has started a career with the New Zealand Defence Force Cambridge stablehand Briarna Blackmore, 18, will swap stables for a hangar as she is about to start training to be an aircraft technician with the New Zealand Defence Force Aircraftman Blackmore previously worked at a thoroughbred racing stable in Cambridge where she was part of team doing general farm maintenance and assisting with foaling and breeding She just completed the 12-week recruit course at Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Woodbourne in the South Island, where she will also soon start her trade training. “I worked [at the stables] until the day before I came to Woodbourne, which was probably the best preparation that I could have gotten for recruit course, given the extremely long and physical hours.” Blackmore said the highlight of the recruit course had been the friendships she developed. “I was a bit nervous to move in with complete strangers, but we all bonded super quickly and now spend every moment of our free time together as well. “We are all in the same boat, which makes it a lot easier to relate to each other when we found things tough, or what we were enjoying from our course. “Recruit course is not a competition. You are all working towards the same goal of graduation, so you need to believe in your own abilities while also supporting those around you.” However, Blackmore said she also faced a few hurdles. “I have found the mental aspects a lot more challenging than the physical ones. We are under constant pressure during recruit course, where the assessments and activities can affect the future of our career if we don’t do them well. “While some of the physical things we do are tough at the time, I have been able to push through the pain and afterwards it is super rewarding.” Blackmore was now looking forward to the next step in her career as an aircraft technician and already has big goals. “In the future, I would like to be posted to RNZAF Base Auckland and work on the Seasprite helicopters as part of No. 6 Squadron.” She said she was “extremely grateful” to have been selected to be part of the Air Force and for the friendships she formed during the recruit course. “These are friendships that I will be able to take from this course, and when we are all posted to different bases, it will be awesome to have friends all over New Zealand.” Hamilton District Court is closed and cases have been disrupted. Tom Youngs made 246 league appearances in his career and scored 51 goals Northampton Town and Bury forward Tom Youngs has died at the age of 45 Youngs started his career with the U's after joining the club aged 10 and made 180 appearances between 1997 and 2003 He won promotion to the third tier with Cambridge in 1998-99 After 30 appearances in an injury-hit three seasons with Northampton Youngs had a short spell at Leyton Orient before joining Bury in June 2005 He played 49 league games for the Shakers and scored seven goals in two seasons before a hip injury ended his playing career with non-league Mildenhall Town in 2011 Youngs was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014 after moving back to Bury St Edmunds to work as an accountant Having studied sports journalism at Staffordshire University What Dreams are (Not Quite) Made of: No Fame In their obituary, Cambridge wrote, external: "Tom will be remembered as a gifted player who intelligent positioning and poise in front of goal graced the Abbey Stadium between 1997 and 2003." Northampton added, external: "Tom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a life-changing event that he faced with the same resilience and honesty that marked his entire career "He later wrote a moving and insightful book reflecting on both his footballing days and his experience with the disease offering comfort and inspiration to many." 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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Lucy In The Sky winning the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton on Saturday Bred and raced by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay Lucy In The Sky is a first-crop daughter of the stud’s exciting shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain she became his first stakes winner in the Southern Hemisphere The Tony Pike-trained Lucy In The Sky showed bright promise in the North Island earlier this year. She scored an impressive front-running win on debut at Ellerslie on February 22 then returned to the same venue two weeks later for a close and highly creditable sixth in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) Pike later set his sights on an autumn black-type success in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes at Riccarton and the Cambridge trainer breathed a sigh of relief when the Pattern Committee ruled on the Friday that the $80,000 feature would retain its Listed status despite a weather-enforced switch from the turf to the Polytrack Lucy In The Sky drew gate seven in an eight-horse field and broke only fairly from the starting gate But jockey Jasmine Fawcett allowed her to stride forward taking the lead and crossing to the rail within the first 200m The $1.30 favourite controlled the race from there and was travelling easily coming up to the home turn Te Akau Racing filly Queen’s Evidence briefly loomed as a threat on her outside coming into the straight but Lucy In The Sky quickened again and left her behind She dashed to victory by a length and three-quarters with Queen’s Evidence finishing another four lengths clear of the third-placed Alottago Lucy In The Sky clocked 1m 09.77s for the 1200m “Tony Pike asked me if I’d come down here to ride her today and it was an absolute no-brainer,” Fawcett said “She’s still a bit green – she changed legs early in the race and actually jumped a shadow But she’s a class horse and she still managed to get the job done I was confident turning for home that she was going to put them away easily.” Lucy In The Sky has now had three starts for two wins Pike was pleased to add valuable black type to the filly’s CV while the trip down to Christchurch – albeit to race on a different surface – will also hold her in good stead ahead of a potential Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) campaign in the spring “We came down here to try to get a stakes win on the board so it’s mission accomplished in that sense,” Pike said “She’ll also go down in history as the first horse to win a black-type race on the synthetic [track] in New Zealand “She’s a really nice filly who ran in a Group 1 race up north so it’s all positive heading into her 3-year-old season I think the best two fillies ran the quinella today and have the makings of good 3-year-olds “Our filly had to work a bit to get across and lead I told Jasmine to just allow her to get into rhythm “There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge yet but it would be great to see her back here in November for the 1000 Guineas.” Lucy In The Sky and Queen’s Evidence continued a dominant run for fillies in the Champagne Stakes They have now won 10 of the last 11 runnings with the only exception coming from Te Akau gelding Discretion Rules last year All About Magic (2019 – race not run in 2020) Peach Cove (2015) and Elusive Catch (2014) Trainer: 'She always does her best and she will do her best again.' By Sarah CollinsPublished 17 April 2025 Artist's impression of the exoplanet K2-18b Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) which orbits its star in the habitable zone primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton While an unknown chemical process may be the source of these molecules in K2-18b’s atmosphere the results are the strongest evidence yet that life may exist on a planet outside our solar system The observations have reached the ‘three-sigma’ level of statistical significance – meaning there is a 0.3% probability that they occurred by chance To reach the accepted classification for scientific discovery the observations would have to cross the five-sigma threshold meaning there would be below a 0.00006% probability they occurred by chance The researchers say between 16 and 24 hours of follow-up observation time with JWST may help them reach the all-important five-sigma significance. Their results are reported in The Astrophysical Journal Letters Earlier observations of K2-18b — which is 8.6 times as massive and 2.6 times as large as Earth and lies 124 light years away in the constellation of Leo — identified methane and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere This was the first time that carbon-based molecules were discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in the habitable zone Those results were consistent with predictions for a ‘Hycean’ planet: a habitable ocean-covered world underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere However, another, weaker signal hinted at the possibility of something else happening on K2-18b. “We didn’t know for sure whether the signal we saw last time was due to DMS, but just the hint of it was exciting enough for us to have another look with JWST using a different instrument,” said Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy To determine the chemical composition of the atmospheres of faraway planets astronomers analyse the light from its parent star as the planet transits or passes in front of the star as seen from the Earth JWST can detect a drop in stellar brightness and a tiny fraction of starlight passes through the planet’s atmosphere before reaching Earth The absorption of some of the starlight in the planet’s atmosphere leaves imprints in the stellar spectrum that astronomers can piece together to determine the constituent gases of the exoplanet’s atmosphere inference of DMS was made using JWST’s NIRISS (Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph) and NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instruments which together cover the near-infrared (0.8-5 micron) range of wavelengths independent observation used JWST’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) in the mid-infrared (6-12 micron) range “This is an independent line of evidence using a different instrument than we did before and a different wavelength range of light where there is no overlap with the previous observations,” said Madhusudhan “The signal came through strong and clear.” Transmission spectrum of the habitable zone exoplanet K2-18 b using the JWST MIRI spectrograph “It was an incredible realisation seeing the results emerge and remain consistent throughout the extensive independent analyses and robustness tests,” said co-author Måns Holmberg a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore DMS and DMDS are molecules from the same chemical family and both are predicted to be biosignatures Both molecules have overlapping spectral