Blake Montgomery, the promising forward and Ottawa Senators prospect, is set to begin a new chapter, trading his London Knights jersey for the red and white of the University of Wisconsin.
The move marks a significant step for the 18-year-old, who will embark on his collegiate career this autumn after a whirlwind 2024-25 season.
Montgomery was a key contributor to the Knights’ memorable campaign, which saw them clinch both the OHL Championship and the Memorial Cup. He notched 23 goals and 50 points in 51 regular-season games with the Knights, and his knack for clutch moments was on full display in the playoffs. His game-winning goal in the Memorial Cup semifinals was particularly instrumental in propelling the team to victory.
Before his arrival in London, Montgomery began the season with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, tallying 10 points in just 10 games before making the switch to the OHL in November.
With a development path that has included stints in multiple leagues—from the USHL and OHL to the NCDC and various US high school programs—Montgomery is no stranger to adapting to new environments.
Now, he’ll bring his dynamic offensive talent to the NCAA as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers, a programme looking to build on its recent successes. The Badgers are hoping his scoring touch and experience will translate seamlessly to the college game.
The thrift store, located on King Street in the City of Hamilton closed down in March 2025
Full media release from the Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to the community for the generous support shown over the years through donations to our Thrift Store on King Street.
We announced to the public earlier this year that the Salvation Army Thrift Store on King Street would be permanently closed on March 30, 2025. As a result of this closure, we are no longer able to accept donations at the former store location or at the Salvation Army Regional Office.
We respectfully request that no clothing, furniture, or other household items be dropped off or left outside these locations, as we are no longer equipped to collect, process, or distribute such items.
The Salvation Army remains committed to serving those in need in Bermuda, and we encourage those who wish to support our mission to reach out to us for alternative ways to help by visiting www.salvationarmy.bm/donate.
We deeply appreciate the community’s continued generosity and understanding during this transition. Salvation Army Bermuda Public Relations Officer Dennis Maybury shared in March 2025, “Making this decision was not easy, but it’s part of our responsibility to assess the needs of each community regularly and to ensure long-term sustainability.”
Last year:
Just under 50,000 visits were made to The Salvation Army in Bermuda for assistance
Over 8,000 visits were for food, Christmas hampers and other essentials
2,718 addiction bed days were provided
7,442 shelter bed days were provided
10,340 contacts were made during street ministry
The Salvation Army will continue to deliver essential community programs, including family services, addiction recovery, life-skills training, transitional housing, emergency shelter and food assistance.
With demand for these services at an all-time high, the organization continues to expand and adapt its support to meet the needs of the Bermuda community.
Pacific Pride aka Rugby Canada Academy, have announced their playing roster for the fall portion of the 2025-26 season, featuring a dynamic squad of 29 players including Jamin Hodgkins, the squad also includes five promising Under-20 talents.
Hodgkins would be a good candidate to get some Canada ‘A’ game time on his pathway to the senior team.
This selection marks a crucial step for aspiring rugby players aiming for the next level, with some expected to transition to Major League Rugby (MLR) in the spring season. The fluid nature of the squad also means new faces may join for the latter half of the season.
As of August 2025, the Pride’s schedule is taking shape, with their opening match set for September 13th at UVic. This fixture will be an early test for the new squad and an opportunity for players to impress.
Nepal’s first and only female chief justice, Karki, 73, is known for her honesty, integrity, and stand against corruption
International News via Reuters:
Nepal’s former chief justice, Sushila Karki, is likely to be appointed as interim prime minister, a source aware of the talks told Reuters on Friday, after intense anti-graft protests led to the resignation of K.P. Sharma Oli.
The Himalayan nation’s worst upheaval in years, which killed 51 people this week and injured more than 1,300 as police fought to control crowds, was sparked by a social media ban, now rolled back. The violence subsided only after Oli resigned.
“Sushila Karki will be appointed interim prime minister,” said a constitutional expert consulted by President Ramchandra Paudel and army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, who sought anonymity as the negotiations are sensitive.
“They (Gen Z) want her. This will happen today,” the source added, referring to the ‘Gen Z’ protesters whose popular name derives from the age of most participants.
Nepal’s first and only female chief justice, Karki, 73, is known for her honesty, integrity, and stand against corruption.
Her appointment is likely to be formally made after a meeting at Paudel’s residence, rescheduled to Friday afternoon from an initial time in the morning, according to a Gen Z source involved in the talks.
The president’s office and the army spokesperson did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter.
RESTORATION OF NORMALCY
Wedged between India and China, Nepal has grappled with political and economic instability since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, while a lack of jobs drives millions to seek work in other countries and send money home.
Shops began reopening on Friday, among signs that normalcy was returning in the capital of Kathmandu, with cars in the streets and police personnel taking up batons instead of the guns they carried earlier in the week.
