HAMILTON, Bermuda, November 26th, 2025 – Recently, the team from Hamilton Princess & Beach Club visited the Salvation Army’s North Street Citadel in Hamilton, for their annual Thanksgiving dinner service.
Hotel executives distributed 200 traditional Thanksgiving meals consisting of roasted turkey with gravy, stuffing, glazed Christmas ham, macaroni and cheese, cassava pie, pumpkin rice, green beans, and a vegetarian offering of a chickpea and vegetable curry served with jasmine rice. The dinners all included ginger and sugar cookies, made by the hotel’s pastry chefs.
Tim Morrison, General Manager, Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, said: “This is the sixth year that Hamilton Princess has supported Salvation Army’s ‘Booth’s Bistro Community Meal’ by serving Thanksgiving dinner.
This service is a meaningful opportunity for us to connect with our community and share in the spirit of gratitude.”
Corps Officer, Captain Cathy Esdaille, of The Salvation Army, said: “These partnerships are a true blessing for The Salvation Army. With so many Bermudians struggling under economic pressure and rising daily expenses, we may never realize just how much difference one meal can make in someone’s life.”
Tim Morrison continued: “The annual Salvation Army dinner is one of the hotel’s first events to kick off our festive season of giving, and this year, we are broadening our festive outreach efforts. On Tuesday, December 16th, we will host our inaugural Christmas Wish Breakfast Gift Drive, taking place from 7am to 10am.
Members of the community are invited to donate unwrapped gifts for children and families across Bermuda, with donations distributed through local charity partners including The Gina Spence Program, The Family Centre, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda. Each person who donates will be welcomed to enjoy a complimentary buffet breakfast with us, and prepared by the hotel’s culinary elves. We look forward to welcoming everyone for a joyous and meaningful morning, and we extend a heartfelt thanks to all who can participate and help make the festive season a bit brighter for those who wish it.”
At least 279 people were still unaccounted for, with several dozen hospitalised
International News via Reuters:
The death toll from a massive fire that ripped through multiple high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district has risen to 36, the city’s leader John Lee said early on Thursday.
At least 279 people were still unaccounted for, he added, with several dozen hospitalised.
Reporting by James Pomfret; editing by Mark Heinerich
Shares of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk and Teva Pharmaceuticals rose 5% and 3% respectively after the U.S. government published negotiated prices late on Tuesday
International News via Reuters:
U.S. Medicare price cuts of up to 85% will have a lesser impact on drugmakers than initially feared, with most of the hit already reflected in forecasts, Wall Street analysts said.
Shares of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk and Teva Pharmaceuticals rose 5% and 3% respectively after the U.S. government published negotiated prices late on Tuesday.
Novo’s top-selling drug semaglutide, sold as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, as well as Teva’s Austedo for Hungtington disease were among the closely watched drugs on the list of prices, which will take effect in 2027.
The announcement and recent White House deals offer clarity on pricing for popular GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, which have drawn scrutiny over their costs.
The negotiated price for Novo’s semaglutide is “the final cloud to clear on the drawn-out, but positively resolved GLP-1 pricing debate,” said Bernstein analyst Christian Moore.
The price cuts through the U.S. Medicare health plan come as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes the drug industry to advocate for other wealthy nations, particularly in Europe, to pay more for prescription medicines.
Goldman Sachs said a key question for the first half of 2026 will be whether lower Medicare prices boost Wegovy volumes.
William Blair analysts noted the $274 monthly price for Novo’s semaglutide broadly aligns with recent government deals, but said uncertainty remains over insurance coverage expansion.
FACTORED INTO NOVO, ASTRAZENECA AND GSK FORECASTS
Bernstein analysts said that five of the 15 targeted medicines will become generic by 2027, limiting their exposure to price cuts. The lower prices could even keep patients on the branded therapies longer, boosting volumes, they said.
Analysts agreed that the reductions had been factored into estimates for Novo, AstraZeneca and GSK.
Earlier this month, Novo said it expected a low single-digit impact to global sales if the price cuts were implemented this year. Analysts said that would imply roughly a 6 billion Danish crown ($931 million) sales hit.
AstraZeneca and GSK shares were flat on Wednesday.
GSK said when reporting third-quarter results that any impact from negotiated prices was fully factored into its outlook.
Shore Capital analyst Sean Conroy said the cuts would hit earnings by “low- to mid-hundreds” of millions of pounds or dollars.
Bernstein estimated the impact on Abbie in the range of $100 million to $250 million to sales of its mood disorder drug Vraylar and irritable bowel syndrome medicine Linzess as well as for Amgen’s psoriasis drug Otezla.
