Latest news with #ex-British
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd appoint new director of football as Ratcliffe oversees major shake-up
The hierarchy at Manchester United has gone through multiple changes since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner and took control of football operations 18 months ago Manchester United have appointed Jason Wilcox as their new sporting director after it emerged that Sir Dave Brailsford would be stepping back from his duties. The Red Devils had been without a sporting director since announcing the shock departure of Dan Ashworth in November. United had spent half a year chasing the ex-Newcastle chief's signature before co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe axed him after just five months, citing a lack of 'chemistry' and costing the club, who've made hundreds of staff redundant this year, a huge £4million in compensation. Wilcox, 53, was poached from Southampton and arrived as technical director two months before Ashworth. But now the former Manchester City academy head has been give a new position, one with increased seniority, after impressing Ratcliffe and senior Old Trafford figures, the Athletic report. Wilcox's promotion coincides with Brailsford's decision to step back. The ex-British cycling chief is the director of sport for INEOS, Ratcliffe's petrochemical conglomerate. Brailsford has been a consistent presence since Ratcliffe purchased his initial stake in the club which has now increased to 28.94 per cent. It's one of several changes to United's hierarchy during Ratcliffe's 18-month tenure. In April, INEOS chief Jean-Claude Blanc stepped down from his position as a director of the club. A regular at matches home and away, Brailsford was involved in the appointments of chief executive Omar Berrada and head coach Ruben Amorim. The 61-year-old carried out an audit of United's football operations and was across the £50m refurbishment of their training ground, Carrington. Brailsford even stepped down as INEOS Grenadiers' team principal to focus on the footballing project. But he'd become less visible in recent weeks, choosing to spend more time in Monaco after becoming a father last year, and will have less of a presence going forward. Brailsford will remain on United's football club board alongside legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former chief executive David Gill. Ratcliffe reportedly wants him to mentor cyclist Geraint Thomas, who's expected to be given a senior management position within the Grenadiers once he retires as a rider at the end of this season. Brailsford can also focus on INEOS' other sporting ventures. He was once influential at French side Nice but United's failure to qualify for European football means that he can work closely with them again. UEFA's ownership rules prevented INEOS from being as hands-on as Nice qualified for the Champions League. Will INEOS bring success back to Manchester United? Give us your prediction in the comments section. Wilcox, meanwhile, will hope to enhance his growing reputation at Old Trafford. "Jason, for me, is a guy at the coal face," Ratcliffe told the Times earlier this year. "He ran the academy at Manchester City. Txiki Begiristain, I know, thought Jason had the best eyes in the club. "Jason knows what'S working, what'S not working in terms of how Ruben's playing, his system, which players he's picking, which players we are going to buy in the future. And Jason's got views on all of those things. And when I listen to Jason speak, I get what he'S saying." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scotsman
29-05-2025
- Scotsman
'Harry Potter' Jacobite train operator slammed for substitute 'Primark' carriages
Former British Rail blue and grey coaches deployed amid ongoing safety Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Passengers travelling on the Hogwarts Express-style Jacobite train in the Highlands have been angered after its normal red carriages were replaced with blue ex-British Rail Inter-City coaches. The Friends of the West Highland Lines (FoWHL) said it was 'like seeing a Marks & Spencer store from the pavement and going in and finding it's Primark'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Jacobite service hauled by a diesel locomotive passing Glenfinnan Station on May 14 | Contributed The substitute carriages have been drafted in by operator West Coast Railways as part of an ongoing dispute with rail safety regulators who have insisted the train must have centrally-locking doors. The move has added to the frustration of Harry Potter fans booking tickets for the service between Fort William and Mallaig because its steam locomotive has been temporarily replaced with a diesel engine due to the high wildfire risk. One passenger posted on Tripadvisor: 'Awful coaches, not the Harry Potter coaches we were expecting, modern blue and grey coaches.' The Jacobite passing Lochailort en route to Mallaig in 2022. