Great time to invest in rugby - Newcastle's Diamond
Newcastle, who prop up the Premiership with two wins from 16 league games, have been looking for new investment since November with owner Semore Kurdi wanting out.An article linked, external the north-east club with interest from energy drink giant Red Bull, the company which has a strong sports portfolio in football and Formula 1 amongst others already.Diamond said he has heard nothing about this, but he is more optimistic about the future.He also cited the report , externalwhich showed that a more youthful audience was being attracted to Premiership rugby as another way of bringing in much-needed new money. "I have nothing to say about Red Bull," Diamond added."But big multi-national companies would look to invest in what they see is a growing sport. "We've got 15 British and Irish Lions coming out of the Premiership. The league is looking good, we just need the right sort of investors."One of the interesting stats for me that came out was an increase in people between 18 to 34 watching rugby. "I'm pretty sure for a company like Red Bull or something similar, that is the demographic they are targeting."
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Telegraph
18 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer's EU reset to drive up cruise prices
Holidaymakers face paying more for cruises and ferry trips to the Continent under Sir Keir Starmer 's reset deal with the European Union. Passenger services are set to increase ticket prices in response to the UK adopting Brussels' rules on emissions costs. Industry insiders warned price rises were likely to mirror those in Europe, where costs on some routes have gone up by more than 10 per cent. This could add as much as £200 to the cost of a seven-day cruise, where a cabin can cost as much as £2,000 at the higher end. Some of the changes will come into force just before the height of next summer, when millions of Britons head to the Continent. Ministers announced last week that they would press ahead with expanding onerous net zero commitments to the maritime industry. From next July all shipping firms, including ferry operators and cruise liners, will be subject to the UK's emissions trading scheme (ETS). The move comes after Sir Keir agreed to link the UK and EU schemes as part of his Brexit reset deal, which was signed in May. It means ministers will set an overall cap on emissions for the maritime industry, with individual companies handed permits setting out how much greenhouse gas they can emit per year. If a business wants to go over its allowance, because demand for services is high, it will have to buy unused permits from another company. Over time the Government will lower the overall carbon cap in an effort to force shipping companies to reduce their emissions. Initially the UK ETS will only cover emissions from sea journeys made between British ports. But ministers have said they then intend to expand it to include international journeys, matching the approach taken by the EU. Companies are poised to pass on the cost to passengers of complying with the policy, including the need to adopt more expensive green technology. The EU Commission has admitted that its ETS scheme, which was expanded to cover shipping a year ago, has resulted in passenger lines putting up ticket prices. In a report assessing impacts of the first year of the scheme, EU officials wrote: 'There is evidence of specific ETS surcharges being applied on short sea shipping routes. 'An analysis of various ferry routes suggests that the impact of ETS costs on ticket prices largely varies across routes selected, with a price increasing ranging from 3 per cent to 11 per cent.' The same report also said that the scheme had introduced freight costs by between one per cent and five per cent and overall shipping costs across the industry by an average of 3.7 per cent. If replicated in Britain those figures would come as a concern at a time when the Government is struggling to keep a lid on inflation. Shipping industry figures said that UK holidaymakers were likely to experience a 'similar impact' on passenger ticket prices to that seen in the EU. One said that they had 'no doubt' that ferry operators would have to increase surcharges on Britons to recoup the extra costs. Another added: 'Inevitably there will be a cost increase to the cruise lines, therefore that money will have to come from somewhere.' Some businesses are concerned that the UK has rushed out its proposals to please the EU rather than waiting for a new international agreement on maritime emissions later this year. They fear that if the standards set by the International Maritime Organisation are less stringent, British firms will be left shouldering higher costs than international competitors. Andy Harmer, the managing director of the Cruise Lines International Association in the UK and Ireland, said: 'The cruise industry contributes £5.8bn to the UK economy, with over a third of the global cruise fleet visiting UK ports each year. 'To maintain and sustainably grow the more than 60,000 UK jobs that depend on the cruise industry, the UK's ETS system must be aligned with international counterparts and not risk the UK's competitiveness in the international cruise market.' There are also concerns that the Government's plans could wreak havoc on 'lifeline' island ferry services which are used by 2.4 million Britons every year. Such routes are vital to island dwellers, such as on the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles, who rely on them for access to the mainland for healthcare, education and essential goods. The UK Chamber of Shipping is urging ministers to exempt such services from the scheme amid warnings it could push up their fuel costs by almost a third, making many unviable. The Net Zero Department said that linking with the EU's emissions scheme would help British businesses avoid being hit with a new carbon border tax Brussels is introducing next year. A spokesman said of the EU Commission analysis: 'These figures do not apply to the UK and do not reflect that any costs come down as emissions are cut. 'By linking with the EU scheme, we will also cut red tape at the border, protect consumers from higher costs and make it easier for businesses to trade, boosting economic growth at home.'
