Taylor now takes on a fresh opportunity at Liverpool, who finished seventh in the Women’s Super League last season.
There is work to do, he acknowledges, having taken a few months to get his appointment over the line because of contractual issues from his previous post at City.
“Those players go with our best wishes. You never want to retain a player that probably has her eye on a move and we understand that completely,” said Taylor.
“There is work to do, for sure. We don’t want to lose top players like those two but it makes the challenge a little bit more difficult.
“Ideally [myself and my staff] would have been here a little bit earlier but it is what it is. In the days we have been here, we have seen big strides.
“The engagement from the players has been fantastic. They are a really good group of girls. The people here are incredible. The club is top class in that sense.”
Liverpool are rebuilding to try to close the gap between themselves and the WSL’s top four.
“The challenges here will be different to any other club. But what we have here is a very good opportunity to start to build something,” said Taylor.
“The environment at Melwood is incredible. The girls are really hungry to learn and to create an identity. That’s the key thing. That process is not a quick one.
“It takes time and it takes struggles, unfortunately. It’s clear that will happen. But we’re really understanding of that and we’re here to support the players and staff as much as we can to be as quickly aligned as we can be.”
EUROPE’S car industry is “heading at full speed against a wall” and risks collapsing if the EU doesn’t rethink its ban on new petrol and diesel cars, the boss of a huge car firm has warned.
In a stark intervention, he said a “reality check” was needed before the 2035 ban on combustion-engine sales is locked in.
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Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius says a ‘reality check’ is needed before the 2035 ban on combustion-engine sales is locked inCredit: AFP
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Europe’s car industry is ‘heading at full speed against a wall’ and risks collapsing if EU doesn’t rethink ban on petrol and diesel cars, says bossCredit: AFP
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Electric cars remain far from dominating the market, with EVs making up just 17.5 per cent of sales across the EU in the first half of this yearCredit: EPA
Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius told German business paper Handelsblatt: “We need a reality check. Otherwise, we are heading at full speed against a wall.
“Of course, we have to decarbonise, but it has to be done in a technology-neutral way. We must not lose sight of our economy.”
The luxury brand — once gung-ho about going fully electric in Europe — has already dropped its ambitious 2021 pledge to stop selling combustion cars “where market conditions allow” by the decade’s end.
Källenius, who also heads the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), now warns the EU’s policy could trigger a last-minute rush for petrol and diesel cars before the cut-off, which “doesn’t help the climate at all.”
Electric cars remain far from dominating the market.
In the first half of this year, EVs made up just 17.5 per cent of sales across the EU, UK, and EFTA countries, while plug-in hybrids took 8.7 per cent.
Traditional hybrids accounted for 35 per cent, but that figure includes mild-hybrids, which critics say aren’t “true” hybrids.
Mercedes’ own figures show EV sales slipping — just 8.4 per cent of its global deliveries in the first six months of 2025, down from 9.7 per cent last year.
Even with plug-ins included, electrified models made up just 20.1 per cent of shipments.
The EU’s 2035 ban is due for review in the coming months, but Brussels has so far signalled no U-turn, reiterating in March its commitment to zero-emission new cars by the mid-2030s.
Tesla’s Cybertruck Graveyard: Hundreds of Unsold EVs Abandoned at Shopping Mall
Europe chief Jean-Philippe Imparato said the Franco-Italian group faces fines of up to €2.5 billion within “two-three years” if it fails to meet emissions rules.
Without a regulatory rethink by year-end, “we will have to make tough decisions,” he told a conference in Rome.
“I have two solutions: either I push like hell (on electric)… or I close down ICE (internal combustion engine vehicles).
And therefore I close down factories,” he said, pointing to the risk for sites such as Stellantis’ van plant in Atessa, Italy.
The warning comes amid fresh turmoil for Stellantis, with its new CEO Antonio Filosa inheriting the fallout from Donald Trump’s 25 per cent US import tariffs and a crisis at Maserati, which has seen sales plunge from 26,600 in 2023 to 11,300 last year.
With EV targets biting, petrol and diesel models under threat, and luxury brands cancelling investments — including Maserati’s £1.3bn electric MC20 Folgore — Europe’s car bosses are sending a clear signal to Brussels: ease off, or risk slamming the brakes on the continent’s auto industry.
IBIZA’S ‘Final Boss’ Jack Kay has continued his party tour of the island – spending the afternoon with Towie’s James Lock.
The pair were snapped together at Wi-Ki-Woo Hotel in Ibiza as James plugged his agave spirit brand, Cerrar.
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Jack posed with James Lock as they continues to party in IbizaCredit: Instagram
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The Towie star is currently over in Ibiza promoting his spirit brandCredit: TommyG Photography
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The Ibiza Final Boss went viral after being seen dancing at a partyCredit: TikTok/@zerosixwestibiza
Standing underneath a pink umbrella, Jack stood alongside Lock, showing off thick gold chains and rings posing with “finger guns” and a serious face.
James – who had brushed his hair forward in an attempt to emulate Jack’s distinctive bowl cut hairstyle – later uploaded the pic, and joked: “Essex final boss Vs Ibiza final boss 🧑🏽”
The pair’s day together comes after Jack shot to fame in the space of a month after being declared “Ibiza’s final boss” due to his deep tan, tattoos, veneers, goatee beard and signature hairstyle.
He was captured dancing by a TikToker who later gave him the moniker as they posted it online – with the clip quickly picking up steam.
READ MORE IBIZA FINAL BOSS
Jack’s hair in particular has been compared to a range of pop-culture icons from Ringo Starr to Friar Tuck and a Lego man.
“Final boss” is a joke from the gaming world used to suggest someone is the ultimate version of a particular stereotype.
Since then, Jack has been lapping up the attention, and it looks like it’s set to make him some serious cash as a result.
His viral fame caught the eye of ITV2’s Big Brother casting team and led to conversations about him joining the upcoming series.
With a potential Big Brother stint too, it’s clear Jack is set to get the last laugh – all the way to the bank.
Ibiza ‘Final Boss’ parties at £9million mansion in Ibiza with bikini girls
A source said: “The Ibiza Final Boss has really captured the nation’s imagination and is exactly the kind of character that makes for a fun Big Brother housemate.
“Bosses had talks with his management, it is very late in the casting process for housemates but everyone thought worth a chat whether it be in time for this series, even as part of a task, or for the future.
“Jack’s reps Neon Management have been inundated with offers for him so he’s certainly going to be busy for at least the next few months.
“They’ve seen an unprecedented level of interest in him, and that’s the nation loves him.”
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The star has already released music and is in talks to star on Big BrotherCredit: instagram/@jack.kayy1
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Jack shot to fame overnight after clip went viralCredit: instagram/@jack.kayy1
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The Ibiza Final Boss has been picturing himself in the lap of luxuryCredit: Instagram/@jack.kayy1
CHELSEA boss Enzo Maresca loves to celebrate with a cigar – but more than anything he wishes he could have a smoke with a team-mate who died in horrific circumstances.
