superace islam
2025-01-11
The economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player. Lawmakers in Washington are seeking to ban new sales of drones from two dominant Chinese manufacturers, arguing they could be used to spy on Americans and that the low-cost models are hurting the U.S. drone industry. A defense bill that passed Congress last week would bar new Chinese drones from DJI Technology and Autel Robotics should a review find them to pose an “unacceptable” risk to U.S. national security. But American users, from police officers to farmers, mappers and filmmakers, have come to rely on Chinese-made drones, especially those by DJI. Here are things to know about the debate. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be U.N. ambassador, has led House efforts to ban new Chinese drones, saying Americans have become too dependent on them. “It is strategically irresponsible to allow Communist China to be our drone factory,” she argued. It was the role of drones in everyday life that drove Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to get Congress to restrict the purchase of Chinese drones by federal agencies. Those restrictions were included in a bill that Democratic President Joe Biden signed last year. Scott has compared Chinese drones to spy balloons that could “gather data or carry harmful payloads” across America, posing risks to military bases, critical infrastructure and natural resources. DJI, named in the bill, is the best-known Chinese drone brand. The company has the lion’s share of the global drone market and is a dominant player in the U.S. market. Its drones have been used by first responders to locate disaster victims, mappers to survey roads and utility lines, mosquito control officers to reach swarms of larvae, and filmmakers to capture aerial footage. Founded in 2006 and based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, DJI makes devices that are known for their affordability and high performance. They are even used on the battlefield in Ukraine by both sides, even though DJI does not make military drones. As U.S.-China relations soured, DJI drones have come under scrutiny. The U.S. government has put the company on several blacklists citing human rights concerns as well as alleged links to the Chinese military. DJI has denied any wrongdoing, and is suing the Pentagon over the designation that it is a Chinese military company. U.S. customs officials have also blocked some DJI shipments over concerns that the products might have been made with forced labor. DJI has called it “a customs-related misunderstanding." DJI has also expressed concern about the review of Chinese drones included in the defense bill., saying it doesn't allow the company to defend itself. It called for "a fair right of reply to any findings.” Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilizers on his corn, bean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader. A drone spreader costs $35,000, while a ground sprayer would cost $250,000, he said. As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded — something he did after Hurricane Helene. “I am not going to say I won’t love to have U.S. drones, but I don’t see the American drones as anywhere close to the DJI drones in terms of reliability, ease of use, and just the user-friendly software,” Hedrick said. “The U.S. drones are not as good as DJI ones but cost twice as much.” At the Interior Department, the ban on foreign-made drones has resulted in a “loss of opportunities to collect data on landscape, natural and cultural resources, wildlife and infrastructure,” according to a September report by the Government Accountability Office. Michael Robbins, president and chief executive officer of AUVSI, an advocacy group for unmanned vehicles such as drones, argues against an immediate ban. Instead, the group has urged the government to support the domestic drone-making industry through investment so it can catch up with its Chinese competitors in both capability and cost.We generally tend to think of development in terms of high rise buildings, roads and other infrastructure. But this is a quite wrong picture, because development in any form cannot take place without education and also health. An educated, healthy workforce is the foundation for developing any country. The National People’s Power (NPP) in its Presidential and General Elections manifestos pledged to allocate more resources to develop education. True to its word, the NPP Government has decided to provide a grant of Rs.6,000 for purchasing school books and supplies, not only for children of Aswesuma recipients but also for children from other low-income families, before the end of this year. Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr.Harshana Suriyapperuma said the Education Ministry will lead the initiative to identify eligible children and ensure the successful implementation of this benefit. Speaking at a special media briefing at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC), the Deputy Minister emphasised the importance of supporting the younger generation, who are seen as the country’s future. He has highlighted the Government’s commitment to enhancing educational facilities to help these children achieve their targets. Therefore, all eligible children from low income families will receive the Rs.6,000 grant through a proper procedure. It is still not clear whether the amount will be remitted to parents’ accounts or issued in cash at a central point like the Divisional Secretariat office. This is a praiseworthy step, as there are many instances where children drop out of school due to poverty and the inability to purchase school essentials. The school supplies list for grades 1 to 9 grows longer every year, along with a corresponding increase in the price. Many parents