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A path to better data engineering A path to better data engineering Today’s data landscape presents unprecedented challenges for organisations, due to the need for businesses to process thousands of documents in numerous data formats. These, as Bogdan Raduta, head of research for FlowX.ai, points out, can range from PDFs and spreadsheets, to images, to multimedia, which all need to be brought together and processed into meaningful information. Each data source has its own data model and requirements, and unless they can be brought together in a meaningful way, organisations end up dealing with data silos. This can mean users are forced to move between one application and another, and cutting and pasting information from different systems to get useful insights to drive informed decision-making. However, traditional data engineering approaches struggle with the complexity of pulling in data in different formats. “While conventional ETL [extract, translate and load] data pipelines excel at processing structured data, they falter when confronting the ambiguity and variability of real-world information,” says Raduta. What this means is that rule-based systems become brittle and expensive to maintain as the variety of data sources grows. In his experience, even modern integration platforms, designed for application programming interface (API)-driven workflows, struggle with the semantic understanding required to process natural language content effectively. With all of the hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and data, the tech industry really should be able to handle this level of data heterogeneity. But, Jesse Anderson, managing director of Big Data Institute, argues that there is a lack of understanding of the job roles and skills needed for data sciences. One misconception, according to Anderson, is that data scientists have traditionally been mistaken for people who create models and do all of the engineering work required. But he says: “If you ever want to hear how something data-related can’t be done, just go to the ‘no team’ for data warehousing, and you’ll be told, ‘no, it can’t be done’.” This perception of reality doesn’t bode well for the industry, he says, because the data projects don’t go anywhere. Developing a data engineering mindset Anderson believes that part of the confusion comes from the two quite different definitions of the data engineering role. One definition describes a structured query language (SQL)-focused person. This, he says, is someone who can pull information from different data sources by writing queries using SQL. The other definition is a software engineer with specialised knowledge in creating data systems. Such individuals, says Anderson, can write code and write SQL queries. More importantly, they can create complex systems for data where a SQL-focused person is totally reliant on less complex systems, often relying on low-code or no-code tools. “The ability to write code is a key part of a data engineer who is a software engineer,” he says. As complicated requirements come from the business and system design, Anderson says these data engineers have the skills needed to create these complex systems. However, if it were easy to create the right data engineering team in the first place, everyone would have done it. “Some profound organisational and technical changes are necessary,” says Anderson. “You’ll have to convince your C-level to fund the team, convice HR that you’ll have to pay them well, and convince business that working with a competent data engineering team can solve their data problems.” In his experience, getting on the right path for data engineering takes a concerted effort, which means it does not evolve organically as teams take on different projects. Lessons from science Recalling a recent problem with data access, Justin Pront, senior director of product at TetraScience, says: “When a major pharmaceutical company recently tried to use AI to analyse a year of bioprocessing data, they hit a wall familiar to every data engineer: their data was technically ‘accessible’ but practically unusable.” Pront says the company’s instrument readings sat in proprietary formats, so critical metadata resided in disconnected systems. What this meant, he says, is that simple questions, such as enquiring about the conditions for a particular experiment, required manual detective work across multiple databases. “This scenario highlights a truth I’ve observed repeatedly – scientific data represents the ultimate stress test for enterprise data architectures. While most organisations grapple with data silos, scientific data pushes these challenges to their absolute limits,” he says. For instance, scientific data analysis relies on multi-dimensional numerical sets, which Pront says comes from “a dizzying array of sensitive instruments, unstructured notes written by bench scientists, inconsistent key-value pairs and workflows so complex that the shortest ones total 40 steps.” For Pront, there are three key principles from scientific data engineering that any organisation looking to improve data engineering needs to have a grip on. These are the shift from file-centric to data-centric architectures, the importance of preserving context from source through transformation via data engineering, and the need for unified data access patterns that serve immediate and future analysis needs. According to Pront, the challenges faced by data engineers in life sciences offer valuable lessons that could benefit any data-intensive enterprise. “Preserving context, ensuring data integrity and enabling diverse analytical workflows apply far beyond scientific domains and use cases,” he says. Discussing the shift to a data-centric architecture, he adds: “Like many business users, scientists traditionally view files as their primary data container. However, files segment information into limited-access silos and strip away crucial context. While this works for the individual scientist analysing their assay results to get data into their electronic lab notebook (ELN) or lab informatics management system (LIMS), it makes any aggregate or exploratory analysis or AI and ML [machine learning] engineering time and labour-intensive.” Pront believes modern data engineering should focus on the information, preserving relationships and metadata that make data valuable. For Pront, this means using platforms that capture and maintain data lineage, quality metrics and usage context. In terms of data integrity, he says: “Even minor data alterations in scientific work, such as omitting a trailing zero in a decimal reading, can lead to misinterpretation or invalid conclusions. This drives the need for immutable data acquisition and repeatable processing pipelines that preserve original values while enabling different data views.” In regulated industries like healthcare, pharmaceutical sector and financial services, data integrity from acquisition at a file or source system through data transformation and analysis is non-negotiable. Looking at data access for scientists, Pront says there is a tension between immediate accessibility and future utility. This is clearly a situation that many organisations face. “Scientists want, and need, seamless access to data in their preferred analysis tools, so they end up with generalised desktop-based tooling such as spreadsheets or localised visualisation software. That’s how we end up with more silos,” he says. However, as Pront notes, they also use cloud-based datasets colocated with their analysis tools to ensure the same quick analysis while the entire enterprise benefits from having the data prepped and ready for advanced applications, AI training and, where needed, regulatory submissions. He says data lakehouses built on open storage formats such as Delta and Iceberg have emerged in response to these needs, offering unified governance and flexible access patterns. Engineering data flows Returning to the challenge of making sense of all the different types of data an organisation needs to process, as Raduta from FlowX.ai has previously noted, ETL falls far short of what businesses now need. One promising area of