($1 = 6.4404 Danish crowns)
Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Maggie Fick in London, Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Mariam Sunny and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Jane Merriman, Jan Harvey and Alexander Smith
Reeves’ speech came after the Office for Budget Responsibility unexpectedly published its outlook on its website ahead of Reeves delivering her budget
International News via Reuters:
British finance minister Rachel Reeves delivered her budget statement to parliament on Wednesday, taking more tax from workers, people saving for a pension and investors to give herself more room to meet her borrowing targets.
Reeves’ speech came after the Office for Budget Responsibility unexpectedly published its outlook on its website ahead of Reeves delivering her budget. It later apologised for what it described as a technical error.
Below are the key measures she announced:
INCOME TAX THRESHOLD FREEZE
Britain will freeze the thresholds for paying income tax for three further years from 2028, Reeves said, with the move expected to raise 7.6 billion pounds ($10.1 billion) in 2029/30.
NEW TAX ON EXPENSIVE HOMES
Reeves will introduce a new high-value council tax surcharge in England starting in 2028, with an annual charge of 2,500 pounds for properties valued over 2 million pounds, increasing to 7,500 pounds for properties worth more than 5 million pounds.
This will be collected alongside council tax and is expected to raise over 400 million pounds by 2031 and will be charged on fewer than the top 1% of properties.
FREEZE ON FUEL DUTY RATES
Britain will maintain a freeze on the level of fuel duty rates. Reeves said the temporary 5 pence cut to fuel duty introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will come to an end in April next year, will be extended until September 2026. Successive governments have kept fuel duty frozen since 2011, fearful of protests by drivers. The duty is a big revenue-raiser, bringing in around 25 billion pounds a year.
TWO-CHILD WELFARE CAP
The two-child limit on welfare payments will be removed from April, Reeves said. The two-child welfare cap, introduced by the Conservative government in 2017, means many low-income families do not receive further benefits when they have a third child or subsequent children.
The OBR said scrapping the cap would cost 3.1 billion pounds in 2029-30.
NEW ELECTRIC CARS CHARGE
A new mileage-based charge for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would take effect in April 2028, a measure expected to raise 1.4 billion pounds. The OBR said the new levy was intended to offset roughly a quarter of the 0.6% of GDP in revenue expected to be lost from fuel duty by 2050 due to the shift to electric vehicles. It would be set at about half the fuel duty rate currently paid by petrol car drivers.
Reeves said the mileage tax for electric vehicles would be 3 pence per mile, while plug-in hybrid cars will incur a charge of 1.5 pence per mile.
DIVIDEND TAX RATES
The government will increase tax rates on dividends by 2 percentage points, Reeves said. The rate of dividend tax from April next year will increase to 10.75% for the basic rate of tax and to 35.75% for the higher rates of tax, the OBR said.
CHANGES TO COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TAXES
Reeves said changes to commercial property taxes, or business rates, will increase rates for high-value properties, while permanently lowering tax rates for over 750,000 retail, hospitality, and leisure properties. The reductions would be funded by higher rates on properties valued at 500,000 pounds or more, including warehouses used by online giants.
GAMBLING, ALCOHOL
There will be increased duties on gambling in a move which will raise an estimated 1.1 billion pounds for the government by 2029-30. Reeves said she would also raise alcohol duties in line with inflation.
‘MOTABILITY’ SCHEME
The so-called ‘motability’ scheme, which allows people with disabilities to lease cars using state funding, is set to be reformed in order to curb what Reeves described as “generous” taxpayer subsidies.
PENSION PERK SLASHED
The government will cap the amount of money that can be shifted into pensions before National Insurance is charged to employers and staff at 2,000 pounds a year from 2029, a move expected to raise an extra 4.7 billion pounds in 2029/30.
TAX-FREE SAVING ALLOWANCE CUT
The annual, tax-free limit for cash investments in an Individual Savings Account will be reduced from 20,000 pounds to 12,000 pounds for most savers from April 2027, though over-65s will keep the full allowance.
ENERGY BILLS REDUCTION
Britain will remove 150 pounds a year on average from energy bills by moving costs to general taxation and cutting a scheme to help pay for home improvements from April next year.
($1 = 0.7557 pounds)
Reporting by Catarina Demony; additional reporting by Sam TabahritiEditing by William James, Sarah Young and Ed Osmond
Venture Global has faced arbitration claims from Shell, BP and other European buyers alleging contract breaches after the company sold LNG on the spot market during the 2022 energy crisis
International News via Reuters:
U.S. LNG producer Venture Global accused Shell of waging a “three-year campaign” to damage its business after Shell appealed an arbitration loss, according to a staff note confirmed by Reuters on Wednesday.
