Top seed Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Brisbane International in a straight-set quarter-final defeat by Reilly Opelka. Djokovic, chasing his 100th ATP title, went neck-and-neck with the American in the first set before Opelka eased to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 victory in one hour and 40 minutes. Opelka, 27, will now face France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who beat Jakub Mensik 7-5 7-6 (7-5) to reach the semi-finals. “[Djokovic] is the greatest tennis player ever. But it’s difficult being in his position,” said Opelka, who is ranked 293rd in the world. “The reality is we have nothing to lose against him, so you end up playing more freely and taking a lot more risks because it’s your only chance. If you play your normal level, he wins every time.” Opelka
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
Jan
President Joe Biden began his term in the White House with a broad promise to protect transgender Americans against Republican policies that painted them as a threat to children and sought to push them out of public life. “Your president has your back,” Biden assured trans people in his first State of the Union address in 2021, and he repeated a version of that statement in subsequent speeches. But with President-elect Donald Trump days away from taking office after piling on transgender people throughout his campaign, some worry Biden did not do enough to shield them from what’s likely to come. The president-elect has declared that “it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders — male and female,” and pledged to
Jan
Andy Palmer, the “godfather of EVs,” explains how China took the lead in the electric-car race. Palmer got the moniker after developing the Nissan Leaf, the world’s first mass-market EV. He said Chinese EVs offered “remarkable” value for money and better battery tech than Western rivals. The man often known as the “godfather of EVs” has a warning for automakers thinking of ditching electric vehicles for hybrids. Andy Palmer, a former Aston Martin CEO and Nissan exec, told Business Insider that delaying transitioning to EVs in favor of selling hybrids was a “fool’s errand” and warned that automakers doing so risked falling even further behind Chinese EV companies. Palmer’s moniker comes from his time as chief operating officer at Nissan. He led the development of the Nissan Leaf, the world’s first
Jan
The MK Party’s Moses Mabhida region has rubbished claims that it organised a protest outside party leader Jacob Zuma’s home in Nkandla on Thursday. Social media claims suggested a group of party members outside Zuma’s home were protesting against disciplinary letters issued to the former provincial leadership. On Wednesday, Zuma and his national high command suspended three members of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature — Thobani Zuma, Sfiso Zuma and chief whip Kwazi Mbanjwa — for alleged irregularities and transgressions of the party’s constitution. The Moses Mabhida region called these allegations “false”. “The presupposition is not correct,” it said. “The leadership from Moses Mabhida region believe those letters should have been submitted directly to the individuals (not on social media) and therefore there is no way they could have entangled themselves in
Jan
Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, was a dual citizen of the US and Ireland and traveled to Lebanon and Syria in 2024 to attempt to join Hezbollah. By REUTERS JANUARY 3, 2025 09:28 Jack Danaher Molloy in photographs he took as part of an application process to join Hezbollah. (photo credit: Western District of Pennsylvania US Attorney’s Office) A Pennsylvania man who previously served in the US Army was indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempting to support Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and of making false statements to the FBI, the US Justice Department said on Thursday. Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, was a dual citizen of the US and Ireland and traveled to Lebanon and Syria in 2024 to attempt to join Hezbollah, designated by the US as a
![A United Steelworkers sign is seen outside the Great Lakes Works United States Steel plant in River Rouge, Michigan, the United States, on September 16, 2024 [Rebecca Cook/Reuters]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Biden-to-block-Nippon-Steels-takeover-of-US-Steel-reports-say.jpg)
US president expected to announce decision to block proposed sale of Pittsburgh-based steelmaker as early as Friday. United States President Joe Biden has decided to block the proposed takeover of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel, US media has reported. Biden is expected to announce his decision to scuttle the $14.9bn sale on national security grounds as early as Friday, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Biden’s decision comes after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States last month failed to reach a consensus on the possible national security risks of the deal, and just weeks before he hands control of the White House to US President-elect Donald Trump. Biden had been widely expected to block the sale
Jan
FILE PHOTO Featured GraphicOnline Education Jan – 02 – 2025 , 22:01 2 minutes read The Ghana Education Service (GES) has reaffirmed the reopening date for Senior High Schools (SHSs) as January 3, 2025, despite calls from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) for a postponement over unresolved financial concerns. In a press release issued on January 2, 2025, the Head of the Public Relations Unit at GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, reiterated that the 2024/25 academic calendar remains unchanged. She stated, “As previously announced, SHS students are expected to report back to school on January 3, 2025, while primary and Junior High Schools will reopen on January 8, 2025.” Ms Twum Ampofo added that the GES is actively engaging the Ministry of Education to address the
Jan
SenseTime Group is reducing its office footprint in Singapore, scaling back once-lofty ambitions at a time it is struggling to compete in the post-ChatGPT era . The Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer is moving from a prime downtown location to a smaller office in a less expensive neighbourhood, people familiar with the matter said. The company is giving up a roughly 11,000 square foot (1,022 square metre) space in Frasers Tower for a less central building, the people said, asking to remain unidentified discussing private decisions. SenseTime is downsizing at a time fellow tech firms including ByteDance are expanding abroad , seeking to escape an economic downturn back home. The retreat underscores how SenseTime, which in 2023 lost Alibaba Group Holding as a financial backer, is grappling with new rivals
