Bermudian middle-distance runner Dage Minors has secured a winning performance in the men’s 800m at the Midland Counties League Division 1 meet.
Competing at the Yate Track & Field facility, Minors, a seasoned competitor, showcased his strong form by clocking a winning time of 1:58.14 to claim the top spot.
The victory highlights a determined effort as Minors continues to compete on the UK circuit and builds on a competitive season. This result adds to his recent successes, which have included a personal best in a 5K race earlier this year and a win in a 10K event.
Bermudian racer Aeziah Divine has displayed remarkable resilience at Round 5 of the Thruxton Race Circuit, bouncing back from a high-speed crash to finish the weekend on a high note.
The weekend began with a dramatic fall for Divine in a practice session at an estimated 110 mph. Thanks to his safety gear, he escaped without injury. Despite a subsequent mechanical issue and grip problems in qualifying, where he started 22nd, Divine’s determination never wavered.
He showed significant improvement on Day Two, dropping his times and finishing 15th in a session. The final race was a testament to his fighting spirit; starting from 22nd, he climbed as high as 13th, leading a group of riders in a thrilling battle. He ultimately finished 16th, a mere 0.024 seconds from a points-scoring position.
Divine concluded the challenging but ultimately rewarding weekend by setting a new personal best time in the 1:23 range, a great achievement following the early setback. He credited his team’s hard work for his impressive comeback.
It’s been a weekend of contrasting results for Bermudian footballers plying their trade overseas, with everything from hard-fought draws to season-opening wins and difficult defeats.
In the USL Championship, Khano Smith’s Rhode Island FC battled to a scoreless draw against Loudoun United FC. In a physical encounter, both sides had chances, but neither could find a breakthrough, with a pair of shots hitting the woodwork. The result sees Rhode Island take a point from the match.
Across the Atlantic, Remi Coddington and his Bracknell Town FC teammates have started their new season in the Pitching In Southern Football League with a positive result. They secured a 1-0 victory over Berkhamsted at the Glencar Community Stadium, a perfect way to kick off their campaign.
In the NWSL, Mia Fishel was on the road with Seattle Reign against rivals Portland. Despite a high-scoring affair, her team came up short, falling 4-2 in a tough contest.
Meanwhile, in Finland, Djair Parfitt and his FC Haka teammates suffered a defeat in a crucial match against FF Jaro. The home side secured all three points with a 2-1 victory, leaving Haka without the desired result.
Finally, looking ahead, Nia Christopher is preparing for her second season with Fort Lauderdale United FC. After a rookie year where she appeared in 13 matches, notching one assist and four shots on target, the 24-year-old forward will be looking to build on her experience as she heads into the new campaign.
Bermudian athletes have delivered a strong second day at the Junior Pan American Games, with impressive performances in both the pool and on the archery range.
In the aquatics preliminaries, Marleigh Howes finished 24th overall in the Women’s 200m Freestyle, while Elijah Daley placed 20th in the Men’s 100m Butterfly. The standout swimming performance came from Jack Harvey, who advanced to the Men’s 200m Backstroke ‘A’ Final with the fourth-fastest qualifying time. He then delivered a superb swim in the final, finishing an impressive fourth with a time of 2:02.27.
On the archery range, Jaydon Roberts and Robin Selley put in a series of exceptional performances. Roberts advanced to the Men’s Individual Recurve semi-finals after a thrilling 6-5 victory over Bolivia’s Nanuq Herzog, before falling to Columbia’s Andres Hernandez. Selley’s individual run ended in the quarter-finals.
The pair then teamed up for the Mixed Recurve Team event, where they defeated both Guatemala and a strong Brazilian team before being stopped by the USA in the semi-finals. Despite the loss, their combined efforts have earned them a spot in the bronze medal match, a testament to their teamwork and skill on the international stage.
With a metallic, friendly voice, Waldog is about the size of a beagle and initiates conversations with children and adults about animal rights
International News via Reuters:
He walks, he talks, he runs and he plays. He’s “Waldog,” an AI-powered robot that is making the rounds in the northern city of Monterrey, Mexico to raise awareness about animal abuse and welfare.
With a metallic, friendly voice, Waldog is about the size of a beagle and initiates conversations with children and adults about animal rights.
“Hi, I’m Waldog, and I’m here to give a voice to those who don’t have one, the animals who live on the streets,” he told one group of laughing residents in the low-income neighborhood of Santa Catarina in Monterrey on August 8.
Waldog told them his job is to “raise awareness” about animal treatment.
Federal Senator Waldo Fernandez of Monterrey told Reuters that he paid $4,084 for Waldog with his own money and named the pet after himself. Waldog needs adult accompaniment and is operated by a remote control.
Fernandez, a self-professed animal activist, said Waldog seeks to encourage kindness and responsibility toward animals and humans alike.
