The independent 24 december 2016

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

Israel isolated: UN Security Council condemns settlements

Patrick Cockburn

Janet Street-Porter Andrew Grice

While Isis exists, so will Stop buying junk terrorism

Cameron could have stopped Brexit

Biba Kang

Tilda Swinton and white privilege

Forensics experts in Milan stand over the body of Anis Amri, the man responsible for the Berlin massacre

Berlin killer shot ‘trying to reach accomplices’ Tunisian-born attacker had pledged allegiance to Isis

KIM SENGUPTA DEFENCE EDITOR

Counter-terrorism officials believe that the Berlin murderer Anis Amri had terrorist accomplices and was likely to have been trying to reach them when he was

shot dead by police in Italy. It also emerged Amri pledged allegiance to Isis and its head, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, before carrying out his attack on a busy Christmas market in the German capital. Amri, 24, a failed asylum seeker in Ger-many, then made a 1,000-mile journey across Europe through

www.ebook3000.com

three countries before the fatal encounter at 3am in the Milan district of Sesto San Giovanni, which has a large Muslim population. Security agencies in Italy, and other countries, are now examining the move-ments and communications of Islamist suspects to search for any links with the dead killer.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Editorials

To make prisons work, lock fewer people up and tackle the root causes of crime We said it a week ago, before the situation escalated further: the overcrowding in English and Welsh prisons is unsafe. Since then Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary, has been to the House of Commons to try to suggest that the riot in HMP Birmingham was a one-off, and that a little more money will mean new prison

places will be ready soon.

The disturbance in HMP Swaleside in Kent on Thursday night swiftly undermined her attempt to play down the simmering crisis. Of course, it is minimally reassuring that the Prison Service has protocols for dealing with disorder, and that it has “Tornado” teams that specialise in taking back control of prison wings from inmates, which they seem able to do successfully.

But good crisis management is no way to run a prison service.

There is a fundamental problem with prison policy in this country, which is that too many people are put in jail for non-violent crimes and that too little public money is spent on them, because they are never a priority.

We ought to spend more, but the more urgent priority is to imprison fewer people. That was the consensus this week espoused by the former deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the former home secretaries Kenneth Clarke and Jacqui Smith, and the shadow Attorney General, Baroness Chakrabarti.

They are right, although it is worth asking why it did not happen when they were in charge, and it is worth asking Lady Chakrabarti what was the point of blaming Tony Blair, whose emphasis on being tough on the causes of crime is exactly what is needed now.

One of the problems, which Mr Blair at least understood, is the difficulty of securing public support for a more humane and effective policy. In order to do that, prison reformers need to make absolutely clear that people who are a danger to others will stay locked up. Once that is established they can make the case that prisons act as colleges of crime, turning petty criminals into hardened ones and, these days, turning rootless and directionless people into radicalised extremists.

Far from turning disordered and antisocial people into useful members of society, prisons make many social problems, including drug abuse, worse. Indeed, although crime has fallen in recent decades, prisons probably create more crime, by turning out more proficient criminals, than they prevent, by keeping other criminals off the streets.

One of the most promising things about Michael Gove’s brief tenure of the Justice brief was what he said, and the urgency with which he said it, about redemption. It must be possible for the criminal justice system to engage more constructively with the causes of crime – with mental health issues, drug addiction and social alienation – than the prison system does today.

Even at the most basic level, our prisons are failing. The rate of prison suicides, one of the less heralded success stories of the Labour government, has nearly doubled since 2010.

So, yes, let us pay prison officers more for doing some of the most difficult jobs in Britain, but let us also reduce the numbers of non-violent offenders sent to jail in the first place – not simply by cheap schemes for tagging, but by rigorous programmes of rehabilitation.

Solving our prison crisis may cost money, but at least let us spend it on dealing with the root causes instead of on managing criminals and, usually, making them worse.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Security agencies looking for evidence of wider Islamist network

The Berlin attacker was killed in Milan yesterday morning. The police operation was heavily criticised for its approach in the immediate aftermath of the massacre (Rex)

KIM SENGUPTA DEFENCE EDITOR

Counter-terrorism officials believe that Anis Amri, the Berlin murderer, had terrorist accomplices and was likely to have been trying to reach them when he was shot dead by a policeman in Italy. Amri who, it has emerged, pledged allegiance to Isis and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before carrying out his attack on a Christmas market in the German capital, made a 1,000-mile journey across Europe through three

countries before the fatal encounter in a Milan street yesterday morning.

Tunisian-born Amri was found in the district of Sesto San Giovanni which has a large Muslim population, mainly from North Africa, during what the police described as a routine check. Security agencies in Italy have now begun to examine the movements and communications of Islamist suspects to search for any links with the dead killer. Milan has been connected with Islamist terrorist plots in the recent past. Four people were arrested in April over plots to carry out attacks on the Vatican and the Israeli embassy in Rome. The main suspect, Abderrahim Moutahrrick, was alleged to have received his instructions from an Isis-held area in Syria in the name of al-Baghdadi. A second man, Abderrahmane Khachia, also of Moroccan background was subsequently detained.

The following month a Pakistani man was arrested in Milan, along with two Afghans in Bari – one of whom was subsequently freed – in an investigation into an alleged terror cell planning to carry out attacks in Italy and London with airports and hotels as potential targets. A team of detectives from Berlin has travelled to Milan. Thomas De Maizière, the German interior minister, said: “This manhunt, which has ended with success, doesn’t end the investigation – we have to investigate further. Unfortunately the terror threat has not changed, it is still at high risk.”

Germany’s federal prosecutor, Peter Frank, stressed that the main focus now was on establishing whether Amri had accomplices. He said: “For us it’s important to know whether the person being sought had a network of support or help in preparing and carrying out the attack and also when he fled, whether there were others that knew or gave him help. That is now of central importance for us, also to understand his escape route.”

24-year-old Amri was regularly in touch in Germany with the Iraqi-born cleric Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah, who, preaching under the name of Abu Walaa, has praised Isis and exhorted his followers to join the jihad in Syria. Abu Walaa was arrested earlier this year, but, according to German security officials, the network he helped set up continues to function.

Antonio De Iesu, Milan’s police chief, said Amri was like “a ghost” as he was not carrying any documentation or a mobile telephone. However, he was carrying a pistol, believed to have been used in the murder of a Polish driver whose truck was used in the Berlin massacre, a small knife and a small amount of money. Mr De Iesu said his force was investigating what had brought the wanted fugitive to the city, undertaking a journey across, Germany and France. Amri’s only known Italian connection was to the island of Lampedusa, where he had stayed in a refugee camp, and Sicily where he had served a prison sentence.

Robert Emerson, a security analyst, said: “A lot is being said about security flaws in the Schengen system with Amri getting out of Germany and then getting to two other countries. But this wasn’t a journey without risk and we have to ask who may have helped him and why he was so keen to get to Milan. It’s unlikely he had gone all that way to go on an attack spree with a .22 pistol and a small knife; the Italian police and the intelligence guys will be working hard to find his possible points of contact.”

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Berlin attacker killed after four days on the run

Anis Amri was killed in a shoot-out with police officers who approached him in the street (Facebook)

LIZZIE DEARDEN IN BERLIN

The suspected Berlin attacker has been killed in a shootout with police in the Italian city of Milan after more than three days on the run as the most wanted man in Europe.

Peter Frank, the German federal prosecutor, said investigations into Anis Amri’s associates and a possible wider terror network in Germany would continue, after he was linked with two jailed extremist preachers convicted for supporting Isis. The terror group acknowledged his death with a statement praising “another attack” on Italian police, in an attempt to spin the shooting to their advantage.

Isis also released a video of Amri pledging allegiance to its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Arabic and claiming he wanted to avenge Muslims killed by Western air strikes, to “punish pig-eaters” and become a “martyr”. It remains unclear whether Amri was inspired by Isis propaganda, which has called for followers to carry out lorry rammings and other attacks, or had direct contact with the group.

Italian police stands next to a covered body at the scene of a shootout between police and a man in Milan's Sesto San Giovanni neighbourhood, early 23 December 2016 (EPA)

Marco Minniti, Italy’s interior minister, said officers were conducting a routine patrol at 3am local time (2am GMT) when they stopped a man resembling the fugitive.

“At the moment he was stopped, the man without hesitating took a pistol out of his rucksack and shot the police after they asked him for identification documents,” he told a press conference. “The patrol immediately responded to the shooting. A police officer, Cristian Movio, was injured but fortunately he is recovering in hospital. State police officers responded and the person who attacked our patrol was killed.”

“Investigations have revealed that the person killed, without any shadow of a doubt, is Anis Amri.”

Local reports said Amri shouted “Allahu Akbar” while shooting at two police officers, hitting Mr Movio in the shoulder, before hiding behind a car and trying to flee. The uninjured Italian police officer, 29-year-old Luca Scata, then chased Amri down and shot him dead. He was only nine months into his job.

www.ebook3000.com

German police presence has been increased since an attack on a Christmas market that killed 12 people (Reuters)

A train ticket discovered in Amri's backpack suggested he had evaded authorities in at least three countries despite being the subject of a Europe-wide manhunt. It indicated he had travelled by high speed train from Chambéry in France to the northern Italian city of Turin, before catching a regional train to the suburbs of Milan, a source told Reuters. He also said police were tipped off that Amri could be in the area, triggering additional patrols.

Amri was shot in a square near Sesto San Giovanni railway station, Il Giornale reported, suggesting he had recently arrived. The reason for Amri's presence in Italy was unknown and there was speculation he may have been attempting to reach an Islamist network who could give him cover.

Investigations by counter-terror police in Milan showed the .22 calibre pistol Amri used to shoot officers was the same gun that killed the driver of the lorry that ploughed into the German Christmas market. The attack killed 12 people and injured around 60 more.

Amri is believed to have hijacked the vehicle from its Polish driver, Lukasz Urban, as he was parked up in Berlin on Monday afternoon. The lorry’s GPS showed it moved backwards and forwards “as if someone was learning how to drive it” before it drove around six miles to the Christmas market, accelerating to plough into stalls packed with locals and tourists.

Almost £100,000 has been raised for Mr Urban’s family, including his wife and teenage son, amid reports he gave his life fighting the hijacker in a desperate attempt to stop the attack. The market reopened on Thursday, with crowds returning in droves as a show of defiance against the terror wreaked just days before.

Amri fled after the lorry came to a stop, leaving Mr Urban dead in the cabin with knife and bullet wounds.

The gun was not recovered, prompting warnings during he was “armed and dangerous” from German prosecutors. They offered a €100,000 (£85,000) reward for information leading to Amri’s arrest and it was unclear if the money would be paid out.

No suggestion the suspected Isis supporter was in Italy was made public, with reports of the shooting coming as Danish police hunted a man matching Amri’s description in Aalborg.

German authorities had attempted to deport the 24-year-old in June after rejecting his asylum application but a bureaucratic dispute with Tunisia over missing documents proving Amri’s nationality meant he could not be ejected from the country. Revelations that he had been put under surveillance for six months after being linked to a previous terror plot stoked anger against security services for letting him slip through the net.

The Christmas market next to Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Getty)

Angela Merkel acknowledged the attack had “raised a lot of questions” in a press conference following Amri's death, amid right-wing protests against her refugee policy and criticism from political opponents.

The German Chancellor said the investigation continued and any accomplices would be found, after a numerous security blunders were revealed.

“We can be relieved that an acute danger has ended,” Ms Merkel added, warning that terror risks continue in Germany. “Wherever there is a need for political or legal changes, we will quickly implement the necessary measures in government.” Ms Merkel, who is running for her fourth term as Chancellor, also said she had spoken to her Tunisian counterpart and the countries would be increasing cooperation to speed up deportations.

Amri’s brothers believe he may have been radicalised while serving a prison sentence for arson in Sicily, www.ebook3000.com

while he was wanted for armed robbery in Tunisia. He was also known to deal drugs in Berlin and had been involved in a violent brawl, fitting the profile of young criminals frequently targeted by Isis recruiters with the offer of “redemption�.

Separately, German special forces arrested two brothers suspected of planning a terror attack on a shopping centre in the city of Oberhausen in North Rhine-Westphalia. Police said the operation in Duisburg had no connection to Amri and the Berlin attack.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Rookie policeman who shot dead ‘Europe’s most wanted man’ hailed a hero

Luca Scata, 29, has been commended by the Italian Prime Minister as well as thousands of social media users (Facebook/Luca Scata)

MAY BULMAN An Italian policeman has been hailed a hero after shooting dead the Berlin attack suspect just nine months after starting work as a police officer.

Luca Scata, originally from Sicily, was three months into his probation period in Milan when he shot Tunisian national Anis Amri during a gun battle in the early hours of Friday morning. He and his colleague www.ebook3000.com

Cristian Movio were reportedly patrolling in Sesto San Giovanni, where it was tipped the suspect could be, at 3am local time when they stopped a man matching Amri’s description and asked him to show his ID documents. At that point, “without hesitating”, the terror suspect took a pistol out of his rucksack and began shooting at the police, according to Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti.

“The patrol immediately responded to the shooting. A police officer was injured but fortunately he is recovering in hospital,” Mr Minniti told a press conference. “Investigations have revealed that the person killed, without any shadow of a doubt, is Anis Amri.” Mr Movio is currently recovering from minor injuries in hospital.

Mr Minniti said the two officers had done an “exceptional service to the community” by shooting the suspect, who he described as “the most wanted man in Europe”.

“These two extraordinary men, of a very young age, simply doing their duty, have done an exceptional service to the community,” he said. “This was the most wanted man in Europe and we immediately identified him and neutralised him. This means our security is working well. Italy is grateful to them.

Thanks to people like them, Italians will have an even happier Christmas.”

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni also publicly thanked the two men, tweeting: “Thanks to Cristian Movio and Luke Scata, two young officers who do honour to all law enforcement,” while the Berlin Police wrote: “Thank you and speedy recovery to the wounded colleagues.”

Since the news broke, a Facebook page set up in Mr Scata’s name has been flooded with messages from Italians and other social media users from across Europe, thanking him and Mr Movio for their bravery.

One wrote: “You were great! You and Cristian Movia are the image of Italy we would like”, while another said: “You're just a boy... you’ve risked your life to make that of others more secure, for a salary that of course doesn't reward the sacrifices. “To do this under these conditions, it just takes a great sense of duty.

Thank you.”

Meanwhile a British Facebook user commented: “From the UK thanks to two brave officers keeping the public safe”.

Mr Scata shot Amri in a square near Sesto San Giovanni railway station, Il Giornale reported, suggesting he had recently arrived. The reason for Amri's arrival in Italy was unknown and there was speculation he may have been attempting to reach an Islamist network who could give him cover. Investigations by counter-terror police in Milan have shown the 22 calibre pistol Amri used to shoot officers was likely the same gun used to kill the driver of the lorry that ploughed into the German Christmas market.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Former UK ambassador accuses Foreign Office of lying over Syrian civil war

Former Ambassador Peter Ford said the Whitehall department, currently led by Boris Johnson, had ‘gotten Syria wrong every step of the way’ (Reuters)

JOE WATTS POLITICAL EDITOR

The ex-British Ambassador to Syria has accused the Foreign Office of lying over the country’s civil war and said British policy there has “made the situation worse”.

Peter Ford said the Whitehall department led by Boris Johnson and Philip Hammond before him had www.ebook3000.com

“gotten Syria wrong every step of the way", and was now falsely claiming Bashar Assad could not control the country when he is "well on the way to doing so”.

It comes after the Syrian army reported that it had taken full control of Aleppo following weeks of heavy bombing and fighting in and around the city. Mr Ford, who was Britain's ambassador to Syria from 1999 to 2003, claimed that the UK had misread and misrepresented the situation in the country since the start of the conflict. He said: “The British Foreign Office to which I used to belong, I’m sorry to say has gotten Syria wrong every step of the way.

“They told us at the beginning that Assad’s demise was imminent. They told us he’d be gone by Christmas.

They didn’t say which Christmas, so they could still be proven correct.

“But then they told us that the opposition was dominated by these so-called moderates. That proved not to be the case and now they're telling us another big lie – that Assad can’t control the rest of the country.

Well I’ve got news for them – he’s well on the way to doing so.”

Mr Ford said that when the conflict started the UK should have either “put everything, including our own forces on to the battlefield, or if in our judgement – as it would have been my judgement – that was not realistic, refrain from encouraging the opposition to mount a doomed campaign.” He also claimed that the UK’s tough talk on one hand, followed by little action to back rebels in Syria on the other had preceded a rebellion that had “only led to hundreds of thousands of civilians being maimed and killed”.

He added. “We have made the situation worse. It was eminently foreseeable to anyone who was not intoxicated with wishful thinking.”

In a statement last night the Syrian army said it had “returned security to Aleppo” and called it a “crushing blow” for rebels, while the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed “all civilians who wished to be evacuated have been, as well as the wounded and fighters”.

Mr Johnson said after a meeting in Paris earlier this month that there could be no military solution to the war in Syria, while the UK has consistently taken the line that Assad cannot be a part of Syria’s future.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The UK continues to believe in a Syrian-led political settlement. A political solution and transition away from Assad is the only way to end the suffering of the Syrian people.

The Assad regime has the blood of hundreds of thousands on its hands. There is no way it can unite and bring stability to Syria. The UK has pledged more than £2.3bn to support those affected by the Syrian conflict and sought to reduce the suffering with every diplomatic lever at our command.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Labour rejects ‘arms race’ over prisons, says Shami Chakrabarti

The Baroness also claimed it was time to evaluate the role of privately run prisons in Britain (Getty)

ASHLEY COWBURN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Labour is no longer in the “authoritarian arms race” in politics that has resulted in the “crisis” in British prisons, Baroness Chakrabarti has suggested.

Appearing to signal a break in stance from the New Labour era, the Shadow Attorney General – also the former head of civil rights organisation Liberty – urged for the role of privately run prisons to be assessed. www.ebook3000.com

Her comments were applauded by the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott who said Baroness Chakrabarti’s interview was “great”, adding: “Time to end the criminal justice arms race”.

The political battle – triggered in the 1990s when Michael Howard was declaring “prison works” as Home Secretary and Tony Blair's Labour was vowing to be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” – had led to overcrowded, understaffed prisons, the Shadow Attorney General said.

Baroness Chakrabarti, who was nominated as a peer by Mr Corbyn in July after he praised her for a career of public service, told BBC’s Radio 4 Today Programme that the role of private security firms needed to be assessed, adding: “We need to ask questions about whether it is right that there are companies profiting from incarceration.

“Private prisons are exempt from freedom of information so we can't deliver the same scrutiny in relation to G4S as we can in relation to public sector prisons. I question whether there should be commercial incentives to lock up more and more people.”

Her comments come after three senior politicians called on the prison population in England and Wales to be reduced by 40,000 – almost a half – to levels seen under Margaret Thatcher’s premiership in the 1980s.

The call from the former Tory Home Secretary Kenneth Clarke, Liberal Democrat MP Nick Clegg, deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government and Jacqui Smith, who served as Labour's Home Secretary between 2007 and 2009, urges the Government to act to curb the “escalating prison population”, in a letter published in The Times. In her interview, Baroness Chakrabarti added: “In my adult lifetime I have seen a doubling of the prison population. I think this is caused by an authoritarian arms race in British politics, particularly between the two parties.”

“After my background I wouldn't have joined this Labour Party or this shadow cabinet if I didn't think there was an opportunity to at least reflect on what's been going on for nearly a quarter of a century.”

