Wednesday, November 11, 2026
type here...
Home Blog Page 655

Richardson hits 300 ahead of World Championships

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

Bermuda’s World Championship preparations are in peak condition, with National Team bowler Lamar Richardson rolling his 14th career perfect 300 game during Week 11 of the Continental Bowling League.

The remarkable feat at Warwick Lanes provides Richardson with the ideal warm-up as the six-man squad finalises their plans for the International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Bowling Championships in China.

Richardson was not the only National Team member to find top form. LeVinc Samuels also delivered a stellar performance, compiling a magnificent 813 high scratch series from games of 279, 276, and 258, underscoring the team’s strong preparation.

The impressive individual scores coincided with drama on the league front. In a major upset, the third-placed Under Dawgs stunned league leaders Nifty Rollers with a convincing 17–10 win, blowing the title race wide open.

Elsewhere, the second-placed Astronauts secured a valuable 15.5–11.5 win over the Cubs, while the Odd Balls defeated Spicenix 17–10. The Invaders narrowly defeated New Hope 14–13 in the night’s other close contest.

The perfect game by Richardson and the strong series from Samuels will give the Bermuda squad considerable confidence heading into the global competition.

Cloudflare restores services after outage impacts thousands of internet users

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

The company said the outage that began around 6.30 a.m. ET was caused by an automatically generated configuration file, designed to manage potential security threats

International News via Reuters:

Cloudflare has fully restored its services after an outage on Tuesday at the web-infrastructure company prevented thousands from accessing major internet platforms, including X and ChatGPT.

The company said the outage that began around 6.30 a.m. ET was caused by an automatically generated configuration file, designed to manage potential security threats.

The file grew too large and crashed the software system handling traffic for several Cloudflare services, the company, whose network handles around a fifth of web traffic, said.

The company said it has started to investigate and has deployed a fix but some customers might still be impacted as it recovers service globally. Its shares were down 2.3% in morning trading.

Cloudflare said there was “no evidence that this was the result of an attack or caused by malicious activity”. It runs one of the world’s largest networks that helps websites and apps load faster and stay online by protecting them from traffic surges and cyberattacks.

Last month, an outage at Amazon’s cloud service caused global turmoil as thousands of popular websites and apps, including Snapchat and Reddit, were inaccessible due to the disruption.

The latest outage at Cloudflare prevented thousands of users from accessing platforms such as Canva, X, Grindr and ChatGPT, prompting users to log outage reports with Downdetector.

X and ChatGPT-creator OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment. Reports about issues with Cloudflare dropped to about 2,800 by 10:20 a.m. ET from a peak of over 11,000, the outage-tracking tool showed.

Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources. Since the numbers are based on user-submitted reports, the actual number of affected users may vary.

“We saw a spike in unusual traffic to one of Cloudflare’s services beginning at 11:20 UTC. That caused some traffic passing through Cloudflare’s network to experience errors,” the company said earlier in the day.

Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar, Anil D’Silva and Arun Koyyur

No firm is immune if AI bubble bursts, Google CEO tells BBC

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

There has also been much debate among analysts about whether AI valuations are sustainable

International News via Reuters:

Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said no company would be unscathed if the artificial intelligence boom collapses, as soaring valuations and heavy investment in the sector fuel concerns of a bubble.

Pichai said in an interview with the BBC published on Tuesday that the current wave of AI investment was an “extraordinary moment” but acknowledged “elements of irrationality” in the market, echoing warnings of “irrational exuberance” during the dotcom era.

There has also been much debate among analysts about whether AI valuations are sustainable.

Asked about how Google would cope with a potential bursting of a bubble, Pichai said he thought it could weather the storm but added: “I think no company is going to be immune, including us.”

Alphabet shares have surged about 46% this year, as investors bet on its ability to compete with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

In the United States, concerns about lofty AI valuations have begun to weigh on broader markets, while British policymakers have also flagged bubble risks.

In September, Alphabet pledged 5 billion pounds over two years for UK AI infrastructure and research, including a new data centre and investment in DeepMind, its London-based AI lab.

Pichai also told the BBC in the interview conducted at Google’s California headquarters that Google would begin training models in Britain, a move Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes will bolster the country’s ambition to be the world’s third AI “superpower” after the United States and China.

Pichai also warned of the “immense” energy needs of AI and said Alphabet’s net-zero targets would be delayed as it scales up computing power.

Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

Aria Divine Wins Gold at UK National Finals

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

Oxford-based Bermudian gymnast, Aria Divine, secured two medals at the Independent Gymnastics Association’s (IGA) National Finals at Kingston Gymnastics Centre, Milton Keynes, England.

