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The Age
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
One 15-letter word stood between Faizan and the title of best speller in the English language. He nailed it
But Sarv misspelled again, followed in the next round by Sarvadnya, and Faizan stayed just calm enough to ensure his competitors wouldn't get back to the microphone. It was a riveting conclusion to a competition that started in 1925 and appears to have a bright future. Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company, had a few dozen former champions on hand to celebrate the centennial of an event that began when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. Faizan lost to Bruhat Soma last year in a tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off'. He became only the fifth runner-up to come back and win and the first since Sean Conley in 2001. With the winner's haul of $US52,500 ($81,700) added to his second-place prize of $US25,000, Faizan increased his bee earnings to $US77,500. His big splurge with his winnings last year? A $US1500 Rubik's cube with 21 squares on each side. This is the last year the bee will be held at its home for the past 14 years, a convention centre just outside Washington on the banks of the Potomac River. In 2026, the competition returns to the nation's capital at Constitution Hall, a nearly century-old concert venue near the White House. Other finalists – Aishwarya Kallakuri, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Concord, North Carolina, and winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee. – Harini Murali, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Edison, New Jersey, a finalist last year and the younger sister of Navneeth Murali, who would have been a top contender in the 2020 bee had it not been cancelled because of COVID-19. –Esha Marupudi, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Chandler, Arizona, who is competing at the bee for the first time. –Oliver Halkett, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Los Angeles and a two-time bee participant. –Sarvadnya Kadam, a three-time speller and a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Visalia, California. –Sarv Dharavane, an 11-year-old from Dunwoody, Georgia, who made the semifinals last year as a fourth-grader. –Brian Liu, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Great Neck, New York, who was a semifinalist two years ago but didn't make it to the bee in 2024. –Akshaj Somisetty, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and a two-time speller who leapt from quarterfinalist to finalist.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
One 15-letter word stood between Faizan and the title of best speller in the English language. He nailed it
But Sarv misspelled again, followed in the next round by Sarvadnya, and Faizan stayed just calm enough to ensure his competitors wouldn't get back to the microphone. It was a riveting conclusion to a competition that started in 1925 and appears to have a bright future. Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company, had a few dozen former champions on hand to celebrate the centennial of an event that began when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. Faizan lost to Bruhat Soma last year in a tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off'. He became only the fifth runner-up to come back and win and the first since Sean Conley in 2001. With the winner's haul of $US52,500 ($81,700) added to his second-place prize of $US25,000, Faizan increased his bee earnings to $US77,500. His big splurge with his winnings last year? A $US1500 Rubik's cube with 21 squares on each side. This is the last year the bee will be held at its home for the past 14 years, a convention centre just outside Washington on the banks of the Potomac River. In 2026, the competition returns to the nation's capital at Constitution Hall, a nearly century-old concert venue near the White House. Other finalists – Aishwarya Kallakuri, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Concord, North Carolina, and winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee. – Harini Murali, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Edison, New Jersey, a finalist last year and the younger sister of Navneeth Murali, who would have been a top contender in the 2020 bee had it not been cancelled because of COVID-19. –Esha Marupudi, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Chandler, Arizona, who is competing at the bee for the first time. –Oliver Halkett, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Los Angeles and a two-time bee participant. –Sarvadnya Kadam, a three-time speller and a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Visalia, California. –Sarv Dharavane, an 11-year-old from Dunwoody, Georgia, who made the semifinals last year as a fourth-grader. –Brian Liu, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Great Neck, New York, who was a semifinalist two years ago but didn't make it to the bee in 2024. –Akshaj Somisetty, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and a two-time speller who leapt from quarterfinalist to finalist.
AU Financial Review
26-05-2025
- Sport
- AU Financial Review
Leadership training builds capacity in not-for-profit sector
The Sydney gathering heard from international cricketer and vice-captain of India's women's cricket team, Smriti Mandhana, about what it means to be a resilient change-maker. Mandhana started playing cricket at a time when very few women played the sport, rising quickly through the ranks from junior level to international stardom, which required immense fortitude. She emphasised how important it is as a leader to reconcile failures and successes. 'You have to understand what's working for you and what's not working for you,' Mandhana said. 'No matter if you score 100 or you score a duck, the next day, you still have to start playing again from zero. So, it doesn't really matter what's happened in the past. Failure is the time when you understand what you can do better.' Mandhana left the audience with a message about balancing the mental space you devote to analysing setbacks versus how you assess your successes. She told the group to avoid falling into rumination and fixation, and recommended meditation and breathing exercises to gain a level head during times of stress. Common Purpose's Sengupta said events like the American Express Leadership Academy are vital for NFP leaders to build their resilience and be inspired. 'At Common Purpose, our heart and soul is about giving people the skills, knowledge and networks so they can be a better version of themselves and solve the complex challenges of society for individuals, organisations and communities,' Sengupta said. 'The academy strengthens the sector and gives its leaders the chance to be inspired and better connected. It's about developing the knowledge to make two plus two into 11, not four, to accelerate their social impact.' American Express chief corporate affairs officer, Jennifer Skyler, said, 'one of the goals of the Leadership Academy is to build bridges between organisations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. This helps to ensure that everyone has access to the best tools, skills and networks to realise their potential and advance their mission, whether it be for a company, social enterprise or NGO.' 'Going into the leadership academy, I felt I was very consultative and had an understanding of organisational change and change management. But I had never admitted to myself I was a leader until I did the course,' said 2024 academy alumnus Craig Stevens, the CEO of LocalKind, which offers a drop-in support service for vulnerable people living in Sydney. Stevens was one of three alumni to receive $US25,000 as part of their involvement in Leadership Academy to go towards their nonprofits. The course gave him a deeper appreciation of how his backstory can help effect change. 'I learned as a result of this experience I have a story. And that story is linked to our mission and values, and can be used for the good of the organisation in terms of fundraising and raising awareness,' said Stevens. 'It helped me be able to advocate on issues such as domestic violence and trauma-informed care for people who have had complex childhoods and end up homeless or in the justice system.' Stevens said being part of the American Express Leadership Academy also supported his own career ascension to run a large not-for-profit organisation. 'I started my professional life as a support worker, moving into different roles before becoming a CEO,' he said. 'The academy challenged my thinking on how I can lead through change more kindly and using stories, understanding you're going to get better results if you bring people along the journey.'
