Latest news with #Cyclone
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Climate
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Broken promise': Fans hit out at AFL over another broadcast snub
When the AFL trumpeted Thursday night football as the centrepiece of its new and approved 2025 broadcasting deal, it would not have had an eye on the weather. But as the season hurtles towards the finish line, the league has been accused of breaking a promise to fans as it deals with a Cyclone Alfred-altered draw. At the heart of the troubles has been how to reschedule the postponed match between Gold Coast and Essendon – the round zero match that was called off on March 8 as the tropical cyclone made landfall. But wearing the brunt of the fallout are Essendon and Carlton fans. Loading The AFL released its final round fixture this week. It would start with Essendon and Carlton on a Thursday night and finish with the cyclone match between Gold Coast and Essendon the following Wednesday. Fans were shocked when Channel 7 announced it would be changing its broadcast approach. The network would ignore coverage of the final Thursday night match of the home-and-away season because of the poor run of form of the once mighty clubs. 'When they took away Saturday – I can tell you how fans feel about free-to-air not being on Saturday – the fans were very, very upset about it,' AFL fans association president Ron Issko told this masthead. 'And the AFL's response was, 'well you've got Thursday night, so it all balances out in the wash'. Well, actually, it doesn't. Because they are taking away Thursday night now. So fans would be very annoyed.'
The Age
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Age
‘Broken promise': Fans hit out at AFL over another broadcast snub
When the AFL trumpeted Thursday night football as the centrepiece of its new and approved 2025 broadcasting deal, it would not have had an eye on the weather. But as the season hurtles towards the finish line, the league has been accused of breaking a promise to fans as it deals with a Cyclone Alfred-altered draw. At the heart of the troubles has been how to reschedule the postponed match between Gold Coast and Essendon – the round zero match that was called off on March 8 as the tropical cyclone made landfall. But wearing the brunt of the fallout are Essendon and Carlton fans. Loading The AFL released its final round fixture this week. It would start with Essendon and Carlton on a Thursday night and finish with the cyclone match between Gold Coast and Essendon the following Wednesday. Fans were shocked when Channel 7 announced it would be changing its broadcast approach. The network would ignore coverage of the final Thursday night match of the home-and-away season because of the poor run of form of the once mighty clubs. 'When they took away Saturday – I can tell you how fans feel about free-to-air not being on Saturday – the fans were very, very upset about it,' AFL fans association president Ron Issko told this masthead. 'And the AFL's response was, 'well you've got Thursday night, so it all balances out in the wash'. Well, actually, it doesn't. Because they are taking away Thursday night now. So fans would be very annoyed.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Broncos roster: DL Eyioma Uwazurike (No. 96) enters Year 2 post-suspension
Broncos Wire's 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at fourth-year defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike, No. 96. Before the : Uwazurike (6-6, 316 pounds) got on NFL scouts' radar in 2019 after receiving an honorable mention All-Big 12 notice. He totaled 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 13 starts for the Cyclone that season. For an encore, Uwazurike earned an honorable mention notice again in 2020. In his last season, he earned first-team honors, posting 42 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 13 games (10 starts). Broncos tenure: Uwazurike was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round (122nd overall) in the 2022 NFL draft. In 2022, Uwazurike spent most of the season on the practice squad before playing in eight games in the latter half of the year, where he was credited with 17 total tackles (11 solo, six assisted) and one pass deflection. In 2023, Uwazurike hit a rocky patch when he was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for gambling on NFL games. As a result, he did not participate or have contact with the Broncos during 2023. In 2024, Uwazurike was reinstated by the league and was given a second chance at life as a football player. Uwazurike had a comeback season, playing in four games, making 11 total tackles (three solo, eight assisted) and a half sack. Chances to make the 53-man roster: Has a chance to be a backup or practice squad player. Uwazurike has faced his share of adversity, much of it self-inflicted. Now, he will be locked in a battle for a rotational role on the defensive line. His competition will include Sai'vion Jones, Jordan Jackson and Matt Henningsen. If he doesn't end up making the active roster, Uwazurike should be a top practice squad candidate. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Eyioma Uwazurike enters Year 2 post-suspension
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
When cell towers fail, Kiwis turn to the skies
When Cyclone Gabrielle tore through Aotearoa, and again when Cyclone Tam lashed the upper North Island, something became frighteningly clear: traditional mobile networks can go dark when disaster strikes, sometimes for many days. Power lines collapse. Roads wash out. Cell towers get damaged. This means, in a moment when communication is everything, New Zealanders are cut off. Aotearoa needs a resilient back-up to on-the-ground mobile network, which One NZ Satellite is providing. Cyclone Gabrielle was a turning point for One NZ. It was the catalyst that accelerated its partnership with SpaceX to bring satellite-to-mobile connectivity to New Zealanders when they need it most. This could be during a widespread disaster, or a personal tragedy, such as a car crash or accident in a state highway mobile blackspot. One NZ's collaboration with SpaceX leverages the Starlink satellite network to provide direct-to-mobile text messaging wherever you can see the sky, even when traditional cell towers are down. This service isn't intended to replace the existing mobile network but acts as a vital safety net, a backup that can save lives during disasters. 'We're talking about potentially saving lives,' says Joe Goddard, One NZ's Chief Experience & Commercial Officer. 