Enzo Maresca has opened up on the heartbreaking loss of Antonio PuertaCredit: Getty
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The pair played together at Sevilla and Maresca would love to share a cigar with his palCredit: EPA
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Puerta died after collapsing on the pitch from a cardiac arrestCredit: AFP
After the latter, the Blues boss enjoyed one of his favourite Portagas 2 cigars, the brand he used to smoke with Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola when they were marking City’s success.
But when Maresca was asked to name the football personality he would most like to one of his favourite Portagas No 2 cigars with, the Italian gave a poignant answer – Antonio Puerta, who died aged 22 after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field.
Maresca told Men in Blazers: “That’s a very good question. I will tell you, when I was 25, 26, I lost a team-mate inside the pitch. So if I could, I would like a cigar with him.”
Midfielder Maresca had four seasons at Sevilla but his third campaign started in tragic fashion.
The Italian was on the field when, just 35 minutes into the opening game of the 2007/8 season – at home against Getafe – Puerta suffered a cardiac arrest.
After the wing-back collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area, team-mates and medical staff rushed to his aid.
Puerta recovered enough to walk to the dressing room but collapsed again there.
He was resuscitated and rushed to hospital, where he had to receive more life-saving resuscitation.
But Puerta died three days later, on August 28, because of multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage.
It emerged that he had an incurable hereditary heart disease called arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
Fans spot Liam Delap’s reaction on bench after Joao Pedro goal as Chelsea fans say ‘this guy can’t catch a break’
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Maresca and Puerta shared a close bond at SevillaCredit: AFP
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They won the UEFA Cup together in 2006Credit: Getty
Puerta’s death shocked Spanish football and the wider world.
His girlfriend was expecting their first child at the time of his death.
When Puerta passed away, Maresca and the rest of the Seville squad were already in Greece for a Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens.
Maresca, who played for Greek side Olympiakos later in his career, spoke about the tragedy when Chelsea went to Athens in October 2024 for a Conference League game against Panathinaikos.
Maresca said: “In terms of the season I spent here in Greece, for me it was very good with Olympiakos, a big rival with Panathinaikos. But unfortunately I lost a friend on the pitch when I was at Seville.
“The first game we played after that, we were already in Athens and just on that day, one of our team-mates passed away in Antonio Puerta.
“So it is a mixed feeling. The season in Athens was fantastic. But every time I come back here I am a little bit sad.”
The Champions League game against AEK, which had been scheduled for the evening of the day Puerta died, was postponed.
When Sevilla faced AC Milan in the Uefa Super Cup on August 31, all 22 players had the name Puerta on the back of their shirts.
Sergio Ramos, who had come through the Sevilla academy and into the first team with Puerta, wore T-shirts in memory of Puerta after Spain’s triumphs at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Jesus Navas, who was on the field on the day Puerta collapse, made the same gesture after the 2010 World Cup final.
In 2010, Sevilla unveiled a statue of Puerta at their training ground.
Watch the full Men in Blazers interview with Enzo Maresca here.
BBC Breakfast has been shrouded with difficult claims in recent months as it’s been reported two of its presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt are under review
17:10, 09 Aug 2025Updated 17:23, 09 Aug 2025
BBC Breakfast has been hit by claims of a ‘toxic’ feud(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/James Stack)
BBC Breakfast stars Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt are facing claims they are embroiled in a ‘toxic feud’ with the show’s editor Richard Frediani.
Richard has reportedly returned to work after taking extended leave as he faced allegations over bullying behaviour. Upon Richard’s return it has been reported that relations between himself and presenters Naga, 50, and Charlie, have ‘turned sour’.
BBC Breakfast is said to be ‘in crisis’(Image: BBC)
A source has said: “Fredi now doesn’t brief Naga and Charlie or any of that sort of thing and someone else is on the talkback to them from the gallery.
“The crew are entirely bemused and exhausted by it — in what world is it normal for a boss to be banned from talking to his staff?,” they added to The Sun.
The BBC said in a statement: “While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values. We have robust processes in place and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed.”
Representatives for Naga, Richard and Charlie are yet to respond.
Talkback is where production staff can communicate with presenters from the gallery by speaking to them via their earpiece. It has been claimed that Richard’s editorial team now communicates with the presenting duo.
The source added: “Bosses are desperate to get Breakfast back on an even keel and know the tension between Fredi, Charlie and Naga is at the heart of the rising crisis.”
The change was said to have been put in place as a way to “manage the situation in the hope it will all blow over”. It comes after it was reported that Charlie Stayt may also face a probe following reports Naga is “under review” over “bullying” claims.
Naga Munchetty is said to be under review(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/James Stack)
Following the reports Naga is under review, it has since been claimed the BBC star “kicked off” at an intern over ‘how they spread Marmite on her toast’.
And a whistleblower has also alleged Naga complained her porridge was “too hot” and she didn’t like the blueberry topping on the dish.
The allegations come after it was claimed last week a number of colleagues have filed complaints over Naga’s alleged bullying behaviour on BBC Breakfast and her BBC Radio 5 Live show, which she presents from Monday to Wednesday. It has been claimed the BBC has officially moved to “place the complaints under review”.
“The review is to ascertain whether a full-on investigation is required and that could come in weeks,” the insider claimed to The Sun.
A BBC spokesperson said: “While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values. We have robust processes in place and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed.”
Columnist Jessica Boulton brings you her brutally-honest and wry rundown of Showbiz’s latest shenanigans: from Ibiza Final Boss to MasterChef muppets, she’s not holding back
Jessica Boulton works on the Mirror’s features desk, specialising in celebrity features and interviews. She also writes a weekly observational comedy column Jess Saying, which runs each Saturday. In addition, she oversees the entertainment pages, helps co-ordinate the Pride of Britain coverage and newsletter and guest edits The Diary. Jessica joined The Mirror’s sister paper The People in 2006, and has since worked on the Sunday Mirror and Now magazine. Most likely to be found raving about The Oscars, BAFTAs, Netflix, Friends or Star Wars.
The face that launched a 1,000 snips? Ibiza Final Boss Jack Kay must follow rules to cash in(Image: TikTok)
It’s a strange, strange world when I’m feeling sorry for a bunch of Love Island contestants. But in this social media age, it is sadly what it’s come to. For the poor lovelorn bedhoppers at the Mallorca villa have been putting in weeks of seriously hard graft – flashing their abs and parading around in thong bikinis – to get the one precious thing, (I suspect) their hearts truly desired. No, not love. Fame. Glorious, generous, glittering FAME.
But in the days after Monday’s final, the Islanders soon found themselves getting a cold hard lesson in the pitfalls of success: There’s always someone waiting in the wings – ready to cut short your 15 minutes….
