Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi won the final race of the MotoGP season in Valencia, capping a fine end to his campaign.
Bezzecchi, 27, also claimed victory in the penultimate race in Portugal and became the first Aprilla rider to seal back-to-back MotoGP wins.
His latest victory followed a fifth-placed finish in Saturday’s sprint, which secured him third place in the overall season standings – a first top-three finish for Aprilla.
“I had a lot of fun,” said Bezzecchi, who started on pole and edged Spanish Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez into second place, while Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio was third on his Ducati.
“It was tough but I am very, very happy for the work the team did and I can’t hope for a better way to finish the season, and now we have to celebrate for sure.”
Spaniard Marc Marquez, who clinched his seventh world title with five events to spare in Japan in September, ended his season early last month after suffering a collarbone injury.
Sky Sports has scrapped its new female-focused TikTok channel, Halo, after it faced a backlash online with its posts described as “patronising” and “sexist”.
In a statement posted on social media on Saturday night, the broadcaster admitted that it “didn’t get it right” and that it would be “stopping all activity” on the account.
The channel, which was only announced on Thursday, was touted by the broadcaster as an “inclusive, dedicated platform for women to enjoy and explore content from all sports, while amplifying female voices and perspectives.”
At its inception, Sky said Halo’s aim was “to build a welcoming community for female fans, whether casual or committed, through fun, trend-led, and relatable content”.
That content included one TikTok post referencing a Formula 1 scandal titled “Explaining 2008 Crashgate in girl terms” written in pink glowing text alongside pink nail polish emojis.
Another post saw a clip of Manchester City players Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland combining for the latter to score against Bournemouth, given the caption “How the matcha + hot girl walk combo hits”.
Viewers argued the posts were “infantilising” and undermined the work done over the past few years to put women’s sport in the spotlight. “One step forwards, 50 years back”, one person put it.
GirlsontheBall, a prominent platform covering women’s football, voiced its frustrations saying on X they could not “imagine this is what women sports fans want”.
“Have many thoughts which I will get to when not under a mountain of writing but all I can ask is why? The branding (one day can we please be past the pink/peach stage?!), the premise, the copy…”
One user said that Sky Sports Halo was one of the worst concepts he had ever seen.
“So condescending. Creating a dumbed down sports channel for women is unbelievably sexist. Incredible that it was approved and that it’s still live,” they said.
While the channel was aimed at women many of the sports stars featured in its posts were men.
Andy Gill, head of social media and audience development at Sky Sports, wrote on LinkedIn that he “couldn’t be prouder and more excited about [Halo’s] launch”, but by Saturday night the broadcaster was forced to rethink.
All but two posts have been deleted from the Halo account, one of which is a brief statement from Sky which reads: “Our intention for Halo was to create a space alongside our existing channel for new, young, female fans.
“We’ve listened. We didn’t get it right. As a result we’re stopping all activity on this account. We’re learning and remain as committed as ever to creating spaces where fans feel included and inspired.”
Britain’s interior minister on Sunday defended plans to drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, insisting that irregular migration was “tearing our country apart”.
The measures, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, aim to stop thousands of migrants from arriving in England from northern France on small boats — crossings that are fuelling support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.
But the proposals were criticised as “harsh and unnecessary” by the Refugee Council charity and are likely to be opposed by left-wing lawmakers within Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s embattled Labour government, which is trying to counter the hard right.
“I really reject this idea that dealing with this problem is somehow engaging in far-right talking points,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC television.
“This is a moral mission for me, because I can see illegal migration is tearing our country apart; it is dividing communities.”
Presently, those given refugee status have it for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship.
But Mahmood’s ministry, the Home Office, said it would cut the length of refugee status to 30 months.
That protection will be “regularly reviewed”, and refugees will be forced to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe, it added.
The ministry said it also intended to make people granted asylum wait 20 years before applying to be allowed to live in the United Kingdom indefinitely.
It also announced that it would create “new safe and legal routes for genuine refugees” through “capped work and study routes”.
Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with around 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures.
The Home Office called the new proposals, which Mahmood will lay out in parliament on Monday, the “largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times”.
It said the reforms would make it less attractive for irregular migrants to come to Britain and make it easier to remove those already in the country.
Benefits Crackdown
A statutory legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers, introduced in a 2005 law, would also be revoked, the Home Office said.
That means housing and weekly financial allowances would no longer be guaranteed for asylum seekers.
It would be “discretionary”, meaning the government could deny assistance to any asylum seeker who could work or support themselves but did not, or those who committed crimes.
Starmer, elected in July 2024, is under pressure to stop migrants crossing the Channel, something that also troubled his Conservative predecessors.
More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived this year following such journeys — more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record set in 2022.
Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, has been ahead of Labour by double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of this year.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the proposals, saying asylum seekers risk their lives crossing the Channel because the conditions they get in Britain “are more permissive”.
“We told the UK it was necessary to align certain conditions they give arriving immigrants with European standards,” he said.
However, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to reconsider, saying the plans “will not deter” crossings.
“They should ensure that refugees who work hard and contribute to Britain can build secure, settled lives and give back to their communities,” he said.
Labour is taking inspiration from Denmark’s coalition government — led by the centre-left Social Democrats — which has implemented some of the strictest migration policies in Europe.
Senior British officials recently visited the Scandinavian country, where successful asylum claims are at a 40-year low.
Refugees in Denmark are entitled to a one-year renewable residency permit and are encouraged to return as soon as authorities deem their countries safe.
Family reunions are also subject to strict requirements, including a minimum age for both parents, language tests and guarantees of funds.
The plans will likely face opposition from Labour’s more left-wing lawmakers, fearing that the party is losing voters to progressive alternatives such as the Greens.
Legendary Formula One racing driver Michael Schumacher suffered life-changing injuries during a skiing accident 12 years ago and hasn’t been seen since as his family care for him privately
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Michael Schumacher was the dominant force in F1 in the early 2000s(Image: Lars Baron/Getty Images)
It has been more than a decade since Formula One legend Michael Schumacher suffered a devastating accident that changed his life forever.
The racing driver is yet to be publicly seen after suffering catastrophic injuries in the French Alps during Christmas 2013. At the time of the accident, the German driver had been skiing with his family before he lost control and hit his head on a rock.
The now 56-year-old suffered serious damage to his head, with his helmet ultimately saving his life. Following the incident on December 29, the seven-time world champion was left fighting for his life. Since then, his condition has been shrouded in mystery as his family fight to protect his privacy.
READ MORE: Michael Schumacher now – 10 years on from accident, pioneering care and ‘unfair life’
Health updates have been few and far between. Most recently, Finnish neurosurgeon Dr Jussi Posti told Finnish media outlet Iltalehti that he felt Michael was unlikely to “lead an active life”.
German broadcaster Felix Gorner echoed these sentiments, describing Michael as “a person who can no longer express himself through language,” adding that it is “a very sad state of affairs.”
His wife Corinna, 56, son Mick, 26, and daughter Gina-Maria, 28, have been subjected to blackmail over the years. Earlier this year, three men were found guilty of using photos and videos of Michael to blackmail the Schumachers for nearly £13million.
More than 900 photos and almost 600 videos, as well as confidential medical records, were digitally smuggled out of their house. The sensitive content was stored on two hard drives and four USBs.
Police seized all but one of the hard drives which is yet to be found. Corinna has sworn those around her husband to secrecy over his condition to maintain his dignity. Only those trusted have been granted access to see the star, with the house under strict security protocols.
Court documents from earlier this year further described him as “partly helpless, in need of care and visibly marked” by his injuries. Sources have said that he communicates without words, mainly through his eyes, with only a select few trusted people permitted to visit, including former Ferrari colleagues Jean Todt and Ross Brawn and ex-driver Gerhard Berger.
