Latest news with #Cao
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
China peerless in diving dominance, aims for clean sweep at world championships
Despite the rivalry, some top divers like (from left) Australia's Maddison Keeney and China's Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani have formed firm friendships. SINGAPORE – At Paris 2024, China rammed home their diving dominance by becoming the first nation to win all eight gold medals at the Olympics. And when the diving competition for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) kicks off at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on July 26, China's Dream Team will once again look to sweep all 13 gold medals on offer like they did in 2022. Fans will be disappointed not to catch triple Olympic champion Quan Hongchan in action – the 18-year-old 10m platform prodigy is nursing an ankle injury – while Paris 2024 springboard gold medallists Xie Siyi and Chang Yani are also missing, though there will be no lack of stardust. Leading the way for China is stalwart Cao Yuan, a rare talent like compatriot Fu Mingxia and American Greg Louganis, who were equally outstanding in springboard and platform events. Since London 2012, Cao has stood atop the podium at four consecutive Olympics and helped China complete the sweep in Paris. In an interview with Chinese media, the 30-year-old, who will compete in the men's 3m springboard in Singapore, said: 'It confuses me – am I a platform or springboard diver? Sometimes, I don't even know. 'The platform is fixed, and I just have to do my best to complete my diving elements, whereas the springboard is moving and I have to find its rhythm and be one with the board in order to do well. 'Regardless of the event, I have to train double and work doubly hard. The irregular switching can be troublesome, as I have to switch focus and keep adapting my technical moves and habits.' Born in Beijing, Cao was sent to diving classes by his mother to expend his boundless energy. He started out as a platform diver who broke through at 17 to win the London 2012 men's 10m synchronised gold with Zhang Yanquan. As he grew taller and heavier, and as more Chinese platform divers emerged in the next few years, his sporting career reached a crossroad and he had to pivot to the 3m springboard. China national diving coach Zhou Jihong explained: 'As his body developed, he suffered from a stress fracture in his shin, and persisting in platform diving could aggravate the injury. 'Additionally, we were also facing a dearth of springboard divers. Qin Kai got injured before the 2014 Fina Diving World Cup and Cao Yuan did well to place second in the men's 3m springboard and win the 3m synchronised final, which confirmed our decision to make the switch.' After striking gold at Rio 2016 in the men's 3m springboard final, he returned to his first love and claimed gold in the 10m platform at Tokyo 2020 despite a problematic left shoulder. He conquered the same event in Paris after undergoing surgery in 2023. These days, it is not uncommon to see Cao competing with plasters on his shoulders, arms, thighs, knees and heel. When asked what more he wants to achieve after Paris 2024, he said poignantly: 'I really want to compete at an Olympics in good health, without any injury.' As Cao mulls the twilight of his career, China's men's springboard supremacy will be continued by 23-year-old Wang Zongyuan, who is unbeaten at the championships since 2019. He also has two Olympic men's 3m synchronised golds. Despite finishing second in the men's 3m springboard behind Xie at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, Wang is known for his smiley demeanour. He said: 'Competition helps me become a better version of myself as I work towards my goals. While standing on top of the podium makes me happiest, the friendly competition with Xie Siyi helps me work harder and be more disciplined. 'Regardless of the results, I will continue smiling because I feel we need to be positive and enthusiastic about life, and a guy who likes to laugh and smile can't be too unlucky.' With China topping the WCH diving competition in the 13 editions since 2001, the other participating teams will need some good fortune to pinch gold. Japan's 18-year-old Rikuto Tamai ran Cao close at Paris 2024, where a disastrous fifth dive yielded just 39.10 points as he finished with silver. Meanwhile, Australia prevented a Chinese sweep at the championships in 2019 and 2023, when Matthew Carter and Maddison Keeney won the mixed 3m springboard, and Cassiel Rousseau won the men's 10m platform respectively. Keeney proved her success was not a fluke when she teamed up with Domonic Bedggood to win the mixed 3m springboard again in 2024, while teammates Alysha Koloi won the women's 1m springboard and Mexican Osmar Olvera made a breakthrough in the men's event. Spearheaded by the now-retired Tom Daley, Britain claimed the team gold. Despite the rivalry, Keeney regards Chinese divers like Chen Yiwen and Chang like sisters. She said: 'I'm really lucky to have such a positive competitive relationship with them. No matter what happens on the board, it doesn't affect our relationship off the board. It even strengthens it. 'Sport, you need to be able to enjoy it. The women's 3m has such a positive culture within itself. Everyone wants the best for everyone, and when we get to come together for competitions it just makes it all the more sweet to be able to compete against your friends.'
