Latest news with #BenO'Connor
West Australian
7 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Perth's Ben O'Connor right at home in Tour de France mountains after claiming epic stage win on Col de la Loze
Perth's Ben O'Connor right at home in Tour de France mountains after claiming epic stage win on Col de la Loze
SBS Australia
7 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Reactions to France' recognition of Palestinian State
Reactions to Emmanuel Macron's move to recognise Palestinian State Australian women to sue over 2020 Doha airport medical examinations Ben O'Connor claims 18th stage of Tour de France The Palestinian Authority has welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's pledge to recognise the State of Palestine, calling it a historic and principled step in support of Palestinian self-determination. In a post on social media platform X, Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh thanked President Macron for confirming France's intention to formalise recognition at the U-N General Assembly in September. 'This position reflects France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the move a move toward terror and it is expected to provoke a strong response from the United States. France's announcement marks a significant shift, making it the most prominent Western nation to commit to recognising Palestinian statehood. The UK will sign a new 50-year AUKUS treaty with Australia during ministerial talks in Sydney today, amid uncertainty over U-S commitment to the submarine pact. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey will meet their Australian counterparts Penny Wong and Richard Marles at the annual Aukmin meeting. They will then travel to Melbourne to meet businesses involved in the programme. They will also visit Darwin as the U-K Carrier Strike Group arrives in the Northern Territory. AUKUS, agreed in 2021, aims to build nuclear-powered submarines and deepen defence ties, but the Trump administration is now reviewing U-S involvement. Five Australian women who were allegedly subjected to invasive medical examinations at Doha Airport in 2020 have won the right to take their case to trial. The women were among dozens removed from a Qatar Airways flight bound for Sydney after a newborn baby was found abandoned in a terminal bathroom. They claim they were forcibly taken from the plane by armed guards and subjected to non-consensual genital exams in an ambulance on the tarmac. Qatar Airways, backed by the Qatari government, had attempted to dismiss the case, arguing the women weren't technically injured under international aviation law. But the court has now ruled the case can proceed and ordered Qatar to pay their legal costs. Lawyer Damian Sturzaker represented the women who are seeking an apology, compensation, and assurances that such treatment will never happen again. 'We've now got an opportunity to have a full hearing with all of their evidence coming out, and in those circumstances, we're very, very pleased with the outcome today.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers says tackling Australia's long-running productivity slump will require a national effort from business, unions and the community. The latest Productivity Commission report, released overnight, shows the past decade, under Coalition governments, was the weakest for productivity growth in 60 years. Mr Chalmers says the problem has been decades in the making. 'The Productivity Commission makes it really clear that this challenge in our economy has not been just a feature of our economy the last couple of years, but for the last couple of decades, our productivity Challenge is a long-standing challenge. The weakest decade for productivity growth in the last 60 years was the decade that our political opponents presided over. So, this challenge has been in our economy for some time." Mr Chalmers adds that boosting productivity remains a key priority for the Albanese government, alongside improving economic resilience and long-term budget sustainability. The Commission's report calls for urgent reforms in areas like education, energy and digital capability, stating that bold policy is needed to reverse the productivity slowdown and secure future living standards. Brisbane writer Siang Lu has won the $60,000 Miles Franklin Literary Award for his satirical novel Ghost Cities, a decade after it was rejected by more than 200 publishers in Australia and abroad. At the Sydney ceremony last night, the 39-year-old, who was shortlisted for the first time, revealed he was so stunned by the win he lost feeling in his hands and legs. Mr Lu, who began writing the novel in 2015, told ABC he is unsure what his win will mean for his career, but it means a lot for his parents. "I think, you know, talk to me in a year. I really don't know right now, but in terms of my career, that's difficult to say right now. I can say that, in terms of my family, definitively, it's great to be finally the favourite son." Australia's Ben O'Connor has claimed a stunning victory in stage 18 of the Tour de France, conquering a gruelling 171.5 kilometre mountain route from Vif to the Col de la Loze. Riding for Jayco Al-Ula, the 29-year-old launched a well-timed attack before the final brutal 26.4 kilometre climb, holding off the chasing pack to cross the line first. "It's a rough race. It's the biggest race in the world, but it's, for sure, the cruellest. I've wanted another victory for so many years now. I've been fighting with thirds and fourths, and always so close. But yeah, I couldn't be more proud of myself and the boys who back me every single day of this whole race, even through the pretty rough times. So yeah, thanks to everyone, and to Jayco AlUla, it's what the team needed, and it's what I needed." Slovenian Tadej Pogacar finished second, extending his overall lead to 4 minutes 26 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, who placed third.
