EE

FR

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2020 THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR FREE NEWSPAPER

2020 JUST GOT WORSE

JINGLE
Christmas stocking:
People wait in line to
shop at Morrisons in
Whitley Bay, Tyne and
Wear, yesterday PA

HELL■ MUTANT COVID LEADS ■ LOGJAM AT DOVER AND

TO TRAVEL BAN FROM PANIC BUYING AS VARIANT
UK ACROSS THE WORLD SPREADS AROUND BRITAIN
FEARS of festive food shortages have
sparked the first Christmas panic buying
by DOMINIC YEATMAN citrus fruit – all of which are imported
from the continent.’
sprees after 40 countries banned travel veg could be affected unless France lifted But Mr Macron – isolating on his
from Britain over the mutant Covid-19 its 48-hour blockade – aimed at stop- birthday after catching Covid-19 – is
Slow progress: strain – and the whole EU sealed its ping the strain crossing the Channel. thought to want negative swab tests for
border from us. As hundreds of lorries – including every driver, taking up to three days.
Police escort lorries Prime minister Boris Johnson urged ones driven by French truckers trying Worried shoppers had hit the stores
at Folkestone before people to shop normally and said he had to get home – parked along Kent’s M20 from 6am yesterday but still found
‘an excellent conversation’ with French motorway, Sainsbury’s warned produce queues. There were reports of scuffles
PM’s call to Macron1
president Emmanuel Macron to end a could rot. It added: ‘If nothing changes, and stand-offs similar to the start of
PICTURE: REUTERS
lorry logjam at Dover ‘within hours’. we’ll start to see gaps on lettuce, some
But supermarkets said fresh fruit and salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and Continued on Page 5 »
2 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Deadline for
Beer hobby turned out
to be £1m trump card BUSINESS BITES
■ PLUS-SIZE retailer Evans is to be ■ BOOHOO has hired a new auditor
TWO friends who started making bought for £23million following the after PwC cut ties because of the

Brexit ‘won’t
beer with a home-brew kit – in collapse of parent company Arcadia. scandal over UK workers in its supply
the living room of an ex-council But bricks and mortar stores are not chain being paid as little as £3.50 an
flat – have turned their hobby part of the sale to Australian firm City hour. PKF Littlejohn will take over at
into a million-pound business. Chic, which mainly operates online. the online fashion giant.
Andrew Birkby, 35, and William

be extended
Harris, 32, maxed out a £2,000
■ MIKE ASHLEY’S Frasers Group ■ VODAFONE has ‘terminated’ talks to
personal credit card to expand
has said it is unlikely to achieve a sell a 55 per cent stake in its Egyptian
by renting equipment in 2012.
publicised 20 to 30 per cent boost arm to Saudi Telecom Company. No
Now their Wild Card Brewery in
in profits after the Tier 4 shutdown. reason was given for the end of the
Walthamstow, east London,
The group includes Sports Direct, negotiations that began in January and

due to Covid’
turns over £1.2million and grew
House of Fraser and Evans Cycles. would have been worth £1.81billion.
by 12 per cent this year despite
the pandemic.
The firm, whose Jaega Wise is ■ McDONALD’S has launched a spam TOURIST RATES
Australia (A$)........................................................................1.67
one of the few female master burger topped with crushed Oreos as Canada (C$) ......................................................................... 1.63
brewers, began doorstep part of a ‘members only’ promotion in Euro (€)................................................................................. 1.04
New Zealand (N$) ................................................................1.76
deliveries in the first lockdown. China. One worried social media user Poland (zloty).......................................................................4.32
‘Being smaller meant we wrote: ‘I thought it was delicious. Is Singapore ($) ........................................................................1.65
South Africa (rand) ........................................................... 18.45
were able to move quickly,’ something wrong with my taste?’ US ($)......................................................................................1.27
said Mr Birkby.

Deal or no
deal: Lord
Frost arrives
to continue
last-ditch
talks in
Brussels
yesterday
GETTY

BORIS JOHNSON has dismissed calls to by DAVID HUGHES

extend the Brexit transition period in
light of the new mutant coronavirus. ments beyond the end of the year. Labour
The UK leaves the single market and leader Sir Keir Starmer also declined to
customs union on December 31 and will back calls for an extension. He told the
face tariffs and quotas on trade with the prime minister: ‘People were promised a
European Union without a deal. deal and you must deliver that deal.’
But talks in Brussels remain difficult The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘We
with ‘significant differences in key areas’, will need to ratify any agreement ahead
including fishing rights and rules on of January 1.’ He added: ‘We would recall
maintaining fair competition. parliament to give MPs a vote on the
Leading the call for a delay, Scotland’s necessary legislation.’ But he also said
first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: we will leave on December 31 ‘with a
‘The new Covid strain... demands our free-trade agreement or we will leave
100% attention. It would be unconscion- with Australia-style WTO terms. That
able to compound it with Brexit.’ remains the case.’
London mayor Sadiq Khan said ‘the Lead negotiators Michel Barnier and
only thing the country should be con- Lord Frost continued talks in Brussels
centrating on is fighting the virus’. yesterday after ‘difficult’ weekend dis-
But Downing Street rejected the call cussions. The European Parliament has
and vetoed the idea of a temporary ‘stand said any deal would have to be made by
still’ period, maintaining current arrange- Sunday evening to be ratified in time.

5G rollout could create new rural blackspots, warn MPs

MINISTERS risk repeating mobile signal ‘not-spots’ through the introduction
of 5G, MPs have warned. Plans to target 5G signal at population density –
rather than land mass – could create rural blackspots, the digital, culture
media and sport select committee says. It also claimed evidence given to the
committee suggested there was little confidence in the government to deliver
on its pledge of gigabit-capable broadband nationwide by 2025.

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 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 3

SHEER DELIGHT
ED’S EARLY ‘CHRISTMAS PRESENT’ FOR FANS IS A CONTENDER FOR FESTIVE NO.1
Madonna’s a
hip op hero
in scar selfie

Christmas post: Ed’s Instagram teaser

by LAURA HARDING

ED SHEERAN has treated his fans to a

surprise ‘Christmas present’, by releas-
ing a new single as he takes a break
from music to look after his daughter.
The singer said he wrote Afterglow
last year, before welcoming daughter
Lyra Antarctica in August.
Round robin: Madonna’s news
He is now in the running for the MADONNA’S cup-ping runneth
Christmas No.1 spot, taking on social over on Instagram as the
media star LadBaby, plus Jess Glynne, I’ll have a Queen of Pop shows off her
Mariah Carey and Liam Gallagher. crack-er at ‘beautiful scar’.
Sharing the new tune on Instagram top spot: The 62-year-old’s selfie was
yesterday, he wrote: ‘Afterglow is a Ed sings in a reference to her 2015 track
song I wrote last year that I wanted to video, inset Beautiful Scars – as well as
release for you. It’s not the first single throwback recent hip surgery.
from the next album, it’s just a song I snap with And her #recovery also
love, and hope you love too. Enjoy! wife Cherry included cupping – an
‘Have a safe and happy festive break
alternative therapy that leaves
and New Year’s. Back to dad land for
circular suction marks.
me now, ciao x.’
Madonna, dressed in an
The 29-year-old, reported to be worth
£120million, teased the tune 24 hours
improbably-shaped bikini,
earlier, writing: ‘11am GMT tomorrow. A
shared the left-side scar a
Christmas present.’ month after flashing a similar
But Sheeran faces stiff competition if wound on her right hip.
he is to secure his second Christmas Fans thought she had a hip
No.1 – he last topped the festive chart Christmases – with 2018’s We Built This also in the running. BBC Radio 1 will replacement as she had also
in 2017 with Perfect. City... On Sausage Rolls and 2019’s I reveal the No.1 on Christmas Day. shared an image of what
LadBaby’s Don’t Stop Me Eatin’ is the Love Sausage Rolls – will once again go Sheeran announced he was taking a appeared to be a femoral head
favourite to win the race, according to to foodbank charity The Trussell Trust. break from the charts in September to – the top of the thigh bone.
The Official Charts Company. Jess Glynne’s This Christmas, Mariah spend time with wife Cherry, 28, and The Vogue singer was
Proceeds from the track by YouTuber Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, their baby. ‘We are completely in love plagued by knee and hip pain
Mark Hoyle and wife Roxanne, who Wham!’s Last Christmas and Liam with her. I’ll see you when it’s time to throughout her 2019 tour.
have topped the charts for the last two Gallagher’s All You’re Dreaming Of are come back,’ he wrote. Judging by another Insta
video on Sunday, the op has
helped. It showed her twerking
with her children David Banda,
Bill hopes win will get ‘dad dancers’ on the floor 15, and Mercy James, 14.

BILL BAILEY has said he hopes his

Sir Billy: Career may
Strictly Come Dancing victory will be over but I’m happy
inspire more men his age to consider COMEDIAN Sir Billy Connolly
taking up dancing. says he feels ‘happy in his skin’
The comedian was crowned winner after making the ‘obvious’
of the celebrity competition on decision to retire due to his
Saturday alongside professional Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
partner Oti Mabuse.
So, how did The 78-year-old (pictured)
More than 13million viewers tuned
you beat me? found he had the neurological
in to watch the 55-year-old see off
Ranvir Singh, condition in 2013 and halted live
competition from Hrvy, Maisie Smith
who made it performances five years later.
and Jamie Laing in the final of the
BBC programme. to the Strictly Interviewed for a new TV
But Bill said many men are shy semi-final, documentary about him, the
about showing off their own moves. interviews Scottish star said: ‘I
During an interview on ITV’s champion had a nice career, I
Lorraine with Ranvir Singh, who Bill Bailey on did rather well,
reached the semi-final of the latest ITV’s Lorraine and I got knighted
series herself, he said: ‘I think a lot of and that’s like the
ITV/REX
blokes of my vintage do feel self- full stop.’
conscious on the dance floor. hope is that me having this success little bit stiff of leg and arm but calling her ‘the most extraordinary Billy Connolly:
‘I think we are always aware of that will mean that more men of my age otherwise great.’ He said the win teacher and the most extraordinary It’s Been A
term “Dad dancers” and that makes might even consider taking up a dance would have been his mother’s dancer’. He added: ‘She believed in me Pleasure airs
people nervous, and they think “Oh, I class, or maybe just getting fitter.’ ‘proudest moment’ if she was still right from the very beginning and she on ITV on
don’t want to be that guy shuffling Bailey said he is still in a ‘daze’ alive, because she loved dancing. found something in me, turned me Monday.
around at the end of the night”. My following his victory, adding: ‘I feel a And he paid tribute to Mabuse, into this, into a dancer.’
4 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Rashford inspired me Special visitor:

From a distance, Santa
to collect £11k of food Santa waves to lifts children’s spirits
A SCAFFOLDER inspired by baby Emma from SANTA swapped his sleigh for a
Marcus Rashford’s campaign cherry-picker yesterday during a
has been ‘overwhelmed’ after a cherry-picker at Covid-safe visit to youngsters.
securing £11,000 of food to Leeds Children’s He was transported to the
feed children over Christmas. Hospital PA windows of all four floors at
Jordan Mattinson took Leeds Children’s Hospital to
delivery of 20 tons of food wave to patients, many of whom
which will feed 2,000 families will be there over Christmas.
in Whitehaven, Cumbria. The hospital teamed up with
‘I set a crowdfunder target of BAM Construction to arrange
£500, but I was blown away by the event after the virus crisis
the support and generosity of forced it to restrict visitor
people,’ said the 27-year-old. access on the wards.
More than 50 volunteers have Deputy head of nursing Laura
packed the food into 4,000 Whelan said: ‘Being in hospital
carrier bags for distribution. at Christmas is hard for our
Jordan took action when the young patients, but our team
government rejected Rashford’s pulls out all the stops to make
pleas for free school meals to be it as fun as possible. Having
extended to holidays – before Santa visit from the outside
Bagged up: Jordan’s crowdfunder SWNS being forced into a U-turn. really is the icing on the cake.’

Isolate if you
fled to North
from London,
travellers told
by DANIEL BINNS
■ HUNDREDS of extra British
HEALTH bosses in large parts of the North Transport Police officers have been
and Midlands are urging people who have put on duty at train stations to
arrived there recently from Tier 4 areas or enforce coronavirus restrictions. In
Wales to go into isolation for up to ten Tier 4 they will remind people they
days over Christmas. cannot enter or leave the region
Travellers are being urged to stay indoors unless they are exempt from rules.
with no visitors to reduce the risk that In the rest of the country they will
they will spread the mutant Covid variant target mask wearing. Meanwhile
linked to surging infections. police have said they will ‘step up
In Liverpool City Region, anyone who visibility’ to discourage people from
has arrived from London or the south-east driving between tiers, but there ‘is
is being urged to get a test. no intention’ of having road blocks.
The advice follows scenes of people
packing London rail stations to escape the
capital in the hours before Tier 4 controls could only slow the progress of the mutant
came into force at the weekend. strain. ‘The new variant is spread around
Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, director of public the country,’ he said last night.
health for Tameside in Greater Manchester, ‘It’s localised in some places, but we
said she was advising ten days of isolation know there are cases everywhere. So it’s
for travellers because the new strain is not as though we can stop this getting into
‘incredibly infectious’. other places, there’s some there already.’
The government’s chief scientific adviser He repeated his warning that people in
Sir Patrick Vallance said local officials were Tier 4 areas should stay local and behave
doing a ‘fantastic job’ but restrictions as if they are already infectious.

