Nick Kyrgios has described Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s positive doping tests as “disgusting” ahead of his return to tennis. The controversial Australian has played only one match in more than two years because of injury but that has not stopped him being an outspoken presence on social media during a difficult few months for the sport. First it was announced in August that Sinner had failed two doping tests in March but was cleared of fault, while in November Swiatek was handed a one-month ban for a failed test caused by contaminated medication. Kyrgios has been particularly vociferous in his criticism of Sinner, who could yet face a ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the finding of no fault or negligence in his case. At a press conference ahead of the Brisbane International, Kyrgios told reporters: “I have to be outspoken about it because I don’t think there’s enough people that are speaking about it. I think people are trying to sweep it under the rug. “I just think that it’s been handled horrifically in our sport. Two world number ones both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look. “The tennis integrity right now – and everyone knows it, but no one wants to speak about it – it’s awful. It’s actually awful. And it’s not OK.” He has not played a competitive match since, and it appeared doubtful that he would be able to return, but the 29-year-old will make his comeback in Brisbane this week. Kyrgios will take on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in singles, while he will also team up with Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster doubles pairing. “It’s good to be back,” said Kyrgios. “I honestly never thought I’d be back playing at this level. Even entering an event like this, preparing, doing all the right things. “I’m really excited to just go out there and play, just play tennis. I saw Novak in the gym, playing doubles with him, a lot to be excited about that I’m able to get out there and compete again.” Asked whether he could get back to the same level that saw him reach the Wimbledon final in 2022, Kyrgios said: “I still believe I can, whether or not that’s factual or not. There was another player who was like, ‘You have to be realistic’. That’s not how I am. I always back my ability.” The new tennis season is already under way, with the United Cup team event beginning on Friday. Great Britain, who are weakened by the absence of Jack Draper through injury, begin their campaign against Argentina in Sydney on Monday before facing hosts Australia on Wednesday. That could pit Katie Boulter against fiance Alex De Minaur, with the pair having announced their engagement last week. “Obviously some incredible news from our side, but I think we kind of wanted it to die down a little bit before matches started,” said Boulter of the timing. “My private life is out in the public a little bit at the moment. But, in terms of the stuff that I’m doing on the court, I’ll be doing the best I can every single day to stay in my own little bubble.” Billy Harris has taken Draper’s place, with the British number one facing a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open because of a hip problem. Emma Raducanu is the sixth seed at the ASB Classic in Auckland and will begin her season with a match against Robin Montgomery, while Cameron Norrie takes on another American, Learner Tien, at the Hong Kong Open.An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalitionAs a smooth-talking media and political pundit, Colman Domingo ’s Muncie Daniels is used to commenting on politics and the news — not becoming the news — in The Madness . However, his fate will quickly change for the worse when we meet him in the new series. When the CNN personality discovers the dead body of a white supremacist in the woods near where he’s staying in the Poconos, he winds up in the crosshairs of law enforcement and possibly framed for murder — and even his lawyer friend Kwesi (Deon Cole) warns the silver-tongued Muncie, “You’re not going to be able to talk your way out of this.... They are going to pin all this on you.” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.
STEP Project Underway in Communities Island-wideLOOMING CRUNCH The Malampaya natural gas fields, which currently supply around 30 percent of Luzon’s energy consumption, are expected to be depleted by 2025 to 2027. MANILA, Philippines — The seventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda is focused on providing affordable and clean energy for all people. As the core of agriculture, business, communications, health care, education, transportation, and everything else in daily modern life, access to energy has become ever more critical. In the year 2021, over 91 percent of the global population had access to electricity, an increase from 87 percent in 2015. Unfortunately, according to the UN, progress on SDG 7 is not fast enough to keep up with its targets. At the current global pace in prioritizing access to affordable energy, around 660 million people will still lack access to electricity and almost two billion people will still have to rely on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking by 2030. The Philippines is still falling behind in its affordable and clean energy targets, according to the UN’s 2024 Sustainable Development Report. The country continues to face several significant challenges across the board, and progress is mostly stagnating or increasing