Latest news with #Den
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Jun Hao's rise to national No. 1 a huge confidence boost, but expectations get higher
PETALING JAYA: Singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao (pic) has now taken over professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia as the national No. 1 for the very first time. But it is not a big deal for the Badminton Association of Malaysia national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen. In fact, the Dane is unbothered by who holds the title of Malaysia's No. 1 men's singles player, whether it's one of his charges or an independent shuttler as long as it contributes to collective success. The latest world rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday saw Jonassen's trainee, Jun Hao, climbing one spot to No. 26 in the world. Meanwhile, Zii Jia, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation, slipped seven rungs to No. 28. With that, the 25-year-old Jun Hao is now officially the country's highest-ranked men's singles player. Even so, Jonassen stressed that this should not be seen as a rivalry between his players and any of the independent shuttlers. 'In this case, it doesn't really mean anything, as it is very unfortunate that Lee is out with an injury. I hope he will return to court soon,' said Jonassen. Zii Jia is recovering from a right ankle ligament injury sustained during the World Tour Finals in December and is targeting a comeback in the Japan Open from July 15-20 in Tokyo. 'I don't see it as a very important competition between national players, my mindset is more towards all of us against the world,' added Jonassen. Currently the top 10 players in the world are Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha), Anders Antonsen (Den), Shi Yuqi (Chn), Jonatan Christie (Ina), Li Shifeng (Chn), Chou Tien-chen (Tpe), Kodai Naraoka (Jpn), Alex Lanier (Fra), Viktor Axelsen (Den) and Loh Kean Yew (Sin). Holding the status as Malaysia's top men's singles player now comes with added expectations for Jun Hao, who will need to raise his game. Since finishing as runner-up at the Kumamoto Masters in Japan last November, he has yet to achieve any major breakthroughs particularly this year. Jun Hao has also been battling internal challenges, including starting slow against opponents and struggling with consistency, despite scoring notable wins over top names such as Jonatan and Naraoka earlier this year. These are among the key areas that Jonassen is focusing on as he prepares Jun Hao for the Japan Open followed by the China Open from July 22-27. Apart from Jun Hao, another of Jonassen's charges, Justin Hoh, also moved up one spot to No. 42 in the world, while Eogene Ewe climbed two rungs to No. 101.
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Gabby Logan's kids are 'embarrassed' as she shares one thing she always does in public
Gabby Logan's kids are 'embarrassed' as she shares one thing she always does in public BBC presenter Gabby Logan has shared an insight into her home life, admitting that her two teenage children become embarrassed when she does one particular thing in public Gabby Logan has shared how her kids 'so embarrassed' when she does one thing (Image: ) BBC presenter Gabby Logan has opened up about her family life, revealing that her teenage children cringe at one of her habits. On her Mid Point podcast, she chatted with ex-Dragons' Den star Sara Davies about one difference they've noticed between the north and south of England. Having grown up in Leeds and now living in Buckinghamshire, Gabby noted a stark contrast in social interactions, especially in London. She told Sara, "People don't even want to make eye contact." Gabby recounted her experiences on the Tube: "I go on the Tube quite a lot at the moment, and it just always amazes me how nobody looks at each other. I'll try and catch somebody's eye and just smile, and people don't even want to make eye contact. I know it's a cliché, but it's just so true." Despite sharing how she thinks there is one major cultural difference between the two halves of the country, Gabby tries to maintain her friendly demeanour by greeting passers-by—something her 19-year-old children find mortifying. She shared: "When I do try and practise that—my kids are 19 now, so