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New Zealand Excited as Saudi Arabia to Host First Olympic Esports Games 2025

Ishan Joshi
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0

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously last night for Saudi Arabia to host the first-ever Olympic Esports Games in 2025. This decision, made on the eve of the Paris Olympic Games, marks a significant milestone in the integration of esports into the global sports arena, reflecting the growth and popularity of competitive gaming worldwide.

This is incredibly exciting for Esports in New Zealand, said Conor English, President of New Zealand Esports. This proposal opens up exciting possibilities for athletes and aspiring esports players to win Olympic Gold medals!

Adding an Esports Olympic event to the existing calendar of Summer, Winter and Para Olympics will be huge for our esport athletes who will have the opportunity to win Olympic medals, just like other athletes.

The first Olympic Esports Games will take place in Riyadh and feature a diverse lineup of games, attracting top-tier talent from around the world.

NZ Esports CEO, Jonathan Jensen said, Competing at the Olympic level as part of the E Blacks, New Zealand’s national esports team, could soon be within reach. New Zealand is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity due to its strong history with esports and previous successes on the global stage. In 2022, Regan Kelly won a Bronze Medal at the Global Esports Games in Street Fighter, and the E Blacks, including consistent competitors like Joshua King, have showcased their talent at the World Esports Championships.

And NZ Esports has been actively working with High Performance Sport NZ to prepare athletes for international competition. Through initiatives like the Hyperfibre League, New Zealand has fostered a strong esports culture and community, providing the ingredients necessary to be successful competitors in highly competitive games.

The decision comes as Riyadh hosts the Esports World Cup, a two-month event drawing 2,500 gamers competing for $100 million NZD ($60 million USD) in prize money.

The new Olympic Esports Games promise to deliver thrilling competitions and memorable moments. Fans can look forward to witnessing the pinnacle of esports excellence, as players compete for Olympic glory and the chance to make history, Mr English concluded.

Alphabet Surpasses Expectations With $1.89 Earnings per Share, US

Shreya Gupta
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0
Alphabet Surpasses Expectations With $1.89 Earnings per Share, US

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, outperformed analysts’ expectations on Tuesday, reporting second-quarter earnings of $1.89 per share, the same as its first quarter results.

Alphabet’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, touted the results as proof that the company’s investments across different areas of its tech empire were seeing positive returns.

Our strong performance this quarter highlights ongoing strength in Search and momentum in Cloud. We are innovating at every layer of the AI stack, Pichai stated in the earnings report. Our longstanding infrastructure leadership and in-house research teams position us well as technology evolves and as we pursue the many opportunities ahead.

The company reported $84.7bn in revenue, up 14% from the same period last year, which its chief financial officer, Ruth Porat, attributed to growth in Search and Cloud services.

Earlier on Tuesday, a long-discussed deal between Alphabet and the cybersecurity firm Wiz fell through. Alphabet was in talks to acquire the Israeli company for $23bn, but Wiz opted to turn down the takeover bid and seek a public offering. The deal would have been Alphabet’s largest-ever acquisition and an attempt to rival Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud-based services.

Google also reported positive results in its first-quarter earnings, as well as a $70bn stock buyback, which buoyed investor confidence in the tech giant. Despite several rounds of layoffs and a decision looming in the Department of Justice’s landmark antitrust trial, Alphabet’s stock price rose about 24% of its total value in the first six months of the year.

The company’s most significant dip in stock this year followed its botched rollout of the Gemini AI image-generator tool, which led to investor fears over Google’s investments in artificial intelligence products. Gemini’s image tool caused heated backlash and forced top executives to backtrack after users found that the tool inserted people of color into ahistorical situations, such as depicting them as German second world war soldiers.

