CharlieH

Fernando Alonso's passion for Formula 1 shone like a blinding light as he announced his decision to race on with Aston Martin until at least the end of 2026. The Spanish two-time world champion will be 43 in July, and his new contract will mean he will be racing in F1 until at least the age of 45. Alonso is rewriting the sport's rule book, and the remarkable thing about it is that he does not even seem to consider it extraordinary. "I felt I love too much driving that I cannot stop at the moment," said Alonso. "The sacrifices you have to make are smaller than the passion I have for driving. "I breathe F1, I live for F1, I train to be fit to drive F1, I eat to be fit to drive F1. It didn't arrive the moment I felt the need to change lifestyle. I love what I do. I will not be happy sitting at home watching F1 because at the moment I still feel I should be there." On the performance front, there can be little doubt about that. Alonso was one of the outstanding performers of last season, as Aston Martin made a remarkable leap from the middle of the pack to the front at the start of the year. Six podiums in the first eight races followed, including some outstanding drives. And although the team's performance level dropped in the second part of the season, Alonso's did not. His drive to third in Brazil at the end of the season, holding off Sergio Perez's Red Bull for 16 laps and then re-passing it on the final lap after the Mexican had finally got by, was a masterpiece. READ MORE

Liverpool's hopes of giving Jurgen Klopp a dream send-off in the Europa League final in Dublin next month are hanging by a thread. The Reds boss has announced he is leaving the club at the end of the season and his players were keen to extend the season to 22 May when the final of Europe's second-tier competition takes place. A shock 3-0 home defeat by Atalanta in the quarter-final first leg means that looks an unlikely scenario as it stands. Klopp, who has steered Liverpool to three Champions League finals - winning it in 2019 - looked bewildered at the final whistle and applauded fans as he disappeared down the tunnel. But was this his final European game at Anfield after Liverpool suffered their first home defeat since losing 5-2 to Real Madrid in the Champions League in February 2023, ending their 33-game unbeaten run? Liverpool suffer shock home defeat by Atalanta Latest Liverpool news, analysis and fan views Get Liverpool news notifications 'Players looked really alone in a lot of moments' Liverpool's performance was littered with bad mistakes and poor marking as they suffered their joint-heaviest defeat at home in major European competition, both previously coming against Real Madrid. READ MORE

Masters leaderboard -7 DeChambeau -6 Scheffler; -5 Hojgaard (15); -4 Willett, Homa (13); -3 Fox, Davis, Hatton (14) Selected others: -2 Reed (14), Fleetwood (10); -1 McIlroy, Hovland, Fitzpatrick, Smith, Lowry (16), Woods (13); +1 Rahm; +2 Spieth (11) Bryson DeChambeau leads by one from Scottie Scheffler after a storm-shortened first day at the Masters. The LIV golfer finished seven under par but world number one Scheffler showed ominous touch in his bogey-free 66. England's 2016 winner Danny Willett, playing his first tournament since September 2023, is four under par. Rory McIlroy hit a 71 and defending champion Jon Rahm a one-over 73, while Tiger Woods was one of 27 players whose rounds were curtailed by darkness. The five-time winner looked in good form at one under par when the hooter sounded to end play. However, having only played 25 holes in a single tournament so far this year, the 48-year-old will have to play 23 on Friday alone to complete rounds one and two. Play will resume at 07:50 local time (12:50 BST) with the second round beginning at 08:00. Woods, who said earlier this week he "aches every day" after suffering a catalogue of injuries in recent years, said he expects to have "between 20 and 30 minutes in between rounds". "It'll be a natural flow from the finish of the first round and [into] the second. The body is OK," he added. The Masters - round one leaderboard Relive day one as it happened After waiting two and a half hours for thunderstorms to pass so they could start their first round, those out early exploited the conditions which had slowed the notoriously tough Augusta National greens. DeChambeau opened with three consecutive birdies and accelerated with five more in six holes on the back nine to take a commanding lead into the clubhouse. READ MORE

Off topic exchange potentially derailing the actual topic has been removed. The OP is clear, it is an original article that has been posted by our News team. Direct any further questions on forum content to Support.

Perhaps its a case of something is better than nothing ? although that does seem very small to be of significance.

Mostly all electronic now , hardly use cash nowadays 😀 So yeah, always short of cash.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he hopes "nothing gets between us and the supporters" amid a fan protest about the club's ticket price rise. Supporters groups say there will be no flags on the Kop for the first leg of Liverpool's Europa League quarter-final against Atalanta on Thursday. It follows the club raising the price of season tickets and members' tickets by 2% for next season. "As long as the people are there, it's all good," said Klopp. Injured Liverpool trio train before Atalanta tie "I understand the concerns and the discussion. We want to have the people in the stadium and we want to make it available for everybody. "We are a self-sustaining club - every pound we make goes back into the football club. I understand 100% where the supporters are coming from and I am sure they will find a solution. "What we should make sure is that nothing gets between us and the supporters. "In between the two big whistles, we just have to be Liverpool - that's what I'm asking for. "It would be worse if only the flags would be in the stands and nobody else. "They will find a solution for sure." The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust recently said it was "hugely disappointed" that their club's season-ticket prices would increase by 6% for the 2024-25 season. READ MORE