She said most people, “when they reflect and they have a serious conversation that isn't just about headlines and trading insults between politicians about who is soft and who is hard on crime”, want a criminal justice system that maintains the rule of law, keeps the peace and offers “reasonable opportunity for meaningful rehabilitation” for those who need to be imprisoned.

However her comments were branded a “car crash” by Labour backbencher John Spellar, who said the Shadow Attorney General had single-handedly abandoned Tony Blair's totemic promise to be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime". Another former Labour minister, Sally Keeble, who was MP for Northampton North from 1997 to 2010, said it would take the party “years to recover from that Shami Chakrabarti outpouring”, adding: “Tough on crime, tough on causes of crime no more.”

In a message on Twitter, the former minister said: “Car crash interview on BBC Today as Shami Chakrabarti unilaterally abandons Labour's Policy of 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'.”

A G4S spokesman said Chakrabarti was wrong to claim private firms had a financial incentive to see an increased population behind bars. “We are paid by the taxpayer per available prison place, not per prisoner, so it's inaccurate to suggest we have an incentive to see more people locked up,” said the spokesman.

“In fact we run some of the most progressive programmes in the country aimed at reforming and rehabilitating prisoners in the hope that they turn away from crime on release. Nor is it true to say that our prisons business is not subject to Freedom of Information (FoI). We provide the Government with information all the time to satisfy FoI requests regarding the facilities we manage.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Theresa May urges Britain to be ‘bold’ post-Brexit in Christmas message

The Prime Minister used the address to highlight Britain's achievements in 2016, including our Olympic successes (Getty Images)

JOE WATTS POLITICAL EDITOR

Theresa May has used her Christmas message to urge Britain to be “bold” as it looks to find a new place for itself in the world after Brexit.

The Prime Minister called for people in the country to “come together” after one of the most destabilising years in modern history. Ms May also spoke of her childhood memories of growing up in a vicarage and what it means to be working at Christmas.

She said: “Coming together is also important for us as a country. As we leave the European Union we must www.ebook3000.com

seize an historic opportunity to forge a bold new role for ourselves in the world and to unite our country as we move forward into the future. And, with our international partners, we must work together to promote trade, increase prosperity and face the challenges to peace and security around the world.”

The Prime Minister added that the country had much to celebrate in 2016, including our Olympic success and the Queen’s 90th birthday. She then went on to “re-affirm our determination” to protect religious freedoms.

Praising those who work over the festive period, she said: “Having grown up in a vicarage, I know how demanding it can be for those who have to work over the Christmas period. So it’s right for all of us to express our gratitude to those who will have to spend Christmas away from the people they love in looking after others, those in our health and care services, those who work with the vulnerable, as well as those who will be caring for a loved one.

“And we thank those in our armed forces, security agencies and emergency services who work all year round to keep our country safe – especially those who will be separated by their duty from their families and friends.

“Wherever you are this Christmas, I wish you joy and peace in this season of celebration, along with health and happiness in the year ahead.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Queen frustrated with Theresa May’s ‘secrecy’ over Brexit negotiations

The Prime Minister allegedly stuck to her ‘Brexit means Brexit’ line at Balmoral (Getty)

CHARLOTTE ENGLAND The Queen was reportedly “disappointed” by the Prime Minister’s refusal to discuss plans for Brexit during her first stay at Balmoral.

Theresa May stuck to her “Brexit means Brexit” line during the visit to Scotland in September, rather than giving the royals an insider briefing on how she intended to negotiate Britain’s way out of the EU, a source close to the monarch told The Times. www.ebook3000.com

The Tory leader’s secrecy allegedly upset the Queen, who is said to consider the Prime Minister’s autumnal visit to Balmoral a chance to develop a closer and less formal relationship with whoever is running the country.

Ms May’s visit was somewhat ill-timed, however, coming just two months after she took over from David Cameron, when the Government was still recovering from the upheaval wrought by the referendum. The Prime Minister, who quietly backed the Remain side but largely abstained from campaigning, is unlikely to have formulated clear plans for the process at that stage. But even so, the Queen was reportedly hoping for more insight.

The women had met for weekly audiences at Buckingham Palace but according to biographer Robert Lacey, the Queen considers a visit to Balmoral as an opportunity to extend the “audience” process between Prime Minister and monarch, and to further develop trust. But Ms May, who has said she does not want to give a “running commentary” on Brexit, is said to have declined the opportunity to confide in the royals.

The Times emphasised there was nothing to suggest the Queen and Ms May did not get along on a personal level or that they had political disagreements, but their relationship did not get off to a great start because the Queen and the Duke had been looking forward to hearing more about Ms May’s thoughts on Brexit and were left disappointed.

The weekend is a non-negotiable fixture of the Prime Minister’s political diary – even Margaret Thatcher, who initially described the trips as akin to “purgatory”, could not get out of it.

According to a source who was close to David Cameron when he was at No 10, the Queen had a good rapport with her 12th prime minister, who enjoyed the visits and would have confided his innermost thoughts knowing there was no danger that they would have leaked. “He would have quite happily taken the Queen into his confidence," the source told The Times. “I know that he would have been quite open.”

Tony Blair, meanwhile, was reportedly so comfortable in the castle that his fourth son Leo was conceived there, when his wife Cherie forgot to pack her ordinary contraception.

Previous accounts of Ms May’s visit were more positive. One newspaper suggested that the two women “got on famously”, adding: “There hasn’t been a PM since Harold Wilson who entered so gamely into the outdoor pursuits, parlour games and well-regulated rituals.”

Both Buckingham Palace and Downing Street refused to comment on the claims about Ms May. A Buckingham Palace spokesman told The Times: “By long-established convention we never disclose details of discussions between the Queen and her prime ministers. Nor would we comment on anonymously sourced conjecture of this kind.” Downing Street said: “We never comment on private conversations with the Queen.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Boris broadcasts Christmas missive to ‘cheer up’ voters

Bo ho ho: the Foreign Secretary said life is still improving for most people worldwide and that the British people should remain upbeat despite the horrors of 2016

JON STONE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Boris Johnson has released a Christmas message to “cheer up” Britons left “downcast” by a year of war, global terrorism and political division. In a video message posted to social media, the Foreign Secretary said that despite war in Syria and terror attacks in Europe, the lives of people around the world were still improving.

Britain was at the forefront of efforts to improve the lives of the people of the planet, he said. The Former Mayor of London re-introduced the idea of releasing a Foreign Secretary's Christmas message, after Philip Hammond decided not to produce one in 2015. Standing in front of a Christmas tree at the Foreign Office in London, Mr Johnson said: “We come now to the end of 2016 and I know that lots of people will be looking back at some of the gloomier bits about last year.

“We have still got a terrible civil war going on in Syria, we are seeing terrorist outrages taking place on our www.ebook3000.com

European continent. But I want you to know that British diplomats, British armed forces, British security services, British intelligence services are working the whole time to keep this country safe and to tackle these problems at source."

He added: “In case you are feeling too downcast this Christmas, don't forget that overall the people of this planet are living longer, they are living in better health, they are better educated than ever before, particularly women. I can tell you that global Britain is leading that effort. So I hope that cheers you up.�

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Corbyn accuses Trump of blaming ‘Muslims, Mexicans and women’

Corbyn said the President-elect ‘ought to examine the structure of the US economy’ and realise the massive contribution that Mexican migrants make to it (AFP)

ASHLEY COWBURN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Jeremy Corbyn has called out Donald Trump’s presidential election politics, accusing him of replacing an economic strategy with blame for “Muslims, Mexicans and women”.

Mr Corbyn, who has already called on Europe's socialists to solve the problems of working people being www.ebook3000.com

wooed by right-wing parties, said the US President-elect had won his election by blaming minorities for society's problems. His comments came in an interview with The Independent, in which he said his party would be ready for an early general election if the Prime Minister wished to call one.

The Labour leader continued: “Trump ran a campaign claiming to be an outsider and claiming to be a populist for ordinary Americans, as he termed it. In reality, he blamed Muslims and Mexicans and women for the problems in society. He didn’t actually make any specific economic proposals other than one of essentially an isolation into the USA and endlessly blaming minorities for the problems of the USA.” Mr Corbyn said the President-elect “ought to examine the structure of the US economy” and realise the massive contribution that Mexican migrants make to it.

“For example, what he plans to do in the future on trade and other issues – very unclear. I want us promote trade arrangements, which are fair but also do promote environmental, sustainability and human rights. So I don’t think these are going to be high on Donald Trump’s agenda from anything he’s said so far.” He added: “His many statements on world affairs are often very contradictory” On the morning it became clear Mr Trump had won the Presidential election in the US, Mr Corbyn had labelled the event as a “unmistakable rejection” of the political establishment and an economic system that has delivered escalating inequality. He added in a statement at the time: “This is a rejection of a failed economic consensus and a governing elite that has been seen not to have listened. And the public anger that has propelled Donald Trump to office has been reflected in political upheavals across the world.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow Foreign Secretary, added that while Mr Corbyn, her party leader, and Mr Trump had very different values there were “similarities” between them.

But in the interview with The Independent, Mr Corbyn described it in a slightly different way. “The similarities are hard to find,” he said. “The differences are easier to identify. I look around the Shadow Cabinet we have and I don’t see any trillionaires, or millionaires, I see hard-working people trying to present politics in a good way”.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Rebel Labour MPs urged to keep distance from Corbyn or risk losing their seats

A report was sent to around 20 ‘moderate’ MPs in the party advising them to ‘isolate from Jeremy without increasing perception of division’ (Getty)

ASHLEY COWBURN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Rebels in the Parliamentary Labour Party have been warned to “isolate” themselves from Jeremy Corbyn to retain their seats in a "lifeboat strategy". According to the Daily Telegraph, around 20 “moderate” MPs have been sent the 16-page briefing note from James Morris – a former Ed Miliband adviser. www.ebook3000.com

The newspaper quotes the document as claiming: “Need ‘Lifeboats’ for MPs [who know] how to run locally in challenging context and isolate from Jeremy without increasing perception of division. ‘Real Labour’ MPs with own position on free movement and strong local listening/advocacy [are needed]."

It also warns Labour MPs, who see Ukip as a threat in their constituency, to avoid claiming free movement should continue after Britain leaves the European Union. The research, which also used focus groups, added: “The only thing that stands out is he’s got his little spin doctors around him that tell you this and tell you that, like a sheep.”

The report comes just two days after Jamie Reed, a persistent critic of the Corbyn project, quit Parliament and triggered a by-election in his Copeland constituency. At the last election Mr Reed won his seat with 16,750 votes to his Conservative rival’s 14,186, with Ukip in third place on around 6,000 votes.

Though the seat has elected a Labour MP since its creation in 1983, the ensuing by-election will likely be a test of Mr Corbyn’s leadership, with current national polls suggesting it may not be invulnerable to capture by another party. It also comes as Mr Corbyn told The Independent he would be “ready” if Theresa May reversed her position and decided she wanted to hold an early general election.

“If she [Ms May] calls an election, she calls an election,” Mr Corbyn said. “We’re ready for it. We’ve got more members than we’ve ever had before, we’ve paid off all our debts to the party, we don’t have any mortgages, we are in a very strong, organised position.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Tory and Labour MPs gang up to strip London Assembly of PR voting

City Hall in London: the proposed plan would squeeze out smaller parties there, critics claim (Getty Images)

JON STONE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Tory and Labour MPs have been accused of a “cynical attempt to turn back the clock” with a bid to scrap the PR voting system that gives smaller parties seats in the London Assembly.

As well as being seen as a bid to squeeze out smaller parties, some critics say the plan, brought forward by 12 male MPs, will slash the number of women on the capital’s ruling body.

The Electoral Reform Bill 2016 would scrap the proportional “additional member system” in the elected assembly, which holds the Mayor of London to account, and revert its elections to the non-proportional www.ebook3000.com

First Past the Post (FPTP) system.

Introduced by Hampshire Tory MP Ranil Jayawardena, the bill would likely consolidate power between the Tories and Labour in the capital – and erase gains made by smaller parties, whose voters are normally not represented under FPTP. In elections earlier this year Labour won 12 of the 25 seats in the Assembly with 40 per cent of the vote, while the Conservatives won eight seats with 29 per cent. The Green party won two seats with 8 per cent of the vote, Ukip won two seats with 6.5 per cent, and the Lib Dems won one seat with 6.3 per cent.

Under FPTP the seats would have been split only between Labour and the Conservatives, however – despite around 30 per cent of voters voting for smaller parties.

Clive Lewis, Labour’s shadow business secretary who has previously voiced his support for proportional representation, criticised the plan and said such voting systems should be extended rather than abolished.

“A large number of people have felt completely left behind by politics in this country in recent years.

When it comes to general elections, too many people feel that their vote does not matter,” he said.

“The solution is a fair, proportional voting system in which every vote matters equally and Parliament fairly reflects the electorate.

“Such a system is already used in the London Assembly to great success. Attempting to dismantle it is not helpful; it’s a cynical attempt to turn back the clock for party-political gain.”

Siân Berry, London Assembly Member for the Green Party, who was elected through the system, said voters had backed the PR system when it was introduced in 1998.

“The Assembly elections are fairer than most and don’t need to change. Having our members elected proportionally makes sure no one party can dominate, that we have more diverse members and that the scrutiny work we do reflects the views of all Londoners,” she argued.

“When we have a far higher share of female members than Parliament, why would we want to change to a failing system? Our PR elections were backed by a large majority of Londoners in the 1998 referendum that set up the Assembly and these male MPs should stop interfering.”

Siân Berry, Green Party London Assembly Member (PA) Under the PR system 40 per cent of Assembly Members were women, while those elected to the FPTP seats in the assembly were 72 per cent men. Campaigners have long argued that the nature of PR electoral systems improves gender balance in parliaments..

Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, described the plan as “retrograde”.

“At our first party conference last month, members of the Women’s Equality Party voted unanimously to pass a motion calling for proportional representation, the best way to achieve equal representation for all,” she said.

“PR systems lead to more equal gender representation as well as minority representation in parliaments.

We need greater diversity at all levels of politics to ensure those who are elected to govern us do so with an understanding of everyone’s needs.

www.ebook3000.com

Clive Lewis has called for proportional representation to be extended (Rex)

“This proposed bill is a retrograde step designed to protect the interests of the privileged few, and we will fight to ensure the UK, and its capital, moves towards a more enlightened and fair system of representation.”

Frances Scott, founder of 50:50 Parliament campaign, which works for the equal representation of women in Parliament, argued that it was “alarming that some MPs are pushing for changes that will make more gender balanced, inclusive, elected assemblies less likely”. Klina Jordan of Make Votes Matter said the MPs backing the proposal “don’t understand or don’t care about the impact it would have on representation”.

Tory MP Mr Jayawardena told Parliament in support of the bill: “While many in this House appreciate the benefits of first past the post, that appreciation is sadly not replicated across our country.

“Some say that the effect of PR can be mitigated through, for example, the additional member system, but it does no such thing. While people may know their constituency member, they are less likely, through no fault of their own, to contact their regional members, so the latter have all the powers of their counterparts who were elected by first past the post but, having been appointed from a party list, have less accountability and connection to the people they represent.”

The bill passed its first reading in the House of Commons in December and will face its second reading on 13 January.

The co-sponsors of the bill are Andrew Rosindell (MP for Romford, Conservative), Chris Evans (MP for Islwyn, Labour), Chris Philp (MP for Croydon South, Conservative), Christian Matheson (MP for City of Chester, Labour), David Mackintosh (MP for Northampton South, Conservative), Jim Fitzpatrick (MP for

Poplar Limehouse, Labour), John Penrose (MP for Weston-Super-Mare, Conservative), John Stevenson (MP for Carlisle, Conservative), David Nuttall (MP for Bury North, Conservative), Robert Flello (MP for Stoke-on-Trent, Labour) and Robert Neill (MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, Conservative).

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

If Cameron had delayed the referendum, Brexit would never have happened

Trump’s win would have transformed the Prime Minister's prospects of winning the EU referendum (Getty)

ANDREW GRICE It is the biggest “what if?” after a dramatic year in politics: if David Cameron had delayed his EU referendum until after the US Presidential election, would Britain have voted to stay in the EU? Cameron is unrepentant about calling the referendum, telling an audience in Indiana two weeks ago the Europe issue had to be resolved because it was “poisoning” British politics and the Conservative Party. His closest ally George Osborne disagreed, warning him prophetically in 2012 that a referendum would

unleash uncontrollable “anti-government sentiment, opportunism, genuine concern – and then you lose.”

Cameron didn’t have to hold the referendum this year; the law he pushed through gave him until the end of 2017. He was so confident of repeating his success at the 2014 Scottish referendum and 2015 election that he gambled on securing a quick EU deal and relatively short referendum campaign. He judged that French and German elections in 2017 would complicate his renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership terms, and tried to bounce his EU counterparts into concessions.

With hindsight, it would have been much better to play it long. Although Nigel Farage believes the Brexit vote in June paved the way for Donald Trump’s election in November, it is unlikely to have made much difference; Americans were not going to install Hillary Clinton in the White House.

Trump’s arrival on the world stage would have transformed Cameron’s prospects of winning the EU referendum. With a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the UK-US relationship, I can hear Cameron telling voters: “Now is not the time to walk away from our alliance with our European neighbours and closest trading partners.” A Trump victory might have made Cameron less hubristic, try harder for an EU deal and work more closely with Remainers in other parties rather than dictate the referendum campaign from Downing Street.

Similarly, EU leaders would surely have adopted a different attitude towards the British renegotiation.

With Trump threatening to weaken NATO, Europe would become more dependent on the UK for its security. EU leaders, who never believed that the British people would vote to leave their club, might have been shaken out of their complacency by Trump’s win.

If Cameron were now in the middle of his renegotiation ahead of a 2017 referendum, his EU counterparts would have seen the rise of populists in Italy, France and the Netherlands as well as the US, and would be taking the prospect of a Brexit vote more seriously. Crucially, they might realise that, to preserve their cherished EU project and halt the populists' march, they need to reform EU rules on free movement.

So Cameron might have got what he really wanted from the renegotiation – an emergency brake allowing the UK to call a temporary halt to EU migration, which he did not even ask for because Angela Merkel made clear it was off limits. An emergency brake might have been an EU-wide measure but could have been hailed by Cameron as a major victory. It would have protected his Achilles heel in the referendum campaign – that he had nothing to say about immigration. It might even have persuaded some newspapers who backed Leave to reluctantly support Remain.

A longer referendum campaign delayed until 2017 would have given the Remain camp longer to make the case for EU membership and counter 30 years of poisonous headlines since the Thatcher era. It is not impossible that the result would have been 52-48 to Remain rather than Leave.

At one level, this is academic and irrelevant to the task facing Theresa May – making Brexit work. But she might be able to salvage something positive out of the ashes of Cameron’s failed renegotiation. Because Britain is walking out, EU leaders insist that their “four freedoms,” including free movement, are nonnegotiable if the UK wants single market access. Yet despite this tough rhetoric, things are changing quietly. The European Commission is proposing new curbs on access to social security benefits, saying that no migrant should have a “legal right to residence” if they do not work or actively seek a job. The rising terrorism threat, which has now spread from France and Belgium to Germany, is another reason why free movement reform is on the EU agenda.

