Pro-Palestinian protester takes issue with Israeli team at Tour de France
Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen won the 11th stage in a photo finish just ahead of Swiss rider Mauro Schmid, but their final sprint was accompanied by a man running alongside who wore a T-shirt saying, 'Israel out of the Tour,' and who waved a keffiyeh, the black-and-white checkered headscarf that has become a potent symbol of the Palestinian cause.
A security guard ran out to apprehend the man.
The Israel-Premier Tech team is racing at this year's Tour with eight team members from other countries. The team acquired the right to enter the Tour de France in 2020 when Israel Start-Up National took over Katusha's WorldTour license and has since claimed three stage victories, though none yet in this year's race.
Team members previously faced protests because of the team's association with Israel, which has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians in 21 months of war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The war was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel and Hamas are considering a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal that could pause the war.
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CNN
19 minutes ago
- CNN
US recalls negotiating team as prospects for a Gaza ceasefire dim and humanitarian situation gets worse
The Middle East Israel-Hamas warFacebookTweetLink Follow The United States is recalling its negotiating team from Doha, where talks on a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza have been taking place, with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff saying the latest response from Hamas 'clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire.' Instead, the US 'will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,' Witkoff said in a post on X, without providing details on the alternative options. The public response from the key US negotiator puts the future of the diplomatic efforts in doubt. It stands in stark contrast to hints of optimism about the prospect of a deal being reached that were voiced by sources even after Hamas' latest proposal. A lack of ceasefire also threatens to prolong the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, where scores of people are starving to death as Israel continues sharp restrictions on aid. Witkoff, who had traveled to Italy for consultations about the possible temporary truce, said that 'while the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.' 'It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way,' he said Thursday. 'We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.' Israel also recalled its negotiating team from the Qatari capital following the Hamas response, though an Israeli source said that was not an indication of a crisis in the talks. Instead, the team was called back because decisions need to be made regarding the state of negotiations that cannot be made remotely, the source told CNN. A separate official with knowledge of the talks had characterized Hamas's response as 'positive.' While there were still gaps between the sides, the official said there is 'growing optimism that the gaps are narrowing and a deal can be reached.' However, the prospects for a deal now appear murkier with the role of the US now in doubt. The people of Gaza, meanwhile, cannot afford to wait for an agreement to be reached in order to allow more aid into the besieged enclave. Despite the death toll from man-made starvation rising daily and increasingly dire warnings from international organizations, there are still Israeli government-imposed restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid. The US government had a dedicated official during the Biden administration working on issues of humanitarian aid access in Gaza, but no such official was appointed under the Trump administration. Rather than push for increased access to flood Gaza with aid, the Trump administration has hailed the role of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, suggesting it is the only effective means for distributing aid and stopping alleged widespread theft by Hamas.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
U.N. warns Lebanon's at a "turning point," faces prolonged crisis risk