Despite its stumbles with Gemini, Google doubled down on showcasing its investments in AI during its annual developers’ conference in May. The company debuted a variety of AI-related features and tools, most notably its attempt to overhaul Google Search through the widespread release of AI Overviews – short pieces of text that summarize articles and search results. AI Overviews faced backlash both from publishers who argued that it would reduce traffic to their sites, as well as mockery from users who found a number of wildly inaccurate results such as advice that people eat rocks.

On Tuesday’s earnings call, Pichai touted the company’s move into artificial intelligence and stated the company was uniquely well-positioned for the AI opportunity ahead. He added that ads above or below AI Overviews were seeing positive engagement, while saying that the company would be leaning further into AI-enabled search services.

Big tech faced a slump in the week leading up to Alphabets results, as investors focused on other parts of the market amid a variety of concerns about the future of the industry. Alphabet’s earnings report is the first from a group that includes Apple, Amazon, Meta and other marquee tech companies.

Airbus Helicopters’ Racer Demonstrator Exceeds Speed Targets, France

Neha Sharma
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0
Airbus Helicopters’ Racer Demonstrator Exceeds Speed Targets, France

FARNBOROUGH — Airbus Helicopters’ Racer high-speed rotorcraft demonstrator has achieved its speed targets after just seven flights.

The Racer — short for Rapid and Cost-Effective Rotorcraft — reached 227 kt. (407 km/hr.) in level flight on June 21, speeding past the cruise speed target of 220 kt. just two months and nine flight hours after its first flight on April 25.

Airbus Helicopters chief test pilot Herve Jammayrac told journalists on the second day of the Farnborough Airshow that the flight test program has now opened 80% of the flight envelope and there is margin for even higher speeds following the installation of a new streamlined main rotor head cowling and landing gear doors.

This achievement is a real tribute to the way this demonstrator was designed, Jammayrac said. We can say that its already becoming a proven design.

Jammayrac says Racer will achieve even higher speeds, as tests have to find the never exceed speed and the design diving speed.

The Safran Aneto-1X powered aircraft, matures and refines the compound dynamic system proven in the company’s X3 [X-cubed] demonstrator, which first flew in 2010 and secured a 255-kt. speed record three years later. Racer combines the main rotor with two box-wing mounted, variable-pitch pusher propellers driven off the main gearbox.

The propellers provide anti-torque in hover and low-speed flight, and forward thrust to support the aircraft’s increased cruise speed in forward flight.

Airbus engineers have also placed considerable focus on drag reduction, with Airbus adopting a slick, narrow, streamlined fuselage and fairings for the engines and dynamic systems. Racer’s box wing offloads some of the lift from the main rotor in forward flight but also reduces the impact of download, stiffens the fuselage, and enables the supercritical shafts that connect the pusher propellers with the main gearbox to be bearingless, simplifying the system and reducing the maintenance burden.

We are impressed by the behavior of the aircraft, and it shows that the [Racer formula] is a good one, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even told Aviation Week.

Developed through the European Union’s Clean Sky 2 aerospace research and development initiative, Racer aims not only to achieve higher rotary-wing aircraft speeds and deliver increased productivity but also do it frugally, delivering reductions in fuel consumption.

Once Racer has achieved its initial aims, Airbus plans to install its eco-mode electrical system onto the aircraft, which will enable one of the two Aneto engines to be shut down in flight for more economic cruise, enabling fuel consumption to be reduced further.

The electrical system will be able to rapidly spool up the shutdown during more critical phases of flight such as landing or hovering, akin to the technology used in cars that shuts down the engine when the vehicle is stationary. Installation of the system is planned for later this year or early 2025.

The other Clean Sky 2 high-speed rotorcraft demonstrator — Leonardo’s Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor – Technology Demonstrator (NGCTR-TD), an adapted AW609 with a series of modifications — has yet to take flight.

