Morrisons to press ahead with sale of forecourts

By Patrick Tooher

Updated: 06:37 EDT, 24 September 2023

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The Voice Australia’s top four revealed ahead of grand finale

By Caleb Taylor For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:13 EDT, 24 September 2023 | Updated: 09:16 EDT, 24 September 2023

Ethnicity Awards is returning and scheduled to take place in London on November 2.

And MailOnline can exclusively reveal that TV presenter and comedian Judi Love will return again this year to host the awards.

The Loose Women star successfully hosted the 2022 awards after following in the footsteps of former celebrity hosts such as Alex Scott, Marvin Humes and Charlene White to lead prize-giving duties at the red-carpet extravaganza.

The Ethnicity Awards is the biggest Black, Asian and minority red carpet ceremony in Britain and is held in partnership with HSBC, celebrating the leading activists, allies and celebrities in the UK and globally. 

Nominees this year include Lewis Hamilton, Rochelle Humes, Gok Wan and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Speaking about her return to host to the event Judi said: ‘I am so excited to return to host the 2023 Ethnicity Awards. 

‘The event last year was amazing, and it is so inspiring to see the talent in the room and the real change people are making.

‘The Ethnicity Awards celebrates the role models and those advancing opportunities for underrepresented people across the world.

‘I am honoured to be part of the occasion again and can’t wait to see all the winners!’

Judi is loved by the nation for her honest opinions and hilarious anecdotes and the founder of the awards Sarah Garrett, MBE, expressed their happiness that Judi was back for another year.

She said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to confirm Judi Love will return to host the Ethnicity Awards 2023.

‘Judi contributed to a memorable evening 12 months ago and everyone associated with the awards is delighted she is back.

‘As ever, the Ethnicity Awards shine a light on those standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

‘Judi brings an incredible level of poise, entertainment and humour to one of the most important dates in the calendar.’

It is set to be an incredible evening with Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton nominated for his unparalleled career in the sport and his unwavering support to charity. 

The star, who spoke out earlier this year about the ‘traumatising’ racism he suffered in school from the age of six, donated an estimated more than £20 million to charitable causes in 2022.

Pop star turned TV presenter Rochelle Humes is also tipped to win big as is legendary broadcaster and fashion guru Gok, who away from the media spotlight has championed causes to promote equality, partially for LGBT+ people from minority communities.

Meanwhile 2023 British Eurovision star Mae Muller has been shortlisted in the Music Artist category. 

The singer has previously responded to anti-semitism in the music industry, posting to Instagram: ‘To all my Jewish friends and followers, I love you. There is no place for antisemitism in this world. I’m very proud of my Jewish roots and so should you [be].’

Ethnicity Awards partner HSBC added: ‘HSBC UK is incredibly proud to be a long-time partner of the Investing in Ethnicity Awards, recognising people and organisations making a positive impact on diversity, equity and inclusion across the UK.

‘Within our own organisation, we continue to take action to increase representation, remove barriers and help open up opportunities for all our colleagues, our customers and the communities we serve.

‘Congratulations and good luck to all the incredible role models and change makers nominated this year.’

Previous Ethnicity Award winners include Marcus Rashford, Naomi Campbell, Sadiq Khan and Jade Thirlwall.

• Bizarre sight occurred at opposed session 
• Storm are heavy underdogs for preliminary final 
• Both sides have stars returning from injury

By Shayne Bugden For Daily Mail Australia and George Clarke For Australian Associated Press

Published: 01:22 EDT, 20 September 2023 | Updated: 03:21 EDT, 20 September 2023

Just six hours before the eagerly anticipated iPhone 15 launch event, the Apple Store website has gone down. 

While users can usually browse an array of devices when visiting the website, they’re now greeted with a disclaimer that reads: ‘Be right back. 

‘We’re making updates to the Apple Store. Check back soon.’

A blue and grey version of the Apple logo is also displayed, hinting that the outage is linked to the iPhone 15 launch. 

The event, titled Wanderlust, will take place in Cupertino, California, at 10:00 PT (18:00 BST). 

