Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the title-chasing McLaren teammates, and Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen’s first victory since May, and only his third of the season, came at Monza, which marked the four-time world champion’s best weekend since posting the fastest lap in Formula 1 history on Saturday to claim pole position.
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“Glorys, that was unbelievable!” Everyone, well done, Verstappen said on team radio. We really succeeded in doing that. What a fantastic weekend. That is truly impressive, we can be proud of.
Verstappen and Norris finished nearly 20 seconds behind each other to close the title race lead to 31 points. The Australian driver was 34 points clear of him when he was told to let his teammate pass toward the finish line of the race.
Norris made the switch after a slow pit stop, which appeared to put his title chances in jeopardy even further when he came out behind his teammate. However, despite expressing his regrets on team radio, McLaren instructed Piastri to let the British driver pass.
In the first stages of the Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen leads Lando Norris. [Photo: Philippe Lopez/AFP]
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari put forth strong performances at the team’s home race. Leclerc finished fourth, Hamilton surged through the field at the start of the game in sixth place, after starting from 10th following a five-place grid penalty, and was cheered on by the fervent, red-clad “Tifosi” fans.
Norris had a rare engine issue and was desperate to recover from a disastrous Dutch Grand Prix. He tussled with Verstappen right away at Monza, and he was forced to run away into the grass at the corner.
“I always anticipate a good fight with Max, and it was,” said Norris. “One of those weekends where we fight a little bit less slowly, but I enjoyed it.”
Verstappen was instructed to return the place, and he did so without incident, but the Red Bull driver reclaimed the lead at lap four by passing Norris into Turn One.
Verstappen’s victory was almost in a procession from there. After pitting on lap 38, he briefly found himself behind the McLarens, but he soon regained the lead when Piastri arrived on lap 46, followed by Norris, who came in second.
Max Verstappen completes his 66th career F1 victory at Monza, earning his third Grand Prix victory of the 2025 season.
Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion after losing the finals of the Australian and French Open, defeats American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to retain the US Open and win her first Grand Slam since 2025.
READ MORE: Why Sabalenka values winning the US Open more?
As cycling legend Geraint Thomas retired from the sport on the final day of the competition, France’s Romain Gregoire won the Tour of Britain for Groupama-Fdj.
Remco Evenepoel, the reigning champion of the road race, and Gregoire, 22, won stage four on Friday and had a two-second lead into the final day.
The riders made the fastest leg of the race by tackling Caerphilly mountain before sprinting through Wales’ capital on Stage six, which included the 112.2 km that the riders traveled between Newport and Cardiff.
In a sprint to the finish line, Dutchman Olav Kooij defeated British hopefuls Sam Watson and Fred Wright.
Evenepoel was able to maintain his two-second lead with Evenepoel back in 24th place, but Gregoire was only able to finish in 13th place on the final day.
After securing the green jersey, Gregoire declared, “It’s crazy and I’m really happy.”
“I was nervous because I knew it would be very difficult,” I said honestly as it came very close this morning. It’s unusual for you to win a stage race like this.
Gregoire placed ahead of two podium winners, his compatriot Julian Alaphilippe, who finished third overall.
Thomas bids cycling adieu.
Images courtesy of Getty
The race marked Thomas’ remarkable career’s conclusion.
As he rode what became a lap of honor through his hometown, the 2018 Tour de France champion finished the stage in 62nd place.
The final stage moved past his childhood cycling club, Maindy Flyers, before ending in Cardiff at the Newport velodrome named for the 39-year-old.
Thomas is widely regarded as one of the greatest Welsh sportsmen ever, having won road race gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and track gold at two other Olympics.
Thomas said, “I was emotionally crossing the line, almost like I was choking up on my bike.”
“It’s definitely emotional to end this,” he said, “and it’s just unbelievable really. It’s a full circle.”
Thomas previously claimed that after the race, he and others discussed staying on at Team Ineos. However, that was his last thought.
When asked what would be the next step, Thomas joked, “I have to take the little one to school on Tuesday and then I have my brother’s stag do in Portugal.”
Results from Stage Six
1. Olav Kooij (Ned/Team Visma | Lease a Bike) 2hrs 28 minutes 19 seconds
2. Same time as Samuel Watson (GB/INEOS Grenadiers).
3. – Victorious by Fred Wright (GB/Bahrain)
4. Victorious, Edoardo Zambanini (Ita/Bahrain)
5. Noa Isidore, Team for Fra/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
6. The French/Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Julian Alaphilippe
7. French/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team’s Bastien Tronchon
8. Tom Crabbe (Bel/Team Flanders-Baloise)
9. Antonio Morgado (Por/UAE Team Emirates – XRG)
After stage six, classification generally.