Some roads stayed blocked, though streets were patrolled by fewer soldiers than before. Authorities began handing to families the bodies of their loved ones killed in the protests.
“While his friends backed off (from the protests), he decided to go ahead,” Karuna Budhathoki said of her 23-year-old nephew, as she waited to collect his body at Kathmandu’s Teaching Hospital.
“We were told he was brought dead to the hospital.”
The 51 dead included 21 protesters, nine prisoners, three police officers and 18 others, police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said, without elaborating.
Another protester who died, Ashab Alam Thakurai, 24, got married only a month earlier, his relatives said.
“The last we spoke to him … he said he was stuck with the protest. After that we could not contact him … eventually we found him in the morgue,” said his uncle, Zulfikar Alam.
Reporting by Gopal Sharma and Aftab Ahmed; Writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and YP Rajesh
Sexual abuse scandals have afflicted the Church in various places around the world in recent decades, damaging its standing as a moral voice
International News via Reuters:
Pope Leo has instructed the Catholic Church’s newest bishops to confront sexual abuse by priests and not to hide allegations of misconduct, in a text released by the Vatican on Friday.
Sexual abuse scandals have afflicted the Church in various places around the world in recent decades, damaging its standing as a moral voice, sparking costly lawsuits, and resulting in the resignations of several prominent bishops.
“(Allegations) cannot be put in a drawer,” the pope said in a closed-door meeting the day before with some 200 bishops appointed to lead Catholic dioceses across the world in the past year, according to a Vatican summary of the event.
“They must be faced, with a sense of mercy and true justice, toward the victims and toward the accused,” Leo said in the text.
Leo, elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has previously told priests to be “firm and decisive” in confronting sexual abuse.
Francis, who led the 1.4-billion-member Church for 12 years, made confronting sexual abuse by priests a key priority of his tenure, with mixed results.
Leo also appeared to show support for some of Francis’ other priorities in the meeting with new bishops, encouraging them to create a Church welcoming to all people, as the late pope often called for.
Leo told the clerics they should “renew their contact with the world in order to answer the questions the men and women of our time are asking,” according to the summary.
“Ready-made answers learned 25 years ago in the seminary are not enough,” the pope said.
Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Alvise Armellini and Gareth Jones
Kirk, a 31-year-old author, podcast host and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters
International News via Reuters:
U.S. investigators on Thursday released photos and a video of a person of interest in the fatal shooting of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk and said they had found the rifle believed to have been used in the politically charged killing.
Kirk, a 31-year-old author, podcast host and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters. He was killed on Wednesday by a single gunshot as he gave a talk at a university in Utah in what Trump called a “heinous assassination.”
Investigators have yet to publicly discuss any motive, but Trump told reporters that he had an indication of the killer’s motivation. “We’ll let you know about that later,” he said, adding that law enforcement was making “big progress” in the investigation.
FBI and state officials said the killer arrived on the campus a few minutes before the start of the event, a debate led by Kirk titled “Prove Me Wrong” outdoors in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City.
Security-camera videos show a person going up stairwells to get onto a roof before firing at Kirk, the officials told a press conference. Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck. Audience members fled in panic.
The FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest and circulated grainy images taken from security cameras showing a “person of interest” wearing a black top, black sunglasses and a dark baseball cap. The long-sleeved top was emblazoned with an image of a bald eagle flying across a U.S. flag.
A second batch of photos released by Utah state officials showed slightly clearer images of the slender young man, revealing greater details of his backpack and Converse shoes.
Officials also released video of a man climbing down off the roof from where the sniper fired the fatal round. That person left a palm imprint and other DNA materials on the building as he dropped down to the ground, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said.
The video also showed the man crossing a street and moving into a wooded area near campus, which is where authorities said they found a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle.
The shooter has not been publicly identified, though lawmakers, commentators and online sleuths have already filled social media and message boards with speculation and blame-casting about the killer’s ideology.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox appealed to the public for help.
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now,” he told reporters.
He said investigators had received over 7,000 tips from the public and investigators had conducted over 200 interviews.
FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to Utah and appeared at a press briefing with state and federal officials, but did not speak.
TRUMP TO AWARD KIRK TOP HONOR
Kirk – co-founder and president of the conservative student group Turning Point USA – was appearing at the Utah university on Wednesday as part of a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” of U.S. college campuses. His killing stirred outrage and denunciations of political violence from Republicans, Democrats and foreign governments.
Trump said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Vice President JD Vance canceled his trip to New York to commemorate the attacks by al Qaeda on September 11, 2001, and instead traveled to Utah to see Kirk’s family and to fly them and Kirk’s casket home to Arizona aboard Air Force Two.
