Merz vows to curb irregular migration and stop the rise of anti-migration AfD party
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Tearful Red Bull F1 staff ordered to ‘smile more' after being rocked by Christian Horner axe
TEARFUL staff rocked by Red Bull chief Christian Horner's axing have been ordered to 'smile more' by their new Austrian and German bosses. Loyal workers were stunned when the British Formula One team's supremo 3 Red Bull staff have been told to 'smile more' despite being upset over Christian Horner's exit Credit: AFP 3 The ace was brutally fired earlier this month in a surprise meeting Credit: AP He helped And sources told SunSport new Austrian boss Helmut Marko upset staff who gathered to meet him at the team's HQ in Milton Keynes — with some now threatening to quit. A female Red Bull worker revealed: 'It was only a day after Christian was sacked and a lot of the team were still upset when Mr Marko addressed us. 'But he just made a joke of it and told us to cheer up — he said, 'You need to smile more'. READ MORE IN F1 'It didn't endear him to anyone as what is there to smile about?' Horner's roles as chief executive officer and team principal have been usurped by Austrian team adviser Marko, 82, and German ex-football official Oliver Mintzlaff, 49. While French engineer and motorsport exec Laurent Mekies, 48, was quickly unveiled as Horner's replacement last week. But insiders have insisted Mintzlaff and Marko are now the men in the driving seat — and revealed their first address to staff at Milton Keynes was a 'car crash'. Most read in Motorsport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Mintzlaff sparked more anger when he joked about the brutal axing of senior staff including Horner, chief marketing officer Oliver Hughes and director of communications Paul Smith. Horner was summoned to London on July 9 believing he was attending a regular team meeting. Christian Horner SACKED by Red Bull F1! Shock Departure After 20 Years But he was then relieved of his duties on the spot and put on gardening leave. Hughes and Smith were called into an office and also told they were no longer part of Red Bull's future. They were escorted out of the building after having their company devices taken from them — leaving hundreds of staff with no bosses to answer to. And another staff member told SunSport: 'Mintzlaff also said, 'If you have any problems, just text your line manager'. 'Then he added, 'Oh, and if you don't have a line manager any more, just text me!' and started laughing.' Red Bull supremo Horner knew nothing of the plans to get rid of him, 18 months after he was accused of a sexting scandal which broke the heart of his Spice Girl wife Geri, 52. And the £12million-a-year chief was replaced within 24 hours by Marko and Mintzlaff, who arrived to address staff members, 90 per cent of whom are British. Emotional Red Bull insiders spoke in depth for the first time yesterday over their shock at the loss of their boss. They also laid bare the chaos that is now gripping this once all-conquering F1 team. 3 And long-standing family friends who have spoken to Horner admitted he was left stunned by his ruthless removal. One told SunSport: 'Christian told me how hurt and betrayed he felt after all that he and Geri and their family have been through over the past 18 months. 'He was cleared twice over the texting scandal but is now on gardening leave and has still been given no explanation why he's lost the job he loved. 'Red Bull's Austrian bosses have always resented the fact that so much of their F1 success was down to a team that Christian built in Britain. 'That is what lies behind this — as well as the hangover from the terrible headlines last year. 'Christian was called to a London meeting and had no idea what it was about. 'He was just told, 'You have to be there' and was dumbfounded when he was ushered into a room and effectively sacked on the spot. 'It left him totally blindsided — he thought he'd been called in to speak about another issue. 'But the staff are nearly all Brits and are fiercely loyal to him and are now talking about walking out. 'It was a targeted attack for control of the race team because Red Bull's Austrian HQ didn't like a British man running their race team. 'But now the team is in chaos — Red Bull at Milton Keynes has hit the skids.' Red Bull's Austrian-based HQ was approached for comment yesterday.
