Bermuda’s athletes in action both on the local and global stage
Bermuda’s up and coming football talent was on full display as the 2025 Bermuda Triangle Cup at the National Sports Centre. Meantime Bermuda’s young tennis players are making headlines in the Dominican Republic. These stories and more in today’s Sports Round-Up.
Josh Frias, 16, died after a collision on Parson’s Lane last week; a family member is calling for the narrow road to become a one-way
An online petition calling for Parsons Lane to become a one-way street had attracted more than 1,300 signatures by Thursday evening.
It comes in the wake of the fatal collision on July 17th that claimed the life of 16-year-old Josh Frias.
Olivia de Frias – the aunt of the young man who died – started the petition.
She notes that the road has “long been recognized as dangerous,” citing three other fatal crashes there over the last 20 years.
The others who died – Ryan Burgess, Akil Williams and Jahmeiko Perkins – were between 18 and 24 years-old.
Ms de Frias says we owe it to all these young men to take meaningful action, adding that “by making Parsons Lane a one-way street, we can honour their memories with a lasting change that prioritizes safety and saves lives.”
Grants for sports and community clubs are for ‘preventative’ measures, in line with national strategy
$540,000 in funding has been provided to community organisations, as part of an effort to reduce violence in Bermuda.
Michael Weeks, National Security Minister, told the House last Friday that more than half of the funds, $288,000, goes to sports clubs, $135,000 to community support organisations, $84,000 to education support initiatives, and $35,000 to youth mentorship programmes.
The funds support the goals of the National Violence Reduction Strategy.
In the interview above, Gary Foster Skelton asked Minister Weeks how the use of the funds will be monitored.
U12 girls and boys teams hold court in regional ITF event in DR
Bermuda’s Under 12 Girls’ and Boys’ tennis teams continued to impress at the 2025 ITF/COTECC Sub Region 3 competition in the Dominican Republic, battling both opponents and persistent rain delays.
The Girls’ squad, led by captain Steve Bean, secured another dominant 3-0 victory over the Bahamas. Arianna Parra Delgado won her No.1 Singles match 6-0, 6-1, and Chloe McBrearty followed with a 6-1, 6-1 win in the No.2 Singles. Lee Terciera and Chloe McBrearty then completed the sweep in doubles, winning 6-1, 6-3.
The Boys’ team, captained by Evan Heyliger, also started strongly against the Dominica Two team, leading 2-0 before rain suspended play. Oliver Anderson won his No.1 Singles match 6-0, 6-0, and Trystan Thompson doubled the lead with a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the No.2 Singles. The doubles match, with Manuel Maldonado and Trystan Thompson, was interrupted with Bermuda leading 6-3, 2-1, and will conclude tomorrow.
Despite the challenging conditions, both Bermudian teams are showcasing their talent and determination on the international stage.
Broadcom had wrapped up the purchase of VMWare in November 2023
International News via Reuters:
European Union judges could review chipmaker Broadcom’s $69 billion acquisition of cloud computing firm VMWare, after an antitrust complaint opposed the bloc’s approval of one of the biggest takeovers in the technology industry.
The Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe, or CISPE, has filed a formal appeal before the European General Court seeking an annulment of the European Commission’s approval of the deal, the organisation said on Thursday.
Broadcom had wrapped up the purchase of VMWare in November 2023, after intense scrutiny from regulators globally forced the company to delay the closing date thrice.
The European Commission’s official summary of its approval decision was published in May, acknowledging that the acquisition posed significant risks to competition.
“However, it failed to impose any conditions on Broadcom to prevent a concentration of dominance or to mitigate the potential abuse of such a position,” CISPE said.
CISPE said it has “consistently raised alarms” with the Commission over Broadcom’s unfair software licensing practices, but no substantive action has been taken to support either European cloud service providers or their customers.
VMware’s dominance of software in the virtualisation market “means that unfair new licensing terms enforced by Broadcom affect almost every European organisation using cloud technology”, said Francisco Mingorance, Secretary General of CISPE.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said it is ready to defend its decisions in court.
