Red Bull sack team principal Horner

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After 20 years as the team’s principal, Christian Horner was fired by Red Bull.

The Formula 1 team has won eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ championships under the leadership of the 51-year-old since its inception in 2005.

The team’s performance has been declining for months, and there have been internal disagreements at the highest level. Additionally, Horner was charged with sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behavior by a female employee 17 months prior.

Horner’s allegations were seconded cleared by an independent lawyer after an internal investigation and a second independent lawyer, who dismissed the complainant’s appeal.

Christian Horner’s operational duties have been removed from effect from today, according to a statement from Red Bull GmBH, the team’s parent company.

Laurent Mekies, who has been promoted from the second team Racing Bulls, will take over as the Englishman’s team principal and chief executive of Red Bull Racing.

The 48-year-old Frenchman, who was previously the race director for Ferrari, had been in the position since the start of the 2024 season.

Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen both won the drivers’ championship under the direction of Horner from 2010 to 2013.

Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s corporate projects and investments chief executive, thanked Christian Horner for his outstanding work over the past 20 years.

He has contributed significantly to Red Bull Racing becoming one of the most popular and attractive Formula 1 teams thanks to his unwavering commitment, experience, expertise, and thought-provoking thinking.

Christian, I appreciate everything you have done for our team, and you will always be a significant part of it forever.

The 27-year-old star driver Verstappen’s future is uncertain with Horner’s dismissal.

The four-time world champion is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but Mercedes may want to work with them until the following year.

McLaren has taken over as the team’s leader after winning only two races this year, leaving Red Bull with just two.

Verstappen and Red Bull’s next move?

Verstappen enjoys working in harmony and quiet despite the internal conflict at Red Bull.

Additionally, Horner’s father Jos has a tense relationship with him. He warned that if Horner remained in his position, the team would disintegrate in the wake of the allegations of sexual harassment.

In the last 15 months, Red Bull have also lost two key senior executives.

Adrian Newey, regarded as the best designer in Formula One history, left last year.

He saw his dissatisfaction with the team as other staff members trying to take credit for what were his innovations, and the accusations against him were a significant part of why he left.

In an effort to keep the internal politics at bay, Horner actively reduced Newey’s involvement in press briefings.

At the end of last year, Red Bull’s long-standing sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, left the team and is now Sauber’s team principal.

Verstappen now “must make the right choice.”

BBC F1 reporter Jennie Gow:

Max Verstappen chose to stay at Red Bull over Christian Horner and his lack of experience, according to the discussion in the paddock, which was certainly present last weekend.

“My phone has been ejected, and friends and paddock residents have been saying the same thing, “Do you mean to protect Max from leaving Red Bull, or is this because he’s already done that, and this is the result of that?”” they asked.

“I don’t know,” I ask. At Silverstone over the weekend, I attempted to ask Max. He would not deny that he was looking around, even though he had none of it. He wouldn’t claim to be completely committed to Red Bull.

What does he do next? He wants to win another championship despite only having won twice this year. He must choose the best path to the right car.

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Gregg Wallace was ‘rushed to hospital over suspected heart attack’ days before axe

Former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace was reportedly treated for a suspected heart attack days before he was axed

Gregg Wallace was ‘rushed to hospital over suspected heart attack’ days before axe(Image: BBC /Shine TV)

Gregg Wallace, who warned the BBC he “will not go quietly” after their decision to terminate their connection, was recently sacked from MasterChef over misconduct claims. It was announced on Tuesday that the 60-year-old presenter will no longer appear on the channel after his sacking.

The TV star had been accused of making inappropriate sexual comments and jokes over a 13-year period. Fifty people made fresh misconduct claims against the TV presenter, according to BBC News, but he continues to deny all allegations. And now, it has been reported that Gregg was rushed to the hospital and treated for a suspected heart attack days before he was axed.