So some UK politicians see an outside chance that EU-wide restrictions to free movement – even an emergency brake – might just be combined with a soft Brexit deal allowing the UK to keep much of its single market access. If free movement were no longer sacrosanct, it might be easier for EU leaders to put mutual trade benefits first in the Brexit talks. www.ebook3000.com

It wouldn’t be easy, and May would have to face down hardline Eurosceptics who want nothing less than a clean break with the EU, whatever the economic cost. But if she played her negotiating cards right, it might just help her smooth the rough edges of a hard Brexit and lead to a more cooperative UK-EU relationship than currently looks likely.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Post-Brexit growth exceeds forecast, ONS reports

While the economy as a whole performed better than expected in the third quarter, business investment failed to deliver and disposable income fell at its fastest rate since 2013 (Getty)

BEN CHAPMAN The UK economy grew slightly faster than first forecast in the three months after the Brexit vote, official figures have revealed. Output expanded by 0.6 per cent in the third quarter, not the 0.5 per cent first reported, the Office of National Statistics said.

The annual figure was dragged lower by downward revisions to first and second quarter growth numbers, which are now 0.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively. In a potential sign of trouble in store, growth in business investment was just 0.4 per cent, having initially been measured at 0.9 per cent, while disposable income dropped by 0.6 per cent – its fastest fall since 2013. www.ebook3000.com

Darren Morgan, head of GDP at the ONS, said: "Robust consumer demand continued to help the UK economy grow steadily in the third quarter of 2016. "Growth was slightly stronger than first thought, though, due to greater output in the financial sector. “New figures on services also suggest that growth in that predominant sector of the economy continued into October, helped in large part by another strong showing from the retailers.”

A spokesperson for the Treasury said: “The fundamentals of the UK economy are strong, but there remain challenges ahead. The Chancellor set out, in the Autumn Statement, his plan to support a resilient economy that works for everyone by driving productivity and supporting working people, while maintaining fiscal discipline.”

Separate ONS figures showed that the UK current account deficit swelled back towards record levels, widening to £25.494bn from £22.079bn. The gap in the public finances is now 5.2 per cent of GDP, close to the high of 6 per cent hit in 2013.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

UK workers ‘not confident’ in Government’s ability to negotiate a good Brexit deal

Confidence is particularly low in areas that voted heavily to leave (Reuters)

ZLATA RODIONOVA Employees in the UK are not confident in the Government’s ability to negotiate a good deal for Britain after it leaves the EU, a survey has found.

Six months after the UK voted for Brexit, recruitment firm Glassdoor, which regularly assesses employee sentiment around jobs and workplace issues, revealed confidence levels are waning as the uncertainty surrounding the negotiations continues. www.ebook3000.com

The survey found that only 29 per cent – fewer than one in three workers – of the 2,028 people surveyed said that they were confident in the Government’s ability to negotiate a good deal once Article 50 is triggered. Confidence is particularly low in regions with the biggest votes to leave, including the Midlands and North East.

More than one in four Londoners would consider leaving the UK to work in another European country after the process of leaving the EU is completed, compared with one in seven across the country.

However, over half of those surveyed belive the UK’s vote to leave the bloc won’t have any impact on their individual jobs.

Diarmuid Russell, Glassdoor’s head of international, said: “Although we’re in a state of pre-Brexit purgatory in terms of business impact, it’s clear that six months on those regions which backed Brexit now have little confidence that the UK will get a good deal. “It’ll be interesting to see how these figures change once we enter formal negotiations, and the clock is ticking.”

A separate survey from market research company GfK found that consumers are downbeat about the economy’s prospects next year, when higher inflation is likely to erode their spending power, despite signs that growth has remained robust since June’s Brexit vote.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Co-op recalls chocolate Santas after batteries are found inside two

The retailer said there have been two ‘alleged tampering incidents’ involving the hollow milk chocolate foil figures (Coop)

ZLATA RODIONOVA The Co-op grocery chain has urgently recalled 165,000 milk chocolate Santas after someone apparently inserted small watch batteries into an unknown number.

The retailer said two customers had found batteries in their chocolate figures and that it was now investigating the matter. www.ebook3000.com

Lithium batteries are often used to power toys, remote controls and birthday cards and can cause severe life-changing injury or even death in young children if accidently swallowed. The working assumption is that someone “deliberately” placed the batteries inside the hollow chocolate treat, a spokesperson for Coop told The Independent. The chocolates that had been subject to tampering were bought at two different locations.

The German-manufactured Santas are also available from other retailers. Co-op has advised customers not to eat the treats until the issue is resolved.

A spokesperson for Co-op said: “The health and safety of our customers is our top priority. We are concerned about two separate instances of alleged product tampering involving our hollow milk chocolate Santa foil figures, which have been found to contain a small battery. As a result we have begun a UK-wide product recall.”

The police and Food Standards Agency were notified. Anyone who is concerned should call Freephone 0800 0686 727, Co-op added.

No other products are affected.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

American Apparel closes UK shops losing 150 jobs

The fashion chain has also wound up businesses in Spain, Japan and Australia (Getty)

BEN CHAPMAN Nearly 150 American Apparel staff have been made redundant before Christmas after the fashion chain closed 12 of its 13 UK stores. Only the Camden High Street store has remained open, leaving 147 employees working at the other branches out of work.

The Los Angeles-based firm put its UK business into administration in November after being hit by difficult trading conditions in Britain and America. Jim Tucker, joint administrator and restructuring partner at KPMG, said the remaining 31 members of staff based in Camden and at the firm's head office would be retained in the short term. “Over the last seven weeks, we have carried out our intention to trade all of the stores on a short-term www.ebook3000.com

basis in order to sell the stock and realise value for the creditors,” Tucker said. “The Camden store will remain open into January.”

American Apparel filed for US bankruptcy for the second time in a year in November and it has been winding up its businesses in Spain, Japan and Australia. Canadian T-shirt manufacturer Gildan Activewear has agreed to buy the rights to the American Apparel brand but did not want the company’s 230 global shops. American Apparel was struggling financially as early as August 2015, when it announced it might not have enough cash to keep going.

Founder Dov Charney launched the firm in 1989, with the aim of producing fashionable clothing ethically.

The company made all of its products in the US and was the country’s biggest clothes manufacturer. In recent years it struggled to keep up with changing trends and was seen to be overpriced compared to discount rivals such as H&M.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Travel and power chaos as Storm Barbara sweeps in

Waves crash over the harbour wall yesterday at Porthcawl, South Wales (PA)

LUCINDA CAMERON AND BEN PHILIP Storm Barbara disrupted power supplies and travel plans across some parts of the UK yesterday as the great Christmas rush for home began.

The north of England and Scotland were particularly affected as gusts of almost 120mph were recorded on the summit of Cairn Gorm in the Scottish Highlands, while there were gusts of 75mph at Mona on Anglesey in Wales.

In the Highlands more than one hundred schools were closed due to the bad weather. A number of properties in Aberdeenshire, Moray and on the Western Isles lost power, with engineers working to www.ebook3000.com

reconnect supply.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings with an amber "be prepared" wind warning in place for northern and western parts of Scotland.

Two separate "be aware" yellow wind warnings, one covering more northern areas where gusts of 60mph to 70 mph are expected and another covering parts of northern England, the South West and Wales, are also in place.

The situation is being replicated on the railways, where a revised timetable is in place, with travellers being advised to check the latest conditions before venturing out. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued eight flood warnings for Tayside, the Borders and Easter Ross and eight flood alerts across the country.

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne said more than half of the company's network had seen services cancelled for the duration of yesterday while others are suspended and under constant review for any weather windows.

Festive travellers have been dealt another blow with a further amber alert for Storm Conor now being issued for the far north of the country on Boxing Day. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, Dan Harris said: "The wet and windy weather is a result of two deep Atlantic low-pressure systems crossing the Atlantic and passing close to the north-west of the UK, bringing the potential for some disruption to power supplies and travel, and possibly structural damage.

"Although we need to be prepared for storms Barbara and Conor, it's important to note that there will also be some less unsettled weather for many on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day." Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which owns and operates the electricity distribution network in the north of Scotland, remain on yellow alert with 600 frontline and support staff on stand-by.

South of the border, councils were said to be "fully prepared" for the onset of harsh conditions over Christmas.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents hundreds of councils in England and Wales, said it was issuing renewed advice on how to deal with flash floods and has stockpiled more than one million tonnes of salt to grit roads.

People can call 105, a free new national phone line, if the weather damages their local power network and affects electricity supply. The number is available to people in England, Scotland and Wales, regardless of who they buy electricity from.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Three women get rock-star treatment as only passengers on BA flight

The friends were on their way home from Gibraltar after a three-day trip

BEN KENTISH Three British women were treated “like A-list celebrities� after finding themselves the only passengers on a British Airways flight meant for 150 people.

Laura Stevens, 34, Sarah Hunt, 35, and Laurie-Lin Waller, 33, drank champagne and took selfies in the cockpit after being upgraded to business class when they turned out to be travelling alone on a flight from Gibraltar to London Heathrow. www.ebook3000.com

The friends were on their way back to the UK after a three-day break but found their flight delayed by three hours. Having found out about the delay online, they decided to go to the airport late in order to make the most of their time abroad. On arrival, they were told the other passengers from their plane had all been squeezed onto an earlier flight – leaving the trio as the only travellers on the 150-seat plane. They were then allowed to sit in business class and given top-range hospitality by airline staff, despite only having paid £80 for an economy seat.

Ms Stevens, a television producer, said they “felt like A-listers” after being treated to a three-course meal and unlimited champagne. She said: “It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience that we'll never forget. We felt like celebrities, especially when we were given champagne – it was the best Christmas present ever, we couldn't believe how kind and lovely everyone was. We were the only people in the departure lounge so staff let us use the executive suite, which is usually reserved for business flight passengers. The captain even let them take selfies in the cockpit flight after announcing he had never flown such an empty flight.”

British Airways upgraded the friends to business class after realising they were the only passengers on the flight

British Airways staff also opened up airport shops so the friends could do some Christmas shopping for friends and family.

Ms Stevens said: “It was as though we'd hired out the place just for us. The celebrity treatment continued on board when we were given front row seats and a private safety talk. The plane took off really quickly www.ebook3000.com

because it was so light, it felt like we were on a private jet. The cabin crew were laughing and even the pilot made an announcement stating he'd never flown a commercial flight with so few people.�

The women got through ten small bottles of champagne during the 2.5-hour flight

The trio got through 10 mini-bottles of Champagne during the two-and-a-half hour flight and said they were pleased when fog delays prolonged their time on board.

Ms Stevens said: “We put on our shades and had a great time partying on board. We joked about being a girl band and took videos of us strolling up and down the aisles. Cabin crew warned us that the fog meant it could take a while to land but we were having such a fantastic time we told them to take their time - we wanted the flight to go on forever. People pay thousands for the kind of experience we had but we got it all for the cost of an economy ticket - it was a real one-off.�

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Avril Lavigne accuses Mark Zuckerberg of bullying rock band Nickelback

The Canadian singer suggested that Zuckerberg be ‘more responsible’ with his words (Getty)

OLIVIA BLAIR Noughties skater pop sensation Avril Lavigne has accused Mark Zuckerberg of bullying the rock group Nickelback.

The bizarre turn of events came after the Facebook CEO revealed his new home artificial intelligence system Jarvis in a personal video featuring himself at home with his wife Priscilla, daughter Max and dog on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

After asking Jarvis for his daily schedule, to play some mandarin for his daughter and to put his toast on Zuckerberg asks Jarvis (which is voiced by the powerful lexicon of Morgan Freeman) to “play us some good Nickelback songs”. Jarvis replies: “I’m sorry Mark I’m afraid I can’t do that, there are no good Nickelback songs.” “Good, that was actually a test,” the 32-year-old joked.

The video went down a treat on Facebook, amassing over one million likes and 77,000 comments including one from fellow tech billionaire Bill Gates – but over on Twitter Lavigne was not impressed. The singer shared an open letter written to Zuckerberg where she accused him of “promoting bullying” via his “jab at Nickelback”.

“When you have a voice like yours, you may want to consider being more responsible with promoting bullying, especially given what’s going on in the world today,” she wrote before adding her further affirmation of the rock band’s success with the hashtag: “#NickelbackHasSoldOver50MillionAlbums”.

Her allegiance to Nickelback comes as no surprise given she was married to the frontman Chad Kroeger for two years before separating last year. At the time, she announced their separation on Instagram, writing: “We are still, and forever will be, the best of friends and will always care deeply for each other.”

A representative for Zuckerberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

Security Council demands end to Israeli settlements An abstention by the US paved the way for the 15-member council to approve the resolution, the first adopted by the council on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years.

A man prays earlier this week overlooking the Jewish settlement of Amona in the West Bank (Reuters)

ADAM WITHNALL AND ANDREW BUNCOMBE IN MINNEAPOLIS

In a rare condemnation of Israel, the UN Security Council has said its settlements in occupied Palestinian territories have “no legal validity”.

The vote yesterday only passed because the US declined to use its veto – as its has dozens of times in the past – and instead abstained from voting. In doing so, the Obama administration not only permitted Israel to be rebuked, but also rejected a call from both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, to block the move.

The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew the measure under pressure from Israel and the US Presidentelect.

It was adopted with 14 votes in favour, to a round of applause. It is the first resolution the Security Council has adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years.

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, said: “Today the Security Council reaffirmed its established consensus that settlements have no legal validity. The US has been sending the messages that the settlements must stop, privately and publicly, for nearly five decades.

“Our vote today is fully in line with the bipartisan history of how American presidents approach both the issue and the role of this body.”

The Jewish settlement of 'Furat' is under construction in the West Bank, south of Bethlehem (EPA)

The resolution says Israel’s settlements on Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have “no legal validity”. It demands a halt to “all Israeli settlement activities”, saying this is essential for salvaging the two-state solution.

Israel's ambassador to the UN criticised the US's failure to veto the vote, and said the country looks forward to a new era of UN-Israel relations under the new US President and new UN Secretary General. www.ebook3000.com

A statement from the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel rejected the resolution and added that it will not abide by its terms. He said that his administration was looking forward to working with Donald Trump to negate the resolution.

Meanwhile the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the adoption of the resolution – his spokesman said: "The secretary-general takes this opportunity to encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work with the international community to create a conducive environment for a return to meaningful negotiations."

The US abstention was seen as a parting shot by Mr Obama, who has had an acrimonious relationship with Mr Netanyahu and who has made settlements a major target of peace efforts that have proven ultimately futile. Last year, Mr Netanyahu was invited to address the joint houses of Congress, where he condemned Mr Obama’s deal with Iran.

The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in a 1967 war. Israel disputes that the settlements are illegal and says their final status should be determined in talks on Palestinian statehood. The last round of US-led peace talks collapsed in 2014.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AP)

Reuters said that passage of the resolution is unlikely to change anything on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians. It is also likely to be ignored by the incoming Trump administration.

At the same time, it may have been more than merely symbolic as it formally enshrined the international community’s disapproval of Israeli settlement building and could spur further Palestinian moves against Israel in international forums.

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz has said the US has abandoned Israel by abstaining in a UN Security

Council vote demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

He told Channel Two News: “This is not a resolution against settlements, it is an anti-Israel resolution, against the Jewish people and the state of the Jews. The United States tonight has simply abandoned its only friend in the Middle East.�

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

Libyan plane hijack ends peacefully as Gaddafi loyalists surrender

The hijackers, who diverted the plane to Malta, emerged waving a Gaddafi-era flag (Reuters)

KATIE FORSTER Two hijackers who diverted a Libyan passenger plane to Malta claiming to have a grenade have surrendered peacefully following hours of tense negotiations.

There were 117 people, including six crew members, on board the hijacked Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A320, which was on an internal flight from Sabha in south east Libya to the capital city of Tripoli.

The hijackers, who declared loyalty to Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi, were carrying two pistols and a hand grenade, according to the Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. He later said that initial forensic examination showed the weapons were replicas.

Mr Muscat effectively broke the news on Friday, tweeting: “Informed of potential hijack situation of a Libya internal flight diverted to Malta. Security and emergency operations standing by.”

All flights to Malta International Airport were immediately cancelled or diverted and emergency teams, including security officers and negotiators, were sent to the airport tarmac. The passengers – 82 men, 28 women and one child – were allowed to leave the plane before the hijackers walked out themselves with the last of the crew.

Mr Muscat told reporters the hijackers wanted negotiators to go on board but his government refused and insisted that all passengers and crew be released.

“Hijackers surrendered, searched and taken in custody,” tweeted Mr Muscat at 3:44pm local time, two hours after the plane’s doors opened and a staircase was moved over to let freed passengers begin disembarking in groups.

After passengers had left the plane, a man briefly appeared at the top of the steps with a plain green flag resembling that of Gaddafi’s now-defunct state. The flag was adopted in 1977 by Libya when Gaddafi became the country’s leader through a coup d’etat, until his death in 2011.

People disembark from the hijacked plane at Malta Airport (Reuters)

Libya’s Channel TV station said one hijacker, who gave his name as Moussa Shaha, had said by phone he was the head of Al-Fateh Al-Jadid, or The New Al-Fateh. “Al-Fateh” is the name that Gaddafi gave to September, the month he staged a coup in 1969, and the word came to signify his coming to power. www.ebook3000.com

In a tweet, the TV station later quoted the hijacker as saying: “We took this measure to declare and promote our new party.”

Libya, a sprawling oil-rich north African country, has been split between rival parliaments and governments, each backed by a loose array of militias and tribes, since Gaddafi’s death.

Western nations view the newly-formed UN-brokered government as the best hope for uniting the country, but Libya’s parliament, which meets in the country’s far east, has refused to accept it. Amid chaos, Isis and al-Qaeda affiliates have gained a foothold over the past year. Earlier this month, militias answering to the UN-brokered government seized an Isis stronghold in the Libyan city of Sirte.

Airport security in Libya can be poor and is not always under state control, according to BBC journalist Rana Jawad. “Every airport in Libya is poorly secured and technically run by one armed group or another, outside state control,” she wrote on Twitter.

Ms Jawad also said the mayor of Sabha in Libya had said a preliminary investigation had found one of the hijackers was called Musa Shah and he was possibly seeking political asylum.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

Trump doubles down on nukes tweet, saying, ‘Let it be an arms race’

The President-elect’s comments about nuclear weapons have caused alarm

HARRIET AGERHOLM US President-elect Donald Trump has said: “Let it be an arms race.”

“We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all,” Mr Trump said in an interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski, the network reported. He did not specify which countries he was referring to. www.ebook3000.com

The Republican leader had sparked fears about a new global nuclear arms race a day before when he called on the US to expand its nuclear arsenal in a Twitter post. He said on the social network: “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes”.

Mr Trump gave no other details about his plans. But his comment immediately triggered fears that he will reverse decades of policy in which the nation has, in tandem with Russia, sought to reduce its atomic arsenal.

Following the controversial post, a Trump spokesperson attempted to explain the Republican’s remarks, claiming he was “referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it – particularly to and among terrorist organisations and unstable and rogue regimes”.

Minutes after the President-elect’s remarks were reported on MSNBC, Trump secretary Sean Spicer said in several television interviews that there would not be an arms race because Mr Trump would ensure that other countries trying to step up their nuclear capabilities, such as Russia and China, would decide not to participate. “He’s going to ensure that other countries get the message that he’s not going to sit back and allow that,” Mr Spicer told NBC. “And what’s going to happen is they will come to their senses, and we will all be just fine.”

In his annual news conference yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin downplayed suggestions there was a risk of a new cold-war-style weapons race, dismissing comments made by the US President-elect as “nothing new”. He added that if Mr Trump sent him an invitation, he would be willing to visit the US. But he also said his recently announced plans to bolster Russia’s nuclear weapons was a necessary response to the US missile defence system. “It’s not us who have been speeding up the arms race,” Mr Putin said, claiming that the Russian military’s nuclear missiles can penetrate any missile defence.