AI that the tech sector has developed is large language models (LLMs). Raduta says LLMs offer a fundamentally different approach to data engineering. Rather than relying on the deterministic transformation rules inherent in ETL tools, he says: “LLMs can understand context and extract meaning from unstructured content, effectively turning any document into a queryable data source.” For Raduta, this means LLMs offer an entirely new architecture for data processing. At its foundation lies an intelligent ingestion layer that can handle diverse input sources. But unlike traditional ETL systems, Raduta says the intelligent ingestion layer not only extracts information from data sources, it has the ability to understand what all the different data sources it ingests are actually saying. There is unlikely to be a single approach to data engineering. TetraScience’s Pront urges IT leaders to consider data engineering as a practice that evolves over time. As Big Data Institute’s Anderson points out, the skills required to evolve data engineering, combine programming skills and traditional data science skills in a way that means IT leaders will need to convince the board and their HR people that to attract the right data engineering skills they will need to pay a premium for staff. Source link #path #data #engineering Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

U.S.-Russia meeting on Ukraine war expected on Tuesday, sources say – Axios U.S.-Russia meeting on Ukraine war expected on Tuesday, sources say – Axios U.S.-Russia meeting on Ukraine war expected on Tuesday, sources say AxiosRubio arrives in Saudi Arabia before Russia talks to end Ukraine war ReutersUS-Russia Talks Set for Saudi & Europe’s Leaders Urgent Ukraine Talks | Daybreak: Europe 02/17/2025 BloombergTrump says he could meet Putin ‘soon’ as Ukraine, Europe reel from outreach Al Jazeera EnglishU.S. and Russian officials to discuss how to end Ukraine war The Washington Post Source link #U.S.Russia #meeting #Ukraine #war #expected #Tuesday #sources #Axios Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jaiden Salvatore Lembo: Albany man’s jail time extended after burglary and reckless driving charges Jaiden Salvatore Lembo: Albany man’s jail time extended after burglary and reckless driving charges An Albany man who stole more than $5000 of property from a backyard shed on Christmas Day while the owners were on holiday was fined $1000 and had two months added to his jail sentence. Source link #Jaiden #Salvatore #Lembo #Albany #mans #jail #time #extended #burglary #reckless #driving #charges Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

China urges US to ‘correct its mistakes’ after State Department website removes Taiwan independence reference China urges US to ‘correct its mistakes’ after State Department website removes Taiwan independence reference By Joe Cash and Ben Blanchard BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) – China on Monday urged the United States to “correct its mistakes” after the U.S. State Department removed previous wording on its website about not supporting Taiwan independence, which it said was part of a routine update. The fact sheet on Taiwan, updated last week, retains Washington’s opposition to unilateral change from either Taiwan or from China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. But as well as dropping the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence”, the page added a reference to Taiwan’s cooperation with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development project and says the U.S. will support Taiwan’s membership in international organisations “where applicable”. Beijing regularly denounces any international recognition of Taiwan or contact between Taiwanese and foreign officials, viewing it as encouraging Taiwan’s separate status from China. The update to the website came roughly three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term in the White House. Speaking in Beijing, ******** Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the revisions for Taiwan on the U.S. State Department’s website were a big step backwards and “sends a seriously wrong message to Taiwan independence separatist forces”. “This is yet another example of the United States’ stubborn adherence to the erroneous policy of ‘using Taiwan to suppress China’. We urge the United States side to immediately rectify its mistakes,” Guo said. The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. “As is routine, the fact sheet was updated to inform the general public about our unofficial relationship with Taiwan,” a State Department spokesperson said in an email sent late Sunday Taiwan time responding to questions on the updated website wording. “The United States remains committed to its one China policy,” the spokesperson said, referring to Washington officially taking no position on Taiwan’s sovereignty and only acknowledging China’s position on the subject. “The United States is committed to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the spokesperson said. “We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We support cross-Strait dialogue, and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to people on both sides of the Strait.” On Sunday, Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed his appreciation for what he called the “support and positive stance on U.S.-Taiwan relations”. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying that only the island’s people can decide their future. Taiwan says it is already an independent country called the Republic of China, its official name. The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, who set up the People’s Republic of China. (Reporting by Joe Cash and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Leslie Adler and Michael Perry) Source link #China #urges #correct #mistakes #State #Department #website #removes #Taiwan #independence #reference Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Can Europe and *** persuade Trump they're relevant to Ukraine's future? – BBC.com Can Europe and *** persuade Trump they're relevant to Ukraine's future? – BBC.com Can Europe and *** persuade Trump they’re relevant to Ukraine’s future? BBC.comEuropean leaders to host Ukraine summit as Trump pushes peace talks with Russia CNNMonday Briefing The New York TimesEurope live: European leaders meet in Paris to discuss Ukraine’s future The Guardian Source link #Europe #persuade #Trump #they039re #relevant #Ukraine039s #future #BBC.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cultural landscape 'obliterated' at mine, court told Cultural landscape 'obliterated' at mine, court told Traditional owners seeking compensation from iron ore miners have been effectively “locked out” of their Country, a court has been told. Source link #Cultural #landscape #039obliterated039 #court #told Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Small Game-Changing Tweak Can Bring Adam Warlock Back to His Former Glory in Marvel Rivals A Small Game-Changing Tweak Can Bring Adam Warlock Back to His Former Glory in Marvel Rivals Marvel Rivals is going through a healing meta right now. But one character that kinda feels left out is Adam Warlock. While he was a strong pick during the game’s beta and first month of release, the balance changes and shifts in the meta have forced him to take a step back in the meta in favor of other healers. The game has moved toward a healer meta in Season 1. | Image Credit: NetEase Games His lack of mobility and slow healing have made him feel outclassed by other, more dominant healers. Cloak & Dagger and Luna Snow are currently at the top of the meta because of the sheer amount of utility they provide. And if Adam Warlock wants to compete, he’s gonna need some buffs. Adam Warlock isn’t as good as meta healers and players want buffs But what kind of buffs would be good for balance? | Image Credit: NetEase Games One of the biggest reasons Adam Warlock has fallen out of favor is the power creep that came with the Season 1 update. During the early days of the game and its beta, Adam was very good when paired with Mantis and Star-Lord. But with the release of new, stronger Strategists like Invisible Woman and the buff to Cloak & Dagger, the meta is changed. Adam Warlock, the perfect human.