Cach Mercer and Toni Laites have been revealed as the winners of Love Island 2025(Image: ITV)
For it wasn’t the winning Islanders “Breaking The Internet” this week. It wasn’t the winning Islanders batting off the biggest brand deals or most enticing DMs from Blue Tick TikTok. And it wasn’t the winning Islanders getting excitable TV companies all in a lather, begging for interviews. It was….a HAIRCUT.
Yes, the biggest celebrity getting buzz online this week wasn’t even a celeb when the week began. He was Jack Kay, a literal normal down-to-earth 26-year-old Jack-the-lad, from Newcastle on holiday in Ibiza.
He’s been offered free holidays, brand endorsement deals, flights on a £5million private jet, and a whole list of big-money nightclub appearances. He’s signed with Joey Essex’s agent and has landed his own tour and – according to media experts – he could be well-placed to launch his own merchandise range and even bag a possible spot on a reality show. All in all, it’s predicted he could rake in a whopping SIX figures by the end of the year.
For nowadays you don’t need to work summer seasons in Blackpool or win a talent show to become a star. You can become ‘famous’ just by making the right people laugh, at the right moment in time, as they absent-mindedly scroll through their phone while listening to podcasts. Yep, Fame has reached Peak Fickledom.
So, when the stars and algorithms do align to make you a viral hit, you need to make the most of it. And while Jack’s ‘success’ is all thanks to what is ON his head, it’s what’s inside it which will prove his biggest asset. For in 2025, turning your viral moment in the sun into a longer-term earner is all about savvy strategy, clear thinking and mindset:
Are Jack Kay/Ibiza Bob’s fellow Geordies Ant and Dec jumping on the Ibiza Final Boss bandwagon?
(*Okay, okay, PhotoShop may have lent a hand). As for the rest of the week? Well, Celebland was throwing us all sorts of surprises…..
Monday mayhem
Be afraid, be very afraid! For the stars of an upcoming new theatre tour have been doing the press rounds this week. And from the sounds of it, there will be no one safe this Halloween and autumn. Indeed, it’s expected to have many a celeb not just quaking but SHAKING, QUAKING, QUIVERING, TREMBLING AND OUTRIGHT SHUDDERING in their boots.
No, it’s not a new take on Phantom of the Opera (albeit some may be haunted by what’s said). Nor is it Saw: The Musical (although that is a multi-million pound idea). It’s the terrifying new two-hander: An Evening With… Katie Price and Kerry Katona. The pair’s tell-all 33-date UK tour was feared to have been cancelled earlier in the summer due to… well, whatever Katie’s snoresome crisis-du-jour was at the time.
Katie Price and Kerry Katona are getting ready for their new tour (But I have a few notes!)(Image: Instagram)
But the pair are back and have now been hitting the interview circuit to give fans a little taste of what to expect. Target one? “Snobby” Strictly – which they publicly dissed this week for having never asked them to take part. (One suspects they’ve now said “Foxtrot Oscar” to any future possibilities too).
Of course, we all know the real dirt will be saved for the show itself. Yet however juicy the eww -some twosome’s tete-a-tete promises to be, I can’t help but wonder if the panto frenemies could have come up with a slightly more, er… spicy format… A WWE-style grudge match with lookalikes of their many nemeses, perhaps? Imagine the commentator yelling to the roaring crowd: “Get Ready to say mi-OWWW! It’s our very own….. Nuclear Cheetah aka Kerry Katona! – from Atomic Kitten to a one-woman weapon of mass destruction…”
Or maybe… they could make it a dramatic retelling of Four Weddings And A Funeral, where Katie’s the bride each time and the funeral’s for her tragic lack of taste? Or finally, what about a musical? After all, KP’s been Defying Gravity for years (with the help of her plastic surgeon).
What a royal twit Tuesday
It’s not been a good week for Royal affairs – of any kind. But a new bombshell biography has cemented one unassailable truth: Young kids fed on fairy tales and Disney movies are far more likely to find themselves a talking warthog or a flying elephant than a real-life Prince Charming.
Yes, a new book by historian Andrew Lownie has claimed Prince Andrew allegedly strayed “more than a dozen” times before his first – yes, first – anniversary with Fergie. Clearly their wedding certificate was not worth the paper it was printed on.
Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York in 1986 – the year they married. They divorced 10 years later(Image: Hulton Archive/GettyImages)
Fergie did have a little something in common with Cinderella however. She was sporting some rather fetching slippers this week. They weren’t glass ones though – they were fluffy numbers emblazoned with the unofficial Royal motto “Never Complain, Never Explain”. It warms the heart, it really does.
Wok you gonna do? Wednesday
The BBC took a leap with its MasterChef dilemma by airing the first episode of the pre-recorded series on Wednesday. Surprisingly they went for primetime BBC1 instead of hiding it on iPlayer only. Presumably they figured they were in for a roasting whatever they did – so they might as well fill a hole in the schedule.
John Torode and Gregg Wallace in the new series of MasterChef, recorded before their two scandals(Image: BBC)
The real stars of the series are the editors who faced the unenviable task of trying to cut out as much of the under-fire Gregg Wallace and John Torode as possible – which from the looks of the results is a bit like trying to remove excess garlic from a pasta dish. You can’t. Everything’s already tainted.
What I don’t understand is why the Beeb didn’t go with my previous suggestion: just do some deep fake trickery. So what could they replace them with? Let’s see: Option 1: A literal toxic trigger warning; Option 2: Bradley Walsh and Rylan Clark (they’re on everything else anyway); Option 3 (and perhaps most apt): Statler and Waldorf. A couple of muppets… who are completely stuffed.
Half-baked deep fakes? What the BBC could have done to solve their MasterChef problem with hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode
No relief for kangaroo testicles Thursday
Talking of show formats (see Monday), there was one news story this week that left me feeling a little… well, antsy . What was it? This: “ITV bosses are planning the next five years of I’m A Celebrity…” (really? another FIVE?); “With talks under way to film in the jungle until 2030….” (Wait, 2030 is only five years away??); “When it’ll reach its landmark 30th season”. (30 years? 30? 3-0?)
You mean to say we’ve been watching the same show with the same hosts, same sort of trials, same prize, same location, same set and same set of scandals just with different faces… for nearly 30 YEARS? They say doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. So either, we can all relate to Peter Andre’s infamous jungle-penned hit Insania – written while a campmate in 2004 – or we really don’t mind the deja vu.
So what can we expect over the next few years? Well, I have two predictions:
Ant and Dec have been doing I’m a Celeb for 25 years and counting (Image: ITV)
1. Princess and/or Junior Andre will follow in their parents’ footsteps, going back to the scene of the crime special place where the Katie and Peter’s “love” story first began.
2. Following the “success” of political hires Matt Hancock and Nigel Farage, bosses will make a “bigly” play for President Trump at the end of his term. (If he doesn’t rewrite the US Constitution, that is.) After all, there’s been quite a few (thousand) of his type involved in the show before. Fatima Whitbread even got one stuck up her nose… Much to the chagrin of her and the cockroach, I suspect.