they've grown up with it, they've grown up seeing me doing these kinds of things—they go 'eughh.' They get so embarrassed." Gabby and Kenny have two children together, Lois and Reuben (Image: Visionhaus, Visionhaus/Getty Images ) She added: "They'll say, 'I can't believe you just said that. You don't know that person—why did you say she looks nice? Why did you say her hair looks nice?' And then I'll say, 'You'd love it if someone paid you a compliment.'" Article continues below In addition, Gabby has opened up about another facet of her relationship with her two children, contemplating the adjustments she's made as they've left home: "I came back from work recently and I thought, 'This is the future—I don't know if I can live in a house this quiet.'" Gabby has been part of the presenting team on some of the biggest sporting events down the years (Image: Visionhaus, Visionhaus/Getty Images ) She continued: "It's a big step change. (But) I've got to embrace it. When you have kids, you want them to fly, have their own lives, and be independent." Over time, Gabby has become one of the most esteemed figures in sports broadcasting, presenting coverage of a host of major sporting events, including the 2012 London Olympics, European Championships, World Cups, and Champions League finals. Gabby is set to form part of Match Of The Day's new presenting team next season (Image: Naomi Baker, Getty Images ) More recently, she's garnered acclaim for her Mid Point podcast, chatting with numerous well-known personalities such as Sir Chris Hoy, Richard Hammond, and the latest guest, former Dragons' Den investor Sara Davies. Article continues below Earlier this year, it was also revealed that she will be joining Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates as part of the revamped Match of the Day presenting team, following Gary Lineker's recent departure. Gabby has previously presented on events including 2012 London Olympics, European Championships, World Cups, and Champions League finals (Image: Jean Catuffe, Getty Images ) The trio are poised to kick off their presenting roles from the beginning of the 2025/26 Premier League season, in addition to sharing hosting responsibilities on Match of the Day 2 on Sundays and MOTD: Champions League on Wednesdays.
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Legend Rashid raving about Thai singles star Kunlavut
Humble: Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand acknowledges spectators after his victory against Lu Guangzu of China in the men's singles final at the Singapore Open. — AFP PETALING JAYA: If there is one men's singles player who has won the heart of Malaysian legend Datuk Rashid Sidek – it has to be Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. And it's not only because the 24-year-old Thai recently became their country's first men's singles player to reign as the world No. 1 player, but also for his crafty play and humility. Rashid foresees Vitidsarn staying at the top for a long time. 'Kunlavut is one of the talented players in the circuit right now. His tactical game is sound. He is sharp and tricky too,' said Rashid. 'He has this special deceptive shot that frustrates his opponents. 'His attacking shots are good and I think we have not seen the best of him yet. 'Above it all, I'm taken by his sheer humility. He has the character of a true champion. 'We have six more months before the season ends, and I can't wait to see what other things he can accomplish.' Two weeks ago after winning the Singapore Open, which eventually saw him taking up the top spot in the world, Kunlavut had stated: 'I must keep learning. I'm world No. 1 but my performance is not No. 1 yet.' This year, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games silver medallist Kunlavut has also won the Thailand Open, Asian Badminton Championships and Indonesian Masters. With his fine form, he has put himself as one of the favourites to win the World Championships in Paris in August. The other nine players behind him in the ranking are Anders Antonsen (Den), Shi Yuqi (Chn), Jonatan Christie (Ina), Li Shifeng (Chn), Chou Tien-chen (Tpe), Kodai Naraoka (Jpn), Alex Lanier (Fra), Viktor Axelsen (Den) and Loh Kean Yew (Sin). The top two highest ranked Malaysian players are world No. 21 Lee Zii Jia and Leong Jun Hao (27).
