Venus Williams, 45, to end 16-month layoff in Washington
The 45-year-old American overcame a serious health scare last year and after enjoying a visit to Wimbledon decided
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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Claressa Shields v Lani Daniels: Champion's warning for Kiwi rival ahead of undisputed title fight
'I'm grateful and blessed to be here. I'm grateful to have a voice. I'm not as good as these fullas at talking but I think I'm better at fighting,' Daniels said. 'I'm grateful for the talk practice, because it'll prepare me for Saturday when my hands go to work. I don't have too much to say, I just want to thank everyone for making this fight and event possible.' Daniels goes into the bout with an 11-2-2 record, most recently defending her light heavyweight title last September. She faces a big step up in competition against Shields, with the bout scheduled to play out over 10 two-minute rounds. American Claressa Shields will put her undisputed heavyweight crown on the line against Kiwi Lani Daniels (inset) in Detroit this weekend. Photo / Getty Images, NZME 'I have a very sturdy opponent in front of me in Lani Daniels,' Shields said. 'I want to tell you something; I have not taken you lightly. 'People keep saying they don't know who Lani is and sad to say you guys don't know who half of the girls, who any of the girls fighting [are] because nobody works on building their brand like I do. You can't try to shoot me in the foot over that. 'I've been building my brand so I have 1.4 million followers, I think it's over 2 million worldwide, so to share that platform with Lani is very, very special. 'There's going to be more eyes than have ever been on you on Saturday; in the building, online, on DAZN, it's going to be huge... I cannot let you beat me up. I can't do it. 'There's a lot on the line here... I have prepared for you and your coach very, very hard, and me and my team know what you bring to the table. We respect you and I thank you for coming all the way over here from New Zealand, bringing your family. I look forward to sharing the ring with you.' While Daniels goes into the bout as the underdog, Shields was expecting the Kiwi to present her with a challenge. 'Everyone keeps saying that they're a little scared for you. I'm not. I'm not a little scared for you. 'I know you're going to come and you're going to bring it, but if you can bring out a different beast in me to where I have to rise to a different occasion, then I'll be scared for you,' she said. 'I'm not scared for you yet. I am ready to see how hard you're going to come out there and fight on Saturday, and... if you really want to be champion. If you do that, that's when you're going to see a great fight.' How to watch The bout will headline the card in Detroit on Sunday, which begins at midday NZT on streaming platform DAZN. According to DAZN, Shields and Daniels are estimated to make their walks to the ring about 2pm.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
‘Famine Silently Begins To Unfold' In Gaza, UNRWA Chief Says
24 July 2025 Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), said that is what one of its workers told him on Thursday morning. This sobering comment comes amidst increasingly severe malnutrition for children and adults throughout the Gaza Strip. 'When child malnutrition surges, coping mechanisms fail, access to food and care disappears, famine silently begins to unfold,' Mr. Lazzarini said in a tweet. Bombs are not the only thing that kills Gaza has faced relentless bombardment for almost three years, but Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said at a briefing on Wednesday that it is not just the bombs which are killing Palestinians. Starvation is 'another killer'. Reportedly at least 100 people have died from hunger, and WHO has documented at least 21 cases of children under the age of five dying from malnutrition. Additionally, Mr. Lazzarini said one in five children in Gaza City is malnourished, a number increasing every day that unhindered humanitarian aid is denied. He said these children urgently need treatment, but supplies remain low. Between early March and mid-May – 80 consecutive days – no aid was allowed into the Gaza Strip, pushing the population to the brink of famine. While minimal aid has since entered, Tedros emphasised that it is not enough. 'Food deliveries have resumed intermittently, but remain far below what is needed for the survival of the population,' he said. Safe havens are no longer safe Tedros reported that between 27 May and 21 July, over 1,000 people in Gaza have been killed while trying to access food. Many of these have died in or around sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American-run and Israeli-backed aid distribution organization which the UN has repeatedly said violates well-established principles of international humanitarian law. 'Parents tell us their children cry themselves to sleep from hunger. Food distribution sites have become places of violence,' Tedros said. In addition to risking their lives when seeking out desperately needed humanitarian assistance, hospitals – which have been systematically targeted, according to UNFPA – are no longer safe havens. 'Hospitals, which are supposed to be safe havens, have regularly been attacked, and many are no longer functioning,' Tedros said. He recalled that on Monday, a WHO staff residence, a humanitarian site, was attacked, with male personnel being stripped and interrogated, women and children forced to flee on foot in the midst of violence and one WHO staff member detained. 'Despite this, WHO and other UN agencies are staying in Gaza. Our commitment is firm. UN agencies must be protected while operating in conflict zones,' Tedros said. Frontline workers face hunger In addition to the Palestinians in Gaza who are 'emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying', aid workers are also feeling the effects of the sustained lack of supplies. Most UNRWA workers are surviving on a meagre bowl of lentils each day, Mr. Lazzarini said, leading many of them to faint from hunger at work. 'When caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing,' he said. Some parents are too hungry to care for their children, and even those who do reach clinics for treatment are often too tired to follow the advice provided. Mr. Lazzarini noted that UNRWA alone has 6,000 trucks of desperately needed food and medical supplies in Jordan and Egypt. He called for this and other aid to be immediately let through. 'Families are no longer coping. They are breaking down, unable to survive. Their existence is threatened,' he said. 'Allow humanitarian partners to bring unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza.'
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Venus Williams returns to the court
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is back and making more tennis history. Playing her first singles match in 16 months, the 45-year-old became the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since 47-year-old Martina Navratilova won at Wimbledon more than 21 years ago. Sport reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Melissa Chan-Green. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