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Gregg Wallace
Gregg was axed from MasterChef(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Gregg reportedly told a friend he was taken to the hospital in Ashford with a suspected heart attack after two days of chest pains. According to The Sun, he told his friend: “‘The stress of this betrayal brought on my suspected heart attack. It’s been hell.”

The Mirror have reached out to Gregg’s reps for comment.

Meanwhile, the former greengrocer slammed the BBC, saying he has been exonerated of the most serious allegations levelled against him.

In an Instagram statement on Tuesday, he explained: “I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly.

Gregg Wallace
The star said he ‘wouldn’t go quietly’(Image: BBC)

“But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others. I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.

“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures, which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

In his statement, he accused the organisation of “peddling sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.” He said: “To be clear, the Silkin’s Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.

“I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.”

He said his personality is what sold him to the BBC in the first place, adding that the “authenticity was part of the brand”. He added: “Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.”

Gregg claimed his autism diagnosis wasn’t cared for properly, insisting ‘nothing was done to investigate his disability of protect him from a dangerous environment’.

He signed off by telling the BBC he “will no go quietly”, explaining: “I will not be cancelled for convenience…The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”

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Trump’s latest Ukraine-Russia U-turn: Why is the US resuming arms supplies?

Kyiv, Ukraine – Former Ukrainian serviceman Andriy Hetman says he has stopped paying attention to United States President Donald Trump’s decisions to halt and resume military aid to Ukraine.

“This time, [Trump] realised he’ll look bad, weak, he’ll look like he’s on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s side,” the 29-year-old, who was demobilised after being wounded in the eastern Donbas region in March, told Al Jazeera.

Trump said on Monday that he reversed the White House’s decision days earlier on July 1 to “pause” arms supplies to Kyiv, including crucially important air defence interceptors and precision-guided bombs and missiles.

In February, he froze aid after a falling out with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – but resumed the supplies weeks later.

Monday’s resumption followed Russia’s intensified attacks. In recent weeks, Ukrainians have endured hours-long overnight drone and missile assaults on key cities that have killed and wounded civilians – and kept millions awake.

“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to [so that Ukrainians] have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump told a news conference in Washington, DC.

Residents take shelter in the basement of their apartment building in Kharkiv [Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters]

On Tuesday, Trump went further. He hinted that the Russian leader has flattered him for months but kept coming up with lists of impossible demands and ignoring calls for a ceasefire.

“We get a lot of bullsh-t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told a news conference on Tuesday. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Putin’s demands include the “demilitarisation” and “de-Nazification” of Ukraine that is allegedly ruled, according to the Kremlin, by a “neo-Nazi junta”.

Moscow also wants the West to lift multi-layered sanctions that are beginning to hobble Russia’s economy, and the return of assets frozen in Western banks. On Tuesday, Trump said he is considering additional sanctions on Russia.

Boosting air defence

The US weapons Kyiv needs the most are air defence missiles.

In June, Russia launched a record 5,438 drones, a quarter more than in March, according to the Ukrainian air force.

More than half of the drones are laden with explosives, while the rest are decoys Ukrainians waste their missiles on, or reconnaissance drones that track down locations of air defence teams and Western-supplied Patriot systems.

The Russian drones – and the cruise or ballistic missiles that follow them – hit civilian areas, causing more casualties every month.

After multiple tactical adjustments, Russian drones can now fly several kilometres above ground, making them unreachable to air defence teams with machineguns – and making Kyiv even more dependent on US-made air defence weaponry.

“The dependence rose dramatically in comparison with 2022, because at the time Ukrainian forces had many Soviet-era [air defence] systems and missiles that were depleted by the end of 2023,” Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany’s Bremen University, told Al Jazeera.

“Yes, US supplies are of paramount importance so that Russia doesn’t blow all of Ukraine’s rear areas with its drones,” he said.

Another backbone of Ukrainian forces is US-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) multiple rocket launchers that have been lethally effective in destroying Russian command posts and arms depots.