#MarvelRivals pic.twitter.com/2cHOPMXeoK — Marvel Rivals News (@MRivalsHub) February 16, 2025 Suddenly, Adam’s healing and resurrection abilities are feeling weaker in comparison. His lack of escape and mobility options make him an easy target for a lot of dive duelists. As a result, players are moving towards other Strategists with better survivability and more impactful ultimates. There are a few simple tweaks that could bring Adam Warlock back into the meta. One of the most popular suggestions is to grant him an additional healing charge or to reduce the cooldown on his existing charges. Another widely supported idea is to lower his ult’s channeling time and give revived allies more HP. Comment byu/Mr_crazy_Mf from discussion inmarvelrivals Comment byu/Mr_crazy_Mf from discussion inmarvelrivals Adam Warlock’s biggest problem is his mobility—or lack thereof. Players have noted how easily he gets caught out in fights, unable to escape like more mobile supports such as Cloak & Dagger. In his current state, he’s too prone to dive duelists like Spider-Man, Iron Fist, and the like. Some players have suggested giving him a short-range flight ability that recharges when he heals or deals damage. The healer meta is strong right now And Adam Warlock isn’t as good as the best ones. | Image Credit: NetEase Games Supports have completely taken over Marvel Rivals in Season 1. Cloak & Dagger is arguably the best healer in the game right now. You can get non-stop healing, a powerful team fight presence, and a surprisingly strong DPS mode. Their healing is so easy to use that we consider them nearly unkillable. Similarly, Luna Snow has one of the highest pick rates due to her effortless sustain and high win rate. The healer meta has led to a unique issue in the game. Support ultimates are so powerful that they dictate the entire pace of a match. High-ranked games often revolve around trading healer ultimates, forcing DPS and Tanks to wait for the right moment to act. With healers like Luna Snow and Cloak & Dagger frequently outpacing incoming damage, many fights feel unbalanced. In terms of Adam Warlock, there’s a fine line between making him more viable and making him overpowered. His high win rate in the right hands suggests he isn’t useless, but his low pick rate in competitive play proves he’s far from an ideal choice. What do you think? Source link #Small #GameChanging #Tweak #Bring #Adam #Warlock #Glory #Marvel #Rivals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

After Budget ‘Victory,’ Hard Work Ahead for House Committees After Budget ‘Victory,’ Hard Work Ahead for House Committees House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington, center, greets Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman before the start of a Budget Committee meeting on February 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) After a swift kick in the pants from the Senate, Republicans in the House of Representatives sounded a rare harmonious note in voting to advance a budget resolution with tax and spending cuts, uniting leadership and fiscal hawks. But the House’s resolution to push Donald Trump’s agenda through the budget reconciliation process—by which Congress can pass fiscal legislation with a simple majority in the Senate—did not come together easily. Nor will the harmony be permanent. House Republicans felt a new urgency to get their process in motion when their colleagues in the Senate, tired of the House’s delays, decided last week to forge their own strategy to enact budget legislation. After lawmakers returned to session this week, House Republican leadership released its draft resolution that called for seven committees to produce a minimum of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, with the goal of $2 trillion, while allowing the Committee on Ways and Means $4.5 trillion to put in place tax cuts. It also included an increase in the statutory debt limit by $4 trillion. After a markup that stretched to about 10 p.m. Thursday, the House Budget Committee voted to advance the resolution, with chair Jodey Arrington of Texas calling it “a blueprint to right-size the bloated federal bureaucracy.” The markup included an amendment that could cap the size of the tax cuts if sufficient spending cuts aren’t made. That could be a problem for Rep. Jason Smith, who chairs Ways and Means. He reportedly said Tuesday that he needs at least $4.7 trillion to extend the cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), most of which are set to expire after 2025, for the next 10 years. But Arrington argued that the cushion the resolution gave Smith was enough to get the job done. “With the $4.5 [trillion], I have assurances from the administration that [Trump] can do the full TCJA 10 years, and then it would be considered for permanency in the Senate,” he told reporters. Smith is just one of many people, though, who had concerns about the resolution. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP House leaders also needed to placate members of the House Freedom Caucus, ever insistent upon cutting spending. South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, a Freedom Caucus member who sits on the Budget Committee, called for a stronger enforcement mechanism to achieve the minimum spending cuts. He told reporters he needed “some assurances in the language: What happens if they don’t meet the [$1.5 trillion] cuts? What happens if some committees in the resolutions do not fulfill their promises?” With those tensions, the resolution’s fate was uncertain until Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, announced Thursday morning that his faction had secured a deal with leadership. The committee passed an amendment that would cap the cost of the tax cuts at $4 trillion and increase that ceiling by as much money as congressional committees can cut above the original $1.5 trillion target. “This is it. We declare victory,” Harris told The Hill after he struck the deal. “I mean, we have a bill that we believe that it had to be done rapidly to get the president the border funding as soon as possible. We believe it had that meaningful deficit reduction, and we believe it had to be able to advance the president’s tax policy. It all happens here.” With the committee adopting that amendment, its members voted to advance the resolution to the floor. It’s unclear when precisely the House will vote on it, as it is out of session this week. Harris may have declared victory, but the hard part is still ahead. Republicans will have to decide exactly what to cut, not an easy task given competing factions, **** initiatives, and state priorities. Moderate GOP members will be looking at how the committees achieve the cuts they need. “If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it,” freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan tweeted Friday. “Pennsylvania’s Eighth District chose me to advocate for them in Congress. These benefits are promises that were made to the people of [northeastern Pennsylvania] and where I come from, people keep their word.” Even if Republicans can hammer out the massive bill that will result from these deliberations and get it through the House—far from a guarantee—they will still need to push it through the Senate. And the upper chamber’s tax instructions issued this week will make that difficult. Nine Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, including Majority Leader John Thune, sent a letter to Trump, Johnson, and Smith, alerting them that anything short of making the 2017 tax cuts permanent will die in the Senate. “A temporary extension of these pro-growth and pro-family policies is a missed opportunity,” the group wrote. “Businesses need certainty while investing in their companies and taxpayers should not fear tax hikes due to Congressional inaction. Congressional Republicans have an historic opportunity to enact this lasting tax relief.” The day before the House conducted its markup, the Senate Budget Committee passed its own resolution that includes $175 billion for border security and $150 billion, in anticipation of tackling more difficult priorities, including the tax cuts, in a subsequent bill. The Senate will continue to prepare the legislation in case the House bill encounters roadblocks. “I respect what the House is attempting to do, but I think they’re finding that ‘one big, beautiful bill’ is also one very complicated, even difficult to draft, much less easy to pass, type of bill,” Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told The Dispatch before the House completed its markup. “So we’re called the fallback position.” Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. Source link #Budget #Victory #Hard #Work #Ahead #House #Committees Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