at less than 50 percent of the required rate. Though the country is on track or maintaining SDG achievement with regard to access to electricity, the other target indicators for SDG 7 are still facing significant to major challenges, and progress on renewable energy share in total final energy consumption is decreasing alongside other stagnant indicators. As of 2021, coal and oil, which are the biggest sources of energy in the Philippines, took up 31 percent and 30 percent of total energy supply, respectively. The transport and residential sectors take up the largest portions of total final consumption at 31 and 29 percent, respectively. The country is also facing a mounting energy crisis, with the Malampaya natural gas fields, which currently supply around 30 percent of Luzon’s energy consumption, expected to be depleted by 2025 to 2027, according to the International Trade Administration. In an attempt to help combat the country’s high energy consumption and design a more sustainable energy blueprint for the future, the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) introduced the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) for 2020 to 2040, which builds on the NREP for 2011 to 2030. The NREP 2020-2040 sets a target of at least 35 percent renewable energy (RE) share in the power generation mix by the year 2030, and growth to at least 50 percent by 2040. It aims to provide energy security (accelerating the exploration and development of RE resources), sustainable development (contributing to the SDG goals), climate change mitigation (reducing greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions), capability building (institutionalizing the development of capabilities in the use of RE systems), and inclusive growth (catalyzing solutions to cross-cutting social issues). The NREP also provides an RE power supply expansion plan via collaboration between the NREB and the Department of Energy. The Philippine Energy Program 2020-2040, the second comprehensive energy blueprint supporting the government’s long-term 2040 vision, also reiterates the energy sector’s goal to attain a future with clean energy. Under this plan, the strategic focus areas include secure and cleaner energy, adaptive environments, stronger investments, resilient and secure energy infrastructure, strategic alliances with international communities, and strengthened partnerships with the attached agencies. GREEN RIDE Japan’s Shinkansen trains will begin sourcing 10 percent of the electricity used for its operations from non-carbon emitting renewable energy sources by 2027—the first time the famed trains are to be powered by renewable energy. —Photo from the Government of Japan website Japan, the Asian country with the highest ranking in the overall SDG Index Ranking, provides good examples of energy conservation and sustainability. Ranked 18th out of 166 countries, Japan is on track to meet three out of four of the SDG’s target indicators, but still faces significant challenges with regard to renewable energy share in total final energy consumption. The Energy Conservation Act in Japan, which was enacted in 1979, helps to promote the effective and rational use of energy in the country. Having undergone several revisions in light of natural crises, the act covers energy management in the industrial, commercial, residential, and transport sectors, as well as energy efficiency standards in appliances and vehicles. In 2023, the act underwent an amendment that helped gear its direction more toward accomplishing SDG 7. Under this amendment, the definition of “energy”—which previously only referred to oil, natural gas, coal, heat (fossil-derived), and other sources of energy derived from these sources—was expanded to include all forms of non-fossil energy. It also required large-scale energy consumers to submit regular reports on non-fossil energy usage, as well as mid- to long-term plans for non-fossil energy transition by target year 2030. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) also launched its Green Power Island Program in 2021, following the end of the Hybrid Island Program. The program aims to accelerate the process of integrating renewable energy, reinforce the capacity of local electric utilities, introduce power system stabilization measures, and promote private investment. The new program builds on its predecessor by utilizing renewable energies, storage batteries, and other facilities to achieve the optimal operation of power supplies and maintain stability and economic viability. The Hybrid Island Program, which ran from 2016 to 2021, sought to create a framework that allowed hybrid power generation systems to be maintained and managed within countries or regions through the development of solar, hydro, and other renewable power generation facilities—a system now carried over to the Green Power Island Program. Japan has also incorporated renewable energy solutions into technologies and systems applicable to its peoples’ daily lives. In 2023, the West Japan Railway Co., or JR West, announced that it would switch 10 percent of the electricity used for its Shinkansen operations to non-carbon emitting renewable energy sources by the year 2027. This move falls in line with the goal of reducing carbon emissions in Japan by 2050, and would mark the first time that Shinkansen trains in Japan are to be powered by renewable energy. The second highest-ranking Asian country on the SDG Index, South Korea has made significant