“Broadcom strongly disagrees with these allegations,” a company spokesperson said, adding that the deal was approved after a “thorough merger review process, and we will uphold the commitments made to the Commission at that time.”
The deal, one of the biggest globally when announced in May 2022, was part of Broadcom CEO Hock Tan’s efforts to boost the chipmaker’s software business.
Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City, Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru and Foo Yun Chee in Brussels; Editing by Devika Syamnath
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) sets out a list of dos and don’ts for seven Big Tech companies including Alphabet unit Google
International News via Reuters:
Alphabet was targeted with an EU antitrust complaint from six human and digital rights groups on Thursday which urged EU regulators to investigate whether the tech giant complies with legislation requiring it to make it easier for users to uninstall software apps.
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which took effect two years ago, sets out a list of dos and don’ts for seven Big Tech companies including Alphabet unit Google, in an attempt to curb their power and give rivals more room and users more choice.
British human rights organisation ARTICLE 19, European Digital Rights (EDRi), Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), Gesellschaft fur Freiheitsrechte (GFF), Homo Digitalis, and Vrijschrift.org. said Alphabet allegedly has not complied with the DMA.
They said the alleged violation concerned a DMA requirement that gatekeepers or companies which provide a core platform service to business users, shall technically enable users to easily uninstall software applications on the gatekeeper’s operating system.
“Alphabet has designed its Core Platform Service Android in a way to hide from end users the possibility to disable its own pre-installed gatekeeper apps,” they said in their complaint.
“What is more, Alphabet goes to great length to scare away end users who have found that possibility against all odds of actually disabling Google’s pre-installed apps,” they said.
The group called on the European Commission to investigate the issue.
Alphabet refuted the allegations.
“It is easy to uninstall apps on Android devices, so this complaint does not represent a genuine user concern. Other regulators, including the CMA, have previously dismissed this complaint,” a Google spokesperson said.
The CMA is the British competition watchdog.
The Commission confirmed receipt of the complaint, saying it is currently assessing it under its standard procedures.
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Susan Fenton
Money markets now price in less than a 25% chance of a 25 basis-point rate cut when the ECB meets next on September 11
International News via Reuters:
Traders grew more convinced on Thursday that the European Central Bank will hold rates after the summer as the bank’s relatively upbeat assessment of the economic outlook and signs an EU-U.S. trade deal is near reduced bets on further cuts.
Money markets now price in less than a 25% chance of a 25 basis-point rate cut when the ECB meets next on September 11.
That’s down from close to 50% on Wednesday, before news broke that the European Union and the United States were heading towards a deal that would result in a broad tariff of 15% applying to EU goods.
The ECB, which kept rates on hold on Thursday after eight cuts over the last year that halved its policy rate to 2%, fuelled those moves further.
Traders also reduced bets on another rate cut by the end of the year following ECB President Christine Lagarde’s comments and now see a roughly 70% chance of a move by December, having nearly fully priced it in last week.
Before the ECB’s press conference they had seen an October move as a coin toss.
At the central bank’s post-meeting news conference, Lagarde stressed the ECB was in a “good place” to hold policy and watch how risks develop in the coming months.
“Perhaps it was the lack of the use of the word ‘pause’ and she (Lagarde) described rates as on hold and decision by decision,” said UBS Wealth Management economist Dean Turner.
Two-year German bond yields, sensitive to interest rate expectations, rose as much as 11 bps to 1.91%, and were eyeing their biggest one-day jump since May.
Germany’s 10-year yield, the benchmark for the euro area, was up similarly.
The euro reversed most of an earlier fall against the dollar and was last flat at around $1.1776
European shares slightly pared gains and were last up 0.2%.
Lagarde playing down ECB forecasts showing inflation below target next year had also made her sound “a bit hawkish”, said Arne Petimezas, director of research at AFS Group.
A 15% tariff would be only half the 30% rate U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to impose on the EU earlier in July. If it materialises it also takes out the ECB’s worst case scenario of a 20% tariff.