During the campaign, Mr Trump had suggested the US expand its arsenal and he also suggested that “better off” other countries, including Japan and South Korea, should have nuclear capabilities. He said that would mean that the US’s traditional allies might not be so dependent on Washington.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

Don’t blame me for Donald Trump’s victory, says Putin

The Russian premier denied accusations of state-sponsored hacking during the US election campaign at his annual news conference in Moscow (EPA)

ADAM WITHNALL Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticised members of the US Democratic party for trying to “blame” Russia for Donald Trump’s election victory. Speaking during his annual news conference to local and international journalists, he denied accusations of state-sponsored hacking during the campaign.

In a nearly four-hour marathon question-and-answer session, Mr Putin instead turned his ire on the Obama administration itself, saying the US’s ruling party was incapable of “losing with dignity”. Mr Trump, by contrast, had his finger on the pulse of American society, Mr Putin suggested. With a glint in his eye, he said no one had expected the Republican to win – “except for you and me”. www.ebook3000.com

After a year in which, by almost any measure, Mr Putin can be said to have raised his and Russia’s stature on the international stage, the President appeared relaxed and confident speaking before a room full of journalists and a TV audience of millions. He played down the perceived threat of a Trump presidency to the world, suggesting the President-elect’s tweet about ramping up the American nuclear arsenal was perfectly normal. And he feigned surprise that Mr Trump’s tweet was being linked to his own comments the same day, about Russia’s military being “stronger than any potential aggressor”. With an air of magnanimity, he said he did not see the US as an aggressor and that “nobody is arguing” with the supremacy of the US military.

In response to a question from NBC News, Mr Putin said he agreed with Mr Trump that relations between Washington and Moscow could not get any worse. He also welcomed the Republican’s pledge to normalise such ties. “Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him,” Mr Putin said of the election result. He dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Mr Trump to victory in any way. “It's not like that,” he said. “All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration’s systemic problems.”

And those “problems” with the Obama era were the subject of Mr Putin’s most stinging attacks. “The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors,” Putin told reporters. “(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name.”

Putin also accused the Democrats of “shamelessly” abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion. “Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be. They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.”

It wasn’t all about the US, of course. Asked about the situation in Syria, Mr Putin said that the evacuation of Aleppo would not have been possible without the help of Russia, Iran and Turkey or the good will of President Bashar al-Assad. The next step for Syria would be a nationwide ceasefire, Mr Putin said.

A journalist from China’s state CCTV asked whether, with Europe in a bad way and a new president in the White House, Moscow might be turning more to focus on relations to the east. Mr Putin hailed Russia’s economic and scientific ties to China, saying the pair also share a “common position” on many foreign policy issues. With so much change happening, he called it “a stabilising force in global affairs”.

And as the conference drew to an end, Mr Putin was asked a question about where he sees his own future once his current term as President is up in 2018. Mr Putin said he will assess the state of Russia and the world before coming to a decision. Based on how well 2016 has gone for him, it seems unlikely he wouldn’t want to stand for a fourth term.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

2016 becomes worst year for Mediterranean refugee deaths as total hits 5,000

The number of casualties has risen by more than a thousand for the same route in 2015 (AFP/Getty )

BEN KENTISH 100 refugees and migrants are feared to have drowned off the coast of Italy after two boats sunk, taking the number of migrants who have died in the Mediterranean this year above 5,000 – the highest annual total yet.

The drownings reportedly occurred after two rubber dinghies collapsed on Thursday, tipping hundreds of refugees into the sea. Both vessels are believed to have been full of people: the first was carrying up to 140 www.ebook3000.com

and the second around 80, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Only 143 of the apparent 260 refugees and migrants were rescued and survived. Elsewhere on the same day, the Italian coastguard rescued 175 people and recovered eight bodies over a total of four operations in the central Mediterranean near Sicily.

It means more refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe this year than ever before.

UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said: “This situation highlights the urgent need for States to increase pathways for admission of refugees, such as resettlement, private sponsorship, family reunification and student scholarship schemes, among others, so they do not have to resort to dangerous journeys and the use of smugglers.

“The causes for the alarming increase in deaths this year are multiple but appear to be related to the declining quality of the vessels used by people smugglers, the vagaries of the weather and the tactics used by smugglers to avoid detection by the authorities. These include sending large numbers of embarkations simultaneously, which makes the work of rescuers more difficult.”

An average of 14 people have died every day this year in the Mediterranean attempting to reach Europe from North Africa or the Middle East.

People smugglers continue to cram desperate migrants into boats heading to Europe, despite dangerous weather conditions and the huge number of people that have already died trying to make the crossing.

Those rescued from boats off Europe’s shores are taken to processing and detention centres in Italy and Greece where their applications for asylum are processed. The centres are increasingly crowded and charities have warned of dire conditions.

Campaigners have claimed EU countries’ strict immigration policies are contributing to the deaths and called on governments to allow more refugees into their nations.

The death toll in 2016 is a significant rise on last year, when 3,771 casualties were recorded in the Mediterranean.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

Gambia’s neighbours threaten invasion over contested election

Incumbent President Yahya Jammeh came to power in a military coup 22 years ago (Getty)

ADAM WITHNALL A bloc of West African nations has issued a deadline to Gambia's stubborn incumbent President Yahya Jammeh, after which they have vowed to invade the country and remove him by force.

Marcel de Souza, the president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said members had agreed that neighbouring Senegal would lead any military intervention. He also said on Friday that Mr Jammeh has until 19 January to admit defeat and hand over the reins of power. www.ebook3000.com

Mr Jammeh, who came to power in a military coup 22 years ago, lost a historic election in Gambia on 1 December. He initially said he accepted the result, before one week later declaring unspecified “irregularities” had rendered the election void.

Mr De Souza spoke to reporters in Bamako, Mali, as ECOWAS diplomats continued to push for a peaceful solution.

“The deadline is 19 January when the mandate of Jammeh ends,” Mr De Souza said. “If he doesn't go, we have a force that is already on alert, and this force will intervene to restore the will of the people.”

The overwhelming call from international leaders has been from Mr Jammeh to step aside and allow Adama Barrow, the victorious opposition coalition candidate, to become President. However, one week ago soldiers loyal to Mr Jammeh seized control of the electoral commission's offices, and the incumbent has mobilised troops across the tiny country.

The UN Security Council this week urged Gambian security forces to “demonstrate maximum restraint” and again urged Mr Jammeh to accept defeat.

High commissioner for human rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein said the troop deployment was “deeply worrying, given the record of human rights violations in Gambia, including excessive use of force against demonstrators, arbitrary detention and deaths in custody, as well as allegations of torture and illtreatment of detainees.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

French banks refuse loan to Le Pen for campaign fund

The Front National leader requires more than £20m for her presidential bid (Getty)

MAY BULMAN French banks are refusing to give far-right leader Marine Le Pen a loan to help fund her presidential campaign. The leader of the French nationalist party Front National is struggling to obtain bank loans to finance her campaign, set to start in February, due to what a senior party official has described as “discrimination based on political opinion”.

Front National Secretary General Nicolas Bay told Europe 1 radio on Thursday the party required a loan of around €27m (£23m), but that French banks were refusing to “play the game of democracy”. Mr Bay said: “For months we’ve been looking for a loan from a French banks or European banks. At this stage we still haven’t found a sufficient loan for the presidential and legislative campaigns.

“It is a real scandal that the French banks aren’t playing the game of democracy. There are certain candidates who have a lower guarantee than Marine le Pen, but have obtained bank loans – this poses a www.ebook3000.com

real problem of discrimination founded on political opinion.”

French banks Credit Agricole, BPCE and Credit Mutuel did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment, while BNP Paribas declined to comment on the matter. A spokesman from French multinational bank Societe Generale said the organisation systematically refuses requests for loans from political parties, citing good business and political neutrality as the two reasons, according to Reuters.

The French media have in the past published letters from French banks refusing loans to Front National.

The party came under scrutiny in 2014 when it emerged it had received a €9m (£6.9m) loan from the First Czech Russian Bank, believed to have ties to the Kremlin.

When asked whether Front National would ask Russian establishments for money, during the Europe 1 interview, Mr Bay said: “We’re not ruling anything out at this stage. If we are obliged to go abroad to seek loans it’s because the French banks aren’t playing the game, and that’s a serious problem.”

Reports also suggest the party is considering obtaining a loan from Cotelec, the finance association created

by Ms Le Pen’s father and former Front National leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, which would likely spark controversy.

Opinion polls have suggested Ms Le Pen has the support of around a quarter of French voters, but she faces stiff opposition against Francois Fillon in the race for the French presidency. At the beginning of December, a poll indicated that the conservative presidential election candidate would beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election with 65 per cent of the vote.

The party’s popularity has nonetheless grown rapidly since Mr Le Pen was expelled from the party in 2015 and is now considered one of the largest political forces in France. The first round of the French presidential election will be held on 23 April 2017, and if no candidate wins an outright majority, a run-off between the leading two will take place in May.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

A roof garden on a bus? Next stop Madrid...

New proposals are aimed at improving air quality in the Spanish capital (Getty)

SHEHAB KHAN Madrid has released plans to plant gardens on the rooftops of buses to boost its green credentials. The proposals, which aim to tackle CO2 emissions, also include portable gardens on the top of bus stops in the capital. Each installation will cost around â‚Ź2,500 (ÂŁ2,100) and require an irrigation system to avoid any leakages.

The project was chosen from 800 entries put forward to improve the city and will start with a pilot on two bus routes. The selected routes go through the busiest zones in the city and were used by about 17 million people last year, according to the project organisers. www.ebook3000.com

“Each garden will be formed of metallic mesh and sustainable materials that can withstand movement and not leak water,” José Antonio Antona, the manager of the project, said. “The idea is for them to soak up noise, heat and pollution.”

Madrid is also one of four major cities that has pledged to ban diesel vehicles by 2025. Much of the new environmental policy is a response to poor air quality and traffic pollution in the city. Earlier this month restrictions were placed on traffic on Gran Via in the run-up to Christmas.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Voices

Isis are winning and politicians are to blame

Berlin attacker Anis Amri was shot and killed in Milan yesterday (Facebook)

PATRICK COCKBURN European political leaders are making the same mistake in reacting to the massacre at the Christmas fair in Berlin, in which 12 died, as they did during previous terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. There is an over-concentration on the failings of the security services in not identifying and neutralising the Tunisian petty criminal, Anis Amri, as the threat he turned out to be. There is too little focus on bringing to an end the wars in Syria and Iraq which make this type of atrocity unstoppable.

In the aftermath of the killings the visibility of Amri, who was shot dead in Milan yesterday, as a potential www.ebook3000.com

threat looks misleadingly obvious, and the culpability of those who did not see this appears more glaring than it really was. The number of possible suspects – suspected before they have done anything – is too great to police them effectively.

No politician or security official wishing to retain their job can tell a frightened and enraged public that it is impossible to defend them. Those in charge become an easy target for critics who opportunistically exploit terrorism to blame government incompetence or demand communal punishment of asylum seekers, immigrants or Muslims. At such times, the media is at its self-righteous worst, whipping up hysteria and portraying horrifying but small-scale incidents as if they were existential threats. This has always been true, but 24/7 news coverage makes it worse as reporters run out of things to say and lose all sense of proportion. As the old American newspaper nostrum has it: “if it bleeds, it leads.”

But in over-reacting, governments and media play into the hands of the terrorists who want to create fear and demonstrate their strength, but whose greatest gains come when they provoke an exaggerated selfdestructive response. 9/11 was the most successful terrorist attack in history, not just because it destroyed the Twin Towers but because it lured the Bush administration into invading Afghanistan and Iraq.

Subsequently, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, rendition, torture and “targeted killings” (otherwise known as assassination campaigns), all justified by 9/11, have acted as recruiting sergeants for al-Qaeda type organisations.

The war on terror has failed more demonstrably than most wars: al-Qaeda numbered in the hundreds in 2001, but today – along with Isis – it has tens of thousands of fighters and supporters spread across dozens of countries.

Political leaders are not blameless, but they tend to be blamed for the wrong thing. Contrary to talk about “lone wolf” terrorism, most people like Amri turn out to have had sympathetic or supportive connections.

In his case, US officials say he had communicated with Isis and was in contact with a Salafi preacher. He would have needed little more than inspiration and encouragement, since driving a truck into a crowd of people celebrating Christmas requires no special expertise.

Isis remains crucial to the present wave of terrorist attacks in Europe because it provides ideological motivation and justification and can, as in Paris and Brussels, control and sustain a terrorist cell. So long as there is a well-organised de facto Isis capable of providing these things, terrorism cannot be defeated; there will always be a “breakdown in security” to be exploited.

The continuing existence of such a state is proof of the failure of US and European leadership. It is they who created the original conditions for the rise of Isis by invading Iraq in 2003. They allowed Syria to be torn apart by civil war after 2011 and believed the consequent anarchy could be confined to Iraq and Syria.

It was only in 2014 and 2015 – after the creation of Isis, the flood of migrants fleeing to central Europe and the terrorist attacks in France and Belgium – that politicians and officials really took on board the potential danger.

Yet two-and-a-half years after it was first declared, Isis is still in business. Some 2,885 Iraqis were killed in November alone, most of them as a result of fighting between Isis and the Iraqi security forces. Over the last month international focus has been on the fall of east Aleppo and too little attention is given to the fact that Isis has been holding its own in Mosul and has recaptured Palmyra in Syria.

There is a dangerous disconnect in the minds of governments and news organisations between what happens in the war in Iraq and Syria and the long-term consequences this has on the streets of Europe.

When the Iraqi armed forces and their Kurdish allies began on 17 October their advance on Mosul, by far the largest urban centre held by any of the Salafi-jihadi groups, it was widely believed that Isis was about to be defeated in its last lair.

It has not happened. The elite units of the Iraqi armed forces, notably the 10,000 strong “Golden Division�, have suffered as much as 50 per cent casualties. They are being ground down by skilful tactics in east Mosul whereby mobile Isis units rapidly shift their positions in built-up areas using holes cut in the walls of houses and a network of tunnels. They avoid permanent fixed positions where they can be located and targeted by artillery and the US-led air coalition. They ambush the Iraqi military forces in their vehicles as they move through narrow streets. The UN says that almost 2,000 members of the Iraqi security forces, including paramilitary Shia units and Kurdish Peshmerga units, were killed in November alone.

The offensive is largely stalled and still has not reached the main part of Mosul city on the west bank of the Tigris River. Districts in east Mosul captured weeks ago have to be captured again. The main thrust of Iraqi government forces attack on Mosul was meant to come from the south, but this front has not moved for six weeks. Isis is even reported to have sent 500 fighters from Mosul across the desert to retake Palmyra, in the first important territorial gain by Isis for 18 months.

This is not an organisation that is going out of business fast, or even at all. The failure of Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham and other insurgent groups to defend east Aleppo more resolutely and successfully will probably lead to a haemorrhage of the most experienced and toughest fighters to Isis. It will have the advantage of being less dependent than the other rebel groups on outside support from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar who are close to accepting defeat in Syria. This may not save Isis in the long term because of the sheer number of its enemies, but it has shown once again that it is more resilient than the Pentagon had supposed.

There are serious consequences here for Europe: Isis can keep going for years with the low-level terrorist attacks like that which just happened in Berlin. It does not have to do much by way of exhortation or material aid to achieve this. When a terrorist incident does take place it is capable of shifting the political agenda in a country as large as Germany. Isis knows this and while it exists the terrorism will not stop.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Voices

It’s time to stop buying crap we don’t need every year

Binge of discontent: the annual splurge does little but fulfil a mindless sense of duty (Getty)

JANET STREET-PORTER My childhood followed a pretty familiar pattern – an Anglican baptism, weekly Sunday school until a confirmation at 14 and a Church of England secondary education. For years, I pretended those years of Bible study and church attendance hadn’t had much effect on my DNA – especially as I kept getting married and divorced – but these days I’m comfortable being described as a Christian, albeit one that finds the Church of England anodyne and its leaders irrelevant. These days, admitting you pray regularly in some social circles is like coming clean about having herpes. Belief is something that most

Christians (unlike Muslims who are proud of their faith) keep quiet about, even though, when asked, the majority of Brits confirm they believe in some form of higher power.

Last month, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said that bosses should not stop workers celebrating Christmas for fear of “offending” other religions and the Prime Minister (a vicar’s daughter) agreed, even though employers laughed off the notion as political correctness gone mad. Even so, a growing number of Christmas cards now say “Happy Holidays”, as if we aren’t celebrating the birth of Christ just a couple of days off work in front of the television.

A large number of those who opted for Brexit (and many of Trump’s supporters) are old-fashioned Christians who don’t really talk about their faith – just as they refused to blab about their voting intentions.

Christianity is still important in the lives of so many quiet people, even though you will not find fashionable media acknowledging that – it’s easier to talk about Islam being the fastest growing religion on the planet and to demonise controversial groups like evangelical Christians as gay-hating reactionaries.

In the spirit of Christmas, can I offer a non-denominational prayer or two? Firstly, can we work harder at talking to those we disagree with instead of hurling vitriol and abuse? The Trump campaign exemplified this new hatred, from placards to provocative soundbites which talked about “dealing with” immigrants and Muslims. During the presidential campaign, something revolting was unleashed in the name of patriotism that requires close inspection – rabid intolerance. In the past year, every time I’ve written something you might disagree with – whether it’s supporting council houses for large families, the expensive folly of cycle lanes, or the war between black taxis and Uber, I’ve been targeted with screaming tweets and personal abuse by the bucketload from Katie Hopkins clones. Social media makes some people use the equivalent of block capitals every time they want to make a point. And then it gets repeated day after day and sent to everyone they know. Whatever happened to conversation, or agreeing to disagree?

In some ways, we’re becoming as inflexible and tunnel-visioned as the fanatics governments are hunting down in a self-appointed “war” on terror that can never be won. My prayer is that we learn to speak in a whisper, a hushed tone, not a shout. And if we’re wrong, we should not apologise (like “patriotic” columnist Katie Hopkins did, for libelling an innocent Muslim family) at 2am on Twitter, but out in the open for all to see.

My second prayer is that we stop focusing on addicts – be it those in the grip of drink, drugs or overeating – and take a look at ourselves before casting the first stone. How many of us are addicted to shopping and unnecessary consumption – is it any different? Earlier this year, a senior executive at Ikea said he reckoned we’d reached “peak stuff”. At this time of year, clueless consumerism is rampant – Christmas presents bought out of duty rather than knowing the recipient actually needs them. Christmas is a time for permitted over-indulgence on a huge scale – food, drink, snacks, wrapping paper and decorations. I admit it’s hard to curb – we have ended up celebrating the birth of a baby born in poverty by buying a 20 pound turkey, a ham, a load of sausages, mince pies and a pudding washed down with a bucket of booze.

Don’t call me Scrooge, but next year I plan to scale it down. Maybe 2017 will be the time to devise a ten step plan to grapple with my addiction – spending money on extraneous stuff. Let’s not forget, that this kind of spending is a first world problem. A lot of what we buy has been made by people who earn in a month what we splash out on a single festive meal. Is it time to redress the balance slightly?

Surely Hollywood’s talent pool isn’t so low that De Niro has to be graphically de-aged?

