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live casino maryland hotel More than a year after the long-awaited, often-maligned downtown library project was paused, a new design has been unveiled and construction tendering has surpassed the halfway point, Saskatoon Public Library officials say. The benchmarks, including artist renderings that give the public its first look at the redesign, represent a major step forward in what library CEO and director of libraries Carol Shepstone called a “transformative project.” According to SPL, the budget remains $134 million. The four-floor facility will be spread across 124,860 square feet. The original proposal was for 149,000 square feet, but that was scaled back to around 136,000 square feet after city council five years ago rejected the library board’s borrowing request, settling on a lower amount. “We’re thrilled to share the results of this successful redesign project with our community,” Shepstone said. “Saskatoon’s new central library will be a truly transformative project for our city, and I’m proud that the project team has been able to significantly reduce costs while maintaining the project’s original vision of honouring Indigenous perspectives and providing a vibrant hub for learning and entertainment in the heart of downtown.” According to SPL, construction tendering is 60 per cent complete, and each of “the tenders awarded have been at or below the budget allocation for each package.” That indicates “that the cost savings estimated during the redesign have been realized to date.” SPL said a final budget update will come in the spring when construction tendering is 100 per cent complete. Ground was broken this past June at the parcel of land at 321 Second Ave. N., which will be the site of the new building. Work at the site was meant to start in the summer of 2023, but the library’s board was forced to pause the project for a redesign as inflation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic made the previous design impossible to construct within the $134 million budget. The Second Avenue site previously housed businesses including a gas station and a dry cleaner, which has made it necessary to remove potentially contaminated soil to prepare for construction. The Patricia Hotel and bar was also previously on the site. SPL has been planning since 2009 to move away from the six-decades-old Frances Morrison Central Library building on 23rd Street East. The current main branch is approximately 78,000 square feet. The updated design is the result of what SPL calls a “successful redesign process to reduce construction costs.” According to SPL, the new central library branch is on track to open to the public in 2027. SPL says the new central library “will enhance the livability of Saskatoon by making possible a wide range of innovative learning and entertainment options for residents of all ages, generating positive social and economic impacts.” The new design, SPL added, “inspires community engagement and civic pride, creating welcoming and essential social infrastructure that contributes to downtown revitalization.” Beth Cote, who at the time of the project’s groundbreaking was serving as SPL interim CEO and director of libraries, said then that library officials were confident things would move forward smoothly after working with architects, trades and other design professionals on “value engineering” to re-scope the project. In June, Côté said the redesigned project “will not be exactly the same” as the artist’s renderings presented to the public in 2022, but will still feature a “beautiful, sloping” exterior meant to evoke “a lighted tipi off in the distance of the Prairies.” She said updated artist renderings are expected to be unveiled this fall. The redesign was focused on maintaining square footage for public use, Côté said, noting that employee spaces were downsized, and some functions will be relocated to other sites in the city. There was also a “re-thinking of some of the adjacencies” in the previous design in order to find more efficient ways to use available space, Côté added.MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Senate on Thursday began considering a ban on children younger than 16 years old from social media after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction. The world-first bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts is likely to be passed by the Senate on Thursday, the Parliament’s final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months. The major parties’ support for the ban all but guarantees the legislation will become law. But many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences. Unaligned Sen. Jacqui Lambie complained about the limited amount of time the government gave the Senate to debate the age restriction, which she described as “undercooked.” “I thought this was a good idea. A lot of people out there thought it was a good idea until we looked at the detail and, let's be honest, there's no detail,” Lambie told the Senate. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly carried the bill 102 votes to 13. Once the legislation becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced. The platforms complained that the law would be unworkable, and urged the Senate to delay the vote until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how young children could be excluded. Critics argue the government is attempting to convince parents it is protecting their children ahead of general elections due by May. The government hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parents' concerns about their children's addiction to social media. Some argue the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents. Criticisms include that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines parental authority to make decisions for their children. Opponents of the bill also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, drive them to the dark web, discourage children too young for social media to report harm and reduce incentives for platforms to improve online safety.