Venture Global has faced arbitration claims from Shell, BP and other European buyers alleging contract breaches after the company sold LNG on the spot market during the 2022 energy crisis.
The email from Venture Global’s co-founders, Michael Sabel and Robert Pender, criticized as “misguided” a decision by Shell to challenge the unanimous ruling and added that Venture Global would continue to defend itself.
Venture Global and Shell did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The decision should be a concern to Shell’s board of directors and its shareholders, the Venture Global co-founders added in their email.
“To be very clear, this action relies on completely baseless claims and is an unfortunate continuation of their three-year campaign to damage Venture Global,” the company told employees.
First reported by the Financial Times, the note was confirmed to Reuters by a company source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It also highlighted recent supply deals worth $28 billion with customers in Greece, Japan and Spain, saying the company was on track to become the world’s largest LNG producer.
Shell launched a challenge in New York state court this month to overturn the arbitration ruling.
Separately, Shell was ordered to pay Venture’s legal fees following a recent loss in arbitration LNG supply claims.
Both cases centered on Venture Global’s failure to deliver LNG under long-term contracts while selling cargoes on the spot market as prices surged after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In August, Venture Global won a case against Shell at the International Chamber of Commerce but lost another against BP in October, which is seeking damages of more than $1 billion.
Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Clarence Fernandez
The past weekend proved a fantastic showcase for Bermuda’s emerging golf talent, with several junior players clinching major titles across the island, underscoring the strength of the island’s youth programmes.
Seventeen-year-old Oliver Betschart captured the biggest headline by winning the Port Royal Club Championship for the second time in his young career. Equally impressive was 16-year-old Arman Newton, who secured the title at the Tucker’s Point Club Championship.
Juniors also dominated the gross divisions at the Thanksgiving Challenge on the Hill:
Seventeen-year-old Johnny Bart secured the victory in the Blue Division.
Twelve-year-old Lewis MacFarlane was crowned the champion of the White Division, highlighting talent in the younger age brackets.
Adding to the family’s success, 14-year-old Darina Betschart put in a superb performance at the Port Royal Club Championship, finishing as the runner-up in the Ladies Division against senior competition. The weekend’s results signal a bright future for competitive golf in Bermuda.
The International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Bowling Championships began in China, with the Bermuda National Team facing tough international competition in the Men’s Singles event on Day One. Despite spirited individual performances, no Bermudian bowler advanced to Round 2.
The highest finish for the Bermuda contingent came from Dennis Joell in the Men’s Singles Squad 1 Division, who finished 28th overall with a total pin count of 1211. Joell’s standout performance was a strong 247 in his second game. Also in Squad 1, Anthony Hayward finished with 1149 pins.
In Squad 2, Michael Honore recorded a total of 1116 pins, while veteran bowler David Maycock finished with 1045 pins, posting a high game of 205.
The final Squad 3 saw Lamar Richardson finish with 1118 pins, notably bowling a high score of 245 in his fifth game. Dayvon Tucker accumulated 1051 pins.
Though the team did not progress in the singles event, the focus now shifts to the remaining team and doubles events in the World Championships.
Residents Reminded of Vehicle Theft Prevention Tips
With several thefts of and from vehicles in recent weeks, the Bermuda Police Service is reminding residents of the following vehicle theft prevention tips.
Always lock unattended vehicles
Fuelling up or popping back into your house to get something are perfect examples of how easy it is to turn your back for a moment and forget your vehicle is unsecured. So get into the habit of locking your vehicle even if you’re only going to be away from it for a moment.
Take valuables with you or hide them
Your mobile phone, coins for the car park, sunglasses, packs of medication or other items that can earn quick cash are irresistible to the opportunist thief. Remember, the cost of replacing a window is often much more than that of what’s stolen. And it should go without saying that wallets, handbags, purses and credit cards should never be left in an unattended vehicle. As we approach the festive season any shopping or gifts should be secured out of sight in the vehicle’s trunk.
Close windows and the sun roof to prevent ‘fishing’
Leaving windows and the sunroof open invites fishing for items through the gap by hand or with, say, a bent coat hanger, which could also be used to unlock a door for them to get in. Thieves can be ingenious. Don’t give them the opportunity.
Hide electrical items and leave no clues
Leaving dash cam mounts, suction cup marks on windows or cables on view gives it away that you have left a Dash Cam, smartphone or other device in your car. Even if they can’t see the device they might still break in to see if it’s stored in the car, out of sight.
Mark and lock away tools left in unattended vehicles
Vans are often targeted by thieves for the tools stored inside. If you have to leave tools in a van overnight, it’s a good idea to mark them clearly with your name / company name and address using paint pens and seal with a clear lacquer spray. Items that are clearly marked are less desirable and more difficult to sell on. Consider using a lockable cabinet within your van to store tools or you can also take photographs of items of value. Make a note of the serial numbers.