features in the observed wavelength range although further observations will help differentiate between the two molecules the concentrations of DMS and DMDS in K2-18b’s atmosphere are very different than on Earth where they are generally below one part per billion by volume they are estimated to be thousands of times stronger - over ten parts per million “Earlier theoretical work had predicted that high levels of sulfur-based gases like DMS and DMDS are possible on Hycean worlds,” said Madhusudhan Given everything we know about this planet a Hycean world with an ocean that is teeming with life is the scenario that best fits the data we have.” Madhusudhan says that while the results are exciting it’s vital to obtain more data before claiming that life has been found on another world He says that while he is cautiously optimistic there could be previously unknown chemical processes at work on K2-18b that may account for the observations he is hoping to conduct further theoretical and experimental work to determine whether DMS and DMDS can be produced non-biologically at the level currently inferred “The inference of these biosignature molecules poses profound questions concerning the processes that might be producing them” said co-author Subhajit Sarkar of Cardiff University “Our work is the starting point for all the investigations that are now needed to confirm and understand the implications of these exciting findings,” said co-author Savvas Constantinou also from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy “It’s important that we’re deeply sceptical of our own results because it’s only by testing and testing again that we will be able to reach the point where we’re confident in them,” Madhusudhan said “That’s how science has to work.” While he is not yet claiming a definitive discovery Madhusudhan says that with powerful tools like JWST and future planned telescopes humanity is taking new steps toward answering that most essential of questions: are we alone we may look back at this point in time and recognise it was when the living universe came within reach,” said Madhusudhan where suddenly the fundamental question of whether we’re alone in the universe is one we’re capable of answering.” The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaboration between NASA The research is supported by a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Frontier Research Grant To learn more about Hycean worlds, visit hycean.group.cam.ac.uk Reference:Nikku Madhusudhan et al. ‘New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18b from JWST MIRI.’ The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2025) The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Only a quarter of staff are satisfied with how their department tackles bullying and harassment Only a quarter of staff at Cambridge University are satisfied with how their department tackles bullying and harassment according to an internal survey seen by the Observer Cambridge undertook its staff culture survey in January 2024 and is now facing accusations from academics that it tried to cover up the “grim” results which have been released through freedom of information (FoI) requests A spokesperson for the university said this weekend that it was supporting departments to take action where issues had been identified They said: “We take concerns about bullying seriously and strongly encourage anyone who experiences such behaviour to report it.” Just 27% of staff agreed that they were happy with attempts to address bullying and harassment – with some of the most high-profile science departments scoring especially badly – and only half of staff (52%) said their department supported their mental health and wellbeing The results have prompted an academic at the university to break with tradition and seek nominations in the forthcoming election of Cambridge’s new chancellor on an anti-bullying manifesto after Labour peer David Sainsbury announced his resignation from the post last year Prof Wyn Evans wants to seek nominations in the forthcoming election of Cambridge’s new chancellor on an anti-bullying manifesto Photograph: Sophia Evans/The ObserverEvans said: “This survey reveals a grim culture of bullying and harassment yet the most shocking thing of all is that the university found this out a year ago and hasn’t taken any action “If a senior academic is valuable to the university because they hold a lot of research grants bringing in a lot of money Evans said that having an outward-facing ambassadorial chancellor had worked well in the past but the university was facing an “internal crisis” of bullying and too many academics on insecure short-term contracts It now needed a chancellor who would push for “sweeping reforms” A survey by the university and the three main campus unions in 2020 found that nearly a third of staff had experienced bullying or harassment at work in the previous 18 months Then vice-chancellor Stephen Toope wrote a statement to accompany the survey results pledging action and stating: “To be a leading institution we must accept this type of behaviour has no place at Cambridge.” The university is far from alone in facing challenges of this kind. In 2020, a survey by the Wellcome Trust one of the largest charitable funders of research in the UK questioned more than 4,000 researchers across 20 universities and found that nearly two-thirds of them had witnessed bullying and harassment More than three-quarters of them felt that intense competition to win research grants and publish in high-profile journals – with research departments also competing to perform well in league tables and respond to government initiatives – had created “unkind and aggressive” conditions head of research and funding equity at Wellcome said: “Research shouldn’t come at the cost of damaging people’s wellbeing and it’s encouraging to see institutions asking students and staff about the issues they face.” He added: “The research sector can and should learn from one another By painting a picture of people’s experiences we are all better placed to design a positive and inclusive research culture.” Wellcome has explicit anti-bullying, exploitation and harassment rules as a pre-condition of its grants, and in 2018 revoked £3.5m in funding from Prof Nazneen Rahman one of Britain’s leading cancer scientists who was then based at the Institute of Cancer Research in London after 45 colleagues made accusations of bullying and harassment denied the allegations and said at the time “there were no disciplinary findings against me” Cambridge declined to release survey results for some of its departments under FoI among the detailed results seen by the Observer there are some departments with more concerning results In the Medical Research Council toxicology unit 69% of staff who expressed an opinion disagreed or strongly disagreed when asked if they were happy with how bullying and harassment was addressed this figure was 61%; in the Cavendish laboratory of physics it was 58%; and at both the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Cambridge Institute and in the department of oncology it was 50% Other departments with close to half of staff who expressed an opinion disagreeing or strongly disagreeing that these issues were tackled well included earth sciences When “don’t know” responses are taken into account the figures decrease by between 11 and 26 percentage points; for example the dissatisfaction among toxicology unit staff falls to 58% and in the Cavendish physics laboratory it falls to 32% A cancer researcher who left the university recently and claims they were “intimidated harassed and bullied” by a senior academic at CRUK Cambridge Institute said: “Research was my whole life I really looked forward to coming into the department exchanging ideas and inspiring research students I was left despairing and had many months of demoralisation.” The researcher said: “The ordeal ruined my personal life colleagues and former students – but from the university just bland exhortations to see the GP.” supported a colleague in blowing the whistle on bullying at a UK research institute and now campaigns for universities to tackle the issue better complaints against revenue-generating professors often result in the victim leaving while the perpetrator continues to build their career.” The spokesperson for Cambridge added: “The university strives to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment where all staff feel valued Although the low response rate of 23% limits the breadth of feedback we aim to increase participation in future surveys to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of staff experiences.” While the survey results were not disseminated to all staff Cambridge rejected the suggestion of a cover-up and said the findings had been made available to department heads and discussed at relevant committees some of which included trade union and student representatives The spokesperson said that the university had introduced a new code of behaviour and updated its dignity-at-work and grievance policies This article was amended on 15 April 2025 to reinstate a sentence of the response from Cambridge University which had been omitted during the editing process It was also amended on 17 April 2025 to include the university’s position on the “cover-up” claim and to correct a misstatement which said the departmental percentages were based on “staff who responded” The Observer’s calculations were in fact based on those who expressed an opinion ie excluding “don’t know” responses; additional text has been added to show how the results change when these answers are included This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Adolescents who sleep for longer – and from an earlier bedtime – than their peers tend to have improved brain function and perform better at cognitive tests researchers from the UK and China have shown Even though the differences in the amount of sleep that each group got was relatively small we could still see differences in brain structure and activity and in how well they did at tasks But the study of adolescents in the US also showed that even those with better sleeping habits were not reaching the amount of sleep recommended for their age group Sleep plays an important role in helping our bodies function toxins that have built up in our brains are cleared out and brain connections are consolidated and pruned Sleep has also been shown to boost our immune systems and improve our mental health We tend to start going to bed later and sleeping less All of this coincides with a period of important development in our brain function and cognitive development The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that the ideal amount of sleep during this period is between eight- and 10-hours’ sleep Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge said: “Regularly getting a good night’s sleep is important in helping us function properly but while we know a lot about sleep in adulthood and later life we know surprisingly little about sleep in adolescence even though this is a crucial time in our development and what impact does this have on their brain function and cognitive performance?” Studies looking at how much sleep adolescents get usually rely on self-reporting a team led by researchers at Fudan University and the University of Cambridge turned to data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States more than 3,200 adolescents aged 11-12 years old had been given FitBits allowing the researchers to look at objective data on their sleep patterns and to compare it against brain scans and results from cognitive tests The team double-checked their results against two additional groups of 13-14 years old The results are published today in Cell Reports The team found that the adolescents could be divided broadly into one of three groups: slept an average (mean) of 7 hours 10 mins They tended to go to bed and fall asleep the latest and wake up the earliest They had average levels across all sleep characteristics They tended to go to bed and fall asleep the earliest and had lower heart rates during sleep Although the researchers found no significant differences in school achievement between the groups when it came to cognitive tests looking at aspects such as vocabulary Group Three performed better than Group Two which in turn performed better than Group One Group Three also had the largest brain volume and best brain functions with Group One the smallest volume and poorest brain functions Professor Sahakian said: “Even though the differences in the amount of sleep that each group got was relatively small at just over a quarter-of-an-hour between the best and worst sleepers This drives home to us just how important it is to have a good night’s sleep at this important time in life.” First author Dr Qing Ma from Fudan University said: “Although our study can’t answer conclusively whether young people have better brain function and perform better at tests because they sleep better there are a number of studies that would support this idea research has shown the benefits of sleep on memory The researchers also assessed the participants’ heart rates finding that Group Three had the lowest heart rates across the sleep states and Group One the highest Lower heart rates are usually a sign of better health whereas higher rates often accompany poor sleep quality like restless sleep frequent awakenings and excessive daytime sleepiness Because the ABCD Study is a longitudinal study – that is one that follows its participants over time – the team was able to show that the differences in sleep patterns tended be present two years before and two years after the snapshot that they looked at Senior author Dr Wei Cheng from Fudan University added: “Given the importance of sleep we now need to look at why some children go to bed later and sleep less than others Is it because of playing videogames or smartphones or is it just that their body clocks do not tell them it’s time to sleep until later?” The research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China National Natural Science Foundation of China National Postdoctoral Foundation of China and Shanghai Postdoctoral Excellence Program The ABCD Study is supported by the National Institutes of Health Ma, Q et al. Neural correlates of device-based sleep characteristics in adolescents. Cell Reports; 22 Apr 2025; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115565 Credit: harpazo_hope (Getty Images) I wish to receive a weekly Cambridge research news summary by email The University of Cambridge will use your email address to send you our weekly research news email. We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold. Please read our email privacy notice for details Lucy In The Sky delivered a memorable result on multiple fronts with her historic success at Riccarton The Cambridge Stud-bred and raced filly executed her southern plan to perfection on Saturday when the Tony Pike-trained juvenile was untroubled to triumph in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) Her victory stroll credited the farm’s young shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain with his first Southern Hemisphere stakes victory It was also the first running of a black-type event on a synthetic track in New Zealand after the feature two-year-old event was switched from the turf to the all-weather due to the weather bomb that hit the Canterbury region “There were five races at that distance and she was almost a second faster than the open handicap so her time backs up the performance,” Cambridge Stud Head of Sales and Nominations Scott Calder said “It was an unfortunate situation with the weather but for the stallion it was a great result and a well-deserved stakes win for the filly “I think she’s a pretty talented horse and Tony Pike’s view is that November at Riccarton for the Guineas (Gr.1 but Hello Youmzain is starting to show in the Northern Hemisphere already that some of his progeny get over a bit of ground and hopefully a mile will be within her reach.” It was a notable result for the farm at Riccarton as runner-up Queen’s Legacy is also a homebred graduate Lucy In The Sky is a daughter of O’Reilly’s unraced daughter Too Many Diamonds also the dam of the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) winner Ruud Not Too “The mare is retired and Lucy In The Sky is her last living foal for a mare of her age she didn’t have as many foals as we would have hoped for,” Calder said “We retained the filly to keep the family going and she’s a beautiful broodmare prospect for down the line.” Cambridge Stud also celebrated a homebred success across the Tasman with the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-prepared Immediacy continuing his hot run of form at Caulfield with a dominant 2000m performance Successful over ground at his previous run at Mornington last season’s Gr.2 Autumn Classic (1800m) winner is now likely to head to Queensland for the Gr.3 Chairman’s Handicap (2000m) and Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) “He was obviously a quality three-year-old and it’s been good to see him step into the open ranks and hopefully he can add to his black-type record,” Calder said Immediacy was originally purchased as a yearling from the draft of Kiltannon Stables at Karaka for $15,000 by Game Lodge and then secured by Busuttin and Group 1 Racing for $200,000 when offered by Riverrrock Farm at the Ready to Run Sale He is a half-brother to Cambridge Stud’s dual stakes winner Bella Waters with their dam the Irish-bred Pivotal mare But Beautiful Her Hello Youmzain filly was sold at Karaka last year for $280,000 to Busuttin and Andrew Williams Bloodstock “She has an Embellish weanling colt and unfortunately missed to Chaldean this year,” Calder said Unfortunately you are viewing this website on an outdated browser which does not support the necessary features for us to provide an adequate experience Please switch to a modern browser such as latest version of Google Chrome The idea of completing a trade apprenticeship sparked Aircraftman Briarna Blackmore to look at what was available in the New Zealand Defence Force from Cambridge has just completed the 12-week recruit course at Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Woodbourne and will soon start training to be an aircraft technician Prior to joining she worked at a local Cambridge thoroughbred racing stables where she was part of team doing general farm maintenance and assisting with foaling and breeding “I worked until the day before I came to Woodbourne which was probably the best preparation that I could have gotten for recruit course given the extremely long and physical hours.”  She is looking forward to the next step in her careers as an aircraft technician and will be staying on at Base Woodbourne to do her trade training I would like to be posted to RNZAF Base Auckland and work on the Seasprite helicopters as part of No “I am extremely grateful to have been selected to be part of the Air Force,” she said Aircraftman Blackmore said the highlight of the course has been the friendships she has developed“We are all in the same boat which makes it a lot easier to relate to each other when we found things tough “I was a bit nervous to move in with complete strangers but we all bonded super quickly and now spend every moment of our free time together as well “These are friendships that I will be able to take from this course and when we are all posted to different bases it will be awesome to have friends all over New Zealand,” she said there have been challenges while on course.  “While some of the physical things we do are tough at the time I have been able to push through the pain and afterwards it is super rewarding.  “I have found the mental aspects a lot more challenging than the physical ones We are under constant pressure during recruit course where the assessments and activities can affect the future of our career if we don’t do them well.”  Aircraftman Blackmore said that she has found that people skills are some of the most important skills to have within the Air Force You are all working towards the same goal of graduation so you need to believe in your own abilities while also supporting those around you.”  your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser says that online data protection has scarcely improved since she testified to UK parliament in 2018 that millions of people may have had their Facebook data harvested The scandal broke in 2016 after it emerged that more than 87 million people may have had their data collected on Facebook through a personality quiz Though it is unclear how that data was used Kaiser said that Cambridge Analytica did "chargeable work" with Donald Trump’s election campaign and Leave Both organisations said there was no contract signed to work with the analytics company “I wish that I could say that it has gotten better I would say there are now many parts of the world where people are starting to be legally protected which wasn't the case in 2018,” Kaiser told Euronews Next Though she said there are more data protection laws now she said there are no federal data laws in the US and that if an individual wants to take legal action against companies using their data without permission “If you don't want to spend a lot of time in a courtroom or dealing with the law I would say technically we are less protected because the technology is so much better at targeting,” she added Artificial intelligence (AI) is also making things worse especially when it comes to election interference “The rise of generative AI has made it so much easier