Martin Scorsese is finally shooting a long-cherished project that’s been years in development, a gangster epic The Irishman, starring his buddy Robert De Niro. The 73 year old will play a mob hitman who despatches more than 25 people in the film scheduled for release in 2018. Instead of makeup and www.ebook3000.com

prosthetics, the producers claim that for scenes as a younger man, CGI will be used to “de-age” De Niro back through the decades to the way he looked in The Godfather: Part II. Westworld fans have already seen the 78-year-old Sir Anthony Hopkins wipe off the years using the same technique to play his younger self – but isn’t it cheating fans and denying younger actors work? Al Pacino is rumoured to be talking about joining the cast of The Irishman – it remains to be seen what “special effects” he will demand – his face seems to have altered quite substantially over the years, and his hair colour is almost comical, ranging from dyed black to an odd ginger.

Artificially recreating a false version of youth begs a few questions – for starters, is this expensive technique being deployed because of the massive egos involved? It stinks in so many ways – it’s like airbrushing in photos, which is now routine. Whatever next? In February, David Bowie and Prince are both competing from beyond the grave at the Grammy awards for the best (non-classical) engineered album, as well as in several other non-competing categories. Will CGI be used to bring these artists back to life? Don’t tell me that’s in bad taste, because Elvis has been duetting with the likes of Barbra Streisand and recently “performed” live with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

In another development, you will soon be able to “talk” to someone who has died using artificial intelligence. In the USA, the founder of a tech company created a computer programme which simulated the speech patterns of her friend who was killed in a road accident. The company claims that a chat bot will allow users to hold a conversation with a dead person, as part of the grieving process, and they anticipate that the technique will soon be widely available. We’ve moved on from ouija boards, but dealing with death and ageing still seems challenging for some.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Voices

This is what Muslims will be doing in your community this Christmas

Islamic charities around the country are working hard throughout the festive season (PA)

HIBA KHAN Christmas is a time when we are supposed to extend feelings of goodwill to our neighbours, but this year it feels like there is anything but affection between Muslims and non-Muslims across the UK. Just as the dust began to settle from the surge in hate crime following Brexit, an extremist ploughed a lorry into a Christmas www.ebook3000.com

market in Berlin.

This is not the Islam I know or the religion that hundreds of my fellow Muslims have been practising over Christmas. Take the east London mosque, who along with Muslim Aid has collected 10 tonnes of food for distribution to London’s homeless over the holiday season. Islamic Relief Scotland’s Winter Warm campaign has distributed over 350 bags containing hats, scarves and gloves this year alone in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. London Muslim students recently held a huge homeless drive providing medical checks, food and haircuts, as well as litter picking in the streets of the capital.

When the new year starts the charity Al-Mizan’s vision will provide grants to disadvantaged people for items ranging from mattresses to school uniforms, regardless of their faith or background. Myriad Foundation volunteers will visit vulnerable, lonely and terminally ill members of the community. The British Islamic Medical Association will be teaching basic life support and first aid skills in mosques.

Manchester’s Muslim Youth Foundation will be handing out roses on the high street as gestures of peace and goodwill, in the prophetic spirit.

Multiculturalism is not a failed project. Yes, we have rough patches, and there is much work to do, but there are thousands of us out there who are trying to make it work. Yes, we have incidents of racism and intolerance, but we also have beautifully diverse communities who work together for humanity’s sake.

I ask just one thing of you, my fellow Brits. Next time you find yourself presented with a violent image of “Muslims”, remember us, the thousands of Muslims donating, campaigning and working right now to help Britain’s homeless, vulnerable, and elderly. The invisible majority fighting for British values, which happen to be Islamic values too.

For every bridge burnt by the flames of violence and aggression, we’ll build ten more, and be stronger for it. We are peaceful people: if you don’t want to take it from me, visit one of these projects for yourself. I leave you with the words of Prophet Mohammed, the ones with which he greeted even those who wanted him dead, the ones he taught me to embrace the world with: Peace be upon you.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Voices

Tilda Swinton, you showed your white privilege, but we can move past this

When a wealthy white woman says ‘diversity is my comfort zone’, you know she has blinkers on

BIBA KANG An email exchange between Tilda Swinton and Margaret Cho has recently come under public scrutiny. Swinton contacted Cho after facing a backlash for playing a character in Doctor Strange which was of Tibetan origin in the comics. The frustration at Swinton’s casting was based on the idea of “whitewashing” – casting white actors in roles that were originally written as people of colour – which the film industry is undeniably guilty of.

The anger towards this stems from two main grievances: not only are there too few film scripts which www.ebook3000.com

include Asian characters, but often when there is the opportunity for a part to be played by an Asian actor, the part is given to someone white.

In the eyes of many, Swinton being cast as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange was a prime example of this.

On discovering that many people were critical of her playing this role, Swinton reached out to Asian American comedian, actress, singer, author and fashion designer Margaret Cho, apparently to gain clarity about the social media reaction.

Cho then proceeded to publicly discuss the exchange, claiming “[Swinton] was like, ‘Could you please tell them’ …” (assumedly referring to the Asian community) “… and I’m like, ‘Bitch, I can’t tell them … I don’t have a yellow phone under a cake dome.’”

Swinton then went on to publish their email exchange, supposedly in an effort to counteract Cho’s comments.

And, if I were Swinton, I would probably have responded similarly. Her emails were friendly, and she made some valid points about the fact that the character had originally been a stereotype that they sought to shake up. Swinton highlighted the general diversity of the film and drew attention to her casting being, in some ways, progressive, because she was an older woman playing what was originally a man’s role. I can see why she might think the film was the misplaced target of a wholly legitimate argument.

Cho, in portraying the email exchange, did certainly exaggerate for comic effect. But, whilst I understand the basis of Swinton’s approach, I do ultimately think her emails were problematic, and that Cho’s frustration and ridicule towards the actress was largely justified.

Because, when anyone states “Diversity is pretty much my comfort zone”, you know they’re coming at an issue with blinkers on. Especially when that person is a wealthy white woman. Because believing in diversity is not just a matter of wearing a badge that says “BME people welcome!” Diversity isn’t something you just “get” or “don’t get”. It’s a complicated process of checking your own privilege, listening to other people, and constantly learning and improving.

I know what Swinton is trying to imply. The actress is trying to say that she cares immensely about issues of diversity, and therefore hates the idea that she has been complicit in institutionalised racism.

And I do sympathise with Swinton, because, even as a BME woman, I also find myself falling into the trap of thinking that I cannot be prejudiced or complicit in prejudiced practices, because I spend a lot of my time resisting them. But I am wrong. It is almost impossible not to mess up and look over certain sorts of discrimination that have never affected you. And when that happens, especially when you feel that any error on your part was completely unintentional, it’s easier to get defensive than it is to admit fault. That’s not just because of pride – it can also come from a place where you’re desperate to prove that you care.

We are all capable of making mistakes, or not noticing the biases that favour us. When this happens, it is incredibly easy to self-justify and forget to listen, due to a reasonable fear of being labelled as the thing we abhor.

But what we need to understand is that the diversity debate is rarely a witch hunt. It’s not about deciding that Swinton’s a racist and then looking for the next undercover bigot. It’s about detecting fault and learning from it.

So it’s wonderful that Swinton and Cho’s nuanced email exchange has had so much media attention.

Because it has shown us that you can have good intentions, but still be blinded by privilege. Swinton may see her casting as justifiable, but that doesn’t preclude Cho’s frustration, and that of the wider Asian community. Swinton may have been trying to be sensitive in seeking out Cho’s opinion, but Cho also has a right to laugh at the idea of being a mouthpiece for her entire race.

Swinton must not think that, just because she cares about equality, she is incapable of complicity with racial bias. Because it is white privilege, and not diversity, which actually constitutes her “comfort zone�.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Voices

Mea culpa: Who are these awful people who like food?

Foodie for thought: restaurants are popular with people who enjoy eating, apparently

JOHN RENTOUL Last weekend an article began: “From now until Christmas, groups of foodies after something special can book themselves a table at Nuno Mendes’ laid-back Portuguese restaurant Taberna do Mercado.”

Groups of foodies? Who are these dreadful people, and why do they have such a horrible name? They often appear on our pages, and I wish they wouldn’t. We did it again in a review of AA Gill’s favourite restaurants: “Riva is famed for its use of truffles and has become a serious foodie haunt.”

As my colleague Don Connigale says, “the word ‘foodie’ is lazy, dull, clichéd, infantile and ugly. I wouldn’t mind so much, but it is also patronising. Nobody ever refers to themselves as a foodie. It is used only to describe others. Yet what does it mean? Someone who likes food? Isn’t that most people? By using it in restaurant reviews we are distancing ourselves from the very people we are writing for.”

Get thee to a scoffery: And where do foodies eat? In eateries, of course. We mentioned them in a “Business News in Brief” item from Bloomberg in the Daily Edition on Saturday. “Refinancing risks are multiplying. Bank of America’s gauge of borrowing costs for high-yield retailers and eateries in pounds has

increased 23 basis points since Brexit.” I think I am going to check in to a sickery.

Undersea buzz: We fell victim to the danger of short headlines again this week. While a news story itself was headlined, “China seizes US Navy underwater drone in international waters of South China Sea”, the short headline on the front page was: “China seizes unmanned US Navy drone in South China Sea.” Double brickbat: a drone is by definition a pilotless craft, and we prefer pilotless to unmanned.

Planes and automobiles: On Thursday we wrote about Rolls-Royce plc, the aero engine and turbine company, and illustrated it with the photograph of a Rolls-Royce car radiator. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was separated from the parent company in 1973 and has been owned by BMW since 1998, as Richard Harvey pointed out.

The website version of the story now has a photo of a jet engine. I fear this confusion is going to persist.

Neither successor company wants to change the name, because of its association with quality. At least we hyphenated it, which is the preferred style.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Voices / Letters

Ma’am’s the word for Theresa May as she fails to divulge her Brexit plans For the last six decades the Queen has observed her duty to remain above politics while at the same time taking a lively interest in both current events and in the future of the country. Prime ministers have found the advantage of serving such a constitutional monarch was that when they could confide in no one else, they could confide in Elizabeth II. The fact that Theresa May has been unable to tell her more than she has the public about her road map to Britain’s place outside the EU raises the likelihood she doesn’t have one. Her Majesty’s reported concern about “deer caught in headlights” adds to fears over the leaked memo describing an enervating sense of drift among senior Brexit officials.

John Cameron St Andrews

Apparently the Queen is “disappointed” because Theresa May won’t share her “Brexit strategy” with her.

She shouldn’t fret. The truth is that Theresa May doesn’t actually have a “Brexit strategy” to share.

Sasha Simic London

Now is the time to forge a European Union 2.0 The Brexit timeframe of which you write (Editorial, yesterday) gives ample scope for innovative scheming.

This is the time for people and politicians of good sense and goodwill all across Europe, including the UK, to start to forge an EU 2.0 – the first foundation stone of which needs to be a truly democratic European Federation, which can then create legitimate and enduring political and economic union.

Steve Ford Haydon Bridge

Labour has one obvious choice for Copeland...

I’m surprised John Rentoul has overlooked the obvious choice as Labour candidate for Copeland – Tony Blair. Having represented a northern working class constituency rather successfully in the past, Copeland should be no problem. Also, the limited life of the constituency until boundary changes in three years’ time would give ample time for Mr Blair to stop Brexit, scupper Corbyn and return Labour to election-winning ways.

Chris Norris Wiltshire

Put pressure on the press, rather than pandering to them There’s no way that this Tory government will alienate its allies in the press by bringing forward more draconian press regulation. On the few occasions when IPSO has found newspapers are at fault, the papers were obliged to print retractions – usually on page 36 in small type – when the offending article had twoinch headlines on the front page. We need a regulator with TEETH. Jamie Register London

Pay heed to the real message of Christmas As we celebrate Christmas, it is time to reflect on the significance of this occasion. Christmas is more than twinkling of lights on windows, Turkey dinners or wrapped gifts under the tree. Christmas is a message of tolerance, openness, acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing and renewed hope. It is a time to remember selfless policemen, armed forces, aid workers and medical volunteers who work in perilous times at great personal risk and those who laid down their lives for their countries and the wretched, the persecuted, the infirm and the downtrodden. Jesus Christ was persecuted and tortured but never sought revenge and violence. This is the message of divine religions; a light that will eventually shine through the darkness that will never overcome it.

Munjed Farid al-Qutob London

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Business

Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse fined $12.5bn over 2008 financial crisis

The US Department of Justice has investigated several banks over the crash (Reuters)

ZLATA RODIONOVA Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse have agreed to pay billions in fines relating to the collapse of the US housing market that contributed to the financial crisis, striking deals before Donald Trump’s administration takes power.

The lenders are among many financial institutions investigated over dealings in discreditable mortgages in the run-up to the financial crisis. The US government has accused the banks of misleading investors about

the quality of their loans. The inquiries related to deals done between 2005 and 2007.

After months of negotiations with the Department of Justice (DoJ) , Germany’s Deutsche Bank agreed to pay a $7.2bn (£5.9bn) fine over an investigation into mortgage-backed securities. Meanwhile, Swiss bank Credit Suisse will pay a $5.3bn deal to settle its own dispute with US authorities over similar alleged actions.

The deal came as federal prosecutors also announced they were suing Barclays for alleged mortgage security fraud. They claim that from 2005 to 2007, Barclays “repeatedly misrepresented the characteristics of the loans backing securities they sold to investors throughout the world, who incurred billions of dollars in losses”.

Barclays denied any involvement, and said in a statement: “Barclays considers that the claims made in the complaint are disconnected from the facts. We have an obligation to our shareholders, customers, clients, and employees to defend ourselves against unreasonable allegations and demands. Barclays will vigorously defend the complaint and seek its dismissal at the earliest opportunity.”

US authorities originally threatened Deutsche Bank with a $14bn settlement. Its payment will be made up of a civil penalty of $3.1bn, as well as $4.1bn in consumer relief. Credit Suisse said it will pay a civil penalty of $2.48bn and, in an agreement similar to Deutsche’s, provide consumer relief to the tune of $2.8bn over the course of five years.

The DoJ has taken a tough stance in settlement negotiations with other banks, requesting sums higher than the eventual fine. In 2014, it asked Citigroup to pay $12bn to resolve an investigation into the sale of shoddy mortgage-backed securities, sources said. The fine eventually came in at $7bn. In 2013, JP Morgan Chase was fined $13bn following allegations that it overstated the quality of mortgages being sold to investors, while Bank of America paid $16.7bn in similar charges. And in another case, rival Goldman Sachs agreed in April to pay $5.06bn to settle claims that it misled mortgage bond investors during the financial crisis.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Business

Donald Trump’s £245m conflict of interest with Deutsche Bank

The President-elect’s fractious relationship with lenders is troubling ethicists, because his government will soon oversee financial regulation (AFP)

STEPHEN BIERMAN IRINA REZNIK For years, Donald Trump has used a powerful tool when dealing with bankers: his personal guarantee.

Now that guarantee – employed to extract better terms on hundreds of millions of dollars of loans to the Trump Organisation – is at the centre of a delicate loan-restructuring discussion at Deutsche Bank, which

is under investigation on several fronts by the US Department of Justice.

The bank is trying to restructure some of Trump’s roughly $300m (£245m) debt as part of an attempt to reduce any conflict of interest between the loan and his presidency, according to a person familiar with the matter. Normally, the removal of a personal pledge might lead to more-stringent terms. But there is little normal about this interaction. Trump’s Attorney General will inherit an investigation of Deutsche Bank related to stock trades for rich clients in Russia – where Trump says he plans to improve relations – and may have to deal with a possible multi-billion dollar penalty to the bank related to mortgage-bond investigations.

Whatever terms a restructured loan might include, they will reflect the complex new relationship spawned between Germany’s largest bank and its highest-profile client. Ethicists say this concerns them.

“When you have political appointees making decisions about banks that the President owes a lot of money to, it looks terrible,” said Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who was the chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush. “The US government is dealing with regulatory and criminal issues with the big banks all the time, and if he owes them a lot of money, there might be an incentive to favour less regulation and less enforcement for the banks.”

Deutsche Bank declined to comment. Alan Garten, general counsel of the Trump Organisation, said the loans are modest in the context of Trump’s multi-billion dollar empire, and the effort to shift away from a personal guarantee isn’t significant because the loans were structured to become standard debt eventually, following completion of the projects.

The scramble to restructure is the latest chapter in Trump’s fraught relationship with Deutsche Bank, one of the few financial institutions on Wall Street that still does deals with a man long known as a publicityseeking and unconventional real-estate developer who didn’t hesitate to sue his lender eight years ago.

Deutsche Bank also lends to Trump’s extended family, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Weeks before the election, the bank refinanced most of the $370m of debt against retail spaces Kushner’s company owns in midtown Manhattan.

Trump’s dealings with Wall Street stretch back decades to his attempt to build an Atlantic City casino empire. That badly timed push forced him to renegotiate with creditors when he couldn’t pay back billions of dollars in loans. His major backers in that era included Citibank, Chase Manhattan Bank and Bankers Trust – a bank that was acquired by Deutsche in 1999 – and the debacle left a trail of angry lenders.

Deutsche Bank’s relationship with Trump actually predates its Bankers Trust purchase. In 1998, a small group of its real-estate bankers led by Mike Offit underwrote a $125m loan for renovations on Trump’s building at 40 Wall Street. Trump showed up at Offit’s office, his reputation badly bruised. Deutsche Bank’s fledgling property business – in operation for only a year at the time – was the only group willing to take on Trump, Offit said in an interview.

“I had one way to succeed – that was to make this thing big and profitable,” said Offit, who is now retired and has written a novel about Wall Street. “If I was super conservative and wasn’t willing to do some unusual stuff, how was I going to compete?”

The bank’s real-estate business became one of the most active lenders in Manhattan. Trump was his best client, Offit said, always professional and well-versed in the details of his projects. In the 1990s, Offit and a team led by loan officer Eric Schwartz financed the construction of Trump World Tower on the eastern edge of Manhattan and backed his failed bid to redevelop the site of the New York Coliseum.

When Offit left Deutsche Bank in 1999, Schwartz became a linchpin for the relationship with Trump, including his attempt to buy out a partner at the General Motors Building in 2001, according to people www.ebook3000.com

involved in the deals. Schwartz, who left Deutsche in 2009, declined to comment.

In 2005, the bank approved a $640m construction loan so Trump could build his name-sake tower in Chicago. The tower, with dozens of multi-million dollar condos, broke ground at the height of the realestate boom. As the project neared completion, the financial crisis hit, sending the global real-estate market crashing. And when part of the loan came due, rather than pay it, Trump sued a lending consortium led by Deutsche Bank for $3bn.

His suit argued that the financial crisis was equivalent to an earthquake, triggering a “force majeure” clause, which allows for a payback extension in extraordinary circumstances. Deutsche Bank countersued, claiming Trump owed a $40m payment, which was a personal guarantee on the debt. The two later settled and, surprisingly, continued doing business together.

Today, the president-elect owes about $300m to the bank, nearly half of his outstanding debt, according to a July analysis by Bloomberg. That figure includes a $170m loan Trump took out to finish his hotel in Washington. He also has two mortgages against his Trump National Doral Miami resort and a loan against his tower in Chicago. All four debts come due in 2023 and 2024. Garten said the Chicago loan no longer has Trump’s personal guarantee because the project has been completed.

The most recent batch of loans originated out of Deutsche Bank’s private-wealth management unit, where Trump deals primarily with Rosemary Vrablic, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Vrablic joined the group in 2006 after stints at other companies, including Bank of America. Her other clients include Herbert Simon, owner of the Indiana Pacers basketball team. Simon didn’t return calls seeking comment.

