A second Japanese boxer has died from brain injuries suffered at an event in Tokyo.
Hiromasa Urakawa, 28, died on Saturday after he was beaten via knockout in the eighth round of his fight with Yoji Saito on 2 August.
It follows the death of Shigetoshi Kotari on Friday from injuries sustained during a separate bout on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.
The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) said it “mourns the passing of Japanese boxer Hiromasa Urakawa, who tragically succumbed to injuries sustained during his fight against Yoji Saito”.
It added: “This heartbreaking news comes just days after the passing of Shigetoshi Kotari, who died from injuries suffered in his fight on the same card.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and the Japanese boxing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Following the event, the Japan Boxing Commission announced all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title bouts will now be 10 rounds instead of 12.
Urakawa is the third high-profile boxer to die in 2025 after Irishman John Cooney passed away in February following a fight in Belfast.
Barbosa was the first face Diogo Jota saw when he arrived aged 16 at Pacos de Ferreira’s dormitory from his hometown of Gondomar.
From cleaning to doing laundry and cooking meals, she did a bit of everything as she took care of players who came from other Portuguese cities and from abroad to join the side based in the town of the same name just outside Porto.
They usually joined Pacos’ youth teams and then left the dormitory after being promoted to the senior side. Jota was there for three years, however.
At one point, he was the only first-team footballer living in the dormitory, despite the club offering him an apartment.
The forward could have left way earlier, but he remained on his own in the room he used to share with right-back Fred Martins until the day he packed his things to join Atletico Madrid in 2016.
Jota just didn’t feel the need to move out.
Above all, he considered Barbosa to be his family away from home.
“A lot of other people in my situation would’ve made a different choice, but there you go, everyone has their own path, and I believe that says a bit about who I am,” the former Liverpool player would say to anyone who asked him about it.
Jota, who tragically died in a car accident in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva in early July, embodied that simplicity throughout his life.
As CNN pundit Sergio Pires reflected: “He was an ordinary boy living in a world of superstars.”
And that’s how he will be remembered when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday in their first competitive match since his death.
The Reds fans have vowed to never forget their number 20.
The same way he never forgot those who helped him along the way.
When Jota married his high school sweetheart Rute Cardoso in June, he made sure Barbosa was invited to the ceremony.
“He went to England and, after all these years, he could’ve forgotten everything he lived through at Pacos, but no, he never forgot me. He invited me to his big day and sat me with his family,” Barbosa revealed to the Jornal de Noticias.
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‘He had the biggest smile’
Even from afar, the Portugal hero remained deeply connected to his roots.
For his wedding, he wanted no presents. Instead, guests were encouraged to donate to groups such as the local fire brigade and animal welfare organisations.
“Jota had the biggest smile – whenever he smiled, everyone around him felt happier,” Vasco Seabra, one of his earliest mentors at Pacos and currently in charge of Portuguese top-flight club Arouca, told BBC Sport.
“Talking about Jota is talking about someone who was always incredibly humble. He had a very close relationship with Dona Teresa, the lady who looked after the dormitory and was a great cook. He felt truly at home there. It shows the kind of person he was – how he looked at people.
“He always saw people for who they really were, appreciated those who cared for him and had supported him over the years.”
The Portugal star left a mark on everyone he met.
So much so that Seabra went above and beyond to help him fulfil his dreams, emailing the national under-19 coach with a report detailing why the striker deserved a place. It worked as the head coach came to watch him.
Jota would go on to win a Premier League title and score 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, but he never lost sight of where he came from.
He would regularly send boxes of branded boots to Pacos and ask their kit man to give them to the kids in the youth teams who needed them most.
That’s even more meaningful considering that growing up in Gondomar, on the edge of Porto, his parents couldn’t afford to buy boots for him.
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‘This was someone who knew his origins’
No matter the distance, Jota was always within reach.
“He never changed his phone number after leaving Pacos. He didn’t need to. He always answered when people called,” said former club president Paulo Meneses.