******* voters demand change as Europe's biggest economy stalls – Reuters ******* voters demand change as Europe's biggest economy stalls – Reuters ******* voters demand change as Europe’s biggest economy stalls ReutersGermany’s economy is in the dumps. Here are 5 reasons why The Associated PressGerman business is being suffocated by high costs and red tape The EconomistAs Germany’s economic miracle unravels, its dark past is coming back to haunt it The TelegraphEquity Bulls Risk Sleepwalking Into ******* Election-Fueled Drop Bloomberg Source link #******* #voters #demand #change #Europe039s #biggest #economy #stalls #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Accused domestic violence fugitive Phillip Aaron Dodd caught by police hiding in kitchen cupboard in Geraldton Accused domestic violence fugitive Phillip Aaron Dodd caught by police hiding in kitchen cupboard in Geraldton Caught hiding huddled in a cupboard under a kitchen sink, this is the moment an exhaustive two-and-a-half week police manhunt spanning Geraldton and Perth came to an end. SEE THE FOOTAGE Source link #Accused #domestic #violence #fugitive #Phillip #Aaron #Dodd #caught #police #hiding #kitchen #cupboard #Geraldton Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

OpenAI Board Rejects Elon Musk’s $97.4 Billion Offer OpenAI Board Rejects Elon Musk’s $97.4 Billion Offer OpenAI on Friday rejected a $97.4 billion (roughly Rs. 8,45,768 crore) bid from a consortium led by billionaire Elon Musk for the ChatGPT maker, saying the startup is not for ***** and that any future bid would be disingenuous. The unsolicited approach is Musk’s latest attempt to block the startup he co-founded with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — but later left — from becoming a for-profit firm, as it looks to secure more capital and stay ahead in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) race. “OpenAI is not for *****, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition. Any potential reorganisation of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity,” it said on X, quoting OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor on behalf of the board. Musk’s lawyer Marc Toberoff, in a statement, responded that OpenAI is putting control of the for-profit enterprise up for *****, and said the move will “enrich its certain board members rather than the charity.” OpenAI in late December had outlined plans to revamp its structure, saying it would create a public benefit corporation to make it easier to “raise more capital than we’d imagined,” and remove the restrictions imposed on the startup by its current nonprofit parent. Altman on Monday had rebuffed the consortium’s offer with a “no thank you” posted on X, prompting Musk to retort: “swindler.” On Tuesday, Altman told news website Axios that OpenAI was not for *****. Musk’s lawyers, in a court filing on Wednesday, said the consortium, which includes Musk’s own AI startup xAI, would withdraw its bid for OpenAI’s non-profit arm if it drops plans to become a for-profit entity. “Two days ago, you filed a pleading in court adding new material conditions to the proposal. As a result of that filing, it is now apparent that your clients’ much publicised ‘bid’ is in fact not a bid at all,” the OpenAI board said, according to a letter signed by William Savitt, a lawyer representing the company, and sent to Toberoff on Friday. Other investors in the consortium include Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital and Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel. Altman and Musk have been at loggerheads for years. After Musk’s departure in 2019, OpenAI created a for-profit arm that has drawn billions of dollars in funding, sparking allegations from Musk that the startup breached its original mission by putting profit ahead of the larger public good. Musk sued Altman, OpenAI and its biggest backer, Microsoft, in August last year for alleged breach of contract. In November, Musk asked a federal court for a preliminary injunction to block OpenAI from moving to a for-profit structure. © Thomson Reuters 2025 (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source link #OpenAI #Board #Rejects #Elon #Musks #Billion #Offer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Racing is struggling in Britain but Labour government does not understand that Racing is struggling in Britain but Labour government does not understand that Baroness Twycross was head of governance at Diabetes *** before being elected on to the London Assembly to become Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for fire and resilience. She has a proud record of public service, but I contacted the baroness’s team last week to ask them what qualifications she had for being minister with responsibility for horse racing and gambling. They assured me that she has been to lots of meetings and is looking forward to visiting a racecourse in the spring. Perhaps with an eye on the weather? But I am sure she found her recent visit to the hundred-odd slot machines at the Hippodrome casino in London enlightening. The baroness will, of course, be able to project a veneer of knowledge before she gets reshuffled back to the House of Lords. At a gathering in Westminster last month, she gave racing a thinly veiled kick in the ribs by highlighting the “impressive” results from the December Mares ***** in Newmarket. “I understand the results at Tattersalls were up 20 per cent to 83 million guineas, which is both an eye-watering amount but also a record-breaking achievement.” She might just as well have said “don’t bother to come crying to this government with your begging bowl. You’re awash with money”. What she clearly fails to realise is that most of the money came from abroad and most of the mares will be exported and their progeny will never race on these shores. Given that she has an appetite for statistics, she should examine the growing exodus of the best racehorses in this country. In 2019 there were 181 three-year-old Flat horses rated 100-plus racing in Britain, and 118 of them stayed in training to race here as four-year-olds. Cut to 2023, and 136 made that grade, with only 84 staying here to race as older horses. They did not just vanish. They moved abroad to run for better prize money in properly funded jurisdictions. The statistic that I find saddest, however, reveals what devastation is being wreaked at grass-roots level in the rural areas that need economic activity. The number of horses registered to run in point-to-points at this time last year was 1,070. That figure has fallen to 939 this year. The knock-on effect will be fewer meetings and a contracting sport. The baroness betrayed her lack of understanding at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Racing and Bloodstock gathering by complimenting racing on evolving “to ensure that it can continue to thrive”, adding: “I’m really encouraged to see the creation of 170 Premier Racedays as a shop window for the sport, which is directing existing fans to top-quality racing and also attracting new fans.” She probably did not actually write those words herself, but she is responsible for saying them. And her speech writer should have been aware that the implementation of Premier Racedays has been an utter car ******. No one with any grasp of the sport whatsoever would namecheck that. And secondly, racing cannot remotely be considered to be thriving. The baroness is at least a fan of betting on horse racing. “It was great to see gross gambling yield