التصنيف: أخبار

Red Bull Formula One chief Christian Horner is under investigation by his team after an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour”.

It is understood the allegation has been made by another member of staff for the British-based team, the PA news agency reported.

The 50-year-old, who is married to former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell and has been Red Bull Racing team principal since 2005, strongly refutes the accusation.

Horner said: “I completely deny these claims.”

A spokesperson for Red Bull – the Austrian energy drinks company which owns the F1 team – told PA: “After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.

“This process, which is already under way, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister.

“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Horner has been team principal at Red Bull since their entry into F1 some 19 years ago, overseeing seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles.

Last season, one of the team’s two drivers, Max Verstappen, won his third consecutive world championship.

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Red Bull won 21 of the 22 rounds staged last year, with Verstappen setting a record of 10 consecutive race victories.

Horner was awarded a CBE for his services to motorsport in the New Year Honours List.

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Red Bull are due to launch their latest car on 15 February ahead of the new season, which starts in Bahrain on 2 March.

The owner of Snapchat has become the latest tech firm to announce job cuts.

Snap Inc said it would shed approximately 10% of its workforce – around 530 employees – with most of the roles expected to go in the first quarter.

The disclosure was made in a regulatory filing, which also revealed the company expects to face charges of up to $75m (£60m) in severance payouts and other related costs.

The California-based firm employs more than 5,300 staff globally, including around 500 in the UK.

A Snap spokeswoman told Sky News it was unable to say at this stage if any posts at its London offices would be affected.

She added: “We are reorganising our team to reduce hierarchy and promote in-person collaboration.

“We are focused on supporting our departing team members and we are very grateful for their hard work and many contributions to Snap.”

Snap Inc previously announced plans to cut around 20% of its workforce in 2022.

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Around 406 million people use Snapchat every day on average, according to the firm. It also has more than 5 million Snapchat+ subscribers.

Other tech companies to announce job losses recently include Microsoft, which plans to shed 1,900 employees and online retailer eBay, which is planning to cut 1,000 roles.

Meta, the owner of social media brands Facebook and Instagram, also announced 10,000 redundancies last year.

Shares in Snap fell 4% following the announcement on Monday.

The firm is due to reveal its fourth quarter results on Tuesday.

An American porn star has sparked anger after visiting Iran – despite the risks of being detained and sentenced to the death penalty.

Whitney Wright, 32, filmed herself in Tehran and visited the abandoned US embassy which has been turned into an anti-American museum.

In remarks made on social media, Wright, whose real name is Brittni Rayne Whittington, said she “HAD to visit” the embassy where Iranian students held staff members hostage for 444 days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“I’m sharing exhibits from a museum that are never seen,” Wright, from Oklahoma, wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post. “It’s not an endorsement of the government.”

She filmed herself throughout the Iranian capital despite her work in pornography putting her at risk in theory to criminal charges that carry the death penalty.

Wright also posted several pictures of her visit, including one that showed her in a headscarf and conservative clothing – required by law in Iran – standing next to a lowered US flag at the former embassy.

Posting on her Instagram story on Monday, the adult actress said she doesn’t know “half of what is being said here, but I’m no longer in Iran, but elsewhere”.

Her visit comes in the wake of Iran imprisoning Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women’s rights activist Narges Mohammadi, as well as the country’s mandatory headscarf law and nationwide protests over the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini two years ago.

Backlash to visit

Masih Alinejad, a US-based activist who faced assassination and kidnapping attempts by Iran, condemned Wright for making the trip and for alleged remarks where the actress said “if you respect the law, you will be safe in Iran”.

She wrote on X: “Iranian women don’t want to obey a discriminatory law. Rosa Parks stood up against racist laws in America and became a symbol of resistance.

“We the women of Iran want be like Rosa Parks and not Whitney Wright. And by the way, the true warmongers are the agents of the Islamic Republic who will execute you if you be true to yourself.”

Iranian actor Setareh Pesiani also said on Instagram: “You punish people of this country in various methods for removal of hijab but you allow a porn actress to come here for tourism!?”

Questions over visa

Under Iranian law, making pornography is illegal and can carry the death penalty.

Iran Human Rights reports that so far in 2024, some 74 people have been executed by the government.

US citizens also require a visa to visit the country, and it is unclear how the actress obtained one.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, quoted an anonymous official who claimed those who issued the visa were not “aware about the nature of her immoral job”.

Iran’s foreign affairs spokesman Nasser Kanani said during a weekly news conference: “Naturally, US citizens face no impediments in travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Iranian citizens are able to travel to the US.”

The US State Department, when asked about Wright’s trip, said it has warned Americans to avoid travelling to Iran and “exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detention”.