Latest news with #Dittmar
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Double victory for Sikhosana and Aksak at Amex ITF Wheelchair tennis event
Top seeds Alwande Sikhosana and Zeliha Aksak claimed their second Amex ITF Wheelchair Futures Series titles at the Gauteng East Tennis Association (GETA) complex in Lakefield on July 4. Competing in South Africa for the first time in six years, Sikhosana rallied past Germany's Anthony Dittmar with a hard-fought 6-1, 7-5 victory, while Aksak, from Turkey, powered past South Africa's Nokwanda Hlongwana 6-2, 6-2 to win the women's title. Men's final After crushing Dittmar 6-2, 6-0 to clinch his first title of this tour on 30 June, Sikhosana went into the match high in confidence. Though the German battled against the wind, he made the African number one sweat for his victory. The South African commanded the opening set from the baseline, winning the bulk of the serve points to take it 6-1. The 24-year-old Sikhosana once again showed his pedigree, racing to a 4-2 lead in the second set. But Dittmar fought back without making mistakes against a rampant opponent backed by strong home support. Dittmar's fightback sent the set into a tiebreak, but Sikhosana regained his rhythm to ultimately triumph 7-5 and clinch the title in straight sets. 'It was a good match; tougher than last week. Anthony played very well in the second set. I was in control but he kept chasing me up and down. I'm happy to have kept the fighting spirit and actually taken the victory,' Sikhosana said. Sikhosana added that the victories were crucial in his chase for grand slam qualification. 'It's an amazing feeling. But the most important thing is getting the points to improve my ranking.' Dittmar, meanwhile, was content with his performance. 'The first set was pretty bad. I had good chances but I didn't hit the ball well and the wind wasn't easy for me. Alwande played well in the first set. In the second set, I just went for it and it worked a lot better. I'm happy,' he said. Women's final Having clinched the Amex ITF Futures one title on 30 June with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over Ntsuku Ndlovu, Aksak was the overwhelming favourite going into this fixture. She lived up to expectations as she gave Hlongwana no chance to win the match 6-2, 6-2 for her second consecutive title. 'I feel better with my game, although I played with lots of pain in my back, which started at the beginning of this tournament. But I won all my matches and I'm happy with that,' Aksak said. Juniors Pheeha Machaka beat Orenetse Polile 6-3, 6-2 to win the boys' final, while Bridget Lesedi Malepe caused the upset of the tournament when she defeated top seed Inam Madiloyi of Germiston's Ithembelihle LSEN School, 6-2, 6-0. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Could political violence have a chilling effect on office seekers in Minnesota?
MINNEAPOLIS - After the shootings of state legislators and their family members, Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom feared that enthusiasm he was seeing among people interested in running for office would fade. But that wasn't what he found when he attended a DFL fish fry in northern Minnesota the Monday after the attacks. "The room was somber, but resolute," he said, noting one person told the crowd they planned to honor Democratic House Leader Melissa Hortman by running for the Legislature. "I hope that, in this moment, people will think carefully about what service means to them, what it means to their fellow Minnesotans, and ultimately choose to serve in the example that Melissa Hortman served for us all." Across the country, increased threats and harassment in recent years have had a chilling effect on local elected officials' willingness to engage in political activities, from running for re-election to working on controversial issues to attending public events, according to surveys by Princeton University's Bridging Divides Initiative and nonprofit CivicPulse. The assassination of Rep. Hortman and the shooting of Sen. John Hoffman this month was categorically different than threats and harassment. And while the attacks have made some people more determined to serve, it has also prompted officeholders, party officials and community members to wonder: In a state that has long prided itself on civic participation, who exactly will be willing to run for office? Elected officials say harassment has become an unfortunate but predictable part of public service - so common it often goes unreported. There are signs the problem is getting worse. Officeholders and potential candidates increasingly mention political violence and threats when talking to staff at the Center for American Women and Politics, said Kelly Dittmar, the center's director of research. While those issues are not new in the U.S., she said the internet makes divisiveness and danger more "in-your-face." Elected officials also seem to be more willing to talk about threats and harassment, particularly gender or race-focused threats, which is an important step to address the problem, Dittmar said. She pointed to congresswoman Pramila Jayapal - who had been threated by an armed man outside her Seattle home - sharing threatening voicemails in 2022 and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley's staff talking about putting mugshots from Capitol police on their office wall so they knew the faces. But Dittmar worries those considering a bid for office may say, "It's not worthwhile." Already, politicians are operating in an environment where national and state polarization has made serving in local offices throughout Minnesota -which are nonpartisan and often come with low pay - more fraught. "We used to say all politics are local, but increasingly, we're starting to say that all politics are national," said Luke Fischer, the executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities. At