to make things look like they are real very basic algorithmic creation of content that the world was using at that time,” she said where you can mimic reality because the AI has become so good,” she said Kaiser said that despite working to advocate for digital rights even she has been fooled by AI-generated images circulating online she thought something awful was happening in New York when she was momentarily convinced that an AI-generated image of a car being set alight in Manhattan was real “Knowing that it's difficult to even find a real picture of something anymore I would say that can very easily be abused for politics or for commercial purposes - or for whatever purposes people want to use,” she said “We're still in the scenario where you know a lot of our intelligence agencies are saying that ‘there's just as much money being spent by Russia and Iran on disinformation communications,’” she added “But the technology is so much better that the impact is more and the money goes further to whatever aim it has” more than 60 countries headed to the polls in what was a super-cycle of global elections Research is limited on whether AI played a role in them But a recent paper by the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) at The Alan Turing Institute found that during the UK’s general election there were 16 viral cases of AI disinformation or deepfakes The researchers also analysed the US election and found examples of AI-generated disinformation These included AI bot farms mimicking US voters and allegations against immigrants which also led to viral AI-enabled content being referenced by some political candidates and received widespread media coverage While the paper said there was not enough evidence that AI-enabled disinformation had a measurable impact on the US presidential election results it did add that this AI content did shape US election discourse by “amplifying other forms of disinformation and inflaming political debates” Kaiser said one of her biggest concerns is the contracts that governments are signing with the Big Tech AI companies “Because governments are willing to try to use AI a lot of them are licensing AI products from large companies that are closed source and our data and our government data is just going into these closed source for-profit systems Open source generally means the software’s source code is available to everyone in the public domain to use closed source AI means that the code and data the AI is trained on are kept in the company’s full control and ownership there could be national security implications of having large open source AI models in the hands of anyone who can code “OpenAI has a vast majority of government AI contracts and for all of our personal data as well as all of the government data from all these different government agencies and departments it creates an even bigger liability,” Kaiser said She added that this is similar to how Cambridge Analytica and Facebook were over a decade ago Kaiser is now pushing for governments to adopt more open-source AI companies She said open-source is “essential for civilian-facing government agencies especially now when it's become popular for the first time for the public to be able to audit what the government is doing with databases and with data” She argued that more open-source AI systems would be a more ethical step forward to gain public trust as governments start to adopt AI which in the US comes as there is no federal legislation to protect people from how their data might be used in these systems Kaiser has recently taken on a new role at open source AI platform ElizaOS She is leading the company’s new subsidiary to help the US public sector build open-source AI technology for governments Kaiser is hopeful that the Trump administration may take data protection more seriously “This particular government seems quite set on having serious federal technology policy and engaging with technologists and hiring the technologists to run a lot of government departments,” she said “So I'm hopeful that that means that we'll actually see something happening in the US “It would be quite great if we could finally see federal legislation to protect American citizens and to protect our rights in the face of growing tech adoption” However, the US made it clear at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February that overregulation of the technology could upend innovation and that the country would be leading on not putting extraneous regulation on these technologies “Excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative sector just as it's taking off," US Vice President JD Vance said Kaiser does not see this as hindering her ambitions for US data protections or open-source AI but rather that there is a balancing act when it comes to regulation “I certainly don't agree with [OpenAI CEO] Sam Altman when he says that we should allow any data to be used for our models so that we can be competitive I think that's very ‘move fast and break things’ for me,” she said she said she also does not think that extraneous regulation is going to help because it ends up not being technically implementable which she said happened in some components of Europe’s GDPR “But I do believe that common sense regulation that is co-written with technologists so that it's easily implementable… would be a good thing for Americans and for the economy,” she said this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read Avondale College's Cambridge International exams award winners in 2024: Magali Gonzalez Mancebo Want to know how your secondary school performed in the most recent Cambridge exams Scroll through the Herald’s list of individual student winners and see the awards claimed by schools as a record number of young Kiwis take the international qualification The Auckland Grammar School graduate scored the highest mark of any student anywhere on the globe in last November’s Sport and Physical Education exam He’d long dreamed of being accepted into an American university as a student athlete playing squash and believed good physics and maths grades would get him there when room opened up for an extra subject during his final Auckland Grammar year “I thought I’d be better off taking a subject that I really enjoyed and was really fascinated about who is one of New Zealand’s top-ranked junior squash players It was a last-minute choice that really paid off When the Herald spoke to him earlier this year he’d received study offers from several US universities while he was still waiting to hear back from his preferred university he believed his Top in the World award for PE had been an asset in his applications He wasn’t the only New Zealand student happy to have sat the Cambridge exams More than 40 local secondary schools offer Cambridge as an alternative qualification to New Zealand’s home-grown NCEA curriculum That led a total of 8000 Kiwi students to sit November’s Cambridge exams in competition with about 192,000 other students from around the world 25 local students achieved Top in the World awards for the highest mark in subjects ranging from music economics and information technology to psychology New Zealand students claimed 101 individual awards Auckland Grammar students scored the most individual awards with 23 while private schools ACG Parnell and Pinehurst picked up the next most individual awards with 22 and 20 The awards are given out to junior students aged 14-16 taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education and those aged 16-19 taking AS and A-level courses in each subject was delighted with his school’s “brilliant” results saying about half its students chose to take Cambridge assessments while the other half chose NCEA Cambridge suited some students better because it was a “rigorous international qualification” that had allowed recent Grammar boys to gain direct entry into leading universities “So there’s a significant advantage to them if they can perform well,” he said Cambridge also gave students strong foundational knowledge and had an “academic rigour” that aligned with Auckland Grammar’s values of having its boys “fully tested at the highest level” given students’ university entrance hopes could be made-or-broken in the exams O’Connor said Auckland Grammar prepared them for the pressure He said new Auckland Grammar arrivals start their first day at the school by taking an exam before going on to sit many more By the time they’re sitting Cambridge or NCEA exams “it’s part of life and it’s not something necessarily to be afraid of” saying he learnt how to prepare for exams in a similar way to how professional athletes prepare for games we know what to do – and that’s thanks to Grammar,” he said “It’s really treated almost as sport academics.” O’Connor praised all his Grammar individual award winners whose all-round talent led him to score the highest marks in the world in both AS Mathematics and AS Literature in English Daniel Zheng was another to pick up two awards scoring the highest marks in the world for History at both the AS and A levels while Luca Toner got New Zealand’s best mark in AS Chemistry and is now also off to university in the US Avondale and Macleans College were two other high-performing public schools Both offer students the choice of taking Cambridge or NCEA Avondale students claimed 11 individual awards with Seivin Kim being named New Zealand’s best student across three A-level subjects while also scoring New Zealand’s highest score in Physics A-level Kim has won six Cambridge individual awards across four years Now a first-year biomedical student at the University of Auckland she told the Herald she chose Cambridge for its wide variety of topics and depth of study Avondale principal Lyndy Watkinson said she was “exceptionally proud” of her students’ recent successes Mia Horvath’s Top in the World Information Technology award marked the third time she’d been the best in the country in the subject (having now won at IGSE while last year the school had the top maths scholar in all three exam levels Macleans College principal Steven Hargreaves said his school has offered Cambridge for 20 years and picked up seven individual awards That included Wesley Lik Hao Lau scoring the world’s best marks in mathematics at A level and Catherine En-Ping Luo achieving New Zealand’s best at AS level physics Lau also played in the school’s top volleyball and badminton teams sang in the choir and was “a thoroughly decent young man Pinehurst School principal Michael Waller said his team were proud of the 20 individual awards won by students but said everyone did well in November’s exams The school only offers the Cambridge curriculum and had Top in the World winners in subjects such as Art and Design (Sonny Wu) and Global Perspectives and Research (Amelia Neal) Wu had done incredible work with the support of Pinehurst’s teachers and may even end up with some of his work on school walls “I’m looking at three pieces of student work on the wall right now,” Waller told the Herald of the school’s move to take down traditional art pieces and replace them with pieces done by students as the type of young person the world needed given her “open mind” and willingness to offer “thoughtful Pinehurst also has an emerging star on its hands with Xibei (Percy) Kuang who achieved the best marks in New Zealand across five subjects at the junior IGCSE level was hoping all the preparations and study he’s done for the Cambridge exams will have him ready to face the challenges coming up in America Being accepted into university over there could see him playing squash games against players in the world’s top 10 the competition is insane over there,” he said Sign up for The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday The minister says she's changed her processes after admitting processes were 'untidy' Merlin and driver Zac Butcher winning the 2024 edition of $1 million The Race.Megan Liefting Waikato-Bay of Plenty Harness Racing Incorporated’s two slot races The Race and TAB Trot have been confirmed for 2025.  