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
11 startups from YC Demo Day that investors are talking about
At Y Combinator's Spring 2025 Demo Day on Wednesday, nearly every presenting startup had something to do with AI — they're either developing AI agents or creating tools to facilitate their development. Indeed, several founders seem to be taking a leaf out of the pages of several successful AI startups: about half a dozen startups were presenting variations of 'Cursor for X.' For example, Den is building a 'Cursor for knowledge workers,' and Vessence is on its way to make a 'Cursor for lawyers.' It wasn't all only about AI, though. We noticed several startups are working on robotics, which seems to be having a bit of a revival at the moment. Below are some of the startups that caught both investors' and our attention. What it does: SEO for LLMs Why it's a fave: How people search for content is changing, with folks using various AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity to find content. Understandably, brands need to find a way to increase their visibility on these platforms. Anvil claims it helps brands measure, optimize and increase their presence on these AI tools. What it does: Builds 3D chips Why it's a fave: Transistors aren't getting smaller as fast as they used to, so Atum's founders propose the best new way to put more transistors on a chip, and therefore increase processing power, is to stack them in three dimensions. Investors told me that Atum's vision is so revolutionary that the company has a chance to become the next NVIDIA. What it does: Automates enterprise software implementation Why it's a fave: The startup says prominent software vendors like SAP, ServiceNow, AWS and Box have already reached out to use Auctor's solution themselves and potentially for help with integrating software at customer sites. What it does: AI copilot for solopreneurs Why it's a fave: Cactus says people who run businesses all by themselves are often too busy to pursue new opportunities. The startup says its AI bot can take off some of the load by answering calls and accepting payments on your behalf. What it does: Cursor for enterprise knowledge workers Why it's a fave: Investors told me this is one of the hottest companies in the batch. Den promises its AI agents can replace Slack and Notion, enabling a company's employees to interact and share information with software tailored to each enterprise's specific needs. What it does: Automates customer operations with AI Why it's a fave: Eloquent says its AI bots can help customers of financial services companies do things like automatically unfreeze bank accounts or add drivers to car insurance policies. In other words, Eloquent promises an end to long waits for human customer service. The startup claims financial companies can deploy its AI near instantly without needing to involve internal engineering teams. Eloquent has already raised 'a large seed round,' Tugce Bulut, the startup's co-founder and CEO said on the TBPN podcast. What it does: Tooling for evaluation and reinforcement learning Why it's a fave: Evaluating all the new AI tools for quality is snowballing into a big, difficult problem. LLM Data Company says it can help with its own LLMs that can evaluate the quality of an AI agent, and it's already working with customers including Perplexity. What it does: AI-powered Bloomberg terminal Why it's a fave: 'Terminals are dashboards and not thinking tools,' says Amandeep Singh, co-founder of Scalar Field. While the startup's AI agents won't 'think' for you, it claims they can manipulate financial data with more flexibility than existing financial tools. What it does: Quantum accelerated AI servers to speed up AI training and inference Why it's a fave: While a fully functioning quantum computer may still be years away, the industry has been making progress. What caught my eye about Sygaldry is that its co-founder and CEO is Chad Rigetti, who founded and took his company public via a SPAC in 2021. What it does: Vibe coding to build applications Why it's a fave: Investors who saw a demo of Vybe building apps told me that it can create all sorts of cool tools. One person I talked to even called it a 'clear winner' of the batch.
Business Recorder
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
JGBs rise on safe-haven bets as Israel strikes Iran
TOKYO: Japanese government bonds (JGBs) rose on Friday as investors bought safe-haven assets after Israel said it attacked Iranian nuclear targets, stoking geopolitical worries. The 10-year JGB yield fell to as low as 1.385%, its lowest since May 12. It was last at 1.41%, 4.5 basis points (bps) lower than on Thursday. Yields move inversely to prices. Super-long JGB yields rise after weak auction, reversing earlier declines 'The yields fell sharply after the news about Israel's attack,' said Miki Den, a senior Japan rate strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities. Early on the day, Israel said it had struck Iranian nuclear targets to prevent Tehran from developing atomic weapons, with Iranian media and witnesses reporting explosions, including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility. The demand for safe-haven assets was a tailwind for super-long JGBs, which have struggled to attract investors at a series of auctions in the past few weeks. The 20-year JGB yield fell 3.5 bps to 2.36%. On Thursday, the outcome of the finance ministry's liquidity enhancement auction for bonds with maturities between 15.5 and 39 years worsened from a similar auction in April. But Japanese Government Bond, which has a maturity of 35 years, and with a maturity of nearly 30 years, were among the few tenors that got the highest bids, the finance ministry said. SMBC Nikko's Den said there was a demand from investors to cover short positions of super-long bonds. 'They made short positions on those bonds, but then wanted to buy them back after seeing news that signalled the finance ministry's willingness to improve demand,' said Den. The yields on super-long bonds hit record highs in May but were on the decline after Reuters reported last month that Japan's finance ministry was considering reducing their sale.
