Pure, the signature all-white dance party of Bermuda’s Heroes Weekend, returned in style on Sunday at Albouy’s Point. Organized by Wild Apache Promotions, the long-time Carnival favorite brought energy, music, and a sea of white to the waterfront venue. Kendal Trott was on hand to capture the vibrant sights and sounds of an unforgettable night.
Bermuda Swimmers Ready for Florida Challenge
12-strong squad set to make waves at the Planet Swim & Tennis Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida
A strong contingent of Bermudian swimmers is poised to make a splash at the 2025 Planet Swim Summer Championships, taking place from June 20th to 22nd at the Planet Swim & Tennis Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
With the 2025 CCCAN Championships postponed, this competition serves as a crucial alternative, providing vital international racing exposure. The squad, coached by Head National Swimming Coach Ben Smith, features a blend of national team veterans and promising development-level swimmers who have achieved two AA standards, ensuring invaluable international experience for the next generation.
The 12-member team will compete across 63 individual events, spanning sprint, middle-distance, and endurance disciplines, alongside relays. Coach Smith expressed confidence, stating the competition “promises to be a challenging and rewarding experience with strong Florida region talent to race against and opportunities to qualify for finals.”
The meet, held in a 50-meter Olympic-standard pool, offers a high-performance environment with prelims in the mornings and finals in the late afternoons. All eyes will be on Team Bermuda as they dive into action, looking to showcase the island’s burgeoning aquatic talent.
Bermudian Sprinter Named to All-Area Team
Outerbridge Named to All-Area Team After Sensational Season
Bermudian sprint star Miles Outerbridge has capped a truly outstanding track and field season by being named to the prestigious Orlando Sentinel All-Area Team for boys’ track and field. The Montverde Academy athlete’s inclusion is a fitting reward for a campaign laden with victories, personal bests, and consistently high-level performances.
Outerbridge proved a formidable force in both the 100 and 200-meter events. His dominant form shone through at the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) district championship on April 24th, where he secured a superb double victory in both sprint disciplines.
He continued this strong showing with impressive runner-up finishes in both the 100m and 200m at the regional championship on May 2nd, and again at the state championship on May 9th, consistently performing at the highest level of high school competition.
Earlier in the season, Outerbridge demonstrated his speed with a string of first-place finishes in the 100 meters, including triumphs at the Florida State Relays on March 28th. A significant highlight was his personal best of 10.40 seconds at the highly competitive Pepsi Florida Relays on April 5th, showcasing his immense potential.
The 200 meters also saw Outerbridge dominate, with his personal best of 20.83 seconds coming during his win at the Florida State Relays.
Next up for the talented Bermudian, Miles Outerbridge will now set his sights on the national stage, as he prepares to compete at the highly anticipated New Balance Outdoor Nationals, which begins today, June 19th. All eyes will be on the young sprinter as he looks to continue his outstanding form against the best in the country.
BBC Radio News: Thursday Noon – 19 June 2025
For the latest news and sports, presenters Gary Foster Skelton and Earl Basden bring you today’s noon radio cast.
Opinion: We’re driving ahead with road repairs
A dedicated pothole repair crew is now working on weekends to handle emergency patch jobs
Senator Lindsay Simmons: “After several frustrating years real, visible progress can be seen on our roads.”
Statement by PLP Senator Lindsay Simmons:
If you’ve driven across the island, you’ve probably noticed fewer potholes, smoother roads, and the crews are out and about. After several frustrating years real, visible progress can be seen on our roads.
From potholes to paving, from equipment upgrades to budget increases, we are not only listening, we’re delivering.
In the 2025/26 Budget, we committed over $5 million specifically for road and sidewalk resurfacing, pothole repair, and drainage upgrades. That’s part of an overall increase for the Ministry of Public Works, bringing its total funding to $84.1 million and represents a clear demonstration of our commitment to rebuilding infrastructure and restoring our roads.
Your PLP Government has:
– Signed multimillion-dollar agreement with Astec Industries and will deliver new asphalt plant components, a milling machine, paver, and shuttle buggy.
– Imported paving machinery, with the asphalt plant equipment scheduled to begin arriving this summer with the plant installation site expected to be fully operational in early 2026
This will allow us to pave faster, more efficiently, and more durably than ever before.Government crews and contractors have completed or are actively working on:
– Middle Road in Warwick and Sandys
– Scaur Hill and Somerset Bridge
– George’s Bay Road to Evans Bay
– Loyal Hill
– Flora Duffy Hill (pending completion of utility work in the area)
– Smith’s Drive, Devonshire
– Harrington Sound Road
Where utility works have been completed, paving has followed. Where resurfacing is still needed, dates are scheduled. It’s not all done yet, but we are making progress.