Foolish Friday
It was a mixed day for Richard Osman. On the plus side, Netflix released the first trailer for the movie adaptation of his bestselling crime novel The Thursday Murder Club (starring Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren).
Richard Osman gets loose-lipped on podcast (Image: SKY)
On the downside… Osman – who has produced a number of game shows including Pointless, Total Wipeout, Prize Island, and my absolute FAVOURITE Only Connect – inexplicably decided to tell podcast listeners that quiz shows often use “an algorithm” to stop contestants winning too much money.
It’s obvious to be fair, and while not quite a Gerald Ratner-level own goal, it wasn’t terribly clever. I wouldn’t want to overtly criticise him in a family newspaper, so here’s my verdict – in the style of Only Connect’s Missing Vowels Round. Enjoy! WH TTT LPLNK R*
Picture of the Week
Being a 30-something in today’s world must be tough. There you are, juggling career, love life, social life and saving for an inexplicably-expensive “micro-loft” – and somehow you also have to make time for what’s really important: taking impossibly perfect pics for the ‘Gram.
But it looks like a certain 35-year-old Oscar-winner has got this careful balancing act all figured out. For, Avengers star Brie Larson posted THIS video on Instagram this week.
Brie Larson’s quirky balancing act – HOW IS SHE DOING THAT?(Image: Instagram)
Brie as Captain Marvel: yes, she can save the universe and the fabric of time itself, but can she balance on one stiletto heel atop a can of peaches?(Image: Handout)
And while she might be steady as a rock, I – as Gen Z would say – “am shook” . In fact I’m more impressed by this feat than by any of her big screen Captain Marvel antics.
Brie, who is promoting her new tome, Party People, accompanied this video with a quip: “My social media manager said this will sell 1,000 books. So here I am.” The book in question is a “cookbook for creative celebrations” with “endless ideas for weird and wacky parties” – which goes some way to explaining this impressive-yet-leftfield marketing campaign.
Personally, I’m most amazed by her superhuman pain threshold. For, anyone who has experienced the inherent cruelty of the modern-day torture device known as a stiletto heel, will appreciate that this is not just a demonstration of core strength, stability and precision… but of sheer, sheer, sheer ENDURANCE.
So how did she do it? The way I see it, there’s only one explanation: she’s in the wrong franchise… the girl’s a Wonder Woman for sure.
What do you think? Have you seen some funny celeb moments this week? Let me know in comment or on X/Instagram via @JessicaBoulton
*Answer To Missing Vowels Round: “What a plonker”
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Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is coming the legendary Sadler’s Wells Theatre this month after the 2022 ballet production’s successful UK and European tours.
In an exclusive interview with Reach Screen Time, Peaky Blinders creator and now James Bond screenwriter Steven Knight shared details from the stage show, including teasing a different side to Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy in the BBC series) and how the story fitted it into the TV drama.
The stage show charts the ill-fate romance between Tommy and his wife Grace Burgess (Annabelle Wallis).
Knight said: “I know that the people that love Peaky love that story, and it felt to me that a love story, a romance like that and the romance that comes with what happens, I felt all of that would translate into music, first of all, but also into dance.
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders (Image: BBC)
“With Peaky, music has always been very important to the show. And also people move in a particular way, it’s quite stylised, the way people dress, the way they act, just made me think it’s a few short steps toward dance. And so that’s why I wanted to do this.”
Reflecting on audiences seeing a new facet to the Brummie don, Knight explained: “It’s a deeper version. I think what we get is inside insights into Tommy Shelby’s heart that you don’t get on the TV show. Because by his nature Tommy Shelby is a person who doesn’t show his emotions. He doesn’t let people in.
“But in this, we’re alone with him for quite a while and before the wedding we see how in love he is, and then after Grace’s death we join him on a journey towards redemption.
A scene from Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby(Image: JOHAN PERSSON)
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.
“He goes through his grief and then discovers a connection with her again. So, it’s a much more intimate portrayal of who Tommy Shelby is.”
So has Peaky Blinders’ leading man and Oscar winner Murphy watched The Redemption of Thomas Shelby? Knight admitted he wasn’t certain if the actor had got around to seeing the show as yet, but said the ballet “definitely got his blessing”, particularly because of Murphy’s love of music.
The Peaky Blinders stage play comes ahead of the Netflix film (Image: BBC)
Teasing the music and artists featuring in The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, Knight said: “We’ve got a fantastic score, fantastic needle drops. We’ve got [the Peaky Blinders’ theme tune] Red Right Hand in there, so yeah, it’s right up [Murphy’s] street.”
The collaboration between Knight and dance troupe Rambert came about after the company was enlisted to choreograph a Swan Lake sequence in a previous season of Peaky Blinders.
Working with Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer, Knight put devised the story while the dance expert put together the choreography.
Rambert’s Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby will be heading to Sadler’s Wells from Tuesday, August 5 to Saturday, August 16. Tickets are available now here
Aug. 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Friday replaced Bill Long as Internal Revenue Service commissioner after less than two months on the job with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a temporary role.
The New York Times was the first media outlet to confirm his ouster and Long later announced his departure on X with plans to become Iceland’s ambassador.
“It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!”
A spokesperson for the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS, said in a statement to NBC News that the department “thanks Commissioner Long for his commitment to public service and the American people. His zeal and enthusiasm to bring a fresh perspective to the Federal Government was evident in both the House of Representatives and as part of the Trump Administration.”
Bessent has already been tasked with negotiating tariff rates as part of trade talks. Also, he is helping with the search for ultimately the next Federal Reserve chairman.
Long was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 12 and sworn in as commissioner four days later to a term that was supposed to last through Nov. 12, 2027. Trump nominated him on Dec. 4, 2024. While awaiting confirmation, he was appointed as a senior adviser in the Office of Personnel Management.
Lpng had limited tax experience and had supported the abolishment of the agency, CNN reported.
He served in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023, representing a district in Missouri, and was previously an auctioneer.
On Thursday, he sent an email to all IRS employees with the subject line: “It’s Almost FriYay that read: “Please enjoy a 70-minute early exit tomorrow. That way you’ll be rested for my 70th birthday on Monday,” The New York Times reported.
He signed it: “Call Me Billy.”
The IRS has been processing tax forms since the April 15 deadline with extensions until Aug. 15.
The IRS workforce has shrunk 25% amid Trump’s government cuts and mass buyouts. In all there are plans to cut its 102,000 workforce by up to 40%, according to a memo obtained by CBS News in April.
And 26% of the agents who conduct audits have left the agency by May, according to the report.
And the IRS has been dealing with new deductions and tax cuts after the passage of the sprawling spending bill, labeled as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The new law has no tax on tips or overtime.
Seven different people will have led the agency since Trump won the 204 election.
Danny Wefel held the role until Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 despite a statutory five-year term.
Other acting commissioners had policy differences with Trump: Doug O’Connell and Melanie Krause. Another acting boss, Gary Shapley, was appointed but ousted Bessent a few days later because he didn’t want him. Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender became the acting commissioner until Long was confirmed.