Indeed, two sources told Reuters policymakers are setting a high bar for a September cut and would need to see a significant deterioration in growth and inflation before backing further easing.
CUT OR HIKE?
But with no certainty on the final tariff outcome, the policy outlook remains uncertain.
Some investors remained sceptical that a 15% tariff rate improved the euro zone outlook materially.
“Unlike Japan, the relationship between Europe and the U.S. is more complicated as it also includes a security angle,” said Salman Ahmed, global head of macro and strategic asset allocation at Fidelity International, who expects more rate cuts to shield the bloc’s economy.
How much the euro rises from here was also key, as its appreciation hurts exporters and – according to Lagarde – makes it harder for firms to invest.
The euro surged nearly 17% from February to early July, hitting its highest since 2021 around $1.18, prompting the ECB’s vice president to signal $1.20 as a pain point.
It is not too far off those levels now.
If trade uncertainty fades, the ECB may not need to cut rates again and the focus is likely to shift to the timing of a rate hike, analysts said.
Traders price in a roughly 30% chance of a rate hike in the second half of 2026, LSEG data shows, with German fiscal stimulus expected to start supporting the bloc’s economy.
“Markets are not far away from switching focus from the last cut to the first hike,” said Deutsche Bank’s chief European economist Mark Wall.
Reporting by Lucy Raitano, Dhara Ranasinghe, Naomi Rovnick and Yoruk Bahceli in London and Danilo Masoni in Milan; Editing by Amanda Cooper, Dhara Ranasinghe and Susan Fenton
The route will not resume operations tomorrow as previously scheduled
Government press release:
The Ministry of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport advises that the Pink Ferry Route, which services the Paget and Warwick communities, will not resume operations on July 25, 2025, as previously scheduled.
This essential route has faced ongoing mechanical challenges due to the aging fleet. The Department of Marine and Ports is actively working to complete necessary repairs.
Several components require custom machining, which has extended repair timelines despite accelerated efforts. The Ministry remains committed to restoring service as soon as possible, and we will keep the public informed as repair work progresses.
Hogan parlayed his wrestling fame into a less successful career in Hollywood
International News via Reuters:
Hulk Hogan, the American sports and entertainment star who made professional wrestling a global phenomenon and loudly supported Donald Trump for president, has died at the age of 71, World Wrestling Entertainment said on Thursday.
“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s,” WWE said on X. It gave no cause of death.
The bleach-blond, mahogany-tanned behemoth became the face of professional wrestling in the 1980s, helping transform the mock combat from a seedy spectacle into family-friendly entertainment worth billions of dollars.
A key moment in that evolution came at the WrestleMania III extravaganza in 1987, when Hogan hoisted fellow wrestler André the Giant before a sold-out Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan for a thunderous body slam of the Frenchman.
Hogan parlayed his wrestling fame into a less successful career in Hollywood, starring in films like “Rocky III” and “Santa With Muscles,” but kept returning to the ring as long as his body would allow.
In 2024, he appeared at the Republican National Convention to endorse the presidential bid of Trump, who in the 1980s had played host to Hulk-headlined WrestleManias. Hogan said he made the decision to support the Republican candidate after seeing his combative, fist-pumping reaction to an attempted assassination on the campaign trail.
“Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!” Hogan bellowed to a cheering crowd, ripping off his shirt to reveal a Trump tank top. “Let Trumpamania rule again!”
BECOMING ‘HULK’
Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, on Aug. 11, 1953, the future Hulk and his family soon moved to the Tampa, Florida area. After high school, he played bass guitar for area rock bands, but felt a pull to the red-hot wrestling scene in Florida in the 1970s.
Many of the details of his career were showbusiness exaggerations, representative of the blurred lines between fact and fiction in wrestling.
His first trainer reportedly broke Hogan’s leg to dissuade him from entering the business, but he kept at wrestling, weight training, and – he later admitted – anabolic steroids. He gained in notoriety as his biceps turned into what he dubbed the “24-inch pythons.”