1. 19hrs 31mins 23secs by Roumain Gregoire (Fra/Groupama-Fdj).
Nearly 900 people were detained in London as part of a protest to support the banned Palestine Action, according to police.
The new tally, which was made public on Sunday, highlights the strict treatment of the demonstrators by police, who the organisers claimed were peaceful.
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On suspicion of showing support for a proscribed group, the Metropolitan Police said they detained 890 people on Saturday, including 857. For allegedly assaulting officers and other public order offenses, 33 others were detained.
The campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest on Saturday, refuted police claims that the demonstrators were violent.
Vicars and priests, veterans of the Holocaust and their descendants, retired teachers and healthcare workers were just a few of the 857 arrestees, according to a statement from the organization.
In order to justify arresting peace demonstrators with signs that read “I oppose genocide – I support Palestine Action,” the police were accused of making “many false claims and attempts to smear the protesters.”
The Met has not provided any supporting evidence, according to Defend Our Juries, but video footage clearly shows the Met violently acquiescing to arrests, beating people to the ground, and using their batons, according to the statement.
“We’re not violent, how are you?”
Police reportedly used batons during altercations with protesters, according to The Press Association news agency. Officers were seen shouting at demonstrators as they made their way through the crowd while carrying the arrested.
The organization reported that several protesters fell in a crush while several others threw water and plastic bottles at the police. After being arrested, a man was spotted with blood streaming down his face.
Officers had been subjected to “coordinated” violence, according to deputy assistant police commissioner Claire Smart.
Many thousands of people in London use the phrase “you can express your support for a cause without committing an offence under the Terrorism Act or going into violence and disorder,” she said in a statement.
Belfast and Edinburgh also hosted rallyes. A third man, 63, was accused of a hate crime while two men, 67 and 82, were detained and charged with “terror” crimes according to Police Scotland.
The latest demonstrations against the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act of 2000 are the protests.
After claiming responsibility for spraying two Voyager refueling and transport planes at a military base with red paint, the group was banned. It has targeted arms factories and other sites linked to arms exports to Israel.
The current criminal offense for supporting Palestine Action is being a member or expressing your support for it.
United Nations human rights experts expressed concern over what they termed as “unjustified labeling of a political protest movement as terrorist” in July, arguing that “acts of protest that damage property but are not intended to kill or injure people should not be treated as terrorism.”
The Home Office is meanwhile challenging a High Court ruling that allows cofounder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, to file a legal challenge to the ban.
Former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s proscription of the group was the subject of legal action by Ammori, who claimed that it unlawfully criminalized political dissent.
The weekend protests took place as Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza, which academics, leading human rights organizations, and UN experts have described as a genocide, was taking place.
Brazil defeated Italy 64-3 to win the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup with a bonus-point victory.
Italy’s top performance in Northampton secured them third place and maintain their record of winning a match at every Women’s World Cup they have participated in despite the fact that the bottom two teams had already lost their opening two games and were eliminated.
Brazil, the debutant of the World Cup, capitalized on an unfavorable start from Italy, scoring a penalty kick from the post from the penalty spot.
However, Italy retaliated with five tries in 12 minutes, squandering space on both wings and quickly opening Brazil’s defense. Before Vittoria Minuzzi scored twice down the left wing, Sara Mannini, Valeria Fedrighi, and Francesca Granzotto all crossed,
Granzotto scored her second of the half by picking off a loose pass to give Italy a 30-point lead after Brazil had a try that had been awarded for a knock-on.
In the second half, Italy added six more tries, with Giada Corradini and Sofia Stefan both scoring hat-tricks, Gaia Buso scoring twice, and Minuzzi and Granzotto both scoring doubles.
When Brazil were initially reduced to 14 players after losing Kochhann to injury and then had Tais Prioste sin-binned for a high tackle, four of those tries occurred in the final ten minutes.
Colombian journalist Mauricio Morales, who has covered the journey of the flotilla for Al Jazeera, describes a typical day at sea for the roughly 200 volunteers on board his boat as the Global Sumud Flotilla approaches Gaza.
7am
People start to scream as they search for news on their phones. The mission and the volunteers depend on Wi-Fi, which is common on most boats.