Kirk began in conservative and right-wing politics as a teenager, a career he has described as shaped by his Christian faith. A little more than a decade later, some of the friends he made along the way are now at the highest levels of U.S. government and media, with Vance recalling that he was in multiple group chats with Kirk. “So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote in a tribute posted on social media. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
ERA OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE
The shooting punctuated the most sustained period of U.S. political violence since the 1970s. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts across the ideological spectrum since supporters of Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump himself has survived two attempts on his life last year, one that left him with a grazed ear during a campaign event and another two months later foiled by federal agents. Kirk, who was married and the father of two young children, was celebrated by Republicans as a charismatic advocate for right-wing policies on race, gender, immigration, religion and gun regulation. He frequently engaged with his critics from the far left to the far right, often inviting members of his audiences to debate him live.
Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve, “And she’s devastated, she’s absolutely devastated, as you can imagine.”
Reporting by Andrew Hay in Orem, and Brad Brooks in Colorado; Additional reporting by Jana Winter, Helen Coster, Jasper Ward, James Oliphant, Bo Erickson, Andrea Shalal, Kanishka Singh, Ismail Shakil, Julia Harte, Sarah N. Lynch and Jarrett Renshaw; Writing by Steve Gorman, Jonathan Allen and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Frank McGurty
The blue-chip FTSE 100 advanced 0.3% by 0935 GMT, and was set for its second straight weekly gain
International News via Reuters:
London shares were mixed on Friday but were set for weekly gains as markets priced in the likelihood of an interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve next week, while investors also assessed key domestic economic data.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 advanced 0.3% by 0935 GMT, and was set for its second straight weekly gain. The domestically focussed mid-cap index edged down 0.1% but was also on track for a weekly rise.
Precious metal miners advanced 2.5%, tracking higher gold prices. Fresnillo rose 2.8%, Endeavour Mining up 1.7% and Hochschild Mining added 4.8%.
Industrial miners also advanced, tracking higher copper prices. Anglo American rose 2.1%, Glencore added 3.7%, while Antofagasta advanced 2.5% and Rio Tinto rose 1.7%.
Aerospace and defence sector hit a fresh record high, last up 1.1%, and was set for its largest weekly rise in over six months. BAE Systems rose 1.4% and Avon added 1.9%.
Hopes of an imminent interest rate cut by the U.S. Fed, a surge in gold prices and a rally in the defence sector have provided some support to the FTSE 100 this week.
Utility stocks such as United Utilities, National Grid and Severn Trent also advanced in the session.
Meanwhile, personal goods stocks declined 3.2%, with Burberry falling 3.7%.
Healthcare stocks edged down 0.2%, with animal genetics firm Genus falling 1.5%.
Retail stocks lost 0.4%, with JD Sports Fashion falling 2.2% to the bottom of the benchmark index.
In other moves, online supermarket and tech firm Ocado fell 11.6% to the bottom of the mid-cap index, after its U.S. grocery partner Kroger flagged it will review its warehouse investments.
On the data front, Britain’s economy recorded no growth in July after a sharp drop in factory output, matching expectations for a slower start to the second half of 2025, but still disappointing for the government ahead of November’s budget.
Reporting by Sukriti Gupta; Editing by Vijay Kishore
The measure of longer-term public inflation expectations increased from 3.6% in May
International News via Reuters:
The British public’s expectation for inflation in around five years’ time rose in August to its highest since May 2019 at 3.8%, according to a Bank of England survey on Friday, which may unsettle some policymakers ahead of next week’s rate decision.
The measure of longer-term public inflation expectations increased from 3.6% in May while expectations for inflation in the next 12 months rose to a two-year high of 3.6%, up from 3.2% three months earlier.
Surveys of public inflation expectations are not viewed by economists as a forecast, but are seen as a risk factor for higher inflation, as they increase the chance that people will push for higher wages and accept higher price increases.
Members of the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee place varying weight on this type of survey. Some view it as more of a knee-jerk reaction to recent inflation data, while others regard it as reflecting a possible loss of confidence in the central bank’s willingness to get inflation back to its 2% target.
Net satisfaction with the BoE’s approach to controlling inflation dropped in the survey to +2 in August from +6 in May, although it is still higher than it has been for most of the past three years.
British consumer price inflation rose to an 18-month high of 3.8% in July, the highest in the Group of Seven advanced economies, and last month the BoE forecast it would reach 4% in September before returning to target in the second quarter of 2027.
The BoE cut rates by a quarter-point to 4% in August, but financial markets see almost no chance of a rate cut next week and only a roughly 40% chance of a cut later this year, according to LSEG data.
Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Sarah Young and Philippa Fletcher
China’s EV sales growth, which averaged 36% a month in the first half, cooled to 6% in August
International News via Reuters:
Global sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles grew 15% in August from a year ago, marking the slowest rate since January and reflecting tougher comparatives, market research firm Rho Motion said on Friday.