To support these efforts:
– 14 new street sweepers have been added, increasing the manpower to 21.
– A dedicated pothole repair crew is now working on weekends to handle emergency patch jobs faster.
– Government has partnered with private contractors like East End Asphalt Ltd., ensuring more work gets done across the island.
We’re also addressing long-overdue safety concerns. That includes:
– Installing new guardrails at high-risk locations.
– Repairing and replacing wooden fences along South Road and other busy corridors.
– Installing flashing beacons at crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety.
– Upgrading drainage infrastructure to reduce flooding during heavy rainfall.
New traffic signal control panels for Marsh Folly and Crow Lane have been ordered and are expected this summer.
Progress will continue throughout the summer and fall with:
– Expanded resurfacing across all parishes.
– Continued guardrail, lighting, and crosswalk upgrades.
– Improved communication on upcoming roadworks and traffic diversions.
Are all our roads perfect?
Not yet, but the difference today is clear, and our roads and infrastructure will only get better.
– Senator Lindsay Simmons is the PLP’s candidate in Constituency 10, Smith’s North
Registration set to open for 2026 Newport Bermuda Race
Entry opens tomorrow for the iconic offshore sailing race
Organizers have announced in a press release that registration for the 120th edition of the iconic offshore sailing race commences tomorrow, June 20. Photos supplied
Full statement:
The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee is proud to announce that entry opens Friday June 20, 2025 at 1300 EDT, for the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race, one year prior to the start on Friday June 19, 2026 at the same time. This upcoming edition will mark a historic milestone as the Race celebrates 120 years since its founding in 1906, and 100 years of partnership between the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club as co-organizers of the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race and one of the few international distance races held almost entirely out of sight of land.
“The Newport Bermuda Race is not only a test of seamanship and preparation—it’s a celebration of what makes offshore sailing so meaningful,” said Andrew Kallfelz, returning race chair. “2026 will be an opportunity to honor the race’s extraordinary history while continuing to innovate in how we engage sailors and spectators, from Bermuda, New England, and beyond.”
Once again, the race will start off Fort Adams State Park, a move first introduced in 2024 that transformed the launch of this legendary offshore race into a vibrant, public-facing celebration. Building on that success, the 2026 event will become the “Newport Bermuda Race Starting Line Festival”—turning up the volume to match Fort Adams’ legacy as the backdrop of Rhode Island’s most iconic summer festivals.
In 2024, the public enjoyed a front-row view of 162 boats—ranging from 30 to 100 feet—as they set out on the 636-nautical-mile ocean passage to Bermuda. Food trucks, bars, live music, exhibits, family activities, and expert commentary created a unique festival atmosphere that welcomed over 4,000 on-site visitors and over 25,000 online viewers. The Starting Line Festival is poised to become a beloved summer tradition in the sailing capital of the U.S.
Excitement is already building across the Atlantic, with international teams locking the Newport Bermuda Race into their 2026 racing calendars. Among them is the Swan 56 Azaha, based in Mallorca.
“Our team includes veterans who have sailed around the world and some younger guys who are high-level sailors,” said Hervé Grünig, speaking from Europe. “We’ll be coming up after the RORC 600 and are excited to take on this historic race.”
Closer to home, Hound, a top contender in 2024, is also back in the hunt. After narrowly missing the St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy due to a 30-minute penalty for being over early at the start, owner Dan Litchfield expressed his determination to return during the Race Prep Seminar Series this past spring. The team is currently taking part in the Transatlantic Race and plans to take on the Fastnet—all part of building momentum for the 2026 Bermuda Race.
With both international and domestic teams already planning their campaigns, the 2026 race is shaping up to be a truly world-class event.
Sailors and teams are encouraged to visit bermudarace.com to access the Notice of Race, review eligibility and safety requirements, and begin the entry process. A webinar was hosted earlier this week outlining the process and explaining some of the frequently asked questions.
This edition is expected to once again draw a wide spectrum of participants—from seasoned ocean racers to first-time offshore crews—competing across multiple divisions, including the St. David’s Lighthouse, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Finisterre (cruising), and Open classes.
Flags at half-mast to honour Scott
Funeral takes place today for former City Councillor Lawrence ‘Larry’ Scott
Honouring ‘Larry’: City Hall today. Photo supplied
All flags on Hamilton city properties will be flown at half-mast today, from sunrise to sunset, in honour of former Councillor Lawrence ‘Larry’ Scott.
A statement was issued from City Hall: “This observance coincides with the day of his funeral and serves as a tribute to his service and contributions to the City of Hamilton.”
Mr Scott died last month at the age of 78.
He was a lawyer and former Senator, and the brother of the former Attorney General Michael Scott.