The races will headline the renowned Night Of Champions meeting at Cambridge Raceway on Friday April 4 “We’re excited to confirm both races will be run again,” Cambridge Raceway CEO Dave Branch said “It will be the fourth edition of The Race and the second running of the TAB Trot.  “This meeting has become a highlight of the Australasian Harness Racing calendar and New Zealand racing calendar We’re immensely proud of what we have achieved so far in this space and we’re looking forward to developing the event further in 2025.” With the initial three year slot holder contracts for The Race now completed there is an opportunity for new slot holders to come on board for both races.  “Each race has 10 slots available,” Branch said “It’s a one year commitment for both races and existing slot holders will have first right of renewal for the following year.” The original slot holders for both races have first right of renewal for next year’s races too with expressions of interest now been taken.  Thanks to the support of Harness Racing New Zealand Branch said slot fees have reduced this year to $60,000 for The Race (previously $75,000) and $40,000 for the TAB Trot (previously $50,000) “Slot races are a very important part of racing today,” Harness Racing New Zealand CEO Brad Steele said “They attract excitement from new punters and audiences.  There is a very strong element of something new something very special and something dramatic “Waikato-Bay of Plenty Harness is to be congratulated on developing these two premier races over the last three years: our richest trotting race and a $1 million pace now matched by the NZ Cup “Harness Racing NZ  has increased its support for these races “The races will attract the best from Australia and New Zealand. Last year we saw Merlin win the $1 million The Race and Just Believe the Australian champion and recent Dominion Trot winner win the TAB Trot.  we live in hope that we may see the magnificent Keayang Zahara back as a four-year-old!  Her three wins at Addington in the last month put her in world class.”  The Race will carry a $1 million purse for the third consecutive year while the TAB Trot rises to $650,000 (previously $600,000) There has also been changes to distribution of the prize money for both races The winner of The Race will take home $420,000 $85,000 for fourth and $65,000 for fifth with also rans receiving $40,000 The TAB trot follows the same structure $273,000 (first) $42,250 (fifth) and $26,000 to the rest of the field.  To express interest in a slot, interested parties should contact Branch directly or visit www.nightofchampions.nz/slots with the 2025 slot holders to be announced on Friday January 24.  Tory Whanau launches Golden Mile project yesterday Become a Wellington.Scoop Supporter » Kim Anderson (aka Kim Can Draw) is of Māori and Singaporean Chinese descent She says the Fellowship provides her with the “time energy and resourcing” needed to develop a graphic novel translator & community leader Tauanu’u Perenise Tapu Sitagata the book is designed to introduce children to the rich cultural heritage of Samoa and the environment by drawing on a wealth of traditional wisdom that can appeal to younger readers of all ethnicities in Aotearoa Headway is issuing a strong and urgent warning to whānau and young people about the deeply troubling ‘Run It Straight’ trend a challenge gaining popularity among rangatahi that encourages participants to charge at each other in full-speed collisions This is not a sport; it’s a direct assault on developing brains offering clear skies and mild winds — a rare gift in the Tararua Range which averages over 160 days of gale-force winds and 200 days of rain annually The Commissioner will work alongside the Secretary for Education who will remain actively involved in the negotiations Their advice and expertise will be central to his decisions From the return of a legendary cultural relay to a brand-new forest trail course and a kids' run that brings schools together in celebration of movement this year’s event promises to be one of the most vibrant and community-driven editions yet A quarter of high schools in New Zealand now offer students alternative education qualifications instead of the national school qualification NCEA level one Figures from Cambridge International Education show the number of students sitting its qualification assessments increased by nearly twenty percent last year to 8,000 pupils This comes off the back of a report published at the end of last year by the Education Review Office which said it was not clear what purpose NCEA Level One served Dr Michael Johnston is a senior research fellow at the New Zealand Initiative think tank and led the ministerial advisory group which reviewed primary school English He is a vocal critic of NCEA and joins Emile Donovan to discuss See terms of use for easy access to all your favourite programmes An artist's impression of how the new signalised intersection with State Highway 29 will look like Northbound access to Cambridge Road will be closed until for the next few weeks to allow roading contractors to complete sheet piling as part of upgrading works for the intersection A new signalised intersection is also planned for the area This work is part of the Tauriko Enabling Works project, a post on the Waikato and Bay of Plenty NZ Transport Agency Facebook page said. “In order to upgrade the SH29/Cambridge Road intersection with traffic lights we first need to build a retaining wall on Cambridge Road to ensure the road is safe and wide enough to accommodate future traffic volumes,” the post said “Work is now underway installing temporary sheet piles – this involves driving interlocking steel sheets into the ground creating a barrier supporting the excavation site and resisting soil and water movement “This helps stabilise the site before the retaining wall work starts.” a short section of the northbound lane on Cambridge Rd from the SH29 intersection to 563 Cambridge Rd All Bethlehem-bound vehicles will be required to use alternative routes Traffic management and speed restrictions will be in place on SH29 at all times with work occurring 7am-6pm Alternative route: All SH29 Bethlehem-bound vehicles will be required to use alternative routes via SH29 Takitimu Dr Toll Road or SH29A and Cameron Rd So to alleviate traffic chaos with the increasing traffic flows into Cameron Road I'm assuming the Toll will be removed for all vehicles for the duration of the work?? Posted on 06-01-2025 11:12 | By Tony Nolan Tolls removed while this construction progresses There's flat land to the east of the current road but NZTA are bolstering / reinforcing the steep land to the west of the road - any reason why the road can't be moved east Posted on 06-01-2025 14:07 | By First Responder None of the arrows painted on the road show lanes for cars Is this going to be a road for general traffic and allow west bound traffic to flow unhindered up 29a So for those of us that work out there and live in Bethlehem are you going to remove the tolls Please show the traffic flow plan of this work as submitted to council by NZTA to get resource consent This is the real thing not an artist impression How do you feel about Tauranga’s rapid population growth Back to top from which a member of the public saw a person in trouble in the water around 8pm on January 28 By RNZ The search for a person seen struggling in the Waikato River on Tuesday evening is now focused on the riverbanks around Waipā Police said they received a call from a member of the public who saw a person in trouble in the water near Victoria Bridge in Cambridge around 8pm it is unconfirmed how the person came to be in the river A search was launched immediately and continued into the early morning A search-and-rescue team resumed the search on Wednesday and is carrying out a sweep of the river Hamilton District Court is closed and cases have been disrupted New Zealand internationals Katie Duncan and Chris Wood have accepted new roles at the Cambridge club where they played their junior football two decades ago Club members elected the pair to the position of co-patrons at their 2024 Annual General Meeting “We wanted to recognise their achievements and to demonstrate what’s possible to our current and future junior players,” club president Harry Bomans said Bomans said the figurehead roles would remind Cambridge’s girls and boys that football was capable of providing unlimited opportunities “We couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve achieved and the example Katie and Chris have set for future generations of young players.” “Cambridge Football Club played a pivotal role in my football journey,” she says “it was on these same fields as played on today where I fell in love with the game and had many enjoyable years doing my best to keep up with the boys “It’s an honour to be named alongside Chris to be co-patrons of the club Since making his full New Zealand debut in 2009 Wood has played 78 internationals and is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer with 36 goals He will captain New Zealand in their current FIFA Men’s World Cup OFC qualifying campaign and plays for Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League When Duncan and Wood played their junior football at Cambridge including about 850 juniors and youth players Duncan played her junior football in boy’s teams at Cambridge She played senior football for Claudelands Rovers before heading overseas for a career with clubs in Germany Wood played two seasons as a junior at Cambridge before making his senior team debut as a 14-year-old in 2006 