Latest news with #Malan
The Citizen
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Ballito mountain biker cracks Andorra Epic top-10
Two South African mountain bikers delivered a superb team performance at the renowned Andorra Epic MTB Stage Race, held from 3 to 6 July. Ballito's Sanchia Malan (37) and Stephanie Wohlters (40) from George braved the Pyrenean onslaught, finishing 6th overall in a stellar field with a combined time of 14:59:42. The race forms part of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. The Andorra Epic is one of Europe's most challenging mountain biking events, famed for its brutal course. Spanning four days in the sweltering European summer, it tested both endurance and skill to the limit. 'The riding in Europe is on another level; there wasn't a moment to relax,' said Malan. Racing under the Index Property Solutions banner in the UCI women's category, the pair tackled 203km of high-altitude trails, featuring 6 500m of climbing and 7 800m of descent. The technical demands required total focus on both the climbs and the downhills. Their success, they say, came down to preparation and the expert coaching of Barry Austin, Malan credited his emphasis on mental strength as pivotal in getting through the event. 'Barry's perspective on mental and physical readiness is so important. It really helped me focus and get through this race,' she said. 'Andorra has been another learning experience for Sanchia. She showed her best and has taken to my coaching like a Saffa to braaivleis,' said Austin. Malan, who trains at Holla Trails in Umhlali, praised the diverse local terrain for preparing her for such demanding international conditions. 'We have some amazing places to train on the North Coast, which really helps for these types of races,' she said. Wohlters, who sharpens her technical skills on George's world-class trail networks, trains under Reece McDonald of Science2Sport, a name synonymous with high-performance cycling in South Africa. 'It was an unforgettable experience racing in Europe,' said Wohlters. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Massive Chinese Stealth Flying Wing Emerges At Secretive Base
In an exclusive development regarding China's rapidly accelerating next-generation air combat programs, we have just gotten our first glimpse of what could be the long-awaited H-20 stealth bomber, or, arguably more likely, a very large and low-observable flying-wing long-endurance unmanned aircraft. The image of the previously unseen aircraft sitting outside of an already intriguing hangar complex at an airfield notorious for advanced air combat programs comes to us from the Planet Labs archive. The image was taken on May 14th, 2025, and just appeared in the database. The image shows China's secretive test base near Malan in Xinjiang province, which is known to be on the leading edge of the country's unmanned aircraft development efforts. Specifically, the craft was parked outside of a sprawling new facility that was built very recently to the east of the base, connected to it by a very long taxiway leading to a security gate. Construction of the installation began just over two years ago. The high-security site is very densely populated with hangars of various sizes. These include estimated (based on early construction satellite images) 70-meter, 50-meter, 20-meter, and 15-meter bays. The craft in question is sitting outside one of the largest bays. The low-slung large hangars are reminiscent of the shelters for U.S. B-2 bombers at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri or infrastructure we see at the U.S. Air Force's Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, associated with flying-wing aircraft. The smaller bays at Malan are a bit more of a puzzle. It wasn't previously apparent what this facility was intended to do, but now it seems clearer that it may be a testing base for China's next generation air combat ecosystem, which would include aircraft of multiple sizes — from the H-20, to large stealthy flying wing drones, the the tri-engined J-36, to the J-XDS fighter, and of course, smaller tactical drones. The U.S. Air Force is developing its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) and Long-Range Strike (LRS) family of systems in a similar manner. This would perfectly explain the puzzling variety of bay sizes for such a compact base and its high-security nature. Still, this is just a guess based on the very small amount of visual evidence available. The newly emerged aircraft itself appears impressive. It is a large flying wing that has a wingspan of roughly 52 meters, or about 170 feet. The B-2 Spirit is 172 feet wide, for comparison, and the B-21 is going to be a bit smaller. Maybe the best explanation is that this is a very large, high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) stealthy drone — similar to the supposed U.S. RQ-180 — but this would be the biggest we have ever seen. China is developing a number of flying-wing type designs of various sizes, including large HALE drones, but nothing at this scale, at least that we know about. It is also worth mentioning that the aircraft seen in the new imagery has a close resemblance to one that was spotted passing over the Philippines in 2021. Alternatively, its size would fit more logically into the profile of the H-20 — China's first and so far unseen stealth bomber. As such, this could be our first look at that aircraft, ever. The planform is similar to that of the B-21, with the wingtips appearing to be clipped at an angle, similar to it and the B-2. While there is a white area that appears to give the left wing a sharper tip, that is not the case as proven by the shadows below it. The sweep looks less than a B-2 or B-21, pointing to endurance at altitude as a significant design driver. There also appears to be a center barrel or domed section. This is customary on flying-wing designs. It can house the cockpit and additional internal volume for a manned aircraft or even the intake and the engines for an unmanned ones. No cockpit is visible, nor features like inlets, but the resolution really limits making out those kinds of details. Finally, and most interestingly, there appears to be a small set of angled vertical tails, at least as indicated by the shadows and what seem like vertical extensions on its upper management. This is not a conclusive feature. It could be something else causing this optical property, but it's worth noting that small vertical tails on large flying wing concepts are not unheard of. It is very challenging to impart stability of this kind of large flying-wing design, and small tails would greatly assist in this. You can read all about this here. What is critical to state here is that the emergence of this aircraft is very unlikely to be an accident. China is fully aware that commercial satellites are passing over at any given time, and they could keep hidden any program they wanted. Mistakes could happen, but, taken at face value, it's far more likely China was ready for this aircraft to be seen by satellites. It's also possible that they could use exactly this knowledge for information warfare purposes, rolling out a mockup or decoy in order to confuse foreign intelligence units, which are watching this facility far more closely and with much better resolution than what a publicly accessible commercial satellite service can provide. These factors are always worth remembering. Still, the fact is that this facility also looks built for such a machine, at least in part. So there you have it. This could be our first look at China's stealth bomber or a very long-reaching HALE drone — either of which could be highly problematic when it comes to enabling targeting of American ships and installation deep in the Pacific, for instance. This is the third major revelation we have had just in the last seven months when it comes to China's rapidly evolving next-generation air combat capabilities, and it probably won't be the last for 2025. Author's note: Edited to include wing sweep features. Contact the author: Tyler@