Liverpool have named former Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor as their new head coach.
The Reds have been without a permanent manager since sacking Matt Beard in February, with Amber Whiteley taking charge on an interim basis for the remainder of 2024-25.
Taylor was sacked by City in March just five days before the Women’s League Cup final.
“Everyone in football knows about the history, size and potential of this club, and I am really looking forward to the task ahead,” Taylor said.
“Our aim is to create a team that supporters can be proud of, which plays good football and which will hopefully bring success along the way.”
The Welshman began working with City’s academy in 2011 and was appointed head coach in 2020.
He won the FA Cup during his first season and led the club to League Cup glory in 2022, while his side missed out on the Women’s Super League (WSL) title on goal difference in 2023-24.
Liverpool finished seventh last season, 35 points adrift of champions Chelsea.
David Ellison finally clinched his prize Thursday, completing Skydance Media’s $8-billion takeover of the historic Paramount.
But the tech scion immediately faced questions about President Trump’s boast that he expects $20 million in free advertising and programming as part of a settlement to end Trump’s lawsuit over CBS “60 Minutes” edits. The settlement cleared the way for Skydance’s takeover of the company that, in addition to CBS, includes MTV, Comedy Central and the storied Paramount Pictures.
Last month, Paramount paid $16 million to settle the lawsuit, which 1st Amendment experts said had no merit. Three weeks later, Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount was approved by federal regulators.
If Skydance participated in such a deal to give free public service announcements to Trump to settle his “60 Minutes” lawsuit, viewers are going to have to watch CBS to find out.
The first question Ellison, the newly minted chairman and chief executive of Paramount, fielded from reporters during a news briefing Thursday was about the purported PSAs. Ellison would not directly answer it.
“We are not going to politicize anything today,” Ellison said at the event held at Paramount headquarters in Times Square in New York.
Paramount Global handled the settlement and Skydance was not involved “in any way,” Ellison said. But Trump — who has a friendly relationship with Ellison’s father, Larry — has proclaimed numerous times that he’s been promised $20 million in free air time for public service announcements that promote causes favored by the White House. Trump’s former agent Ari Emanuel also helped Ellison make its case to the president to allow the deal to go forward.
Ellison and the other top executives stated their support for the news division at the news conference. Ellison said CBS News and “60 Minutes” were among the first stops on his tour of the company’s offices after the deal was closed.
As for the news ombudsman that Skydance agreed to as part of the terms to get approval, Paramount’s new president, Jeff Shell, said the position should not be viewed as a censor.
“The ombudsman is meant to be a transparency vehicle, not an oversight vehicle,” Shell said. “We do believe in transparency.”
Asked how Skydance will handle the ongoing attacks on mainstream media that continue to come from the White House, Ellison said the company will stand its ground.
“We’re obviously going to be fierce defenders of our talent,” Ellison said. “We always have been.”
Before the news conference, Ellison put out a mission statement for the merged company, promising to combine the company’s storied movie and TV properties with technological prowess. Paramount is also the home of several iconic but aging cable brand names, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.
“Moving forward, we will work with conviction and optimism to transform Paramount into a tech-forward company that blends the creative heart of Hollywood with the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley,” Ellison wrote.
The immediate challenge facing Skydance will be building the scale of Paramount+, which, despite a decent number of popular shows, has lagged in the streaming competition led by Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Ellison promised the direct-to-consumer offering can be “a leading global streaming service.”
The mogul is taking over the most-watched television network in CBS, but like the rest of the legacy media industry, it’s fighting the migration of viewers to streaming.
Ellison’s note made a point of praising “60 Minutes,” saying it has “a long tradition of impactful reporting led by seasoned journalists committed to accuracy, integrity, and public trust” and expressed thanks to the news division for continuing to toil through the controversy.
“We take immense pride in CBS News’ legacy of impactful journalism and look forward to continuing to foster a newsroom culture where journalists are empowered, trusted, and equipped to do their best work,” Ellison wrote.
The new company is now called Paramount, a Skydance Corp, with its stock trades under the PSKY ticker. Shares were trading down about 3%, to $11.25, in midday trading.
According to Ellison and his private equity Paramount investors, RedBird Capital Partners, the company will soon be positioned to reach new heights.
Ellison’s play for the studio began nearly two years ago during Hollywood’s summer of labor unrest, when then-controlling shareholder Shari Redstone’s family enterprise, National Amusements, found itself in a cash crunch after Paramount halted its dividend to its investors.
In December 2023, Redstone turned to Paramount’s board to approve the Skydance transaction. That triggered another fraught process as board members agonized over the structure of a deal that would reward rank-and-file shareholders — not just the Redstones.
The deal was finally signed July 7, 2024. As part of the Skydance buyout, the Redstones’ National Amusements Inc. was paid $2.4 billion. After the firm’s considerable debts are paid, the family should come away with about $1.75 billion.
Paramount shareholders will receive $4.5 billion. Skydance and RedBird Capital Partners also agreed to inject $1.5 billion into Paramount’s balance sheet to help pay down debt.
“Our investment in Paramount and long-term partnership with the Ellison family reflects our deep conviction in the value of world-class intellectual property and the potential to unlock substantial growth,” RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale said in a statement.
Rangers head coach Russell Martin talks to BBC Scotland about his decision to leave out captain James Tavernier and midfielder Nicolas Raskin for the Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen.
Rupert Matthews has been Leicestershire’s PCC since 2021
The police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland has defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK, giving the party its first PCC.
Rupert Matthews has held the position since 2021 and served as an MEP for the East Midlands for the Tories between 2017 and 2019.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, he said the “dark heart of wokeness” needed to be cut out of the criminal justice system.
“The self-serving, self-entitled liberal elite who have let our country down time after time are now on notice their day is almost done,” he said.
“Be they Conservative or Labour governments, everyone knows our politicians have failed us all. They have let this country down. They have let the British people down. Enough. Now is the time for Reform.”
Analysis
By Henry Zeffman, chief political correspondent, BBC News
Rupert Matthews is hardly a big figure in the national Conservative Party.
But his defection will still cause some anxiety. It adds to the sense that at the local level – the bedrock of any political party – the institutional Conservative Party is fraying, and that the energy on the right of British politics is with Reform UK instead.
For Reform, after they gained control of 10 councils in the local elections in May, gaining their first police and crime commissioner is another local government milestone, and a useful office from which to make arguments about what they claim to be Britain’s “lawlessness”.
That said, there is a risk for Reform in acquiring too many ex-Conservatives that they incorporate too many of the politicians who they claim have left Britain in a mess.
Matthews was re-elected as PCC in May 2024, beating Labour’s Rory Palmer by 860 votes.
Announcing the defection on Monday, Farage told the conference: “He’s twice been elected as a Conservative but today he comes across to us as our first police and crime commissioner.”
He added: “Welcome on board.”