Arsenal and Chelsea are closely monitoring Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney, 28, who would cost up to £40m this summer. (Florian Plettenberg) The agent of Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres says it will be harder for the 25-year-old to stay at Sporting Lisbon if manager Ruben Amorim, who has been linked with Liverpool, leaves the club. (A Bola - in Portuguese) Lille manager Paulo Fonseca heads West Ham's shortlist if the Hammers part ways with David Moyes in the summer. (The i) Chelsea are targeting Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 25, this summer but the club will focus first on selling players in order to raise funds. (Football Transfers) Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino and his coaches have been unimpressed by 23-year-old Ukraine forward Mykhaylo Mudryk's progress this season and the Blues will be in the market for a new winger this summer. (Football Insider) Bayer Leverkusen have joined Liverpool and Tottenham in the race to sign Leeds United's Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville, 22. (Bild via Teamtalk) Aston Villa are growing increasingly hopeful 25-year-old Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz will sign a new long-term Shakhtar Donetsk are preparing to sell Ukraine midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, with Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City interested in the 21-year-old. (HITC) Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries might be a target for Aston Villa and the Italian club would consider an offer of more than 30m euros for the 27-year-old Netherlands international, whose contract with the Serie A club runs out in 2025. (Calciomercato - in Italian) Manchester United are to let 12 of their first-team squad leave Old Trafford in what will be a huge rebuild at the club this summer. (FourFourTwo) READ MORE

Tyson Fury says Oleksandr Usyk is too small to compete with him in their undisputed heavyweight world title fight. Briton Fury, 35, is the WBC champion, while Ukraine's Usyk, 36, holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts. Fury said former cruiserweight champion Usyk will be "found wanting" on 18 May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "You can beat the average big ones but you can't beat the elite big ones," he said. "Size is what really matters and we have weight divisions for a reason." A former undisputed champion at cruiserweight, Usyk beat Briton Anthony Joshua to become unified heavyweight champion in 2021. The most recent undisputed heavyweight champion was Britain's Lennox Lewis in 1999. Fury-Usyk will be the first time in the four-belt era that every title is on the line. February's bout was rescheduled after Fury suffered a cut in a freak sparring accident two weeks before the fight. Fury described himself as an "encyclopaedia in boxing" and listed several cruiserweight greats, including Evander Holyfield and David Haye, who were beaten after stepping up to heavyweight. He said Usyk's previous opponents, such as Britain's Daniel Dubois, had "limited ability". "If Tyson Fury can't beat Usyk, Tyson's no good. End of," he said. "This is my time, my destiny, my era and my generation. Facts." After his manager, trainer and promoter predicted a knockout win for Fury, he ended the news conference by joking that Usyk would knock him out in the first round. Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren said the fight is the "biggest of the 21st Century". READ MORE

Choc bricks with pink custard !

We used to take them to the local pet store and sell them ! then wait for them to fly home and sell them again 😀

Alibaba and the forty thieves ?

EMS is faster and expensive. Use "lon Tabien" thats "registered mail" takes about 10-14 days which is trackable on the USPS website and Thaipost.

This has been raised sooo many times and results in the usual cruelty, arguments etc. CLOSED

MOVED to Motorcycle forum

From Thursday, the price of applying online for a new or renewed adult passport will increase from £82.50 to £88.50 - a 7% rise. It comes after a 9% rise in February last year It comes after a 9% rise in February last year. Before that increase, passport prices had not increased for five years - an online application for an adult cost £75.50. The cost of applying for a child's passport online is also going up, from £53.50 to £57.50. Those applying by post will see the biggest hike, with the price rising from £93 to £100 for an adult passport and from £64 to £69 for a child. Online and paper applications made from overseas are even more expensive. In a statement when the price rises were proposed in March, the Home Office said the government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications. Source

Reported post and responses removed.

Reported Troll comment and response to it removed.

MOVED to Banking

Was that "Camp Coffee " , that was awful stuff, mostly chicory if I remember.

I remember sitting and counting those Embassy coupons and putting elastic bands around the bundles Had scarlet fever too ! 😀 Catalogues were Freemans and Grattan

Holders Manchester City and Real Madrid shared six goals in a thriller to leave their Champions League quarter-final evenly poised after the first leg at the Bernabeu. Pep Guardiola's side took the lead in the second minute when Bernardo Silva cleverly snuck a 25-yard free-kick round the wall past goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Two deflected strikes brought 14-time European Cup winners Madrid level. First Eduardo Camavinga's long-range effort hit Ruben Dias and spun into the far corner of Stefan Ortega's goal, before Rodrygo got in behind the City defence and poked home via Manuel Akanji's heel. City were dominant in possession throughout under the closed roof of the Bernabeu but lacked quality in the final third - until Phil Foden stepped up. The England midfielder had been on the periphery of the game but found space just outside the area to turn and fire into the top corner to pull City level. Moments later left-back Josko Gvardiol cut in and found the far corner with a superb right-foot shot to score his first goal since joining City from RB Leipzig in the summer. However, Madrid equalised with a stunning volley from Federico Valverde to set up an intriguing second leg on Wednesday, 17 April at Etihad Stadium, where City beat Madrid 4-0 in last season's semi-finals. There was late concern for City though, with Foden hobbling after a late tackle on his ankle. Foden allayed fears of a serious injury, telling TNT Sports he had a "bad dead leg" and was hopeful of being fit for Saturday's Premier League home game against Luton. Reaction to Man City's Champions League quarter-final first leg at Real Madrid Football Daily: Arsenal and Manchester City in Champions League thrillers How did you rate Manchester City's performance? Have your say here City show resolve Manchester City, who won this competition for the first time last season as part of a historic Treble, came into this game with Kevin de Bruyne on the bench after the Belgium midfielder was ill on Tuesday. READ MORE

