Latest news with #LorenaWiebes
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
UK could recognise Palestinian state in September
TRANSCRIPT UK announces it will recognise Palestinian state in September - unless Israel takes certain steps YouTube now to be included in Australia's social media ban for children In cycling, Lorena Wiebes achieves back-to-back wins in the fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September – unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and takes steps toward long-term peace. Pressure to formally recognise Palestinian statehood has mounted since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognise a Palestinian state in September. Mr Starmer says Britain was always planning to recognise a Palestinian state - as part of a two-state solution, but recent events has now moved up that timeline. "With that (two-state) solution now under threat, this is the moment to act, so today as part of that process towards peace, I can confirm the UK will recognise a state of Palestine by the United Nations' General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace." A United Nations-backed global hunger monitor has issued an alert saying the worst-case scenario of a famine in Gaza is now unfolding as Israeli human rights groups accuse their government of genocide. The World Health Organisation has recorded 74 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza for 2025, with 63 occurring in July alone. The alert from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, also known as the I-P-C does not formally classify Gaza as being in famine, but the organisation says it will now conduct an urgent analysis which could lead to this classification. It comes as Israeli human rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel have cited their government's restriction on aid in declaring that Israel is now committing a genocide in Gaza. Executive Director of B'Tselem, Yuli Novak, says the weight of evidence has given them no option. "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. For the past 22 months we have witnessed unprecedented levels of civilian killings of deliberate starvation, forced mass displacement and the total destruction of most infrastructure necessary for human and social existence." The Israeli government categorically denies committing genocidal acts and claims there is no starvation in Gaza. The federal government has confirmed that video-sharing platform YouTube will now be included in the social media ban for children. The website was initially spared from the ban for under-16-year-olds as part of an exemption for health and education services. But the eSafety commission in June cited research that found children were exposed to harmful content on YouTube more than any other platform. Under the new laws, which are due to come into effect in December, social media companies will face fines of up to almost $50 million for failing to take reasonable steps to bar those under 16 from using their platforms. In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government is on the side of families and it time to act to limit the negative impact on Australian kids from using the online platforms. While the ban has been welcomed by some, others have expressed concern about whether it will work and the impact it could have on marginalised children, particularly those in rural or regional Australia who use the internet to seek community. Those working in creative industries have expressed concern about the use of artificial intelligence technology and its impact on jobs. A new study released by the Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance has found more than half of industry creatives, including actors, musicians, and journalists, are "extremely concerned" about the use of the technology. The findings come weeks before the federal government is expected to sit down with industry stakeholders and discuss the use of AI software to boost productivity at its economic roundtable. Artificial intelligence experts warn the discussion may not result in swift action on AI regulation, pointing to delays in formulating law in the United States. In the survey of more than 730 workers in creative industries, misinformation ranked as the top AI concern for respondents, followed by the loss of human creativity, the theft of work, and a lack of transparency about the technology. In cycling, Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes stormed to her second consecutive stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes, winning the fourth leg with a dominant sprint finish. She launched her move around 250 metres from the line and proved untouchable, sealing another emphatic stage victory. Fellow Dutch rider Marianne Vos took second place, with Ireland's Lara Gillespie finishing third. Wiebes says she is feeling ecstatic. "I'm just super happy that today it worked out once again. And the team also delivered for me good. The last straight was a bit chaotic. It was really a fight for position. I'm happy that I could find my way out. Again, I started a bit too early, but otherwise, I was a bit afraid to get boxed in."