Refund pledge over cancelled

Christmas rail or coach trips
PEOPLE who cancelled Christmas travel said: ‘It is imperative we all follow the
on government advice will get refunds – if new measures and play our part in
they had booked trains or coaches. tackling this virus, protecting others and
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said safeguarding our NHS.
nobody should be ‘left out of pocket for ‘If you booked a coach or rail journey
doing the right thing’. between 23 and 27 December, you are
Cash refunds will be given for entitled to a cash refund.
cancelled bookings in England for ‘This ensures no one is left out
the planned Christmas travel of pocket for doing the right thing
window of December 23 to 27. – staying home in Tier 4, and
But tickets will only be refunded elsewhere staying local and only
if they were bought after the travel meeting your Christmas bubble on
window was announced on Christmas Day.’
November 24 and before it Passengers have been
was changed on December advised to check their
19, the department for train operator’s
transport announced. website for how to
Mr Shapps (pictured) claim.
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 5

WE’VE BEEN
DOVER BANNED BY...
■ France imposed an inbound travel
ban from 11pm on Sunday.

& OUT
■ Spain has banned all entries from
the UK except for Spanish nationals
and residents from today.
■ Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland,
Austria, Romania, Malta and Croatia all
suspended flights from the UK.
■ Italy blocked all flights from the UK

PLEASE
until January 6.
■ Bulgaria suspended flights from the
UK until January 31.
■ Netherlands banned all passenger
Empty gesture: flights from the UK until January 1.
Driver’s hand signal ■ Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
beside parked trucks banned flights from the UK until
on M20 outside Dover January 31.
REUTERS ■ Denmark suspended all flights from
TRUCKS AND SUPPLIES STRANDED Britain for 48 hours yesterday morning.
■ Norway stopped planes from the UK
AT PORT AS FRENCH SHUT BORDER for two days.
■ Belgium halted flights and trains
from the UK from midnight on Sunday
for at least 24 hours.
■ Greece extended its quarantine
period for travellers from the UK from
three days to seven.
■ Portugal said only Portuguese
people and residents can arrive from
the UK.
33,364 NEW CASES IN 24hrs ■ In Ireland, flights arriving from
Britain were banned for 48 hours at
215 NEW DEATHS least from midnight on Sunday, and
67,616 DEATHS IN TOTAL people have been asked not to ‘travel
to Ireland, by air or sea’.
77,188,346 GLOBAL CASES ■ Turkey has temporarily banned all
1,699,085 GLOBAL DEATHS flights from the UK.
■ Canada suspended entry of all
flights from the UK for 72 hours.
■ Russia is suspending flights from
» Continued from Page 1 ised in some places but we know there the UK for one week.
are cases everywhere.’ It has been linked ■ India is suspending flights from the
the pandemic. Lucy Smith tweeted after to the surge of cases which led to Satur- UK from midnight tonight until
visiting Aldi in Burpham, Surrey: ‘I saw day’s tougher Tier 4 restrictions across December 31.
a few people grabbing Yorkshire pud- London and much of the South-East, ■ Hong Kong, Israel, Iran, Morocco and
dings from other people’s trolleys. and saw five days of Christmas easing Kuwait have brought in restrictions on
‘People were actually arguing with across the rest of England cut to one. UK travel.
each other over them. It’s absolute mad- Standing beside Mr Johnson at a ■ In Latin America, Argentina, Chile,
ness. And I thought that things were Downing Street briefing, he added: ‘The Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and
bad enough without this nonsense.’ tier decisions are not ones for me but it
Peru all banned flights from the UK.
Rob Allen posted from a London is likely that measures will have to
■ Saudi Arabia has suspended all
Sainsbury’s: ‘In the supermarket queue increase in due course – not reduce.’
international flights for one week while
at 5.50 to get my hands on blockade/ Health bosses in Greater Manchester
Brexit bog paper. Mission accomplished and the West Midlands urged residents
Jordan suspended flights from the UK
– 24 rolls of quilted.’ to turn away any visitors from Tier 4 or
for two weeks.
Food and Drink Federation boss Ian insist they self-isolate for ten days. ■ The Czech Republic said arrivals
Wright warned of ‘serious disruption to They said: ‘Although our region is not who have spent at least 24 hours in UK
UK Christmas fresh food supplies’. in Tier 4, rates are increasing and it is territory will need to isolate.
But the PM said only 20 per cent of highly likely the variant is circulating.’
Britain’s food was affected because the
ban was on ‘human-handled’ cargo at
Dover, so container traffic at other ports Bad sign: Message alerts truckers and drivers approaching port at Dover PA
With lorries still stranded last night,
transport experts said the industry was
under ‘unprecedented stress and strain’.
It’s insult
was unaffected.
He insisted only around 170 lorries
were parked on the M20. But ITV News
the new Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine
from Belgium was unaffected, adding:
firmed dead yesterday – and 33,364 new
cases revealed – chief scientific adviser
Elizabeth de Jong, of Logistics UK,
said: ‘It’s such a hard time with the
changes in tiers, the difficulty planning
to injury...
business editor Joel Hills last night said
sources close to Port of Dover and Euro-
tunnel were ‘baffled’ by the claim.
‘The vast majority of food, medicines
and other supplies are coming and going
as normal.’
Sir Patrick Vallance warned lockdown
restrictions were likely to get worse
before they get better.
for Christmas, the impact of Covid and
not really knowing if we can continue
to operate in Europe from January 1.’
Truckers
He added: ‘At the time Boris Johnson
was speaking @Kenthighways told me
there were 500. The number has just
And he confirmed more than 500,000
people have now had their first
injections of the vaccine.
He said research confirmed the new
strain was 70 per cent more infectious
than normal, adding: ‘The new variant
The day of chaos knocked £50billion
off the value of the FTSE-100 and the
pound dropped nearly two per cent
get tickets
risen to 945.’ The PM said shipments of But as another 215 people were con- is spread around the country. It’s local- against the dollar.

SOME lorry drivers gridlocked in Kent

yesterday were handed parking tickets
as they stopped on the roadside.
Channel 4 reporter Paul McNamara
tweeted: ‘Insult to injury... Lorry drivers
in Kent slapped with Parking Fines.’
It was unclear who issued the tickets.
Canterbury council denied it was them.
Bread alert: Nearly gone in Iceland Wait rows: Shoppers queue to get into Waitrose in Harrow, north-west London REX Gap in market: Sainsbury’s veg aisle LNP: Folkestone council did not comment.
 December 22, 2020
6
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 7

Guilty: Men Just children...15-year-old victims in

lorry where couple died holding hands
who made
TWO 15-year-old boys and a couple
found holding hands and locked in a
final embrace were among the tragic
victims of the container lorry horror.
The youngest of the 39 Vietnamese

their money
who died were teenagers Dinh Dinh
Binh and Nguyen Huy Hung.
‘They were just children,’ Det Ch
Insp Daniel Stoten of Essex Police
said outside court.

from misery
Tran Hai Loc and Nguyen Thi Van,
both 35, were discovered huddled
Dignity: Nguyen Huy Hung, Dinh Dinh Binh, Nguyen Thi Van and Tran Hai Loc PA
together, as if trying to offer each for £6,000 each. Their families last victims, said: ‘They seem to have died
other comfort during their ordeal. heard from them on October 18 2019 with dignity and respect for each
Officials made sure they remained when they phoned to say their plans other, just the way the bodies were
hand in hand after being removed. had changed – four days before they laid. There is one couple holding
SMUGGLER GANG KILLED 39 VIETNAMESE The couple had travelled by plane joined the doomed group heading for hands. They stayed together

MIGRANTS PACKED IN LORRY CONTAINER to work in Hungary as fruit pickers,

having organised the placement
Zeebrugge in Belgium.
Former Det Ch Insp Martin
throughout the transportation to
hospital and they stayed together
through a labour company in Hanoi Pasmore, who dealt with identifying throughout the post-mortems.’

Death journey: Eamonn Harrison (inset) driving lorry in picture shown to court PA
by AIDAN RADNEDGE

RUTHLESS human traffickers could be

facing life in jail after being convicted of
killing 39 Vietnamese workers who
suffocated in a lorry container.
Ringleader Gheorghe Nica, 43, and
lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 24, were
found guilty of manslaughter for their
roles in the transportation and deaths of
the migrant workers discovered in Grays,
Essex, in October 2019.
Speaking after yesterday’s verdicts,
Det Ch Insp Daniel Stoten, of Essex Police,
said: ‘The criminals involved in this case
made their money from misery – they
knew what they were doing is dangerous
and they did it anyway.
‘They tried to cover their tracks, they
tried to hide what they were doing – some Ringleaders: Hughes (left) and Nica PA
fled abroad hoping we would not be able
to bring them back but today they’ve Zeebrugge through the Channel Tunnel
been proven wrong on every account.’ or by boat to Purfleet.
Old Bailey jurors heard how an earlier Tip-offs to police about suspicious
smuggling attempt by the plotters the activity by the network, led by Hughes
same month was foiled by the authori- and Nica, went unheeded for months.
ties. But they responded by doubling the One resident, Marie Andrews, said Essex
size of the next contingent – the doomed Police ‘had not been listening’ when she
group of migrants. raised concerns about apparent people-
The mastermind behind the trafficking smuggling in Orsett, Essex.
operation, Irish haulage boss Ronan The victims, aged between 15 and 44,
Hughes (pictured), 41, pleaded guilty to who had frantically attempted to send
manslaughter before the trial began. He text messages about their plight, were
was said to be making £1million a month found dead by driver Maurice Robinson
from the smuggling operation. shortly after he took delivery of the con-
Harrison, of Co. Down, Northern Ireland, tainer at Purfleet docks and drove it to a
and Nica, of Basildon, Essex, were nearby industrial estate. He had
found guilty of 39 counts of man- opened the doors after getting a
slaughter. Lorry drivers Christo- Snapchat message from Hughes
pher Kennedy, 24, of Co.Armagh, telling him to ‘give them air
and Valentin Calota, 38, of Bir- quickly don’t let them out’.
mingham, were convicted of Robinson, 26, of Craigavon,
assisting illegal immigration. Northern Ireland, pleaded
The gang offered a ‘VIP’ serv- guilty to manslaughter in April.
ice to Vietnamese migrants, The four convicted yesterday
who gathered in Belgium and were told they would be sentenced
France and were charged about in January along with Robinson
£13,000 to be transported from and Hughes.

Ch
hilling: Snapch
hat message from Ronan Hugh
hes to Mauriice Rob
binson
 December 22, 2020
8
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 9

All I want for

METRO BITES
■ A TYPE of brain cell which helps
us remember where we left things
has been discovered. Vector trace
Plea: Gabriella

Christmass is
cells store objects’ locations, and
.Zaghari-Ratcliffe. their damage may explain memory
with card she’s loss in Alzheimer’s patients.
.written to No.10.
AMNESTY ■ MEASURING blood pressure

my mothe er
from both arms could save lives.
UK scientists have found ‘robust
evidence’ to link heart attack and
stroke deaths with a smaller
difference in pressure between
arms than previously thought.

Mr Johnso on
DAUGHTER OF DETAINED NAZANIN ASKS
■ ASIAN foods were traded in the
Mediterranean millennia earlier
than previously thought. Turmeric,
sesame, banana and soy turned up
in 3,700-year-old tooth tartar from
Megiddo and Tel Erani, now Israel.
THE PM TO BRING HER HOME FROM IRAN

‘Unjust
charges’:
Gabriella as
a baby with
her mum and
dad, Richard
Ratcliffe, in
Amnesty’s
Two
Daughters
video
THE daughter of Nazanin Zaghari- by CAITLIN DOHERTY
Ratcliffe has made a moving plea to No.10
saying she wants ‘mummy home for months old when her mother was
Christmas’ to give her a ‘cuddle’. detained – can be seen writing the mes-
Six-year-old Gabriella posted a Christ- sage as part of a film with human rights
mas card to the prime minister asking for charity Amnesty.
his help to bring back her mother, who The ten-minute clip, Two Daughters,
has been detained in Iran since 2016. also features Elika Ashoori, 34, daughter
Inside the card, decorated with a Santa of retired 66-year-old engineer and dual
hat, Gabriella writes: ‘Dear Boris John- national Anoosheh Ashoori, who has also
son, please can you bring my mummy been held in Iran since August 2017. The
home for Christmas. She has been good. film ends with the pair looking in shop
‘When she comes back I want to cud- windows in London’s Regent Street.
dle her first and then go to the toy shop Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released due
with her. Merry Christmas to you and to the pandemic but is under house arrest
your family, love Gabriella. xxx’ at her parents’ home in Tehran.
The family are preparing for their fifth Kate Allen, director at Amnesty Inter-
Christmas apart from Mrs Zaghari- national UK, said the families are ‘both
Ratcliffe, who turns 42 on Boxing Day. victims of Iran’s notoriously unjust secu-
The British-Iranian dual national was rity charges’. She added: ‘Like Gabriella
sentenced to five years in prison for plot- says, Boris Johnson needs to do every-
ting against the state, allegations she thing he can to get Nazanin and
denies. Gabriella – who was only 22 Anoosheh home for Christmas.’

Diana letters about ‘mundane divorce’ to fetch £30k

LETTERS from Princess Diana talking about her divorce and a ‘ghastly week’
following the publication of Andrew Morton’s biography are for sale. In one she
refers to the Queen as ‘the boss’. In another she says their lunch together was a
‘welcomed distraction from the mundane activities associated with an impending
divorce!’ The 36 letters written to pal Roger Bramble from 1990 to 1997 are being
auctioned by a relative and are estimated to fetch £30,000 in Penzance in March.

