Emma Raducanu will begin a trial period with Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik when she plays her first-round match at Indian Wells on Thursday. The 49-year-old was coaching Lulu Sun when the New Zealand qualifier beat Raducanu in the fourth round of Wimbledon last July. Platenik worked with compatriot Dominika Cibulkova when she reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2009, and has also coached Russians Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova. Loughborough Academy coach Tom Welsh agreed to join Raducanu for Indian Wells, but that was billed as a one-off arrangement. Raducanu, who has been without a permanent coach since Nick Cavaday stood down for health reasons after January’s Australian Open, plays Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in her opening Indian Wells match. “I don’t want to rush into anything, but I’m
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
Mar
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirms 2026 World Cup final will feature a Super Bowl-style half-time show… with Coldplay in charge of choosing the musical performers The 2026 FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey will feature a half-time show British pop rock band Coldplay will work with FIFA to select the performers LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is it harsh on Anthony Gordon that he misses the Carabao Cup final? By ROBERT SUMMERSCALES Published: 06:54 EST, 5 March 2025 | Updated: 07:44 EST, 5 March 2025 FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup final will feature a half-time show inspired by American football’s Super Bowl. The tournament – which will be the biggest in World Cup history as will feature 48 national teams, instead of 32
Mar
China’s growing foreign policy budget signals a proactive approach to deepening ties with the Global South and expanding its Belt and Road Initiative, at a time when the US is taking an isolationist turn under “ America first ”, according to observers. The Chinese finance ministry on Wednesday proposed that the “diplomatic endeavours” budget for 2025 be raised by 8.4 per cent to over 64.5 billion yuan (US$8.87 billion), marking a bigger jump than the 6.6 per cent last year. The hike for the military budget, meanwhile, was set at 7.2 per cent, the same as in 2024 and 2023. The proposed budget was submitted to China’s top legislature as Premier Li Qiang delivered the government’s annual work report to top lawmakers at the “ two sessions ”, the country’s
Mar
Volkswagen had a tough go of things last year. The company’s sales fell by 10 percent in China, arguably its most important. Its other stronghold, Europe, was flat, with a shrinking overall car market that led to VW Group sales falling by 0.1%. This strained the company’s finances, eventually forcing the company to shed 35,000 jobs over the forthcoming years. The bright spot in all of this was the company’s performance in the Americas. South American sales grew 15%, while North American sales grew 6%, underlined by incredible 15.2% growth for the VW brand in the U.S. After decades of trying to crack the U.S., amid brutal competition elsewhere, things were looking up for Volkswagen. Now, tariffs may blow all of that away. The VW plant in Puebla, Mexico. Photo by: Volkswagen
Mar
News Virat Kohli, meanwhile, moves up one spot to fourth on the batting charts, while Matt Henry enters the top three on the bowling list Azmatullah Omarzai had a stellar Champions Trophy campaign • AFP/Getty Images Azmatullah Omarzai has dethroned fellow Aghhanistan team-mate Mohammad Nabi to be ranked the top allrounder in ODIs following a stellar Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. While Afghanistan could not make it to the semi-final of the tournament, Omarzai had an excellent time of it. He picked up seven wickets in three games, which included a match-winning 5 for 58 against England. He also scored 126 runs at an average of 42.00 and a strike rate of 104.13, often shepherding the Afghanistan lower-middle order through tricky times. Omarzai rose two spots on the rankings charts and is now
Mar
Former Bankstown hospital nurse Ahmad Rashad Nadir was charged with using a carriage service to menace following an investigation into a recording of a chat video. By MICHAEL STARR MARCH 5, 2025 09:49 Updated: MARCH 5, 2025 09:51 Two Australian nurses who were suspended for saying they would, and have already killed Israeli pateints, February 12, 2025. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X) A second Australian nurse was charged Tuesday after claiming in a viral video to have killed Israeli patients, the New South Wales Police Force announced on Wednesday, a week after another nurse featured in the video was charged. Former Bankstown hospital nurse Ahmad Rashad Nadir was charged with using a carriage service to menace following an investigation into a recording of a random video chat in which the suspect told
Mar
Six weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump addressed Congress and the nation Tuesday evening, laying out his goals for the next four years. ABC News, along with PolitiFact, live fact-checked Trump’s speech statements that were exaggerated, needed more context or were false. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Mar. 4, 2025 in Washington Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images TRUMP CLAIM: Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control—and we are working hard to get it back down. FACT-CHECK: Lacking context. Though egg prices did increase under President Joe Biden, they have recently surged under Trump too — and that’s because of bird flu, which has led to the deaths of 136 million birds since 2022, according to the American Farm
Mar