“Sometimes, tragic circumstances like his can make us overly generous in the way we speak about those who’ve passed. But that wasn’t the case with him. He truly had two qualities that are essential in a person – humility and gratitude – and in him, they were undeniable.
“The last time we were promoted to the top flight in 2018-19, he sent me a message, humbly asking if he could come and watch. Then, on the day we won the league title, he sent me a message five seconds after the game had finished, saying, ‘we’ve done it again’. This was someone who knew his origins.”
None of this will come as a surprise to those who shared a dressing room with him.
Former Liverpool and now Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher recalled how they would get together to follow Portuguese lower tiers.
“You became one of my closest friends in football. We bonded over everything sports-related, watching any football match we could find – often your brother Andre’s games on your iPad,” Kelleher wrote on social media.
It seems almost contradictory that someone so deeply connected to his upbringing could still adapt so seamlessly to wherever he went – whether it was Gondomar, Pacos, Porto, Wolverhampton or Liverpool.
“He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met,” said Liverpool’s left-back Andy Robertson. “We used to joke he was really Irish… I’d try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
“We’d watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight – one of the best times we had.”
It didn’t matter to Jota that he had an academy named after him back home. Nor that a stand was built thanks to his transfer. Or even that he was scoring goals in the Champions League.
He was still the same guy who had overcome the odds to become a footballer.
“He was an incredible young man – strong personality, great character, and hugely competitive, always with a burning desire to win. But more than anything, he valued honesty, respected people who were straight with him, and had little time for those who beat around the bush,” said Seabra.
Four astronauts have returned to Earth after hurrying to the International Space Station (ISS) five months ago to relieve stranded test pilots of Boeing’s Starliner.
Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Pacific off the Southern California coast on Saturday, a day after departing the orbiting lab.
“Welcome home,” SpaceX Mission Control radioed.
Splashing down were NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. They launched in March as replacements for the two NASA astronauts assigned to Starliner’s botched demo.
Starliner malfunctions kept Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams at the space station for more than nine months instead of a week.
NASA ordered Boeing’s new crew capsule to return empty and switched the pair to SpaceX. They left soon after McClain and her crew arrived to take their places. Wilmore has since retired from NASA.
Before leaving the space station on Friday, McClain made note of “some tumultuous times on Earth”, with people struggling.
“We want this mission, our mission, to be a reminder of what people can do when we work together, when we explore together,” she said.
McClain looked forward to “doing nothing for a couple of days” once back home in Houston. High on her crewmates’ wish list: Hot showers and juicy burgers.
It was SpaceX’s third Pacific splashdown with people on board, but the first for a NASA crew in 50 years. Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s company switched capsule returns from Florida to California’s coast earlier this year to reduce the risk of debris falling on populated areas. Back-to-back private crews were the first to experience Pacific homecomings.
Carol Lee Scott was the actress behind the iconic character Grotbags, who was a regular on our TV screens in the 1980s and 1990s
It was the children’s television catchphrase that millions of youngsters mimicked throughout the 1980s, gleefully shouting it whenever visitors arrived: “There’s somebody at the door! There’s somebody at the door!” And with it came an outrageous green witch, a peculiar pink windmill packed with children, and the notorious TV puppet-and-handler partnership of Rod Hull and Emu.
The television programme that spawned this memorable phrase was ITV’s Emu’s World, whilst the bizarre green witch in the flowing cape whom we adored despising was Grotbags – portrayed by actress Carol Lee Scott. She resided in a fortress called Gloomy Fortress, and clumsily attempted to wield her magical abilities over the youngsters, whilst also maintaining control of her minion Croc by striking him with her bazazzer, a parasol-shaped wand topped with a pointing finger.
But what happened to the performer behind such a legendary character? Carol, who entered the world in Somerset in 1942, launched her career following her relocation to London, performing vocals in neighbourhood pubs whilst working days at a music shop. She subsequently joined the holiday resort Pontins, entertaining guests for 19 years whilst simultaneously performing at working men’s clubs, reports OK!. In more recent news, a man, 30, put shoulder pain down to gym aches, then doctors asked where he’d like to die.