The switch could consolidate Reform UK’s power base locally, with the party having led Leicestershire County Council since May.
Labour accused Farage of “swelling the Reform ranks” with “the ghost of Tory past” and said his party offered “anger, but no answers”.
Dua, who has won seven Brit awards and three Grammys, said that she did not know she could sing until a teacher at the Sylvia Young Theatre School told her how good she was.
Actors who attended her classes include Keeley Hawes, Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, Nicholas Hoult, who is in the latest Superman blockbuster, and Emmy-nominated Adolescence and Top Boy star Ashley Walters.
The school was also a conveyor belt for EastEnders stars, with Nick Berry, Letitia Dean, Adam Woodyatt and Dean Gaffney all passing through its doors.
READ MORE ON DRAMA SCHOOLS
Stage fright
But there were problems along the way. In 1998 one of the drama masters was arrested for indecent assault, and the company struggled to survive the Covid shutdown.
The pressures of fame also proved too much for some former pupils, including the late Winehouse and EastEnders’ original Mark Fowler, David Scarboro, who was found at the bottom of cliffs as Beachy Head in East Sussex in 1988.
Sylvia, though, was loved by her former pupils, many of whom paid tribute to the “backstage matriarch”.
Keeley Hawes wrote: “I wouldn’t have the career I have today without her help”.
And All Saints singer Nicole Appleton commented: “This is going to really affect us all who were lucky enough to be part of her amazing world growing up. What a time, the best memories.”
DJ Tony Blackburn added: “She was a very lovely lady who I had the privilege of knowing for many years. She will be sadly missed.”
Winehouse Shows Star Quality
Actress Sadie Frost commented online: “What a woman, what a family, what a legacy! Sending everyone so much love and support. She was always so lovely to me.”
And TV and radio presenter Kate Thornton said she “meant so much to so many”.
Sylvia did not boast about the success of her students and the school’s website does not mention its incredible roster of ex-pupils.
But it is hard to imagine a single drama teacher ever having as much impact as her. Sylvia’s two daughters, Alison and Frances Ruffelle, who are directors of the theatre school, said: “Our mum was a true visionary.
“She gave young people from all walks of life the chance to pursue their performing arts skills to the highest standard.
“Her rare ability to recognise raw talent and encourage all her students contributed to the richness of today’s theatre and music world, even winning herself an Olivier Award along the way.”
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Pop star Rita Ora also attended Sylvia’s schoolCredit: Getty
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Rita Ora pictured as a student of the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolCredit: John Clark/22five Publishing
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Denise Van Outen was a product of the prestigious schoolCredit: Getty
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A young and smiling Denise at Sylvia’s schoolCredit: YouTube
Sylvia made it to the top of the British entertainment industry the hard way.
She was the eldest of nine children born to Abraham Bakal, a tailor’s presser, and housewife Sophie in London’s East End. Born in 1939 just after the outbreak of World War Two she remembered the air raid sirens during the Blitz of the capital.
She was evacuated to a village near Barnsley during the war, only returning home once it was over.
At the local library she was gripped by reading plays and would meet up with friends to perform them.
While still at school she joined a theatre group in North London, but her dreams of treading the boards in the West End were dashed by stage fright.
She said: “I used to lose my voice before every production. When I think about it, they were sort of panic attacks.”
Instead, she married telephone engineer Norman Ruffell in 1961 and stayed at home to look after their two daughters.
When Alison and Frances attended primary school, Sylvia started teaching drama to their fellow pupils. It cost just ten pence and the kids also got a cup of orange squash and a biscuit.
Word spread and when her students got the nickname the Young-uns, Sylvia decided to adopt the surname Young for business purposes.
The first Sylvia Young Theatre School was set up in 1981 in Drury Lane in the heart of London’s theatre district.
Two years later, it moved to a former church school in Marylebone in central London, where most of its famous pupils got their start.
Even though it is fee-paying, everyone has to pass an audition — and only one in 25 applicants are successful.
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Dua Lipa, who has won seven Brit awards and three GrammysCredit: Redferns
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She did not know she could sing until a teacher at the Sylvia Young Theatre School told her how good she wasCredit: Instagram
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Emma Bunton joining the Spice Girls was thanks to Sylvia’s schoolCredit: Getty
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It was thanks to talent scouts and casting agents putting up requests on the notice board at the schoolCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
It costs up to £7,000 per term for full-time students and only has places for 250 pupils aged ten to 16.
There are bursaries and fee reductions for pupils from less well-off backgrounds, plus a Saturday school and part-time classes.
Sylvia was always keen to avoid it being a school for rich kids.
When she took an assembly she would ask pupils, “What mustn’t we be?”, and they would shout back, “Stage school brats”.
Keeping kids level-headed when stardom beckoned was also important for the teacher.
She said: “I offer good training and like to keep the students as individual as possible.
“We develop a lot of confidence and communication skills. Of course they want immediate stardom, but they’re not expecting it. You don’t find notices up here about who’s doing what. It is actually played down tremendously.”
‘Baby Spice was lovely’
A need for discipline even applied to Sylvia’s daughter Frances, who she expelled from the school.
Frances clearly got over it, going on to have a career in musical theatre and representing the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing tenth.
Those genes were strong, with Frances’ daughter, stage name Eliza Doolittle, having a Top Five hit with Pack Up in 2010.
The ever-rebellious Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 aged 27 from accidental alcohol poisoning, claimed to have been kicked out, too.
She said: “I was just being a brat and being disruptive and so on. I loved it there, I didn’t have a problem, I just didn’t want to conform.
“And they didn’t like me wearing a nose piercing.”
But Sylvia did not want Amy to leave. She said: “She would upset the academic teachers, except the English teacher who thought she’d be a novelist. She seemed to be just loved. But she was naughty.”
Other singers were clearly inspired by their time at the school, which moved to new premises in Westminster in 2010.
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Billie Piper had her acting skills honed thanks to SylviaCredit: Getty
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Billie attended the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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Sylvia was loved by her former pupils, many of whom paid tribute to the ‘backstage matriarch’Credit: Alamy
Dua Lipa, who went to the Saturday school from the age of nine, was asked to sing in front of other pupils shortly after joining.
She said, “I was terrified”, but that the vocal coach “was the first person to tell me I could sing”.
Talent scouts and casting agents would put up requests on the notice board at the school. One such posting led to Emma Bunton joining the Spice Girls.
Of Baby Spice, Sylvia said: “She got away with whatever she could. But she was a lovely, happy-go-lucky individual with a sweet singing voice.”
Groups were also formed by Sylvia’s ex-pupils.
All Saints singer Melanie Blatt became best friends with Nicole Appleton at Sylvia Young’s and brought her in when her band needed new singers in 1996.
But Melanie was not complimentary about the school, once saying: “I just found the whole thing really up its own arse.”
Casting agents did, however, hold the classes in very high regard.