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA) | Jane Barlow/PA Another, Alan G, said: 'Complete waste of time! We are sitting on what can only be described as a old 70s/80s inter city carriage, not even a classic.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Marie, visiting Anjou in France, posted: 'Very disappointing. We planned an immersive experience and ended up on a cigarette-smelling train from the 70s. Nothing or almost nothing to do with the Harry Potter movie except a few goodies sold.' West Coast Railways has applied for a further exemption from the long-established central door locking requirement for its original Jacobite carriages, which are known as 'Mark 1s', despite losing a High Court case against the Office of Rail and Road regulator (ORR) in 2023. Doug Carmichael of the FoWHL, said: 'Although the coaches have all the requirements expected by the ORR, West Coast Railways should have considered fitting new door locking to their existing fleet to satisfy the expectations of their customers, a majority of whom are ardent Harry Potter fans and expect the train to look similar to that shown in the movies. 'A coach the 'wrong' colour is a bit like seeing a Marks & Spencer store from the pavement and going in and finding it's Primark.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A passenger said the blue carriages were "not the Harry Potter coaches we were expecting" | Contributed The carriages have been used on the Jacobite's afternoon service but from Monday they will be used on the morning service. In a statement on its website, West Coast Railways said: 'Due to the extreme weather conditions we have experienced from the start of our season, we are having to carry out additional and essential maintenance on our carriages. 'Starting on May 19 and lasting for a few weeks, the normal carriages used on the morning service are to be replaced with our ex-British Rail Inter-City rolling stock in their traditional colours of blue and grey. 'The use of these carriages on the Jacobite service is a rare opportunity. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Although the exterior differs from the usual carriages, the interior is still of the same standard so we are confident that you will have an enjoyable trip. 'All booked passengers will be notified where it affects them.' Commercial manager James Shuttleworth added: 'They're being used as they are already fitted with central door locking until such time as we gain an exemption for the Mark 1 vehicles. Dialogue is on-going with the ORR. 'As far as the blue and grey is concerned, we're not disguising the fact.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Shuttleworth explained that the carriages were being switched between the two daily services because the steel 'tyres' on their wheels were having to be changed more often than usual. He said: 'There is a plan to rotate/swap the vehicles so the tyres can be turned on our lathe, due to wear, which also happens more frequently in dry weather.' The extra maintenance needed follows similar conditions in 2018 when the Jacobite carriages' tyres had to be changed four times rather than twice as normal. That led to the cancellation of Christmas trips because of insufficient time to complete the work after the end of the summer season in October. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
British minister under investigation for climbing Everest using undeclared gas
A British minister is being investigated for using a controversial gas to climb Mount Everest in record-breaking time. Al Carns, the veterans minister, was part of a group of ex-British Special Forces soldiers who flew the Union flag on the summit on Wednesday, after an arduous five-day climb. An ascent usually takes around two months with traditional acclimatisation methods. The 45-year-old Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, a Royal Marines Reserves colonel and former regular who was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in Afghanistan, undertook the expedition with three other veterans with the aim of raising £1 million for forces charities. Their achievement stunned the mountaineering world, but has been strongly criticised by the Nepalese government, which said it was not aware the team had used xenon gas to pre-acclimatise to the thin atmosphere on the mountain. 'We are investigating the travel agency and the climbers who used xenon gas for scaling Everest,' Narayan Prasad Regmi, Nepal's tourism chief, told The Telegraph. 'We will summon them, including the British minister, and take action as deemed fit under the law,' Mr Regmi added. He said xenon gas has never been used by climbers in Nepal before, and that there was a need for a clear legislation on whether it should be banned. 'All climbers and expedition organisers are required to declare the substances and equipment they use,' Mr Regmi said. In January, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation said there was 'no evidence that breathing in xenon improves performance in the mountains, and inappropriate use can be dangerous'. 