“There have been no analogues to HIMARS,” Mitrokhin said.

‘Trumpian hills’

Trump’s U-turns regarding the aid resumptions are both personal and administrative.

They stem from his own “mood swings” and the lack of systemic, coordinated efforts of his administration, according to Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta think tank.

“I’d call them ‘Trumpian hills’,” he said.

The decision on Monday to resume aid is a response to Putin’s apparent reluctance to resume peace talks while adding pressure on Moscow’s forces at the front line.

The main reason for the war’s escalation is that the Kremlin has concluded that the US will no longer help Ukraine, giving Russia a clear chance to win the war, Fesenko said.

The Republican Party had also urged Trump to end the aid freeze that made Washington look “morally dissonant”, he added.

However, arms supplies may become “systemic” and long-term if Western nations led by the United Kingdom and France agree to foot the bill, he said.

Later this week, a 31-nation-strong “Coalition of the Willing” that includes most of Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, will convene in Rome for a conference on peace settlement and recovery in Ukraine.

‘Not a serious politician’

Meanwhile, Trump’s U-turn did not catch Moscow by surprise.

The Kremlin is used to Trump’s mood swings and “don’t think anything new” about him, a former Russian diplomat said.

“Trump is not a serious politician, he contradicts himself,” Boris Bondarev, who quit his Foreign Ministry job in protest against Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, told Al Jazeera.

“That’s why [the Kremlin] needs to follow his actions and try not to anger him too much, meanwhile continuing its own course – to advance on the front line and to force Ukraine and the West to accept [Moscow’s] conditions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russian forces keep pushing in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy, where their earlier advance stalled in June.

They have also occupied several hundred square kilometres in the southeast and south, but failed to regain a Ukrainian toehold in the western Russian region of Kursk.

Top Russian officials have refrained from commenting on the aid resumption, while minor figures offered a tried-and-tested explanation – the West’s alleged centuries-old enmity towards Russia.

“The trick is old and ineffective, but the West hasn’t come up with other ways of influencing Russia in the past 1,000 years – or maybe they didn’t want to,” Dmitry Belik, a Russian politician in the Russia-annexed Crimean city of Sevastopol, told the RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday.

Who is Gregg Wallace’s wife 22 years his junior standing by him after MasterChef sacking

Gregg Wallace issued a lengthy statement yesterday where he claimed he was cleared of the “most serious and sensational accusations made against him”

Gregg Wallace is being supported by his wife after issuing a blistering statement aimed at the BBC(Image: INSTAGRAM)

Gregg Wallace is being supported by his wife after issuing a blistering statement aimed at the BBC yesterday. The MasterChef star was last year accused of making inappropriate and sexual comments during his time on the show.

He issued a statement yesterday, where he said: “I’ve taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly. But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others. I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six month investigation.”

He added: “My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins.

Gregg Wallace and wife Anne-Marie
Gregg Wallace and wife Anne-Marie who is 22-years younger (Image: Instagram)

“The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism. It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories. The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to ‘get ahead’ of the Silkin’s summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.”

“This feels to me like BBC News is chasing slanderous click-bait rather than delivering impartial journalism. To be clear, the Silkin’s Report exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year and finds me primarily guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018. I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks,” he continued.

He was referring to new misconduct claims from 50 people. Wallace has strongly denied all claims. The new claims are said to have come from people who encountered Wallace on a range of shows and settings. Eleven women have accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour, while the majority claimed he made inappropriate sexual comments.

The pair married in 2016
The pair married in 2016(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

Gregg is married to Anne-Marie Sterpini, who is 22 years his junior. They live with their son and Anna’s parents Rina and Massimo. He had previously suggested his wife needed extra help around the house after she became a mother for the first time, citing that he wanted to keep his wife as his “fun, sexy girlfriend” post-motherhood.