Park in well-lit and busier areas
It can take less than 30 seconds to break into a vehicle. Parking in well-lit areas and busy streets increases the chances of a thief being seen, so they’ll probably steer clear. NEVER leave your keys in the vehicle while it is unattended.
Any suspicious activity seen around parked vehicles should be reported by calling 211 or 295-0011 right away.
A day of drama for Bermuda’s overseas football players saw a Championship victory for Luton Town in Nahki Wells’ absence, a stoppage-time winner for Reggie Lambe, and a major incident in the non-league.
Luton Town secured a vital 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town, though striker Nahki Wells missed the fixture due to injury. The match was against his former club, where he scored 48 goals.
Reggie Lambe and his Needham Market FC teammates competing in the Southern League Premier Central, secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Bishop’s Stortford thanks to a stoppage-time winner. Needham Market is now fifth in the standings. Willie Clemons also saw his Leiston FC side win comfortably, beating St Ives Town FC 3-1.
Justin Donawa’s Brackley Town secured progress in the National League Cup with a 2-1 victory over Burnley FC Under 21. Kane Crichlow returned from injury for Sutton United in their 4-1 cup win, assisting a late goal after his shot was saved.
A match featuring Dale Eve’s Stratford Town FC and Milan Butterfield’s Halesowen Town FC was abandoned due to a medical emergency in the crowd, with the score standing at 1-0 to Stratford at halftime.
Bermuda’s Walking Football team opened their UK tour against a Liverpool team of “ex-professional” players. Organizer Curly Joe Wilson noted the challenge, as the opponents engaged in a lot of running rather than walking, leading to defeats of 5-1, 1-0, and 1-0. Wilson praised his players for their efforts under the difficult circumstances.
Day Three of the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Senior Championships in Guyana delivered a historic result for Bermuda, with an all-Bermuda Men’s Individual Semi-Final followed by a well-earned bronze medal.
The highly anticipated Men’s Individual Semi-Final saw teammates Micah Franklin and Taylor Carrick face off. Franklin proved the stronger player on the day, securing a straight-sets 3-0 victory (11-9, 11-3, 11-1) over Carrick in 30 minutes to advance to the final.
Carrick quickly rebounded from the semi-final defeat, putting on a dominant performance in the third/fourth place match. He defeated the home player, Daniel Ince from Guyana, in straight sets, 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-8), to secure the bronze medal for Bermuda.
In the Final, Franklin faced the formidable challenge of the number one seed, Khamal Cumberbatch from Barbados. Franklin took a set off the favourite but ultimately went down 3-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4). The results cap a highly successful individual campaign, underscoring the fighting spirit of the Bermuda Men’s team.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.2% by 10:55 GMT, while the domestically focused FTSE 250 added 0.3%
International News via Reuters:
UK stocks advanced on Wednesday, led by gains in financials and mining stocks, while investors braced for a potentially tax-heavy budget.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.2% by 10:55 GMT, while the domestically focused FTSE 250 added 0.3%.
Precious metal miners climbed 3.8% to lead the sectoral gains as gold prices hit to a near two-week high after benign U.S. economic data reinforced expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next month.
Fresnillo rose 3.9%, Endeavour Mining added 3.6%, while Hochschild gained 4.4%.
Industrial miners added about 1% as copper prices also advanced. Anglo American and Antofagasta rose 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively.
Banks advanced 0.5%, extending gains from previous session after media reports of relief from tax hike in budget. Standard Chartered gained 1.6%, while Barclays rose 0.8%.
Investors now await the autumn budget, where Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is expected to outline tens of billions of pounds in tax increases.
“Any sizable spending hikes, potentially to welfare, combined with increases to borrowing, would be a big red flag to markets, and sterling and gilts would probably sell-off hard,” said Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at global financial services firm Ebury in a note.
On Tuesday, UK government approved 4.1% rise in minimum wage for 2026, despite complaints from some employers that this will push up prices.
Meanwhile, a survey showed the British public’s expectations for inflation over the next 12 months fell, with U.S. bank Citi saying the reading could boost the chances of a December rate cut by the Bank of England.
Also in focus was a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signalled readiness to push forward a U.S.-backed framework to end the war. However, some uncertainty remained as Trump retracted the deadline for the deal.
Aerospace and defence gained 0.7%, with BAE Systems up 1%.
On the flip side, Beverages dropped the most, falling 0.9%, with spirits maker Diageo losing 1.4%.
Reporting by Utkarsh Tushar Hathi, Sukriti Gupta, and Rashika Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