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Liverpool closing in on deal to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike although bid not yet accepted
Claims of a bid of €90million (£78m) being accepted for the Frenchman appear to be wide of the mark, with the two clubs still in negotiations over the fee and the structure of any transfer. But it is understood Liverpool are increasingly confident an agreement will soon be struck, with personal terms already reached with the 23-year-old, who has made a splash in the Bundesliga after last year's switch from Paris St Germain. Ekitike initially moved to Frankfurt on loan 18 months ago before completing a permanent switch in the summer and he scored 15 goals in 31 games to help the club finish third in the German top flight. His exploits attracted the attention of Newcastle, who reportedly had a £70m offer for the France Under-21 international knocked back and have subsequently seemed to have dropped out of the race. Liverpool had been weighing up a big-money move for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, although with the Magpies warning he is not for sale, the Premier League champions switched focus to Ekitike. Arne Slot's side have already signed Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez this summer, with Giorgi Mamardashvili linking up with the side after agreeing a move last August. The likely arrival of Ekitike to Anfield for another sizeable transfer fee might nudge Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa closer to the exit door as Liverpool look to balance the books. Luis Diaz is still attracting attention from Bayern Munich although the Reds have no plans to sell the Colombian.
Irish Independent
21 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Cathal MacLiam, activist who helped ensure Irish voters had a bigger say on European issues
A strong supporter of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland and active campaigner against the apartheid regime in South Africa, he also helped to ensure Irish voters got a greater say on European political issues. MacLiam was born on Christmas Eve, 1931, in Galway city to Charles Wilson and Elizabeth (nee Goulding), both from Dublin. Originally given his father's name, he opted for the Irish-language version at an early stage. He attended a Christian Brothers national school, but his parents were unhappy with the corporal punishment he suffered and secured early admission to the Jesuit school Coláiste Iognáid/St Ignatius College. He later became a medical student at University College Galway, but dropped out after a year, moving to Liverpool and later London. Jobs he held included laboratory work at Birkbeck College, part of the University of London. At his 23rd birthday party in London in 1954, he met and fell in love with Helga Boehmer, a German physiotherapist. They married in 1955, and had five children. He was a firm friend of political activist and historian Desmond Greaves. Both were key figures in the Connolly Association in London and used its newspaper, The Irish Democrat, to promote the rights of the Irish immigrant community as well as urging British Labour politicians and trade unionists to get involved in the Northern Ireland situation. MacLiam returned in 1956 to an Ireland caught up in an employment and emigration crisis, but managed to secure a position in the developing telecommunications sector. He and Helga lived in Finglas, north Dublin, before moving permanently to Rathmines. He later became an official in Liberty Hall with the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU, which later merged with another union into Siptu). Cathal MacLiam worked closely on political issues in Dublin with scientist and activist Roy Johnston, and they had many discussions with the 'official' wing of the republican movement, led by Cathal Goulding (a first cousin of MacLiam) and Tomás Mac Giolla, both of whom took a more political approach than the Provisionals at the time. MacLiam was chairman and secretary of the Wolfe Tone Society, which he and Johnston were involved in founding. When Ireland joined the EEC, he became active in the Irish Sovereignty Movement, with Trinity College lecturer Anthony Coughlan, in seeking to protect Ireland's independence within the common market. MacLiam played an active role in the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement They were strong supporters of the Crotty case, as it was called, taken in 1986-87 by agricultural economist Raymond Crotty, which sought a referendum on the Single European Act (SEA), aimed at creating a single internal market throughout the EEC. The Supreme Court found in Crotty's favour and a referendum took place on May 26, 1987. As a result of the Crotty case, major European treaties since then have to be put to the Irish people by way of referendum. MacLiam and his associates also supported court actions taken by political activist Patricia McKenna, which ultimately resulted in a Supreme Court decision that public money could not be used in a partisan way in a constitutional referendum. MacLiam played an active role in the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement, which organised a major protest in January 1970 against the visit of the South African rugby team that played against Ireland at Lansdowne Road. Having been in poor health for some time, Cathal MacLiam died peacefully at home on July 14. Helga MacLiam died in August 2016. In accordance with their wishes, their bodies have been donated to the School of Anatomy in the UCD Medical Department. A memorial occasion celebrating his life will be held later. Cathal MacLiam is survived by his sisters Joanna and Cecily, and his five children: twins Fionnula and Egon, Conor, Bébhinn and Kilian, as well as four grandchildren.