After spells with Hamilton Wanderers and Waikato FC Wood joined English club West Bromwich Albion as a 17-year-old starting a successful career that has seen him become one of the English Premier League’s leading strikers READ MORE: Chris Wood — his pathway from grassroots football to the world stage >>>> members elected Bomans as their new president told the meeting he was looking forward to a break after contributing as a player He said he could not have timed his retirement better with the club’s men’s team winning promotion to the Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship and the women’s side earning promotion to the Lotto NRFL Women’s Championship the club would compete at the highest levels in its 76-year history the club has named the junior fields after him The club will also install a bench for Martens so he can enjoy watching future generations of young players in comfort This story was first published on November 15 2024 A widely-admired former club and regional football administrator Here’s NZ Football’s 12-minute highlights reel from last.. The New Zealand men’s U-20 team will play a two-match series against Chile in June.. Football Ferns midfielder Katie Kitching has been named Player of the Year for her English.. Which teams will go into the men’s A-League finals play-offs with the strongest form Auckland FC have confirmed their home leg of the men’s A-League semi-finals will be played.. A 22-player squad has been named to represent New Zealand at the six-nation FIFA Youth.. Defending champions Auckland United are ready for strong competition at the OFC Women’s Champions League.. May 3-9: OFC U-16 Men’s Championship – qualifying, Tonga (click here for details) May 5-18 (NZT): Auckland United at OFC Women’s Champions League, Tahiti (click here for details) May 16-18: Grand final, women’s A-League (click here for details) Monday May 19 (2.30am NZT): New Zealand U-16 men v Switzerland, FIFA Youth Series, Zurich (click here for details) Tuesday May 20 (2.30am NZT): New Zealand U-16 men v Guatemala, FIFA Youth Series, Zurich (click here for details) May 26-June 3: FIFA international window (women) May 30-June 1: Grand final, men’s A-League (click here for details) May 31-June 1: Second rounds of Chatham Cup June 2-10: FIFA international window (men) Thursday June 5 (7.30am NZT): Chile U-20 v New Zealand U-20, men’s international, Complejo Deportivo Quilín, Santiago (click here for details) Sunday June 8 (7.30am NZT): Chile U-20 v New Zealand U-20, men’s international, Complejo Deportivo Quilín, Santiago (click here for details) Sunday June 8 (11am NZT): All Whites v Côte d’Ivoire, BMO Field, Toronto, Canada (click here for details) Wednesday June 11 (9am NZT): All Whites v Ukraine, BMO Field, Toronto, Canada (click here for details) June 15-July 13: FIFA Club World Cup, United States (click here for details) Monday June 16 (6am NZT): Auckland City v Bayern Munich, FIFA Club World Cup, TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio (click here for details) Saturday June 20 (6am NZT): Auckland City v Benfica, FIFA Club World Cup, Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Florida (click here for details) Wednesday June 24 (7am NZT): Auckland City v Boca Juniors, FIFA Club World Cup, Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee (click here for details) June 23-July 1: FIFA international window (women) July 5-6: Quarter-finals of Kate Sheppard Cup August 1-14: OFC U-16 Women’s Championship, Samoa (click here for details) August 15-30: OFC U-16 Men’s Championship, Solomon Islands (click here for details) August 16-17: Semi-finals of Kate Sheppard Cup September 2-9: FIFA international window (men) September 17-24: University of Auckland at FISU Men’s Football World Cup September 20-24: OFC Futsal Men’s Cup September 21-October 4: OFC U-19 Women’s Championship September 27-October 19: FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup September 27-28: Season starts for men’s and women’s National Leagues October 7-15: FIFA international window (men) Wednesday October 15 (k/o TBC): Norway v All Whites, international friendly, Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway (click here for details) October 17-November 8: FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Morocco (click here for details) October 20-28: FIFA international window (women) November 4-28 (NZT): FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup, Qatar (click here for details) November 10-18: FIFA international window (men) November 17-22: OFC Futsal Men’s Champions League November 21-December 7: FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, Philippines (click here for details) 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Oceania qualifiers December 13-14: Grand finals of men’s and women’s National Leagues June 12-July 20 (NZT): FIFA Men’s World Cup © 2025 Friends of Football Site designed by Hurricane Press Ltd using - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP Hamilton lawyer Paul Fisher was seen yelling at pro-Palestinian protestors An enraged Waikato-based lawyer has been captured on video yelling at pro-Palestinian protesters and calling them “anti-Semitic pigs” In a 40-second long video that has been widely shared on social media Paul Fisher can be seen standing on the road and repeatedly screaming at a small group of protesters which are believed to have occurred in Cambridge on Saturday with some going as far as to make formal complaints about him to the Law Society Neither Fisher nor his law firm have responded to requests for comment today nor has the New Zealand Law Society confirmed whether complaints have been received The protest was organised by the group Cambridge for Palestine but is overseen by the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa said he had sent Fisher an email requesting to meet to have an informed discussion about the Israel - Palestine conflict “It’s clear he’s got the wrong end of the stick somewhere,” Minto said He told NZME he believed “Mr Fisher is someone who is just blind to what Israel is doing in the most appalling way” Minto said that he wouldn’t be making a complaint to the Law Society but was aware others had and hoped the organisation would be following up with Fisher In the video Fisher can be seen repeatedly calling protesters “anti-Semitic pigs” “Shame on you,” Fisher yells multiple times appearing to focus his anger on what appears to be an elderly man “Where were you on October 7?” he asks, which is the day that Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched an armed attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1205 people The video has garnered over 9000 comments and been shared widely across social media Some of the commenters are in support of Fisher sharing his opinion while others are upset by his actions One of those who reposted the video is former Herald columnist and law student who writes about Palestinian issues Lal said they were going to make a complaint to the Law Society and knew people who had already done so “It brings the legal profession into disrepute,” Lal said “The Law Society has the mandate to investigate this Angela Sylvia is a member of protest group Palestine Waikato and has made a complaint about Fisher’s conduct “His behaviour is not becoming of someone who represents the law,” she said who is a partner at law firm Clancy Fisher Oxner & Bryant He has not responded to requests for comment by NZME Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022 Top junior driver Crystal Hackett says she was "just a passenger" during an eventful finale to Cambridge's meeting last night.  With a lap to go Hackett was leading with the hot favourite Herb in the NOC Slots Barrier Reveal 1st April Mobile Pace when "both reins just came back to me" The bit holding the reins snapped leaving Hackett with no control was challenging for the lead at the time and the two horses briefly locked wheels before Herb speared to the front again.  "I've never been in that situation before," says Hackett "I thought oh shit I'm in a lot of trouble here."  I had nothing on the bit and no control whatsoever - I was just a passenger." Immediately Hackett waved out for assistance with the Clerk of the Course coming to her rescue "Sensation in the last," was how commentator Aaron White described it "Herb is being taken out of the race by the Clerk of the Course." "A lot of things could have gone terribly wrong," says Hackett "and there was a big sigh of relief when I got into the stables and everyone was safe - so that was good." Until then Hackett had been having a very successful night She looked on course for a third winner with Herb after winning with Ragnar Lothbrok in the Lewis Lawyers Mobile Pace and Mazeppa in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Mobile Trot.  With Herb out of the race Spirit of Waiheke powered home from out wide for driver Steph Burley to win to give trainer Matthew White a double for the night He also trained and drove Power N Glory to victory in the Betavet Buildagut Mobile Pace The National Racing Bureau now has its own dedicated email and phone accounts HRNZ would like to remind everyone of the Terms and Conditions of the Two-Year-Old Bonus Scheme ("TYOBS”) for the 2025 season © 2025 Harness Racing New Zealand  |  Privacy Policy Champion horseman Luke McCarthy has only one plan for Don Hugo after securing the perfect barrier in Friday’s $1 million Race by Betcha at Cambridge “We will be leading and staying there,” he says matter-of-factly That was the New South Wales superstar driver’s only tactic after Don Hugo the Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile champion drew barrier 2 for the slot race over 2200m mobile His arch rival and best horse in the race Leap To Fame drew the outside of front line with Merlin (barrier 7) and Don’t Stop Dreaming (5) drawn between the two Aussie big guns The latter three will all move in one starting spot if emergency Mo’Unga Before the draw McCarthy said the most important factor for him was drawing inside Leap To Fame who he says is still the best horse in the race and deserves to be favourite “But now we have the draw to try and lead if he can sit parked outside us and beat us he is just too good “He couldn’t do that in the Miracle Mile and it will be hard to do here,” said McCarthy from Cambridge Leap To Fame’s best chance looks to be sitting parked and trying to outstay Don Hugo but that has understandably been his Achilles Heel at the highest level in the past two years sometimes through a lack of gate speed but also because of a succession of poor draws Merlin’s co-trainer Barry Purdon suggests that while he wasn’t thrilled with his wide draw for the defence of the title he won last season it could work out better than first glance would suggest “He could roll forward and maybe