from poor and middle class backgrounds cannot afford to spend such a big amount of money upfront to buy school goods. This problem is compounded in families with two or more children of school going age. Thus this Rs.6,000 assistance will be of immense benefit to these families in today’s tight economy. Sri Lanka has received a grant of 11.28 million meters of blue and white fabric required for school uniform materials for 2025, from the People’s Republic of China. Robe materials for Samanera Bhikkus at Pirivenas will also be provided. This is highly welcome at a time when Sri Lanka is still recovering from the economic meltdown of 2022. However, in view of the high tailoring costs for both boys’ and girls’ school uniforms, the Government has also proposed that sewn or readymade uniforms should be granted to all schoolchildren. This too will save a significant amount of money for parents, especially those who have more than one child attending school. Textbooks too have been provided free of charge to school students since the early 1980s. This too eased the financial burden on parents who would otherwise have to spend heavily on the recommended textbooks. The Government should explore the possibility of using the Valachchenai paper plant to produce exercise books and other stationery, which can hopefully be sold at reduced rates. Likewise, it should make arrangements with manufacturers to bring down the prices of shoes and socks used by schoolchildren. All Governments have been heavily subsiding fossil fuel for transport at enormous cost – maybe it would have been more beneficial to subsidise educational items which could have made a bigger impact in the long run. Talking of transport, it is vital to widen the Sisu Seriya school bus service and also formulate a practical fare structure for school vans, whose operators have been jacking up monthly fees willy nilly every time fuel prices are increased. The same enthusiasm generally evaporates when fuel prices are reduced. Nevertheless, the best answer is to develop all schools on an equal footing, so that the children can attend the nearest school on foot or by bicycle, minimising the need for motorized transport. With textbooks and education in general increasingly taking the digital route, the Government should seriously consider removing or reducing import duties and Value Added Tax (VAT) on tablets and laptops. During the Covid period when schools went online, students who did not have enough funds to get tablets and smartphones went without lessons while the others received full access. That sort of disparity should be eliminated from schools. At least the senior students doing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects should be provided with tablets or laptops on concessionary terms. In fact, Education Technology (ET) has evolved to become a standalone subject as old methods of teaching are discarded and new ones introduced. If given a choice between a static image and an animated clip to understand a lesson, students will be drawn towards the latter, which is easy to comprehend and remember. Whether we like it or not, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are also coming to education. Granted, there are pitfalls of using AI for and in education, but the benefits seem to be greater, at least in these nascent days of the technology. In any case, AI needs humans to work and our education system should be able to produce citizens who can still thrive in the age of AI.superace islam
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NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson. Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.The sports world received heartbreaking news on Friday regarding one of the industry's biggest media stars. Longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel has reportedly died at the age of 78 years old after a battle with cancer. His family confirmed the news on Friday. "It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel," his wife, Marcy, and his daughter, Michelle, said in a statement . "He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity. "He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten. "Greg's memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him." A statement from the family of Greg Gumbel pic.twitter.com/oAkSrW8EtJ Gumbel was best known as the voice of Selection Sunday, the CBS bracket show that revealed the 68-team field for college basketball's annual March Madness tournament. The older brother of sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, he acted as the in-studio host for CBS's coverage of the competition until 2023. Gumbel also was known for his work in the NFL, working as a play-by-play announcer for NFL on CBS. Gumbel made history in 2001 when he became the first African-American announcer to call play-by-play of a major U.S. sports championship, as he was on the call for Super Bowl 35 between the Ravens and the Giants. He celebrated his 50th year in broadcasting throughout 2022. "The CBS Sports family is devastated by the passing of Greg Gumbel," David Berson said , president & CEO of CBS Sports. "There has never been a finer gentleman in all of television. He was beloved and respected by those of us who had the honor to call him a friend and colleague. "A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time. He was a familiar and welcoming voice for fans across many sports, including the NFL and March Madness, highlighted by the Super Bowl and Final Four. "Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow. It is an extremely sad day for all of us at CBS Sports and the entire sports community. We will miss Greg dearly, and send our deepest condolences to his wife Marcy, daughter Michelle, and his entire family." Sports world reacts to death of Greg