While Apple has made no mention of a new iPhone, the company has revealed a new device every year around autumn for over a decade now.

Apple will be livestreaming the event on its website later today.

MailOnline will also be covering it live, so make sure you check back in for all the latest Apple action.

As for when the iPhone 15 will actually hit the shelves, Apple insider Mark Gurman thinks the release will come less than two weeks after the event.

He said he’s been told by an unnamed source that it will go on sale on September 22, which means Apple will ‘get about a week of iPhone 15 sales in its fiscal fourth quarter’. 

Apple is expected to unveil four variations of the iPhone 15 – the standard iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and what may or may not be called the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

According to leaker Andrew O’Hara, Apple has decided to change the name of the iPhone Pro Max (the top end version) to ‘iPhone Ultra’.

Whatever its name, it’s still considered one of its two ‘Pro’ models, meaning it will have more power and greater capabilities – as well as a higher price-tag.

A few features will be exclusive to the higher-end versions, although the biggest design tweaks will likely come to the entire iPhone 15 family. 

Gurman says the iPhone 15 ‘promises to be the biggest update to the device in three years’ – since the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020.

The biggest change to the iPhone 15 will be a new USB-C charging port, which is already commonly used for Android phones, laptops and more. 

Apple has made the switch to USB-C and away from its own charging design called Lightning (discernible by its eight pins) due to an EU law.  

The new legislation aims to make a single charging design the common standard – and ultimately reduce electronic waste.

Apple has effectively been forced to make this design change due to the EU law, although it technically could have manufactured iPhones with Lightning ports if they were sold in non-EU countries.

Along with a new charging port, the iPhone 15 will support faster charging speeds of up to 35W – significantly more than the iPhone 14, which has a charging speed of just 20W, another leaker claims.

This means the upcoming smartphone could charge from 0 to 100 per cent in just one hour, saving precious time for users if they’re in a hurry.

Other details about Apple’s new flagship have been gradually leaked based on insider knowledge and clues from ‘dummy units’ (accurate models given to third parties to design their phone accessories).

The iPhone 15 will allegedly have curvier edges, so it fits better in the hand, and titanium frames instead of stainless steel.

The back of the new phone, meanwhile, is covered with matt glass rather than polished glass, according to one YouTuber who accessed dummy units.

It’s possible that the design of the Apple logo in the official promo image is a nod to the new materials. 

While Apple is not expecting to increase the size of the iPhone’s screen this year, it will shrink the border that goes around the edge – known as the ‘bezel’.

Gurman has claimed the border size around the display will be 1.5 millimeters, down from about 2.2 millimeters on current iPhones.

Long term, Apple wants to release an iPhone that is ‘truly all-screen’ with no borders around the display and no cutouts for cameras or sensors, he says – and iPhone 15 is a step towards that goal.

Apple has already filed a patent for an all-glass phone, which may indicate the secretive company’s longer-term plans. 

According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu based in Hong Kong, the two iPhone 15 Pro models will be more expensive than previous iPhone Pros.

Apple has raised the prices for the Pros this year due to big hardware updates, including the titanium frame and the A17 Bionic chip, he claims.

Although Pu didn’t reveal exact price-tags, it’s worth noting that last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively.

Tim Long, an analyst at Barclays, also expects price hikes for the two more expensive iPhone 15 models, while the standard and Plus models will be about the same as last year.

iPhone 14’s standard model was £799/$849, while the iPhone 14 Plus was £949/$899.

PureGym sprints ahead as it hooks in 190,000 new members in the last six months

• PureGym reported first-half turnover expanded 17% year-on-year to £272m
• It launched 29 new sites during the period, with the majority opening in Britain 
• Last year, the firm announced medium-term plans to expand to over 1,000 sites

By Harry Wise

Updated: 11:38 EDT, 24 August 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

US boxing star Alycia Baumgardner tested positive for a banned steroid ahead of her victory over Christina Linardatou last month

• Alycia Baumgardner beat Christina Linardatou by unanimous decision on July 15
• But the undisputed super featherweight champion failed a test a few days earlier
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Daniel Matthews For Dailymail.Com

Published: 14:40 EDT, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 14:57 EDT, 16 August 2023

England fans went wild as they celebrated Alessia Russo making it 3-1 for the Lionesses as they pipped Australia to the World Cup final – the first ever for the England national women’s team.