Horror film fan and lover Man jailed after trying to

get life for woman’s murder steal car he couldn’t drive
A SERIAL killer obsessive and his A RAIDER who stole a Mercedes could
boyfriend have been jailed for life after not release the handbrake – and was
a stranger was murdered and caught after driving just 200 yards at
dismembered at their ‘flat of horrors’. a crawl.
Former TV and film student Nathan Liam Waddilove burgled the keys to the
Maynard-Ellis, 30, took Julia Rawson, £23,000 A-Class from a home at 4.30am
42, back to his flat in Tipton, West on August 28. But owner Kris Abbasi and
Midlands, on May 12 last year. He killed brother Idris woke up and chased him in
her and hid her body parts with the Bolton, Greater Manchester.
help of David Leesley, 25. The thief, 31, locked himself in the
Maynard-Ellis must serve a minimum vehicle but was blocked in by Idris’s car.
of 30 years and Leesley 19, following a He admitted the theft and was jailed
trial at Warwick crown court. for 28 months at Bolton crown court.
10 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

is for Adele of a is for what Could have is for Easy tiger. Bonkers
comeback. Adele been – a string of celeb Netflix show Tiger King
stunned the world in romances went bust in griped the world after
October when she 2020. Cara Delevingne eccentric gay big cat
returned to split from Ashley keeper Joe Exotic was
host Saturday Night Live, Benson and Sienna Miller ditched jailed for trying to murder rival
showing off her stunning toyboy Lucas Zwirner. Jesy Nelson Carole Baskin, who he accused
7st weight loss. left Chris Hughes then dated Our of killing her missing millionaire
Girl actor Sean Sagar. Armie hubby Don Lewis.
is for Hammer worked on a building site
Brooklyn to get over his divorce from wife is for Farewell to Caroline
bride. The Elizabeth Cha ambers. Flack. Love Island fans
Beckhams were left devastated in
started to is for Depp is done. February, when the
search for wedding venues Johnny Depp’s career presenter took her own
after eldest son Brooklyn was left in tatters
w life, aged 40, while awaiting trial
proposed to girlfriend Nicola after he lost a
a for an alleged assault on boyfriend
Peltz. The celebrations defamation lawsuit.
d Lewis Burton. Her mantra
came after a star-studded Back and ruin: Adele London’s High Court ruled #BeKind was taken on by
21st in March, where shocked fans, Cara and he w
was a ‘wife beater’ society. The Marvel movie
Stormzy played before duriing his drug-addled franchise also lost Black Panther
the family reportedly
Ashley split and Johnny unio
on with actress star Chadwick Boseman, 43, to
caught Covid-19. lost trial EPA/INSTAGRAM/GETTY Ammber Heard. cancer in August.

is for the Boyega done

good. Star Wars’ John
Boyega captured the
hearts of the Black
Lives Matters protests
with a stirring speech to crowds in
London’s Hyde Park in June.
is for wave goodbye to
Harvey. In March, movie
mogul Harvey
Much-loved: Love
Weinstein, 68, started
a 23-year sentence in Island host Caroline
a New York prison after a court Flack and activist
found him guilty of rape. John Boyega ITV/SPLASH
is for Instagram blackout.
Everyone from Drake to Adelle
joined a blackout on the sociial
media site to support the
Black Lives Matter protests.

is for is she JK-ing? JK

Rowling’s own Harry
Potter movie stars,
including Daniel
Radcliffe, Emma Watson n
and Eddie Redmayne, turned on
her when she was accused of
questioning the gender of trans men.

is for Kidnap. Mercy singer

Duffy re-emerged from
obscurity in April. She
revealed she had quit
fame to recover from a
shocking rape and kidnap ordeal Roarsome telly:
that had occurred a decade earlier. Tiger King star
Joe Exotic NETFLIX
is lockdown ladies’
albums. Big hitters
Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa,
Ariana Grande, Lady Paul wore in bed became iconic,
Gaga and Kylie all and even spawned its own
served up chart-topping Instagram account.
records to help fans survive
a rotten 2020. is for Oops I burnt
down the gym.
is for married man. Britney Spears
Lily James set the accidentally set fire
showbiz world to her home fitness
alight when centre and fans started a
she cuddled #FreeBritney campaign amid
up to married co-star fears she was being held
Dominic West in Italy, against her will by her father,
in October, only for who manages her fortune.
him to rush home to
his wife Catherine is for Penis pic.
FitzGerald the next day Captain America
to save his marriage. star Chris Evans
accidentally
is for nookiee. flashed his
Paul Mescal secret weapon to fans in
and Daisy an Instagram post.
Edgar- Fling? What fling?:
Jones Lily James, and is for Queens of the
became global stars dance floor. Gay boxer
Dominic West with Nicola Adams made
for their realistic
portrayal of TV sex his wife GETTY/SPLASH history when she and
scenes in TV hit Normal Katya Jones formed
People. The silver chain Strictly’s first same-sex pairing.
 December 22, 2020 | METRO | 11
Tuesday, D

is for Rebels he ra
an for US president. He
with a cause. spilleed their one-time abortion
Ricky Gervais planns and likened her mum Kris
spared Prince Jenn
ner to North Korean dictator
Andrew zero Kim
m Jung Un.
sympathy over his linkks
to disgraced pal is for Wet
Jeffery Epstein at A** P***y.
the Golden Globees. ics: Cardi B and
Rebel Wilson did Playing polit Megan Thee
the same at the ny e with da ughter Stallion got
Ka
Baftas – in front of idential do
own and dirty in a video for
Wills and Kate. North on pres WAP – the rudest No.1 in
W
m pa ign trail GETTY
ca reecent memory.
is for Sob story. Sam
S
Smith infuriated is for X-factor. Brad
fans by crying on Pitt and Jennifer
camera that Aniston tantalised fans
lockdown life with a hug at the SAG
in his mansion was awards in January.
unbearable. Brad dated German model Nicole
Poturalski. They split in October.
is for Toy
WAP a year: boy. Kate is for You got the love.
Meghan Thee Beckinsale, 46, Ariana Grande led a wave
Stallion and was forced to defend of new romances, bagging
her romance with rocker estate agent Dalton
Romance in the Lady Gaga Goody Grace, 22, in quarantine. Gomez. Lady Gaga pulled
air?: Brad and Jen with her beau tycoon Michael Polansky. Lily
embrace at the is for Unthinkable. Allen wed Stranger Things star
Music fans were David Harbour, while Niall Horan
SAG awards GETTY left bereft as went off with shoe buyer
Glastonbury’s 50th Amelia Woolley.
birthday party, set
Historic steps: to star Taylor Swift, Sir Paul Holding the baby: is for Zayn’s baby.
Strictly’s Nicola McCartney and Diana Ross, was The ex-1Der and
Grande-standing: cancelled due to Covid-19. Gigi with daughter Gigi Hadid
and Katya and Kate sparked a baby
Ricky Gervais on
is for Vote for me! Beckinsale boom when their
stage and Ariana Kanye West daughter arrived in September.
Grande AP almost ruined his with her toy boy Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
marriage to Kim as well as Sophie Turner and Joe
Kardashian as Jonas also became parents.
12 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

TALK
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comment

Criminally good poetry

inspired by lockdown…
n I wandered lonely as a cloud/
Go for a stroll and let
us know it’s Christmas
n At 11am on Christmas Day, as I may not be here
next year so, yes,
Through the village, across the town/ many people as possible should
But nowhere could I see a crowd/ take their daily exercise. As you
This thing called Covid is getting me pass people, smile and wish them
down/No mad rush for the morning ‘Merry Christmas’ – while keeping to
train/The bus to town, half empty your family group, of course, and no
again/Two metres apart when taking lingering or congregating. Then

we’ll ignore rules

or giving/How am I to make a living?/ maybe people like me, who now have
Why, you ask, what do you do?/I’m a to spend Christmas on their own,
dabber, or pickpocket to you. will feel a little less isolated. Thanks.
Peter, Wigan Alan, Leicester

n I have cancer and a 40 per cent chance n Stop holding Boris responsible for
of not being here next Christmas so what’s happening in the UK. The
weeks ago we, as a family, made plans. government is doing its best in a
The kids took time off work to self- pandemic that has gripped the planet.
isolate and bought some Covid tests, World leaders are acting exactly the
which they would have taken yesterday. same. But why is the British public not
If everyone had tested negative, we abiding by the science-based
would have met on Christmas Day. I’ve instructions? Why are city mayors and
had Covid so this is about them not MPs shouting their tops off, saying they
spreading it to each other. would have acted differently and calling
My dad died four weeks ago due to for untold amounts of support?
Parkinson’s disease and caught the I see neighbours in and out of each
coronavirus in hospital. My mum was to other’s houses, going shopping together
spend her first Christmas alone with us. from many households. ‘It’s only like the
We cannot be the only family unable flu’, ‘I’m not being told what to do in my
to guarantee we will be here next own home’, ‘I’m not wearing a bloody
Christmas so – in the light of the new mask’ – the usual.
Covid restrictions on households mixing I’ve been shielding since March. I’m
(Metro, Mon) – we will have an illegal extremely vulnerable and I’m waiting
Christmas, which worries me so much. for a vaccination. I’ve missed so much in
Roll out these quick-result Covid tests the lives of my children (front-line
and get mass testing in tier 4 for people workers) and my grandkids. They are
in this position. Allow last memories to living on a knife edge – one has had
be made before it’s too late. Covid is not Covid, stuck in bed with two children in
the only killer disease out there. the house, a one-parent family.
Tracey, Hertfordshire Why are so many people acting so
selfishly? When you get it, remember
n Dear Boris, when you announced your what you failed to do. If you have to
plans for relaxing the rules at Christmas, bury a loved one, just remember: it’s no
I, like any sensible person, wondered good thinking ‘if only’. Let’s work
what on you were thinking. What together and – unlike the Labour party –
happened to ‘following the science’? support the PM.
So I listened to the experts and decided M, Aylesbury
to do what we’ve been urged to do
from day one: I used my common n Covid has seen British society
sense and told friends and family to become less able (or less willing)
stay away. to view things from another’s
And now you’ve made Christmas perspective. As a liberal (a
more difficult for people who have ‘fence-sitter’, if you like), I try
made plans but I’m glad you’ve to see both sides. First, Angela
finally caught up with the rest of (MetroTalk, Fri) is
the nation. I appreciate you misreading those
have a very difficult job to such as Susan
do so here’s my advice – (Thu) who blame
listen to the scientists you the pandemic on
were so fond of at the people not
beginning of this wearing masks.
pandemic. Yes, Angela, there
Julie M, may be some
Leicester unable to wear

Our Brexit negotiators

n For four years Prime Minister Boris WTO tariffs were applied, we would see
Johnson and the ERG (European the demise of the UK fish market. Well
Research Group of Eurosceptic MPs) done, you lousy negotiators!
have wanted a no-deal Brexit and now Bill, Devon
Johnson is running down the clock so
he can blame the EU (Metro, Mon). n As Theresa May said, ‘No deal is
UK consumers could have supported better than a bad deal.’ The EU’s
British fishermen for 40 years by attitude is why we wanted to leave in
ensuring wet fish shops still existed. the first place. We should leave with no
But by only buying fish from deal. Yes, there will be teething troubles,
supermarkets supplied by Iceland and but we’ll get over that. If we make a
Norway (processed in Poland), plus bad deal, we’re stuck with it. Let’s do it
Vietnam (catfish and king prawns), the on our own terms. Irene, via email
death of UK-caught fish was assured.
So now, with about two thirds of UK- n Far from being the bully, Andy
caught seafood being sold to the EU, if claims (MetroTalk, Fri) the EU stands up
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 13

@MetroUKNews @MetroFeatures @metrosportHQ

AND ANOTHER THING...

n Gordon argues against the UK n I think it’s Hazel (MetroTalk, Mon) working on vaccines. I’m
becoming a manufacturing nation, in who is disconnected with the rest going to get the vaccine
part on the grounds of environmental of the UK if she thinks it’s as soon as it’s offered
damage caused by us building new ‘disconnected Remainers’ from (although being a healthy
factories (MetroTalk, Mon). Does he south-west London who are the 42-year-old, I accept it will
want to destroy the rest of the world only people to use Parma ham, be a while). I would
with factories? And for us to become tinned tomatoes, olive oil etc. encourage everyone to do
dependent on slave-labour nations These are standard for most the same. I don’t know
rather than responsible domestic people. Marianne, Dalmeny about you but I wish
manufacturing that employs a I could give my mum a big
healthy working class and gives n My dad was one of hug on Christmas Day
people local products and service of GlaxoSmithKline’s top without worrying about
high standards and long-term researchers. His work has been killing her.
sustainability? Richard, London looked at by the chemists Richard Green Jr, Watford

Beleaguered: Boris Johnson at Saturday’s news conference at Downing Street PA

them but Susan is referring to others, n Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, inset
such as the idiots who attend large left, describes the prime minister as a
gatherings. negligent, weak leader whose decisions
And while I agree that the government are often taken too late (Metro, Mon).
keeps giving out mixed messages, I’m Most of us have memories of the
more inclined to Jenny’s view (also Fri) photos of mask-wearing Italian soldiers
that we’re responsible for our own patrolling the streets of Italy as the
actions, although I don’t think we should virus spread in February but the UK
let our prime minister off the hook. didn’t go into lockdown until March. And
Sadly, many people need coercing into since then (and more than 60,000 Covid
doing what’s best, while others too easily deaths later) our government has
fall for conspiracy theories to care and constantly been behind the curve.
still others think their ‘civil liberties’ There’s just over a week to go until we
trump (pun intended) the well-being of risk crashing out of the EU without a
others (I’m a liberal, not a libertarian). deal and, with the mutant variant of
So the PM must take the rap for being Covid spreading and European countries
too soft on enforcing the rules (is every closing their borders to the UK, our MPs
unmasked twentysomething really need to cancel their Christmas break and
exempt?) But then such enforcement get back to parliament to sort this!
would be so un-British! Alan Jensen, West Hampstead
I’m staying at home with my wife over
Christmas. Our beloved daughter and her n I don’t know what is the answer to
family are doing likewise. We would Covid-19 but it’s clear lockdowns and
rather meet for Christmas but feel it’s in tier systems don’t work given the lack of
all our interests not to. resources available to fund enforcement
And please don’t think sitting on the and people’s seemingly endless quest
fence is comfortable because it isn’t. to find ways around the government
I have the splinters to prove it! health rules.
Laury Burr, Bromley David Hamm, Devon

are a bunch of wet fish

to bullies and wrongdoers more widely.
An example would be its clamping
down on environmental cheating by
German car manufacturer Volkswagen.
The British government can be seen
as trying to rob continental fishermen
of the rights British fishermen sold at a
fair price. Charles, Mitcham

n Let’s just get on with the necessary

installation of border and duty controls.
The EU is running us down to the wire
in the vain hope we will capitulate and
let them keep control and interference
in UK businesses.
Rare treat: A traditional fishmonger Gordon, Staines-Upon-Thames
 SIXTY
14 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

What are your Christmas

plans?
THE PLEBS ACTRESS,
I won’t have any of my children with 58, TALKS PANTO
me, which is a disaster. My eldest is
in Thailand teaching so I’m sending
PAIN, NOT-SO
her a stocking, my son’s locked down JOYOUS FESTIVE
in Manchester and has to shield, and
my youngest is with her dad on SONGS AND TIGHT

SECONDS
Christmas Day. But I’m with sisters
and brothers so it’ll be OK.
TROUSERS IN TWO
DOORS DOWN
Will you be imposing any
traditions on them?
A big walk, lots of eating and INTERVIEW BY GABRIEL TATE
we do ska carols around the
piano every year. I hate the
Mariah Carey, Slade thing
With Doon Mackichan
year after year. Two weeks
ago the guy on the Boozy Cathy spends the sitting and looking out at the fields I was 12. There was nothing to do apart
scaffolding next door Two Doors Down and these lovely black-faced sheep from walks and the sea – I got my love
had Magic FM on all Christmas special at a was joyful. I’ve lived in Hastings for a of cold-water swimming from Largo Bay
day, which was as grim
.My oh my:.. posh Highlands lodge. while but I’m moving back to London and my love of nature from growing up
as it gets. Leonard Are you a townie or because if I’m away for too long I get there, although I didn’t appreciate that
Cohen would have .Noddy Holder. country type at heart? discombobulated. I was born in at the time, when a fag in a phone box
cheered me up more. .of Slade. Oh, the lodge was beautiful – London but we moved to Fife when or feeding a horse was the highlight.