was up by 4.6 per cent,” she gushed. So given that enthusiasm, will she be reining in the bigots at the Gambling Commission? It has already created a £9 million shortfall in horse racing’s finances by triggering the introduction of clumsy, misguided and ultimately ineffective affordability checks that are driving punters into the hands of ******** bookmakers. And will she publicly take issue with her Labour MP colleagues such as Dr Beccy Cooper, who recently stated in a Westminster Hall debate that “gambling is an addiction, and it needs to be addressed appropriately”? Or Anna Dixon, who sees gambling as “an addiction and a public health issue”? Presumably they also believe that anyone who has a drink on a Friday night is an alcoholic and everyone who eats their own birthday cake is a diabetic. She signed off in Westminster with as empty a sound bite as one will ever hear by referring to “a government which really supports you”. Of that, there is literally zero evidence. But presumably she has been asked by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to find a mechanism for “kickstarting growth”. Well, here’s one. At present, there is a 15 per cent tax on bookmakers’ horse racing betting profits, and a 10 per cent levy which is returned to racing. If, however, those percentages were swapped around, racing would receive an extra £50 million a year, which would help stop the exodus of horses. How does the treasury recoup that £50 million? The current taxation on the insidious, addictive online casino games that problem gamblers play on their phones is 20 per cent. Raising that tax by 2.2 per cent would raise the £50 million shortfall. Although the treasury could go further and pocket the difference. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Source link #Racing #struggling #Britain #Labour #government #understand Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple Studio Display 2 With Mini-LED Screen Said to Be in Development; Could Arrive by 2026 Apple Studio Display 2 With Mini-LED Screen Said to Be in Development; Could Arrive by 2026 Apple Studio Display 2 could be in the works, according to details recently shared by Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) CEO Ross Young. The Cupertino company is expected to launch a successor to the first-generation Studio Display monitor that debuted in 2022 with a 27-inch screen. Unlike the current model, the upcoming Studio Display is expected to feature a Mini-LED panel with improved brightness levels and a higher contrast ratio. Apple could launch the second-generation Studio Display by next year. Apple Studio Display 2 Said to Deliver Two Major Improvements In a subscriber-only post (via MacRumors) on X (formerly Twitter), Young states that Apple is developing a 27-inch Studio DIsplay with a Mini-LED panel, which is a significant upgrade over the 5K LED screen used on the first-generation model. According to Young, Apple will use panels produced by LG Display for the Studio Display 2, while the Mini-LEDs will be sourced from the Taiwan-based Epistar. The most recent Apple device to be updated with a Mini-LED screen was the MacBook Pro. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman echoes Young’s claim, stating that Apple’s purported Studio Display 2 is codenamed J427. The monitor is expected to debut sometime in 2026, according to the journalist. If these predictions are accurate, the upcoming Studio Display 2 would feature a much brighter panel than its predecessor. It could also enable support for localised dimming and an improved contrast ratio. However, these changes to the display could also result in a higher price for the second generation Studio Display. Gurman also sheds some light on Apple’s upcoming products, stating that a successor to the expensive Pro Display XDR ($5,000, or roughly Rs. 4.35 lakh) is not in the works. Instead, the company is said to be working on new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models, and could even launch a new iMac model with a larger display in the future. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Broadcom, TSMC Eye Possible Intel Deals to Split Storied Chipmaker: Report Source link #Apple #Studio #Display #MiniLED #Screen #Development #Arrive Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘S.N.L.’ Celebrates 50 Years With Star-Studded Prime-Time Special – The New York Times ‘S.N.L.’ Celebrates 50 Years With Star-Studded Prime-Time Special – The New York Times ‘S.N.L.’ Celebrates 50 Years With Star-Studded Prime-Time Special The New York TimesThe 50th Anniversary Saturday Night Live Special is Medicine Vanity FairIn ‘SNL50,’ Musical Comedy Stole the Show TIMECher, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg: ‘Saturday Night Live’ is feted with a concert for the ages The Associated Press Source link #S.N.L #Celebrates #Years #StarStudded #********** #Special #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Firms to cut jobs ahead of rise in employment costs Firms to cut jobs ahead of rise in employment costs Companies are planning to cut jobs or recruit fewer people ahead of rises to National Insurance payments and wages, according to a survey of *** employers. Businesses questioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also said they would raise their prices to cover increasing employment costs. Separate research conducted by the Federation of Small Business found in the final three months of last year confidence among small firms hit its lowest point for 10 years, not including the Covid pandemic. The Treasury said it was delivering the stability businesses need to invest and grow. Rises to National Insurance Contributions by employers as well as an increase in the National Minimum Wage, announced in October’s Budget, will come into force in April. According to the CIPD survey, just over a third of the 2,000 firms it spoke to said they planned to reduce their headcount through redundancies or by recruiting fewer workers. More companies, some 42%, said they would lift prices while a quarter of those surveyed said “they are cancelling or scaling down plans for investing in or expanding their business”. The findings come ahead of the latest official employment figures which are due to be published on Tuesday followed by inflation data on Wednesday. Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, said these were the “most significant downward changes in employer sentiment we’ve seen in the last 10 years, outside of the pandemic”. He added: “Our data shows it’s the everyday economy sectors, such as retail and hospitality, which employ large numbers of people, that will be particularly affected by impending increases to employment costs.” In November, a group of the biggest retailers in the *** warned that High Street job losses were “inevitable”, prices would rise and shops would close because of tax rises in the Budget and other rising costs. Tesco, Amazon, Greggs, Next and other chains called on the Treasury to reconsider some of the measures. They said the “cumulative burden” of the Budget changes and other policies already in the pipeline would add billions in costs to a sector with a slim profit margin. The Federation of Small Business said that, in terms of confidence, it was falling across a wide range of sectors. Its small business index, which measures levels of confidence among firms, found that a small firms “are braced for a contraction in the size of their business in the first three months of 2025”. Source link #Firms #cut #jobs #ahead #rise #employment #costs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