get the back of Leap To Fame if he ends up parked and that would be okay,” said Purdon He and training partner Scott Phelan also have Duchess Megxit in the race drawn the ace and looking for a chance to trail the potential leader Don Hugo the TAB bookies opened Leap To Fame the $2.30 final field favourite While there was little movement in that market favouritism for the $600,000 TAB Trot changed after varied fortunes in the draw for the best trotters from each country Oscar Bonavena and The Locomotive went into the draw as the $3 equal favourites but when Oscar drew barrier 3 and The Locomotive was given barrier 6 Punters quickly rallied for The Locomotive clearly believing he will still have the gate speed to cross to the lead and trainer-driver Brad Hewitt made it clear that was still his plan So after the dramatic few hours he was back as the $2.70 favourite with Oscar Bonavena out to $2.80 with Arcee Phoenix $7 into $5.50 after drawing barrier 4 The fields for the two slot races at Cambridge on Friday night are: Report a problem We're making it safer for all road users to use the intersection at Main Road Cambridge Street and Lyndhurst Road in Tawa As part of the Council's Road Safety Programme Council officers have assessed areas with high crashes for safety concerns To reduce the number of crashes and make it safe for all users we're upgrading the intersection to have two zebra crossings on Main Road (north) and Cambridge Street and speed cushions on all four approaches to the intersection - Main Road (south) In the last 10 years (2012-2022) 23 crashes were reported at this intersection resulting in 8 injury and 15 non-injury crashes Public feedback was sought through the Traffic Resolution process and Community Group engagement Feedback has been incorporated into the design Project construction started on 1st of April 2025 and is planned to be finished in two months Since this work is weather dependent and in the event of unsuitable weather or other unforeseen circumstances Two rounds of Traffic Resolution consultation in February 2024 and May 2024 August 2024 – Comms Advisory on changes to the design resulting from NZTA’s decision not to fund raised traffic calming devices A 2-weeks letter and a 48 hour letter delivered to property owners advising them of the upcoming construction Service desk locations and sovereign wealth fund managers fly into the University of Cambridge the real headline is who brought them there Thanks for signing up for our daily insight on the African economy We bring you daily editor picks from the best Business Insider news content so you can stay updated on the latest topics and conversations on the African market Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected Fridays don't get much bigger than Cambridge's Night of Champions Tonight's 10-race card will get underway at 5.08pm the $600,000 TAB Trot at 7.49pm and the $1m The Race by betcha at 8.52pm The night will have a strong trans-Tasman theme including The Locomotive versus Oscar Bonavena and Leap To Fame and Don Hugo vs the likes of Merlin Don't Stop Dreaming and Republican Party.  Leap To Fame needs personal best performance in The Race by betcha  The hero of harness racing is going to have to produce the best winning performance of his career to win in the $1million Race by Betcha at Cambridge tonight winner of 49 of his 62 starts and almost everything you could want in a pacer He has won most of the races that matter in Australia Tonight he will need to do something he hasn’t done before need to sit parked outside another great horse and crush him to win That is the accepted speed map for tonight’s 2200m slot race that Leap To Fame from barrier seven will work forward and sit parked outside leader Don Hugo from barrier 2 About the only gift Leap To Fame wasn’t given is gate speed and that coupled with a series of dreadful draws means he has done more than his share of sitting parked in our best races part for punters: He almost always gets beat when he does has sat parked in seven races at the highest level and been beaten in five The only exceptions was when he won a somewhat below par Miracle Mile last year when Sooner The Better even gave him a scare late and in the 2024 Blacks A Fake when he sat parked outside the enormously inferior Hi Manameisjeff So how can clearly the best pacer in this part of the world get beaten so regularly when asked to race outside the leader gear and tracks improved the best harness races have become punishing affairs Leap To Fame is THE living example of that.  Examine the five times Leap To Fame has sat parked and been beaten and you find the leaders were been Swayzee (twice) Catch A Wave and in last month’s Miracle Mile So every time the champ has sat parked outside a Grand Circuit winner in a major race That is not to say it will happen tonight and if almost any other horses was drawn to lead tonight you would be happy taking the TAB’s $2.30 quote that “Larry” could sit parked outside them and put them to the sword Leap To Fame could still be left a sitting duck for stalkers Merlin or Don’t Stop Dreaming who aren’t as good as him but might not have to be Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile champion driven by a freak in Luke McCarthy and one who could cover 6-8 less lengths than Leap To Fame Don Hugo isn’t as good as Leap To Fame either but that isn’t the point do you really want to take $2.30 for a horse to do something it has only successfully achieved 28.4 per cent of the time You want to witness greatness and feel that rush Leap To Fame’s record when parked out in the highest level races March 2025: 2nd to Don Hugo in Miracle MileFeb 2025: 2nd to Swayzee in Hunter CupJuly 2024: 1st in Blacks A Fake beating Swayzee.March 2024: 1st Miracle Mile beating Sooner The Bettor.Oct 2023: 3rd to Act Now in Victoria Cup.Sept 2023: 2nd to Encipher in The EurekaJuly 2023: 2nd to Swayzee in Blacks A Fake Oscar Bonavena can "definitely win" - Mark Purdon  The genius trainer of New Zealand harness racing proves just how bad he is as being semi-retired by having runners in both slot races at Cambridge tonight: Oscar Bonavena in the $600,000 TAB Trot and Chase A Dream in the $1million Race by Betcha He co-trains both with son Nathan and the two horses both expected to have to come from off the speed to run past the all-conquering Australians Oscar Bonavena looks likely to be midfield at best in the TAB Trot with Purdon loathe to rush him off the gate from barrier three because of his hit-and-miss mobile manners Chase A Dream has drawn one on the second line with the best Purdon can hope for in the pace being three deep on the markers with Don Hugo being attacked to create late gaps Both horses swooped to win their warm up Flying Miles last Friday and in the brief history of the big-money slot races at Cambridge Purdon is the only driver to come from back in the field at the bell to win one He came from last to win the first running of the Pace with Self Assured the subsequent two editions being won by the leader Copy That and Merlin coming out of the one-one last year The only running of the TAB Trot saw Just Believe sit parked last year to beat the leader with the elite horses usually making Cambridge feel smaller than most 1000m tracks “I’d love to be able to use Oscar early from barrier three but I really don’t think it is the best thing to do with some of the issues he has had early in some mobile races this season,” admits Purdon “He is at his most potent when driven for speed so I hope they go hard early and we get a sit handy to them “He can definitely win because he is really well.” Chase A Dream benefitted from a tougher training regime last week to improve dramatically but his task and that of all the horses who get back in the Race by Betcha Not only do they have to hope for a brutal pace to soften the leaders up but gaps on a track that rarely sees the best fields break up over 2200m and a home straight that will disappear below their hooves very quickly If Purdon is going to become the first driver to win two Cambridge slot races Oscar Bonavena is by far his best chance of pulling it off Chris Svanosio is going to do something he doesn’t want to do at the start of tonight’s $600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge Because he knows if he doesn’t do it the slot race could be over as soon as it has begun for Arcee Phoenix realises he can’t be caught napping at the start of the 2200m mobile because if he is Arcee Phoenix will lose his crucial tactical advantage over fellow Aussie and likely race favourite The Locomotive Arcee Phoenix has drawn barrier 4 and The Locomotive barrier 6 and most expect one of the pair to lead after 400m covering less ground and able to dictate to their rivals “I have spent the last two years trying not to rush him off the gate,” sighs Svanosio “I have looked after him in most of his races early to keep him balanced and then let him work his way into the race “In some of those races he has still been able to work his way to the front and he is a very good front runner but he hasn’t been really buzzed off the gate driving The Locomotive] get straight past us then that gives the advantage to him “So I might have to roll the dice this week try to get him out as fast as I can and see what happens.” While that is a key tactical admission and full of logic the richest race of a horse’s career is a tricky time to be seeking new weapons for their arsenal starting in this race last year and two Group 1s at the NZ Cup meeting With the champion Just Believe retired he is one of those bidding for his crown The price of the crown may be early balance and poise under pressure.Whether he can pay that price could decide tonight’s race Even if Arcee Phoenix learns his new trick quickly Hewitt has made it clear he intends to press on full of confidence his Inter Dominion winner will handle a dogfight into the first bend and come out the other side trotting drawn widest it seems certain one of the two big gun Aussies will eventually lead wresting it off more than likely Queen Elida That will make the winner of the early battle the favourite to win the war but the uglier it gets inside the first 600m with anything below 43 seconds for that opening sectional considered detrimentally fast Oscar Bonavena would love to watch an early fireworks display before putting a dampener on it later and under those circumstances he would become the horse to beat Bet N Win felt the biggest loser from the draw but driver Bob Butt gets the chance to sum up early whether to stay on the markers and wait for gaps if the pressure get ramped up or slide into the running line if it doesn’t he is going to have to try adopt a new racing style to win tonight Whereas The Locomotive and Oscar Bonavena will just need to be themselves and the race should come to one of them Will "the Menangle boost" be a thing at Cambridge?  