But it will also serve a practical purpose, Fernandez said in an Instagram post: Waldog will flag trash on the street, potholes and register fellow street dogs.
Robot dogs have also been used in search and rescue missions following natural disasters. U.S. authorities are also working on developing robot dogs for patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border.
For now, Fernandez said, Waldog has a full agenda: It will visit schools, plazas and neighborhoods across Monterrey’s metro area, in addition to posing for lots of selfies.
Reporting by Alberto Fajardo and Mariana Hernandez; Editing by Emily Green and Sonali Paul
Boeing continued to fall further behind European rival Airbus in deliveries this year
International News via Reuters:
U.S. planemaker Boeing said on Tuesday that it delivered 48 airplanes in July, down from 60 in June but five more than a year earlier. It was the most deliveries by the company in July since 2017, when it delivered 58 aircraft.
Boeing continued to fall further behind European rival Airbus in deliveries this year.
Airbus handed over 67 jets in July despite having a growing number of aircraft unable to be delivered because it lacks enough engines. That was down from 77 in July 2024, but it lifted Airbus’ year-to-date tally to 373, compared to Boeing’s 328.
Airbus is also leading the U.S. planemaker in single-aisle jet deliveries, with 286 A320neo family jets compared to Boeing’s 243 737 MAX jets. About 66% of all commercial jets are single-aisle planes.
Boeing delivered 37 of its best-selling 737 MAX jets in July, 20 of which were for aircraft lessors and 17 for airlines. Boeing also handed over eight 787s, two 777 freighters and one 767 freighter. Airbus delivered five regional A220 jets, 54 of its cash-cow A320neo family, two A330s and six A350s.
Aircraft deliveries are closely tracked by Wall Street because planemakers collect much of their payment when they hand over jets to customers.
Boeing booked 31 gross orders in July, which included 30 for 737 MAX jets and one for a 787. The Republic of Iraq canceled one 787 order, though it still has seven 787s on order.
By the end of July, the aerospace giant had received 699 new orders this year, or 655 net orders after adjusting for cancellations and conversions. Its order backlog was 5,968 after adjusting for U.S. accounting standards.
Airbus has struggled with delayed deliveries from its largest engine supplier, CFM International, co-owned by GE Aerospace and Safran, but delays have spread to its RTX-owned rival Pratt & Whitney in the wake of a recent strike, the European planemaker said.
Airbus still projects that it will deliver 820 jets by the end of the year, a 7% rise from last year.
Boeing has not given guidance for annual deliveries. The U.S. company is working to stabilize production after a mid-air panel blowout on a new 737 MAX in January 2024 exposed widespread production quality and safety problems.
Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Jamie Freed
SAP was briefly set for its biggest one-day drop since October 2020 and was last down 5.5%
International News via Reuters:
Software stocks in Europe fell sharply on Tuesday, with heavyweight SAP sliding more than 6% amid concerns over the risks that artificial intelligence could pose to this part of the technology sector.
SAP was briefly set for its biggest one-day drop since October 2020 and was last down 5.5%. Meanwhile, Dassault Systemes, Sage and Nemetschek fell between 4% and 10%, making tech the worst-performing sector in Europe.
One trader said the selloff mirrored declines among U.S. peers such as Adobe, Salesforce, Intuit and Workday on Monday, following a MarketWatch article that looked into the potential impact of AI on software companies, in particular.
On Monday, Melius Research downgraded Adobe to sell.
Reporting by Danilo Masoni; Editing by Amanda Cooper
When the BoE began quantitative easing in 2009 to boost the economy after the global financial crisis, the finance ministry agreed to cover any losses and take any profits
International News via Reuters:
The Bank of England on Tuesday lowered slightly to 115 billion pounds ($155 billion) its estimate of the net loss that Britain’s finance ministry will have to pay to cover the central bank’s bond-buying programme.
When the BoE began quantitative easing in 2009 to boost the economy after the global financial crisis, the finance ministry agreed to cover any losses and take any profits.
Gilt purchases ran until late 2021 – after extra rounds to support the economy through the shocks of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic – before the BoE put the 875 billion-pound programme into reverse in February, 2022. It is currently running down the stockpile at a pace of 100 billion pounds a year.
While Britain’s finance ministry made a 124 billion-pound profit from the programme when interest rates were near zero, the BoE now faces heavy losses which are set to reach 30 billion pounds annually in the coming years.
The shortfall reflects the fact that BoE interest rates are now higher than the average yield of the bonds it bought, as well as losses which are crystallised when the bonds are sold, as their market value is now lower than what the BoE paid.
Politicians, as well as former BoE deputy governors Charlie Bean and Paul Tucker, have criticised how the QE programme has been structured, saying it puts too much of a burden on the already stretched public finances.
But BoE Governor Andrew Bailey has said changes would disrupt monetary policy and the cash loss figure ignores the stronger economic growth and lower government borrowing costs brought by QE.