What’s the secret to drunk

acting in heels?
Ha! It’s awful, I have to drink so much
apple juice as Cathy that I’m constantly
running to the loo and having to get
someone to take my shoes off, like
Dame Doon, because my trousers are so
tight that I can’t bend over. And I didn’t
have heels in the Christmas special for
the first time in nearly five years. It was
probably just to shut me and my
complaining up but I wore flat boots
and it was wonderful.

Have you had any nightmare

neighbours over the years?
I’ve had some of those busybody women
going, ‘The children were quite noisy
last night.’ That loathsome thing where
people are slightly disappointed in you
as a family. I think I’m the noisy one
now – we’ve a few sing-songs but no
one’s reported me to the police. Yet.

I have to drink so much

apple juice as Cathy that

GETTY
I’m constantly having to
run to the loo

After playing the Wicked Queen

in Snow White at the Glasgow stuff in theatre, though, so I’m grateful
SEC last year, do you wish you for that.
were doing panto this
Christmas? Is there any chance of Smack
The Wicked Queen is obviously the The Pony being revived?
best part ever but it was a 3,000-seater Someone asks me this every week. Why
venue so it took a superhuman effort the hell has it not been recommissioned?
to just reach the audience. Two shows It’s a joke. It was so great for us to write
a day was exhausting, then at the end and play such a range of roles after
my daughter came up with a friend playing straight women to men’s careers
and they brought the norovirus, so for so many years – we could be all the
for the last three performances I was characters: bomb disposal experts,
puking offstage… But thank God I did milkmen, car mechanics, secretaries…
it, so I could eke that money out over I’m bored of going, ‘Oh, we might do
lockdown. another series, we’ve got some ideas
brewing…’ We’ve had ideas for ten years!
What got you interested There’s no reason not to do Smack
in performance in the again. It’d be very funny: your
first place? nan coming to pick you up
My English teacher got me at the school gates, older
to join the drama group in mothers, dating… it’s all
Scotland when I was 13 – still relevant and funny to
playing English bitches both sexes.
enabled me to be accepted
as the only English person What’s next?
in this massive school. Then Another series of Two Doors
I went to Manchester Uni to .Revival?. Down and a book I’m writing
do drama, started doing a bit .Smack The Pony. that’s sort of about me but
of stand-up – monologues and also about the roles we play in
characters – and it took off from there. life and the roles we’re asked to play –
casting like ‘surprisingly attractive for
Are you relieved to have left such a strong woman’ or ‘desperate old
stand-up behind? cougar with a curvature of the spine
I was doing rep and thinking actors are and palsied hand’. We’re slightly
weird, then going back to stand-up and pigeonholed into the roles we’re asked
thinking comedians are lunatics. But to play, compared to what we really play
after the Reading Festival, with the tent in life.
blowing away and a load of Hell’s Angels
heckling, I didn’t want to do it any more. The Two Doors Down Christmas special
It gave me the nerve to do some big airs on BBC2 at 9pm on December 28
December 22, 2020

15
16 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

WORLD BITES
■ THE Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s
Big Island has erupted. A warning
over falling ash was issued after the
Lockerbie suspect charged
32 years after plane bomb
blast in the Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park – which was followed
by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.

■ A GLOVE-making factory in
Malaysia has been closed after 781 by ERIC TUCKER appropriate means to ensure he answers
workers were found living in for his part.’ Scotland’s Lord Advocate
cramped, dirty shipping A LIBYAN bomb expert has been charged James Wolffe QC praised the ‘enduring
containers. One minister said in the US over the bombing of the New dignity’ of victims’ families.
conditions at the site in Kajang York-bound Pam Am jet that exploded But The Rev John Mosey, father of
were ‘like modern slavery’. over Lockerbie in 1988. British victim Helga Mosey, 19, criticised
Abu Agila Mohammad Masud is the ‘bizarre, disrespectful, insensitive
suspected of making the device that and extremely ill considered’ timing of Accused:
■ A COUPLE marrying in Malaysia Atrocity: The crash site in 1988 Abu Agila
killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the announcement.
hosted 10,000 by waving from a the ground. The terror charges were (pictured) said: ‘Masud remains in Former Libyan leader Col Gaddafi Mohammad
building as guests drove by. Tengku revealed by outgoing US attor- Libyan custody. We intend handed over two suspects after sanc- Masud is in
Muhammed Hafiz and Oceane ney general William Barr to work closely with our tions. Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was con- custody in
Alagia, who described it as the ‘new on the 32nd anniversary Scottish counterparts to victed but freed after being diagnosed Libya
normal’, put takeaway food in a tent. of the atrocity. Mr Barr use every feasible and with cancer in 2009. He died in 2012. GARY STANWAY

‘Rare’: The wolf

pup’s skin, teeth
and even fur
were preserved
by permafrost

A tail as old as time! Wolf puppy

frozen in ground for 57,000 years
THIS wolf pup lay almost perfectly the most complete wolf mummy that’s
preserved for 57,000 years after her ever been found,’ said Prof Julie Meachen,
short life was brought to an abrupt end. of Des Moines University in Iowa, US. ‘It’s
Seven-week-old Zhur is believed to have rare to find these mummies in the Yukon.
been left trapped when her den caved in. The animal has to die in a permafrost
But her sad fate has opened a window to location, and get buried very quickly.’
prehistoric Canada after she was dug up Researchers were able to ‘reconstruct
by a miner near Dawson City in Yukon. Zhur’s life’, with chemicals in the hair and
Mummified by permafrost, her head, teeth revealing her mother ate salmon.
tail, paws fur and skin are all intact. Zhur But Prof Meachen added ‘we’ll never
is the oldest such find on record. ‘She’s know’ why she was alone in the den.

Discovery:
Zhur was
unearthed
in the far
north of
Canada
PICTURES:
GOVERNMENT
OF YUKON/SWNS

Elephant given CPR after being knocked down by bike

A BABY elephant hit by a motorcycle in Thailand has survived after receiving CPR.
It was knocked over while crossing a road with an older family group in the eastern
province of Chanthaburi on Sunday. In a video that went viral yesterday, rescue
worker Mana Srivate is seen giving the elephant compressions as it lies on its side.
‘It’s my instinct to save lives and when it started to move, I almost cried,’ he said.
Both the rider and elephant were recovering and neither had serious injuries.
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 17

‘Hitler forgot
you’ jibes at
runner-up in
Miss France
POLICE have been ordered to investi- by THOMAS ADAMSON
gate anti-Semitic hate directed at the
runner-up in the Miss France contest. not affect me at all.’ Winner Amandine
April Benayoum, 21, was interviewed Petit, 23 – Miss Normandy – said that
‘Cowardly’: Neo-Nazi Stephan Balliet GETTY during the televised pageant and said the comments were ‘inappropriate’ and

Killer given life her father was Israeli-Italian, sparking

vile Holocaust insults on Twitter.
‘extremely disappointing’.
Organisers said the abuse was ‘totally

for Yom Kippur

One posted: ‘Uncle Hitler forgot to contrary to the values of the channel,
exterminate you’ and another wrote the production and the show’.
‘Don’t vote for a Jew’. France has the biggest Jewish popula-
attack on Jews Interior minister Gerald Darmanin
said he was ‘deeply shocked by the
tion in Europe but, in 2018, anti-Jewish
crimes reported to police rose 74 per
A FAR-RIGHT gunman who broadcast a rain of anti-Semitic insults against Miss cent after declining for two years.
deadly synagogue attack live on a Provence’ and told police to launch an President Emmanuel Macron labelled
gaming website has been jailed for life. inquiry. He added: ‘We will not let this the surge ‘unacceptable’.
Stephan Balliet, 28, killed two people stand. Shame on the authors.’
as he tried to shoot his way into the April – whose mum is a Serbo-Croat
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
building in Halle, eastern Germany, on – came second in Saturday night’s con-
Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. test and learned about the insults from Text the word VIEWS followed by
Holocaust denier Balliet posted a rant relatives later. your comment, name and where
against Jews before carrying out the She said: ‘It is sad to witness such you live to 65700.
‘repulsive’ attack on October 9 last year. behaviour in 2020. I obviously con- Standard network charges apply.
Judges at the Magdeburg court found demn these comments but it does
him ‘seriously culpable’, meaning he will
be barred from early release after 15
years – typical for people in Germany
given life sentences.
During his trial, which began in July,
Balliet admitted he wanted to kill all the
51 people inside the synagogue.
When he was unable to open the heavy
doors, the self-confessed neo-Nazi shot
and killed a 40-year-old woman in the
street and a 20-year-old man at a nearby
kebab shop, and wounded several others.
He apologised to the court for killing
the woman, saying: ‘I didn’t want to
kill whites.’
Announcing his sentence yesterday for Targeted: April in
murder and attempted murder, presiding
judge Ursula Mertens described Balliet
hero-style costume
as ‘cowardly’. during show on
The attack is considered one of the Saturday night AFP
worst anti-Semitic assaults in Germany’s
post-war history. Authorities have
vowed to step up measures against far- Crowning glory: Host’s selfies with winner Amandine Petit and contestants AFP
right extremism following several
deadly attacks within a year.

HACKER ATTACK
WORLD BITES
■ A STATUE of Confederate Gen
Robert E Lee representing Virginia
has been removed from the US
Capitol Building after 111 years. One
of Barbara Johns, who protested
AL JAZEERA JOURNALISTS SPIED ON ‘BY ARAB LEADERS’ IN ZERO-CLICK iPHONE BREACH conditions at her all-black school in
THE iPhones of dozens of staff at Qatari by ISABEL DEBRE 1951, is being proposed to replace it.
broadcaster Al Jazeera were hacked
using Israeli technology in an attack issued to the rich but tiny nation have ■ A TOP official in South Africa’s
probably ordered by rival Arab states. included shutting Al Jazeera, which they ruling ANC party has been
‘Zero-click’ malware – which infects see as promoting a rival political agenda. accused of improper conduct by
devices without needing to lure the user In the hack, iMessages were sent that an anti-corruption watchdog. Ace
into taking any action – was used to spy prompted phones to upload their content Magashule is said to have failed to
on 36 journalists, producers, anchors to servers linked to NSO. Al Jazeera oversee a project for farmers in
and executives, a watchdog has found. investigative journalist Tamer Almisshal which £11million was siphoned off.
The malware involved has been traced said it came to light after he received a
to Israeli firm NSO Group, added Citizen death threat on a phone he had used to
Lab, based at the University of Toronto. call ministries in the UAE about a story. Targets: ■ TWO-TIME Olympic skiing champ
It said the attacks can be tied with ‘We handed the phone to Citizen Lab, Al Jazeera Petter Northug was given a lifetime
‘medium confidence’ to the United Arab who found that it was hacked,’ he said. staff at the driving ban after he filmed himself
Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Apple said most users would not face Qatari travelling at 125mph in his Jaguar.
The countries have had a long dispute such attacks and latest systems guarded company’s The Norwegian, 34, also admitted
with Qatar over its alleged support for against them. The UAE and Saudis did HQ in Doha possessing cocaine and was jailed
extremists. And demands they have not reply to requests for comment. PICTURE: AP for seven months by a court in Oslo.
 December 22, 2020
18
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 19

HOME
INTERIORS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
INSPIRATION Why not give the gift of a subscription?
We pick our favourites
FOOD Page 22 »

DOOR OF
DREAMS
Interiors blogger Sally
Hurman @gettingstuff
doneinheels
‘My door (nicknamed The
Dior after a typo!) is lit with
fairy lights all year round,
but Christmas is time to
max out and have a bit of
fun. I upcycled an old faux-
Christmas tree and secured
the branches to the posts
using cable ties. I’m never
knowingly under-catered
where baubles are
concerned. And if the lights
don’t confuse the planes
coming in to Gatwick, you
definitely need more.’