Vrablic, who is largely unknown on Wall Street outside of private-banking circles, was thrust in the spotlight earlier this year after Trump uttered her name in public.

The loans, before restructuring, appear to be a good deal for both sides. Trump locked in a low interest rate, around 2 per cent over the benchmark, and has relative freedom to do what he wants with the money.

In return, Trump personally guaranteed the loans.

As the bank scrambles to restructure the loans, it has options. It could remove the personal guarantee, which could require increasing the interest rate or laying out restrictions on how the money is used.

Trump also could put assets such as stocks and bonds into an escrow account, which would effectively act as the guarantee.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank has been negotiating a multi-billion dollar settlement with the Department of Justice for mishandling the sale of mortgage bonds to other banks. If not settled by then, the department will be overseen by a political appointee of Trump’s after 20 January.

Bloomberg

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Business

Trump’s tweets cause Lockheed Martin shares to tumble a second time

Trump has caused trouble for Lockheed before, tweeting earlier in December that the F-35’s costs were ‘out of control’ (Getty)

ZLATA RODIONOVA US President-elect Donald Trump has again tweeted about the “tremendous cost of the Lockheed Martin F-35”, causing the aerospace company's stocks to tumble on Thursday.

The tweet is the latest in an ongoing war of words between Mr Trump and US defence companies, which he has criticised for excessive costs, and comes after Mr Trump met with the chief executives of both Lockheed and Boeing earlier this week. www.ebook3000.com

“Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!” Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday evening. Lockheed Martin shares dropped about 2 per cent to $247.75 in after-hours trading shaving off about $1.2bn (£976) of the defence company’s market value, according to CNBC. Meanwhile Boeing shares rose by nearly one per cent to $158.52.

On Wednesday, the US President-elect met with Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35 fighter jet, and Dennis Muilenburg, head of Boeing, which has a contract to build two new Air Force One planes. The F-35 program is a critical sales generator for the company, accounting for 20 per cent of last year’s revenue of $46.1bn.

“We're trying to get costs down ... primarily the F-35, we're trying to get the cost down. It's a program that is very, very expensive,” Mr Trump said on Wednesday after the meeting. He also said that the negotiations with Lockheed Martin were “just beginning” and described it as “a little bit of a dance.”

Lockheed declined to comment and Boeing said only: “We have committed to working with the Presidentelect and his administration to provide the best capability, deliverability and affordability across all Boeing products and services to meet our national security needs.”

Earlier this month, Mr Trump tweeted: “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!” Following his comments, Boeing’s stock temporarily fell by around $2 a share, wiping $1bn from the company’s stock market value, which it later recovered.

Lockheed Martin also saw their stocks tumble when Mr Trump criticised the program to build new F-35 jets, said to be the world's most expensive weapons program.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Business

Money-saving tips every young person needs to survive 2017

Looking after the pennies is a good idea, whatever your age

ZLATA RODIONOVA In case you missed the headlines about how stretched millennials are: not many are managing to save.

But, if you fall into that category, there are some small changes you can make to your habits that could have a big impact on your yearly finances, starting now. These short-term, easy fixes will save money throughout the year, while also potentially helping you achieve larger financial goals. Gareth Shaw, Head of Which? Money online, said: “With lots of uncertainty over the last year, there’s never been a better time to take control of your money rather than putting it off till later. People can be saving hundreds of pounds by simply switching energy provider or taking a prepaid travel money card on holiday. Consolidating your www.ebook3000.com

debts and choosing the right Isas and bank accounts can also save you money in 2017, as well as leaving you with more money in the long term.”

The Independent asked Hannah Maundrell, editor-in-chief at www.money.co.uk and Lee Murphy, financial expert at accountancy software platform Pandle, to give us 10 saving tips for the new year. Here are the best ways to save money for cost-conscious millennials:

1) Create a bulletproof budget It’s an old one but a good one. Many times young adults forget to set a mental budget each month, failing to understand the difference between available money to spend versus monthly expenses. Hannah Maundrell said: “Work out how much money you’ve got to play with each month and allocate what you need for bills. If you have money left over, pay off your debts more quickly or start saving.”

2) Be creative with what you have While many young adults are in the habit of always having something new, try to be practical about spending habits and think about ways you can save, according to Lee Murphy. “Expenses can add up quickly, so determine ways where you can cut costs,” he said. “Are you paying for TV/cable but never really watching it? Perhaps it’s time to downgrade to just a Netflix account and an internet bill. Take some time to reflect on things you don’t necessarily need.”

3) Cut the emotional spending Emotional spending is buying something you don’t need and in many cases don’t even want. However, you eventually end up purchasing it anyway under the pressure of emotions such as unhappiness or boredom. “If you’re guilty of loading up the credit card and emotional spending when you’ve had a bad day, it needs to stop. Find something else to occupy yourself, such as indulging in back-to-back episodes of Friends, rather than the £200 jacket you’ve had your eye on,” Ms Maundrell said.

4) Shop around and source the deals Young adults could save hundreds of pound each year on everything from groceries to gifts and days out with the family – as long as they search for the best voucher codes from online sites or keep an eye on store deals for the best bargains. “Finding the places that have marked down their items will give you peace of mind and help cut costs. Before going to buy groceries, browse the flyers to see where you can pick up items at a lower price. Pinching pounds will help you save in the long run,” Mr Murphy said.

5) Cut down your fun fund This could be everything from nights out to early morning coffees. “The habit of spending a couple of quid on a fresh juice every day may seem reasonable to you, but realising how much you’re spending and putting a limit on it can help you save loads every month,” Ms Maundrell said.

6) Don’t turn a blind eye on your finances One of the worst things to do in your early 20s is to ignore financial red flags when they arise. Check if you're out of money, no matter how fearful you are of how low the number might be. If you’re in the red, you might as well know it – it’s the only way you’ll be able to do something about it.

7) Make your savings work harder for you If you’ve got some savings, make sure you’re making the most of them. Ms Maundrell recommended to put them in an account paying at least 1.2 per cent interest to make sure they grow at the same rate as inflation. “If you don’t they are literally decreasing in value,” she said.

8) Think about how you travel If you live in a city, buy a monthly or annual season ticket and use it (if possible, take out an interest-free season ticket loan from your employer). And if you’re in London, the introduction of the night tube means you should be able to get almost anywhere without having to pay out for a cab home.

9) Make the most of cashback You can get cashback for just about everything now. “Whether you’re taking out contents insurance or buying a new outfit, see if you can get a little something back. Then you can save these funds for a rainy day (or an especially skint month),” Ms Maundrell said.

10) Consider purchasing investment items You don't have to be an expert about personal finance, come from an affluent family or use fancy economic jargon to start investing. “Instead of purchasing items that you will grow out of or throw away when it becomes old, think about putting money towards something that will become an investment. When going out to spend, consider whether or not what you’re purchasing it as just an immediate satisfaction, or if it will provide you with long-term gain,” Mr Murphy said.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Business

Business news in brief

Energy firms including Imperial Oil and BP will get a year of consultations over their rights following Canada’s freeze on Arctic drilling (Getty)

BEN CHAPMAN BA owner to launch low-cost flights to US from Barcelona International Airlines Group, the owner of British Airways, is to start low-cost flights to the US from Barcelona, a move prompted by high levels of competition in the sector.

IAG’s budget airline brand, Vueling, currently uses the city’s El Prat airport as a hub – with a passenger base that could tip over into its long-haul service.

The company has yet to decide whether it will launch a new airline or tap into existing resources.

As well as BA and Vueling, IAG also owns Spain-based Iberia and Ireland-based Aer Lingus.

“Barcelona has become a significant airport hub and we believe that there is a demand for these flights

from El Prat,” said IAG. Los Angeles and San Francisco are within its sights, along with Buenos Aires, Havana and Tokyo.

That could bring the airline group into direct competition with fast-expanding Norwegian which is due to start budget flights to the US in the summer.

Analysts at CAPA Centre for Aviation said it looked like IAG was reacting to Norwegian’s move.

“Plans by the low-cost carrier Norwegian to launch long-haul routes from Barcelona in 2017 may have had a catalytic effect on IAG’s thinking,” they said.

Reuters BP in limbo after Canada freezes Arctic oil drilling Energy firms including Imperial Oil and BP will get a year of consultations over their rights following Canada’s freeze on Arctic drilling.

Canadian leader President Justin Trudeau and US President Barack Obama said this week they would designate most of North American Arctic waters off-limits to new activity, including all future oil and gas licensing in Canadian waters. Trudeau’s government said existing licences wouldn’t be affected.

Five companies – Imperial, BP, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Franklin Petroleum Canada – hold active exploration licences in Canada’s share of the Beaufort Sea, where there currently isn’t any oil production.

Many of those licences expire within the next five years, when Trudeau has pledged to review his moratorium.

Companies remain eligible to upgrade their existing licences, and some may seek extensions, which will be a central issue in talks between government and the industry over the next year.

“It’s their intention to have discussions with each of the active licence holders,” said Paul Barnes, Atlantic Canada and Arctic manager for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the main oil-industry lobby group. “I suspect most companies would still want to maintain an active licence there” or seek an extension “until such time as the government has another review.”

Bloomberg Merck’s Ebola vaccine found to protect against deadly virus An experimental Ebola vaccine, manufactured by US pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co, was found to be highly protective against the deadly virus.

The vaccine was studied in a trial involving more than 11,000 people in Guinea. Of those who received a shot in a final-stage trial, no Ebola cases were recorded after a 10-day incubation period, according to a study published in The Lancet.

The outbreak of Ebola from 2013 to 2016 triggered a public health crisis in West Africa, resulting in more than 11,300 deaths, primarily in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. It also exposed holes in global infectious disease preparedness, with infected travellers reaching as far afield as Texas.

“While these compelling results come too late for those who lost their lives during West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, they show that when the next Ebola outbreak hits, we will not be defenceless,” Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director-general for health systems and innovation at the World Health Organisation, and the study’s lead author, said in a statement.

The trial, called “Ebola that’s enough”, was led by the WHO, Guinea’s Ministry of Health, Medecins sans Frontieres, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, as well as other international partners. www.ebook3000.com

Bloomberg Wealth inequality rises in eurozone, ECB survey shows The concentration of wealth among the eurozone's richest households has increased since the bloc’s debt crisis, even as wealth levels fell across the board due to lower property prices, according to a survey released by the European Central Bank (ECB).

The eurozone’s top 5 per cent of households owned 37.8 per cent of the net wealth in 2014, up from 37.2 per cent in 2010, while the bottom 5 per cent owned only debt, the ECB said based on a survey of 84,000 households.

Suffering from waves of recession, the bloc’s protracted has crisis increased inequalities as countries on the periphery such as Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece struggled, while countries in the core were quicker to recover.

The median wealth of a eurozone household dropped around 10 per cent to €104,100 (£88,800) in the four years to 2014, mostly as property prices fell, especially for the poorest fifth of the population, the ECB said.

“The fall in net wealth was mainly driven by a reduction in the value of assets, in particular real estate,” the ECB said. “In per centage terms, the differences are larger for the lower percentiles.”

“The net wealth of the ninetieth percentile – that is, the household separating the poorest 90 per cent of the population from the richest 10 per cent – is €496,000,” the ECB said.

Reuters Fund set up to help areas hit by second-home ownership The Government has set up a new annual £60m fund to help build more homes in areas hit by high levels of second-home ownership, paid for by a levy introduced in April on the purchase of additional homes.

People buying holiday homes and pushing up house prices in parts of the south have long angered locals who have seen their children unable to buy in the areas they grew up in.

There have also been more foreign investors over recent years in some regions.

The fund will be financed by an additional 3 per cent level of stamp duty introduced in April on those buying a second home or property to be rented out, as part of the Government’s efforts to cool the market.

Second-home ownership is at an all-time high according to Britain’s communities ministry, and poses a particular problem to locals in southwest England’s popular tourist areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Reuters Porsche wins hedge fund lawsuit in Germany Porsche won a key legal victory in its effort to end years of litigation stemming from a failed attempt to take full control of Volkswagen in 2008.

Germany’s highest civil court dismissed an appeal by 19 hedge funds including Viking Global Equities, Glenhill Capital and David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital, Porsche said. The investors were seeking around €1.2bn (£1bn) in damages from alleged market manipulation triggered by short-selling transactions, swaps and options related to VW voting stock.

Porsche has faced a barrage of claims for a total of about €6.7bn since disclosing in October 2008 that it controlled 74 per cent of Volkswagen, partly through options, and was seeking to acquire 75 per cent as

part of a takeover. The announcement caused VW to soar as short sellers raced to cover bets that the stock would fall. While the Stuttgart, Germany-based company’s effort ultimately failed, it still owns a majority of Volkswagen’s voting shares.

Bloomberg Legal & General names new finance chief Legal & General said Jeff Davies, a senior partner at Ernst & Young, will replace Mark Gregory as the UK company’s chief financial officer after the publication of its 2016 preliminary results.

Gregory will step down from Legal & General’s board when Davies starts his new job, though he will stay at the company until 31 August, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Before joining Ernst & Young in 2004, Davies held a number of senior actuarial roles at Swiss Re Life & Health, according to the statement.

In August, L&G, the UK’s largest manager of pension assets, reported a 3.6 per cent increase in first-half operating profit, missing estimates. The company led a sell-off among insurers after the Brexit vote raised concerns that the industry’s £2.1 trillion of investments would fall in value. The shares have since recouped some of those losses and are down about 8 per cent this year.

Bloomberg

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Money

The feelgood guide to frugality, 2017-style

Cutting back on more frequent supermarket trips limits the risk you’ll spend extra on impulse buys (Getty)

FELICITY HANNAH Being thrifty doesn’t have to mean washing your taps with leftover lemons or cleaning windows with old newspaper – this isn’t the 1950s. But if your resolution is to be thriftier, there are still many ways to spend less without asking your grandparents for help. Here are a few tips for a more frugal 2017, so you can keep more money in your own pocket.

Make a food plan One of the most obvious places UK homes waste money is in the kitchen. The campaign Love Food, Hate Waste estimates that the average household throws out £480 of edible food a year, rising to £700 for a

family with children. That’s £60 a month wasted, not to mention the environmental cost. And it’s so easy to get the waste under control. Websites such as Love Food, Hate Waste have tips and recipe ideas for leftovers, but perhaps the simplest way to save money on food is to draw up a weekly food plan. By planning meals in advance you can ensure that nothing is wasted, meals come in on budget and all leftovers are eaten up.

The NHS Change 4 Life website has an excellent recipe generator, offering meals that feed four and cost around a fiver. You can use it to create a meal plan for each week and it even draws up a shopping list for you. Best of all, cutting back on more frequent supermarket trips limits the risk you’ll spend extra on impulse buys.

With so much food going to waste, some people scour the rubbish to see if there’s anything worth taking (Rex)

Downgrade your brands If you buy premium, big-brand food or household items, consider moving down a ‘grade’, so from big brands to supermarket own brand, or from own brand to the economy range. Doing this can easily cut pounds and pounds from your weekly shopping bill. And if the odd item isn’t as good as the next range up, you can swap back to the original – but for fruit and veg, cereals, cleaning products and more you will probably find you don’t even notice the difference. This works on everything from hair products to toilet roll – try a cheaper brand; if you like it you save a fortune over the year.

Cut your utility waste If you make 2017 the year you really clamp down on wasted energy, then you can save a lot of money. It’s not just switching off lights when you’re out of the room, or even wearing an extra jumper instead of cranking up the heating; the Energy Saving Trust has a wealth of really practical tips. Draughtproofing www.ebook3000.com

windows and doors can save almost £30 a year, for example, but 46 per cent of households haven’t done it.

Replacing halogen spotlights and any standard bulbs with energy savers such as LEDs can save £35 a year, while turning appliances off instead of leaving them on standby can save a good £30 a year. These small savings all add up; you can also typically save around £300 by switching to a cheaper energy supplier, meaning it’s possible to really bring down bills.

Wasted water wastes your money twice, both with what you pay for your metered water and what you pay to heat that water. If you become more conscious of the water you use and waste, you could pay much less in 2017. For example, spending one minute less in the shower each day can save £10 off energy bills and a further £12 off water and sewerage bills. Try the website Save Water Save Money for free water-saving freebies such as shower timers.

While you’re switching to a cheaper energy provider, it’s well worth setting aside an extra hour or so to compare prices on other household bills and ring round suppliers. Many will lower your premium or bill if you threaten to leave, while switching can save hundreds of pounds.

Shop in the cheapest place While you’re comparing household bills and driving a harder bargain, you could also take a look at your shopping basket. The website MySupermarket lets users enter their shopping basket and then compare that basket to equivalent items at other supermarkets, including Tesco, ASDA, Ocado, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and more. Shoppers save an average of 30 per cent on their basket by ordering it from a cheaper supermarket and it lets you see clearly which has the best prices for the items you buy. If you spend £80 a week on shopping then that’s an average saving of £24 – or well over £1,200 a year.

Compare prices from the leading supermarkets (Getty)

Make more of your boss A lot of employers offer their staff perks that many either don’t know about or don’t take up. You may be able to get free or subsidised eye care, for example, if you work with a computer, or you may have access to a legal helpline for any personal questions. If you’re entitled to death in service benefit, obviously you hope it won’t have to pay out! However, it’s worth checking as you could potentially reduce your life insurance costs if your work provides enough. You may also be eligible for salary sacrifice schemes such as childcare vouchers or even the Bike to Work scheme, where you can pay for childcare or a bicycle out of your pretax income, saving you a lot of money.

Have a cheaper holiday Staycations and camping are well known ways to have a cheap break, but not everyone feels like they’ve had a rest unless they soak up some sun and sleep under an actual roof. If you’re looking for a thrifty alternative to that all-inclusive break in Spain then consider LoveHomeSwap, where you exchange properties with another household for your break.

LoveHomeSwap reports that members can save as much as 90 per cent on the cost of their accommodation. If you live somewhere attractive like a popular city or near a national park, you will likely have your pick of thousands of homes across the world, but even if you don’t live on top of a tourist attraction you can still usually find a swapper. Another option is AirBnB, allowing you to rent a cheaper space for your break and see your destination from an actual home rather than a touristy hotel. One good tip for hiring the best locations is to team up with friends; there are mansions with pools available for a very good price per person if you get a group together.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Money

Seven (avoidable) sins of financial planning

Counting pennies isn't the only way to avoid financial problems (Rex)

FELICITY HANNAH If 2017 really is the year you’re going to focus on your fitness/hobby/family or learn a language/an instrument/how to drive a car, you’re going to have your hands full. So the last thing you want to read is a list of financial resolutions you could make, such as setting aside more time to check your bills and manage your money. But even if you aren’t ready to take such proactive steps in managing your money, you could still quite easily make some real improvements. These are seven of the most frequent financial mistakes – and how we can avoid them.

Saving money when you have debt

Everyone should have some emergency savings in place – it’s essential for financial security. Most commentators recommend having between three and six months’ worth of salary saved, so that you can weather storms like unexpected bills, redundancy and household disasters. However, if you’re saving more than that and have expensive debt on credit or store cards, or high-interest personal loans, then it’s time to rethink your priorities. After all, the interest you will be paying on such debt will be much higher than the meagre returns you’re earning on your savings. Keep an emergency fund but after that, prioritise paying down your debt first. Otherwise it will cost you far more in the long term.

Dipping into an unapproved overdraft It’s horribly easy to do. An unexpectedly large bill hits your doormat or you get a bit carried away on a shopping trip and suddenly you’re in the red and racing past the overdraft limit the bank has set. An unauthorised overdraft is one of the most expensive ways to borrow, with penalty fees and high interest charged. It can even damage your credit rating, making it harder to borrow in the future when you really need to. If you think you’re heading for an unauthorised overdraft and can’t avoid it, give your bank a call to see if you can temporarily extend your overdraft.