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Those who slept on the floor the night before quickly retreat to the sofas or mattresses they rented in an effort to get some more rest. Other people go back from nighttime watch, spending the day looking out for Israeli drones or other larger vessels that the ship must avoid in order to prevent accidents.
Rest is important as rough seas and uncomfortable sleeping conditions become increasingly difficult for volunteers, the majority of whom have no prior maritime experience. The volunteers, who range in age from 24 to 73 and who represent around 14 nationalities, are paired up by the “buddy system” of the boat. The buddies regularly check on one another to make sure their partner is getting enough sleep and food and that the mission’s physical and emotional strains are being managed. Anxiety is always present on a boat with a dozen people on it, which is twice as many, and the vessel’s size is limited by the number of people on board.
9am
Breakfast is typically only a cup of coffee or tea, and food is rationed. However, when the conversation turns to food shortages, the thoughts quickly turn to the man-made famine in Gaza, where people die every day from hunger and others are killed waiting in line in the hope of getting food for their families.
The volunteers never lose sight of the mission’s purpose. On the boat’s deck, Omar, a 73-year-old Palestinian whose family was displaced during the Nakba, instructs students on the subject of Palestinian history. Although the accounts he shares reveal a sense of tragedy, his conviction and years of involvement in efforts to end Gaza’s siege make the sessions both informative and inspiring.
10am
For the daily meeting, where updates are made and a headcount taken, volunteers and crew gather.
There are tasks and chores to be done. A cycle repeats itself after everyone completes a task or chore once in a rotation. Everyone is required to help with cleaning the decks and cabins, dishwashing, cooking, and cleaning the bathrooms. No disagreements exist, and everyone will follow their orders.
News also circulates. We stay up to date on developments like Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s threat to detainee the flotilla volunteers  as “terrorists” and place them in the same high-security cells where many Palestinians are detained without trial and tortured. The volunteers’ desire to spread the mission’s message to governments and civil society movements grows in urgency.
[Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera] , people rest on the boat’s deck during quiet moments.
11am
Volunteers begin their responsibilities. Marcin, a 41-year-old Polish volunteer, has transformed into the unofficial handyman by making minor adjustments, fixing portholes, adjusting toilet seats, and refastening shelves. The sailors are assisted by other people spotting nearby ships, fishing nets, or drones.
The journalists on board prepare their reports while some volunteers interview journalists following the flotilla while others prepare their reports. Others find a quiet place to sleep or update social media with ship news.
2-3pm
In case of a fire, a falling overboard, or the need to leave the ship, volunteers are taught what to do during training sessions. What to do if the ship is attacked or intercepted are other topics covered in other training sessions. If Israeli soldiers board, the volunteers are taught how to raise their hands, and the position should be quiet and non-threatening enough to give the soldiers a pretext to commit violence.
Some volunteers find the training to be a painful reminder of the very real threat of violence that might befall them. Before boarding the flotilla, training leaders in Barcelona shared previous experiences with the flotilla. All of the volunteers have agreed to adopting a non-violent response to attacks, as they stressed.
Volunteers are taught how to raise their arms in a non-threatening but comfortable position [Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera] during a training session.
The only hot meal of the day served aboard the ship is being prepared by the cooking team.
Cooking for 12 people in a galley that is intended for 12 is no small feat. One of the main cooks is Kubra, a German national of Turkish descent. She is a prominent participant in the pro-Palestine movement in Germany, where she once spent 24 hours in police detention for demonstrating in support of Palestine.
5pm
The volunteers’ highlight of the day is the one hot meal. Some people prefer to eat together, while others prefer to find a quiet place to rest and unwind.
6pm
Volunteers on the ship’s deck discuss any issues that may arise during the day and work out any minor issues so that no tension arises between crew members.
[Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera] teaches safety techniques to the volunteers.
8pm
Volunteers begin the night watch as they watch for Israeli drones and other vessels that might have an impact on the flotilla’s trajectory. They will keep watch until dawn.
[Mauricio Morales/Al Jazeera] One of the boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla.
10pm
After Omar’s evening discussion about Palestinian history, volunteers discuss what it means when they speak about their experiences.
11pm
Bed rotation begins. Volunteers prioritize the elderly or those with medical conditions because they only have beds and cushions.
Many others continue to adapt to the time zones of their home countries while working with the media. It can take a while to load content. The connection stutters between and out as there are so many online users.
12am
Some volunteers call friends and family for a nap or take advantage of a moment of silence before attempting to rest. Some simply sit back and quietly observe the Mediterranean from the ship’s portholes or the upper decks.