Sydney Morning Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Musk turns away from Trump in bid to rescue Tesla
Having created havoc in Washington and turned Tesla into a toxic brand around the world, Elon Musk is now retreating from politics and has recommitted himself to Tesla for the next five years. US public servants and Tesla shareholders will both be relieved. In a video interview aired at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, Musk, who spent more than $US250 million ($390 million) funding Donald Trump and the Republicans in last year's elections, said he planned to cut back his political spending. 'I think I've done enough,' he said, adding a caveat that, if he saw a reason to resume spending, he would. 'I do not currently see a reason.' That diminished financial role in US politics – after he spent $US25 million in a failed attempt to get a Republican judge appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court – and the winding down of his role in DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) will be applauded by Tesla investors. Loading They had seen their share price plummet nearly 50 per cent from just before Inauguration Day in January – wiping about $US640 billion from the company's market capitalisation – until Musk, late last month, said he would start allocating more time to Tesla. That started a turnaround in the share price, which initially jumped 3.6 per cent after Tuesday's comments, before settling 1.73 per cent up for the day. It's now 'only' 20 per cent below this year's peak in January. On Tuesday, Musk said he would still be chief executive of Tesla in five years' time – unless he died – and reiterated that he wants to own 25 per cent of Tesla to have some control of the company (he currently owns about 12.8 per cent).
9 News
21-05-2025
- Business
- 9 News
Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile shield could cost hundreds of billions
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here The Pentagon has submitted small, medium and large options to the White House for developing "Golden Dome," US President Donald Trump's vision for a cutting-edge missile shield that can protect the country from long-range strikes that will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans. Trump is expected to announce his preferred option – and its price point – in the coming days, a decision that will ultimately chart a path forward for funding, developing and implementing the space-based missile defence system over the next several years. Whatever option Trump opts for, it won't be cheap; $US25 billion ($39 billion) has been carved out in next year's defence budget for the system, but the Congressional Budget Office has estimated the US could have to spend more than $US500 billion – over the course of 20 years – to develop a viable Golden Dome. US President Donald Trump speaks about his planned missile defence system in the Oval Office of the White House, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP) The project will also present a bonanza for private contractors as the government won't be able to build it alone, with companies including Elon Musk's SpaceX in the running for highly lucrative contracts related to the system. The US Department of Defence "has developed a draft architecture and implementation plan for a Golden Dome system that will protect Americans and our homeland from a wide range of global missile threats," chief Pentagon spokesman and senior adviser Sean Parnell told CNN in a statement. "The Secretary of Defence and other Department leaders have engaged with the President to present options and look forward to announcing the path forward in the coming days," Parnell added. A key part of the implementation plan will be the establishment of a direct reporting program manager – also known as a "golden dome czar" – who can oversee the development and deployment of the highly complex system, according to three sources familiar with the conversations. General Michael A. Guetlein, vice chief of space operations at the US Space Force, is under close consideration for the role, the sources said, noting he is a four-star general with experience in the procurement of missile defence systems and emerging space-based capabilities. US Space Force vice chief of operations General Michael Guetlein listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP) For now, however, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Golden Dome and what it will ultimately look like. Another person with direct knowledge of the options said the system would ultimately encompass about 100 programs, many of which already live within the Defence Department or are in development. The one "entirely new" aspect would be the command and control and integration layer of the architecture, this person said. "There are a lot of different flavours of what this could look like," said a senior congressional official familiar with the Pentagon's proposed plans. A comprehensive missile defence shield is a concept the US has pursued for decades but never realised because of gaps in technology and cost. Trump has repeatedly insisted the US needs a missile defence program similar to Israel's Iron Dome, but the systems are orders of magnitude apart. In practical terms, the comparison is less apples to oranges, and more apples to aircraft carriers. A battery of Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, deployed to intercept rockets. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File) (AP) Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system selectively protects populated areas from short-range threats in a country spanning 20,000 square kilometres, about the size of the US state New Jersey; Trump wants a space-based missile defence system capable of defending the entire US from advanced ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The Defense Intelligence Agency recently released an unclassified assessment titled "Golden Dome for America," underscoring how US adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea can target the American homeland with a variety of ballistic missiles, long-range cruise missiles, bombers and hypersonic missiles. The core policy decision for Trump largely centers on next-generation capabilities to defend the US against ICBMs or hypersonic threats, the congressional official added, noting it is clear Golden Dome will require "a "significant research and development effort." Developing such a complex system will require establishing a network of government agencies and private contractors, the makeup of which remains unclear at this early stage, multiple sources familiar with the planning process said. Donald Trump missile defence military USA Technology CONTACT US Auto news: Can you use your phone in the car if it is mounted?