the same time, local officials can sometimes find themselves the subject of withering national scrutiny, said Shannon Hiller, executive director of the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University, which studies political violence. In the last presidential election cycle, false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, became a flashpoint, including in a presidential debate. In that environment, a "consistently high" baseline of threats has consequences for representative government, Hiller said. In fact, local officials - Democrats and Republicans report that threats affect their behavior in similar ways - are changing the way they interact with constituents because of the current political environment. Before the shootings of Hortman and Hoffman, there was little evidence that increased toxicity had dampened people's desire to seek office in Minnesota, said Cassondra Knudson, with the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office. "We haven't noticed any fewer candidates," she said, noting uncontested races are very uncommon and there are usually candidates from multiple parties running for seats in the November general election. And though it remains to be seen how the attacks will affect Minnesotans' willingness to run, there is little doubt it shifted the landscape for political hopefuls. While difficult to quantify, "it's hard not to to expect that this is going to have a deterring effect on people deciding to serve, and we do, of course, need people to serve in these roles," said Patricia Nauman, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, a group that represents cities in the seven-county metro. "It's the underpinnings of our government and our democracy." House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, echoed that sentiment: "I would say that this situation is going to cross everyone's mind." In addition to potentially affecting the number of people willing to run and serve, the violence could also affect the type of candidates, some officials said. Candidate recruitment, even at the most local level, is already a challenge for Greg Davis, chair of the Le Sueur/Scott County DFL who also serves on the board for Washington Township, a deep-red area where DFLers often get just over 30% of the vote. In the current environment, people who are willing to run sometimes fall on the "political fringes," both on the left and right, rather than representing the majority, Davis said, something he worries will only get more common going forward. Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, shares that concern, saying the shootings could broaden partisan divides. "Now when it comes to people that are going to run, some people that are just regular citizens are now going to be disinclined to even think about it," he said. "That's going to bring in more of the people on the extreme side, and we desperately need more people with regular life experience." ------------ -Allison Kite and Nathaniel Minor of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story. ------------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
7NEWS
26-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Wild accusation emerges behind AFL's club memo on illegal boot studs
There has been an intriguing layer added to the AFL's illegal boot studs drama with claims that a 'top club' is going to extreme lengths to 'break the rules'. It emerged on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters on Tuesday that the league has sent a memo to clubs, reminding them they are liable to a $40,000 sanction should a player be caught in metal or illegal stops. 'This is a timely reminder regarding the type of football boots which may be worn in AFL matches, specifically the prohibition of metal stops, which pose a serious risk of injury to players,' the memo said. 'To prioritise player safety, the AFL strictly enforces regulations that prohibit the use of metal stops or studs on football boots. 'As such, it is the responsibility of all AFL clubs and players to ensure that boots worn during matches fully comply with these rules. 'Under AFL regulations 4.8, clubs may be sanctioned up to $40,000 breach.' Despite the memo, veteran AFL reporter Caroline Wilson said coaches around the league were still concerned because the injuries keep happening. 'According to many coaches and footy bosses I've spoken to today, these boots, often the stops, are really sharp and dangerous. The coaches say this is happening more and more; horrible injuries from boots,' she said on Tuesday. South Australian radio host Chris 'Ditts' Dittmar has accused one club of a wild act of deception, saying the players are deliberately breaking the rules to get an advantage. 'I've delved a bit deeper into this. So what's happened is the rules did change and it turns out that clubs were told previously, you can't wear that's those types of boots any longer, and it will be a fine, OK, $40,000, quite hefty,' Dittmar said on Triple M Breakfast. 'Going on from Caro's story, what I've learned ... is that there's a club, and I'll say they're a top club, they're going pretty well, one of the top clubs, have got players, would you believe, painting the studs on their boots to make them look different? 'So they're deliberately wearing illegal studs for better grip.' Dittmar said fans and commentators 'get frustrated' when they see players 'slipping over'. 'So I asked a leading player one of these questions (about the boots). He said, 'Well, we have to wear these moulded soles that are slippery. They've got too many studs in them,' according to this player. 'Whereas if you wear the other ones that are better for wet, longer stops, less studs, that makes it better to grip, believe it or not, with less studs. '(But) there's a club out there that are breaking the rules, and we think that's why this memo has been sent again this week.' Channel 7 commentator Dale Thomas speculated that the new plastic blade-style boot could actually cause more damage. 'The plastic, blade style, they become more sharp than the metal ... it's a longer blade along the boot, rather than just a stud, it's almost making it worse,' he said. On the weekend North Melbourne's Jack Darling suffered a large gash in his shin when he tangled with Carlton's Jack Silvagni during the first quarter. The veteran was in immediate discomfort by the large wound, which raised concerns around infection. But he heroically managed to play out the match, but was taken to hospital after the match where he had the wound stitched up. Silvagni was cleared of any wrongdoing with his boots given the tick of approval.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Weak oil prices, limited shale acreage to hit energy M&A in 2025, Enverus says