'Whether it's a massive cyclone or a solo hiker stuck in the backcountry , this technology gives people a lifeline. Over in the US, during Hurricane Milton and the Los Angeles wildfires, the service came into its own – and more recently, and closer to home, during the Nelson-Tasman flooding.' Since its launch in December, One NZ customers on an eligible phone and plan have sent more than 2.7 million text messages and counting via satellite. As Goddard says, 'These are messages that otherwise wouldn't have made it out. Our team has worked incredibly hard to ensure New Zealand was the first country globally to launch a satellite-to-mobile texting service with Starlink, and the benefits are obvious.' Cyclone Tam: A real-world test During Cyclone Tam in April, the system faced a significant real-world test. After widespread outages on the traditional mobile network, the One NZ team sprang into action. Within hours, satellite texting was enabled for more than one million customers in the affected North Island regions. Text message traffic surged 500% on the service. 'It was immediate,' says Goddard. 'We saw people in areas without traditional mobile coverage coming online via satellite and sending text messages almost instantly. This is exactly why we partnered with Starlink on this truly revolutionary technology.' But even in the absence of such a disaster, the rapidly growing volume of One NZ text messages being delivered via satellite reveals the extent to which Kiwis live, work and play outside terrestrial coverage. 'Around 40% of Aotearoa doesn't have traditional mobile coverage. We've changed that with satellite texting, and the service continues to improve with message send times on eligible phones now at around 30 seconds on average,' Goddard says. Lessons learned and the road ahead Cyclone Tam's response has given One NZ valuable insights for future emergencies, and more recently, the service was put to good use during flooding in the Nelson-Tasman region, where texts surged 2000% when traditional networks were interrupted in Golden Bay. The company is now exploring ways to make the service even more accessible by expanding phone compatibility so more New Zealanders on an eligible One NZ mobile plan can connect via satellite. Currently 59 phones can take advantage of satellite texting with an eligible plan. One NZ is also working with government agencies to explore how to integrate civil defence broadcasts and other emergency notifications into the satellite service, further enhancing its value as a disaster response tool. Another example of a potentially life-saving application that uses the One NZ Satellite text service is EcoOnline's StaySafe Lone Worker, provided by innovative Kiwi company Secure Mobility. StaySafe uses One NZ Satellite as a reliable communication channel. This allows lone workers to access all the safety features of the StaySafe solution wherever they can see the sky, including panic and fall alerts, welfare checks and duress alarms, when outside of the traditional cellular range, without the need for additional hardware. An extra layer of resilience and safety As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the need for robust, resilient communications is only growing. One NZ's partnership with SpaceX positions the company as a global leader in disaster connectivity. Its experience is already informing telcos in Australia and the US, and the ongoing collaboration with SpaceX ensures that the service will continue to evolve rapidly. Says Goddard: 'The reality is, we're never going to be able to build on-the-ground digital infrastructure and networks that never fail, no matter how big a battery you put on a cell site. With increasing weather volatility, sometimes fibre or power lines are cut, which can take time to repair. 'Really, if you work in a remote location or support communities during emergencies, then satellite coverage or access via a backup SIM card should be an essential part of your toolkit.'
Daily Mirror
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ronnie O'Sullivan rival could land £210k windfall despite not qualifying for tournament
Ali Carter has reached the Shanghai Masters final against the odds - with the snooker star not even qualifying for the tournament - and he could now collect a huge pay packet if he can defeat Kyren Wilson Snooker star Ali Carter could take home the £210,000 jackpot at the Shanghai Masters - even though he didn't qualify for the tournament - after reaching Sunday's final. Carter, a staunch rival of seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, was not supposed to be playing in Shanghai after failing to qualify through his world ranking of just 17th. But world No.10 Mark Allen withdrew from the competition due to personal reasons, which allowed Carter an opportunity to enter as an unseeded player. Allen has stunned fans with his performances after producing a comeback win three times in a row. The first two feats were against Xiao Guodong and Mark Williams, who he beat 6-5 despite finding himself 5-2 down against both men. He had also been one frame and one big break away from exiting the tournament. And in the semi-finals he dusted himself off from 8-6 down against Mark Selby to prevail 10-8 and book his place in the final, where he will face Kyren Wilson. Wilson had secured a 10-5 win over local favourite Zhao Xintong, handing the Cyclone his first defeat since last November after winning six frames in a row. Carter addressed the discussion around his participation in the tournament due to Allen's withdrawal as he admitted he "shouldn't even be here" - and said his secret to success was to "just turn up and play". "It's just surreal, isn't it? When you don't take it too seriousl," he said. "I always want to win, whether I want to play someone at table tennis. But I was just out there competing. "The secret is not to think about anything. Just turn up and play. Whatever happens, happens. Really I shouldn't even be here now. If Mark Allen doesn't withdraw – I hope he is okay by the way – and I'm 40 points behind to Williams at 5-2 down. I'm looking at my watch thinking, well I could get the midnight flight here. All of a sudden, I have won and I'm in the final. Happy days." It comes days after Carter showed his class by hailing long-time rival O'Sullivan for his "unbelievable" performance against him in the World Championship earlier this year. The pair have a storied history of falling outs, with O'Sullivan calling him a "f***ing nightmare" in 2024 and telling him to "sort his life out" in an extraordinary press conference. But Carter but their bad blood to bed as he reflected on their entertaining encounter, saying: 'When I drew Ronnie, I was like oh f***ing hell, but he was good as gold. It's fine between me and him now, but it was the draw no one wanted, wasn't it? "And despite what people say, in the second half of the match he was unbelievable. I missed the boat in the first half really due to not quite being on it and then he got stronger."
