Sophie Giraud/Prime Tom Cruise who? Hulking action star Alan Ritchson has now played beloved antihero and skull-knocking machine Jack Reacher in more adaptations of Lee Child’s bestselling book series than the Reacher before him (who’s currently busy risking life and limb as a different beloved action hero), and judging by the reviews for “Reacher” season 3, it’s a role Ritchson was meant to play. The three-episode premiere of the Prime Video series’ latest season dropped on the Amazon-owned streaming service this week, and the response from fans and critics alike so far has been impressively positive. The season currently boasts a 97% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, meaning that 28 of the 29 RT-approved critics who previewed the season liked or loved it (it maintained a coveted 100% for quite a
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
Feb
£3,000 rents cause housing fears near nuclear plant George King BBC News, Suffolk Reporting from Leiston, Suffolk Zoie O’Brien/BBC Linda Druce from Druce Estate & Letting Agents said Sizewell C was a reason for rent increasing in Leiston Residents fear being priced out of a Suffolk town due to the construction of a nuclear power plant, with the rent on some family homes doubling to more than £3,000 a month. The development of Sizewell C – which is under way and predicted to conclude by 2031 – will require a workforce of 7,900 people, with about two thirds moving from outside the area. Some people in Leiston, which is about three miles (5km) from the power station, have spoken out about the rise in rents, with one saying “landlords are
Feb
The president signed the an executive order earlier this month. February 21, 2025, 9:36 PM At a White House event with a bipartisan group of governors Friday, President Donald Trump briefly sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills after threatening to withhold federal funds from her state over the issue of transgender athletes. The back-and-forth came as Trump discussed his executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. “Are you not going to comply with that?” Trump asked Mills directly. Gov. Janet Mills reacts after challenging U.S. President Donald Trump over federal law on the issue of trans women in sports as Trump addressed a meeting of governors at the White House, Feb. 21, 2025 in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images She responded that she would comply with state and federal
Feb
MI beat RCB by 4 wickets in WPL 2025.© BCCI Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Amanjot Kaur steered Mumbai Indians to a thrilling four-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a Women’s Premier League match in Bengaluru on Friday. Ellyse Perry struck a fine half-century to guide RCB to a competitive 167 for seven after being sent in to bat. Perry made 81 off just 43 balls with the help of 11 fours and two sixes to lift RCB after they were stuttering at 57 for 4 at one time. Richa Ghosh (28 off 25) and skipper Smriti Mandhana (26 off 13 balls) also chipped in for RCB. Medium pacer Amanjot was the most successful bowler for MI with figures of 3/22. Chasing a competitive total, MI’s Harmanpreet (50 off 38
Feb
NBC There isn’t a more rigidly formulaic television genre than the sitcom. Over a tightly telescoped span of 22 minutes, writers must introduce, escalate and resolve a situation, all while giving audiences the belly laughs that have hopefully made the show appointment viewing. They typically only have a week from table read to filming, which leaves the production some room for adjustments, but little in the way of experimentation. It’s all got to be on the page. Even for a show like “Seinfeld,” where the cast maintained a high degree of spontaneity throughout each episode? Where Kramer’s (Michael Richards) abrupt entrances seem to throw off the entire gravity of Jerry’s (Jerry Seinfeld) apartment? Where Elaine’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) signature shoves feel like they come out of nowhere? Where the banter takes so
Feb
“Suits LA” arrives on Feb. 23, just six weeks after the devastating wildfires that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Initially, the series was only going to be set in Los Angeles, with production taking place in Vancouver. That’s where the pilot was shot in August. Then, the series received a tax credit from the state of California, and production relocated to L.A. At the Feb. 20 blue-carpet premiere, the cast and creatives behind the highly-anticipated “Suits” spinoff celebrated the show’s move to L.A. “We film at the northeast corner of the Universal lot,” star Stephen Amell told Variety. “There’s an entrance that’s right by where we film. And it’s the faster way for me to get to work. I don’t go that way. I enter off Lankershim at
Feb
Jan 25, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Aldrich Potgieter talks with his caddie on the 18th hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images Twenty-year-old Aldrich Potgieter fired a 10-under-par 61 during Mexico Open second-round play Friday to open a four-shot advantage at VidantaWorld in Vallarta, Mexico. According to the tour, Potgieter becomes the fourth-youngest player to shoot 61 or better in a PGA Tour event. Only Patrick Cantlay, Nick Dunlap and South Korea’s Tom Kim have him beat. Potgieter, who won the prestigious Amateur Championship in the United Kingdom as a 17-year-old, is no stranger to precocious achievements. His card Friday consisted of 11 birdies and seven pars, pushing him to
Feb
