of Italy’s rich artistic and archaeological heritage is a centuries-old problem, but the Carabinieri police art squad has had some success in recent years in recovering stolen artefacts.
In Sicily, nine people were placed in pre-trial detention and 14 under house arrest on charges including criminal conspiracy, theft of cultural property, trading in stolen goods and counterfeiting, police and prosecutors said.
Officers seized around 10,000 archaeological artefacts, including 7,000 coins issued by various Greek city states that existed on Sicily in ancient times, the Catania prosecutors’ office said in a statement.
Police also seized hundreds of clay and terracotta vases, bronze rings, brooches and arrowheads. The estimated total value of the recovered goods is 17 million euros ($20 million), prosecutors said.
The word “tombaroli”, or tomb raiders, is applied in Italy to criminals who loot any archaeological treasures, not only those found in ancient tombs or graves.
Authorities also discovered a clandestine lab in the eastern Sicilian province of Catania, which produced fake ancient coins, pottery and copper, and seized some looted coins in Germany, where they had been smuggled for resale.
AGRICULTURAL CODE WORDS
In Calabria, two people were put in pre-trial detention and nine under house arrest on similar charges. Prosecutors from the town of Catanzaro said the suspects had operated with the “implicit consent” of a local Ndrangheta mafia clan.
The suspects kept phone contacts to a minimum for fear of being wiretapped, and used agricultural code words in their conversations, such as “asparagus” or “fennel”, to disguise their illicit activities, prosecutors said.
In the suspects’ lingo, “chainsaw” stood for “metal detector”, they added.
Sicily is home to various ancient Roman and Greek archaeological sites, including the spectacular Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Calabria also has a rich historical heritage.
“We are talking about territories as vast as the cultural heritage that lies under their ground,” General Antonio Petti, head of the Carabinieri art squad, told a press conference in Rome.
Germany, Italy and their manufacturers have been lobbying Brussels to at least water down plans for a ban by 2035, arguing they need support in the face of intense competition from China
International News via Reuters:
A Volvo Cars executive said on Friday he hoped the European Commission would resist pressure to scrap an effective ban on combustion engine car sales, saying the Swedish automaker was “ready to go” with electric alternatives.
Germany, Italy and their manufacturers have been lobbying Brussels to at least water down plans for a ban by 2035, arguing they need support in the face of intense competition from China.
A leading German EU lawmaker said on Friday the European Commission will move to scrap the ban next week and suggested there would be an alternative proposal for a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions for automakers’ fleet targets
Ditching the ban would be “a pity,” Volvo Cars Chief Commercial Officer Erik Severinson told Reuters.
Volvo Cars and fellow Swedish automaker Polestar have been among the fiercest opponents of changing plans, alongside other electric car makers that say they feel let down after investing heavily in the transition.
Severinson said he understood there would be some sort of compromise on the proposals, but warned that shifting course now would undermine confidence in future regulation.
“It kind of deteriorates the trust for the whole system… We have invested a lot and we’re ready to go,” he said. “All of a sudden, the playing field changes because someone else wasn’t.”
“I don’t expect us to have been fully heard in the compromise that comes, and that is very negative for us,” he added.
The planned ban was a key part of the EU’s strategy to drive the continent’s decarbonisation and boost the development of electric vehicles.
Campaigners calling for the EU to scrap it say the bloc should allow other technologies including plug-in hybrids, biofuels and e-fuels.
Reporting by Marie Mannes; Editing by Andrew Heavens
Temporary Protected Status is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event
International News via Reuters:
The U.S. is ending temporary legal status for citizens of Ethiopia in the United States, according to a government notice on Friday, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on legal and illegal immigration.
“After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. Government agencies, the Secretary determined that Ethiopia no longer continues to meet the conditions for the designation for Temporary Protected Status,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a notice posted in the Federal Register.
Temporary Protected Status is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. It provides eligible migrants with work authorization and temporary protection from deportation.
The program was created in 1991 and under Biden was extended to cover about 600,000 Venezuelans and 521,000 Haitians. Noem reversed the extensions in February, saying they were no longer justified.
In recent months, the administration has removed the protective status for migrants from numerous countries, including Haiti, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Venezuela. In November, Trump announced the termination of protection for Somalis in Minnesota
Trump has made controlling immigration a central plank of his second White House term. Canceling TPS protections are a boost to the administration’s campaign to deport millions of people.
The cancellations have been challenged in court.
The Supreme Court in October cleared the way for the administration to revoke TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants in the United States, granting a request to put on hold a federal judge’s ruling that Noem lacked the authority to terminate the status while litigation proceeds.
The Homeland Security department also said on Friday it was no longer processing legacy cases under the Cuban and Haitian family reunification parole program, according to a post in the Federal Register. Those programs make it easier for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to bring family members into the country.
Reporting by Ryan Jones, Katharine Jackson, Ted Hesson; Editing by Caitlin Webber
Statement to the House: Premier Burt on actions that have threatened the safety of those who work for the government
Extracts from full statement by Premier David Burt:
Mr Speaker, the public service is guided by a commitment to enhance the lives of the people of Bermuda and one of its core values is to be customer centric. Notwithstanding, the Government must also ensure that those serving the public can do so without fear for their safety and wellbeing.