Applying for the wrong products Not all debt is bad and it’s perfectly plausible that in 2017 it will make sense to apply for a loan or credit card. A common mistake people make is to apply for several products at once to see what rates they are offered, or to apply for a product they are unlikely to be accepted for. These applications result in searches being carried out on your credit history, leaving a temporary footprint on your file. If you make more than one application, the footprint can put others lenders off – multiple applications make you look like a higher risk – and mean you end up paying higher interest rates. Instead, browse the market by using a comparison site or lender that offers a ‘soft search’ first, allowing you to see whether or not you are likely to be accepted and at what rate.

Being over-insured Underinsurance is a real danger that leaves people exposed when they are most vulnerable, but there’s another, lesser-known, mistake. Over-insurance, where you pay for more cover than you need, can leave you paying a substantial monthly sum for no good reason or benefit. For example, if your employer provides a death-in-service benefit, you may not need as much life insurance, or if your mortgage is paid down then you may not need as big a policy as you did previously. What’s more, a surprising number of people do not realise they are insured twice through extras provided with their bank account. If you have a packaged current account, for example, check what is included. If you receive phone, travel and breakdown cover, make sure you don’t pay for standalone policies as well.

Having too much month at the end of the money If this were an article about positive steps you can take to help you save and ‘detox’ your finances, then this is where we would suggest drawing up a budget. However, since this is about avoiding mistakes rather than making changes, we will simply suggest roughly dividing your disposable income by the number of weeks in a month. When you know how much you have to spend each week, you can make sure you don’t overspend at the start of the month. Using up the month’s money too fast is what leaves you vulnerable to unplanned debt and financial shocks.

Making minimum repayments When you do have credit card debt it can be tempting to pay off just the minimum amount each month.

However, that’s a tactic that can really backfire as it means you’re left paying interest for far longer, resulting in a much higher overall bill. Clearing the debt by more than the minimum can save you hundreds of pounds in the long run, even if it is tough to manage on a monthly basis. www.ebook3000.com

Not getting money you’re owed A lot of people do not get all the help they are entitled to and this can leave them struggling. An estimated £10bn a year in benefits goes unclaimed by working age families and pensioners who are legally entitled to them, while it’s been suggested that low-income households miss out on £15bn in benefits and tax credits.

If you’re finding it hard to make ends meet, seek advice or check the benefits calculator available via the charity Turn 2 Us, which can give you an idea of whether or not you are missing out.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Money

Turning bargain hunting into bargain finding

There are plenty of good deals to be found if you know where to look (Getty)

FELICITY HANNAH The January sales are a misnamed affair. It used to be that they started on Boxing Day, but now they begin online before the last shop has even closed on Christmas Eve. Last year almost eight out of 10 people spent an average of £150 each in the sales, according to research by the website TopCashback.co.uk. This year there has been a growing backlash against the sales and an online petition calling for Boxing Day to be a “day of rest” that shop workers can spend with their families has attracted well over 100,000 signatures.

Having said that, there are also some shoppers sharing tips online for being first in store (apparently for www.ebook3000.com

Next it’s a good idea to start queuing at 3am Boxing Day). For those shoppers who don’t want to spend Christmas night camping outside their retailer of choice, we’ve found these tips on getting the most out of the sales… no matter how busy it gets.

Know when the sales open Not everyone starts their sale on Boxing Day, so if you want a specific item or the widest possible choice of goods, then it’s a good idea to check exactly when different retailers drop their prices. Abbie Dickinson, a spokesperson for the cashback website Quidco, says: “Big-name retailers including M&S, Currys and House of Fraser surprised us last year by starting their Boxing Day sales 48 hours early, on Christmas Eve. As soon as the window closes for getting gifts delivered in time for Christmas, prices start dropping online.”

Keep your existing purchases in mind It’s frustrating to buy something and then spot it in the sale for half the price, so it’s worth asking if a retailer will price match a product you’ve already bought – the worst they can do is say no. Andy Webb, spokesperson for the Money Advice Service, suggests: “If you buy an item over the Christmas period, keep checking to see if prices fall during the January sales – you can often ask for a price match, or even return it and buy again.”

Sara Griffiths, a former presenter for QVC, agrees, saying: “If you buy something at full price and then shortly after, before using it, find it has been reduced, it's entirely legitimate to return it for a full refund, and then, if there’s more of the same item available, rebuy the item at the reduced price.

Look for slight faults Sometimes items are in the sale because they are slightly damaged but this can work in the favour of shoppers who don’t mind stitching a button back on at home. Mike Meade, a spokesperson at the website 360 Voucher Codes, says: “Obviously you want to buy goods that are fit for purpose, but if the packaging is damaged or there’s a loose thread on a piece of clothing, is it really going to make any difference to you?

These types of items can be haggled down a lot as they are technically faulty products and many shoppers won’t buy them so retailers are happy to discount them heavily.” And if the discount doesn’t seem substantial enough, he recommends haggling. “Retailers expect it and you would be amazed how many times you can get an extra 10 per cent off at the till just by asking.”

Don’t buy from dodgy sellers You might be in a rush to buy a bargain, but that doesn’t mean forgetting the basic checks, especially online. James Westlake, managing director of Trustpilot, recommends: “Before hitting the sales this year, take a moment to do some research and check what other consumers are saying about the retailer you are thinking of buying from. Spending five minutes looking at a retailer’s website, social media or at a thirdparty review site before making a purchase could save you hours of hassle on the high street.”

Get technology on your side There are a number of apps that can help you identify genuine bargains in the sales. Natasha Rachel Smith, of the website TopCashback, recommends: “You can also use price-drop alert sites such as Love Sales or Notifyy which allow you to add items from online retailers to your 'wish list' and they will send you an alert when the price drops. “Follow your favourite retailers on social media, sign up for their newsletters and engage with them. Many brands throw private flash sales to their followers as a reward.” Many retailers will also send sales alerts and even special offers out to customers on their distribution lists, so it can be worth signing up for their emails even if you unsubscribe shortly afterwards.

Know your rights

Finally, it is important to understand exactly what rights you have in a sale. Your consumer rights are not affected if you buy an item in the sale and you will still be able to return faulty items. However, it’s up to the retailer whether it accepts returns on non-faulty items; most are willing to accept returns generally but they may place restrictions during the sales. Griffiths adds: “Check carefully what the retailer's policy is for returning sale goods – they often differ. Some may refund in full, but others may insist on a credit note. If there's any possibility you may want to return the item, check beforehand.”

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Allardyce confirmed as new Palace manager

Sam Allardyce has been named Crystal Palace manager (Twitter/@CPFC)

IAN WINROW Sam Allardyce will make his return to football at Crystal Palace after agreeing a two-and-a-half year deal to take charge of the Selhurst Park club.

Allardyce, who was dismissed as England manager after just 67 days in September has been installed as Alan Pardew’s successor after agreeing a deal worth around £2.5 million per year that will run until 2019.

The 62-year-old will take charge of the team at Watford on Monday when he will begin the task of steering the club away from the lower reaches of the table following a dismal run that has brought eight defeats in the last ten games.

Allardyce’s qualities had attracted the attention of the Palace hierarchy last month and talks were concluded at the club’s training ground yesterday. Allardyce’s brief stint with England was brought to an end when the manager was filmed speaking to undercover reporters about the third party ownership of players but has been given the all clear to continue working in football and his record of turning the fortunes of clubs around, most recently at Sunderland last season, convinced chairman Steve Parish he was the right man for the job.

The club itself seems to be very ambitious and I like the look of the squad and that’s the reason I am here.

The club can forward from here and I can help take it forward.

“You generally get a new job when there are difficulties at the club and it’s my job to try and get a few more result on the board over Christmas and January to make everybody feel a little more comfortable.

Recently Palace has been very impressive the way the club has grown and held their Premier league status.

I hope I can bring some joy between now and the end of the season.

“The club itself seems to be very ambitious and I like the look of the squad and that’s the reason I am here.

The club can forward from here and I can help take it forward. I’m looking forward to working with the forward players but I’ve got a job stopping the goals going in the other end first. We have to stop conceding goals and making sure the goals we score win us games. That’s what we have to try and turn around.

“January is a difficult window. We will look at who is available but we also have to protect the players we have got. But certainly we will try and recruit and give the squad more strength in depth. I think the players are good enough but hopefully we add more depth.

He added: “First and foremost we have to stop losing and if the draws turn into results and we can go on a run we can hopefully find a run of consistency.“

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Moyes failed at United in a way Mourinho never will

Moyes lacked the 'big beast' persona of Mourinho (Getty)

IAN HERBERT CHIEF SPORTS WRITER

Jose Mourinho arrived to talk in his flip-flops on Friday and looked as unencumbered as ever by the new managerial space he occupies.

His lip curled, in that Mourinho way, when he was asked if he had sought out David Moyes, one of his unsuccessful predecessors, for advice, before taking on this job. “No, David was not also a person that I asked for…” He offered no laurels for Sir Alex Ferguson, either. Had he thought when Ferguson retired four years ago how difficult it would be to follow the man? “Not really.”

As Mourinho flip-flopped off, having nonchalantly let off a few grenades and just about remembered to extend us a ‘Happy Christmas’, the overriding thought was how searingly different all this was to the excruciating defensiveness and dreadful tension of press conferences held here by Moyes, who returns to Manchester United on Boxing Day – with Sunderland - for the first time since he was sacked by the club, two years and eight months ago.

Moyes was 16 words into his inaugural press appearance as United manager when he mentioned Ferguson and though we did not know it that day – July 5, 2013 – his gauche deference foretold what we now know: that he was neither big nor bold enough to manage United. “I didn't get a chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’” he said in that first press conference. “I was told I was the next Manchester United manager by Sir Alex, and for me that was enough. As you can imagine, the blood drained from my face.”

Moyes has said in the years since his dismissal that he was not granted sufficient time or investment, though he also admits the scale of the club’s ambition in the transfer market was substantial. Ryan Giggs was put to work in the summer of 2013 to persuade his compatriot Gareth Bale to leave Tottenham Hotspur for United rather than Real Madrid and there was a period in early in Moyes’ second month in charge when the Welsh connection seemed to have a chance of working, with the Spanish club keeping Daniel Levy waiting.

I didn't get a chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I was told I was the next Manchester United manager by Sir Alex, and for me that was enough. As you can imagine, the blood drained from my face.

The struggles of the big beast Louis van Gaal put Moyes’ travails into some perspective, once he had been shown the door. It was a year ago on Friday that Van Gaal marched out of his Carrington press conference with the words “Enjoy the wine and a mince pie. Goodbye” after four minutes and 58 seconds, because stories had circulated about his impending dismissal.

Yet Moyes had a far smaller mentality than even Van Gaal. He was so accustomed to spending every penny of Everton’s precious money so carefully that he when given the early chance to move for Thiago Alcantara in 2013 he didn’t take it. He said he wasn’t familiar enough with the player, so United embarked on a depressing wild goose chase for Cesc Fabregas instead. They ultimately pursued to deadline day only those players who Moyes knew inside out – Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini. Just one of them was prised from Goodison Park and the supporters’ scepticism about Fellaini is borne of what he represents: the Moyes era.

This sense of narrow horizons was deepened for United fans by Moyes’ utterances – from the claim that Liverpool were the ‘favourites’ against his own side, to the notion that United would be up against it when playing Newcastle United. The contrast with Mourinho’s pursuit of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan could not be greater. He dithered in his team selections and tactical planning, too.

Moyes offered some interesting reflections on Friday about what he perceives as an unwelcome change at United in the years since Ferguson walked away. “Manchester United was a club with great traditions, tradition where they tended to pick British managers,” he said. “That tradition has now gone. They were a football club who enjoy traditions with the way they spent. They didn’t try to compete with all the other clubs. They did what they thought was the right thing to do and spent the right way. I can say that’s gone.

There have been a few changes at Manchester United but that’s the way they have chosen to go.”

www.ebook3000.com

Fellaini was the only Everton player Moyes managed to prise away from Goodison (Getty)

There he goes again. “They didn’t try to compete.” Enough to make most of the United faithful hold their heads in hands. Of course the club have competed in every sphere of football. Rio Ferdinand cost £30m in 2002.

Nearly three years on, his discussion is still about what might have been in the transfer market. It is a few weeks since he trained fire on Sunderland’s owners by declaring he might not have joined the club if he’d known the resources available to him. “Managing Sunderland always had an appeal to me but, if I’d known about the financial situation, I’d have needed to look at it in a different way.” A big beast would have demanded a guaranteed transfer pot, instead of resorting to the kind of utterance which cannot have been inspiring for his struggling players to read.

We will never know whether United might have managed a smooth succession had one of the big beasts of management succeeded Ferguson, though the swagger which was lost in those months is something the club are still trying to locate.

Ferguson feels there was something significant to read into Moyes’ thrift. “Many people seem to have forgotten his performance at Everton where, despite being under severe financial constraints, he achieved strong league performances,” he has since written.

Yet Mourinho said on Friday that the old rules about natural succession and endless success were already vanishing in the summer Ferguson left. “What I knew was the evolution of the Premier League - the direction of the Premier League,” he said. “I knew that periods of domination belonged to the past because the Premier League was going already in an incredible direction and it is what it is now…”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Schneiderlin free to move to West Bromwich

Morgan Schneiderlin has been given approval to leave Manchester United after West Brom made an offer (Getty)

IAN HERBERT Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho revealed on Friday that he has given Morgan Schneiderlin approval to leave Old Trafford, with West Bromwich Albion already tabling a £13m bid.

The Dutch midfielder has started only four games all season but none in the Premier League and Mourinho revealed that the player has opened his heart to him, asked to leave – and that he will not stand in his way.

“Yes [he has told me he wants to leave],” Mourinho said. “He is great professional, a fantastic boy; very honest, very open. He has opened his heart a couple of times. My answer is simple. If he is playing regular www.ebook3000.com

with me I have the right to say ‘no way.’ If not, I have no right to say ‘you are going nowhere.’ So my answer was to offer him his right.”

Mourinho said West Brom manager Tony Pulis’ bid was “a good offer. In relation to a very good player like Morgan I would not stop him from going.”

Mourinho attacked the Premier League fixture scheduling, implying that the fixture schedulers were deliberately handing his former club Chelsea an advantage over his own club who must play three games in eight days. Antonio Conte’s side have three in ten days. United face Sunderland and Middlesbrough at home, then travel to West Ham on 2 January.

Mourinho said: “The busy period is for some clubs, not for everyone. If you analyse clubs… the fixtures are chosen to give rest for some and to create problems to others. But we are used to it because we are in Europa League and the Europa League is a competition that creates more difficulties – Southampton know that, Tottenham will.

“For us it's more of the same. It's good for us to have everyone available [except] Luke Shaw and he's not far. Central defender position we have now all of them. [Chris] Smalling is back, [Eric] Bailly is back, [Daley] Blind is fine, [Marcos] Rojo fine, a position where it's important to have stability in options. We were in a difficult position a couple of months ago but now we are safe. We know Bailly is going to African Cup in January. For the next three matches we know what we have.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Moyes agreed to sign Kroos at United but deal collapsed

David Moyes missed out on a number of high-profile signings at Manchester United like Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale (Getty)

MICHAEL WALKER David Moyes has shed some light on missed opportunities during his time at Manchester United, including that he had personally agreed a deal with Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos to join United in the summer of 2014.

Moyes also says that he pushed so strongly for United to sign Gareth Bale that United offered more money than Real Madrid; that he tried to sign Cesc Fabregas in 2013; and that he was told by Sir Alex Ferguson there was a chance Cristiano Ronaldo would be returning to Old Trafford.

As Moyes prepares to walk up the Old Trafford touchline for the first time since his United dismissal after www.ebook3000.com

ten months in April 2014, the Sunderland manager has spoken about some of the signings who got away.

Even landing one of the quartet might have altered his time at United. He was sacked ten months into a six-year contract.

Moyes has not blamed anyone at United for this, he is giving context to the circumstances around his premature departure. But Moyes also says United were a club with “great traditions” – using the past tense.

Real Madrid beat Manchester United to the signing of Gareth Bale (Getty)

Having travelled to Germany to see Kroos, Moyes, for the first time, says that in January 2014: “Toni Kroos was agreed to come in the summer. I had agreed it with Toni himself and his agent.”

This was six months after Moyes’ appointment and four months before his sacking. Instead Kroos joined Real Madrid that summer and won the Champions League with two of the other players Moyes thought he had chance of signing in the immediate weeks and months after succeeding Ferguson, Bale and Ronaldo.

Speaking at Sunderland’s training ground on Friday afternoon, Moyes says: “When I first went in [to United] my real target was Gareth Bale.

“I felt all along that Gareth Bale was a Manchester United player. I fought right until the last minute. We actually offered a bigger deal than Real Madrid. But Gareth had his mind made up on going to Real Madrid. That was, in my mind, the player I really wanted to bring to Manchester United.”

United thought they signed Fabregas until he stayed at Barcelona and then joined Chelsea (Getty)

Again Moyes does not blame anyone, but he has said before that United chief executive David Gill leaving at the same time as Ferguson, to be replaced by Ed Woodward, did not aid his recruitment.

“The other one was Cesc Fabregas,” adds Moyes, “who we thought we would get right up until the last minute.”

Fabregas was at Barcelona in the summer Moyes arrived at Old Trafford. But both Barca and Fabregas were open to offers. Ultimately Fabregas stayed another 12 months before leaving for Chelsea.

Without giving further details, Moyes also says: “I remember when I first met Sir Alex, and he always said there was a chance Ronaldo might come back.

“So that was the level we were targeting. I wasn’t going out to bring in seven, eight players - because we had a squad which had just won the league.

www.ebook3000.com

Moyes returns to Old Trafford for the first time as a rival manager (Getty)

“I wanted to give those players a chance to show what they could do and gradually make changes as I went along, not make wholesale changes.”

Moyes’ tone was reflective rather than angry – “Sometimes you don’t get deals done. Gareth Bale, we were probably behind all along, Real Madrid were well in for it. The Cesc one was disappointing. It was very close. And Toni Kroos came up in January - it was done.”

Did he think his tenure would have been different had one or more of those players been acquired?

“I don’t know. A lot of players come into Manchester United and have not necessarily made the difference.

But I think that, given time and having got to this period, I would have hoped I would be working with a successful team now.”

Asked about regrets, whether he was given a raw deal at Old Trafford and if the overall experience bruised him, Moyes replies: “It did, because of the short time.

“But it was a great experience and one I wouldn’t change. The quality of the players and professionalism, you think you know what it’s like at the very top until you go in there at Manchester United, you see what it’s really like.

“The only regrets would be the timescale. Most people looking back at it, and me myself, would say that whoever took over from Sir Alex wouldn’t have had an easy ride, whether it was Jose [Mourinho], Carlo Ancelotti, Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or David Moyes, it would have been a difficult job for whoever took over.

“I would only say that [raw deal] because I had a long contract.”

Moyes has been back to Old Trafford since his sacking - to attend Wayne Rooney’s testimonial - and he says his wife Pamela received a phone call from Sir Bobby Charlton’s wife Norma inviting her to Monday’s game. Moyes calls that “classy” but his wife will not be going.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Sterling back to his early season form, says Guardiola

Guardiola is confident that Sterling can regain his sparkling early season form (Getty)

TIM RICH When Pep Guardiola arrived in Manchester, one of the most intriguing questions was how he would impact on the club’s few English players.