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Top doctor behind bot that ‘skips' UK driving test queue for eye-watering price
The Mirror's probe comes after the practical test backlog topped 600,000 for the first time earlier this year – with the average wait time now a staggering 22 weeks A doctor linked to a top British university can be unmasked as the boss of a controversial bot-booking driving test website. The country's practical test backlog topped 600,000 for the first time earlier this year – with the average wait time now a staggering 22 weeks. Our probe reveals a Chinese expert who earned a PhD at the University of Manchester is behind a firm charging customers £49 to get a bot to book their driving test. Dr Jiarun Cao's aptly-named DriveBot has boasted: 'Skip the 6-month DVSA queue. DriveBot's 24/7 cancellation checker secures early tests at multiple centres—fully refundable if we can't.' The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has warned how bots – automated software programs – can be used by organisations to 'swiftly find and secure available slots more quickly than individual customers'. Earlier this year the Department for Transport unveiled fresh measures 'to combat test-buying bots'. And a two-month consultation ends next week which the government billed as a way 'to improve the booking system and block bots from accessing tests'. Bot-booking a driving test is not illegal but DVSA says it doesn't 'approve or endorse the use of any services that search for available test slots using its practical driving test bookings systems' The expert's name is notably absent from DriveBot's website. But we managed to trace his involvement via Companies House where he incorporated Drivebot Ltd in August last year. The 30-year-old, who owns a £500,000 apartment at a plush east London block, is listed among alumni at Manchester University's National Centre for Text Mining. His PhD at the university – part of the elite Russell Group – was funded by Cancer Research UK, with Dr Cao thanking the charity in his 194-page thesis. Since earning his doctorate last year, he appears to have used his talents to capitalise on the practical driving test backlog. Wait times started to increase in 2020, the DVSA explained, 'due to an increase in demand and low learner driver confidence in driving test availability, resulting in a change in their booking behaviour'. It added: 'This change in behaviour has persisted.' DriveBot offers customers two options, one involving learners forking out £19 to receive a notification to book tests. Its website explains: 'As soon as the bot detects any cancellation appointments, you will get notifications via Telegram immediately.' Or for £49 users can choose the 'Auto-booking' option, with the website crowing: 'No need to worry about appointment booking, the bot will do everything for you. The fastest way to get a slot.' For those without an appointment, the website explains: 'We need to pay your DVSA drive test fee (£62) on your behalf to reserve the appointment when it's available.' Customers are instructed: 'Choose a search window of at least 1 month—the wider the range, the better your chances of catching a cancellation. You can use the auto-booking feature as many times as you like, and once we've secured you a slot, you can always use the bot again to swap it for a different date if needed.' In April, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced changes aimed at reducing test wait times to seven weeks by summer next year. They included 'doubling the number of permanent trainers to skill up new driving examiners quickly'. And also an 'accelerated consultation to investigate the potential abuse of the driving test booking system and prevent bots from accessing tests'. The average wait time for a car practical driving test in Great Britain at the end of June was 22.3 weeks, the DVSA said. The body explained the figure represents the number of weeks before 10% of tests are available to book. Meanwhile, 603,352 practical driving tests were booked by the end of April, analysis of DVSA figures revealed earlier this year. Peter Harvey, chairman of the driving instructors' National Associations Strategic Partnership, said: 'We all know the waiting lists are very long, the best way to approach booking the test is to consult with your trainer before applying for the practical test… paying an extra cost on top of the DVSA fee often is a waste of money.' Drivebot said: 'DriveBot is not a service that stockpiles appointments and then resells them at a premium. Its sole purpose is to alert learners when a vacancy meets the learner's pre-set date-and-centre window and, if they wish, to auto-fill their own DVSA account information. The £49 service fee is refunded in full if no appointment is secured. We never remove tests from public circulation, so we do not create the scarcity that fuels urgent need, nor do we lengthen waiting times; we simply spare a small group of candidates the tedium of constant browser refreshes.' It added: 'Dr Cao completed his PhD at the University of Manchester in 2024 and is now an alumnus only… earlier this year he stepped away from DriveBot's daily operations.' The firm said Dr Cao's London property 'was purchased with personal savings without linked mortgage long before DriveBot existed'. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the University of Manchester or Cancer Research UK. The University of Manchester said it 'has no relationship with Dr Cao since his graduation', adding: 'His current activity relating to bot technology has no connection with any software he developed as part of his studies.' DVSA said: 'DVSA does not run, approve or endorse the use of any services that search for available test slots using its practical driving test bookings systems. is the only official way to book your practical driving test. Using will keep your data safe, help you stay informed and save money.'
Business Insider
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Snail, Inc. Announces Intent to Explore Proprietary USD-Backed Stablecoin
Culver City, United States, July 16th, 2025, Chainwire Snail, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNAL) ('Snail Games' or the 'Company'), a leading global independent developer and publisher of interactive digital entertainment, announced its intention to explore pursuing a strategic digital asset initiative that includes the evaluation and feasibility for introduction of its own proprietary stablecoin. This initiative would be subject to a range of factors, including but not limited to, regulatory approvals, market conditions, technical feasibility, cybersecurity safeguards, financial controls, and internal governance. The Company believes that exploring stablecoin infrastructure may position it as an early mover within the digital entertainment industry. While no decisions have been made to integrate such technology into the Company's corporate strategy, it continues to evaluate and explore opportunities as part of its broader innovation roadmap. Recognizing the growing potential of crypto-based transactions in the digital entertainment and gaming industry, the Company is currently assessing the feasibility of developing and exploring its stablecoin with multiple external use cases, with no current timeline or commitment. To support this initiative, Snail Games has retained Dr. George Cao, an external consultant. Dr. Cao earned his PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Chicago and is the Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of AscendEX, a full-stack cryptocurrency financial platform that offers simple solutions for investing, trading, and earning to global users. In addition, the Company also retained seasoned legal advisors, including a nationally recognized law firm ranked by Chambers FinTech Legal USA as a leading firm serving cryptocurrency and blockchain clients. 'This stablecoin exploration is a natural evolution of our innovation-led strategy and will support a broader effort to evaluate how blockchain-based technologies could be aligned with the Company's long-term goal to be at the forefront of digital transformation in the entertainment space,' said Snail, Inc. co-CEO Hai Shi. 'To support this initiative, we've engaged a nationally recognized law firm and a seasoned strategic advisor to support and guide the successful exploration of this opportunity. We are evaluating potential future phase hiring needs for professionals with specialized experience in blockchain, stablecoins, and digital asset strategy. While our focus continues to remain on gaming across our ARK franchise, indie titles, and other up-and-coming genres, this investigation into the crypto space and evaluation of the feasibility of launching our own stablecoin would mark a key step in advancing our vision of driving innovation across digital entertainment. We're excited to share continued updates as we reach meaningful milestones in our evaluation.' Snail, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNAL) is a leading, global independent developer and publisher of interactive digital entertainment for consumers around the world, with a premier portfolio of premium games designed for use on a variety of platforms, including consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. For more information, users can visit: Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "expect," "should," "plan," "intend," "may," "predict," "continue," "estimate" and "potential," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this press release and in our public filings with the SEC and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) the