He said of their romance: “That young woman has revolutionised my life, there’s a 22-year age gap, we have been together ten years and have a son, Sid, and I want to be there for them.”

Gregg and Anna met online when she asked him if rhubarb really went well with duck. She works in the food industry too like Gregg and is a caterer. Of how they met, he said: “I just looked at Anna’s photo and thought, ‘Wow, she’s pretty’. So yes, rhubarb, which was considered an aphrodisiac in medieval times, brought us together …

“She came down to London to have dinner with me, and she said it wasn’t until we got to the restaurant, that she was comfortable it was really me and not an imposter.” The pair got married in August 2016.

Gregg said he was worried about the age gap but she wasn’t concerned. He explained: “People look at you anyway and I felt really conscious because she was younger, and I didn’t want people to judge her harshly.”

In addition to son Sid, the presenter has two other children, Libby and Tom, with his second wife, former pastry chef Denise. Sid has autism, which Gregg has discussed in the past.

“Sid has autism. He’s three, you can’t legally diagnose it in this country until they are two-and-a-half, but we knew at about a year old that we had some issues. For us he wasn’t answering to his name, he wasn’t playing peek-a-boo,” he said in 2022.

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“He was walking and running around but he’s got autism and he’s got something called global development delay. So he’s not speaking. But he is lovely and he is cuddly and he is happy. And if he wants something he grabs your hand and takes you.”

Liam Payne’s heartbreaking final hours as Netflix series shows him laughing amid pain

Liam Payne tragically died last year after filming the new Netflix series, Building the Band, a project which he held close to his heart to help emerging singers

Liam Payne bravely masked his hidden struggles while filming Building the Band. The new Netflix series, which airs today showcased the late musician at his best – enjoying music and helping others.

Last year, the world was left heartbroken when Liam tragically died, aged just 31, after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had been holidaying in Latin America with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, just weeks after he filmed the show in Manchester.

On the show, Liam sits alongside global mega-star and former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and his pal Nicole Scherzinger, who created One Direction, the band in which Liam found fame while appearing on The X Factor as a guest judge. Since Liam’s death in October last year, there had been speculation as to whether the show would go ahead.

Liam filmed Building the Band before his sad death(Image: Netflix)

But it later emerged that his family had given their blessing for it to be aired, as this was the Liam that they and his millions of fans loved. However, away from filming, Liam was secretly battling his own internal demons, but hid this from his fans. In the past, he had been vocal about his battles with addiction and had sought treatment.

And although Liam was clean while filming, he sadly relapsed while in Argentina before his sad death. While in his hotel, the Casa Sur Palermo, Liam was said to have been acting erratically and had to be escorted back to his hotel room shortly before the fatal fall.

It was claimed that the dad-of-one had seen “an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”. Liam was also seen “acting erratically in the hotel lobby and smashing his laptop” before he “had to be carried back to his room”. After Liam was taken to his hotel room, hotel staff said they heard a loud sound in the hotel courtyard.

Despite his struggles, Liam always uplifted those around him
Despite his struggles, Liam always uplifted those around him

Tragically, his body was discovered shortly before 5pm local time. He sustained injuries which were incompatible with life, including a fracture at the base of his skull.

In November, a report from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office concluded that traces of “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” had been detected in Liam’s system. Explaining why suicide had been ruled out, officials revealed that “in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing and could not understand it”.

It also disclosed that Payne had been three times the US legal driving limit at the time of his death, with concentration levels of 2.7 grams per litre of blood in his system.

The musician had been open about his personal struggles
The musician had been open about his personal struggles(Image: YouTube)

A blood alcohol concentration of 2.7 grams per litre (0.27%), can cause serious symptoms, including confusion, disorientation, and feeling dazed, according to Alcohol.org. A blood alcohol content of 0.3% or higher can result in alcohol poisoning, and a level of 0.4% can be fatal.