News.com.au
24-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Tour de France 2025: Ben O'Connor wins Queen stage with heroic solo ride over Col de la Loze
On a monster Queen stage 18 of the Tour de France, Aussie Ben O'Connor conquered the highest summit of the 2025 Tour de France to claim his second stage win in the race four years after his triumph at Tignes. And what a brilliant ride it was. Sixteen kilometres solo on the toughest stage of the race in the final week. That's when many falter, but O'Connor has finally found his form in this year's race. To get in the break is tough. To force the pace and make it stick is hard but to be then joined by the heavyweights in Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard and be able to ride away from them is bloody serious. His ferocious attack showed just how the young man from Western Australia has matured. Last year O'Connor was unstoppable. But after a spectacular crash on day one, O'Connor has struggled to find his exceptional form. 'It's special to do it again here in the Tour de France,' an elated O'Connor told CODE Sports at the finish line. 'The last time in Tignes four years ago was a complete shock, but this time I got to enjoy it much more. 'I had a super day today, I was finally back to being me after struggling for the past 17 days. 'My knee is absolutely screwed now. 'But to finally get it done is great.' O'Connor said he chased the win on day 10 but was ultimately left frustrated with Simon Yates taking the stage. 'Having that moment today is absolutely massive,' he said. 'You always want another win at the Tour and you can't get enough of these. 'I was afraid that behind me they would be dropping bombs and I would explode in the final kilometres. They closed the gap in the finale but I had enough. 'Once (Einer) Rubio was gone, I just didn't want to be caught by the Yellow Jersey group in the final 5km. 'When I heard it was still 3 minutes with 3 kilometres to go, it felt so good. 'On Glandon, I tried a lot, but it came back and I was feeling in the box. 'I saw Felix Gall and Primoz Roglic go and I thought: 'Just do it, get yourself there.' O'Connor said that on Glandon, and then at the bottom of Madeleine, he was close to pulling the pin but these were days to be mentally resilient. 'I really needed self belief today, from myself and from the team,' O'Connor said. It had been a successful tour for Australia's Jayco team with Mauro Schmid 's second and Luke Plapp 's rilliant time trials. But it needed a win. Team owner Gerry Ryan was overjoyed. 'The team have worked hard for this victory,' he said. 'Strong efforts and close finishes may show just how well we're going but winning a stage is very important. not just for our riders and sponsors, but for all our staff who work so hard. 'I will raise a glass to all of them tonight.' Jayco AlUla sports director Mat Hayman said: 'Ben came to our team after a great year. 'And then the frustration of early season challenges stopped him from delivering what we new he was capable of. 'But we believed in him and he came here to make himself noticed. 'Today he did that and it was a very impressive performance.' Pogacar continues to head the Tour with a 4 minute 26 seconds lead over Vingegaard with three stages remaining.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tour de France announces route change to Stage 19 to avoid herd of diseased cows
The Tour de France is taking a short detour on Friday, as the competition enters its third to last day. In an unusual move, the organization announced Thursday that the route for Friday's Stage 19 will follow an altered route in order to avoid a herd of diseased cattle. The Tour de France clarified in the announcement that as a result of the illness (an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis), the farmers will have to cull the herd to stop the spread of disease. The choice to move the route is done both to help the race move more smoothly and also, per the Tour, "in light of the distress experienced by the affected farmers." The herd is located in the Col des Saisies, a mountain pass that is normally part of the route from Albertville to La Plagne, two mountain towns in western France. Stage 19 is the sixth and final mountain stage of the 23-day race. The changed route, which bypasses the Col des Saisies, shortens the route significantly, from 129.9 kilometers to 95 kilometers. Cyclists will still start in Albertville, and will travel seven kilometers before peeling off to rejoin the original route near Beaufort. The race will begin at 2:30 p.m. local time, one hour later than originally scheduled. Stage 18, another mountainous stage in the French Alps, took riders from Vif to Courchevel on Thursdays. Australian Ben O'Connor finished first in Thursday with a time of 05:03:47. After 18 stages, Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar currently leads all riders with a time of 66:55:42. After Friday's shortened Stage 19, the race will take two more stages. First, Stage 20 will take riders from Nantua to Pontarlier in a hilly race. Then, on Sunday, the cyclists will conclude with a flat race from Mantes-La-Ville to Paris, with the iconic ending at the Champs-Élysées.
News.com.au
24-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Australian cycling star Ben O'Connor wins second ever stage of Tour de France after years of crashes
Australian cycling star Ben O'Connor was adamant winning a stage of the Tour de France mattered more than a top-10 finish in the race after enjoying the satisfaction of raising his arms after taking out stage 18. Having found himself 'on the deck' too often for his own liking through the race over the years, the 29-year-old finally buried memories of other crashes to cross the line at the Col de la Loze after a brutal climb. Making the win more enjoyable was doing it as an 'Aussie rider on an Aussie team' after saluting for Jayco AlUla having only joined this season. 'It's a pretty cruel race,' O'Connor said. 'I've just found myself on the deck in the first two days a few times, but not really for my own fault. Stage 1, it wasn't my fault – I was just taken out.' 'In Copenhagen (in 2022), same thing, sprint finish, crash in front of me, nowhere to go. And then you had the crash in 2021 (when a fan holding a cardboard sign caused a massive pile up), so the first couple days really haven't treated me well at all in this race before.' It was O'Connor's second stage win, four years after his previous victory in 2021 when he finished fourth overall, the winning plan hatched with his team's sports director Matthew Hayman. 'He told me you've got nothing to lose,' O'Connor said. 'If you're going to win, you have to go from the bottom of the valley … and that's what happened. On the Col de la Loze, it was pretty straightforward – you either had it or you didn't.' O'Connor said the high of crossing the line first at any stage during the race made for a much better feeling than finishing near the top of the pack when the race concludes in Paris. 'Yes, definitely. Getting your hands up in the air is the most enjoyable thing,' he said. 'It's only when you complete a GC and you've done a perfect race yourself and you're proud of every single day that you've tapped it out and you've ticked the boxes, then that gives you a different kind of satisfaction.'