'The well-known and established methods of pre-[acclimatisation] and acclimatisation are safe and recommended,' it said. The expedition team maintains that it did not bring the gas into Nepal. The British team inhaled xenon at a clinic in Germany two weeks before the expedition to prevent altitude sickness. Some researchers claim it increases the production of a protein that fights hypoxia – a condition that occurs when the body cannot get enough oxygen. Critics say xenon's alleged performance benefits are unproven, and that it could harm the tourist industry if its use becomes widespread because climbers would spend less time on the mountain. Furtenbach Adventures, the Austria-based company that organised the climb, defended the group's use of the gas. 'Xenon improves acclimatisation, protects against altitude sickness and mitigates the effects of hypoxic environments,' said Lukas Furtenbach, the company's founder. 'It makes the climb safer and shorter while ensuring climbers are properly acclimatised, unlike those who rely solely on oxygen from Base Camp without prior acclimatisation, which is extremely dangerous. 'There was no breach of any Nepali regulation. What happens outside Nepal should not be under the purview of the Nepal government.' He went on to point out that shorter, xenon-aided expeditions had environmental benefits because they used fewer resources. To get used to thinner oxygen levels at high altitudes, climbers usually spend weeks going up and down between Base Camp and higher camps before making a push for the summit. Rajendra Bajgain, a Nepalese MP, told The Telegraph that 'the rise of short-duration climbs aided by xenon gas will hurt our mountain economy'. 'These quick summits reduce the need for local Sherpas, guides and kitchen staff, cutting off vital income for rural communities who have long depended on traditional expeditions,' he said. 'It will collapse the whole support ecosystem.' Urging the Nepalese government to ban the use of xenon, Mr Bajgain said there were 'no checklists, no oversight, and no concern for how this trend of rapid climbs, including use of helicopters, is displacing local labour'. Speaking from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu after completing the climb, Mr Carns told BirminghamLive he was 'incredibly proud' and 'feeling amazing' after breaking the record for the fastest of Everest without prior acclimatisation in the Himalayas. 'It was really tough – we walked pretty much non-stop for 55 hours, all uphill, to get to the top, but we did it,' he said. The minister described how upper reaches of the mountain were littered with bodies of those who have died attempting to conquer the peak, saying: 'It really brought it home, this was the death zone, where there is no room for error or accident.' Over 340 people have died trying to reach or return from the summit of Everest since it was first climbed by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Around 200 corpses are estimated to remain on the mountain's slopes because of the difficulties and costs of recovery missions. Mr Carns joined the Royal Marines aged 19 in 1999 and went on to serve as regular for 24 years. He completed five operational tours of Afghanistan and was due to be promoted to brigadier before leaving the forces for a career in politics. He was elected as Labour MP at last year's general election. Last July, he was appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state for veterans and people, and in November he re-enlisted in the Royal Marines as a reservist. This week's expedition, which followed the southern route via South Col and the southeastern ridge, was the fastest ascent of Everest completed without prior Himalayan acclimatisation. The fastest climb with acclimatisation was achieved by Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who reached the summit in 10 hours and 56 minutes in 2003. Mr Carns has been contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Scotsman
18-05-2025
- Scotsman
'Harry Potter' Jacobite train operator slammed for substitute 'Primark' carriages
Former British Rail blue and grey coaches deployed amid ongoing safety Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Passengers travelling on the Hogwarts Express-style Jacobite train in the Highlands have been angered after its normal red carriages were replaced with blue ex-British Rail Inter-City coaches. The Friends of the West Highland Lines (FoWHL) said it was 'like seeing a Marks & Spencer store from the pavement and going in and finding it's Primark'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Jacobite service hauled by a diesel locomotive passing Glenfinnan Station on May 14 | Contributed The substitute carriages have been drafted in by operator West Coast Railways as part of an ongoing dispute with rail safety regulators who have insisted the train must have centrally-locking doors. The move has added to the frustration of Harry Potter fans booking tickets for the service between Fort William and Mallaig because its steam locomotive has been temporarily replaced with a diesel engine due to the high wildfire risk. One passenger posted on Tripadvisor: 'Awful coaches, not the Harry Potter coaches we were expecting, modern blue and grey coaches.' The Jacobite passing Lochailort en route to Mallaig in 2022. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA) | Jane Barlow/PA Another, Alan G, said: 'Complete waste of time! We are sitting on what can only be described as a old 70s/80s inter city carriage, not even a classic.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Marie, visiting Anjou in France, posted: 'Very disappointing. We planned an immersive experience and ended up on a cigarette-smelling train from the 70s. Nothing or almost nothing to do with the Harry Potter movie except a few goodies sold.' West Coast Railways has applied for a further exemption from the long-established central door locking requirement for its original Jacobite carriages, which are known as 'Mark 1s', despite losing a High Court case against the Office of Rail and Road regulator (ORR) in 2023. Doug Carmichael of the FoWHL, said: 'Although the coaches have all the requirements expected by the ORR, West Coast Railways should have considered fitting new door locking to their existing fleet to satisfy the expectations of their customers, a majority of whom are ardent Harry Potter fans and expect the train to look similar to that shown in the movies. 'A coach the 'wrong' colour is a bit like seeing a Marks & Spencer store from the pavement and going in and finding it's Primark.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A passenger said the blue carriages were "not the Harry Potter coaches we were expecting" | Contributed The carriages have been used on the Jacobite's afternoon service but from Monday they will be used on the morning service. In a statement on its website, West Coast Railways said: 'Due to the extreme weather conditions we have experienced from the start of our season, we are having to carry out additional and essential maintenance on our carriages. 'Starting on May 19 and lasting for a few weeks, the normal carriages used on the morning service are to be replaced with our ex-British Rail Inter-City rolling stock in their traditional colours of blue and grey. 'The use of these carriages on the Jacobite service is a rare opportunity. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Although the exterior differs from the usual carriages, the interior is still of the same standard so we are confident that you will have an enjoyable trip. 'All booked passengers will be notified where it affects them.' Commercial manager James Shuttleworth added: 'They're being used as they are already fitted with central door locking until such time as we gain an exemption for the Mark 1 vehicles. Dialogue is on-going with the ORR.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ex-British boxing champion Julius Francis turns bouncer for Ram Charan in London; requests him to drape a boxing belt
Ram Charan 's recent visit to London was marked by a grand celebration as he unveiled his wax figure at the iconic Madame Tussauds. The unveiling event was attended by his family, including his parents, Megastar Chiranjeevi and Surekha. Fans also cheered for their favourite star abroad. A heartwarming highlight of the London trip was Ram Charan's interaction with ex-British heavyweight boxer Julius Francis. Pictures from the event went viral after some industry trackers shared them on their X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Julius Francis, who was working as a bouncer at the venue, reportedly approached the RRR star with a special request. The former champion asked the actor to drape a boxing belt over his shoulder as a mark of respect. Charan graciously fulfilled the request by placing the medal on his chest—photographs capturing the moment have since gone viral. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Julius Francis is a prominent name in the British boxing circuit. Competing professionally throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, he notably faced off against the legendary Mike Tyson in January 2000, although he was defeated in that match. Over his career, Francis earned titles including five British Heavyweight Championships and four Commonwealth crowns. He also dabbled in mixed martial arts. Fans Forcefully Grab Ram Charan's Pet Dog for Photos; Netizens Outraged Ram Charan's wax figure stands out as it also features his pet dog Rhyme alongside him. The statue is expected to be showcased at Madame Tussauds Singapore. On the work front, Charan was last seen in 'Game Changer', directed by Shankar. The film also starred SJ Suryah, Kiara Advani, Srikanth, Jayaram, and Anjali in key roles. He is now gearing up for the release of 'Peddi', a rural sports drama directed by Buchi Babu Sana. The film stars Janhvi Kapoor as the female lead, with Shiva Rajkumar and Divyendu also playing pivotal roles. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . And don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