strides toward accomplishing SDG 7. Though major challenges remain relating to renewable energy share in total final energy consumption, South Korea has achieved and maintained most of SDG 7’s targets and remains on track overall. As of 2024, South Korea ranks 33rd out of 166 in the UN Sustainable Development Report. South Korea has also set a target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. While its energy sector is dominated by a strong dependence on fossil fuels and energy imports as well as a high share of coal-fired power generation for industrial energy, the country hopes to achieve to evolve by substantially increasing the share of renewable energy sources, gradually phasing out coal, and significantly improving energy efficiency through technological innovation and digitalization. As of 2022, oil and coal make up the largest sources of energy in Korea, at 36 percent and 26 percent of the country’s total energy supply, respectively. Coal also accounts for the largest source of energy generation in Korea as of 2022, making up 33 percent of the country’s total generation. In 2019, South Korea launched its Third Energy Master Plan, the country’s top-level energy policy overlooking mid-to-long-term energy policies and goals for the next 20 years. Its main objective was to reduce the country’s total energy consumption by around 14 percent by the year 2030, coinciding with the SDGs’ target year. Beyond that, the master plan also aimed to reduce energy consumption by 17.2 percent by 2035, and 18.6 percent by 2040, below the projected business-as-usual level. In 2020, South Korea introduced the Korean New Deal, which planned to invest around $144 billion in creating 1,901,000 jobs by the year 2025 and transform the country’s economy into a greener, more digitized and sustainable one. Among its main policies was the Green New Deal, which placed emphasis on renewable energy, green infrastructure, and innovation in the green industrial sector, and accelerating the country’s transition toward a low-carbon eco-friendly economy. Under this deal, around 73.4 trillion won, with 42.7 trillion won from the treasury, would be invested for green infrastructure, renewable energy, and fostering the green industry by 2025. The green car subsidy program also offered up to $17 million for subsidies to people purchasing electric cars in 2021, as well as up to $33.5 million for hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Sources: doe.gov.ph, trade.gov, iea.hboards.sdgindex.org, cdn.climatepolicyradar.org, undp,org, iea.org, English.moef.go.kr, jica.go.jp, youtube.com, jaif.or.jp, asiaeec-col.eecj.or.jp, meti.go.jp, climate-laws.org, un.org, sdg.neda.gov.ph
As U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher looked ahead to the next Women's World Cup in 2027, she calculated what that would look like at her age. Now 36, she already has a World Cup title and won an Olympic gold medal this year in France. She considered the mental, physical and emotional toll of a new cycle and decided it was time to step away . “Honestly, I think I’ve been somebody that has given everything I’ve had to this team. I don’t do anything halfway. It’s kind of, if you can give 100% to it, then keep going," she said. “With that in mind, I kind of just felt like this was the right time coming off of the Olympics, having the year that we had, entering into a new cycle, a new stage for this team.” Naeher is the latest veteran to announce she's stepping down from the national team as the next generation takes over under coach Emma Hayes. Among those who have wrapped up their soccer careers in the past couple of years include World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara and Ali Krieger. Naeher will be with the team for two more matches in the coming week. The Americans play England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and then the Netherlands in The Hague on Tuesday. Naeher said she's excited about the next generation of goalkeepers. In addition to Naeher, Mandy Haught of the Utah Royals and Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United are on the roster for the upcoming matches. Other goalkeepers who have been on recent rosters include Casey Murphy and Jane Campbell. “I think the beauty of goalkeeping is that it’s not really a one-size-fits-all kind of position," she said. "The more that you can understand — that's going to be the challenge any young goalkeeper coming up, is really taking the time to understand what your strengths are and make them really, really elite and separate yourself.” Naeher spoke on Wednesday from London after announcing her retirement on social media Monday . Naeher made her senior debut with the national team in 2014 and was a backup to Hope Solo at the 2015 World Cup, which the United States won. She became the team’s regular starter following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was on the squad that repeated as World Cup winners in 2019. Naeher won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before the U.S. earned gold this year in Paris. She made a key one-handed save in stoppage time to preserve the Americans’ 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Olympic final. For her career, Naeher has appeared 113 games with 110 starts, 88 wins and 68 shutouts. She had four shutouts over the course of the Olympic tournament in France. While she's leaving the national team, she'll play one more year for her club team, the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League. “I hope that I can be remembered as a good teammate, as a competitor, as somebody that was looked on as someone that could be relied upon on the field and supported those players around me,” she said. “I think it’s just been a really special team to be a part of. And I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the years.