McLaren fires up drill rig at WA Eucla Basin titanium project McLaren fires up drill rig at WA Eucla Basin titanium project McLaren Minerals has officially fired up the air core rig to get its latest drilling campaign underway at the company’s flagship McLaren titanium sands project in Western Australia’s Eucla Basin. The program, which kicked off last week, is designed to refine resource estimates and unlock additional high-grade titanium mineralisation. Infill drilling will focus on enhancing the company’s confidence in the project’s existing 280-million-tonne global resource, while extensional drilling will target previously identified mineralised zones beyond the known deposit. The program’s top priority is to collect about five tonnes of sample material, which will be sent to IHC Mining’s laboratory in Queensland to conduct further metallurgical studies. This data is a key piece of the puzzle needed to complete a project prefeasibility study now underway and will also be used to refine an optimal strategy to deal with residual clay impurities, known as slimes. Earlier testing confirmed a strong recovery rate of 75 per cent for ilmenite, altered ilmenite and titanium dioxide minerals when processed through wet concentration and beneficiation plants. Titanium recovery reached 57pc, while zircon recovery stood at an impressive 70pc. The final product also proved to be of high quality – ilmenite met the standards for sulphate ilmenite, while rutile had an exceptional 95.7pc titanium dioxide content with minimal iron impurities of just 1.5pc. The zircon contained less than 265 parts per million of uranium and thorium, which is well within industry safety standards. Slimes were reduced to under 200 grams per tonne when a 3pc gypsum settling agent was added, improving overall process efficiency. McLaren will start sending a steady stream of metallurgical samples for test work within the next two weeks, while analytical samples will be processed and dispatched weekly. The company is planning to run about 6000 metres of air core drilling in a six-week campaign designed by ERM Australia Consultants. The McLaren project is strategically positioned in the Eucla Basin close to excellent roads and rail infrastructure that runs directly to the Port of Esperance. Not only will the program provide essential material for further metallurgical optimisation and flowsheet validation, but it is also designed to increase confidence in the current inferred and indicated resource and explore potential extensions, ensuring we continue to progress towards commercial production. The drilling program comes as the deposit’s key ingredient ilmenite – the main source of titanium oxide primarily for white pigment – continues to trade at an impressive US$300 (AU$443) per tonne. Strong market demand has continued to dominate the ilmenite market because of supply deficits and mine closures throughout Africa. Titanium, a critical mineral essential for aerospace, defence and energy applications, represents a significant market opportunity for McLaren. The company acquired the project six months ago for a modest $150,000 in cash, with additional share entitlements contingent on achieving feasibility milestones. With global demand for titanium strengthening, McLaren is well-positioned to capitalise on market dynamics. As drilling progresses, punters will be keen to catch up on a steady flow of assay results and metallurgical data that may offer further clarity on the project’s enormous economic potential. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: *****@*****.tld Source link #McLaren #fires #drill #rig #Eucla #Basin #titanium #project Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

White South Africans gather in support of Trump and his claims that they are victims of racism White South Africans gather in support of Trump and his claims that they are victims of racism PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Some white South Africans showed support for President Donald Trump on Saturday and gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria to claim they are victims of racism by their own government. Hundreds of protesters held placards that read “Thank God for President Trump” and displayed other messages criticizing what they see as racist laws instituted by the South African government that discriminate against the white *********. Many were from the Afrikaner community that Trump focused on in an executive order a week ago that cut aid and assistance to the ******-led South African government. In the order, Trump said South Africa’s Afrikaners, who are descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers, were being targeted by a new law that allows the government to expropriate private land. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. The South African government has denied its new law is tied to race and says Trump’s claims over the country and the law have been full of misinformation and distortions. Trump said land was being expropriated from Afrikaners — which the order referred to as “racially disfavored landowners” — when no land has been taken under the law. Trump also announced a plan to offer Afrikaners refugee status in the U.S. They are only one part of South Africa’s white *********. In a speech to Parliament this week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the forced removal of any people from their land will never be allowed in South Africa again after millions of ******* were dispossessed of property under the apartheid system of white ********* rule and hundreds of years of colonialism before that. “The people of this country know the pain of forced removals,” Ramaphosa said. He said the land law does not allow any arbitrary taking of land and only refers to land that can be redistributed for the public good. The Trump administration’s criticism and punishment of South Africa has elevated a long-standing dilemma in the country over moves to address the wrongs of centuries of white ********* rule that oppressed the ****** majority. According to the government, the land law aims to fairly address the inequality that the majority of farmland in South Africa is owned by whites, even though they make up just 7% of the country’s population. White protesters on Saturday held banners referencing the expropriation law but also other affirmative action policies put in place by the government since the end of apartheid in 1994 to advance opportunities for *******. Those laws, known as ****** Economic Empowerment, have been a source of frustration for some white people. Influential Trump adviser Elon Musk — who was raised in South Africa — has also criticized South Africa’s government and claimed it is anti-white for years, although some have questioned his motivations. He has recently failed to get a license for his Starlink satellite internet service in South Africa because it doesn’t meet the country’s affirmative action criteria. While race has long framed South African politics, the country has been largely successful in reconciling its racially diverse people in the years after apartheid. The current government is made up of a coalition of 10 ******-led and white-led political parties that are working together. ___ Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. ___ AP Africa news: Source link #White #South #Africans #gather #support #Trump #claims #victims #racism Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Intense Flu Surge Gripping The US Is The Worst in Years, CDC Says – ScienceAlert Intense Flu Surge Gripping The US Is The Worst in Years, CDC Says – ScienceAlert Intense Flu Surge Gripping The US Is The Worst in Years, CDC Says ScienceAlertFlu deaths may surpass COVID deaths in Illinois wcia.comAn intense flu season is filling hospitals with severely ill patients CNNFlu Cases Are Surging The New York TimesHow to protect yourself against the flu wave gripping Mass. The Boston Globe Source link #Intense #Flu #Surge #Gripping #Worst #Years #CDC #ScienceAlert Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