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Seething Wallabies legend fumes at controversial call and lashes out at 'weak' officials - as British media accuse Australia star of 'DIVING'
Wallabies legend Morgan Turinui has demanded World Rugby provide an explanation for the contentious refereeing decision that saw the British and Irish Lions claim a series victory against Australia on Saturday night in Melbourne. The Wallabies swept the Lions away in the first-half, at one point taking a 23-5 lead, thanks to tries from James Slipper, Jake Gordon and Tom Wright. But Andy Farrell's side muscled their way back into the contest. Tries from Dan Sheehan, Tom Curry, Huw Jones and Tadhg Beirne saw the visitors move to within just two points of Australia with 20 minutes left on the clock. Hugo Keenan would drive over from 10 metres out in the dying embers of the game, sealing the victory for the Lions. However there was controversy, as referee Andrea Piardi, sent the vision of the try upstairs to be checked but officials found no issue with a contentious moment in the phase of play prior to the try. Jac Morgan of Wales had cleared before Keenan touched down for a try. He had followed James Ryan into the breakdown and removed Carlo Tizzano from the contact area. The Aussie had fallen away from the scramble of bodies, clutching his head, after Morgan had appeared to get his shoulder under Tizzano's neck. HUGO KEENAN WINS IT FOR THE LIONS! 🦁 — Sky Sports (@SkySports) July 26, 2025 A former Wallabies legend has been left fuming for Jac Morgan's (right) clearout on Carlo Tizzano (left) in the dying embers of the Lions against the Wallabies at the MCG on Saturday The ball was subsequently recycled and sent out to Keenan on the left side of the pitch but the Wallabies players were incecensed about both the force and manner in which the Welsh flanker had cleared out the Western Force flanker. 'That decision is 100% completely wrong. The referee got it wrong,' Turinui said after the game. 'His two assistant referees got it wrong.' Turinui, who won 20 caps for the Wallabies, then explained that the referee needed to be brought before World Rugby's Match Official Manager, Joel Jutge, to explain why the contentious decision was allowed to stand. 'Joel Jutge, the head of the referees, is out here on a junket. He needs to haul those referees in and ask for a please explain. 'Dan Herbert, the chair of Australian rugby and if I'm Phil Waugh the CEO, I'm sorry I'm asking for a please explain. 'He did have a good game, but the refereeing group, when it counted, got the match-defining decision completely wrong. 'It's a point of law. It's in black and white. It's not about bias. It's not about colouring. 'There's nothing there. Get away from the fact it's a wrong call. It's a penalty sanction. It's not a yellow card. It happens. 'The try must be disallowed and we should be going one-all to Sydney.' He wasn't the only person left seething by the decision, with Joe Schmidt lamenting the late TMO call. 'Everyone can make their own decision on that, you just have to read law 9.20, and I guess you just have to listen to the description from the referee, and then watch the vision,' Schmidt said. He added: 'Our perspective is, we felt it was a decision that doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they're talking about. You cannot hit someone above the level of the shoulders, and there's no binding with the left arm, the hands on the ground. 'So that's what we've seen, and we've watched a number of replays from different angles, and so it is what it is. We just have to accept it.' Andy Farrell, as expected, saw nothing wrong with the incident. 'I spoke to Joe Schmidt and he felt it was a penalty, but I just saw it as a clearout,' the Lions coach explained. 'I don't know where Jac Morgan was supposed to go - it looked like a rugby incident to me. I think it was the right decision in the end.' Wallabies captain Harry Wilson then explained that the decision left his team-mate, Tizzano, with a 'sore' neck. 'Obviously I saw a shoulder to the neck, Carlo was pretty sore after it,' he added. Schmidt, though, fumed that the Wallabies should have got a decision at the end of the match, adding that he was left 'gutted' following the refereeing call. 'I couldn't quite believe that we didn't get a decision at the end,' he said. 'But, you know, that's the wicked backlash that sport can have sometimes. 'I think it was described as arriving at the same time. And we can all see that's not the case. And we can all see clear contact with the back of the neck. 'You know, might be a different decision on another day and another time. 'I've been gutted a few times in my coaching career, but that is right up there. 'I felt we earned more than what we got.' Sports columnists in the UK including The Telegraph's Oliver Brown, accused Tizzano of 'diving' during the match, while also telling Australia to 'stop moaning'. Others on social media questioned the acts of the Wallabies players, with one writing: 'Tizzano with a dive straight out of a Brazilian football league. Get in!' Another wrote: 'Tizzano should be facing a ban for that. 'Shameful behaviour, diving and rolling around like a toddler.' 'Tizzano went full Hollywood,' wrote another. But others online were less sympathetic to Jac Morgan, with one writing: 'So blatantly a contact straight to the head. They didn't arrive at the same time... Tizzano had hands on the ball.'
Telegraph
42 minutes ago
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Ed Miliband eyes battery bonanza to cut wind farm costs
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