ST A
INSTAGRAMMERS

A VERY I N
ARE GOING ALL
OUT IN THEIR
HO-HO-HOMES TO
MAKE CHRISTMAS

. .
COUNT THIS YEAR,

CHRISTM A S .
SAYS CLARE
MORRISROE
»
Continued on Page 20
20 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

MERRY
KITCHMAS CHILD’S PLAY
Designer and TV upcycler Stylist Ruth Matthews
Zoe Pocock @mucknbrass @design_soda_ruthie
‘I put my skills to the test ‘My six-year-old son Ted and I
over lockdown and came up planned this theme together to
with this fun theme of my mirror the animals and space
Christmas childhood. It theme of his bedroom. The felt
includes old fashioned foil animals on the tree have been
festoons hanging from the collected over the years and the
ceiling and I’ve made my planets that hang amongst them
own giant sweets from car are from a solar system mobile
sponges, cellophane, that’s been temporarily
ribbons and buttons. It has repurposed for the festive period.
definitely made the tree Its nostalgic feel and comfort of
something special to look at the past reflects the mood of this
and all for under £20 too! unique and different Christmas we
It’s a great way to take our find ourselves in this year.’
minds off this past year!’

OUR
WO
ONDERLAN
NDS....
OUR INSTAGRAMMERS SHOW YOU HOW TO GIVE YOUR CHRISTMAS
DECORATIONS A CLASSY REFRESH WITHOUT BREAK
KING THE BA
ANK

JINGLE SHELLS OR
DECO THE HALLS
Influencer Siobhan Murphy
@interiorcurve
‘After the year we’ve had, we’re
go
oing a bit wild in our art deco
home this Christmas – and for me
more is always more! I’ve made
my own decorations using scallop
shells that I painted in ombre pink
and blue and covered in jewels to
add an extra deco touch. All my
Christmas trees are charity shop
bargains, which keeps the cost
down and is more sustainable.’

FAUX, FAUX, FAUX

Botaniccal stylist Tracy Cole @helloflorauk
‘We may not be able to host all our friends and family
this Chrristmas but I still wanted to make an effort,
especially with my hallway and stairs, which you can see
when I open my front door. To create this faux foliage
garland,, I tied in strands of ivy then layered in willow
tails, casstanea branches, eucalyptus, lady’s mantle and a
few ferns. Inject a pop of colour with some pink paper
origami balls. A festive feast for us – and the postman!’
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 21

WHITE GOING FOR

CHRISTMAS GOLD
Designers Jamie Watkins
Interior stylist Lucy Gough and Tom Kennedy
@style_by_lucy @divinesavages
‘I love fairy lights – we have ‘We love Christmas and need
three sets up at home which we little excuse for putting up
use all year round, not just for more bold decorations! A
Christmas. I stuck a light-up different theme each year
Osby star on the wall behind the can get expensive and is
top of the tree instead of using not sustainable, so
a tree topper and then blu- we’ve used our
tacked a string of fairy lights stash of
into the archway around the traditional,
alcove to frame it. The tree, golden
decs and lights are all from Christmas
Lights4fun. deecorations
(our festive
heirloom
ms!) and
mixed in new additions.

- PHOTO: OLIVER PERROTT

CHRISTMAS PAST
Vintage stylist Paula Sutton
@hillhousevintage
I’ve spent so much time in my garden
that I wanted Christmas to reflect
nature’s bounty. The charm of a
traditional Georgian/early Victorian
Christmas has inspired me – the mantle
is swathed in sliced oranges, nuts,
pomegranates, berries and foliage.’

TOUCH OF GRASS
Interior designer Daniela Tasca York
@danielatascayork
‘After connecting with nature so much
this year, I wanted to try something
different to decorate my tree. So I
used only dried and foraged foliage to
create a design inspired by nature and
my love of frosty winter walks in the
forest with my family. It’s ethereal and
delicate but still has a big impact. By
bringing the outside in, the tree feels
like a soothing end to a crazy year.’
22 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

S
BOX CCLEVER
SUDDENLY STUCK
S C FOR
O LAST-MINUTE
S CHRISTMAS
PRESENTS? SEND A SUBSCRIPTION BOX OR ONLINE
MEMBERSHIP FOR FOOD, BOOZE, CANDLES OR PLANTS,
FOR THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING, BY LARA SARGENT

COFFEE CULTURE
It’s not just caffeine addicts that will
get a buzz from this coffee club, as the
brand donates a proportion of every
gift subscription to Project Waterfall,
a charity bringing clean water to
coffee-growing communities. Gift
PAPER TRAIL
Stationery fans will adore a
subscription, from £11.99, Beans
monthly box of cards, notebooks,
Coffee Club, beanscoffeeclub.com
pads and paper, plus every
purchase helps to plant
new trees via Tree Aid. Gift
Subscription, from £40.50 for
three months, Papergang,
papergang.ohhdeer.com

SCENT WITH LOVE

Treat someone to a monthly delivery
of eco-friendly, scented candles and
let the sweet aromas of lavender,
honeysuckle and bergamot freshen
up the new year. Candle Subscription,
from £14.95 per month for The Little
One, Iggy Box, iggybox.co.uk
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 23

GOING GREEN
Nurture a love of nature indoors
with a monthly gift of a
hand-picked plant, including
a ceramic pot or basket
and a booklet on
how plants can boost
health and wellbeing.
Perfect for 2021
and beyond. Plant
Gift Subscription,
from £115
for three
months, BEER TODAY
Bloombox Say cheers to this online beer club gift voucher, which can
Club, be redeemed for a selection of beers from small breweries
bloom around the world and delivered to your home. Beer Club
boxclub.com Gift Subscription, from £15 for one month, Beerbods,
beerbods.co.uk

SO CHEESY
Lovers of a good cheeseboard will
drool over a monthly box of four
seasonal cheeses delivered in peak
condition. Time to stockpile the
crackers. Paxton’s Cheese Club,
from £120 for a three-month bronze
membership, Paxton & Whitfield,
paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

TAKING THE BISCUIT

A monthly delivery of delicious biscuits will
be the icing
g on the cake for friends and family
this Christm
mas. Afternoon tea breaks just got
a whole lott sweeter. Biscuit Subscription
Gifts, from £30 for three months of Jolly
Gingers, Biiscuiteers, biscuiteers.com GIVE THE
GREEN LIGHT
IN GOOD HEALTH Green-fingered folk
Gift a healthy start to the new year with these will love a membership
liquid gut, brain and immunity shots – a welcome to the Royal
boost to everyone’s festive wish list. Christmas Horticultural Society
Gift Card, from £30, Aguulp, aguulp.com with unlimited visits
to RHS Gardens,
a year’s magazine
subscription and
WHISKY other goodies. Grow
GALORE on… One year Gift
Get into the spirit of Membership, £65,
Christmas by gifting RHS, rhs.org.uk/
a whisky club join/promo/gift892
membership and let
loved ones discover
and support small
batch distillers
from Scotland
and beyond.
Gift Membership,
£125 for two boxes
over four months,
Craft Whisky
Club, craft
whiskyclub.com

BAKE OFF
Get kids baking healthy pies, puddings, pizzas and cakes
with these monthly recipe kits posted through the letterbox.
Every box bought buys a nutritious breakfast for a vulnerable
school child. Gift Plans, from £35.99 for three months, Little
Cooks Co, littlecooksco.co.uk

SOCK IT TO ‘EM CHOC STARS

Loved ones will be walking on air when Delicious chocolates delivered straight to the door might
they receive a new pair of bright, patterned just be at the top of everyone’s Christmas wish list. The
socks every month through the letterbox. sweetest gift to lift spirits throughout 2021. Christmas
Gift Subscription Plan, from £8.95 per month, Chocolate Club Gift Subscription, £65.85 for three months
Put A Sock In It, putasockinit.com Medium Box, Chococo, chococo.co.uk
24 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

MY CHRISTMAS... TOM DAVIS

TIME SPENT WITH THE FAMILY AND OVER-THE-TOP DECORATIONS ARE THE COMEDIAN’S FESTIVE WISHES

C
OMEDIAN Tom Davis, 41, is the Do you like a lot of Christmas What’s the most my mum realised I looked like horrible brandy out and we drank
brains behind comedy detective decorations or a minimal look? disappointing Christmas I had a massive phallus on my head. that while sitting in Trafalgar
show Murder In Successville My house looks like Christmas has been present you’ve received? Then the teachers started making Square. It was a very depressing
and now stars in hit sitcom King sick on it. We’ve got a light-up reindeer I got a bike one year. My dad was all the kids who got the lowest experience. I spent
Gary. The series returns with a at the front, light-up wreaths with bows really excited about teaching me grades, including me, sing From years looking for a good New Year’s
Christmas special on December 23. on, garlands, lights all over the windows how to ride it. But I crashed it A Distance every nativity as Eve and never found it. Now I’m 41
and guttering. It’s pretty special. within 15 minutes of getting it and a punishment. It was awful. that quest is over.
What does Christmas mean I didn’t ride a bike again for years.
to you? Do you have any decorations I scraped my knee and chin pretty Favourite Christmas films? n The King Gary Christmas Special
It’s about coming together with your of sentimental value? badly. It was the first time I saw I love It’s A Wonderful Life – it’s an can be seen on December 23
family. Both my parents worked a lot A beanbag Santa Claus I’ve had since disappointment in my dad’s eyes. incredible film and you can learn at 10pm on BBC1.
when I was a kid and Christmas was a I was seven. He looks at odds with the He was planning long bike rides a lot from it. I love Elf, National INTERVIEW BY
time I cherished everyone being together. rest of the tree, which is quite classy with together but it wasn’t to be. I sold Lampoon, Home Alone... there are ANDREW WILLIAMS
expensive baubles, but he holds his own. it because it became a constant lots. We’ve included little references
Real tree or artificial? He’s the real meaning of Christmas. reminder of all my failures. to all those films in the King Gary
The last two years I’ve had an artificial Christmas Special.
tree but I’ve got a cracking real one this What’s the best Christmas As a child, did you ever
year. I like the pine needle smell and present you’ve ever received? repeatedly ask Father Do you prefer Christmas
going out and picking the tree. The A Playmobil galleon pirate ship when Christmas for a present or New Year’s Eve?
artificial tree had fake snow on it. It’s I was seven. I was obsessed with pirates that you never received? Christmas – I loathe New Year’s
in the garage now. It’s quite sad – he as a kid. It had canons in the bottom, When I was a kid I really loved the Eve. There’s so much pressure
probably thought he had a job year which you could fire and you could MASK toys – vehicles with little about how you’ve got to have
after year and now he’s redundant. put it in the bath and it floated. men in them. Their base was called a good time. When I was 17,
Boulder Hill, which was really me and my friends went up
expensive. They had one in a toy to London. One of our
shop in Sutton, where I’m from, friends looked very young
for years. I wrote begging letters so nowhere would let us in.
to Santa every year saying ‘If you We’d been drinking cans of
don’t know where to get one there’s lager then one of my
one in the toy shop in Sutton.’ friends got a
I never got it. As an adult I thought bottle of
about buying it on eBay but it’s
still too expensive. They’re real
collectors items.

Do you go for a traditional

turkey Christmas dinner?
It’s always got to be turkey with
all the trimmings. I do all the
cooking on Christmas Day. I
thoroughly enjoy it. You’ve got
to have it all – stuffing, both
sausage and sage and onion,
cauliflower cheese, pigs in
blankets, carrots, parsnips,
swede, Yorkshire puddings
and a prawn cocktail to kick
it off with. Afterwards you
need Christmas pudding and
brandy butter.

What do you like most

about Christmas and
what do you like least?
I was the last kid in the
class to still really believe
in Christmas. My little sister,
who is three years younger
than me, was the first
person to tell me the truth
– that’s how much I loved
Christmas. I don’t like the
commercialism of it. You
don’t need to spend a vast
amount of money. My
parents didn’t have much
money when we were kids
and we didn’t often get what
we wanted but it didn’t make
Christmas any less enjoyable.
Being together with friends
and family, where possible now,
is the most important thing.