KalGold explores green pastures near Lighthorse gold play KalGold explores green pastures near Lighthorse gold play Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has etched out an intriguing, untested 13-kilometre corridor buried beneath cover along strike of its freshly minted Lighthorse gold discovery at the company’s Pinjin project in Western Australia. No historic drilling exists along 2.7km immediately north and northwest of the discovery. The company set tongues wagging earlier this month when it pulled up a clutch of intercepts including 17 metres running at 4.81 grams per tonne (g/t) from 48m and 8m at 9.21g/t from 52m. KalGold’s share price went on a tear to hit 8.9 cents, a solid gain of 456 per cent in the week’s trading. Management believes extensive wide-spaced intercepts at the greenfields Lighthorse gold discovery suggest KalGold may have encountered a large primary gold system hidden under transported cover. The new find has a 600m strike running parallel to the Laverton Tectonic Zone and remains open to the northwest and southeast. KalGold is keeping tight-lipped about its proprietary geological knowledge of the newly discovered geology corridor that it says is bound by two north-south striking magnetic ridges, with the eastern ridge hosting the Kirgella Gift and Providence deposits. The company hopes the competitive geological edge will facilitate and enhance the chance of additional discoveries. A recent analysis of geophysical data stretching 1.5km north of Lighthorse shows a bottleneck and deviation of the host sequence, which may be favourable for gold mineralisation accumulation. South of Lighthorse, the company notes historic air core and rotary air blast drilling is shallow and irregular over a 1.5km strike of the geological trend. Further south still, at the deeply buried T15 prospect, KalGold believes drilling doesn’t appear to have fully tested the fresh bedrock beneath a regional paleochannel extending to depth of 100m. The company is now bringing in the cavalry with a reverse circulation (RC) drill program to test under and around the high-grade Lighthorse discovery. Drilling is tipped to kick off in March. It is the first in a series of programs designed to define the full extent of the extensive gold mineralisation system. We are extremely excited by the potential magnitude of the Lighthorse gold mineralised system. Our analysis indicates Lighthorse is hosted within a 13km long, north-south trending geological sequence within KalGold’s tenure. The company is assessing 6km of strike for follow-up air core drilling and, based on these results, will continue to expand the search space. The Lighthorse discovery is hosted by a laterally extensive, sheared and deformed volcano-sedimentary sequence within the southern part of the prospective Laverton Tectonic Zone. The renowned 30-million-ounce zone is one of the State’s most well-endowed gold regions and hosts several producing gold mines, including AngloGold Ashanti’s Sunrise Dam, Gold Fields Ltd’s multi-million-ounce Granny Smith operation and Ramelius Resources’ Rebecca project that contains a 1.1-million-ounce gold resource. As the gold price continues its meteoric rise, sitting at US$2883/t (A$4562/t) and with a discovery under its belt, KalGold is no doubt hoping to keep its share price on a gallop as a drill rig rolls back into Lighthorse. It has plenty of green pastures to explore. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: *****@*****.tld Source link #KalGold #explores #green #pastures #Lighthorse #gold #play Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘You’re not dead like everyone thinks you are’ ‘You’re not dead like everyone thinks you are’ After discovering his beloved childhood lake was in peril, scientist Marino Morikawa returned home to see if he could do what no one else had accomplished: save the Cascajo wetlands. As detailed by One Earth, Peru’s El Cascajo Lake was once a popular spot to boat, fish, and swim, and it supported an array of biodiverse plant, animal, and marine life. However, pollution from an ******** landfill, livestock farms, and a second-rate waste drainage canal turned the lake into a shell of its former self — plagued by smelly bacteria blooms coating the once-pristine waters in a green film. When Morikawa returned to the wetlands, the flocks of migratory birds that once populated the area were nowhere to be found, and the lake had shrunk from approximately 371 acres to a mere 99. The situation was so bad that officials slated the lake to be “capped,” or covered with soil in order to limit the spread of harmful contaminants. Upon hearing the news, Morikawa returned from his studies in Japan and asked for 12 months to restore the area. Even though the mayor agreed with his proposal, no one would fund it. Yet the scientist was so confident it wasn’t too late that he poured his savings into the endeavor and took out several bank loans. “This is hard to explain and might be difficult for many people to understand. But the first thing I did was kneel down in the wetlands,” Morikawa told One Earth. “When I put my hands on the ground, I felt a heartbeat, a pulse under my hands. ‘You’re alive,’ I said, ‘you’re not dead like everyone thinks you are.'” The scientist’s first task was to identify the pollutants. After taking samples and analyzing the data, he determined that a biofilter and micro-nano bubbling system would do the trick. Watch now: McDonald’s just changed up its most iconic menu item For the biofilters, Morikawa took a pottery class before fashioning clay and ceramic models, which capture pollutants while aiding the growth of species that support beneficial microflora. Meanwhile, the micro-nano bubbler uses positive and negative ions to trap viruses, bacteria, and undesirable microorganisms, causing them to die or rise to the top and be vaporized by the sun. As restoration projects elsewhere have demonstrated, taking action to support nature usually pays dividends. For instance, a dam-removal project in Michigan has opened up recreational opportunities along the Kalamazoo River and led to a burgeoning fish population. Wetlands are crucial ecosystems to maintain. As Sarah Fowler of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust explains, “Wetlands are superpowered habitats. They help to; boost our moods, store carbon, purify and clean up our water, and provide homes for 40% of the world’s species.” Fowler also noted that well-maintained wetlands can be a cost-effective, natural boost to flood defense. In Peru, Morikawa’s efforts also paid off. After six months of system development and four months of active tech deployment, he had decontaminated the El Cascajo wetlands, along with the help of hundreds of local volunteers inspired by his hard work. “If you take the first step, others will follow,” Morikawa told One Earth, adding: “Nature does its job. All I do is give it a boost to speed up the process.” Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Source link #Youre #dead #thinks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

South Korean Actress Kim Sae-ron Is Found Dead – The New York Times South Korean Actress Kim Sae-ron Is Found Dead – The New York Times South Korean Actress Kim Sae-ron Is Found Dead The New York TimesSouth Korean actor Kim Sae-ron dead at 24 CNNKim Sae-Ron To Moonbin: The Untold Stories Behind South Korea’s Young Celebrity Deaths NDTV MoviesSouth Korean actress Kim Sae-ron found dead at home, police official says ReutersKim Sae-ron, Korean Star of ‘A Brand New Life’ and ‘The Man From Nowhere,’ Dies at 24 Variety Source link #South #Korean #Actress #Kim #Saeron #Dead #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

HSBC investors back CEO's investment banking retrenchment – Reuters HSBC investors back CEO's investment banking retrenchment – Reuters HSBC investors back CEO’s investment banking retrenchment ReutersHSBC Plans New Round of Investment Bank Job Cuts Next Week BloombergHSBC to unveil $1.5 billion of annual cost savings on February 19, FT reports Yahoo FinanceHSBC to unveil $1.5bn savings as restructuring by new CEO kicks in Financial TimesHSBC and Standard Chartered Poised for 2024 Profit Surge – News and Statistics IndexBox, Inc. Source link #HSBC #investors #CEO039s #investment #banking #retrenchment #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NBA All-Star: Steph Curry wins MVP and leads Shaq’s OGs to All-Star title NBA All-Star: Steph Curry wins MVP and leads Shaq’s OGs to All-Star title The 2024 All-Star game drew criticism with both teams combining to score 397 points in Indianapolis and organisers were hoping a new format might help to bring back a competitive edge. Aside from making it a mini-tournament with semi-finals and final, one of the key changes was games being played on a first-to-40-points basis rather than across four quarters. MVP Curry was among those to praise the NBA for trying something new. “I think it was a good step in the right direction to reinvigorate the game in some way,” Curry said. Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard was also on the winning side and echoed the thoughts of Curry. “I think they’re just looking for a more competitive game and trying to find ways to create that and it was a little bit more competitive than they have been the last few years,” Lillard said. “That’s the number one thing, to provide the entertainment and competitiveness on the floor, and I thought it was a little bit more of that.” However, Curry’s Golden State Warriors team-mate Draymond Green, who was working as a television analyst for the event, was critical of change. Asked to rate it on a scale, Green said, “Ten being the best? A zero. It sucks. Awful.” “You work all year to be an All-Star and you get to play up to 40 (points) and then you’re done,'” Green added on ****. Source link #NBA #AllStar #Steph #Curry #wins #MVP #leads #Shaqs #OGs #AllStar #title Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GSFLW 2025: Bulls retain top spot, Magpies flex muscles in big win over Kangas, and Sharks edge out Lions GSFLW 2025: Bulls retain top spot, Magpies flex muscles in big win over Kangas, and Sharks edge out Lions Mt Barker and Denmark-Walpole firmed as finals contenders after strong victories in Pride Round of the Great Southern Football League Women’s competition on Saturday. Round five of the GSFLW was a festival of footy, with the six women’s teams embracing the Pride theme in a triple-header at Retravision Stadium. In a round one rematch, Railways were determined to redeem themselves against an unstoppable Bulls outfit and put a score on the board, kicking four consecutive minors in the first quarter. A troublesome wind favouring the northern end led to a game played largely in that 50m arc, with both teams scrabbling around the northern posts. Camera IconRailways’ Chelsea Geddes takes possession ahead of Mt Barker’s Sophie Richards. Credit: Laurie Benson Despite the strong first-quarter effort and making the Bulls scrape for every possession, the Tigers’ first win remains elusive after the reigning premiers kicked away with a late three-goal final term to secure a 27-point win. The Bulls had regained control by half-time after kicking their first major, and went on to claim a 4.7 (31) to 0.4 (4) victory. Kaitlin Eades led the way for the Bulls with two majors, while Lilly Fiegert, Sophie Richards, Zoe Keley and Ella Higgins were also impressive as the Bulls remain unbeaten and top of the ladder after five games. The Tigers’ best players were Claire McIntyre, Krystal Prunster, Kiahn Perry and captain Kathryn Slattery, who returned for her first game of the season. North Albany were filled with gusto after last week’s breakthrough win, their first in nearly two years, but they were outclassed by a red-hot Magpies outfit. Camera IconNorth Albany’s Louise Quartermaine kicks under pressure from Denmark Walpole’s Rebecca Goodliffe. Credit: Laurie Benson The Magpies powered clear with a three-goal opening term and didn’t look back, winning by 36 points in the end. Nicole Boland booted the Kangas’ only major as they went down 1.0 (6) to 5.12 (42). Magpies gun Rebecca Goodliffe kicked two of her side’s five goals, while Megan Ross, Amber Jeeves, Brittany Finigan and Siri Matthews were also influential, with the Pies two points clear in second spot on the ladder. Louise Quartermaine, Kirstie Cooper, Jasmin Kennedy and Abbie Bootsma were the Kangas’ best players. Camera IconMt Barker’s Saige Askevold takes the mark. Credit: Laurie Benson Royals and Albany got off to a slow start at their shared home ground, ending the first half with a single-digit combined score. The Sharks kicked into gear for the third quarter, with Ellie McTavish bagging two consecutive goals to put them ahead. Lions captain Nardia Humphries followed with a fourth-quarter reply but it still wasn’t enough as the Sharks secured the win by five points. Jeanette Gordon, Gillian Chan, Tessa Grant and Maddi Miller put in good performances for Sharks in the 2.1 (13) to 1.2 (8) result, while the Lions were best served by captain Nardia Humphries, Nicole Jacobs, Nicola Thomas and Joslyn Pass. In round six on Friday, the Magpies will tackle the Sharks at McLean Park before the Kangas and Bulls do battle later at the same venue. The Tigers and Lions, who sit outside the top four, will clash at Keep the Sheep Stadium. Source link #GSFLW #Bulls #retain #top #spot #Magpies #flex #muscles #big #win #Kangas #Sharks #edge #Lions Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukrainians say civilian-funded drones destroyed 3 high-value Russian air defense systems in a single day Ukrainians say civilian-funded drones destroyed 3 high-value Russian air defense systems in a single day A drone unit in Ukraine said it destroyed three prized Russian air defense systems in a single day. It posted clips of drone attacks, saying it hit a Tor-M2, a Buk-M2, and a Buk-M3. In its post on Saturday, the unit also highlighted that the drones were funded by civilians. The drone unit of a Ukrainian brigade in Zaporizhzhia said it destroyed three advanced Russian air defense systems in a single day. The Ronin company of the 65th Mechanized Rifle Brigade posted footage of the first-person view drone attacks on Saturday, saying it took out a Tor-M2, a Buk-M2, and a Buk-M3. Those are some of Moscow’s most prized mobile surface-to-air missile systems, with the Tor-M2 lauded in Russian state media in 2023 as a “cutting-edge” weapon that can counter drone swarms on the move. With a range of about 7.5 miles, the Tor-M2 is designed to engage up to 48 targets at once at low to medium altitudes. The Buk-M3 is also one of Russia’s newest air defenses. Russian state media outlet TASS compared it in 2016 to the Medium Extended Air Defense System, a Western-made system meant to replace the Patriot. Each Patriot system is estimated to cost about $1.1 billion. The clips posted by the “Ronin” company on Saturday showed first-person view drones closely approaching the air defense systems before their video feeds went dark. While the drones’ flight trajectory and distance to the Russian defenses indicate a successful hit, Business Insider couldn’t independently verify if the systems were actively deployed assets or were destroyed. But the videos show yet another example of how the fighting in Ukraine is increasingly relying on cheap loitering munitions, even to counter high-value targets. Drone makers in Ukraine usually tell *** that they sell or create exploding drones for $750 to $1,500 apiece, depending on the device’s size. Meanwhile, it’s difficult to pinpoint how much Russia spends on its air defense systems. The Ukrainian military has estimated that the Tor-M2 costs about $27 million per unit and that the Buk-M3 costs about $40 to $50 million per unit. The Ronin company’s post on Saturday also indicated that the drones used in the attack weren’t officially supplied but received through civilian donations. “The sponsor of the defeat is the Sternenko community,” the unit wrote on its social media channel, referring to the Ukrainian crowdfunding activist Serhii Sternenko. Sternenko, one of the biggest drone crowdfunders in Ukraine, acknowledged the attacks on Saturday, calling the drone unit “true masters of their craft” in a post on his Telegram channel. “We provide them with drones upon individual requests specifically for performing such tasks,” he wrote, adding that the air defense systems were positioned at the Russian rear. Drone warfare continues to evolve on the battlefield in Ukraine. For example, with loitering munitions becoming so ubiquitous, the war fronts have increasingly been reported to become saturated with jammers. That prompted Russian units to bring fiber-optic drones to the fight last year, and Ukrainian companies and brigades have been following suit in manufacturing their own versions. Russia’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent by *** outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider Source link #Ukrainians #civilianfunded #drones #destroyed #highvalue #Russian #air #defense #systems #single #day Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]