Feeble England blown away by New Zealand Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Captain Ben Stokes was part of England’s collapse of five wickets for nine runs Chief Cricket Reporter in Hamilton Third Test, Hamilton (day two of five) New Zealand 347 (Santner 76; Potts 4-90) & 136-3 (Young 60, Williamson 50*) England 143 (Root 32; Henry 4-48, Santner 3-7, O’Rourke 3-33) New Zealand lead by 340 runs Scorecard England’s hopes of a clean sweep in New Zealand are all but over after a feeble display on the second day of the third Test in Hamilton. Continuing a growing trend of woeful performances in series finales, the tourists were shot out for 143 inside 36 overs in blameless conditions. Overall, England lost their last eight wickets for 66 runs either
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
Dec
At this stage, no suspects have been arrested, with police “continuing investigative efforts to identify suspects involved in the smuggling.” By ELI ASHKENAZI DECEMBER 15, 2024 09:32 The Lebanese hashish seized by the police in northern Israel. (photo credit: via walla!) Police seized some 7.3 kg. of Lebanese hashish in Israel’s Upper Galilee area, amounting to the sum of NIS 378,000. At this stage, no suspects have been arrested, and the police refrained from making any accusations. Given the recent events on the northern border, there is a possibility that the smugglers may be IDF soldiers. Amal Aazam, a police officer at the Safed police station, said that the operation came as a result of intelligence information, with police “continuing investigative efforts to identify suspects involved in the smuggling.” Lebanese
Dec
Pope Francis’ one-day visit to the French island of Corsica on Sunday, two days before his 88th birthday, will put a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other. The visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon, will be one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the first papal visit to the island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768 and is located closer to the Italian mainland than France. Papa Francescu, the pope’s name in Corsican, will address more than 400 participants at the Conference on Popular Religiosity in the Mediterranean, organised
Dec
An ex-OpenAI engineer has started a new robotics venture with offices reportedly in China and Singapore, joining the race to produce intelligent machines as China moves to boost the industry. Roger Jiang, who left ChatGPT creator OpenAI in June 2023, founded Light Robotics in Singapore in August this year with the goal of building general purpose robots, according to his LinkedIn profile. Jiang contributed to building OpenAI’s GPT-4 in areas including foundational reinforcement learning from human feedback, data and contamination investigations, OpenAI’s website shows. Light Robotics, named Liangyuan Xinchuang in Chinese, will focus on consumer-facing companion robots. It has set up offices in both Shenzhen and Singapore, according to a report by Chinese news outlet 36Kr on Friday. 02:02 Robot in China persuades others to ‘go home’ Robot in China
Dec
Reuters The US has made “direct contact” with the HTS rebels who now control Syria after toppling the Assad regime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. It is the first acknowledgement of direct American contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the US currently still designates as a terrorist organisation. Blinken was speaking in Jordan after talks with representatives from several Arab countries, Turkey and Europe to discuss the future of Syria. Officials agreed to support a peaceful transition process in the country, with Jordan’s foreign minister saying that regional powers did not want to see it “descend into chaos”. A joint communique called for an inclusive Syrian government that respects the rights of minorities and does not offer a base for “terrorist groups”. The talk both inside and outside
![Robert Kennedy Jr leaves the New York Stock Exchange following a ceremony with President-elect Donald Trump on December 12 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Outcry-after-RFK-Jr-linked-to-effort-to-nix-US-approval-for-polio-vaccine.jpg)
Dec
Backlash has been building in the United States following a news report that links one of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet members to an effort to revoke approval for the polio vaccine. On Saturday, The Associated Press news agency published a statement from a spokesperson for Robert F Kennedy Jr, whom Trump has nominated to lead the Health and Human Services Department. In the statement, Kennedy’s camp attempted to distance the nominee from a New York Times report that his lawyer Aaron Siri had petitioned to suspend approval for the life-saving vaccine. “Mr Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied,” Katie Miller, Kennedy’s spokesperson, said. But The New York Times article has raised alarm about Kennedy’s nomination to Health and Human
Dec
Britain officially became the 12th member of a trans-Pacific trade pact which includes Japan, Australia, and Canada on Sunday as it seeks to deepen ties in the region and build its global trade links after leaving the European Union. Britain announced last year it would join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in its biggest trade deal since Brexit. The accession means Britain will be able to apply CPTPP trade rules and lower tariffs with eight of the 11 existing members from Sunday – Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The agreement enters into force with Australia on December 24, and will apply with the final two members – Canada and Mexico – 60 days after they ratify it. The pact represents Britain’s
Dec
Getty Images François Bayrou has long been a centrist ally of President Macron President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s next prime minister, in a bid to end months of political turmoil. A Macron ally, Bayrou is a mayor from the southwest and leads the MoDem party. Ahead of the announcement, the two men spent almost two hours in talks described as tense by French media. The president’s task is now to ensure Bayrou lasts longer than his predecessor. Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was ousted by MPs nine days ago. Macron is half-way through his second term as president and Bayrou will be his fourth prime minister this year. French politics has been deadlocked ever since Macron called snap parliamentary elections during the summer. An