(45.2/50 ov, T:243) 243/5 New Zealand won by 5 wickets (with 28 balls remaining) Player Of The Series 219 runs • 1 wkt Report O’Rourke took four wickets, while Santner and Bracewell got two each, just days before teams meet in Champions Trophy opener Daryl Mitchell continued his fine form against Pakistan • AFP/Getty Images New Zealand 243 for 5 (Mitchell 57, Latham 56, Naseem 2-43) beat Pakistan 242 (Rizwan 46, Agha 45, O’Rourke 4-43, Santner 2-20) by five wickets Despite injuries to Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears, Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand clinched the tri-series title in Karachi and sounded out a warning to the hosts, five days before they meet again in the Champions Trophy opener at the same venue. In the absence of the senior quicks, Will O’Rourke
Feb
Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Jack Hughes (86) plays the puck against Team Finland forward Joel Armia (40) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Team Canada is indeed the hunters and not the hunted against Team USA when they meet Saturday at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal. The oddsmakers have essentially called this a pick-em game, but reality should be different after watching how the clubs opened the tournament. Canada blew a two-goal, third-period lead and needed overtime to beat Sweden 4-3, a game in which goaltender Jordan Binnington proved exactly why the biggest question mark about the squad donning the Maple Leaf was between the
Feb
WPL 2025: Richa Ghosh scored 64 not out off 27 balls in RCB’s win over GG© BCCI Richa Ghosh and Ellyse Perry smashed forceful fifties as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off the highest run chase in the history of Women’s Premier League to register a thrilling six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants in Vadodara on Friday. Perry (57, 34b, 6×4, 2×6) and Ghosh (64 not out, 27b, 7×4, 4×6) were in sublime touch as defending champions RCB scaled down the target of 202 with ease in the tournament opener. It was a remarkable turnaround for RCB as they were tottering at 14 for two after second over, as Ashleigh Gardner ousted openers Smriti Mandhana (9) Danny Wyatt (4) in the space of four balls. But from thereon, Perry and Raghavi Bist
Feb
Interest in electric vehicles grew substantially in 2024. According to a survey from CDK Global, 31% of gas-car shoppers plan to buy an EV. That’s up from 18% in 2023. There are still big misconceptions about the cost of EV ownership across car buyers, though. The percentage of car shoppers who plan to buy an electric car someday shot up in 2024. But you wouldn’t know that based on the breathless coverage of EV demand “stalling.” CDK Global, a company that provides software to car dealerships, surveyed car buyers and found that the percentage of gas-car shoppers planning to buy an EV in the future jumped from 18% in 2023 to 31% in 2024. For those considering hybrids, EV interest was even higher, which makes sense. CDK says that in
Feb
HBO When Sam Levinson’s “Euphoria” debuted on HBO, the coming-of-age series quickly became a phenomenon. It provided Zendaya the platform to become the youngest two-time Emmy winner in history as well as the youngest person to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as high schooler Rue Bennett, undoubtedly the role that changed the trajectory of her entire career. Despite its edgy nature, “Euphoria” became a runaway mainstream success, one of the most discussed TV shows on social media, and the launchpad for a new class of Hollywood performers including Hunter Schaefer, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Eloridi, Storm Reid, and the late Angus Cloud. Based on the Israeli series of the same name, “Euphoria” follows troubled teenage drug addict Rue after her stint in
Feb
The men are not believed to actually be DOGE representatives. February 14, 2025, 8:36 PM Three men in shirts referencing Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” showed up at San Francisco City Hall on Friday demanding access to city files, authorities said. The men are not believed to actually be DOGE representatives, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The men, who were also wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, entered multiple offices in city hall around 12 p.m. local time, demanding employees turn over digital information related to alleged wasteful government spending and fraud, the sheriff’s office said. Citizens cast their vote for presidential and congressional elections at Department of Elections in the City Hall of San Francisco, California, United States on November 5, 2024. (Photo by
Feb
A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world. By THE MEDIA LINE FEBRUARY 15, 2025 00:08 US PRESIDENT Donald Trump meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, 2017. (photo credit: PPO via Getty Images) Trumpism: Risks and opportunities Asharq Al-Awsat, London, February 6 For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org Many assert that the words of Donald Trump, the returning American president, are mere bluster. In my view, Trump could be anything – either an empty sound bomb or a truly destructive force. We are on the brink of four potentially extraordinary years that could either morph into our worst fears, leaving Palestinians without a land, or realize the dream of a Palestinian state. His policies might ignite a dangerous regional
Feb
Player Of The Match 169 (163) Report Ireland went toe-to-toe for most of the chase but lost the last four wickets in their last ten deliveries Brian Bennett’s 169 took Zimbabwe to 299 • Zimbabwe Cricket Zimbabwe 299 for 5 (Bennett 169, Ervine 66, Adair 2-55) beat Ireland 250 (Campher 44, Muzarabani 4-51, Ngarava 3-56) by 49 runs Brian Bennett delivered a Valentine Day’s gift to all the cricket lovers at Harare Sports Club with a sublime 169 to set up Zimbabwe’s 49-run win in the first ODI against Ireland on Friday. Promoted to opener for the first time in ODI cricket, Bennett struck 56.52% of Zimbabwe’s total to give Ireland a target of 300 to chase. Along the way, he also became the fourth-youngest to score 150-plus in a men’s ODI