The Hundred Women’s Tournament Kicks Off with Oval Invincibles Dominating Over Birmingham Phoenix, UK

Ishan Joshi
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0

The Hundred Women’s Competition Begins at the Kia Oval

In a commanding performance, the Oval Invincibles triumphed over the Birmingham Phoenix by 45 runs during the opening match of The Hundred women’s tournament. Paige Scholfield stole the spotlight with her impressive innings of 71 runs off 40 balls, marking her first half-century in this competition. Alongside Alice Capsey, who contributed 52 runs, the duo formed a formidable partnership that led to a 90-run stand for the second wicket.

Despite a strong bowling effort from Emily Arlott, who took 2 wickets for 19 runs, the Phoenix struggled to contain the Invincibles, who set a challenging target of 150 runs. The Phoenix’s batting order failed to respond effectively, ultimately collapsing for just 105 runs.

The Birmingham Phoenix, still seeking their first victory in The Hundred after a winless season last year, encountered significant challenges. They have yet to successfully chase a target beyond 128 runs in previous tournaments. The disappointment was compounded by the early dismissals of key players. The star overseas trio, including Suzie Bates, Ellyse Perry, and Sophie Devine, fell short, contributing a mere 19 runs collectively.

Wicketkeeper Amy Jones managed to make a brief impression with 21 runs, but the team’s innings quickly deteriorated under the excellent bowling of Amanda-Jade Wellington, who achieved remarkable figures of 3 wickets for just 9 runs.

Paige Scholfield, Player of the Match: I was pretty nervous but once I got a feel for the pitch I just went for it. Playing in a competition like this with the quality there is, it’s nice to get a score. I trusted my shots.

Ellyse Perry, Captain of Birmingham Phoenix: It was a tough game for us. We were a bit loose in the field and obviously with the bat we didn’t get a partnership – the key to any good chase – which put us on the back foot.

The competition continues with another women’s and men’s doubleheader set for Wednesday, featuring the Southern Brave against the London Spirit at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton. Commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Extra at 14:45 (BST) and accessible through various platforms including BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website.

Global Heat Record Smashed: Hottest Day Ever Recorded – London, UK

Riya Patel
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0

Sunday, July 21 was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to preliminary data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

The global average surface air temperature on Sunday reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) — slightly higher than the previous record set last July of 17.08 C (62.74 F).

Heatwaves have scorched large swathes of the United States, Europe and Russia over the past week.

Copernicus confirmed to Reuters that the record daily temperature average set last year appeared to have been broken on Sunday, in their records which extend back to 1940.

Last year saw four days in a row break the record, from July 3 through July 6, as climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, drove extreme heat across the Northern Hemisphere.

Every month since June 2023 – 13 months in a row – has now ranked as the planet’s hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, Copernicus said.

Presidential Debate Between Harris and Trump in Question, US

Siddharth Mehta
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0
Presidential Debate Between Harris and Trump in Question, US

Will there be a Kamala Harris v. Donald Trump debate? Here’s what we know.

Will the presidential debate that was previously scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC between Joe Biden and Donald Trump go on with a different Democratic nominee?

Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, Biden and former President Donald Trump had agreed to one final showdown. Then everything changed.

Now, the general public is left wondering: Will the previously scheduled presidential debate still go on? Will the public have an opportunity to watch Harris and Trump — who have already made public jabs at each other — go toe-to-toe on political positions on the national stage?

It’s possible!

Harris, who has quickly become the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not spoken about a debate yet, while Trump has seemed wishy-washy at best since Biden ended his reelection bid.

Trump expressed hesitancy in a series of Truth Social posts, remarking that he didn’t know who he’d be debating after Biden bowed out and calling for debates to be hosted by the right-leaning Fox News. The original debate was scheduled to be hosted by ABC.

In an interview with CBS, Trump said I think whoever it is, I’d like to debate. Yeah, sure.

The next Trump v. Biden debate was scheduled to take place on Sept. 10 and would air on ABC.

It was intended to be moderated by ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir and ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis. ABC has not publicized any updates as of publication time.

Jason Miller, a senior member of Trump’s campaign team, told NBC there would definitely be another debate. But at least one other GOP source has expressed skepticism.