Observer
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Observer
Vos takes Tour de France yellow after Wiebes stage win
ANGERS, France: Veteran Dutch rider Marianne Vos took the overall leader's jersey in the women's Tour de France on Monday after finishing second behind compatriot Lorena Wiebes on the third stage. Three-time former world champion Vos, 38, moved six seconds ahead of Mauritius' Kim Le Court in the general classification after a flat 163.5km ride from La Gacilly to Angers in western France. France's Olympic cross-country champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot completed the top three, 12 seconds behind, with last year's Tour winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma fourth. One-day expert Vos has made an impressive start to this year's edition of the Tour, having won Saturday's opening stage in Vannes. Despite her incredible list of achievements, including 2012's Olympic gold, the women's Giro d'Italia and countless Classic success, she has yet to win the Tour, but wore the yellow jersey in 2022 for five days. "We knew there was quite a good chance for a bunch sprint," Vos said. "In the end when it comes to a bunch sprint you know that Lorena Wiebes is going to be the big favourite, but of course you still always try," she added. Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes celebrates on the podium after winning the 3rd stage. — AFP The end of the stage on the banks of the Loire river, best known for wine production, was marred by a mass crash as pre-stage favourite Demi Vollering fell. FDJ-SUEZ's Dutch rider Vollering, who finished second overall last year, remains fifth in the overall standings despite the incident with 3.7km to go to the finish line. "She wants to continue, but we just need time to go to the hotel, examine, go to the hospital and after one night, we can come back to you to tell you," FDJ-SUEZ's general manager Stephen Delcourt told reporters. "She's completely shocked. She has a pain at the knees, a pain at the glutes and pain at the back. "We need to wait, because we never know if it's just the shock because she crashed or she needs time," he added. After the crash, two-time former European champions Wiebes, 26, held on to secure her fourth Tour stage win, adding to her 15 successed so far this season. Tuesday's fourth of nine stages on the fourth edition of the women's Tour is another flat ride, stretching 130.7km south from Saumur, also on the Loire river, to Poitiers. — AFP
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Lara Gillespie makes history by becoming first Irish woman to take podium finish in stage of Tour de France Femmes
Gillespie, riding for UAE Team ADQ, finished third on stage four in Poitiers at the end of a tough stage that saw Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) claim her second sprint victory in as many days ahead of Dutch race leader Marianne Vos of Team Visma-Lease a Bike. The 24-year-old Enniskerry woman's result was all the more impressive given that she was only called up the Tour team a few days before the start, after a crash at the Elmos Dwars doors het Hageland race in mid-June saw her miss the National Road Championships and other races. A crash also hampered Gillespie's chances at the Tour de France Femmes yesterday. Although she didn't fall, the former European track champion was held up by a crash in the last 4km of stage three meaning she didn't get to go toe-to-toe with the fastest women in the world at the finish. Today, though, Gillespie held her own in the gallop to the line despite being out in the wind for longer than the first two on the stage, both of whom are renowned sprinters. Dutchwoman Wiebes' victory was a record fifth Tour de France Femmes stage win and she continues to lead the green-jersey classification, while second-placed Vos maintained her overall lead. "It's nice to keep the yellow on such a day,' said Vos afterwards before praising stage winner Wiebes. 'You know it's going to be tough. Not only in the final, but actually from the start it was fast and constantly windy, with a high pace in the bunch and then you have to stay in the front and stay in a good position. "That's pretty tough and thanks to the team it worked really well, so I'm very happy. She's [Lorena Wiebes] just the best sprinter in the world, she's a phenomenon in the sprint and every time she shows it again. She's very, very hard to beat. She's a tough competitor, but it's good to have her." As well as Gillespie, current national champion Mia Griffin and last year's title holder Fiona Mangan are also making their debuts at the race with all three looking to first complete the nine-day race, and hopefully build on the experience going forward. Tomorrow's fifth stage takes the riders from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou to Gueret, a distance of 165.8 km (103 miles).
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Cycling: Wiebes claims Tour de France stage as Vos holds lead - Omni sports
Dutch cyclist Lorena Wiebes won the fourth stage of the women's Tour de France on Tuesday, outpacing her compatriot and yellow jersey-holder Marianne Vos at the end of a bunch sprint. Just as in the previous day's stage, the SD Worx team sprinter once again beat the overall leader by a wheel to claim her second consecutive stage victory. Ireland's Lara Gillespie completed the podium at the end of a stage which was thankfully much cleaner than Monday's in Angers, when several riders found themselves caught up in a mass crash. The main victim of that crash, Dutch rider Demi Vollering, appeared apprehensive at the start in Saumur on Tuesday. But the overall favourite for the Tour finished in the peloton in the same time as Wiebes. Vollering sits sixth overall, 25sec behind leader Vos and 13sec behind second-placed Wiebes. Tuesday's stage was led by Franziska Koch of Germany and Brazilian Ana Vitoria Magalhaes, after they made a break just over an hour into the day's racing. They were caught 3km from the finish line by the SD Worx team, who catapulted Wiebes to her 16th victory this season and the 109th of her career. Wednesday will be the longest stage of the 2025 edition with its 165.8km run between Chasseneuil-du-Poitou/Futuroscope and Gueret, complete with a slog to the finish featuring three climbs inside the final 35km. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Wiebes sprints to stage four win at Tour de France Femmes
POITIERS, France, July 29 (Reuters) - Lorena Wiebes stormed to her second consecutive stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes on Tuesday, winning the fourth leg with a dominant sprint finish. The Dutch rider from Team SD Worx launched her move around 250 metres from the line and proved untouchable, sealing another emphatic stage victory. Fellow Dutch rider Marianne Vos took second place, with Ireland's Lara Gillespie finishing third. The largely flat 130.7-km stage from Saumur to Poitiers saw the peloton remain tightly packed until the closing stretch before a showdown amongst the sprinters. Wiebes timed her effort perfectly, leaving her rivals unable to respond before it was too late. She also triumphed in a chaotic sprint on Monday and now sits second overall, trailing Vos, who retains the yellow jersey.