Emergency services and residents inspect the scene of an airstrike in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, on June 25. The United Nations has warned that war-torn Lebanon is at 'a turning point' and must undertake urgent and immediate recovery efforts. Photo by EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 24 (UPI) -- The United Nations has warned that war-torn Lebanon is at "a turning point" and must undertake urgent and immediate recovery efforts to avoid prolonging its six-year multifaceted crisis that has been exacerbated by the recent Israel-Hezbollah war, according to a U.N. report released Thursday. The report, prepared by the United Nations Development Program and United Nations Economic and Social Council for for Western Asia, in collaboration with other U.N. agencies, highlighted the devastating impact of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict -- that began Oct. 8, 2023, and escalated in September 2024 -- by examining its effects on Lebanon's economy, infrastructure and society. More than 4,285 people, including 292 children and 861 women, have been killed and some 17,200 wounded as of Jan. 9. Since the Nov. 27 cease-fire agreement took effect on Feb. 18, an additional 200 people, including civilians and Hezbollah operatives, also have been killed. The war, moreover, displaced over 1.2 million people, damaged or destroyed nearly 64,000 buildings and disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students, according to the U.N. report. It indicated that micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up 90% of Lebanon's economy, were hit especially hard: 15% shut down permanently, 75% suspended operations during the war and nearly 30% lost their entire workforce. In the most heavily bombed areas, up to 70% of businesses were forced to close permanently. Moreover, about 500,000 students experienced severe educational disruptions during the war, with 69% of children out of school until the cease-fire. Child nutrition also reached critical levels, particularly in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel and Bekaa governorates, where more than 51% and 45% of children under the age of 2, respectively, suffered from severe food shortages. Some 1.6 million people are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including 928,000 Lebanese citizens, the report warned. The proportion of Lebanese citizens living below the poverty line more than tripled between 2012 and 2022 -- rising to 33% from 11% -- and that the 2024 war, particularly in eastern and southern Lebanon, further exacerbated poverty. Moreover, the war significantly deepened Lebanon's labor market crisis. During the conflict, employment among private sector workers declined by 25%. In the areas most heavily affected by bombardments, 36% of workers lost their jobs, compared to 17% in regions less impacted. Even after the ceasefire, 14% of workers remained unemployed. The report explained that the economic impact has been profound, with Lebanon's economy contracting by 38% between 2019 and 2024, while the country's Human Development Index fell back to 2010 levels; marking a 14-year setback caused by the compounded effects of the crisis and war. Key sectors of the economy have been severely affected, including tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, trade and finance. The tourism sector has taken a significant hit, with its contribution to the economy in 2024 expected to have declined to just 5.5%. "Lebanon is at a turning point," said Blerta Aliko, the resident representative of the U.N. Development Program in Lebanon, emphasizing the need for Lebanon to shape "a nationally led recovery plan." Aliko said it was imperative that "state institutions are strong and well-equipped" to drive a sustainable and inclusive recovery process. The report indicated that a reform-driven recovery could help reverse the economic decline, with projections estimating GDP growth of 8.2% in 2026 and 7.1% in 2027. However, even with these necessary reforms, GDP would remain 8.4% below its pre-crisis 2017 peak of $51.2 billion. To sustain recovery, key sectors such as agriculture, construction, tourism and manufacturing must be prioritized, it said. It recommends the Lebanese government to focus on four key areas for its recovery: rebuilding and strengthening state institutions; revitalizing the economy and generating employment; restoring basic services and expanding social protection; and rehabilitating damaged environmental ecosystems. Tarik Alami, the economic and social council cluster leader on governance and prevention, said Lebanon continues to face a "polycrisis" that was made worse by the recent devastating war. "This critical juncture calls for the urgent and accelerated implementation of essential reforms; particularly within public administration, as well as across socio-economic and financial sectors," Alami said. He emphasized that "the root causes of recurring hostilities along Lebanon's southern border must be addressed decisively and sustainably," in full accordance with international law and relevant U.N. resolutions. The U.N. report noted that Lebanon's path to recovery requires urgent, coordinated action between the government, donors, U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations, while substantial financing will be required from domestic resources, private sector investments, international development assistance and foreign direct investment. "Without immediate intervention, economic rebound will take longer, poverty will deepen, state institutions will further weaken and Lebanon's social stability will be at risk," it warned. Last March, the World Bank estimated that Lebanon would need $11 billion for its reconstruction and recovery needs after the Israel-Hezbollah war. However, any international or Arab financial support remains unlikely unless Lebanon implements the necessary reforms and fully disarms Hezbollah -a condition Israel has set as a prerequisite for halting its ongoing attacks on the country.