![Li Tie, the former coach of China’s male football team, who has been jailed for 20 years on corruption charges, is shown at the Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 2021 [Satish Kumar/Reuters]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/China-sentences-ex-Premier-League-footballer-Li-Tie-to-20-years-in-prison.jpg)
Dec
Former national team coach is the biggest name to be netted in China’s sweeping crackdown on corruption in sport. Li Tie, former coach of the Chinese national team who once played for the Everton Football Club in the English Premier League, has been jailed in China for 20 years on bribery charges as part of a crackdown on corruption in sport. He was sentenced at a court in the province of Hubei on Friday, after being found guilty of a string of offences relating to giving and receiving bribes. The court said that the 47-year-old, by far the biggest sporting name netted in the sweeping crackdown, had handled bribes totalling 120 million yuan ($16.5m) between 2015 and 2021, a period including his two-year tenure as national coach. Li submitted a
Dec
One of the men worked for Combs and alleged he was assaulted at a hotel. December 12, 2024, 1:21 PM Sean “Diddy” Combs is accused of sexually assaulting three men, including one of his former employees, who he allegedly plied with spiked alcoholic drinks, according to new civil lawsuits filed Thursday in New York. One of the men worked for the rap mogul and alleged his former boss raped him at a hotel. The lawsuits, filed by anonymous accusers, alleged a similar pattern of conduct by Combs. “It was a usual thing. Come for a meeting, have a drink, you get woozy, you wake up to Sean Combs raping you, you get ushered out the door. I was struck by the similarity,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Thomas Giuffra. “I was contacted
Dec
King joins star Raye on Christmas visit to Battersea Power Station PA Media The King met Apple boss Tim Cook and singer Raye on a visit to Apple HQ King Charles got into the festive spirit with an enthusiastically received visit to a Christmas market in Battersea Power Station in south-west London. A community choir was singing the carol We Three Kings as he arrived – and they had at least one real-life King there in person to listen. “You must be frozen. You’ll need a stiff drink,” the King said to the singers, outside in the December drizzle. The King also met Apple chief Tim Cook at the computer firm’s UK headquarters in the huge former power station building, before singer Raye gave them a seasonal serenade of “Holy
Dec
Brazilian president is doing well and should be discharged early next week, his medical team says. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has undergone a second surgical procedure after seeking treatment this week for an intracranial haemorrhage, his medical team said. Lula’s personal doctor, Roberto Kalil, said during a news conference on Thursday that the follow-up procedure to block blood flow to the affected area was a “success”. “The president is awake and speaking,” Kalil told reporters at the Hospital Sirio-Libanes in Sao Paulo where Lula, 79, is being treated. The president was transported to the hospital from the capital Brasilia earlier this week after he experienced headaches that his doctors linked to a recent fall. Lula, who was sworn in as president in early 2023, had curtailed travel
Dec
Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have begun presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work to secure an indictment against Luigi Mangione for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources told ABC News. The DA’s office declined to comment due to the secrecy surrounding grand jury matters. An indictment could strengthen the case for extradition, which Mangione is fighting. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate remains in custody at a Pennsylvania state prison after a judge denied bail on Tuesday. “He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, defense attorney Thomas Dickey told reporters on Tuesday. Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Mangione was apprehended
Dec
A hot day is expected in most parts of the country. (Gallo Images/ER Lombard) Brace yourself for extremely hot conditions on Friday and into the weekend. Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected over parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, according to the South African Weather Service. A Yellow Level 1 warning has also been issued for damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea, while small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality is expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Impact-based warnings Yellow Level 1 warning: Damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea and small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality are expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. READ | Wind, waves and soaring temperatures: South Africans face a range of severe weather
Dec
A long-serving ANC leader Bethuel Mthethwa has quit the party to join former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Mthethwa is the former mayor of Jozini local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). He is reportedly leaving while facing corruption allegations. He was subjected to the step-aside rule after an accusation of crime drawing back from when he was still the mayor. As reported by Scrolla, Mthethwa left because he believed the ANC no longer stands up for poor black people. According to Mthethwa, the ANC has turned into a newer version of the National Party (NP) because the party’s top leadership was doing what the NP did to black people in the past. “This is what they do whenever the organisation is heading to its elective conferences. “They make sure