About a week ago, Harris and Trump’s veep choice, Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), were in the process of selecting potential dates for a vice presidential debate. Now that she’s seeking the presidential seat, Harris’ debate with Vance appears to be a moot point.

During his first solo speech as a vice presidential candidate in Ohio on Monday, Vance expressed his disappointment he wouldn’t get to debate Harris after all.

I was told I was going to debate Kamala Harris, Vance said. And now President Trump is going to get to debate her?

In 2020, Harris’ debate against Trump’s then-running mate, Mike Pence, lasted 90 minutes and was largely not super memorable (which is typically the case for vice presidential debates). A recap from BBC at the time said both candidates had strong moments and stumbles.

One sticking point was Pence’s tendency to speak over or interrupt both Harris, the first Black woman vice presidential candidate, and moderator Susan Page.

Mr Vice-President, I’m speaking, Harris said at one point. If you don’t mind letting me finish, then we can have a conversation.

Biden’s poor performance at his and Trump’s debate in Atlanta on June 27 is said to be the catalyst to his dropping out of the race.

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Taber Extrusions Announces $60M Expansion, Largest Press in North America, US

Shreya Gupta
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0
Taber Extrusions Announces $60M Expansion, Largest Press in North America, US

Taber Extrusions is expanding its facility in Russellville, Arkansas, introducing the largest direct extrusion press in North America. The company is investing over $60 million in the expansion and expects to create 70 new jobs.

The new state-of-the-art, 10,000-ton press is designed to meet the rigorous demands of the aerospace industry. It is expected to go live in 2026.

We are excited for this expansion as it provides the capability and capacity needed in the large shape extrusion market, said Chuck Stout, President of Taber Extrusions. This investment highlights our commitment to continue to serve our national defense, aerospace, and large industrial market partners.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined company executives and state economic development officials for the announcement of the expansion at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow. The announcement was made at the Forum Main Stage at the USA Partnership Pavilion.

Announcements like this don’t happen by accident, said Governor Sanders. It took pro-growth policies in Little Rock, a pro-business mentality in Russellville, and a proactive presence at events like the Farnborough Airshow to secure Taber’s investment. I’m grateful to this great Arkansas company for their continued commitment to the Natural State.

Taber Extrusions has been in business in the Russellville area for five decades. The company pioneered a process for extruding rectangular billet, enabling the company to extrude solid profiles up to 31 inches wide or hollows up to 29 inches.

It’s an honor to join Taber Extrusions at the Farnborough International Airshow to announce its latest expansion in Russellville Arkansas, said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Taber Extrusions has operated in Arkansas since 1976, and we look forward to many more years of business success for them. Congratulations to the City of Russellville on this economic development win, which creates 70 new jobs in the River Valley region.

To learn more about available positions and apply, visit www.taberextrusions.com/careers.

Plum Raises €19 Million in Funding Round, Eyes Profitability by 2025, Greece

Shreya Gupta
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0

Smart money app Plum has raised €15.8 million in funding from institutional investors, including a second tranche of investment from strategic partner Eurobank. New anchor investor iGrow Venture Capital has joined the round, alongside previous investors including Venture Friends and Ventura Capital.

The company has also raised an additional €3.2 million via crowdfunding in Crowdcube’s most popular campaign of the year, with more than 5,500 investors from across the UK and EU participating. This brings the total to €19 million raised in Plum’s Series B round.

The investment was secured following a period of strong performance for the business. The company has seen exceptional growth since launching in 2017, with more than 2 million customers now using the app to seamlessly set money aside in 10 markets across Europe.

Victor Trokoudes, Plum founder and CEO, commented: It has been an exceptional 12 months for Plum, and this new round of funding is testament to the hard work of the team and the value we’re providing for customers across Europe. The need for a smart app that helps people grow their money for life has never been stronger, and we’re already delivering this to millions of people.