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Tour de France stage 18: Ben O'Connor wins Tour's queen stage as Pogacar slays his Col de la Loze ghosts
Ben O'Connor won the queen stage of this year's Tour de France on Thursday, crossing the line at the top of the Col de la Loze 1:45 ahead of race leader Tadej Pogacar, who extended his lead on Jonas Vingegaard by 11 seconds. With more than 5000 metres of climbing on the menu, it was always going to be a pivotal day, but perhaps slightly less than it looked like being at the halfway point of the stage. Advertisement After Jonathan Milan had scooped up the intermediate sprint points, the lower slopes of the Col du Glandon were enlivened by an attack from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic. It was a startlingly early move by a rider in the GC top 10, and excitement climbed even further as Visma Lease-A-Bike paced strongly on the second mountain of the day, the Col de la Madeleine, with Vingegaard putting in an attack a few kilometres from the top to test Pogacar. By the summit the yellow jersey had been shorn of teammates, and with Matteo Jorgenson leading Vingegaard down the other side as fast as he could, it appeared the Dutch team had played a tactical blinder. But on the valley road between the Madeleine and the Col de la Loze Jorgenson pushed on with O'Connor and Colombian Einer Rubio, while Vingegaard and Pogacar were joined by a group behind containing multtiple domestiques for both men. Whether the decision to let the front three press ahead was tactical or due to fatigue, it all-but-neutralized the GC race, not just in the valley but also up most of the final ascent. That enabled the impressive O'Connor — who dropped Rubio with 16 kilometres remaining — to record the second Tour stage win of his career. Pogacar finally created a gap in the final few hundred metres of the climb, and will be satisfied that he successfully dealt with everything Visma threw at him throughout a taxing day. 🥳🥇 #TDF2025 Stage 18 winner – what a ride! — GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) July 24, 2025 Jacob Whitehead and Duncan Alexander break down an intriguing stage. Find all of The Athletic's Tour de France coverage here. Or follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab. There are 21 stages of the Tour de France and 23 teams at the race. Even if honours are shared out with the evenness of siblings splitting the last slice of cake, two teams will go home disappointed. Generally though, two or three teams tend to dominate — meaning that half-a-dozen teams endure anonymous races. The Tour is the flagship event of the cycling calendar. Anonymity is a Bad Thing. Advertisement Teams who fall into this classification this year? Cofidis, Israel-Premier Tech, Movistar, Astana, Intermarche-Wanty, and Lotto. But until Thursday, that list would have included Jayco AlUla — the Australia-based team bankrolled by the Saudi Arabian government. But by now, Jayco were riding with desperation. Ben O'Connor has spoken of the difficulty of entering breaks at this Tour, with the majority of teams fighting for the handful of stages not divided up between the GC and sprint teams. 'It goes on for so long, there's just a much bigger time frame for figuring out when is the right move, because people get tired, and then you think it's the right one, and then it's not, and this whole cycle starts again,' he explained on Wednesday. 'So it's been kind of funny trying to make the breaks here.' O'Connor had initially been targeting Friday's stage to La Plagne, but when he found himself in a strong group heading up the Col du Glandon, decided to attack. When Pogacar and Vingegaard bridged over to the group on the ascent of the Madeleine, before slowing down the race in the next valley, he kickstarted an attack away from them. Only Matteo Jorgenson and Eimar Rubio followed, but the Australian burned them off his wheel, eventually shaking Rubio with 16km remaining. His lead never came under serious threat — remaining calm, and with exceptional form, to win by almost two minutes. 🏆 The final kick towards an amazing win! Relive the final KM of today's stage! 