Fans whooped and cheered ‘it’s coming home’ as the Lionesses sealed their place in their first ever World Cup decider, with spectators watching on big screens across the country cheering them on.

In London today, Brits embraced ‘WFH Wednesday’ as they packed bars with their laptops – keeping one eye on the screen, one eye on their computers. 

It was a full house at the Shoreditch Boxpark with hundreds packed shoulder to shoulder on picnic benches as a rendition of Sweet Caroline rippled through the crowd.

The day started with playful gloating from the Aussies – but the taunting came to a rapid end when Ella Toone smashed home the first goal to put England one step closer to the World Cup final.

Sam Kerr pulled one back in the second half with a good shot from outside the box to level the score.

However, the mood wasn’t dampened for long as Lauren Hemp made it 2-1 in the 70th minute.

Alessia Russo fired home a third goal for good measure in the 86th minute, all-but-guaranteeing England’s spot in the final.

At Goldwood Sportsbar in the City people in suits are sitting with their laptops up drinking champagne on ice. 

The bar is booked out with reservations and it’s roaring with screams already from people both sat or stood at the bar.

One group of female lawyers – half of them English and half Australian – said their boss let them out to watch the game because he loved the ‘friendly rivalry’.

A group of 12 Australians from Sydney working in London gathered in the pub to watch the game – having pulled a sickie.

One said: ‘Sam Kerr is the beating heart of our country, I would die and get cremated for her. She’s everything to us. 

‘We were nervous coming in but everyone’s been so welcoming. It’s fun being the enemy now since we’re doing well.’

As England’s second goal went in, jubilant fans slammed the tables and shouted ‘England!’ – as Aussies put their heads in their hands.

And as the team made it three, fans began to chant: ‘It’s coming home.’

Ella Toone was clapped and cheered off by spectators.

Meanwhile, football fans packed into the STACK in Sunderland to watch the game today. 

Armed with pints and donning England shirts, they were eagerly waiting for the highly anticipated match to kick off.

Anthony Mclachlan, 31, brought his two daughters, Mia, nine, and Esme, six, to watch the game.

The civil servant from Gateshead said: ‘The girls are really into football. It’s nice to watch the women’s game.

‘Mia wants to start playing football after seeing the women. They’ve really spurred her on. She wants to be a Lioness.

‘We’ve watched the games at home but because it’s the semi-final I wanted to bring them out and this is a great venue that’s family friendly.’

Mia added: ‘I really like football and so do all of my friends.

‘When they won the Euros it made me even more interested in women’s football. They make me believe that I can play for England one day.

‘They’re going to win today!’

Emma Pallas, 20, a shop worker from Sunderland said: ‘I have every hope that they’re going to win.

‘It’s great to see women on the big screen. There’s a nicer atmosphere at women’s football than at men’s.

‘We watched the women’s euros so we also wanted to come out for the World Cup.

‘There’s a good crowd out today.’

Her friend, Leah Dixon, a factory worker from Sunderland added: ‘We came out to watch it as there’s a great atmosphere watching the games.

‘England can go all the way. They’ll beat Australia and get to the finals.

‘They’re going to win.’

Neil Farline, 59, lived in Greystanes, Sydney, Australia for a number of years before moving back to the UK.

The healthcare worker from Sunderland donned a yellow shirt to support the Australian Women’s team in the semi-final.

The father-of-two said: ‘I grew up in Australia and spent many years there so the country and the football team have a special place in my heart.

‘The Matildas will be fierce competition for the Lionesses. They’re a fantastic team and I think it will be a close match.

‘It’s a great opportunity for Aussie fans, like myself, to watch the game in the UK.

‘I’m wearing the team’s colours to show support for the girls.

‘I’ll be rooting for them but I’ll have to be careful not to cheer too loud when they score to not upset the England fans.’