Assets under management (AUM) for the company recently surpassed £1 billion, having tripled in 12 months. This increase was in part driven by the success of Plum’s highly competitive Cash ISA, which launched in March and has opened up greater organic UK acquisition at low-to-zero cost.

Revenue for the company has almost doubled year-on-year, supported by robust subscription streams with average revenue per customer having grown by 40%. With the surge in AUM also contributing to increased revenue, Plum is now on track to reach profitability in 2025.

In the meantime, Plum will continue to flesh out its product offering in the UK following the success of its Cash ISA, aiming to provide the most complete app for savers and investors on the market.

Plum has ambitious plans for the rest of Europe too, having recently launched ETFs for EU customers and partnered up with Eurobank to accelerate its growth in the region. The app’s goal is to reach hundreds of thousands of customers in Greece by the end of 2027. As part of the strategic cooperation of Plum with Eurobank, the latter will introduce Plum to its customers.

We’re focused on what’s next and how to get even more people maximising their money with Plum. Following the success of Cash ISA in the UK and ETFs in Europe, we’re well-placed to reach profitability which is a major and important milestone for us. And we have game-changing products in the pipeline that will take our app to the next level for customers. It’s a really exciting time, added Trokoudes.

Anastasios Economou, Founding Partner of iGrow Venture Capital, said: iGrow is always looking for transformative ideas such as Plum’s. Making savings solutions accessible to all, not just high-net-worth individuals, is a democratisation and revolution in the industry. We are excited to see the expansion across Europe and Greece. We have full confidence in the Plum team’s capacity to keep expanding.

Elon Musk Reveals Grok 2 and Grok 3 AI Chatbot Updates, Grok 3 to be Most Powerful AI Ever, Canada

Tanvi Shah
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0

In his recent interview with Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk shared the information about Grok 2 and Grok 3 release dates and their training progress. The tech billionaire said Grok 3 would be the most powerful AI chatbot when released. Elon Musk has shared an update about the upcoming Grok AI chatbots by xAI. The tech billionaire said that the Grok 3 should be the most powerful AI in the world when released three months ago, probably at the end of 2024. In his recent interview with Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk said that Grok 2 training was completed last month, and the team was fixing the bugs and any issues. According to Elon Musk, the xAI will release the Grok 2 version by next month. He added that the Grok 2 was trained with around 15,000 H 100 GPUs. Elon Musk’s xAI and X Hiring for Different Roles Related to AI, Project Manager, Product Data Engineer and More; Check Details and How To Apply. Elon Musk Says Grok 2 Will Be Released Next Month and Grok 3 To Be the Most Powerful AI Chatbot When Launched in Three Monthsippi.

Teenager Stabbed After Molotov Cocktail Attack in Widnes, UK

Sophia Anderson
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0
Teenager Stabbed After Molotov Cocktail Attack in Widnes, UK

A TEENAGER left his home armed with a knife and Molotov cocktail – but he was the one who ended up being stabbed.

Thomas Gray threw a flaming bottle of cider at a group he was in an altercation with, having become embroiled in the world of drugs. But the now 19-year-old ended up worse for wear after being caught on doorbell footage staggering home with a stab wound.

He appeared before Liverpool Crown Court after admitting burglary, threatening a person with a blade in public, possession of an offensive weapon in public, and affray.

Police found Thomas Gray outside his home with a bottle of flaming cider thrown at nearby men on bikes. Following an altercation, he returned home with a knife tucked into his shorts before being stabbed and shouting for help. Gray was lucky to survive after the knife cut his heart and filled his lungs with blood.

Despite a difficult start to life and previous convictions for knife possession offenses, Gray was sentenced to 15 months in a young offender institution by the judge. The court emphasized the seriousness of his offenses and the dangers of carrying knives, especially in the context of drugs.

It is crucial for young individuals to understand the risks associated with violence and illegal activities to prevent incidents like these in the future. The case serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of criminal behavior and the importance of making wise choices.

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