Australia, New Zealand evacuate small number of citizens, diplomats from Israel, Iran
Australians in Iran were advised to leave if it was safe to, or shelter in place
International news via Reuters:
Australia has evacuated a small number of citizens from Israel, and New Zealand embassy staff have left Iran, but the two governments warned that closed airspace limited how they can assist thousands of citizens requesting help to leave the conflict zone.
Around 1,500 Australians in Iran have registered for assistance, with another 1,200 Australians in Israel seeking to leave, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday.
The Australian government evacuated a small group from Israel through a land border crossing on Wednesday, and would look for more opportunities over the next day, Wong told reporters.
“There are real limits, hard limits, on what the government can do. The airspace remains closed,” she said.
Australians in Iran were advised to leave if it was safe to, or shelter in place.
“We’ve been hoping to get the capacity for aircraft to get in and out, but at this stage airports and the airspace are still closed. In Israel we have additional options, whereas in Iran it is very difficult,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in a radio interview.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said New Zealand was doing all it could to help its citizens in the face of “very serious practical constraints”, and was providing advice on overland border exits.
New Zealand has temporarily closed its Tehran embassy and evacuated two staff and their family by land to Azerbaijan, he said.
“An opportunity arose overnight to get our embassy staff out of Iran, as part of a convoy alongside government officials from other countries,” he said.
New Zealand’s consular partners are considering evacuation flights when air space reopens and the government is working closely with Australia, he added.
Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
US will strike North Korea if South attacked with nukes, South’s spy chief nominee says
North Korea has for years pursued a nuclear programme but has yet to see success
International news via Reuters:
South Korea’s nominee for spy agency director said on Thursday he believed the United States would strike North Korea with nuclear weapons if Pyongyang launched a nuclear attack against South Korea.
Lee Jong-seok made the comment during a nomination hearing in answer to a question if he believed Washington would strike the North and put Americans at risk from a country even if Pyongyang has deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“Yes, that is my belief,” Lee said, after saying the hypothetical scenario of South Korea coming under the North’s nuclear attack is directly related to the security alliance between the two countries.
North Korea has for years pursued a nuclear programme and is believed to have stockpiled fissile materials to build atomic weapons although it has not tested a missile mounted with such a weapon.
Lee is nominated to lead South Korea’s National Intelligence Service under new liberal President Lee Jae Myung who took office on June 4.
Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Christian Schmollinger
Sterling slips ahead of Bank of England decision; Middle East in focus
Traders are betting the BoE will follow suit in keeping rates steady on Thursday
International news via Reuters:
Sterling slipped versus a stronger dollar on Thursday ahead of the Bank of England’s policy decision, with no change to rates the widely expected outcome, while investor sentiment remained fragile given the flaring conflict in the Middle East.
At 0618 GMT the pound was 0.24% lower at $1.339 and unchanged against the euro, which held at 85.515 pence..
The dollar strengthened after the Federal Reserve held rates steady as expected on Wednesday, and amid a surge in safe haven demand as a conflict in the Middle East continues and President Donald Trump weighs U.S. involvement.
Traders are betting the BoE will follow suit in keeping rates steady on Thursday, even as the UK’s economic growth is faltering and inflation cooled slightly in May.
The chance of no change stands at 96% with a tiny chance of a 25 basis point rate cut. Attention will be on the voting, after last month’s surprise three-way split among policymakers.
A Reuters poll last week of 60 economists found that all of them expect the BoE to keep rates at 4.25% in June and almost all forecast a quarter-point rate cut in August.
A jump in the price of oil during the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict presents another problem for the central bank to grapple with, as it could keep inflation higher.
The pound has slipped more than 1% since last Thursday, but it remains 7% higher against the greenback in 2025, helped by a rush away from U.S. assets spurred by heightened trade uncertainty in light of Trump’s tariffs.
Also helping out is the fact that the UK is the only country to have struck a trade deal with the United States. Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer finalised the deal at the G7 summit this week.
Reporting by Lucy Raitano; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Jamie Freed
Google faces setback as EU court adviser backs antitrust regulators
Regulators said Google’s illegal practices dated back to 2011
International news via Reuters:
Alphabet’s Google faced a potential setback on Thursday as an adviser to Europe’s highest court sided with EU antitrust regulators in the company’s fight against a record 4.34 billion euro ($4.98 billion) fine levied seven years ago.
The European Commission in its 2018 decision said Google had used its Android mobile operating system to block rivals. A lower tribunal endorsed the EU finding in 2022 but trimmed the fine to 4.1 billion euros, prompting Google to appeal to Europe’s top court.