🏆 Les derniers efforts avant une victoire légendaire ! Voici le dernier KM de cette 18ème étape#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2025 'There was a perfect opportunity to go in the valley and this is a climb I actually have some good memories on, because I rode for my teammate at the time, Felix Gall, to the win over here in 2023,' O'Connor said post-race. 'It's the biggest race in the world, but it's for sure the cruelest. I've wanted to have another victory for so many years now. I've been fighting with thirds and fourths, and been so close, but I couldn't be more proud.' Jacob Whitehead The Col de la Loze is a cruel mountain. Pogacar knows this well. He has brooded over this climb, the location where, more definitively than on any other day of his career, he was found wanting. Jonas Vingegaard cracked him here, climbing from its other side, in the 2023 Tour de France. 'I'm gone, I'm dead,' Pogacar gasped over his team radio. On the morning of the stage, those words were clearly still in the yellow jersey's ears. Advertisement 'It's been annoying hearing 'I'm gone, I'm dead' on Eurosport these past few years,' he told Belgian outlet Sporza. 'Let's rewrite that story.' He may have this race all but won, but the Col de la Loze was personal — he wanted to beat Vingegaard here. Both Visma and UAE appeared to have tired each other entering its upper slopes after a madcap early part of the stage — with Vingegaard only launching his attack in the last kilometre of the stage. As it was, both Pogacar and Oscar Onley followed his move smoothly — before the Slovenian sailed away in the final ramps to finish nine seconds ahead of his rival, plus bonus seconds. Realistically, this was the stage that Vingegaard needed to make major inroads on — Friday's stage is effectively a miniaturised version of today's parcours. But the lateness of his attack appeared to imply that the Dane's legs were not where they needed to be for a dominant attack — it allowed Pogacar to ride a defensive race until he could exploit his superior acceleration. 'Today was a brutal day, five hours in the saddle, and I'm not sure I've ever done such a hard stage in the Tour before,' Vingegaard said post-stage. '(But) it looked like we were pretty even today. (Pogacar) had a few seconds in the end but the Tour is not over. Still.' Pogacar does not mind that. Today was not just about the Tour — it was also about absolution. Jacob Whitehead Florian Lipowitz has looked like the third-best climber on this Tour, but as he finally crossed the summit of the Col de la Loze, one minute and 39 seconds behind podium rival Oscar Onley, it underscored his tactical naivety. In many ways, Onley and Lipowitz are opposites of each other despite their tender ages, fighting for third at 22 and 24 years old respectively. Advertisement Lipowitz rides like a far younger professional — despite his undeniable power, he often exposes himself to unnecessary risk. Onley is more naturally conservative, happy to sit in the bunch and try and survive it being whittled down. If attacks come, Lipowitz's instinct is to immediately attack, while Onley has been happy to bring back moves at his own tempo. This is something of a surprise — with Onley arguably the more explosive rider, while Lipowitz has a larger engine. But no day on this Tour has exposed those differences like stage 18 — with Onley now firmly back in a thrilling fight for third. As the race fractured up the Col de Madeleine, Lipowitz chose to chase Vingegaard and Pogacar, while Onley remained in the main bunch. It left Lipowitz in no-man's-land, forced to work solo in the following valley to bridge back to the leaders. Then, the German immediately counter-attacked — moving up the road and at one point holding a lead of almost three minutes. At this point, the podium battle looked to have moved decisively in his favour. But that earlier work came back with a vengeance. Lipowitz rapidly began to shed time in the final 15km of the climb — while Onley, meanwhile, was brought back to the main bunch by teammates. 4th at the summit following the favourites, hats off to Oscar 🤗 4ème au sommet en suivant les favoris, chapeau Oscar 🇬🇧#TDF2025 l @picnicpostnl — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2025 By the time that they had caught Lipowitz, the white jersey was completely drained. He slipped straight out the back of that group, while Onley impressively had the energy to follow Pogacar and Vingegaard, only being dropped by them in the final 500m. Going into the final mountain stage, Onley only trails Lipowitz by 22 seconds — with a summit finish to come. It is now the most compelling battle of the race. Advertisement Lipowitz barely had the energy to lift his hands above his head on the white jersey podium. Onley, by contrast, was already in the showers of the Picnic-PostNL bus. Jacob Whitehead No-one wants to return to the more conservative cycling tactics of the 2000s and 2010s, where a day like stage 18 would have been controlled over