Were you ever in a

school nativity?
We had quite a hippie-ish teacher
who decided to include a bit about
how the Earth was created one year
in our nativity. I played a dolphin.
My mum made the costume. The
dolphin’s beak came out of my
PHOTO: GETTY

forehead. It was only when I was

halfway down the aisle and all
the dads started laughing that
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 25

BARREL OF
HIGH & DRY LAUGHS
Get into party mode, Very Important Party
without the hangover, news: this ceramic,
by sipping on this gin barrel will perk
non-alcoholic, herbal up every at-home
elixir powered by bar for the party
energy-boosting season and beyond.
botanicals. High spirits Cheers! Teal Green
indeed. The Livener, Ceramic Gin Barrel,
£24.99, Three Spirit, £59.50, Oliver
threespiritdrinks.com. Bonas, oliverbonas.
Buy it with the com. Buy it with the
Ownable app Ownable app

HOT
H OT
A SOUND DECO DELIGHT
CHOICE We’ll never be done with the Deco vibe and these
Every party needs a striking black and gold peacock glasses will add
playlist, so this small but a flash of Gatsby glamour to every party-at-home.
powerful, pairable speaker Midnight Peacock Tumblers, £19.95 for a pair;
is music to our ears. Put all other glasses £27.50 for a pair, Not Just Jugs,
on your dancing shoes. notjustjugs.com. Buy it with the Ownable app
Mino+ Pairable Speaker,
£30, The Conran Shop,
conranshop.co.uk. Buy it
with the Ownable app BIDS FAREWELL
TO 2020 WITH
BINGO LINGO A STYLISH NEW
Swap ‘legs eleven’ for Ziggy Stardust, with the CHILL OUT
coolest, rock n’ roll game of bingo the whole YEAR’S EVE Keep your champers and
family will love. Classic David Bowie playlist Chardonnay super-chilled
essential listening. Bowie Bingo Game, £20, PARTY AT H
HOME in this shiny gold-coloured
Rockett St George, rockettstgeorge.co.uk. compiled by metal wine cooler. A really
Buy it with the Ownable app LARA SARGENT cool buy. Wine cooler,
£29.99, H&M, hm.com. Buy
it with the Ownable app

STAR
MAKER
It may be a quieter
NYE than usual, but that
doesn’t mean you can’t
dial up the razzle dazzle
with a metallic star curtain.
BOTTLE IT
Everyone enjoys a midnight
Party on (even via Zoom).
toast with handfuls of pink jelly
Ginger Ray Gold Foil Star
beans that taste like sparkling
Party Backdrop, £10,
rosé wine. Very sweet. Rose
Selfridges, selfridges.
Wine Sparkling Wine Bottle,
com. Buy it with the
£3, Jelly Belly, jellybelly.co.uk.
Ownable app
Buy it with the Ownable app

SCENT HOME
Infuse your home with an uplifting scent of pine,
myrrh and fresh lime peel and welcome in a fresh
start for a new year. Perfect Peace Scented Candle,
from £32, Neom, neomorganics.com. Buy it with the
Ownable app

STAR TURN
Ditch the fancy crockery
and stock up on shiny,
gold star paper plates, SHOT IN THE DARK
for an easy peasy NYE Fill chocolate shot glasses with a
bash – minus the slug of your favourite tipple or
washing up. Gold gooey ganache and cream for a
Star Shaped Paper sweet start to any party. The
Plates, £3.99 for pack Chocolate Libertine 48 x Dark
of eight, Ginger Ray, Chocolate Shot Glasses, £21.95,
gingerray.co.uk. Buy it Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com.
with the Ownable app Buy it with the Ownable app
26 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

HOUSE STYLE
Drop everything, this indulgent, melting
chocolate cottage is back for another
Christmas and will sweeten up the
most diehard chocoholic. Rush to your GOLDEN
nearest store before it’s a sell-out. BALLS
Dark chocolate & salted caramel cottage, Create a touch of theatre
£6.99, Lidl, in store only with a stack of profiteroles
filled with whipped cream and
layered with salted caramel
sauce and gold shimmering
decorations. Golden Balls
profiterole stack, £13,
Marks & Spencer, In
store only

GOOD PUD
Everyone will enjoy tucking into this
vegan, dairy-free pannacotta star
smothered in Belgian dark chocolate
and gooey caramel sauce. So good for so
many reasons. Plant Pioneers chocolate
and salted caramel star, £8, Sainsbury’s,
sainsburys.co.uk
JUST DESSERTS…
FINISH OFF THE FESTIVE FEAST WITH THESE SHOWSTOPPING DESSERTS
THAT ARE ALMOST TOO GOOD TO EAT. ALMOST, SAYS LARA SARGENT
DOME ALONE in no time this Christmas. Too cute. Bruce the
This glorious white chocolate Brussels Sprout cake, £10, Asda, asda.com
mousse with a hidden
fruit compôte (right) STAR MAKER
doesn’t come in This creamy panna cotta (below) with
store til raspberry prosecco sauce and edible gold
December glitter will be the star of your festive
23, so get dinner table. Morrisons The best
in the xmas star panna cotta with
queue raspberry sauce, £7,
now. Also Morrisons, morrisons.
available in com
lemon & berry
or milk chocolate
& black forest.
CHEESE, PLEASE Specially selected chocolate dome,
No sweet tooth? No problem. This festive
£7.99, Aldi, In store Only WHAT A MELT
cheese tower of Wensleydale with Itt’s not just vegans who will be digging into this
cranberries, white stilton with apricots Belgian chocolate and orange pudding with
and cheddar with serrano chilli is a sweet
EAT YOUR GREENS melting middle (above). Very special. Specially
This Brussels sprout iced chocolate sponge (right)
choice for all. Cheese star, £5, selected Belgian chocolate & oange melt in the
will get little kids (and big kids) eating their greens
Sainsbury’s, sainsburys.co.uk middle pudding, £2.49, Aldi, In store only

ORANGE TRIFLED
CRUSH AWAY
Baked orange You simply can’t
cheesecake with a beat a trifle to
caramel and top off the big
orange sauce on a day, and this
spiced digestive fancy-pants
biscuit base version with
sounds like a layers of sponge,
perfect sweet raspberry jelly,
treat with an white chocolate GOLDEN WONDER
LOG OFF after-dinner cup and vanilla
No Yuletide is complete without a festive For an easy-peasy, razzle-dazzle
of coffee. Tesco mouse, ticks showstopper, this salted caramel
log, and this luxe toffee and chocolate cake Finest triple every box. The cheesecake just made our year.
with bark-like icing and gold lustre will take caramel & orange Queen of Trifles, Luxury millionaire’s salted caramel
centre stage on your table. Luxury Sticky torte, £8, Tesco, £15, Waitrose, gold bar cheesecake, £5, Iceland,
Toffee Winter Forest Log 1kg, £8, tesco.com waitrose.com Iceland.co.uk
Iceland, iceland.co.uk
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 27

JULIA CHARLES Who said rosé wine was just for

summer? Here is a delicious sparkling
SHOWS CLARE FIRESIDE SANGRIA wine punch to cosy up with on colder
MORRISROE days. It makes a lighter and refreshing
alternative to mulled wine.
HOW TO CREATE INGREDIENTS
GREAT FESTIVE ■ 10 seedless white grapes, halved
lengthways
COCKTAILS ■ 10 seedless red grapes, halved
AND WINTER lengthways
■ 1 small orange, finely sliced
WARMERS ■ 90ml Grand Marnier or other
orange-flavoured liqueur

P
UBS and bars might ■ 90ml aged sweet red vermouth
have closed their (such as Carpano Antica Formula)
doors over Christmas, ■ 170ml fresh clementine or blood
but a do-it-yourself orange juice
cocktail is the perfect ■ 375ml well-chilled fresh, fruity
antidote for revellers wanting to sauvignon blanc (preferably from
lift their festive spirits at home. New Zealand)
‘Is it any wonder that ‘locktails’ ■ 75cl bottle well-chilled sparkling
became something of a rosé (a pink prosecco or cava works
phenomenon during 2020?’ says well here)
Julia Charles, who has compiled ■ Dried orange slices and cinnamon
a book, far right, of cool cocktails sticks, to garnish
and warming winter drinks to ■ Ice cubes
help banish the pandemic blues.
‘Taking care to craft and serve SERVES SIX TO EIGHT
a delicious drink at home can be
very comforting in this time of METHOD
uncertainty. Most people have 1. Put the grapes and orange slices in a

PHOTOS: RYLAND PETERS & SMALL

bottles of spirits, liqueurs and punch bowl (or large jug, as preferred.
cordials at the back of their 2. Pour in the Grand Marnier,
cupboards that can be dusted off vermouth, clementine or blood orange
and combined with some simple juice, white wine and rosé wine and stir
home-made syrups, fresh juices to combine. Add plenty of ice cubes
and garnishes to create pretty and stir again.
spectacular drinks. They can 3. Serve ladled into tumblers or short-

PHOTOS
bring a much-needed moment of stemmed wine glasses filled with ice
joy whether you are with family, cubes and garnish each one with a
friends or spending the festive dried orange slice and a cinnamon
season alone.’ stick. Serve at once.

PORTUGUESE WHITE CHRISTMAS

MULLED PORT
This is a delicious holiday drink SERVES SIX
Similar to mulled wine but bursting with all the evocative
made using port, this is an aromas of the season, such as METHOD
elegant spiced punch perfect orange zest, cloves, cinnamon and 1. Put the milk, chocolate, orange
for a winter dinner party. It is nutmeg and a little splash of zests, cloves, cinnamon sticks and
fairly potent, though, so warming orange liqueur. It’s great to nutmeg in a heavy-based saucepan
serve it in small demitasse serve at the end of dinner party in and heat gently, stirring, until it just
cups (or heatproof glasses) place of a heavy dessert. reaches boiling point. Froth the milk
at the end of a meal. using a milk frother, or whisk
INGREDIENTS vigorously until light and foamy.
INGREDIENTS ■ 1 litre milk 2. Add 15ml of the Cointreau to each
■ 2 oranges ■ 200g white chocolate, grated of the six small cups or heatproof
■ 10 cloves ■ 2 large pieces of orange zest glasses. Divide the milk equally
■ 6 allspice berries ■ 4 cloves, lightly crushed among the glasses and spoon a little
■ 1 cinnamon stick ■ 2 cinnamon sticks, lightly crushed of the whipped cream on top of each
■ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ■ a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg drink. Sprinkle with candied orange
grated nutmeg ■ 90ml Cointreau or any other peel and grated white chocolate.
■ 50g demerara sugar orange-flavoured liqueur Serve at once with
■ 75-cl bottle Ruby port ■ 125ml double small spoons.
■ pestle and mortar cream, whipped
until stiff ■ Winter
SERVES 12 ■ Candied Drinks, £9.99,
orange peel and published by
METHOD grated white Ryland Peters
1. Peel and slice one orange chocolate, to & Small,
and squeeze the juice from serve rylandpeters.
the second orange. Put the ■ A milk frother com
slices and freshly squeezed (optional)
juice in a large saucepan and
pour in 480ml of cold water.
2. Lightly crush the cloves, SPARKLING HIBISCUS TEA FIZZ (MOCKTAIL)
allspice and cinnamon in a
pestle and mortar and add to
the pan, along with the Tea makes a good base for non- SERVES ONE
nutmeg. Add the sugar and alcoholic cocktails, and cold-brewing
bring the mixture slowly to the tea rather than using hot water METHOD
the boil, stirring until the gives a smoother, more delicate taste. 1. Make the cold-brew hibiscus tea.
sugar has dissolved. Top up with sparkling tonic water for Put the teabag in a measuring jug, add
3. Simmer gently for ten an elegant festive fizz. 175ml of cold water and refrigerate for
minutes. Stir in the port and a few hours or overnight.
heat gently, without boiling, INGREDIENTS 2. When ready to make the drink, add
for a further 2–3 minutes. ■ 1 hibiscus teabag a spoonful of honey or agave syrup to
Sieve and pour into small ■ Runny honey or agave syrup, the jug and whisk into the tea. Pour
heatproof glasses or punch to taste half of the hibiscus tea into a chilled
cups and serve at once. ■ Well-chilled, good-quality tonic flute glass, top up with chilled tonic
water, to top up water and garnish with dried hibiscus
■ Dried hibiscus flowers, to garnish flowers. Serve at once.
28 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

PUZZLES
METROSCOPE by Patrick Arundell
Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20 Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23
Whatever it is that troubles It can be those who know us
you, the solution lies in well who misjudge our
accessing your feelings potential or who might focus
rather than cutting yourself more on our shortcomings
off from them. You could than our talents. This is why
pursue a path that takes you it’s important to put yourself
further away from yourself out there. Don’t let anyone
or fully nurture your get in your way when you
cherished dreams. have skills to share.
For your forecast, call For your forecast, call
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Taurus Apr 21 – May 21 Scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

With Jupiter and Saturn Cooperation and the ability
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a period when the changes towards easing a potentially
you’ve envisaged are now tricky situation. You could
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Gemini May 22 – Jun 21 Sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

A compelling influence can The time may be ripe for
find you pursuing what you changes you’ve been
desire. Issues around power dreaming up. Slow and
ACROSS DOWN ACROSS DOWN and money may be very steady is the best way ahead
1. Sounds like what we did to the way 1. I’m to take it all back to the 3. Quick (5) 1. Fossil resin (5)
in the fog! (4) entrance to ease things (8) 8. Amid (5) 2. Tempts (7) much to the fore, especially as you embrace a new
3. Sink into mere peat, perhaps (8) 2. Bird takes a gulp (7) 10. At no time (5) 4. Assist in a crime (4) in a partnership. Organising project or start an internet
8. Sad evidence of a ripping time? (4) 4. Free expert taking me in without 11. Flying mammal (3) 5. Foot part (6) financial affairs could go a business. A new phase is on
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14. The cartel shows its true colour (6) 10. Don’t forget the wild animal you 22. Relatively long time (4) 17. Rot (5) Cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23 Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20
17. An undecided matter to begin the thought about! (4,2,4) 23. Maori war chant (4) 19. Unusual, weird (7) Lovely Venus in your lifestyle You may have some positive
enquiry with (4,8) 12. Dad rants in some measure! (8) 24. Ten-sided figure (7) 20. Of rabies (5) zone is a call to nurture ideas about how things
20. Start something at the place where 15. Vituperation from a fence? (7) 26. Pressed (6) 21. Fruit (5) yourself with some self-care. should pan out and now is
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36. Tree (5) 30. Large animal (5) charming self. a gear change.
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Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23 Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