Australia has been in a celebratory mood this summer, having already retained the Ashes and won the Netball World Cup at the expense of the old enemy.

And the exploits of their footballers in the Women’s World Cup in recent weeks have now further galvanised a nation which revels in its sporting rivalry with England.

Australia’s fans booed England as they walked onto the pitch for the crunch Women’s World Cup semi-final today amid the outbreak of banter between the two nations. 

For the English, memories are still fresh in the mind of Alex Carey’s controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow in the second Test at Lord’s, which prompted booing and chants of ‘Same old Aussies, always cheating’ for the remainder of the series.

The European champions are assured of a hostile welcome at a sold-out Stadium Australia as they try to end the Matildas’ dream of World Cup glory on home soil.

England fans with the ‘FreeLionesses’ supporters group gathered in front of Sydney Opera House today, with some joking that there is ‘no rivalry, it’s not cricket’.

Others said the team were going to ‘bring it home’ and ‘it’s absolutely coming home’, referring to the song Three Lions by Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds.

It comes as the England team found themselves on the receiving end of a bizarre spying controversy after a training session was photographed from a helicopter.

Meanwhile, tickets intended for England fans were bought up by Australians after a unique Lionesses code for an allocation of 1,970 was leaked on social media. 

A post on the Football Association’s website said the access code ‘Lioness’ was exclusively for England fans. 

But several Australian supporters managed to buy tickets in their opponents’ section of the stadium and bragged they would be ‘wearing Matildas’ shirts. 

The European champions will take on the Matildas at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia, where most of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts.

The winner of today’s contest will take on Spain for the trophy this Sunday at 11am UK time, after they beat Sweden 2-1 yesterday to book their trip to the final.

Outside the Sydney Opera House today, one England fan told BBC Breakfast: ‘We’re definitely outnumbered fan-wise, but I don’t think that’s going to stop us tonight, we’re gonna be up for it.’

Another said: ‘There’s no rivalry, it’s not cricket, we’re gonna win, we’re gonna bring it home, 100 per cent.’

A third added: ‘I’m buzzing, we’re ready to put on a show and silence the country.’ And a fourth said: ‘We can win it.’

Eager Australian football fans based in the UK also turned out in force to cheer on their team.

More than two hours before kick-off more than 100 fans queued up outside the Vauxhall Beer Garden this morning – with not a England fan in sight.

Many wore the bright yellow colours of the team while others draped themselves in the national flag.

Jessica Rimmington travelled from her home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne with her ten-year-old daughter Ivy to watch the match with other fans.

Ivy had her face painted with the national flag and clutched two soft toys – a kangaroo and crocodile.

Ms Rimmington, who has lived in the UK for five years, said: ‘We travelled a long way to be here, but wanted to be with other Oz fans. It is going to be a special day.’

Ivy added: ‘We are going to win. I hope the Matildas’ win.’

TV cameras crews from Australian TV broadcast live with one fan telling the reporter: ‘What’s not to like? Footy and a beer at 9am.’

Casey Findlay and Tim Hearn said they are dual citizens with Australian and English passports, but having grown up in Australia they are supporting the Matildas.

Casey said: ‘I grew up going to their games when there were just 1,000 people in the ground. It is going to be amazing seeing so many people watching in the stadium.

‘We will win because of the energy and support that will be coming to the team.’

Sharon Holmes queued up while clutching an inflatable kangaroo and wore an Aussie team shirt.

She is visiting relatives in Newbury, Berkshire, and said she could not resist watching the match.

‘It is nice to be here among so many people who all want the same thing – a Matildas win.’

The majority of those waiting for the Vauxhall Beer Garden to open were women.

Organisers of the Vauxhall event said they were expecting hundreds of Aussies to attend.

Xavier Holland, who runs the ‘Aussies’ in London’ social media pages, had arranged for dozens of cases of one of Australia’s favourite beers, Victoria Bitter, to be sold.

He said: ‘We have about 60,000 members on our Facebook page, and this was a great event for ex-pats and those on vacation to get together to cheer the Matildas. We’ve arranged for Victoria Bitter to be sold.’