The “Hulk” moniker came from comparisons to the comic-book hero portrayed on TV at the time. He would end up paying royalties to Marvel Comics for years. “Hogan” was the invention of promoter Vincent J. McMahon, the owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), who wanted Irish representation among his stable of stars.
His appearance as wrestler Thunderlips in “Rocky III,” where he dwarfed leading man Sylvester Stallone, rocketed Hogan to the mainstream. Upon a return to the WWF, now controlled by McMahon’s son Vincent K., he defeated the Iron Sheik in 1984 to claim the world championship, a belt he would hold for four years.
Hogan became a household name, appearing on the cover of magazine Sports Illustrated and performing alongside pop culture stars like Mr. T. The WWF came to dominate wrestling, anchored by its annual WrestleMania pay-per-view events.
FACING ‘THE ROCK’
Later, he joined competitor World Championship Wrestling, swapping his trademark yellow tights for black and taking on a persona as the villainous “Hollywood” Hogan, the head of a gang of rulebreakers known as the New World Order. The gimmick reinvigorated his career.
Hogan eventually returned to the WWF, now known as WWE, and faced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania in 2002.
“I’m in better shape than him,” Hogan told Reuters at the time, five months shy of his 50th birthday. “I’ll stand next to The Rock and pose down with him if he wants to.” The Rock ultimately won the match.
Hogan was inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame, and referred to himself as the “Babe Ruth” of wrestling – after the New York Yankees’ famed baseball player.
But Hogan’s support of Trump in 2024 did not go down well with all wrestling fans, and he also faced other controversies. Gossip website Gawker was shuttered after it posted parts of a sex tape between him and a friend’s wife and Hogan sued on privacy grounds, winning a $140 million judgment.
In 2015, he was suspended by the WWE after another surreptitious recording revealed that Hogan had used a racial slur. He was reinstated in 2018.
He was married three times and had two children, who starred alongside him and first wife Linda in a 2005-2007 reality TV show, “Hogan Knows Best.”
Reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo, additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Olivier Holmey
Update from police, 6:35pm: The roadway has now been reopened to regular traffic flow.
Press release from the police:
Please be advised there has been a serious road traffic collision, involving two motorcycles near the junction of Knapton Hill and South Road, Smith’s.
The roadway will remain closed while the collision scene is processed.
Eastbound raffic is being diverted onto St. Marks Road at its junction with South Road. Westbound traffic is being allowed over Knapton Hill onto South Road.
Motorists are urged to approach these locations with caution.
Acting Detective Superintendent Derricka Burns thanked members of the public for their assistance in averting a “potentially tragic situation.”
A senior was arrested and detained early this morning for knife possession outside a popular night club.
Police said they responded to a fight between two men outside Front Yard on Front Street at 3am today. A 61-year -old man was found holding a large knife.
It was seized by police and the suspect was arrested and due before the courts.
Acting Detective Superintendent Derricka Burns thanked members of the public for their assistance in averting a “potentially tragic situation.”
She warned against people carrying dangerous weapons in public places stating that they, “pose a threat to not only other members of the public, but also themselves, as they face having the weapon taken away and used against them by their intended target, or by being targeted for retaliation.”
She suggested that if anyone feels threatened, do not arm yourself, report your concern to someone in authority.
Meanwhile a 19 year old woman was arrested following a chase through the City just after midnigth on Tuesday.
Police said the rider failed to stop at a sign near Stow Hill junction and ignored officers signal to pull over.
She continued traveling towards Hamilton via Crow Lane, disobeying several traffic signs, red lights and rode in the opposite direction of a one-way street.
According to a police spokesperson, the rider was eventually apprehended and arrested for dangerous driving following a brief foot chase. A test showed she was over the legal blood alcohol limit.
The matter is now before the Department of Public Prosecutions for charges to be approved.
Senior arrested on Front Street for knife possession, police renew witness appeal for the 2017 murder of Jahcari Francis, petitioners call for Parsons Lane to become a one-way street following fatal traffic incident plus all the latest sports news