China’s EV sales growth, which averaged 36% a month in the first half, cooled to 6% in August. However, China sales are still expected to be strong in the fourth quarter as new funds become available for its subsidy schemes and the usual seasonal rebound, said Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
China is the world’s biggest car market and accounts for more than half of global EV sales, which in Rho Motion’s data include battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
China’s overall car sales growth slowed to the weakest in seven months in August. China’s BYD, the world’s largest EV maker, last week cut its 2025 global sales target by as much as 16%.
However, August was the best month yet in terms of EV and hybrid sales for Geely, Xpeng and Nio, underscoring how smaller local rivals are picking up market share in China.
Growth in other markets has partially made up for the China weakness. U.S. demand has surged ahead of expiring tax credits and Europe has seen momentum from incentives aimed at speeding up decarbonisation.
BY THE NUMBERS
Global sales of battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose to 1.7 million units in August, Rho Motion data showed. The same month last year had benefited from subsidy-boosted demand in China.
The rate of growth was down from 21% in July.
Chinese sales reached 1.1 million vehicles. European sales rose 48% to about 283,453 units, while North American sales climbed 13% to 201,255. Sales in the rest of the world jumped 56% to more than 144,280 vehicles.
KEY QUOTE
“In the US, we’re expecting record sales in August and then another strong month in September; it could be another record and then likely a big drop,” Lester said.
“BYD still has the market share, and they’re certainly now feeling the pressure from other OEMs,” he added.
Reporting by Jesus Calero; Editing by Matt Scuffham
The incident took place in a village near the historic city of Multan in eastern Punjab province on Thursday
International News via Reuters:
At least nine people died when a rescue boat capsized during flood relief efforts in Pakistan, authorities said on Friday.
The incident took place in a village near the historic city of Multan in eastern Punjab province on Thursday, a statement from the Punjab Disaster Management Authority said.
It said the boat had rescued 24 people from flooded villages when it overturned, adding that the remaining 15 were safely removed from the water.
Rescue officials say villagers have been refusing to leave their homes in some parts of rural Pakistan, especially without their cows, goats and other animals, one of their main sources of income, which often leads to forced evacuations.
The rescue work in the region is “tough because people are not cooperating”, the authority said.
Floods triggered by this year’s intense monsoon rains and swollen rivers have killed 946 people, including 97 in the province, in Pakistan since late June, and inundated large swaths of crops.
The Punjab province, home to half of the country’s 240 million population, is considered Pakistan’s breadbasket.
Authorities say the floods have submerged over 4,500 villages, affecting more than 4.4 million people in the province since late August. At least 2.4 million people have so far been evacuated, they say.
Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; Writing by Asif Shahzad, Editing by William Maclean
UK gross domestic product remained unchanged in July after growing 0.4% in June
International News via Reuters:
The British pound dropped against the dollar on Friday after data showed the economy had stagnated in July, although it was still set for its second weekly rise before a Bank of England policy meeting next week.
UK gross domestic product remained unchanged in July after growing 0.4% in June, the Office for National Statistics said, as manufacturing output, which makes up 9% of the economy, dropped by 1.3% on the month.
“These GDP numbers are very volatile but the trend is a little bit softer over the last few months than it was earlier in the year,” said Dominic Bunning, head of G10 FX strategy at Nomura.
“It’s a relatively volatile series that isn’t going to make the BoE concerned.”
The pound was down 0.2% against the dollar at $1.3553, but was still set for a 0.3% weekly rise.
The BoE is widely expected to keep its benchmark Bank Rate unchanged on September 18, after a split decision to lower the rate to 4% in August.
Investors instead were focusing on the central bank’s plans to reduce its bond holdings, known as quantitative tightening, which are announced at the September meeting every year.
The BoE has reduced its bond holdings by 100 billion pounds ($135.32 billion) over the past year and Governor Andrew Bailey said earlier this month that the future pace of QT was an “open decision”.
A BoE survey of investors last month showed a median expectation that the central bank will slow the pace over the next 12 months to 72 billion pounds.
A reduction to 75 billion is “unlikely to rock the boat,” ING analysts said in a research note.
If the BoE were to keep the pace of bond sales unchanged, gilts could come under pressure, pushing yields higher, said Nomura’s Bunning.
“Generally speaking, big moves higher in gilt yields, particularly long-end ones, are associated more with sterling weakness than with sterling strength,” Bunning said.
“There is a bit of tail risk here for sterling.”
Against the euro, the pound fell 0.1% to 86.51 pence but remained within its recent range.
Miles Outerbridge: Bermuda’s Young Sprint Sensation on the Rise
He’s fast, he’s focused and he’s just getting started. At only 17 Bermudian sprinter Miles Outerbridge has been lighting up the track this summer with personal bests, big wins, and serious potential. More in this report.
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