A Spanish tennis player has been banned from the sport until 2039 after admitting to 35 corruption charges. Aaron Cortes, 29, fixed the outcome of matches for money, bet on tennis, failed to report corrupt approaches and gave money to tournament officials in exchange for a wildcard, said the International Tennis Integrity Agency. It gave him a 15-year ban and fined him $75,000, of which $56,250 is suspended. The offences took place between 2016 and 2018. The ITIA was set up to safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide. It said Cortes, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 955, "co-operated fully with the ITIA investigation and accepted an agreed sanction". He is banned from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the Association of Tennis Professionals, International Tennis Federation, Women's Tennis Association, or any national association. READ MORE

The 88th Masters Venue: Augusta National Dates: 11-14 April Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on BBC Sounds and BBC Sport website of each round. Full details Rory McIlroy will get his 10th attempt to complete the career Grand Slam under way at 15:42 BST on Thursday when the Masters starts at Augusta National. The Northern Irishman plays with the only man ranked higher than him in the world, 2022 victor Scottie Scheffler, and fellow American Xander Schauffele. Spain's defending champion Jon Rahm is out in the group before at 15:30, alongside England's Matt Fitzpatrick. Five-time winner Tiger Woods is among the later starters, going out at 18:24. Record six-time winner Jack Nicklaus, three-time champion Gary Player and twice winner Tom Watson will hit the ceremonial opening tee shots before South Africa's Erik Van Rooyen is first to tee off at 13:00 (08:00 local time). The final group of 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson, 2021 Open winner Collin Morikawa and England's Tommy Fleetwood will get under way six hours later. Round one, Thursday, 11 April (all times BST) 13:00 Erik van Rooyen (SA), Jake Knapp (US) 13:12 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa), Taylor Moore (US), Santiago de la Fuente (Mex)* 13:24 Danny Willett (Eng), Austin Eckroat (US), Stephan Jaeger (Ger) 13:36 Charl Schwartzel (SA), Luke List (US), Christo Lamprecht (SA)* 13:48 Gary Woodland (US), Thorbjorn Olesen (Den), Bryson DeChambeau (US) 14:00 Zach Johnson (US), Corey Conners (Can), Jasper Stubbs (Aus)* 14:12 Sergio Garcia (Spa), Chris Kirk (US), Ryan Fox (NZ) 14:24 Lucas Glover (US), Byeong Hun An (Kor), Harris English (US) 14:36 Phil Mickelson (US), Sepp Straka (Aut), Tony Finau (US) 14:48 Nick Taylor (Can), Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Russell Henley (US) 15:06 Patrick Cantlay (US), Min Woo Lee (Aus), Rickie Fowler (US) 15:18 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Will Zalatoris (US), Justin Thomas (US) 15:30 Jon Rahm (Spa), Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng), Nick Dunlap (US) 15:42 Scottie Scheffler (US), Rory McIlroy (NI), Xander Schauffele (US) 15:54 Wyndham Clark (US), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Cameron Smith (Aus) 16:06 Lee Hodges (US), Adrian Meronk (Pol), Grayson Murray (US) 16:18 Camilo Villegas (Col), Denny McCarthy (US), Cameron Davis (Aus) 16:30 Mike Weir (Can), Ryo Hisatsune (Jpn), Neal Shipley (US)* 16:42 Vijay Singh (Fij), Si Woo Kim (Kor), Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 16:54 Fred Couples (US), Adam Hadwin (Can), Stewart Hagestad (US)* 17:12 Justin Rose (Eng), Eric Cole (US), Peter Malnati (US) 17:24 Akshay Bhatia (US), JT Poston (US), Shane Lowry (Ire) 17:36 Bubba Watson (US), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Adam Schenk (US) 17:48 Patrick Reed (US), Sung-jae Im (Kor), Kurt Kitayama (US) 18:00 Keegan Bradley (US), Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) 18:12 Adam Scott (Aus), Sam Burns (US), Cameron Young (US) 18:24 Tiger Woods (US), Jason Day (Aus), Max Homa (US) 18:36 Brian Harman (US), Brooks Koepka (US), Tom Kim (Kor) 18:48 Jordan Spieth (US), Ludvig Åberg (Swe), Sahith Theegala (US) 19:00 Dustin Johnson (US), Collin Morikawa (US), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) READ MORE