When the crash happened, the racing driver’s helmet absorbed much of the force, but the severity of the impact cracked the shell and fractured his skull, leading to a brain injury. He was quickly transported to hospital by air ambulance and medics carried out two life-saving surgeries to reduce pressure on the brain.
At the time, it was confirmed that the star was fighting for his life and was in critical condition. It wasn’t until April 2014 that the family released their next statement, in which they said Michael had shown “moments of consciousness and awakening”.
The following summer, it was confirmed that Michael was out of the coma and was moved to a rehabilitation facility before returning home to his family.
Late in 2014, fellow former racing driver Philippe Streiff said Michael was paralysed and used a wheelchair.
Philippe, a good friend of Michael’s who also uses a wheelchair after a racing accident, said: “He is getting better but everything is relative. It’s very difficult. He can’t speak.
“Like me, he is in a wheelchair paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems.” Ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt said that his miraculous survival was the result of Corinna’s steely determination – but that it had come at a price.
He told Bild: ‘I’ve spent a lot of time with Corinna since Michael had his serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013. She is a great woman and runs the family. She hadn’t expected that. It happened suddenly and she had no choice. But she does it very well. I trust her, she trusts me. Thanks to the work of his doctors and the cooperation of Corinna, who wanted him to survive, he survived – but with consequences.”
Corinna has described her husband as “different”, while son Mick – who has followed in his father’s footsteps into F1 – said Michael’s illness means he’s unable to communicate.
In 2019, he was widely reported to have undergone stem cell treatment in a bid to regenerate his nervous system. Le Parisien reported he was admitted for transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells, and also quoted an unnamed nurse who claimed Michael had shown signs of recovery.
“Yes he is in my service,” the nurse revealed. “And I can assure you that he is conscious.” However, the racer is believed to have developed muscle atrophy and osteoporosis after being bed-bound.
‘Close relatives’ reportedly spoke with the French magazine ‘Paris Match’ ahead of his 50th birthday in January 2019. The magazine quoted one as saying: “When you put him in his wheelchair facing the beautiful panorama of the mountains overlooking the lake, Michael sometimes cries.”
In September 2020, he said he had seen Michael that week, who was “fighting.” Later that month it was reported that Schumacher had been spending more time in Majorca.
Elisabetta Gregoraci, ex-wife of former F1 team boss Flavio Briarote, was quoted in Spanish press saying: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.”
In 2021, Corinna gave a rare insight into her husband’s health on Netflix documentary SCHUMACHER, admitting she desperately longs for the partner she had before the accident.
“I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him,” she said.
“Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day.” Confirming that he lives at the family home in Switzerland, she said the fight continues to help Michael get better, but insisted she wanted to keep his trials and tribulations private.
She continued: “We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can.
“We all will. We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”
Since his surgeries, little to no information has been shared about the procedures the star may have had. His son, Mick, 26, raced for Haas before becoming a reserve for Mercedes, and has given few interviews but has said his biggest heartbreak is that he can’t discuss the sport with his father.
He said: “Since the accident, of course, these experiences, these moments that I believe many people have with their parents, are no longer present or to a lesser extent. And in my view, that is a little unfair.
“I think me and dad, we would understand each other in a different way now. Simply because we speak a similar language – the language of motor sport – and that we would have a lot more to talk about. And that is where my head is most of the time. Thinking that would be so cool… I would give up everything just for that.”
The family’s lawyer, Felix Damm, explained why his close circle have chosen to remain silent on the matter.
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“It has always been a matter of protecting private information,” he reportedly told the Mail. “We also considered whether a final announcement about Michael’s state of health could be the right way to go about it. But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be permanently updated ‘water level reports,” he explained.
READ MORE: Sainsbury’s selling ‘really nice’ Jo Malone-inspired stocking fillers for £3 each
Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay have banned his family from attending their festive wedding with the true reason for him snubbing his parents and brother hard to decipher
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Holly Ramsay and Adam Peaty have banned his family from their wedding(Image: @adam_peaty/Instagram)
Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty has suffered a very public falling out with his family ahead of his marriage to Holly Ramsay. The duo have faced controversy after it was revealed that almost all of Adam’s family had been banned from the upcoming nuptials.