Before his death, Liam was rushed to hospital when he was celebrating his one-year anniversary with 23-year-old girlfriend Kate Cassidy at the five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel in Lake Como. He was said to be in “agony” with a friend saying that Liam had “struggled” after the disbandment of One Direction.

It later emerged that Liam had been left requiring medical treatment over his kidneys. It had been well documented that Liam has suffered from health issues ever since he was a newborn baby, as he arrived into the world several weeks premature. Doctors discovered he had scarring on one of his kidneys, and he was required to receive sixteen injections into each of his arms twice a day to keep him alive.

His health eventually improved as he grew older and he threw himself into sports to keep healthy. He later explained that his health scare as a baby gave him a clear perspective to live a healthier life. He said previously: “I have to be careful not to drink too much, even water, and I have to keep myself as healthy as possible.”

Building the Band, Liam's final project is available now
Building the Band, Liam’s final project is available now(Image: Netflix)

Liam had kept this from his fans and ensured that they had seen him at his happiest. In the new series, the musician can be seen flashing his signature smile. But his family had been apprehensive about Building the Band airing, with his older sister Ruth saying she was “heartbroken” that Liam wouldn’t see the programme.

Ruth shared on her Instagram Stories: “I didn’t know whether to share this, but it felt odd when I’ve raved about Liam’s work and achievements for the past 15 years. I’m heartbroken he never got the chance to see how brilliant he is in this show. He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!” She went on to add: “You’re a star Liam, you always were and always will be. There are a range of emotions I felt watching this, but one of the main ones is immeasurable pride, always. Miss you more every day.”

Netflix have ensured that Liam’s legacy will be cemented on the programme and he will remain a firm key feature on the show. A source said: “Even though Liam had filmed a substantial amount of material for the show, the decision was made shortly after his passing to continue the project, honour his legacy and amazing story as a One Direction member and bring this series to audiences.”

The streaming giant said: “Liam Payne’s family reviewed the series and is supportive of his inclusion.”

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PKK’s jailed leader Ocalan says armed struggle against Turkiye over

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), led by Abdullah Ocalan, has declared the end of the organization’s armed conflict against Turkiye and calls for a complete transition to democratic politics.

The jailed leader retransmitted his message via a videotape from June that the PKK-aligned Firat News Agency broadcast on Wednesday, describing the shift as a “historic gain.”

Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999 but still holds a significant position among Kurds in Turkiye and beyond, said, “This represents a voluntary transition from the phase of armed conflict to the phase of democratic politics and law.”

He argued that the creation of a Turkish parliamentary committee to oversee the peace process and the voluntary disarmament of Kurdish PKK fighters would be “crucial.”

He continued, noting that “care and sensitivity are essential,” and that the disarmament process’ specifics would be “determined and implemented quickly.”

Just days before the first PKK disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, Ocalan’s message was made public.

After more than 40 years of armed struggle against the Turkish state, the PKK had already made the announcement in May.

Two months prior, Ocalan, also known as “Appo,” or “Appo,” a Kurdish for Uncle, demanded the group’s disarmament in February.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, stated in a statement to lawmakers from his ruling party on Wednesday that he anticipated immediate progress in the peace initiative and a positive outcome for everyone in the nation and the region.

Everything will change once the wall of terror is destroyed, according to God. Erdogan predicted that there will be no more pain and tears. The Turks, Kurds, and Arabs will be the Turks, the process’ winners. Then, the entire region will be affected.

“We hope that this positive process will come to an end as quickly as possible, free of road accidents, and free from dark and corrupt circles,” Erdogan continued.

The PKK has been labeled a “terrorist” group by Turkiye, the European Union, and the United States for the majority of its history.

Ocalan was born in 1948 in Omerli, Sanliurfa, a Turkiye region with a high proportion of Kurdish people.

He became politically active and helped found the PKK in 1978 after finishing his political science degree at Ankara University.

Under his leadership, the group launched a separatist rebellion against Turkiye six years later.