Jan
Temperatures drop across UK as arctic blast brings more snow PA Media Parts of the UK – including Northern Ireland – have already seen snow this week A cold arctic blast has swept into the UK, bringing widespread frost and more snow to parts of Scotland. Temperatures dropped overnight ahead of a bitterly cold weekend that could see “significant snow” and blizzard-like conditions. The whole of England is under amber health alerts – meaning there is a risk of a rise in deaths – with one local NHS service urging people to avoid going out early in the morning when the frost is thick. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for most of England, Wales and Scotland between Saturday and Monday. Snow fell overnight in northern
![Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive at the residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea, on January 3, 2025 [Lee Jin-man/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/South-Korea-authorities-in-standoff-to-arrest-impeached-leader-Yoon.jpg)
DEVELOPING STORY, Yoon’s security team blocking investigators from executing arrest warrant, local media says. South Korean authorities are locked in a standoff with President Yoon Suk-yeol’s security team after arriving at the impeached leader’s residence to execute an arrest warrant over his short-lived declaration of martial law. Dozens of police and anticorruption investigators arrived at Yoon’s compound in Seoul early on Friday morning to detain the embattled leader only to be blocked by the Presidential Security Service (PSS). PSS chief Park Jong-joon denied entry to investigators after citing restrictions on secured areas, the state-funded Yonhap News Agency reported, citing anonymous police sources. “[Corruption Investigation Office] prosecutors and investigators are in a standoff with the Presidential Security Service in front of the residence after moving past the first and second barriers,”
Jan
Celebrities often live their lives in the spotlight, with fans closely following their every move, from career milestones to personal moments. This intense scrutiny extends to their relationships, where even the smallest details spark widespread curiosity. The same can be said for Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin, whose romance has been under the public eye ever since they became a couple. Chris Martin poses for a photo (L). Dakota Johnson attends the 2024 Kering for Women dinner (R). Photos: @Kurt Krieger/Mike Coppola (modified by author)Source: Getty Images TABLE OF CONTENTS What happened with Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin? Where did rumours of a breakup come from? When did Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin start dating? Dakota’s mom talks about Chris Martin Was Chris Martin married before dating Dakota Johnson? Dakota
Jan
Air Haifa, northern Israel’s first airline, launches direct flights from Haifa to Athens with fares starting at $149, expanding its international routes alongside existing services. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 3, 2025 02:24 Updated: JANUARY 3, 2025 02:28 Air Haifa (photo credit: PR) Northern Israel’s first airline, Air Haifa, has begun offering direct flights from Haifa International Airport to Athens, Greece, the airline announced on Thursday. The new route, with a price of $149 one-way, will operate five times a week, joining the airline’s current roster of two daily flights to Eilat and three daily flights to Larnaca. Flights will take off at 09:00 every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from Haifa and land in the Greek capital at 11:55. In turn, return flights will leave Athens at 12:55
Jan
Tourists arriving in Vietnam with vapes now face painful fines following new rules that came into force at the start of the year banning the possession, sale and use of vapes and liquids. Australia, Turkey, Singapore , Mexico, India, Brazil, the Maldives and Thailand are among other countries that do not allow travellers to bring vapes with them, largely due to health concerns over irreversible lung damage. Hong Kong has banned them too. Anyone using e-cigarettes in Vietnam faces fines of up to 2 million dong (US$78.50), while those caught importing, trading, transporting and producing vapes and materials for cigarette alternatives face fines of up 3 billion dong or up to 15 years in prison, depending on the quantity. People who vape are generally advised to double check whether they
Jan
New Orleans attacker did not act alone, FBI believes Getty Images The suspect in the New Orleans attack that killed 15 people on New Year’s Day did not act alone, US investigators believe. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen, is believed to have driven a pick-up truck into a crowd on a busy New Orleans street, before exiting the vehicle and firing a weapon. He was shot dead by police at the scene. The FBI says an Islamic State (IS) group flag was found inside the vehicle he was driving, while two improvised explosive devices were found nearby. FBI assistant special agent Alethea Duncan said the agency did not believe Jabbar was “solely responsible” and were investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism”. President Joe Biden said investigators were
Jan
An Army veteran who was “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible drove a rented pickup truck around barricades and plowed his vehicle through a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans at a high rate of speed, leaving at least 15 dead and injuring dozens of others early Wednesday, city and federal officials said. After mowing down numerous people over a three-block stretch on the famed thoroughfare while firing shots into the crowd, the suspect — identified by sources as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42 — allegedly got out of the truck wielding an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement officials briefed on the incident told ABC News. Officers returned fire, killing Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Texas, sources said. At least