The 13 year old qualified for the finals during the IGA South Regional Qualifications competition.

Divine won gold on Beam with her flawless routine that saw her top her group. She also won a determined Bronze on Floor in the WAG Level 6 Trailblazers category.

After moving to Oxford, England with her family in 2018, Divine has won two National All Around titles and was the runner up last year. All Around scores have not yet been released for the competition.

Bank of England to cut interest rates in December and again in Q1 2026: Reuters poll

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

The Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to leave rates unchanged earlier this month, with BoE Governor Andrew Bailey casting the deciding vote

International News via Reuters:

The Bank of England will cut interest rates in December and again early next year as inflation cools over coming months, according to a majority of economists in a Reuters poll who last month expected borrowing costs to remain unchanged for the remainder of this year.

Next month’s meeting will follow British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget on November 26 where she is no longer expected to raise income tax but will make up an expected shortfall through smaller tax rises from other sources.

The Monetary Policy Committee voted 5-4 to leave rates unchanged earlier this month, with BoE Governor Andrew Bailey casting the deciding vote, wanting to wait for evidence of declining inflation before committing to a cut. 

Nearly 80% of economists, 48 of 61, expect the BoE will cut Bank Rate by 25 basis points to 3.75% on December 18, according to a Reuters poll taken November 13-18. The rest forecast no move.

That compares with 54% who expected unchanged rates for the remainder of the year in an October survey. Around that proportion now expect a follow-up cut to 3.50% in Q1 2026. 

“We see a December rate cut as the default action, absent any wildly hawkish surprises in the next two inflation prints,” said Gabriella Willis, UK economist at Santander CIB.

“We expect Governor Bailey to remain the swing voter. The October and November inflation prints, alongside signs of a softening jobs market, will be the final green light to a cut.” 

Interest rate futures have almost completely priced in a December cut. 

Inflation has been stuck at 3.8%, nearly double the BoE’s 2% target, since July. Data due to be released on Wednesday are likely to show a cooling to 3.6% in October. 

Median forecasts predicted inflation averaging 3.0% and 2.5%, respectively, in the following two quarters. 

Growth is expected to average 1.4% this year, slowing to 1.1% next year, according to poll medians.

“We are still expecting the Budget to be disinflationary, but less so than our original base case which included a larger hit to demand from lifting income tax,” said Willis. 

(Other stories from the Reuters global economic poll)

Reporting by Anant ChandakPolling by Sarupya Ganguly and Debrah GomesEditing by Ross Finley and Frances Kerry

Police raid Portugal’s TAP airline in corruption probe

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

The searches stem from a 2023 investigation into TAP’s leasing deal for 53 Airbus aircraft

International News via Reuters:

Portuguese police searched the headquarters of flag carrier TAP and other companies on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected corruption in a complex aircraft leasing deal in 2015, the prosecutor general’s office said.

The searches stem from a 2023 investigation into TAP’s leasing deal for 53 Airbus aircraft, struck soon after it was first privatised and placed under the control of a joint venture between American-Brazilian aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman and Portuguese Barraqueiro Group, owned by Humberto Pedrosa.

Both Neeleman and Pedrosa have denied any wrongdoing.

TAP has since returned to full state ownership and entered a new privatisation process.

The Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement that the legal proceedings should be viewed “as normal”. It promised full cooperation with the judicial authorities, and said it expected no impact on the privatisation process ahead of the November 22 deadline for potential bidders to manifest their interest.

The prosecutor’s office said it suspects that the leasing contract was part of an illegal scheme in which Airbus helped finance the acquisition of TAP in 2015, resulting in losses for the airline.

“The facts in question are likely to constitute the crimes of harmful administration, passive corruption in the private sector, aggravated tax fraud, and aggravated Social Security fraud,” it said in a statement.

An Airbus spokesman said the company “does not comment on situations involving its client companies”.

Airbus’ historic business dealings have been the target of several investigations, resulting in a record $4 billion corruption settlement with French, British and U.S. authorities in 2020, and a related $14 million French settlement in 2022.

Airbus says it has undergone sweeping changes including a new system of compliance.

A TAP spokesperson said the airline “does not comment on legal proceedings and fully cooperates with authorities in all investigations”.

Searches were underway at 25 locations, including companies, law firms and auditing firms, prosecutors said.

Barraqueiro Group said it was also searched, but remained confident it committed no illegalities in the TAP privatisation. It said it was cooperating and had “no cause for concern regarding the ongoing investigations”.

Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Additional reporting by Inti Landauro; editing by Andrei Khalip, Conor Humphries and Jan Harvey

Government explores ways to lower import costs

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

Ministers meet with U.S. Consul and business leader from Florida to explore ways of diversifying trade and advancing the Affordable Bermuda Agenda

As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to advancing affordability and driving sustainable economic growth, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Alexa Lightbourne, JP, MP, and the Minister of Economy and Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward, JP, MP, recently engaged in a series of meetings with US Consul General Antoinette Hurtado and Mr. Matt Swanson, Interim President of Select Florida and Chief Operating Officer of Florida Commerce.

Select Florida, established in 2023, promotes economic development by facilitating exports, attracting foreign direct investment, and fostering strategic international partnerships. Minister Lightbourne welcomed the opportunity to explore synergies that align with the Government’s recently launched Affordable Bermuda Agenda.

With the support of the US Consul General, the introduction advanced Bermuda’s Affordable Bermuda Agenda by focusing on strategic partnerships that lower import costs, diversify trade, and increase opportunity for Bermudians.

Minister Lightbourne said, “Our discussions focused on the Ministry’s central responsibility, affordability. The next step is a detailed review of data-driven options that can produce measurable reductions in Bermuda’s cost structure. Even modest improvements in how we import goods, or in the partners we engage, can produce long-term benefits. These are the types of strategic relationships that deliver real value to our people.”

Reflecting on the meetings, Minister Hayward emphasized the critical value of deepening international economic connections.

Minister Hayward said, “Our meeting reinforced the value of deepening Bermuda’s international economic partnerships. We discussed the mutual desire to strengthen economic trade and technical co-operation between Bermuda and the State of Florida. Collectively recognising the overall importance of enhanced trade, sustainable growth, increasing investment and embracing innovation.”

The discussions with Select Florida reaffirmed mutual interests in exploring future collaboration across areas such as supply chain resilience, green shipping, food imports, and innovation-driven economic development.

Back-to-back glory: Undefeated Taft clinch NEPSAC title

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

November 16, 2025- NEPSAC Championship game. Boys’ Varsity Soccer v Nobles. (Photo by Robert Falcetti/Taft)

Taft School boys’ soccer team has capped a flawless, undefeated season by securing their second consecutive New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A Championship, defeating Nobles 4-1 in the final.

The championship match, held at Brooks, provided an immediate test for the favourites, as they found themselves trailing early after Nobles struck within the opening minutes.

However, Taft’s composure and quality soon shone through. James Cooper wasted no time finding the equaliser, settling his side’s nerves.

The key turning point arrived courtesy of Alex Calabro. After Brooks briefly made it 1-1, Calabro restored the lead with his first goal before securing his brace early in the second half.

Fields DeShaw added the final goal late on, confirming the 4-1 victory.

The commanding win confirms Taft’s status as one of the most dominant squads in recent memory, celebrating both an unbeaten season and the prestigious back-to-back Class A Championship titles.

BBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 18 November 2025

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0
BBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 18 November 2025
Bermuda BroadcastingBBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 18 November 2025
0:00
9:41
  1. BBC Radio News: Tuesday Noon – 18 November 20259:41
SoundCloud

Garth Bell recognised for public service excellence

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

In his role as Network Engineer, Mr Bell ensures the stability and resilience of the Government’s network infrastructure

Images supplied.

Government press release:

The Government of Bermuda is pleased to recognize Mr. Garth Bell, of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, Ministry Headquarters, as the recipient of the October Public Service Excellence Award (PSEA).

Mr. Bell, in his role as Network Engineer, is recognised for his exceptional commitment, technical leadership, and service excellence in ensuring the stability and resilience of the Government’s network infrastructure. His experience in the field has enabled him to expertly balance departmental needs with a keen sense of urgency.

Following recent hurricanes, Mr. Bell worked tirelessly to restore connectivity to multiple government sites, allowing critical services to resume operations quickly and securely.

Beyond recovery efforts, Mr. Bell has led several key optimisation initiatives that significantly improved the speed, reliability, and performance of network systems across key government locations. His calm leadership under pressure, paired with deep technical expertise, has had a measurable impact on operational continuity and service delivery.

Mr. Bell’s excellence extends across multiple projects. He successfully completed major network and security upgrades for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Quarry facility, which have since become the design standard for future infrastructure improvements. He also played a critical role in the network switch upgrades at the Government Administration Building, General Post Office, and Department of Labour, enhancing network performance in these high-demand environments.