By Georgina McCartney HOUSTON (Reuters) -The U.S. upstream oil and gas M&A market is bracing for the most challenging conditions since the COVID-19 pandemic as oil prices slump and prime acreage dries up, analytics firm Enverus said on Wednesday, even though dealmaking jumped last quarter to the second-best start to the year since 2018. The expected downturn in mergers and acquisitions follows a series of blockbuster takeovers by oil and gas majors in recent years, which culminated in a record $192 billion worth of deals done in 2023. There were $17 billion worth of deals disclosed in the quarter ended March 31, but activity was disproportionately driven by Diamondback Energy, which accounted for almost half of total value, said Enverus Intelligence Research principal analyst, Andrew Dittmar. Diamondback Energy acquired Double Eagle IV in the Midland basin for $4.083 billion in February. It also sold minerals to Viper Energy for $4.26 billion in January, the two largest deals done in the first quarter. Outside of Diamondback, buyers were already feeling the pressure of limited acquisition opportunities and high asking prices for undeveloped drilling inventory, Dittmar said. 'Upstream deal markets are heading into the most challenging conditions we have seen since the first half of 2020. High asset prices and limited opportunities are colliding with weakening crude," he added. West Texas Intermediate crude futures tumbled to multi-year lows this month after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled trade tariffs on April 2, stoking concerns of an economic slowdown. Eight OPEC+ countries also unexpectedly agreed to advance plans to phase out oil output cuts by increasing output by 411,000 barrels per day in May. Sellers are aware there is a scarcity of high-quality shale inventory, making them reluctant to unload their assets at a discount, but buyers cannot afford to pay recent M&A prices now that oil prices are lower, Dittmar said. "The standoff between those two groups around fair asset pricing is set to sink M&A activity,' he said. Other major deals done included Paloma Natural Gas selling Haynesville assets in February to an undisclosed buyer for $1.2 billion. U.S. natural gas producers and investment firms are gearing up for more activity in Louisiana's Haynesville shale basin, positioning themselves for a boom in liquefied natural gas exports boosted by new approvals from Trump.
Reuters
23-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Weak oil prices, limited shale acreage to hit energy M&A in 2025, Enverus says
HOUSTON, April 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. upstream oil and gas M&A market is bracing for the most challenging conditions since the COVID-19 pandemic as oil prices slump and prime acreage dries up, analytics firm Enverus said on Wednesday, even though dealmaking jumped last quarter to the second-best start to the year since 2018. The expected downturn in mergers and acquisitions follows a series of blockbuster takeovers by oil and gas majors in recent years, which culminated in a record $192 billion worth of deals done in 2023. There were $17 billion worth of deals disclosed in the quarter ended March 31, but activity was disproportionately driven by Diamondback Energy (FANG.O), opens new tab, which accounted for almost half of total value, said Enverus Intelligence Research principal analyst, Andrew Dittmar. Diamondback Energy acquired Double Eagle IV in the Midland basin for $4.083 billion in February. It also sold minerals to Viper Energy for $4.26 billion in January, the two largest deals done in the first quarter. Outside of Diamondback, buyers were already feeling the pressure of limited acquisition opportunities and high asking prices for undeveloped drilling inventory, Dittmar said. 'Upstream deal markets are heading into the most challenging conditions we have seen since the first half of 2020. High asset prices and limited opportunities are colliding with weakening crude," he added. West Texas Intermediate crude futures tumbled to multi-year lows this month after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled trade tariffs on April 2, stoking concerns of an economic slowdown. Eight OPEC+ countries also unexpectedly agreed to advance plans to phase out oil output cuts by increasing output by 411,000 barrels per day in May. Sellers are aware there is a scarcity of high-quality shale inventory, making them reluctant to unload their assets at a discount, but buyers cannot afford to pay recent M&A prices now that oil prices are lower, Dittmar said. "The standoff between those two groups around fair asset pricing is set to sink M&A activity,' he said. Other major deals done included Paloma Natural Gas selling Haynesville assets in February to an undisclosed buyer for $1.2 billion. U.S. natural gas producers and investment firms are gearing up for more activity in Louisiana's Haynesville shale basin, positioning themselves for a boom in liquefied natural gas exports boosted by new approvals, opens new tab from Trump.