The professionalism instilled in the students meant that producers from major British TV shows such as EastEnders and Grange Hill kept coming back for more.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of less well-known performers treading the boards of Britain’s stages also have the school’s ethos to thank for their success.
Those achievements were recognised in the 2005 Honours List when Sylvia was awarded an OBE for services to the arts.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who has produced shows including Les Miserables and Cats, said: “The show that provided the greatest showcase for the young actors she discovered and nurtured is undoubtedly Oliver! which has featured hundreds of her students over the years.
“Sylvia was a pioneer who became a caring but formidable children’s agent.”
Rangers “will understand that it is not easy to play in Athens”, says Pananthinaikos head coach Rui Vitoria as the Greek side attempt to turn around a two-goal deficit to progress in Champions League qualifying.
The Greek side dominated for 50 minutes at Ibrox but failed to convert a host of chances before goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassamma gave Rangers a priceless lead to protect in Wednesday’s second leg.
Vitoria understands why the home players and fans celebrated at the end of the first leg, but warns they are mistaken if they believe the job is already done.
“We need to be more united than ever,” the Portuguese said.
“It was a really good atmosphere in Scotland, but believe me, it is going to be a very nice and hot atmosphere here as well.
“Rangers will understand that it is not easy to play in Athens – not for them and not for anybody else.”
Even with a 21:00 local kick-off time, the temperature is expected to be in excess of 30C at the Olympic Stadium.
Vitoria believes the heat and atmosphere can give Panathinaikos the edge, while emphasising the importance of scoring first.
And despite losing the first leg, Vitoria thinks the performance in Glasgow will give his side belief.
“What we did there was something rather unbelievable for a Champions League match because we had many chances, we played in our way, but we could not score,” he said.
“Although Rangers had fewer chances, they were able to score two goals. They have a lot of quality and we were punished because we did not take our chances.
“The match left a really bitter taste for all of us.
“The most important thing now is to score the first goal. I think that once we score the first goal, then the second and third ones are going to come.”
Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl has left the crisis-hit Championship club by mutual consent.
The 36-year-old’s departure, less than two weeks before the season starts, is the latest development in a chaotic summer.
The Owls are under a number of embargoes because of financial issues, including players being paid late in both May and June, and owner Dejphon Chansiri is looking to sell the club.
Rohl had looked set to leave last month when he did not return to take pre-season training but eventually came back in early July.
The club have confirmed that coaches Sascha Lense, Chris Powell, Neil Thompson and Sal Bibbo have all also left and BBC Radio Sheffield understands that Henrik Pedersen, who took pre-season training before Rohl’s return, is likely to be named his successor.
Former 21st Century Fox and Walt Disney Co. executive Peter Rice has been named head of ceremonies and content for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles, LA28 organizers said Wednesday.
In this role, the longtime TV veteran will be in charge of the physical production and creative oversight of the opening and closing ceremonies for both games. The 2028 Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony will be held at two venues — the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. The Games’ closing ceremony will be held at the Coliseum.
In a statement, Rice said he looked forward to producing ceremonies that would honor the legacy of the Coliseum and “celebrate the cutting-edge future” of SoFi Stadium.
“These venues have hosted some of the most legendary moments in sports history,” Rice said. “I’m thrilled to deliver a powerful artistic experience that adds a new chapter to LA’s Olympic and Paralympic story.”
LA28 President and Chairperson Casey Wasserman said Rice’s background in “creativity, operational insight and production excellence” made him ideal for the position.
“He’s been a leading figure in shaping the modern television and film landscape and is the perfect asset to reimagining the delivery of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the digital age, leaving a legacy well beyond the Games,” Wasserman said in a statement.
Rice spent decades at Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, eventually rising to the role of president. After Disney acquired the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox in 2019, he became chairman of Disney’s TV content division. At one point, analysts and insiders speculated that he could become Disney’s CEO.
Shirine Khoury-Haq spoke to BBC Breakfast in her first public interview since the hack
The chief executive of Co-op has confirmed that all 6.5 million of its members had their data stolen in a cyber-attack on the retailer in April.
“I’m devastated that information was taken. I’m also devastated by the impact that it took on our colleagues as well as they tried to contain all of this,” Shirine Khoury-Haq told BBC Breakfast in her first public interview since the hack.
“There was no financial data, no transaction data but it was names and addresses and contact information that was lost,” she added.
Ms Khoury-Haq said that she was “incredibly sorry” for the attack and that it was “personal” to her because of the impact that it had on her colleagues.
“Early on I met with our IT staff and they were in the midst of it. I will never forget the looks on their faces, trying to fight off these criminals,” she said.
Once the hackers had been removed from the systems, “they could not erase what they did so we could monitor every mouse click” and Co-op was able to send that information to authorities.
But she added: “We know a lot of that information is out there anyway, but people will be worried and all members should be concerned.”
Co-op runs on a membership scheme, where members are paid a share of the profits of the co-operative.
“It hurt my members, they took their data and it hurt our customers and that I do take personally,” Ms Khoury-Haq said.
One of Co-op’s responses to the hack is to partner with a cyber-security recruitment company.
The Hacking Games identifies young talent to channel their skills into legal careers.
“The research shows that if you offer these kids talent development opportunities and career opportunities, the vast majority of them will take the legitimate pathway,” said its chief executive Fergus Hay.
It is planning a pilot programme with Co-op Academies Trust, which runs 38 schools in England.
What happened in the cyber-attacks?
Co-op was one of three retailers, alongside Marks and Spencer (M&S) and Harrods who were victims of cyber-attacks in spring this year.
Co-op announced on 30 April that it had been hacked, initially saying it would only have a “small impact” on its call centre and back office.
But days later, after being contacted by the alleged hackers, BBC News revealed that customer and employee data had been accessed.
Co-op then admitted the criminals had “accessed data relating to a significant number of our current and past members”.
BBC News later discovered from the alleged attackers that the company disconnected the internet from IT networks in the nick of time to stop the hackers from deploying ransomware and so causing even more disruption.
Last week, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said four people had been arrested in connection with the hacks on Co-op and M&S
These were a 20-year-old woman who was arrested in Staffordshire, and three males – aged between 17 and 19 – who were detained in London and the West Midlands.
They were apprehended on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences, blackmail, money laundering and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
What to do following a cyber-attack
Find out if you are affected on the company’s official website or social media channels
Look out for suspicious phone calls, messages or emails including those asking you to reset your password or input personal details
If you have other accounts which use the same password, change it
Check your accounts to make sure there has not been any unauthorised activity
Follow guidance if you think your account has been hacked
Leicester City have named former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes as their new manager on a three-year deal.
The 43-year-old Spaniard replaces Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Foxes’ helm with less than a month until the season starts.
Cifuentes takes charge of a Leicester side that finds itself in the Championship for the second time in three years, having been immediately relegated from the Premier League after going up as second-tier title winners under Enzo Maresca in 2024.
Cifuentes now joins Maresca, who left Leicester after promotion to take the job at Chelsea, as one of the six permanent managers the Foxes have had in just over two years.