evaluation and feasibility for introduction of Snail's own proprietary stablecoin and any future implementation, which will depend on multiple factors, including regulatory considerations, technical readiness, risk assessments and strategic alignment with Snail's core business, (ii) Snail as a pioneer among public companies within the digital entertainment industry to integrate stablecoin infrastructure directly into its corporate strategy, (iii) Snail showcasing its ongoing commitment to fostering creativity and innovation across its global portfolio, (iv) Snail's long-term investment in the next generation of gamers and creators, and (v) Gen Alpha projected to become the most digitally fluent and commercially influential generation to date. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed by the Company with the SEC on March 26, 2025 and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC, including the Company's Forms 10-Q filed with the SEC. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Disclaimer: This press release does not constitute an offer, sale or solicitation of an offer to buy any digital asset or security. The Company has not committed to a specific launch timeline or use case deployment. Any future implementation will depend on multiple factors, including regulatory considerations, technical readiness, risk assessments and strategic alignment with Snail's core business. Snail may determine at any time to abandon its current intent to explore the issuance of A proprietary US dollar-backed stablecoin. Investor Contact: John Yi and Steven Shinmachi Gateway Group, Inc. 949-574-3860 Contact PR Contact
Sydney Morning Herald
08-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
The unravelling of an alleged Sydney dark web syndicate
When Ricky Cao and Henry Do jumped into Cao's unassuming Japanese runabout on a steamy January day, they had no idea they were being followed through Sydney's suburban sprawl. The pair, aged 25 and 22, had come to the attention of NSW Police's elite Cybercrime Squad, who had reason to suspect the men were running a complex dark net drug operation. The duo, plus at least two unknown people, had allegedly sold quantities of cocaine, heroin, ketamine and methylamphetamine to eager buyers across the country. Court documents do not identify the pair's alleged co-conspirators, who went by the monikers of SnowQueen and EliteSupplies as they communicated online. Beginning in January, detectives launched a five-month operation that began when police allegedly became aware of the purchase of 3.5 grams of ice for $630 worth of cryptocurrency on the 20th of that month. The following day, surveillance officers followed the duo from the Belmore home Cao shared with his girlfriend and her parents to a post office in Lakemba, where they allegedly witnessed Do remove a black and white bag from the car before Cao took it inside. It was later seized by investigators. Investigators allege it was the first of several occasions that Do used the postal system to send drugs sold on the dark net that were later seized and tested by police. The operation, in which police allege Cao was pulling the strings, came to a screeching halt in May when the men were picked up by detectives.
The Age
08-07-2025
- The Age
The unravelling of an alleged Sydney dark web syndicate
When Ricky Cao and Henry Do jumped into Cao's unassuming Japanese runabout on a steamy January day, they had no idea they were being followed through Sydney's suburban sprawl. The pair, aged 25 and 22, had come to the attention of NSW Police's elite Cybercrime Squad, who had reason to suspect the men were running a complex dark net drug operation. The duo, plus at least two unknown people, had allegedly sold quantities of cocaine, heroin, ketamine and methylamphetamine to eager buyers across the country. Court documents do not identify the pair's alleged co-conspirators, who went by the monikers of SnowQueen and EliteSupplies as they communicated online. Beginning in January, detectives launched a five-month operation that began when police allegedly became aware of the purchase of 3.5 grams of ice for $630 worth of cryptocurrency on the 20th of that month. The following day, surveillance officers followed the duo from the Belmore home Cao shared with his girlfriend and her parents to a post office in Lakemba, where they allegedly witnessed Do remove a black and white bag from the car before Cao took it inside. It was later seized by investigators. Investigators allege it was the first of several occasions that Do used the postal system to send drugs sold on the dark net that were later seized and tested by police. The operation, in which police allege Cao was pulling the strings, came to a screeching halt in May when the men were picked up by detectives.