The fallout seemed to begin when Holly was criticised on social media by Adam’s aunt, Louise Williams, for not inviting his mum to her hen party, which in turn sparked everyone except his sister being removed from the guest list. Adam was then escorted through Manchester Airport by five police officers when he returned from his stag do, which was held in Budapest.
The reason for that show of strength was a tip-off from Holly that there was an alleged threat to Adam from his brother, James. The two brothers have had a difficult relationship over the year, falling out initially when Adam shared details of James’ addiction problems in his 2021 autobiography.
The pair then reportedly fell out again earlier this year James was doing some building work for Adam, with them not speaking since. James was not invited to Adam’s stag, and was arrested at home before being released on bail. However, he was not charged, and the alleged threat never materialised.
Now, Adam’s mum has opened up on the rift with her son in a tearful interview, where she explained her side of the saga further. She claims that when the hen do took place, she was at home with Adam’s son, George, from his previous relationship.
She claimed that after she dropped him back at his mother’s house in Birmingham, she was left distraught. She told the Daily Mail: “I was crying all the way home.
“I got home and told [husband] Mark that for the first time in my life, I felt I didn’t want to live. That’s how low this has made me. I’m a strong woman, and I can get through anything, but this has broken me.” But it’s claimed that Holly and her family, including mum Tana and friends, including Victoria Beckham, are very different to Caroline.
Sources claim that working-class Caroline, who ferried Adam around to swimming competitions as a youngster, doesn’t fit the glossy lifestyle that Adam is marrying into. Unconfirmed sources claim that the Ramsays don’t want their social media feeds or wedding snaps “spoiled”.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Sarah Vine said: “There may be an element of truth in that. But there is something else going on, something less about money, status and snobbery and more about that age-old resentment that takes hold in families when one member manages to step out of the mould – and the others feel left behind.”
She then blamed Holly’s dad, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay ,for the family feud. She said: “He’s in Gordon’s clutches. I can’t help but feel like they are pulling him away from me. Their family is very insular.”
However, despite the narrative that the well-to-do Ramsays and their celebrity friends are alienating the Peatys, there has also been speculation that Adam’s newfound elevated levels of fame, thanks to the union, are causing jealousy.
Another element to the story is Gordon’s well-documented struggle with his own brother, Ronald, who struggled with drug addiction, and was tried for heroin possession in Indonesia in 2007. Gordon has previously spoken about the strain put on his family by his brother’s issues.
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Adam has previously stated how Gordon “inspires me to be successful” which could mean he is taking heed of his future father-in-law’s own life experiences in isolating himself from a potentially messy situation.
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Rory McIlroy was on Sunday crowned the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai champion for a seventh year and four seasons in a row, but the world No.2 lost the $10 million Tour Championship to England’s Matt Fitzpatrick in the first playoff hole when he found the water with his tee shot.
At the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday, Fitzpatrick (66) made a birdie on the 72nd hole of regulation play to set the mark at 18-under par.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy poses with his wife Erica Stoll and their daughter as he celebrates with his trophy at the end the 2025 DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai on November 16, 2025. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP)
READ ALSO: McIlroy Completes Career Grand Slam With Emotional Masters Playoff Win
A few minutes later, McIlroy sensationally eagled the same hole after a brilliant second shot to 16 feet.
Four players – England’s Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Laurie Canter (67), Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (66) and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (68) – were tied third at 17-under par total.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (L) and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy celebrate at the end the 2025 DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai on November 16, 2025. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP)
McIlroy moved past the legendary Spaniard Seve Ballesteros and is now one closer to Colin Montgomerie’s all-time record of eight Order of Merit titles.
It is Fitzpatrick’s third DP World Tour Championship title (2016 and 2020) and a 10th DP World Tour victory in 195 starts. The win is projected to lift him to No. 24 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