Stand-in Head Coach Daniel Ogunmodede insisted yesterday that the big focus of the Super Eagles B players and officials ahead of Saturday’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying game against Ghana’s Black Galaxies is to attain victory that will spring Nigeria to the finals of the competition early next year. Both illustrious regional rivals battled to a scoreless stalemate in Accra on Sunday and the final qualifying fixture is delicately poised ahead of the decider at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday. “We are doing everything to stay focused by avoiding any distractions. Yes, we got a scoreless draw in the first leg away and now playing at home, but we are not in any way carried away. Our objective was to score an away goal in Accra but that did not happen. “On Saturday, we will approach the game like our lives depend on it. Our watchword is getting the win that will qualify us for the African Nations Championship finals coming up in East Africa.” The eighth instalment of the competition reserved for footballers plying their trade in their nation’s domestic Leagues will take place across Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, 1st – 28th February 2025. Nigeria defended stoutly at the Accra Sports Stadium while relying on counter-attacks, but will have to launch onslaughts from the blast of the referee’s whistle at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. Their bitter regional rivalry, Ghana’s failure to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals and results of previous encounters in the African Nations Championship are indices that have rendered Saturday’s match a potentially-explosive affair with endless fireworks. The Black Stars have failed to reach the 35th AFCON finals, from a group that included Sudan, Angola and Niger Republic, and the Galaxies will throw the kitchen sink at the Super Eagles B to ensure they don’t follow in that negative trend. Ghana last missed the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004. For Nigeria, Ghana have dominated their African Nations Championship clashes, with the Eagles winning only one of six previous clashes. Three have resulted in scoreless draws. Ghana won 3-2 in Accra in 2008 and also 2-0 in Accra in 2022, and to boot, have claimed victory in even in the ones that ended in ties. The 0-0 draw in Calabar in 2008 meant Ghana sailed through to the inaugural CHAN finals in Cote d’Ivoire on the strength of their 3-2 win in Accra two weeks earlier, and when their semi-final clash in the third instalment of the final tournament in South Africa in 2014 ended 0-0, the Galaxies prevailed 4-1 after a penalty shootout. Ogunmodede’s charges have earned Nigeria’s best result against Ghana in the African Nations Championship on away ground, and look poised to gain victory in Uyo on Saturday. The Confederation of African Football has selected Moroccan official Hamza El Fariq as referee for the match, with his compatriots Abdessamad Abertoune, Zakaria Bouchtaoui and Hicham Temsamani to serve as assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively. Prince Kai Saquee from Sierra Leone will be the commissioner while Miboti Moise from the Democratic Republic of Congo will be in the role of referee assessor.

Ukrainian girls’ team finds hockey haven at Wickenheiser festivalGoogle on Monday showed off a new quantum computing chip that it said was a major breakthrough that could bring practical quantum computing closer to reality. A custom chip called "Willow" does in minutes what it would take leading supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete, according to Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven. "Written out, there is a 1 with 25 zeros," Neven said of the time span while briefing journalists. "A mind-boggling number." Neven's team of about 300 people at Google is on a mission to build quantum computing capable of handling otherwise unsolvable problems like safe fusion power and stopping climate change. "We see Willow as an important step in our journey to build a useful quantum computer with practical applications in areas like drug discovery, fusion energy, battery design and more," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai on X. A quantum computer that can tackle these challenges is still years away, but Willow marks a significant step in that direction, according to Neven and members of his team. While still in its early stages, scientists believe that superfast quantum computing will eventually be able to power innovation in a range of fields. Quantum research is seen as a critical field and both the United States and China have been investing heavily in the area, while Washington has also placed restrictions on the export of the sensitive technology. Olivier Ezratty, an independent expert in quantum technologies, told AFP in October that private and public investment in the field has totaled around $20 billion worldwide over the past five years. Regular computers function in binary fashion: they carry out tasks using tiny fragments of data known as bits that are only ever either expressed as 1 or 0. But fragments of data on a quantum computer, known as qubits, can be both 1 and 0 at the same time -- allowing them to crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously. Crucially, Google's chip demonstrated the ability to reduce computational errors exponentially as it scales up -- a feat that has eluded researchers for nearly 30 years. The breakthrough in error correction, published in leading science journal Nature, showed that adding more qubits to the system actually reduced errors rather than increasing them -- a fundamental requirement for building practical quantum computers. Error correction is the "end game" in quantum computing and Google is "confidently progressing" along the path, according to Google director of quantum hardware Julian Kelly. gc/arp/bjt