Gumbel Following the news of Gumbel's death, many prominent outlets and sports media personalities took to social media to give their thoughts on his passing. Greg Gumbel has passed away at the age of 78. Forever a legendary March Madness voice. pic.twitter.com/XXNlIl01rP Selection Sunday will never be the same 😔 RIP Greg Gumbel 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/ovV1YhgBHJ Wow. RIP Greg Gumbel. Selection Sunday will never be the same. pic.twitter.com/eoP8udgQLQ So sad to hear about the passing of Greg Gumbel. Whether hosting or calling games Greg did it with passion poise and made it look effortless. One of the best ever RIP pic.twitter.com/PqV2gj4wma RIP to Greg Gumbel, the voice behind one of the greatest wins in Ravens history. pic.twitter.com/DgpvScTLqu RIP to Greg Gumbel, the voice behind one of the greatest wins in Ravens history. pic.twitter.com/DgpvScTLqu The NCAA tournament theme music on CBS and Greg Gumbel’s voice on the 3rd Sunday of March gave you a pep in your step knowing that you made it through the winter, and spring and the best 4 days on the sports calendar was right around the corner. https://t.co/Vq2fYiZcID RIP to Greg Gumbel, the host of College Basketball for as long as I can remember. When I think of Selection Sunday and the CBS College Basketball studio show, he is always the first thing that comes to mind and had understated greatness. He was 78 years old pic.twitter.com/7HAivT1QuL This March Madness desk was the best RIP Greg Gumbel pic.twitter.com/Z6UabbPAHd Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel has died at the age of 78, CBS Sports announced. Gumbel worked at CBS Sports as a play-by-play announcer and studio host for their college basketball and NFL broadcasts. pic.twitter.com/SZDwyMnHRK Terribly sad news. Greg Gumbel was the face of March Madness to so many of us. https://t.co/OPfTsuiJpr There was no kinder person in Sports television than Greg Gumbel. How fortunate I was to have worked with him while I did at CBS. What a loss. Rest easy, Greg. Thank you for all the great moments you provided the viewers — and your colleagues. https://t.co/4Cje9zVXid Greg Gumbel had the kind of career we dream of in our industry. He was talented, versatile, professional, respected, and tenured. Sad to learn of his passing, and sad that I never met him and got to say thank you for the inspiration. RIP 🙏🏾 Greg Gumbel called this inconic OBJ touchdown back in 2016. Such a great career. RIP to a legend. pic.twitter.com/M7nsPB9K2m https://t.co/5WKFGHLBCo RIP Greg Gumbel who covered the Knicks for MSG. Here he is interviewing Michael Jordan in the Garden 1987 pic.twitter.com/rZ2yn48aIg Greg Gumbel was a giant in the business. Unflappable. I wrote for him at two Olympics, in Lillehammer and Atlanta. In Lillehammer, he was hosting the highest-rated unscripted show in tv history--second highest-rated, period, surpassed only by the last episode of MASH--and he was... pic.twitter.com/WWbDHhPl5O Greg Gumbel calling your team’s name on Selection Sunday was such an electric feeling. We lost a legend. pic.twitter.com/Trb5gKDHzm Never forget when Greg Gumbel lost it on air during Charles Barkley’s hilarious uniform washing story lol 😂 pic.twitter.com/h9ZDiezX9B RIP🙏 Gumbel was a great broadcaster. I’ll always remember this legendary call on the Kiko Alonso pick 6. https://t.co/nuLIkpEQlO pic.twitter.com/BysF0rKK3l
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DOWNING Street yesterday rejected claims by allies of Donald Trump that Lord Peter Mandelson is an “absolute moron”. No10 backed Britain's incoming ambassador to the US , describing him as a “significant asset” to diplomacy. It came after Chris LaCivita , a top aide to Trump during his 2024 campaign, slammed Sir Keir Starmer’s choice for the UK’s top representative in Washington . On social media Mr LaCivita told the Labour grandee he “should stay home” and praised his predecessor Dame Karen Pierce as a “professional universally respected ambassador”. But on Monday a spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer hit back: “His appointment shows just how seriously we're taking this relationship. "He has got extensive foreign policy and economic policy expertise, particularly in the crucial issues of trade, business links. Read More on Politics “He's got experience at the highest levels of government and it will be a significant asset in the UK's relationship with the United States." Lord Mandelson , who will take up the post in early 2025, has suggested Nigel Farage , a pal of Trump, could help form a “bridge” between the Republican Party and Labour . Asked whether the PM wants to see the Labour grandee and Reform chief band together, the Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister already started to begin to build a relationship with president-elect Trump.” He added the pair had a "good phone call" last week and enjoyed a two-hour slap-up dinner in New York in September. Most read in The SunA new study released by the University of Toronto’s School of Cities is showing how costs to build major transit projects in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada has soared in recent years. “Somehow in peer countries like Italy, Spain, Turkey, South Korea, the cost per kilometre has been going down while it’s been going up sharply in Canada, and not just Canada (but) the other what we call Anglosphere countries so Australia, the U.S., U.K.,” Karen Chapple, the school’s director and an editor of the study, said. A comparative study called Understanding the Drivers of Transit Construction in Canada examined transit projects in Toronto dating back around 70 years. The study’s authors used data from transportation researcher Stephen Wickens. It showed the per-kilometre cost adjusted to inflation and charted each of the projects in 