Focus hard on getting things You may already be very
EASY MODERATE CHALLENGING done. If you’re geared up to familiar with a tricky issue
QUICK
CRYPTIC Across: 3 Amass; 9 Acacia; 10 Harare; 11 Dream; 12 Apes; 15 Mobile;
6
2
8
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5
7
1
3
4
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9
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7
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3
1
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2
1
8
4
take advantage of an offer, that’s kept you from living to
Across: 1 Promptitude; 9 Counter; 10 Khaki; 11 Order; 17 Destroy; 19 Dot; 20 Nomad; 22 Steam; 24 Riots; 25 Wound; 9 3 4 2 5 7 8 1 6 2 5 8 9 6 4 1 7 3 6 1 4 2 7 8 9 3 5 preparation could stand you your full potential. As it
12 Sunburn; 13 Nobody; 15 Thwart; 18 Austere; 27 Try; 29 Guitars; 32 Abates; 34 Or so; 35 Leper; 37 Exhale; 7 9 3 6 2 4 5 8 1 9 3 5 7 8 2 4 1 6 9 7 5 1 8 3 2 4 6 in good stead. A lively Moon- becomes clear how it’s
20 Satin; 22 Thing; 23 Growler; 24 Undertaking. 38 Solemn; 39 Erase.
Down: 2 Round; 3 Motored; 4 Thrush; 5 Token; Down: 1 Salad; 2 Fades; 3 Aid; 4 Maroon; 5 Sham; 6 Samovar;
5
8
6
4
2
1
8
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7
Venus pairing may coincide holding you back, you’ll want
6 Dracula; 7 Accountants; 8 Piano tuners; 7 Valid; 8 Beret; 13 Perturb; 14 Straw; 16 Loiters; 18 Young; 21 Ditto; 3 5 9 4 6 2 1 7 8 7 6 3 2 1 9 5 8 4 7 4 9 3 6 2 8 5 1 with an opportunity that to find a way to override it
14 Bastion; 16 Hassock; 17 Weight; 19 Eagle; 21 Talon. 23 Moselle; 26 Duress; 27 Takes; 28 Yacht; 30 Aries; 31 Sound; 4 7 8 9 1 5 6 2 3 5 1 2 8 4 3 9 6 7 1 2 8 7 5 4 3 6 9 brings you unexpectedly and focus on ideas that are
33 Seer; 36 Roe. 1 2 6 7 3 8 9 4 5 4 8 9 6 7 5 3 2 1 3 5 6 8 1 9 4 7 2
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DIFFICULTY RATING: EASY DIFFICULTY RATING: MODERATE DIFFICULTY RATING: CHALLENGING Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23 Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20
A pairing of the Sun and A spiritual focus could
9 2 3 7 8 6 7 5 3 9 2 Mercury in your sector of encourage you to connect
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7 8 3 5 7 1 6 9 4 3 7 more people may be supportive. Equally, you may
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All Creatures Great And

Small Channel 5, 9pm TONIGHT’S blockbusting film franchise, and
movie Bridget Renée Zellweger is
The Goes Wrong Show: The
Nativity BBC1, 7pm
This sweet remake of the much-
loved Yorkshire vet drama was the TV CHOICE among those singing the praises of
both writer and creation here.
We could all do with a bit more daft,
knockabout fun in our lives so,
nostalgic TV hit of 2020 so here’s thankfully, here to supply it are the
a feature-length seasonal special Being Bridget Jones Industry mischievous elves of Mischief
that finds James (Nicholas Ralph) BBC2, 9pm BBC2, 10.30pm & 11.25pm Theatre, the princes of pratfall
making a litter of puppy-dog eyes Bridget Jones, the anti-heroine of In this finale double bill, D-day behind the Goes Wrong franchise.
at farmer Helen (Rachel Shenton) as the have-it-all generation, touched awaits the ambitious interns at Let them loose on the Nativity and
she prepares to tie the knot with a resounding nerve with many as Pierpoint, the investment bank what could possibly go wrong? Well,
dreary landowner Hugh. You’ll see she stumbled from crisis to crisis. they’re gagging to sell their souls pretty much everything that’s not
the twist coming from over the Author Helen Fielding took Bridget to. Will any of them get out of there nailed down. And most of what is.
Animal attraction: Nicholas Ralph Dales but that’s part of the appeal. from newspaper column to alive (or with their clothes on)? KEITH WATSON
December 22, 2020

29
30 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

December 22, 2020

 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 31

CRICKET

Ollie sees no quick fix SPORT IN BRIEF

Landing a Holl of a blow for racing

for cricket after Covid

RACING
JOCKEY Hollie Doyle felt
honoured to finish on
the BBC Sports
Personality of the Year
podium on behalf of her
by MATTHEW NASH
KALL TO HELP whole spot.

ENGLAND paceman Ollie Robin-

ENGLAND IS Doyle capped a
memorable year by but it felt like I was
son believes it could take two ANSWERED taking third behind picking it up for the
years before cricket fully recovers BY JACQUES Formula One world horse-racing industry,
from the effects the coronavirus champion Lewis not just myself. I always
pandemic has had on the game. SOUTH Africa great Hamilton and footballer thought good things
The 27-year-old Sussex bowler, Jacques Kallis will Jordan Henderson. like this don’t happen to
who was earlier this month named coach England’s On coming third, the people like me, but I’m
as a reserve for England’s tour of batsmen on their 24-year-old (pictured) just honoured to be
Sri Lanka, saw the 2020 season tour of Sri Lanka. said: ‘It felt unbelievable where I am.’
badly restricted by coronavirus. The 45-year-old,
Hove bosses furloughed the who topped 13,000
majority of both their playing and Test runs, will take
non-playing staff before a short- over from Marcus
THEY SAID IT
ened county cricket season got Trescothick as ‘I don’t see any reason why I can’t play
under way. batting consultant well into my fifties, not just a couple of
Plans have been drawn up for a for the trip, which is last hurrahs. I don’t feel like a 47-year-
full calendar for 2021 but Robin- due to leave on old, I feel like a 25-year-old.’
son knows all too well the effect January 2.
21.78
Lee Westwood is convinced he still has time to land an
another Covid-affected campaign
Head coach Chris elusive first major title after being crowned the European
would have on the game. Tour’s Golfer of the Year for the fourth time
Robinson’s first- Silverwood and his
‘Financially, we all know clubs,
class bowling No.2 Paul
counties and England have been
average after Collingwood will
hit pretty hard,’ he told Metro.
taking 250 wickets also be joined by Sarries’ short route back to the top
‘It’s a massive shame. Cricket
was growing after England won in 58 matches. He ex-Essex stumper RUGBY UNION
the 2019 World Cup but now it’s also has a first- James Foster as SARACENS’ Championship season will not start
going to maybe take a couple of class century to his wicketkeeping until March 6 – a month after the Six Nations kicks
summers to get it back in track. name and averages coaching consultant off – and they face a maximum of 11 games.
‘Hopefully we can get a full 20.84 with the bat in the wake of The competition will feature two regionalised
summer of cricket next year, Bruce French’s conferences of six teams before a play-off over two
followed by the Ashes in the retirement. legs between the two winners to determine who
winter and get the Carl Hopkinson, gains promotion to the Premiership.
love for the sport Ashes ambition: Jon Lewis and Three-time Champions Cup winners Saracens
growing again.’ Robinson would love Jeetan Patel will were relegated to English rugby’s second tier earlier
Robinson, who to open the bowling work with the this year following repeated salary-cap breaches.
began playing 20 fielders, bowlers
with Archer and spinners
0
years ago at Mar- Fans will be at Alexandra Palace for
gate, also feels respectively. snooker’s Masters next month. Organisers
supporting grass- PICTURE: REX
accept the planned socially distanced crowd is
roots sport has we reached had hasn’t made people lazy.’ Rob- liked to have been in the main
impossible with London’s Tier 4 Covid restrictions
never been more National Cup inson flies out with England on squad this time, not on the reserve
EE
FR

important. finals. It was a January 2 and hopes to partner list, but I just have to be ready
He said: ‘Mar- great time. Sussex team-mate Jofra Archer in when called upon and put some TENNIS
gate played a ‘We have to the Ashes next winter. pressure on the players ahead of TEENAGER Jack Draper claimed a career-best win
massive part in ensure people, ‘I spoke to the selectors about it me by taking wickets when I get over British No.3 Cameron Norrie at the Battle of
my career. It was mas- kids, adults get off when I was with the Lions in the the chance. the Brits. The world No.303 won 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).
sive for my development the sofa and come and summer and they said they are ‘The dream would be to have Dan Evans beat Jan Choinski 7-5, 6-0, while Heather
as a cricketer. play sport again. looking at me for the Ashes,’ he Robinson and Archer opening the Watson saw off Jodie Burrage 6-1, 6-4.
‘I played there until I was 16 and ‘I hope that the year we have added. ‘I obviously would have bowling for England.’
32 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

FOOTBALL // PREMIER LEAGUE

PICTURE: AP

Rodgers backs Vardy

to make Boxing Day
LEICESTER boss Brendan Rodgers was at his best as his running and
expects star striker Jamie Vardy to be fit pressing caused Spurs headaches.
to face Manchester United on Boxing ‘He is one of the best strikers in the
Day despite coming off before the end world and, at what he does, there are
of their 2-0 win at Tottenham. not many better,’ Rodgers added.
The Foxes are preparing for the ‘Jamie’s strength is on the last line,
meeting of the two closest challengers threatening the backline. His biggest
to leaders Liverpool on the back of a thing is he has no ego, he puts the work
fine performance in north London. in, he’s not frightened to do the dirty
After Vardy (right) scored his work, he runs, he presses,
11th goal of the season from the tactically he’s very good.
spot and forced Toby Alderweireld ‘Then in the pressure moments,
into a second-half own goal, he sticks the penalty away. He
Rodgers brought him off to protect must be horrible to play against
his ongoing hip issue. as a centre-half knowing
‘That’s the same injury he is running across you,
but we’ve got a week behind you, his
now which is really movement is so clever
nice,’ Rodgers said. and that is why he is at
‘It gives him a chance this level in the most
to recover and competitive league in
hopefully he will be the world.
okay for next weekend.’ ‘I can’t speak highly Swede taste of
The striker, who enough of him, he is victory: Lindelof was
turns 34 next month, a great guy.’
a happy man after
beating injury to help
United to a crushing
6-2 win over Leeds

Victor puts United

title push down to
their clearer focus
VICTOR LINDELOF believes Man- by JOHN PAYNE in the first three minutes is evidence
chester United’s strengthened win- of their new-found ruthlessness.
ning mentality is behind growing keep working hard, keep focusing ‘It was 4-1 going into half-time and
hopes they could mount a serious on the next game but obviously then we knew still Leeds wouldn’t
push for the Premier League title. when you win games you gain more stop running and stop fighting,’
The defender himself has had to confidence and that’s what we’ve added Lindelof.
‘play through the pain’ but got his been doing lately. ‘Especially in the second half, we
reward as United thumped bitter ‘That’s how we want to approach showed again the right mentality to
rivals Leeds 6-2 on Sunday. the game. We always want to win. keep on doing the things we know
Seven points from three games We never want to stop.’ we can do.’
since bowing out of the Champions Hopes are high United can get Lindelof could easily have missed
League have lifted Ole Gunnar Sol- closer to the title than at any point the Leeds game after taking a blow
skjaer’s side to third, five points since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in to the knee in last Thursday’s 3-2
behind leaders Liverpool. 2013 and Lindelof believes the way win at Sheffield United.
United face a Carabao Cup quar- they never let up against Leeds after ‘I’ve been struggling a lot with my
ter-final at Everton tomorrow before Scott McTominay grabbed two goals back over the past couple of months,
visiting fellow high-flyers Leicester so it’s very important for me to do
on Boxing Day, and Lindelof said: the treatment and recovery right.
‘The most important thing for us is ‘Against Sheffield, I got a bad
that we’re focusing on one game at a I’ve been struggling a knock on my knee so I was 50-50 (to
time. We have been performing good little bit but I managed to face Leeds) but I managed to play.
and we have got some good results. play through the pain I’ve been struggling a little bit but I
‘The main thing for us is just to managed to play through the pain.’

Traore confident of finally fitting in at Villa

BERTRAND TRAORE admits he was not fit came, I wasn’t fit enough. I worked hard
enough when he arrived at Aston Villa but with the staff to get my fitness back and
now intends to build on his first Premier then unfortunately I got injured in my first
League goal for the club. start,’ said Traore (pictured).
The 25-year-old forward’s classy strike ‘I had to work hard to get back into the
helped Villa to a 3-0 win at West Brom on team, and now I’m trying hard to do my
Sunday, with Anwar El Ghazi also netting best and make an impact. I’m getting there.
twice for Dean Smith’s side. I’m getting fitter and fitter with each game.
Traore accepts he had not been up to ‘I came here to give what I can bring to
scratch when he signed from Lyon in the the team, to grow up as a player and to
summer despite a debut goal at Bristol City learn. To get assists and score goals is part
in the Carabao Cup in September. ‘When I of my job here.’
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 33

FOOTBALL // CARABAO CUP

Pep doesn’t expect to strike it lucky in January Recovering:

Saint-
PEP GUARDIOLA has warned don’t think so because the economic last three league games and Guardiola Maximin
Possible Manchester City fans the answer to situation around world is what it is. admitted it will be difficult to close
return: Jesus the club’s goalscoring problems is not ‘All the clubs struggle – we are not the eight-point gap to leaders
could feature going to be found in the January an exception.’ Liverpool without more goals.
for City at transfer window. Jesus missed Saturday’s 1-0 win at ‘We’re struggling, our momentum
Arsenal Gabriel Jesus could return for Southampton, which lifted City up to up front isn’t good,’ he said. ‘We are
tonight tonight’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at seventh in the league, after taking a creating clear chances that we cannot
Arsenal, but Sergio Aguero’s fitness knock to the face in Friday training. score and when this happens we are
struggles continue. Aguero, who is over a knee problem, always going to suffer.
City’s 19 Premier League goals is the returned from illness as a substitute ‘That’s why I’m not able to say how
lowest tally of any club in the top ten in last week’s draw with West Brom, we will be this season. Game by game
but when asked if a new signing was but did not feature at St Mary’s. is the only thing I can do and now we
a possibility, Guardiola said: ‘No, I City have scored only twice in their go to London to play Arsenal.’

Virus duo
Arteta plus stats equals named as
bust-up
sum confusion for fans
by NICK METCALFE
PICTURE: GETTY
is denied
NEWCASTLE have said Allan Saint-
Maximin and captain Jamaal
Lascelles are suffering lasting
effects from coronavirus.