A thing without a name could be a crucial factor in tonight’s two mega money slot races at Cambridge It is the boost in performance horses get after regular racing at the Menangle track outside Sydney the hardest harness racing in this part of the world Menangle is like nothing else in Australasian harness racing with the searing miles and relentless style turning those who can handle it into fitter and therefore faster horses Since Menangle opened in 2008 a disproportionate number of Grand Circuit races have been won by the New South Wales horses who are most exposed to its rigours “It is definitely a factor,” says champion horseman Luke McCarthy who has Don Hugo in tonight’s Race by Betcha “I notice it when I take horses who have been racing well at home [Menangle] up to the Brisbane winter carnival They get back to the 1000m tracks and just fly around them.” with all of his three career highlights being major Menangle wins and he could feel very bold whizzing around Cambridge against the marker pegs tonight.  Another Menangle regular is The Locomotive favourite for tonight’s TAB Trot and his trainer-driver Brad Hewitt agrees with McCarthy that those who can handle Menangle thrive away from it “It makes them so fit because the racing is so hard,” says Hewitt “I was in the Inter Dominion Pacing Final with Captains Knock back in December and I have never been in a race like it “It makes them better horses when they go back to normal races.” Plenty of the best horses in tonight’s two slot races have raced at Menangle recently Don’t Stop Dreaming and Merlin also competing at the Miracle Mile carnival last month but the longer horses are exposed to the 1400m track the better they seem to become The markets suggest the Menangle boost may be a very real thing at Cambridge tonight the highly-popular Metro Trotting and Pacing Series is back The two Waikato Flying Miles will highlight tonight's Cambridge-Addington Friday Night Lights double-header Merlin and co will battle it out in the Garrards Pacers Flying Mile (8.02pm) a week out from the $1m The Race by betcha as will rising star Bet N Win in the Trotters Mile (8.38pm) before next Friday's $600,000 TAB Trot.  Meanwhile the country's top driver Blair Orange looks set to make his presence felt at Addington Merlin "ready to win" at Cambridge tonight  Merlin is ready to put his season back on track at Cambridge tonight but whether he gets the opportunity to do that may be up to his opponents as much as the star pacer The multiple Group 1 winner is using tonight’s $60,000 Garrards Flying Mile as his final lead-up to his defence next week of the $1million slot race he won last year But Merlin’s challenges over the next week are two-fold Firstly the Race by betcha is looking considerably stronger this year than last and he is heads into his week in the Waikato off the back of a shock failure at Menangle last start.  Merlin has been an almost perfect racehorse right from the start of his career but a false start he caused in a heat of the Miracle Mile last start was then followed by a searing early burn that saw Merlin record a rare unplaced finish and left him jaded not much went right,” says co-trainer Scott Phelan “But he has improved every week since and he trialled really well in a fast time [Pukekohe] last week That coupled with his deserved reputation saw Merlin open the $2.50 favourite for tonight’s sprint but from barrier 3 on the second line his fate may not be solely in the hands of driver Zachary Butcher Ohoka Connor and even Mo’unga could all head forward early and while that should create pressure it could see a super fast mile without an easy sectional for those further back in the field to easily get handy “We will leave that up to Zac but tactically it could be a really interesting race,” admits Phelan If the early burn eventuates and Merlin finds the right rival to follow three wide or somehow manages to land midfield outer then he is the horse to beat but this could just as easily become a race in which the pattern is against him in several ways Phelan and senior training partner Barry Purdon also have Sooner The Bettor and Duchess Megxit in tonight’s race and they are set to have vastly different experiences Sooner The Bettor has the gate speed to try and lead and Phelan is keen to stay in front as he doesn’t have a slot in The Race by Betcha next Friday so he can afford a harder run tonight But Duchess Megxit has drawn one on the second line and will have to be driven cold with next Friday her far bigger target as she is likely to get barrier 1 under the $1million race’s conditions Pinseeker and Rakero Rocket will be factors at least early tonight but Ohoka Connor Chase A Dream and Mo’unga all probably need to work forward from their wide draws or face settling behind Merlin So while lead-up races can sometimes be notoriously tame affairs tonight could be different as outside Merlin most in tonight’s field can’t realistically expect to beat Aussie superstars Leap To Fame and Don Hugo in The Race next Friday.  If Bet N Win is to have any chance of winning our richest trot next Friday he probably has to win a far easier one tonight The Canterbury trotter will start a hot favourite against just four opponents in tonight’s $60,000 Trotter’s Mile at Cambridge the lead-up to the TAB Trot worth 10 times as much back there next Friday Driver Bob Butt realises what is coming next week with four high-class Australians flying in to join Queensland talent Not As Promised who is among his rivals tonight “Those Aussie trotters are really good at the moment,” says Butt “They are going to be tough to beat next week so we want to earn some respect and see just how fast he can begin this week because he could really need that gate speed next week.” Bet N Win was quick off the gate and brave at the end to win the NZ Trotting Champs last start and with Butt suggesting he will try to lead throughout tonight he should have tactical superiority in a race that could lack attackers with Kyvalley Hotspur the interesting value option Orange with good book of drives at Addington  New Zealand’s best driver is facing the very real possibility of missing one of the country's premier race nights.  And it won’t be because Blair Orange is suspended or unavailable drives at the Night Of Champions at Cambridge next Friday Orange will be at Addington tonight as he was last Friday and says he could well be there again next Friday as he has no confirmed bookings for Cambridge “At this stage I could miss it and be driving down here,” says Orange who won the then Race by Grins on Copy That two years ago As usual Orange is focused on what lies directly ahead of him and that includes a tricky NZB Standardbred Handicap Pace (7.28pm) at Addington tonight in which he will partner Vessem Vessem was too strong in a 56.3 second last 800m at Addington last start and can clearly win again but Orange admits being off a 10m handicap in a four-horse race presents its challenges “They can be really hard races to drive in,” he told HRNZ “They will get into single file and you could make a case for every horse in the race “Vessem can win because he will eventually end up in open class I am not saying he will be a star when he gets there but he is actually getting better “When he was a young horse he didn’t have a lot of speed but he is getting faster.” The concern tonight could be if a horse like Renegade steps well and keeps running an even tempo how the two horses in the second half of the field get into the race without making it for each other Orange likes his book of drives tonight that also include Mystic Max (R7 No.8) in the $20,000 Peninsular Beachfront Resort Mooloolaba Handicap Trot in which he faces a 20m handicap but is one of the bigger guns coming out of a Group 1 into tonight’s 2600m stand “I think the trotting filly I am driving Paramount Picture (R2 No.2) will be hard to beat as she was really good on debut last start No.4) has to go close to winning as she was really good last start too and that should have improved her.” Tonight’s meeting also sees the return of Father Time (R5 No.12) after he spent the start of summer chasing around superstar filly Keayang Zahara He has trialled twice and has to be hard to beat even off a handicap in a big field in the Seahorse Supplements Handicap Trot (7.03pm).  For a $2,800 purchase Les White is pretty chuffed with how well his mate Bettor Reaction has been performing as of late and the Auckland Reactor gelding could well add to his earnings at Cambridge today Jane Prinsley is the Investigations Correspondent at the Jewish Chronicle accuses university of ‘genocide complicity’Officials clear ceremony after Palestinian flag-waving activist breaks current injunction on protest Jane Prinsley 1 min readA student graduating from Cambridge University was reportedly threatened with police action after she interrupted a formal ceremony on Saturday to accuse the institution of “complicity” in “genocide in Gaza.” the student walked to the front of Senate House held up a Palestinian flag in front of Cambridge graduands and their families and made a speech she claimed: “Cambridge University is complicit in genocide in Gaza Over 60,000 people have been killed by Israel in Gaza and Cambridge continues to invest in Israeli arms The student sat on the floor and raised the Palestinian flag amid a smattering of applause. University administrators approached her before clearing the hall. According to Cambridge student paper, Varsity university staff threatened police action as the student remained seated in silence One student who spoke to the student paper accused the protester of “derailing” the ceremony They said: “I’ve always been quite sympathetic to the pro-Palestinian cause “Lots of families like mine have travelled a long way to see people graduate and having this celebration derailed by a protest over something they have no role in feels wrong.” The protest comes weeks after the High Court granted Cambridge an injunction to prevent protests on parts of its campus until July 26 to prohibit the disruption of graduation ceremonies The university won a four-month court order blocking Gaza demonstrations from certain areas of its campus until the end of July Gaza protests allegedly disrupted the graduations of more than 1,600 students citing a “strong probability” of further disruptive demonstrations protesters who interfere with graduations could be liable to criminal damages The injunction period will also cover the university’s end-of-year exams “I am satisfied that there is a compelling need for the granting of an injunction,” the judge said The University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire Constabulary were approached for comment Cambridge Anti-Israel protests Pro-Palestine protests Universities