The South African
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Cape Town school given green light to change name
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has upheld the decision to rename DF Malan High School in Bellville to DF Akademie, marking a definitive step toward distancing the institution from its apartheid-linked origins. Originally named after former Prime Minister Daniel François Malan – a key architect of apartheid – the school has faced mounting pressure to adopt a more inclusive identity. The name change, first proposed in 2021, received overwhelming support from the school community, with 85% of over 3 400 voters backing the new name. Despite the consensus, a group of individuals, including descendants of Malan, challenged the process in court, arguing the School Governing Body (SGB) had exceeded its legal mandate and failed to consult properly. The SCA rejected those claims, affirming that the SGB acted within its powers under the South African Schools Act and that the consultation process was fair and rational. The ruling also upheld a previous Western Cape High Court decision in favour of the school. Ferdi Booysen, chair of the SGB, welcomed the judgment, saying it validated a process that involved parents, teachers, and students. 'This name change reflects a new chapter – one of unity and forward-thinking,' he said. In its ruling, the SCA noted that the new name aligns with democratic values and the broader transformation of public institutions in post-apartheid South Africa. The school is expected to officially transition to the name DF Akademie in the coming months. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
NDTV
10-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
"If IPL 2025 Doesn't Happen In A Week's Time...": Ex-England Star's Massive Reminder To India
The Indian Premier League 2025 has been postponed for a week due to the escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. As uncertainity looms over the edition, former England batter Dawid Malan has shared a gentle reminder for India. Notably, India are set to play a five-match Test series against England, starting June 20. It will be the start of the campaign for India in the World Test Championship cycle 2025-27. Malan reminded India of the series and said that if the tournament fails to get resumed after a week, it will might be moved to September. "If it doesn't happen in a week's time in India or Sri Lanka or somewhere like that like that, I suppose they will start in September. They got a massive Test series coming up against England in a few months' time, and the IPL has to be finished before that or start after that; logistically, it is quite a headache for the organisers," Dawid Malan said, speaking on Al Arabiya. "I guess they have to wait and see how next week plays out in terms of the safety concerns of players and people of both countries," he added. The decision to halt IPL 2025 for a week came on the back of cross-border tensions intensifying on Thursday night, leading to blackouts in Jammu, Udhampur and Pathankot as air strikes and drones from Pakistan took over the skies. It led to the game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals being called off at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, about 80 kms away from Pathankot, after just 10.1 overs of the first innings was completed. With the airport in Dharamshala and other north Indian cities closed, it presented logistical challenges for the BCCI to bring all stakeholders safely out of the hill station. As a result, players and support staff members of both PBKS and DC, along with match officials, commentators, broadcast crew members and other key IPL-related personnel were evacuated from Dharamshala by a bus taking them to Jalandhar on Friday morning, where a special train organised by the tournament took them to New Delhi. As of now, IPL 2025 has completed 58 games, with 12 matches left to be played in the league stage and is followed by the playoffs. Listen to the latest songs, only on
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
‘If IPL doesn't happen in India or…': Malan picks window for tournament resumption, highlights ‘logistical headache'
Former England batter Dawid Malan reckons that the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season will resume in September if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are unable to get the competition underway in a week's time. The 18th edition of the T20 tournament was suspended for one week on Thursday due to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. The BCCI's official statement clearly stated that the country's national interest comes first, and the board does not see fit for the tournament to go ahead right now, considering the war-like situation on the borders. The overseas players of all ten IPL franchises have already begun travelling back home and one awaits further clarity from the BCCI regarding the resumption of the tournament. Malan reckons that if the BCCI are unable to get the competition up and running in a week's time in India or Sri Lanka, then only the September window can be utilised because of India's upcoming five-match Test series against England, beginning June 20, 2025. 'If it doesn't happen in India or Sri Lanka in a week's time like that, I suppose they will start in September. They got a massive Test series coming up against England in a few months' time, and the IPL has to finish before that or start after that; logistically, it is quite a headache for the organisers," Dawid Malan said, speaking on Al Arabiya. "I guess they have to wait and see how next week plays out in terms of the safety concerns of players and people of both countries,' he added. Malan also said that if the tournament has to resume in a week's time, the only options for venues are India, UAE, and Sri Lanka. He said South Africa cannot be considered because of the weather. The IPL was shifted completely to South Africa in 2009 owing to general elections in India. The IPL was suspended midway in 2021 as well owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and the remainder of the tournament was then played in the UAE in September. 'It's not the first time it has happened with the IPL, not in terms of severity, that has been going on between the two countries, but COVID hit back in 2020/2021, and they moved the IPL to the UAE midway through," said Malan. "There are options they have played in South Africa before. Realistically, if they have to start in a week, they have to do it in India or the UAE. South Africa wouldn't be an option, considering it will be winter there,' he added. On Thursday, just hours after the IPL suspension, former England captain Michael Vaughan had said that the remainder of the IPL 2025 season can be finished off in the UK. "I wonder if it's possible to finish the IPL in the UK .. We have all the venues and the Indian players can then stay on for the Test series .. Just a thought?,' he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