When it was pointed out that the bar was not serving Foster’s lager – the beer most associate with Australia – he said: ‘That’s for foreigners – not Aussies. Everyone is excited today and hoping we reach the final.’

Soon after the doors opened at the open air beer garden a long queue formed at the bar with bench seats closest to the large screen snapped up.

A long queue stretching over 100 metres had formed outside the venue before security guards allowed fans inside.

It comes after the Australian Daily Telegraph sent up an aircraft to capture images from the Lionesses’ behind-closed-doors session at their training base as they finalised plans for today’s match.

Published under the headline ‘Eleven Poms against a nation: Welcome to the jungle, Lionesses’, the pictures show England boss Sarina Wiegman and her staff putting the players through their paces ahead of the eagerly-anticipated contest.

The newspaper wrote: ‘If England’s Lionesses thought they would happily fly into the World Cup semi-final under the radar they were in for a rude shock.

‘We’ve sent the chopper up to see how the old enemy are preparing…Welcome to the jungle, Lionesses, we’ve got fun and games.’

It added: ‘It might not be in the spirit of football, but after last month’s men’s Ashes cricket series we will let the moral arbiters England pass judgment on what is and isn’t acceptable in the world of sport.’

The Football Association has declined to comment on the incident.

Lotus vehicle production hits record high ahead of Nasdaq float

• Lotus produced 2,200 vehicles in the first six months of 2023 
• Customer deliveries for Lotus’ electric SUV began in China at the end of March 

By Jane Denton

Published: 07:09 EDT, 10 August 2023 | Updated: 07:21 EDT, 10 August 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

There was a new round of scrutiny about President Joe Biden‘s age at the start of the week after the New York Times quoted a mix of rank-and-file Democrats and senior figures raising concerns about the issue as the mid-term elections approach.

The paper’s Sunday front page treatment of the subject that dogged Biden, 79, throughout his most recent presidential campaign, comes amid low approval ratings and fears among some Democrats that he remains vulnerable to a restoration effort by former President Donald Trump.

‘I need an equivalent of Ron DeSantis, a Democrat, but not a 70- or 80-year-old — a younger person,’ Maryland data analyst Alex Wyshyvanuk, 33, told the paper. ‘Someone who knows what worked for you in 1980 is not going to work for you in 2022 or 2024,’ he said.

DeSantis, 43, is the Florida governor who’s ability to grab headlines and rise in the polls has caught the attention of Trump’s circle. 

The paper also quoted a Democratic National Committee member from Florida, Steve Simionidis, saying Biden ‘should announce his intent not to seek re-election in ’24 right after the midterms.’

But the publication cited ‘deep concern’ about Biden’s political viability among dozens of officials who would not provide on-record comments. Biden would be 82 at the time of the next Inauguration Day. The airing of concerns comes at a time when the House Jan. 6 committee was busy laying out evidence gleaned from hundreds of interviews about Trump’s election overturn effort.

‘The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue,’ said David Axelrod, 67, who helped propel Barack Obama’s ascent with a campaign that featured youghful energy and a ‘hope’ slogan. Obama was 47 when he took office, after failing to complete his first term in the Senate. 

The story set off a new round of speculation about Biden’s age, amid fretting that his age, amid record inflation, a war in Ukraine, and a now tumbling stock market  could imperil an effort to beat back Trump.

Axios chimed in with a story on the American gerontocracy, noting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82 and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer is 71.  

Even longtime commentator David Gergen, 80, told PBS NewsHour: ‘I think people like Biden and Trump ought to both step back and leave open the door to younger people.’

The Times has run similar pieces before, including one in 2019 where Democrats were fretting that the candidate, then 76, was ‘slow off the mark, uncertain about how to counterpunch,’ according to the paper, in a debate that featured then Sen. Kamala Harris. He went on to capture the nomination and win the presidency.

Biden has the powers of incumbency on his side, along with similar poll troubles for Vice President Kamala Harris, his 57 year old partner in office.