Peter Hoskins Business reporter, BBC News US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said President Donald Trump will “probably” announce a deal to reduce tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Wednesday. “Both the Canadians and Mexicans were on the phone with me all day today trying to show that they’ll do better” on reducing the flow of fentanyl into the US, Lutnick said in an interview with Fox Business Network. But Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly told the BBC’s Newsnight that her office had not been contacted about the plan. Canada and Mexico announced retaliatory import levies on the US after Washington’s 25% tariffs on its two neighbours came into effect on Tuesday. Lutnick made clear that he expected the US tariffs to be lowered rather than paused. “I
Mar
Feb 22, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle (18) scores against Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault (35) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images The Ottawa Senators are seeking a faster start out of the blocks in their bid to halt a four-game road losing skid Wednesday against the host Chicago Blackhawks. After overcoming a 2-1 third-period deficit to beat the lowly San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Saturday at home, the struggling Senators surrendered the game’s first three goals two nights later in a 5-4 shootout loss at the Washington Capitals. “I don’t like getting down 3-0 but we showed a lot of character coming back,” Ottawa head coach Travis Green said after his team fell to 1-5-1 in its
Mar
He said the country’s president sent him a letter saying so before his speech. President Donald Trump signaled another twist in the back-and-forth over his effort to force a negotiated end to the Ukraine-Russia war during his speech Tuesday night. As he first mentioned Ukraine 90 minutes into his address, Trump provided an update following last week’s blowup in the Oval Office between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy left the White House after the shouting match and did not sign an anticipated deal that would have given the U.S. rare minerals from Ukraine. Trump claimed during his speech Zelenskyy sent him a letter just before his speech indicating that he was ready to come back to the negotiating table and was willing to sign the agreement to give
Mar
Trump touted his barrage of executive orders and actions as a massive success for America, second only to George Washington. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF MARCH 5, 2025 04:05 Updated: MARCH 5, 2025 05:49 US President Donald Trump enters the U.S. House chamber before he addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. (photo credit: WIN MCNAMEE/POOL VIA REUTERS) US President Donald Trump began his joint address to Congress on Tuesday evening by declaring that America was restored to its former glory. “My fellow citizens, America is back!” he declared to Congress. “It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43
Mar
Virat Kohli was grit personified in the India vs Australia Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday. With India chasing 265 on a tricky wicket, Virat Kohli curbed his attacking instinct as he scored 84 off 98 balls. HIs innings included only five fours and no sixes. Virat Kohli’s strike-rate of 85.71 may not tell […]
Mar
E! Illustration/ Getty Images The products featured in this article are from brands available in NBCUniversal Checkout . E! makes a commission on purchases. We’ve found the secret to elevating your space without blowing your budget on all-new furniture and home decor. Whether you’re settling into your first apartment or have lived in your home for years, there are simple swaps and additions that can transform your bedroom, kitchen, and living room—helping you feel more like a real adult. Sure, when you’re home alone, you might not think twice about repurposing those old dorm-room items as decor. But when guests arrive, those relics from your past can suddenly become the (unfortunate) focal point. That’s where we come in. Our team of shopping experts has found 12 home essentials that will
Mar
Sometimes, when you’re looking to be entertained, only a thriller will cut it. Sure, everybody loves a rom-com or an action movie, but If you ever find yourself feeling like life is getting inexplicably dark and morality is becoming more ambiguous, immersing yourself in a tense world of serial killers, terrorists, crooked sleazebags, and jaw-dropping twists of all kinds is a pretty great form of escapism. The genre is broad enough to encompass a wide variety of tropes. So you could probably watch thrillers forever and never get bored. Netflix‘s thriller offerings are surprisingly well-rounded this month, offering a good mix of undisputed classics from the likes of Steven Spielberg as well as newer indie flicks that you may have missed. This January, top-tier archival titles include “Oldboy” along with
Mar
Millwall ban Mail Sport from matches and press conferences after reporting how club’s fans loudly chanted ‘let him die’ while Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta was being treated following horror ‘karate kick’ tackle Jean-Philippe Mateta was on the receiving end of a horror tackle on Saturday Millwall fans chanted ‘let him die’ while the Crystal Palace striker was treated LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is it harsh on Anthony Gordon that he misses the Carabao Cup final? By KIERAN GILL Published: 12:53 EST, 3 March 2025 | Updated: 04:46 EST, 5 March 2025 Millwall have banned the Daily Mail from attending the club’s matches and press conferences for reporting how their fans loudly chanted ‘let him die’ while Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was surrounded by paramedics and being fitted