The BoE’s 115 billion-pound estimate of the net loss, which taxpayers will have to foot, takes into account the 124 billion-pound profit received in the years up to 2022.
The projected loss is similar whether the BoE sells bonds at a pace of 100 billion pounds a year or slows to 80 billion pounds, and assumes the BoE continues to cut interest rates – currently 4% – in line with market expectations.
A previous estimate made in the central bank’s last quarterly report in May showed a 120 billion-pound loss, while a year ago the BoE predicted a loss of 95 billion.
The BoE said losses would be much smaller at around 55 billion pounds if interest rates fell to what staff in 2018 judged to be their neutral level of around 2.5%. Markets now see BoE rates bottoming out at around 3.5% next year.
Tropical Storm Erin too far away at this time to determine any impact
Image: US National Weather Service
Tropical Storm Erin, about 1,800 nautical miles to our east-southeast, is too far from any land to know if or what impact it may have.
Erin is currently tracking west, and is forecast to pass north of the Leeward Islands as a category 3 hurricane on Sunday.
The US National Hurricane Center notes that it is still too early to determine what impact, if any, Erin may bring to the northern Leeward Islands, Bermuda or the east coast of the United States.
The NHC does advise, however, that this is an opportune time to ensure your storm preparation plans are in place, as we approach the climatological peak of the hurricane season.
Keep up with the latest weather news at weather.bm.
The vinyl version of the album is available for pre-order on Swift’s website at $30
International News via Reuters:
Superstar Taylor Swift on Tuesday announced her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl”.
Swift, who has won 14 Grammys including an unprecedented four trophies for album of the year, announced the album in a podcast episode with her boyfriend and U.S. football star Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce.
“This is my brand new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’,” Swift said while holding a blurred-out version of the album cover, in a clip of the New Heights podcast on Instagram. The full podcast episode is set to release at 7 pm (1100 GMT).
Swift’s website said the official release date of the album would be announced later.
The vinyl version of the album is available for pre-order on Swift’s website at $30. The cassette version costs $20, and a CD with a poster of Swift is available for $13.
The megastar, whose record-breaking “Eras” tour was the first to surpass $1 billion in revenue, announced the album after she purchased the master recordings of her first six albums in May, giving her control of all of her music after a dispute with her former record label.
Swift’s last album “The Tortured Poets Department” sold 2.61 million albums and streaming units during its first week of release in the U.S., with Billboard scoring it the largest streaming week for an album ever and the largest sales week for an album on vinyl in the modern era.
Spotify said “Poets” was its most-streamed album in a single week, surpassing 1 billion streams.
She is among several of music’s top artists releasing albums recently. Fellow pop artist Sabrina Carpenter will release album “Man’s Best Friend” in August, while singer Ed Sheeran is releasing an album in September.
Swift, 35, has been setting music industry milestones and boosting local economies with The Eras Tour, a phenomenon that some economists have termed “Swiftflation.”
The term is used to describe how her massively popular tour has created temporary surges in local prices – particularly in sectors like hotels, dining, travel, and entertainment.
Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue, Stephen Coates and Kim Coghill
The company said it completed 8,749 homes in the year
International News via Reuters:
Britain’s Bellway expects to build more homes in its new financial year after higher completions and average selling prices helped to boost profit margins in the year ended July 31, the housebuilder said on Tuesday.
The company’s upbeat tone about Britain’s housing market, which has been bogged down by elevated interest rates, sticky inflation and planning delays, sent its London-listed shares and those of its peers higher in early trade.
Rivals Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Redrow and Berkeley have sounded more downbeat in recent months.
“We have entered the new financial year with a healthy forward order book and outlet opening programme and, if market conditions remain stable, we are well-positioned to deliver further growth in FY26,” Bellway CEO Jason Honeyman said in a trading update.
The company, which builds everything from social housing and one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes and luxury penthouses, said it completed 8,749 homes in the year ended July 31, up 14.3% year-on-year. The average selling price was around 316,000 pounds ($425,304), slightly ahead of its expectations.
It expects to build around 9,200 homes in the year ending July 2026 and increase cash generation for shareholder returns.
At 0730 GMT, Bellway’s shares were up 1.9% at 2,484 pence, in a UK housing index up 1.4%.
“In our view the market will improve in the coming year, suggesting there are upside risks to company guidance” RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a note.
UK home sales surged in early 2025 as first-time buyers rushed to complete purchases ahead of the March 31 expiry of temporary stamp duty relief.
Bellway, which will publish full fiscal 2025 results on October 14, said its underlying operating margin was expected to approach 11%, compared with 10% the year before.
Its forward order book stood at 5,307 homes on July 31, up from 5,144 a year earlier.
($1 = 0.7430 pounds)
Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job and Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru. Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Mark Potter
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