Advocate-General at the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Juliane Kokott, in her non-binding opinion, advised the court to dismiss Google’s appeal and confirm the reduced fine set by the lower tribunal.
“The legal arguments put forward by Google are ineffective,” she said.
Kokott dismissed Google’s argument that regulators should compare Google with a rival in assessing the situation.
“It is not realistic, in the present case, to compare the situation of Google with that of a hypothetical as-efficient competitor. Google held a dominant position in several markets of the Android-ecosystem and thus benefited from network effects that enabled it to ensure that users used Google Search,” she said.
Judges, who usually follow four out of five such non-binding opinions, will rule in the coming months.
“Android has created more choice for everyone and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world,” a Google spokesperson said on Thursday.
“We are disappointed with the Opinion which, if it were followed by the Court, would discourage investment in open platforms and harm Android users, partners and app developers.”
Regulators said Google’s illegal practices dated back to 2011, as it required manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and its Chrome browser together with its Google Play app store on their Android devices. It paid them to pre-install only Google Search and blocked them from using rival Android systems.
Google’s Android system, which it lets device makers use for free, runs about 73% of the world’s smartphones, according to Statcounter.
The world’s most popular internet search engine has racked up a total of 8.25 billion euros in fines linked to three investigations stretching back more than a decade, while other probes are ongoing.
The case is C-738/22 P Google and Alphabet v Commission.
($1 = 0.8726 euros)
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Bernadette Baum
Dollar firms as Mideast worries cast shadow, Norges Bank delivers surprise cut
Some analysts said investors were looking to cover their short-dollar positions
International news via Reuters:
The dollar held mostly steady on Thursday as the threat of a broader Middle East conflict loomed over markets, while a flurry of central bank decisions including a surprise cut from Norway kept traders busy.
Rapidly rising geopolitical tensions have boosted the dollar, which has reclaimed its safe-haven status in recent days.
Iran and Israel carried out further air attacks on Thursday, with the conflict entering its seventh day. Concerns over potential U.S. involvement have also grown, as President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about whether the United States will join Israel’s bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites.
The Federal Reserve left rates steady on Wednesday, and now traders are counting down to a Bank of England (BoE) meeting due later in the day, with bets on no change to the base rate.
The Swiss franc, meanwhile, was stronger against the dollar following an expected rate cut from the Swiss National Bank.
But the surprise came from the Norges Bank, which delivered a 25 bps rate cut, while markets had expected the Norwegian central bank to hold rates.
The dollar and the euro both surged against the Norwegian crown, and were last up 0.7% and 0.6% < EURNOK=D3>. The crown is still one of the top-performing major currencies against the dollar this year, with a gain of around 11%.
Meanwhile, the euro was 0.1% weaker at $1.147. The yen last fetched 145.28 per dollar. The Swiss franc strengthened after the SNB avoided delivering a larger half-point cut. By 0930 GMT, the dollar was 0.4% down against the Swiss franc fetching 0.8157 francs, while the euro fell 0.3% to 0.9369.
The dollar index, which measures the currency against six others, was flat at 98.9 and was set for about a 0.8% gain for the week, its strongest weekly performance since late February.
Some analysts said investors were looking to cover their short-dollar positions.
“The dollar seems ripe for a short-covering rally – especially if the U.S. wades into the Middle East conflict,” said Matt Simpson, a senior analyst at City Index.
Geopolitical concerns appear to have overshadowed the FOMC outcome, according to Christopher Wong, currency strategist at OCBC. “Risk aversion dominates sentiments, and that puts pressure on risk-sensitive FX.”
U.S. markets are closed on Thursday for the federal Juneteenth holiday, which could mean liquidity is lower.
FED STANDS PAT
In a widely expected move, the Fed held rates steady, with policymakers signalling they still expect to cut rates by half a percentage point this year, although not all of them agreed on a need for rate cuts.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said goods price inflation will pick up over the course of the summer as Trump’s tariffs start to impact consumers.
“Ultimately, the cost of the tariff has to be paid, and some of it will fall on the end consumer,” Powell told a press conference on Wednesday. “We know that because that’s what businesses say. That’s what the data say from the past.”
The comments from Powell underscore the challenge facing policymakers as they navigate uncertainties from tariffs and geopolitical risks, leaving markets anxious about the path of U.S. interest rates.
Still, traders are pricing in at least two rate cuts this year though analysts are unsure of the starting point.
“The market is anticipating two 25 bp rate cuts this year, most probably September and December, but, we think the September FOMC will come too soon for the Fed to be comfortable cutting rates,” ING economists said in a note.
The Australian dollar fell 0.6% at $0.647, while the New Zealand dollar slipped 0.8% to $0.647.
Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in SingaporeEditing by Jacqueline Wong, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Frances Kerry