2023 dollars. “In an attempt to close the transit infrastructure gap, cities across Canada are investing tens of billions of dollars into capital expansion through the construction of additional mass transit infrastructure,” the study’s authors wrote. “However, over the past two decades, the cost of building new transit infrastructure in Toronto (and across Canada) has increased significantly, at a rate far beyond inflation.” Related: While building (in various stages) the Bloor-Danforth line and the Yonge-University-Spadina line (Downsview to Finch stations) between the mid-1950s and mid-1990s was less than $150 million a kilometre, that cost started creeping up after 2000. The Sheppard line (opened in 2002) was around $200 million a kilometre, the Line 1 subway extension to Vaughan from Sheppard West (opened in 2017) approached nearly $400 million a kilometre, the Line 1 subway extension into Richmond Hill is forecast to be closing in $800 million a kilometre (set to open in 2029 and 2030) and the updated Ontario Line is forecast to be more than $1 billion a kilometre. “The Ontario Line is 10 times the cost of the original Yonge Street subway line, even controlling for inflation, 10 times as expensive and that’s partly because we’re digging now through established neighbourhoods. There’s lots of mitigation around that, lots of extra costs to protect people, but these other factors at work as well,” Chapple said. “It is mind-blowing.” The study’s authors said they looked at data from 60 countries and 1,083 LRT, subway and rail projects to establish average per-kilometre costs for building transit lines. They determined the global average is $242 million per kilometre. The authors said Canada had the ninth-highest costs and the average came out to $396 million per kilometre. New Zealand was the highest at $1.04 billion per kilometre followed by Qatar and Hong Kong ($949 million per kilometre each). The three countries with the lowest costs were Chile at $89 million per kilometre followed by Spain ($95 million per kilometre) and South Africa ($105 million per kilometre). Related: When analyzing the cost differences, the authors noted environmental, market, housing, cost of living and labour were often cited as contributing factors. “Our benchmarking analysis, however, reveals only a slight correlation between average construction cost and contextual factors such as GDP, unionization rates, or cost of living. Even among OECD nations high on the human development index, average per-kilometre costs range across the full spectrum of our database,” the study said, adding there is commonality among Anglophone countries. “The problem is not so much with English itself; rather, that these nations share a common institutional history, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. As such, our benchmarking investigation concurs with other studies of global transit costs, strongly indicating that national costs are associated most closely with project delivery practices, policies, and governance. “In fact, several domestic cases of low-cost transit construction demonstrate that effective project delivery is possible in the Canadian context with a shift away from traditionally Anglophone project delivery practices.” Chapple added that “soft” costs have become a huge driver in costs in Canada. She defined soft costs as things like contingencies (money set aside for inflation and unforeseen expenses), acquiring land, planning, project management, design and engineering, “The headline here really is that these transit systems cost more to plan than they do to build,” Chapple said. “There is a tradition in Canada of over-design. So engineers are designing for the worst-case scenario. Just [a] comparable example, here is how we plan for Black Friday. We plan to build parking lots just for that one day a year. That’s what they’re doing with transit systems.” Related: She said two other factors are at play too: An eagerness to cater to different groups and not having enough experts on government payrolls. “We’re ... overly responsive to external stakeholders, so when you have a community complain we tunnel deeper and that adds to the cost,” Chapple said. “There’s sort of a lack of in-house capacity, in-house knowledge, in-house expertise and that’s costing the country and our taxpayers a lot as we rely on professional consultants and then we accept their cost escalations without really much critical thinking.” CityNews contacted Metrolinx, the provincial transportation agency overseeing many signature transit expansion projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, to ask about the study’s findings. While a representative acknowledged receipt of the request, a response wasn’t received by the time of publication. “There is no single driver of transit construction costs, nor is there a silver bullet to bring high-cost projects in line with low-cost counterparts nor is the problem of high costs unique to Metrolinx. High-cost jurisdictions, like Toronto, experience cost escalation through a series of compounding factors ... from planning and construction to institutional and procedural inefficiencies,” the study’s authors wrote. While they said further research is needed, addressing the retention of government staff with expertise, potentially reassessing the over-cautious approach to managing risk, increasing transparency and reducing political micromanagement were cited in the paper. Meanwhile, Chapple said governments in Canada need to start incorporating techniques and approaches seen in other countries overseas. “We don’t learn enough from the best practice cases around the world. We’re too insular. We’re too prone to imitating the U.K. and the U.S., and they’re not doing it very well,” she said.
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