14
UNDER-fire Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta The Magpies had to shut their
has bamboozled supporters by turning training ground and postpone a
to maths and statistics in an attempt to game with Aston Villa earlier this
explain their poor Premier League form month after an outbreak at the club.
in the last two months. Points from 14 games Boss Steve Bruce said on Friday
The Gunners lost 2-1 at Everton on equates to Arsenal’s he was he was worried about two
Saturday and sit 15th in the table hav- worst start to a league players in particular, describing a
ing not won a league game since beat- season since the ‘frightening’ situation.
ing Manchester United on November 1. 1974-75 campaign Bruce declined to name the duo
Arteta’s side have taken just two but ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup
points from their last seven fixtures. quarter-final at Brentford the club
And fans were scratching their heads confirmed Lascelles and Saint-
as the Spaniard failed to show his work- Maximin are the players affected, in
ing out ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup an attempt to quash rumours of a
quarter-final against Manchester City. fall-out with their manager.
‘Last year we won the game against Both men have been absent since
Everton with a 25 per cent chance of the defeat by Chelsea on November
21, although Lascelles watched
Saturday ’s draw with Fulham from
the stands. And speaking on
You need fighters who are
Instagram Live yesterday, Saint-
ready to give everything – Maximin suggested he was
you don’t want any victims recovering, saying: ‘I feel great, I
have no problem with Steve Bruce,
winning, you win 3-2,’ he said. ‘Last the club or the fans. I’m not injured.’
weekend, it was a 67 per cent chance of
winning, any Premier League game in
history, and a nine per cent chance of
losing, and you lose.
‘Three per cent against Burnley and
you lose, seven per cent against Spurs Driving
Tough times: ambition:
and you lose.
‘There is something else apart from
Arsenal boss Toney
that. It is not just the performance on
Arteta ahead of

Toney hopes
the pitch, it is something else that tonight’s cup tie
needs to go our way and at the moment
it doesn’t. Saying that, it doesn’t care
because you lose and the only thing executive Vinai Venkatesham and tech- tims. Victims bring excuses, victims and total confidence that we will get he can prove
Toon wrong
that cares is that you lose a football nical director Edu in the past ten days. bring negativity and they start to through this together.
match and this is what we hear.’ The Spaniard, a year into the job, has blame anything that is happening ‘Externally I never read what is hap-
One thing is for certain, the pressure suggested he has no plans to walk and around them or is not going their way. pening, but obviously a club of this
will mount on Arteta unless he can feels he has a squad of players who are ‘You need people who fight, people stature deserves the best and when it PROLIFIC striker Ivan Toney will be
work out an equation to address results willing to fight to address the slump. who contribute and people who are is not happening, everyone is going to a man on a mission when Brentford
on the pitch. His position is coming ‘You have two types of people: fight- ready to give everything to the club. question what is happening. I am the take on Newcastle in the Carabao
under increasing scrutiny and he has ers and victims,’ he added. ‘You need From within the club everything I am most responsible one in terms of Cup quarter-finals tonight.
received public backing from both chief fighters and you don’t want any vic- feeling is just support, encouragement, results, so I have to accept that.’ The 24-year-old striker made just
four first-team appearances after
THE TIPSTER @tipstermetro joining the Magpies in 2015, but has
worked his way back up to being
the Championship’s top scorer after
50/1
New York Knicks
GUARDIOLA’S SET TO PILE MORE PRESSURE ON HIS FORMER PUPIL
MANCHESTER City’s reputation as Arsenal and under-pressure boss missed in equal measures at the
a fine spell with Peterborough.
Bees boss Thomas Frank believes
English football’s free-scoring Mikel Arteta in this evening’s Etihad Stadium, where Guardiola can Toney will have a point to prove
point guard
entertainers has taken a rather Carabao Cup quarter-final at the no longer turn to his fellow Spaniard against Steve Bruce’s side.
Immanuel Quickley to
sizeable knock this season. Emirates Stadium. for advice. ‘Ivan has an inner drive and
be NBA rookie of the
Pep Guardiola’s guys regularly Former City assistant manager Arsenal beat City in last season’s determination to reach the highest
year (William Hill)
clocked up the goals in years gone Arteta surely will not see out 2020 if FA Cup semi-final and are doing well possible level,’ said Frank.

27/20
Brentford to beat Newcastle in tonight’s
by but they have hit the wall in
recent weeks, scoring just seven
times in their last six matches. That
the Premier League losses continue
to stack up and he seems to be
finding it difficult being in command.
in the Europa League but City can
gain their revenge and regain their
mojo by winning by over a goal at
‘There are always situations in all
our careers which can inspire us, or
is irritating us enough to make sure
early Carabao Cup clash (Unibet) should give a glimmer of hope to But perhaps his input is being 13/8 with Betfair. we work hard every day to try to
prove some people wrong.’
34 | METRO | Tuesday, December 22, 2020

FOOTBALL // PREMIER LEAGUE

CHELSEA 3
THIAGO SILVA 10, ABRAHAM 78, 80

WHAM, BAM,
FOOTBALL IN BRIEF

PICTURE: REX

PREMIER LEAGUE
P W D L F A PTS
LIVERPOOL 14 9 4 1 36 19 31
LEICESTER 14 9 0 5 26 17 27
MAN UNITED 13 8 2 3 28 21 26
EVERTON 14 8 2 4 25 19 26
CHELSEA 14 7 4 3 29 14 25
TOTTENHAM 14 7 4 3 25 14 25
SOUTHAMPTON 14 7 3 4 25 19 24
MAN CITY 13 6 5 2 19 12 23
ASTON VILLA 12 7 1 4 24 13 22
WEST HAM 14 6 3 5 21 19 21
Morgan goes back to USA from Spurs WOLVES 14 6 2 6 14 19 20
NEWCASTLE 13 5 3 5 17 22 18
TOTTENHAM Women final match after
C PALACE 14 5 3 6 19 25 18
have announced striker Sunday’s trip to Chelsea LEEDS 14 5 2 7 24 30 17
Alex Morgan will leave was postponed due to an ARSENAL 14 4 2 8 12 18 14
the club and return to the outbreak of coronavirus BURNLEY 13 3 4 6 8 19 13
United States. in the Blues camp. BRIGHTON 14 2 6 6 16 22 12
The USA international Morgan said: ‘I will be FULHAM 14 2 4 8 13 23 10
joined from Orlando Pride forever grateful to the WEST BROM 14 1 4 9 10 29 7
in September in a bid to club, my team-mates and SHEFF UTD 14 0 2 12 8 25 2
regain fitness after giving fans for taking such good
birth to her first child in care of me and my family.
May. The 31-year-old ‘From the moment I
(above) played 90 arrived, I realised I was
minutes for the first time part of a first-class
since her move during organisation, that helped
the 3-1 win over Aston give me the opportunity
Villa earlier this month. to immerse myself back
That proved to be her into the game I love.’

Lions tamed due to virus outbreak

MILLWALL’S next two Championship fixtures have
been postponed because of a coronavirus outbreak in
the first-team squad at The Den.
Games against Bournemouth on Boxing Day and
Watford on December 29 will now be played at a later
date while the club’s training ground has been closed.
‘This is a very regrettable but necessary move,’ said
Millwall chief executive Steve Kavanagh.
Meanwhile, positive tests for coronavirus at Ipswich
– including for manager Paul Lambert – have led to the
postponement of their League One match at home to
Northampton on Boxing Day and the trip to AFC
Wimbledon three days later.

8 Years since Wales last played Mexico. The

Football Association of Wales has arranged a
friendly with the Central Americans, to be played at
Cardiff City Stadium on March 27. The match will be
sandwiched between Wales’ first two qualifiers for
the 2022 World Cup

Kick It Out’s ambitions reach for Sky

SKY Sports has announced it will provide £3million of
funding and ‘value in kind support’ to the Kick It Out
charity over the next three years.
Burnley out of Woods
for now with fine win
The broadcaster and the anti-discrimination group
will work together on education initiatives and ways of
reporting offensive behaviour online and at matches.
Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari said: ‘We share the
same ambition to bring football together and make it a

2 1
game where everyone feels that they belong.’ BURNLEY moved out of the Premier it was 2-0. The Wolves defence
League relegation zone last night, failed to properly clear away Ash-
with a crucial 2-1 victory over ley Westwood’s free-kick, Ben Mee
THEY SAID IT Wolves at Turf Moor. BURNLEY WOLVES headed back into the danger area
‘If we don’t show that right attitude, we’re A goal from Ashley Barnes, his Barnes 35, Fabio Silva 89 (pen) and when the ball deflected off
first for a year, put Burnley on their Wood 51 Rayan Ait-Nouri into his path, Wood
toast. We know that, so it won’t happen.’
way, and Chris Wood doubled their blasted into the roof of the net.
Manager Chris Wilder on Sheffield United’s relegation battle by NICK METCALFE
advantage. A late consolation from Wolves frantically tried to rescue
Wolves could not deny the hosts. the game. A Neves volley forced a
Sean Dyche’s team are now minutes. Barnes ended a run of 17 decent save from Nick Pope. And a
FIXTURES (7.45pm unless stated) unbeaten in four games and will games without a goal, as he headed minute from time, the visitors did
Carabao Cup Quarter-Finals take great heart going into their home from a fine Wood cross. score as teenage substitute Fabio
Arsenal v Manchester City ...........................................(8pm) TV Sky Sports Main Event other vital festive fixtures against Ruben Neves fired a shot just over Silva netted from the penalty spot
Brentford v Newcastle ............................................ (5.30pm) TV Sky Sports Main Event
Sky Bet League One Leeds, Sheffield United and Fulham. as Wolves tried to hit back instantly, after he was tumbled over by Josh
Doncaster v Shrewsbury ........................................................................................................ Burnley started brightly, with while just after the break the hosts’ Benson. But it was too little too late,
Sky Bet League Two
Grimsby v Bradford ....................................................................................................... (7pm) Wood hooking just wide from a Josh Brownhill curled a shot that and Burnley moved up to 16th in
Welsh Premier League Consolation: Fabio Silva fires Dwight McNeil cross. bounced off the crossbar. the table, above Brighton and just a
Aberystwyth v Newtown ........................................................................................................
Barry Town Utd v Penybont ................................................................................................... home his late spot-kick The deadlock was broken after 35 Six minutes into the second half, point below Arsenal.
 Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | METRO | 35

WEST HAM 0 FOOTBALL // PREMIER LEAGUE

, THANK YOU, TAM! HAMMERS SUNK

PICTURE: REX

FOOTBALL
BY QUICK DOUBLE ARTETA’S
FROM ABRAHAM NUMBERS
GAME
by MATTHEW NASH
DOESN’T
TAMMY ABRAHAM’S late double sent ADD UP
Chelsea back up to fifth place after a Page 33 »
commanding London derby victory over
West Ham last night.
Thiago Silva headed the Blues ahead
early on but they had to wait until late
on for Abraham’s brace to confirm the
three points at Stamford Bridge.
After back-to-back Premier League
defeats on the road at Everton and
Wolves, Chelsea manager Frank Lamp-
ard brought in Cesar Azpilicueta,
Jorginho and Abraham. Hammers boss
David Moyes gave club captain Mark
Noble a first start since the opening day
of the season and it was the visitors who FOOTBALL
thought they had struck first. VICTOR ‘CAN
Declan Rice produced a superb finish
from a very tight angle, against the club SEE CLEARLY
who released him aged 14, on seven min- NOW BUT
utes but had strayed offside.
The home side lost left-back Ben
THE PAIN’S
Chilwell to an injured ankle, on his 24th NOT GONE’
birthday, shortly afterwards. Page 32 »
And with ten minutes played, the hosts
opened the scoring. Mason Mount –
Rice’s best friend – sent in a corner which
the unmarked Silva met with a thump-
ing header to give the Blues the lead, the
first set-piece goal conceded by the Ham-
mers this term.
Abraham then had the ball in the net
but it had earlier gone out of play and
was ruled out, while Jarrod Bowen was

7
denied at the other end after a foul on
Silva in the build-up.
Timo Werner – without a goal in eight
matches before kick-off – hit the cross- CRICKET
bar late on and missed another good Positive results found
in the latest round of
NO QUICK
chance but played a role in the impor-
tant second with 12 minutes left. Premier League Covid FIX FOR
Slide away: Abraham His low ball in from the left allowed tests on 1,569 CRICKET
celebrates the first of players and club
his two poacher’s
Abraham to get the slightest of touches
to nudge it past Lukasz Fabianski. Within staff BUT OLLIE
goals (inset)
two minutes, Abraham pounced again to HAS HOPE
seal the win after Fabianski had kept out Page 31 »
Christian Pulisic’s header. Silva Bullet: Thiago climbs to power a thumping header home for the opener

OUR FITNESS THE Cup final delayed in

KEY TO RESULTS, bid to get fans back
INSISTS DYCHE
CARABAO CUP will be dependent on government
BURNLEY manager Sean Dyche THE Carabao Cup final has been guidance in place at the time and
hailed the fitness of his side as rearranged for April 25 in the it is hoped that moving the date
they saw off Wolves last night. hope fans will be able to attend to later in the year will give clubs
‘I thought Barnesy (Ashley the match at Wembley. and their fans the best
Barnes) was getting more fit and The game was due to be played opportunity to attend in person.’
more sharp and he did well, it on February 28 but has been The decision follows the
was a poacher’s goal,’ Dyche said. pushed back by almost two introduction of new Tier 4
‘It is very difficult in the Premier months, with a 4pm kick-off. restrictions in large parts of
League to dominate and get wins. In confirming the decision, the south-eastern and eastern
We have a small squad. I felt EFL said: ‘It is the objective of England at the weekend. In Tiers
when we got fitter and injury free the league to stage the final with 3 and 4 spectators are barred
it would start to come together. as many supporters in from attending matches.
No mistake: Wood ‘There is confidence. Football attendance as possible and the The quarter-finals of the
doubles Burnley’s doesn’t owe you anything so we decision has therefore been competition are being played
have to keep working. But now we taken to move the final from its tonight and tomorrow, with one-
advantage are getting the rub of the green.’ original date to later in the year. off semi-finals held for the first
‘The number of fans permitted time early next month.
PICTURE: GETTY

©Associated Newspapers Ltd, 2010. Metro® The mark METRO is a registered trade mark of Associated Newspapers Ltd.
 December 22, 2020
36