Just as the Italian was tasked with returning the East Midlands club to the top flight during his tenure, promotion will also be expected of Cifuentes.
In his time at QPR, the Spaniard oversaw 18th and 15th-placed finishes.
Leicester say they feel the Spaniard will bring “a modern, progressive footballing philosophy” to the club, while chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha says that Cifuentes “is an excellent fit”.
“We felt strongly that bringing him to the club would help us to create the success we all want in the years ahead,” Srivaddhanaprabha added.
Cifuentes took charge of QPR when they were second-from-bottom in the Championship in October 2023 and escaping relegation was first asked of him at Loftus Road.
His latest campaign ended with him on gardening leave after the Hoops suffered a 5-0 defeat by already-promoted Burnley in April.
Christian Horner has been sacked as Red Bull team principal with immediate effect after 20 years, the Red Bull Racing Formula One team announced on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old oversaw a period of dominance by the team, winning the drivers’ championship eight times – including the past four titles with Max Verstappen – and adding six constructors’ crowns.
Who will replace Horner at Red Bull Racing?
Horner, who has been in charge of Red Bull since the team was formed in 2005, will be replaced by the principal of sister team Racing Bulls, Laurent Mekies.
A motorsport aerodynamics specialist, the French-born Mekies entered Formula One in the early 2000s and had stints working with Arrows, Minardi, Toro Rosso and Ferrari before joining Racing Bulls as team principal in 2024.
“I think he has a very, very good understanding of the business, having started as an engineer and then worked at the FIA,” said Fred Vasseur, current F1 team principal at Ferrari, when Mekies left the famous Italian team in July 2023.
Laurent Mekies is the new team principal of Red Bull Racing after the shock exit of Christian Horner [File: Alessio Morgese/Stefano Facchin/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
No reason given for Horner sacking
Horner was sacked as Red Bull’s team principal with immediate effect.
The team’s official media statement, released on Wednesday, reads:
“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today [Wednesday, July 9, 2025] and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO of Red Bull Racing. Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments, thanked Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.”
“We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years,” said Mintzlaff. “With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”
Martin Brundle, an ex-F1 driver, current race commentator and friend of Horner, told Sky Sports News:
“I am due to speak to Christian later. I put a message to him saying, ‘I am sorry to read this, can we have a chat before I am due to go on TV because I want to know more about it from his point of view’.
“He wasn’t able to do that. What he did say was that no reason was given to him as to why he is being released.”
Horner, right, and F1 commentator Martin Brundle chat in the paddock prior to qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia [Kym Illman/Getty Images]
A difficult 18 months for Horner
Horner’s dismissal follows a challenging period on several fronts for the team principal.
His exit from the team comes nearly a year-and-a-half after it was leaked that a female employee had accused Horner of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour. Horner was twice cleared of the claims by Red Bull headquarters, situated in Austria.
At the same time, Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, called for Horner to leave his position and claimed that the Briton’s presence could tear the team apart in a March 4, 2024, interview.
Jos told The Daily Mail that “there is tension while he remains in position”, referring to Horner.
He added, “The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim when he is the one causing the problems.”
The early-2025 departure of Adrian Newey – the former chief technology officer of Red Bull Racing and widely considered one of the greatest motorsport designers in F1 – to rival team Aston Martin was a huge loss to the Milton Keynes-based team and to Horner personally.
Newey had joined Red Bull in 2006, just months after Horner’s appointment, with the pair forming one of the most successful F1 management partnerships in history.
Horner, who is married to former ‘Spice Girls’ popstar Geri Halliwell, right, had been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female colleague but was twice cleared of the claims by the team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH [File: James Bearne/Getty Images]
How successful was Horner as Red Bull boss?
Under Horner’s leadership, Red Bull won their first world championship in 2010, with German driver Sebastian Vettel taking the first of four consecutive drivers’ titles.
Following a multiyear period of dominance by archrival Mercedes, Red Bull, this time with Max Verstappen of the Netherlands as their star driver, entered a second championship window, winning four more drivers’ titles consecutively from 2021 to 2024.
In 2023, Horner presided over the most dominant season in Formula One history, with the team winning 21 of 22 races, and Verstappen setting a new F1 record with 10 consecutive victories.
Horner, left, celebrates winning the 2021 F1 World Drivers Championship with driver Max Verstappen at Yas Marina Circuit on December 12, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [Bryn Lennon/Getty Images]
Will Max Verstappen stay at Red Bull Racing?
At the midway point of the 2025 season, Verstappen trails McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings and has all but conceded the drivers’ title for this season.
As far back as April 13, Verstappen was already pessimistic about the prospects of winning a fifth straight drivers’ championship.
“McLaren are not my rivals right now. I am just taking part in this world championship,” Verstappen said, as quoted by nl.motorsport.com.
When pressed further if he meant he doesn’t see himself competing for the 2025 drivers’ title, he replied: “No, I don’t.”
In recent days, and not for the first time, Verstappen has been linked with a move to rival Mercedes, possibly as soon as next season.
Brundle told Sky Sports News that Horner’s exit from Red Bull may defuse tensions, resulting in Verstappen re-signing with the only F1 team he has ever driven for.
“It makes it more likely that Verstappen will stay,” Martin Brundle said. “It became personal in Team Verstappen.”
Verstappen has been heavily linked in recent weeks with a move away from Red Bull Racing [File: Jay Hirano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]
Nearly six months since the death of Stephen “Twitch” Boss, an autopsy report has provided new details about the beloved dancer’s unexpected death.
Boss, the DJ and executive producer on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” died by suicide on Dec. 13 last year, shocking his fans, friends and family.
“No one had any inkling that he was low. He didn’t want people to know,” his wife, Allison Holker Boss, told People in May. “He just wanted to be everyone’s Superman and protector.”
Boss, who originally rose to fame when he competed on the reality-dance competition show “So You Think You Can Dance,” died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Oak Tree Inn motel in Encino, according to the L.A. County coroner report obtained by The Times.
A new autopsy report obtained by The Times clears up some unanswered questions, confirming that there were no drugs or alcohol found in the dancer’s system at the time of his death.
The report also stated that per his family, Boss had no history of suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. His wife had filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department the day before Boss was found dead by the motel housekeeper, 10 minutes after checkout time.
“It’s been really hard because I can’t understand what was happening in that moment [he died],” said Holker Boss.
Boss left a note before he died, and the contents alluded to “past challenges” and led investigators to conclude Boss’ death was a suicide, which the autopsy report has confirmed. He did not, however, have a will in place. In February, Holker Boss filed a petition in Los Angeles for his half of their shared estate.
Ellen DeGeneres paid tribute to her DJ after the news broke.
“I’m heartbroken,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram photo of her and Boss embracing on the “Ellen” set. “tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children — Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.”
In January, weeks after his death, the Boss family laid Twitch to rest during an intimate funeral service at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale.
Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