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerPublished 5:00 pm Friday, December 27, 2024 By Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell’s stirring locker room tribute to his team last week at Seattle was respectfully interrupted by seven-year veteran right tackle Brian O’Neill, who flipped the script on the game ball awards by tossing one to the boss in honor of his second 13-win season in three years. The Vikings have obliterated even the most optimistic of external predictions for this transitional season, taking a sparkling 13-2 record into their matchup against the Green Bay Packers that has made O’Connell the current favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award. “It’s a credit to who he is as a person, as a coach and as a leader,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to play under him.” The Vikings can not only win the NFC North for a second time in three seasons, but get the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC tournament if they beat both the Packers at home on Sunday and the Detroit Lions on the road next week. Don’t expect the Vikings to ponder that possibility, though, as tantalizing as it would be. “It can be a very tired cliché to talk about going 1-0 until you’ve systematically built your entire operation daily of just trying to do that every single day,” O’Connell said after Minnesota’s eighth consecutive victory. “These guys, it’s not a cliché at that point. It becomes part of your football foundation and the makeup of your locker room, of your leadership, your coaching staff.” The Packers could be forgiven for being less than impressed by the impact O’Connell has made, for a reason beyond simply him coaching their biggest rival. Green Bay enjoyed even better out-of-the-gate success under coach Matt LaFleur, who was hired in 2019 and won 13 regular-season games in each of his first three years. Though they’re in third place at 11-4, two games behind the Lions and the Vikings, the Packers too have secured a place in the playoffs even if they can’t win their loaded division. They’ll likely be the visiting team as long as they’re alive this postseason. “I think that just all of us going against one another, it’s forced you to be at your best every week,” LaFleur said. “You can’t afford a slip-up, just to keep up with everybody.” The road team has won each of the past three matchups in this series. The Packers are 0-4 against the teams with the top three records in the NFC: Detroit, Minnesota and Philadelphia. “We’ve got to be able to go win these games against the really good teams in the league and set ourselves up for the situation we’ll be in for the playoffs,” quarterback Jordan Love said. The running men Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards on 22 carries for Minnesota in a 31-29 victory at Green Bay on Sept. 29. Released by the Packers for salary cap relief in favor of their premier free agency addition, the three-plus-years-younger Josh Jacobs, Jones just hit the 1,000-yard mark last week and can’t hide from the significance of facing his former team. “They respect you because they were on your team or they’ve seen the work that you put in, but you want to gain their respect in another way from playing against them, like, ‘Man, this dude is really as good as I thought he was,’” Jones said. Jacobs, for his part, is fourth in the NFL entering Week 17 with 1,216 rushing yards for the most by a Packers player in a season since Ryan Grant (1,253) in 2009. Minimizing their mistakes The earlier matchup this season featured seven combined turnovers, four by the Packers and three by the Vikings. Both of these teams are among the NFL’s best in the turnover department, with Green Bay at a plus-12 margin and Minnesota at a plus-10. The Packers have allowed a total of three sacks and have committed just two turnovers over their past five games. Picking up the Pace The Vikings are eagerly anticipating the return of second-year linebacker Ivan Pace, the sparkplug who has missed four games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain. They’ll be cautious with him and the tricky nature of that injury, but getting Pace back in the middle of the action with fellow linebacker Blake Cashman would be a big boost to the play-calling options for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. “He flies around. When he blitzes, he’s as impactful as anybody, and when you can really get him and Cash out there at the same time, they both can really play to their strengths,” O’Connell said. “They’re both really good blitzers. Cash is phenomenal in coverage and reading the quarterback, and when you can kind of pair those guys together, run and pass, that’s when we’re at our best.” Kicking correction Brayden Narveson missed both of his field-goal attempts for Green Bay, from 37 and 49 yards, in the two-point decision at Lambeau Field in Week 4. The Packers released Narveson a couple of weeks later in favor of 11-year veteran Brandon McManus, who has gone 16 of 17 on field-goal tries including game-winners as time expired against Houston and Jacksonville.