The Acting Premier, the Hon. Zane Desilva, JP, MP, offered his congratulations, saying, “I commend Mr. Bell for his commitment to keeping our critical systems running, even under the most challenging conditions. His efforts not only ensure the continuity of public services, but also contributes to ‘digital innovation’ in public service. Mr. Bell’s work reflects the professionalism, resilience, and forward-thinking approach that benefits the people of Bermuda in a big way.”

Head of the Public Service, Cherie-lynn Whitter, also praised Mr. Bell’s achievements, noting, “Garth’s tireless efforts and sense of duty exemplify what public service excellence is all about. His ability to deliver under pressure while driving lasting improvements is commendable. It is noted that he and his team have identified a new configuration that will save money and provide a higher quality service. I’m pleased to recognize his leadership and extend thanks for his service.”

Cloudflare outage cuts access to X, ChatGPT and other web platforms for thousands

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

Cloudflare, whose network handles around a fifth of web traffic, said it started to investigate the internal service degradation around 6:40 a.m. ET

International News via Reuters:

Major internet platforms, including X and ChatGPT, were inaccessible for thousands of users globally on Tuesday as web-infrastructure firm Cloudflare was hit by an outage, disrupting internet services.

Cloudflare, whose network handles around a fifth of web traffic, said it started to investigate the internal service degradation around 6:40 a.m. ET. It has deployed a fix but some customers might still be impacted as it recovers service.

The incident seemingly prevented thousands of users from accessing platforms such as Canva, X, Grindr and ChatGPT as users logged reports with Downdetector. Reports about issues with Cloudflare had, however, come down to about 600 by 8 a.m. ET from a peak of nearly 5,000, the outage-tracking tool showed.

Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources. Since the numbers are based on user-submitted reports, the actual number of affected users may vary.

“We saw a spike in unusual traffic to one of Cloudflare’s services beginning at 11:20 UTC. That caused some traffic passing through Cloudflare’s network to experience errors,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We are all hands on deck to make sure all traffic is served without errors.”

X and ChatGPT-creator OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The outage is the latest to hit internet services. Microsoft’s Azure had also faced an issue last month, while disruption at Amazon AWS caused global turmoil among thousands of websites and some of the most popular apps, such as Snapchat and Reddit earlier in October.

Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Anil D’Silva

Ireland’s Donohoe resigns as finance minister and Eurogroup chief to join World Bank

Bermuda Broadcasting Newsdesk
-
0

Donohoe has held one of the two main budget ministries for almost a decade and first became finance chief in 2017

International News via Reuters:

Paschal Donohoe resigned as Irish finance minister and Eurogroup president on Tuesday to take up a senior World Bank role, a surprise move that will leave the coalition government without one of its most experienced members.

Donohoe has held one of the two main budget ministries for almost a decade and first became finance chief in 2017. He was only re-appointed to the role in January following an election, having helped guide the public finances to become one of the healthiest in Europe.

He was re-elected as chair of the group of euro zone finance ministers for a third time in July, in a term that was due to last two-and-a-half years.

“My aim has been to build a better and fairer Ireland through careful management of our economy and public finances,” said Donohoe, who will move to the World Bank as one of its managing directors and chief knowledge officer later this month.

“I want to now do the same in the work of the globally vital institution that I will join, at a time of great change in our world,” he told reporters.

ESCHEWED CALLS FOR BIGGER TAX CUTS

Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he will announce “a number of changes” to his party’s ministerial team later on Tuesday. Irish media speculated that Harris could move to the role of finance minister from foreign affairs.

Under the terms of the coalition deal with fellow centre-right partners Fianna Fail, Fine Gael is due to hold the finance brief until late 2027. Only one of Fine Gael’s other members of cabinet has been a senior minister for more than two years.

Dubbed “Prudent Paschal” by some local media, Donohoe, 51, has often eschewed demands for spending large budget surpluses on even bigger tax cuts and increases in public spending.

He and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers are due to publish a new medium-term economic plan shortly, having pledged to further moderate spending increases amid warnings that the corporate tax boom funding them could end suddenly.

“Paschal’s prudent management of the public finances has underpinned Ireland’s recovery and growth. He has been a voice of reason and stability,” Harris said.

Reporting by Padraic Halpin, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Sarah Young, Ros Russell and Conor Humphries

1...654655656...1,139Page 655 of 1,139

© Bermuda Broadcasting Company Limited 2026 All rights reserved.
Careers →

Stream live

Popular news

SportsPoliticsJobs & EconomyCrimeHealthcareBusiness & Finance

Editor Picks