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Grotbags was portrayed by actress Carol Lee Scot(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
For Carol, a summer engagement in Cleethorpes resulted in an encounter with Rod Hull, who had been commissioned to create a fresh television programme. Carol first graced screens in 1982 with her appearance on Emu’s World, alongside a timid crocodile, a robotic butler, and a sycophantic manservant. The show enjoyed several series runs.
In 1991, Carol lent her voice to the animated spin-off Rod ‘n’ Emu, and later starred in her own self-titled TV programme in the early 90s and Emu’s All Live Pink Windmill Show. She became a staple on the pantomime scene but, regrettably, succumbed to cancer eight years ago, on 4 July, 2017, at the age of 74.
Her niece Gina Mear took to Twitter to announce her passing, writing “My dear aunty Carol passed away yesterday, RIP #Grotbags, I will miss you.”
She appeared on several TV shows with Rod Hull and his naughty puppet, Emu(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The heartfelt tweet was accompanied by two photos: one showing Carol in her iconic green Grotbags makeup with what appeared to be relatives, and another capturing a more personal moment at home with her niece and an adorable baby. The post resonated with fans, quickly spreading across the internet as many paid tribute to the entertainer.
One fan praised her portrayal, commenting “Carol Ann Lee was truly amazing as #Grotbags just the right amount of scary for young children,” Another shared their sorrow: “I’m so sorry for your loss. Grotbags was a fantastic part of my childhood. She was my favourite part of The Pink Windmill.”
A third admirer expressed their condolences, saying: “Sad to hear the passing of Carol Lee Scott who played #Grotbags on TV. Genuinely scary/entertaining to the young me. A great actress. RIP.”
Carol was also a pantomime regular(Image: Daily Mirror)
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The entertainment world rallied around the family of Carol Lee Scott during this tough period, with tributes pouring in. Comedian Rufus Hound shared his condolences, saying: “Very sorry for your loss. An icon for folk of my generation. Thank you for her.”
It could be in the near future that the Royal Family will get to enjoy a very happy event – but it could prove awkward for warring brothers Prince William and Prince Harry
Princes William and Harry
A royal wedding is seemingly on the cards after a much-loved member of the family announced he is engaged.
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips revealed he popped the question to his girlfriend Harriet Sperling after a year of dating, with his fiancé being spotted at several high profile events, including Royal Ascot.
Peter’s uncle King Charles is said to have been delighted with the news as was his close cousin Prince William and his wife Kate. Although no date is believed to have been set for any nuptials yet, many have wondered who might bag an invite, especially as Peter is thought to be close to both estranged brothers, William and Prince Harry. It comes after news that Prince Harry will ‘never be forgiven’ by two major royals despite reconciliation hope.
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Peter and Harriet at Royal Ascot last month (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
And for former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, it could prove awkward when it comes to a guest list, but predicts there could be a surprise.
She explained to the Mirror: “It seems that Harriet is already a hit in the Royal family. It was quite an accolade for her to be invited to join the carriage possession at Royal Ascot, and she was seen chatting animatedly with the King.
“Given that both she and Peter are divorced, I suspect their wedding may be a fairly low-key civil ceremony. But Peter is very popular in the family and so the reception could well be at Windsor Castle or another royal residence.
“As with all weddings, there will be a conundrum about who to invite. Peter was always very close to both William and Harry. During the difficult times he has been something of a buffer, for example, walking between them at the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip.
“However, it’s going to be awkward for him to invite them both to his wedding. On the other hand, both William and Harry attended the funeral of their uncle, Lord Fellowes, and even though they were in the same church and then the same room it seems they did not speak. So, anything is possible.
“All things considered, it might be better for Peter and Harriet to have a quiet wedding with just a few friends and family present.”
The couple at Wimbledon last month(Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
Peter, 47, was previously married to Autumn Kelly, with whom he has two daughters Isla and Savannah. He also dated long-term partner Lindsay Wallace before they split last year and he later found love with Harriet, an NHS nurse.