Mr Speaker, while the media captures some incidents of high-profile assaults on public officers, many incidents occurring within the Service do not rise to the level of media scrutiny and remain unreported. These matters which generally take the form of stalking, harassment, or threats of physical harm, are typically addressed through internal proceedings.
Mr Speaker, in recent months, the public service leadership team participated in a workplace safety forum to address the growing concerns and gain insights from the Police and Attorney-General’s Chambers on managing safety issues in the workplace. While the deportment of the majority of citizens who interact with Government departments is of a high standard, there exists a small percentage who have acted in ways that have harmed and threatened the safety of dedicated public officers. This is not acceptable.
Both the public and media have the freedom to exercise their rights to criticize the Government, its services, and the decisions made.
These freedoms and rights are protected under the Bermuda Constitution Order. However, when the nature of dialogue associated with these freedoms, either via traditional or social media, rises to the level where individual public officers are being called out, threatened, and intimidated in a manner akin to bullying and harassment – proactive measures must be put in place.
Mr Speaker, allegations against individual public officers shared via traditional media or social media can cause reputational damage and psychological harm to the targeted public officers, their families, and negatively impact the morale of the Public Service.
Police inquiries are continuing after a collision involving a motorcycle and a truck on Thursday morning, December 11, 2025, along Middle Road in Sandys.
The incident happened at about 9:20am as the truck driver, travelling westbound, attempted to turn onto Halt Lane. At the same time, the motorcyclist was travelling in the opposite direction along Middle Road, when the two vehicles collided.
The rider, understood to be a 23-year-old Sandys parish woman, sustained several injuries and was transported by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The truck driver, said to be a 51-year-old Sandys parish man, was not injured.
Both vehicles were damaged, and traffic diversions were in place for approximately two hours while officers processed the scene.
Police are asking any witnesses who have not yet come forward to contact Constable Naveen Kumar by calling 211 or emailing nkumar@bps.bm.
Health Council reports on employers’ compliance with health insurance coverage
Stock image
(Hamilton, Bermuda, 12 December 2025) – The Bermuda Health Council has released its 2024 Employers’ Compliance Annual Report, presenting national trends related to employer health insurance obligations under Section 20 of the Health Insurance Act 1970. The findings reflect the Council’s continued efforts to strengthen accountability and uphold legal requirements for health insurance coverage.
In 2024, public and private insurers reported 521 employer policies as inactive or terminated, affecting 2,262 employees—an 11% increase in affected employees compared to 2023. Despite this increase, the Health Council’s intervention efforts resulted in 64% of reported policies being reactivated, the highest reactivation rate recorded since 2019. This led to 1,456 employees regaining active health insurance coverage during the year.
$582,851 in standard health premium was recovered on behalf of employees whose coverage had lapsed, helping to ensure they were not left uninsured or liable for medical expenses incurred during periods without valid coverage.
A Health Council spokesperson noted:
“Employer compliance is not simply an administrative requirement—it is a critical component of a fair and functioning health system. This year’s results show meaningful progress in restoring coverage for employees, while also highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by many small businesses. The Council remains committed to working collaboratively with employers and the broader community to support system stability and protect workers.”
Key Findings from the 2024 Report
· 1% decrease in inactive policies reported compared to 2023.
· 11% increase in the number of employees affected by non-compliant policies.
· 64% of inactive policies were successfully reactivated after Health Council investigation—the highest rate since 2019.
· $582,851 recovered in unpaid standard health premiums on behalf of employees.
· 59 employers publicly listed as non-compliant (down from 111 in 2023).
· 23 compliance complaints received, a 28% increase from 2023.
· Small businesses (10 or fewer employees) continued to represent the majority of non-compliant employers.
How the Council Monitors Employer Compliance
The Health Council uses monthly insurer reports and complaints from members of the public to identify employers who may be in violation of the Act. Employers are contacted and given the opportunity to demonstrate proof of coverage before enforcement actions are taken.
Where warranted, investigations may include reviewing payroll records, pay stubs, medical bills, and policy histories. Persistent or serious cases may be escalated to the Department of Public Prosecutions for legal action.
A spokesperson added:
“Our enforcement approach balances accountability with fairness. While we recognize the pressures some businesses face, employees are increasingly willing to speak up when their benefits are not being provided according to their employment contracts, and that willingness is driving real change. We are seeing more coverage restored, more gaps corrected, and more employers stepping into compliance when held accountable. Oversight works best when the public feels empowered to advocate for their rights.”
Accessing the Report
The 2024Employers’ Compliance Annual Report is available at:www.healthcouncil.bm
An informal ‘Young Voices’ evening on Friday, December 19 at Astwood Arms
Young Bermudians are being encouraged to bring their ideas, concerns and solutions straight to the people shaping Bermuda’s laws and policies.
The One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) is hosting an informal evening designed to connect young adults with Members of Parliament, creating space for open conversation about issues affecting their generation – particularly absentee voting and opportunities for young Bermudians after college.
Organizers say the aim is simple: listen directly to young people, understand the barriers they face, and ensure their perspectives help guide policy discussions in a practical, grounded way.
The session is intended to be relaxed and accessible – less “panel discussion,” more real talk – where attendees can share what’s working, what’s not, and what changes they want to see.
The event will take place on Friday, December 19 at 8:00pm at Astwood Arms. Young adults interested in participating are encouraged by the OBA to attend and be part of the conversation about Bermuda’s future.
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