the first two hors categorie climbs and then raced aggressively in the final few kilometres of the Col de la Loze. But perhaps today showed that the current milieu, encapsulated by its high-carb, high-risk approach has its limits. Former England soccer manager Sven Goran Eriksson became known for his phrase 'first half good, second half not so good', and that is a useful description of what happened on Thursday afternoon. The Col du Glandon is a climb that is as unusual as it is beautiful. Where mountains such as the Col de la Madeleine take riders upwards at a steady gradient, the Glandon is uneven, and even contains a couple of steep downhills as you head the way the race did today. That unevenness can encourage attacking mayhem and so it proved today, with Roglic attacking, eventual stage winner O'Connor bridging across and the peloton being thinned down to the usual favorites with more than a hundred kilometres left to race. Visma had Jorgenson up front too, and after he crossed the summit of the Glandon in third place, it looked like the team was plotting a similar move to the one that worked so well for them in the pivotal stage in this year's Giro d'Italia. 💥 Let's go! Jonas Vingegaard attacks! @TamauPogi stays on his wheel! 💥 Et c'est parti ! Jonas Vingegaard attaque ! @TamauPogi ne le lâche pas d'une semelle !#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2025 And in some ways it did. After Vingegaard and his team pushed even harder on both the ascent of the Madeleine — the Visma leader put in an exploratory attack near the top — and then down the other side, Pogacar was clearly on the limit. At one point he radioed to his team about the speed at which Jorgenson was taking the super-fast descent. At this point of the day it looked like we were about to witness an all-timer of a Tour de France stage. But then… not much happened. Whether it was tactical or fatigue-based, or more likely a combination of the two, Pogacar rode defensively while Vingegaard wasn't willing to risk another attack that could have put him in the red and ended his slim hopes of overhauling the Slovenian. Advertisement Anyone tuning in for the closing stages is likely to have been underwhelmed by what they saw, but those who saw the whole day will always remember the Glandon and the Madeleine fondly. For a brief moment the race had everything, everywhere, all at once. Duncan Alexander Lenny Martinez is strengthening his grip on the polka dot jersey, a classification which has its own hold on the French public. Bucket hats are thrown from caravans, T-shirts line the sides of Alpine slopes. But right now, Lenny Martinez is also strengthening his grip on the Bahrain Victorious team car, which is dragging him up the Col du Glandon in a manner that is very much not allowed. The notion of the sticky bottle is an old one in cycling. Effectively, it is when a rider holds onto their bottle when collecting it from the team car for too long — giving them a free boost up the course as the driver subtly accelerates while holding on to the cyclist. Martinez did not just take one sticky bottle — but three of them in succession, receiving three accelerations up the Glandon as a result. He pipped Thymen Arensman over the summit to earn 20 points in the polka dot jersey race — also setting a record climbing time up the mountain. He wasn't the only one, either, with Kevin Vauquelin also punished for a similar offence on Thursday. Sanction en vue pour Lenny Martinez ? En difficulté dans le col du Glandon, le Français a visiblement utilisé la technique du "bidon collé" pour remonter… Suivez la 18e étape en intégralité sur Eurosport et HBO Max #LesRP #TDF2025 — Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 24, 2025 Martinez was immediately criticised by professional riders. Fellow Frenchman Thibaut Pinot replied to a video of the incident with a 'sick' emoji. It left race organisers with a decision to make — under race rules, they could have disqualified him from the race, but that option would have been seismic, especially to a home rider with a chance of taking the jersey. Instead he was docked eight points from his total, which leaves him 33 behind Pogacar in the standings, a gap that might be difficult to close even with the help of a car. Jacob Whitehead 🎙 🇸🇮@TamauPogi: "I would have liked to win the stage, but the priority is, of course, the Yellow Jersey." 💛 💛 Interview with the #LCLYearlyYearlyJersey wearer ⤵️ 💛#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 24, 2025 Another tough — albeit short — assignment in the mountains, with the Col du Pre a less-well-known but extremely difficult climb midway through the stage, before the 1980s-flavour to the 2025 race continues with a finish at La Plagne, a climb used in 1984 and 1987 but which has not featured in the Tour since 2002. For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