In April 2024, it was revealed that Peter had split with previous girlfriend Lindsay, who were said to have amicably separated with work commitments proving a stumbling block for the pair.
His split with Lindsay came four years after it was announced Peter and ex-wife Autumn had called time on their marriage after 12 years – marking a tumultuous time for his love life.
Peter married his first wife Autumn back in May 2008 in a grand ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, with guests including the late Queen and Prince Philip as well as his cousin Prince Harry. Although Prince William was unable to make it, the Princess of Wales was invited, despite being unmarried at the time – and it is believed the wedding marked the first time she met the late Queen.
The couple spent time living in Hong Kong through Peter’s previous job with the Royal Bank of Scotland and eventually settled back in the UK with their two daughters Savannah, 14, the late Queen’s oldest great-grandchild and Isla, 13.
However, towards the end of 2019, the couple separated and revealed they had taken the difficult step in an emotional statement in 2020.
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When they married in 2008, the couple raised eyebrows when the pictures from the wedding were sold to a magazine for a large sum.
And Jennie added: “I imagine Peter has learnt his lesson from his first wedding, when he sold the picture rights to a magazine for £500,000. It did not go down well with the Queen or the palace, who said it had been ‘a serious error of judgement’.”
Thousands of people have marched in Sicily to protest against a government plan to build a bridge that would connect the Italian mainland to the Mediterranean island, and would be the world’s longest single-span bridge.
Some 10,000 demonstrators marched in the Sicilian city of Messina on Saturday to stage their opposition to the 13.5-billion-euro ($15.7bn) infrastructure project.
Residents are against the proposed Strait of Messina Bridge project over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental effect, and potential mafia interference.
The idea to build the bridge has been debated for decades. This week, however, it saw a major step forward when a government committee overseeing strategic public investments approved the plan.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini called it “the biggest infrastructure project in the West”.
Salvini cited studies estimating the project would create up to 120,000 jobs annually and help stimulate economic growth in lagging southern Italy, as billions more are invested in surrounding road and infrastructure improvements.
Critics, however, are not convinced, and angered that about 500 families would have to be expropriated for the bridge to be built. Salvini says such families will be compensated.
“The Strait of Messina can’t be touched,” protesters shouted as they marched in Messina. Many carried banners that said “No Ponte” (No Bridge).
Mariolina De Francesco, 75, sits on a sofa in her house [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]
“They could offer me three times the value of my house, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is the landscape. They must not touch the Strait of Messina,” Mariolina De Francesco, a 75-year-old resident of Messina whose house lies near the site of one of the bridge’s planned 399-metre- (440-yard-)tall land towers, told The Associated Press news agency.
“Our lawyers will take action, and we will stop them. That’s guaranteed.”
The proposed bridge would span nearly 3.7km (2.3 miles) with a suspended section of 3.3km (more than 2 miles). It would surpass Turkiye’s Canakkale Bridge by 1,277 metres (1,400 yards) to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.
Preliminary work could begin in late September or early October, pending approval from Italy’s Court of Audit. Full construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion planned between 2032 and 2033.
The bridge would reduce the time to cross the strait by ferry, usually up to 100 minutes, to 10 minutes by car. Trains would save 2.5 hours in transit time, Salvini said.
The project could also support Italy’s commitment to raise defence spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) targeted by NATO, as the government has indicated it would classify the bridge as defence-related. Italy argues that the bridge would form a strategic corridor for rapid troop movements and equipment deployment, qualifying it as “security-enhancing infrastructure”.
Environmental groups, however, have lodged complaints with the European Union, citing concerns that the project would affect migratory birds.
Italy’s president has also insisted that the project remain subject to anti-mafia legislation that applies to all large-scale infrastructure projects.
A drone view shows Lake Ganzirri, part of the planned site for the construction of a suspension bridge along the Strait of Messina, connecting Sicily to mainland Italy, with construction expected to be completed by 2032, in Messina, Italy [File: Yara Nardi/Reuters]