With 36 bills to pass, one less senator and only one day left in parliament - Australia's decision makers are in for a wild ride. or signup to continue reading The federal government has been chipping away at its agenda since Monday, but with only a few more hours to go in the last sitting week of the year, Labor will have to go warp speed to tick off its remaining items. Centrepiece proposals like the social media ban for children younger than 16, clean energy incentives known as Future Made in Australia, and migration laws that would give the government powers to deport non-citizens are among the 36 bills that will be brought before the Senate on Thursday. Asked if politicians would have to endure a marathon 24-hour sitting, manager of government business in the senate Katy Gallagher did not rule it out. "If that is how we get these important bills through, then we are prepared to sit and wait," she told ABC radio. It is not uncommon for senators to vote through the night, though it remains unclear whether every piece of legislation has the support needed to pass. Discussions have continued giving rise to last-minute amendments and other negotiations have reached an impasse. "Peter Dutton's opposition ... want to block, they'll engage and they'll keep you hanging, and then they block," Senator Gallagher said. "They're not interested in implementing reform." Senator Gallagher has said the government will go to other members of the Senate to get its legislation across the line. However, that has become more difficult as the Senate suspended independent senator Lidia Thorpe on Wednesday night after she threw pieces of paper at Pauline Hanson over a racism row. This means Senator Thorpe has been barred from the chamber and will be unable to vote on any legislation. Members of the Senate have also raised concerns that the compressed timeline will not allow bills to be properly considered, with Nationals senator Matt Canavan arguing that each piece of legislation would only receive 15 minutes of debate assuming the chamber sat for its usual nine-hour day. "What other workplace gets to knock off in November and not back until February?" he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Let's come back next week, keep working and properly scrutinise..." But Senator Gallagher has insisted on pushing ahead. "These are important bills, we're being upfront, we're allowing time," she said. A federal election must be held by May 17, but if the government opts for an earlier contest, politicians may not return to Parliament House before Australians go to the polls. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. 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DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementTHE Department of Trade and Industry-Davao Region (DTI-Davao) recorded P150 million in new investments for Cavendish banana exports and P85 million for banana chip exports in 2024. During the Annual Media Interface on December 12, DTI-Davao del Norte Officer-in-Charge Provincial Director Zerline Balleque highlighted that these investments generated 1,000 jobs in the banana sector. Despite this progress, Balleque noted that the sector is still grappling with the effects of Fusarium wilt, commonly known as Panama disease, which has forced the closure of several banana farms. To combat the fungus, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and local government units (LGUs) are employing innovative technologies such as fertilizers and drones. “Fusarium wilt remains a natural challenge. Aside from that, there are also issues with exporting banana products, particularly in making the process more cost-efficient,” Balleque said. She added that while small farms are still struggling, large plantations adhering to good manufacturing practices (GMP) have access to advanced technologies that help limit the disease’s impact. Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Cubense, primarily affects banana plants, leading to wilting and eventual death. The disease was first discovered in Panama in the early 20th century. From January to December 2024, DTI-Davao assisted 30 exporters, resulting in P45.9 million in export sales and P41 million in domestic sales. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority-Davao (PSA-Davao), bananas remained the top export in the Davao Region in 2023, generating total revenues of $1.19 billion. Coconut oil ranked second with an export value of $263.95 million. Bananas accounted for 48.18 percent of the region’s total exports, solidifying their role as a key economic driver. DEF

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