While John Stones has struggled to demonstrate the obvious talent that earned a £50m move from Everton, Raheem Sterling has made better progress at the Etihad Stadium, although his manager said he still needed more experience.

The Christmas fixtures that began with his scoring the winner in the 2-1 win against Arsenal – the club that first tried to sign him from Liverpool – ends on New Year’s Eve with his return to Anfield.

After the win over Arsenal that ended a period of stuttering results, Sterling said Guardiola had tried to make him more direct. He had also been encouraged to watch videos of world-class players to improve his play. The goal against Arsenal was Sterling’s first since the frantic 3-3 draw with Celtic at Parkhead in September.

“In the last game, he came back to the level he started the season,” said Guardiola. “In the last month and a half he was a little bit down but you forget how young he is. Raheem needs a lot more experience to become more stable.”

In the last month and a half he was a little bit down but you forget how young he is.

His former manager at Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers, said Sterling “drifted” after forcing his way out of Anfield in a £49m deal. Assessing his progress in his first season under Manuel Pellegrini, Rodgers said: “He lost what he was - which was a one-versus-one guy who is dynamic and can take people on.”

“We need this guy for one against one,” said Guardiola. “Of course, he is not our top scorer but he has to feel how beautiful it is to score goals, not just for the team but for him as well. He scored a beautiful goal against Arsenal and in the first month and a half he gave us a lot. He was our key, key player up front.

“Sometimes, I say to him: ‘You need to play wide, wide, wide. You need to stay there and make the action one against one.’ But when he does that it is difficult for him to get into the box. But he did do that in the first match, against Sunderland.

“Then, he played like a winger but he arrived on the penalty spot. The strikers and the wingers have to move how they feel – especially in the last metres.”

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Wenger to keep Arsenal waiting on new deal

Wenger plans to wait until the spring before signing renewed terms (Getty)

DARREN WITCOOP Arsène Wenger will bide his time and keep Arsenal waiting before deciding his future.

Wenger's contract expires at the end of the season but the Premier League's longest-serving manager plans to delay negotiations until a month before the end of the season.

In 2014, when the Frenchman signed his previous three-year deal, he did not put pen to paper until Arsenal had ended a long drought and lifted the FA Cup. Wenger will once again play the waiting game and has revealed that no decision will be made until April.

“I've always said that I will judge where I stand in the spring and make my decision then,” said Wenger.

“And the club is free as well. It's not because I'm here a long time that I have any rights. We are both on the same boat.”

Asked whether the club are happy with his stance, Wenger, 67, said: “Yes. There are plenty of managers who arrived at the end of their contract. It happened to me before. I signed sometimes in March, April for longer contracts. So I don’t think it’s a problem.”

Wenger, who has led the Gunners to nine major trophies, celebrated his 20-year anniversary as the club's manager in September.

Despite back-to-back defeats seeing Arsenal slip off the pace in the Premier League title race, there are no suggestions his current £8million-a-year-agreement could be his last in north London.

“I worked everywhere I was until the last day of my contract with total commitment,” he added. “That’s why maybe I can go back everywhere I was, because people respect that.”

Meanwhile, Wenger has jumped to the defence of Mesut Özil, who came in for heavy criticism after the damaging defeats at Everton and Manchester City, when the playmaker's poor work ethic caused many to question his commitment to the cause when it most matters. Özil was criticised for doing little to prevent Ashley Williams from scoring a late headed winner at Goodison Park, and he followed that up by walking around the middle of the pitch looking disinterested while his side were trailing on their way to the 2-1 reverse at City.

Wenger believes Özil is unfairly criticised due to his playing style (Getty)

Wenger, however, has launched a staunch defence of the club's record signing, insisting Özil receives no www.ebook3000.com

special treatment but that his body language and languid playing style counts against him.

“I don’t give him any leeway when the team doesn’t have possession,” said Wenger. “He has to do his job like everybody else and usually he does it well. His main strength is of course when we have the ball and he suffers more when we don’t have it. At Man City, he suffered more than others because we didn’t have enough of the ball.

“Unfortunately, if you want to have the ball, you have to win it back. He is a guy who works much harder than people think and his body language goes a bit against him sometimes.

“We had a deficit in winning the ball back in the middle of the pitch at Manchester City. When you do not win the ball back immediately, you suffer after because you have to win it back a little bit deeper. That’s certainly what people highlighted in our game.”

The statistics also suggest Özil does not deserve the attention. He sits top of Arsenal's running graphs while he has won possession in the third as often as team-mate Alexis Sanchez. Özil would also not have been helped with ongoing speculation over his future but Wenger said: “We are a team who win the ball back high up the pitch very well, which means he and Alexis do their part of the job very well.

“To be absolutely fair, I did not hear or listen to all of the criticism we got after the game. We have to accept that, we have to live with that.

“People analyse the game and have their opinions, and I think that’s normal. We have to respond. Özil is an important player, a big player, and the big players always respond to criticism on the pitch.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Welbeck returns to training in triple injury boost

Danny Welbeck is back in full training ahead of the Boxing Day clash with West Brom (Getty)

JACK DE MENEZES Arsenal have been handed a triple-injury boost after Arsene Wenger revealed that Danny Welbeck will return to full training on Friday ahead of the festive programme, with Aaron Ramsey also fit to return ahead of the Boxing Day clash with West Bromwich Albion.

To complete the wave of good news, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury sustained in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City last weekend will be “a matter of days rather than weeks”, with Wenger confirming that the England international will not be sidelined for long as the busiest period in the Premier League season approaches. www.ebook3000.com

Arsenal will play four matches in just 13 days from Boxing Day, and the return of Welbeck – who has not played since suffering a second serious knee injury in as many season in May this year – along with Ramsey’s comeback from a three-week lay-off will be music to the ears of Wenger as he attempts to prevent his side suffering a third consecutive defeat.

“Danny joins in for the first time today,” Wenger said of Welbeck. “He will return to training today which is very good news.

“Welbeck will need some time. Today is the first time he joins in with team training so I’m very cautious because you can have setbacks after being out for so long.

Wenger added: “Aaron is in full training. He’s efficient offensively and is a very complete box-to-box player.”

When asked about Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was forced off the field at the Etihad Stadium just 13 minutes after coming on as a substitute, Wenger said: “It’s not very bad. It’s a question of days rather than weeks."

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Klopp: Money-motivated players not welcome

Jurgen Klopp will not sign anyone for Liverpool who puts money before their development (Getty)

TIMOTHY ABRAHAMS Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp claims he is only interested in having players at Anfield who want to further their careers not just swell their bank balances.

Klopp maintains that the club’s players will always be well remunerated even if they cannot compete with the huge sums on offer elsewhere.

The issue of wages has become more pertinent given the growing threat of some of the Premier League’s top stars being lured to the cash-rich Chinese Super League.

Klopp acknowledges he maybe looks at things through “rose tinted glasses” but wants to cultivate a culture www.ebook3000.com

at Liverpool where money is a secondary issue for players compared to the football aspect of their careers.

And the German questioned whether players who are solely motivated by financial reward can ultimately be found lacking in other aspects of their personality on the pitch.

“At the end the players should know they can earn really serious money here, reasonable money here, but we will not go nuts,” Klopp said.

“Because we believe that if someone needs to be convinced by money then at one point when you really need character you will not get it.

“I can say we don’t want to convince players with money, we want to convince them with the way we go.

Klopp does not know if he will have Coutinho back to face City on New Year's Eve (Getty)

“We want to have players who are ready to develop and it’s not a message for the winter transfer window, it's a message for the next few years.

“We want to convince players about the special character of the club.”

With the transfer window set to open in just over a week, Klopp believes that his squad are best served to continue their careers under his tutelage and resist the riches on offer elsewhere.

“I would say at the moment that Liverpool is a really good place to be for a player, to get the best out of your career and all that stuff,” added the German.

“We said a few times ago nobody has to leave Liverpool because of money. I have rose tinted glasses but I would say it is the best place to develop.

“Maybe there are a few clubs in world football who can play better and if you can go there, these few clubs,

yeah then do it. But for all the rest this should be the best place to be.”

Klopp also revealed that Brazil forward Philippe Coutinho’s recovery from an ankle injury is progressing well, although he warned Coutinho not to put pressure on himself to get fit in time for Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City on New Year’s Eve. “More or less he is on track,” Klopp added. “I don't think it will be long-term but the game everyone is dreaming of is City: it was clear from the first second of the injury this would be extremely unlikely but it was the words of Phil so we will try to do it.

“At this moment it is not more likely than before but I don't want to say it is not possible.”

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Conte heads into festive period with an open mind

Antonio Conte is unsure what to expect as he heads into his first winter of Premier League fixtures (Getty)

IAN WINROW Antonio Conte admits he is unsure what to expect as he prepares for his first experience of the demanding Premier League holiday programme.

The Chelsea head coach spent his entire career as a player and then manager in Italy and is well used to enjoying an extended break at this time of year. On this occasion, however, the family holiday will be swapped for a Christmas Day training session at the club’s Cobham training ground ahead of Monday’s meeting with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

Conte is well aware Fabio Capello, the former England manager, was adamant the lack of a winter break

had a detrimental effect on the fortunes of the national team at summer tournaments after a gruelling, nine-month campaign. He insists, though, he has an open mind on the impact of the holiday programme on his players.

“I always had a winter break when I stayed in Italy,” said Conte. “Now I have this situation in England, and I heard a lot of coaches saying you should stop and have a winter break. Above all with the national team.

Capello always said the lack of a winter break penalised the national team. It's very difficult to reply to this question.

This is the first experience for me and my family of playing football at this time of year. It can be, and I hope it will be, a fantastic experience.

“To play in this period, the atmosphere we find in this period is very difficult to find in another period. It's fantastic. It's very difficult for me to say if it's positive or negative to play during the Christmas period. But for me, it's my first experience and I'm very happy to have this experience.”

Conte’s introduction to Christmas football will be eased by the arrival of his family in London from Italy although he admits they too will have to adjust to their new circumstances.

“My wife and my daughter will arrive to prepare to celebrate Christmas at my house with my brothers, with my parents and the family,” he said. “This is the first experience for me and my family of playing football at this time of year. It can be, and I hope it will be, a fantastic experience.

“It's very strange for us. In this period, we're used to going on holiday for a week. Sometimes we went to Lecce, sometimes in Torino, once we went in Dubai. But it's important for me, at Christmas, to stay with my family. You have to celebrate Christmas with the family. It's not important where you stay, but it's important to stay together with your family.”

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Chelsea confirm sale of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG

Oscar has left Chelsea in a £52m deal to join Shanghai SIPG (Getty)

JACK DE MENEZES Chelsea have agreed to sell Oscar to Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG on a permanent deal believed to be worth around £52m, the club have confirmed.

The Brazilian will become the most expensive player in China once he completes his deal, with Shanghai ready to offer him a contract worth a reported £400,000-a-week, overtaking the current highest earner in his new teammate Hulk and his £317,000-a-week.

The deal will also make Oscar the highest-paid player in world football pre-tax, surpassing the £365,000-aweek salary that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are believed to be on. However, their contracts

are thought to include much larger bonuses that take their total wages beyond Oscar’s.

A statement released by the club on Friday morning read: “Chelsea Football Club and Shanghai SIPG have agreed terms for the permanent transfer of Oscar.

“The 25-year-old will join the Chinese Super League team at the beginning of the January transfer window.

He has been a Chelsea player for four-and-a-half years, helping us lift the Premier League, League Cup and Europa League as well as scooping two Chelsea Goal of the Season awards after stunning strikes against Juventus in 2012, on his full debut, and QPR in 2014.”

The statement added: “We thank Oscar for his wonderful service and wish him the very best of luck for the future.”

Oscar becomes the most expensive signing in Chinese football, and his departure also exceeds the £50m fee that Chelsea received for the sale of David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Premier League club signed the Brazilian back in 2012 when then-manager Roberto Di Matteo signed him from Internacional back in his homeland. The attacking midfielder went on to help Chelsea win the Europa League that season playing the full 90 minutes in the final as the Blues defeated Benfica in Amsterdam.

The return of Jose Mourinho saw Oscar handed a key role in the Portuguese’s attack as he took up the No 10 position behind the striker, and he had a major hand in securing the double for Chelsea in 2014/15 as Mourinho’s side won both the Premier League and League Cup. But with Mourinho’s exit in December 2015 and the arrival of Antonio Conte the following summer came a demotion for Oscar as he was replaced in the Chelsea line-up, with Conte switching to a 3-4-3 formation that had no space for the Brazilian. Oscar had not started a Premier League match in more than three months, with his last start coming in the 2-1 home defeat by Liverpool, and he had fallen behind Eden Hazard, Pedro, Willian and Cesc Fabregas in the pecking order under Conte that ultimately led to his soon-to-be confirmed departure in January.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Premier League

Pochettino confident his players will resist China

Pochettino sold midfielder Paulinho to Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015 (Getty)

TOM ALLNUTT Mauricio Pochettino does not believe any of his Tottenham players would move to China as they value quality of competition over money.

Chelsea midfielder Oscar is set to join Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG in January for ÂŁ52million, with the Brazilian reportedly about to earn ÂŁ400,000 a week.

Oscar will be the latest talent to seal a big-money transfer to China after the likes of Hulk, Jackson Martinez, Ramires, and Alex Teixeira also made the switch.

Tottenham sold Brazilian midfielder Paulinho to Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015 but Pochettino insists his

current crop would not be tempted by the mouthwatering financial muscle of Chinese clubs.

“I don't believe it's a danger for us,” Pochettino said. “My players like to play football and like to compete with the best in the world and the Premier League is a place to be competitive.

“It would be strange for me if one of my players decided to move in that direction but it is different circumstances and I respect all opinions.”

Spurs tried to sign Oscar in 2012 before Chelsea gazumped their bid and Pochettino questioned the 25year-old's motivation in moving to China.

“I can accept all the decisions but it's sometimes difficult to understand this type of decision,” Pochettino said. “Football for me is not only money, it's to be competitive and for me the Premier League is the most important league in the world.

“It's not only money, for me it's a passion. I need to feel the competition. When you're in the Premier League, you're competing with the best and that means a lot more than money.”

Michel Vorm has signed a new deal that runs until 2018 with Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham (Getty)

Goalkeeper Michel Vorm joined a long line of Tottenham players in committing his future to the club on Friday. Vorm signed a new contract to keep him at White Hart Lane until 2018.

The Holland international joined from Swansea in July 2014 and has made 26 appearances for Spurs, where he has been understudy to France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

“We are delighted to announce that Michel Vorm has signed a new contract with the club which will run until 2018,” said a statement on the official Tottenham website. www.ebook3000.com

“The Dutch international goalkeeper has proved to be a reliable figure whenever called upon, notably playing a number of games during our run to the League Cup final in 2014-15 and putting in a man-of-thematch performance in our Premier League clash with Liverpool earlier this season.”

Tottenham travel to Southampton on Wednesday, hoping to continue a recent resurgence that has included four wins out of their last five in all competitions.

Pochettino will also be boosted by the return of key players for the clash. Mousa Dembele and Vincent Janssen are expected to recover from foot and ankle problems respectively while Toby Alderweireld has shaken off a minor back injury.

“Dembele is OK, he is training, very good,” Pochettino said. “Only Lamela is out. Janssen will be good.

Toby is OK - I think it's only Lamela unavailable for Southampton.”

PA

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport/ Rugby Union

Saints bounce back in style after turbulent week Northampton Saints Sale Sharks

24 5

Tom Wood scored a try for Northampton Saints and starred in defence (Getty)

SPORTS STAFF FRANKLIN'S GARDENS

Northampton claimed a morale-boosting 24-5 win over Sale after a much-improved performance which moved them to sixth place in the Aviva Premiership standings.

After four disappointing defeats, Saints returned to winning ways to maintain their impressive home record over Sale, inflicting a ninth successive defeat on the visitors at Franklin's Gardens. www.ebook3000.com

Ben Foden, Tom Wood and Luther Burrell scored Northampton's tries with Stephen Myler converting all three and adding a penalty.

Denny Solomona scored a late consolation try for Sale, his first for the club since his controversial switch from rugby league.

George North was not included in the Northampton squad after recovering from the head injury he suffered in the game against Leicester on December 3. In light of the furore surrounding that incident, Saints opted not to select him and continued to monitor his condition.

Nic Groom saw a try chalked off for Saints (Getty)

North's place on the left wing was taken by debutant Juan Pablo Estelles, with prop Alex Waller making his 200th appearance for the club as Northampton made a dream start.

After dominating the opening exchanges they took a fourth minute lead when Foden finished off a flowing movement to score a try which Myler converted.

Three minutes later and Saints nearly were over again after Louis Picamoles stole possession to feed Ken Pisi. The wing raced 30 metres but was then hauled down narrowly short of the try-line as he attempted an off-load.

Nic Groom picked up the loose ball and crashed over but on review, the TMO ruled that Pisi's pass had gone forward.

The first quarter was all Northampton as Sale looked short of confidence. They made too many elementary errors enabling Saints to play with a freedom that they have rarely displayed this season.

Luther Burrell completed the scoring for Saints (Getty)

The hosts' dominance was rewarded when from a line-out 30 metres out, skipper Wood was able to race away for the second try with Myler's conversion giving his side a 14-0 after 32 minutes.

Prospects looked bleak for Sale but they showed some spirit with their recent recruits from rugby league, wings Josh Charnley and Solomona both receiving their first passes of the game as they put the home defence under pressure.

Myler temporarily left the field to have a cut patched up and he was replaced by Premiership debutant Nafi Tuitavake before Sale suffered a further blow when Mike Phillips was sin-binned for a neck roll on Waller.

After the interval, Myler returned with Josh Beaumont coming on for Sale in place of Bryn Evans as the visitors surprisingly continued to dominate despite having only 14 men.

Phillips returned with no addition to the scoreboard but soon afterwards, Myler was off-target with a penalty attempt before Groom had another try ruled by the TMO as the scrum half lost possession as he dived for the line.

A Myler penalty extended the lead to 17-0 at the end of the third quarter before Solomona scored his first try for the club to give Sale some consolation.

Northampton had the final say when with the last movement of the match, Burrell brushed aside a couple of tackles to score his side's third.

PA

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Rugby Union

Your guide to the Aviva Premiership weekend

Will Skelton makes his first start for Saracens after making his debut last week (Getty)

JACK DE MENEZES

Saracens vs Newcastle Falcons, Saturday 24 December, 1.30pm England forward Maro Itoje moves to blindside flanker to accommodate the giant Australia international Will Skelton as the Wallaby makes his first start in the Saracens second-row against Newcastle, having made an impressive debut as a replacement in the Champions Cup victory over Sale Sharks last weekend.

Head coach Mark McCall makes a number of changes, with Vincent Kock coming into the front-row, while captain Brad Barritt misses out with an ankle injury. Owen Farrell deputises as skipper in his place, with Nick Tompkins starting outside him in the 12 shirt, while Alex Goode is another notable omission

with a slight knock. Sean Maitland moves to full-back as cover, with Nathan Earle starting his first Aviva Premiership match on the wing.

Newcastle also ring the changes, with Rob Vickers and Scott Lawson starting in the front-row, Evan Olmstead at lock and former Scotland international Aly Hogg starting at No 8. Fred Burdon starts at outside centre, Alex Tait comes in at full-back and both wings are changed as Vereniki Goneva and Marcus Watson get the nod.

Wasps vs Bath, Saturday 24 December, 2.00pm Joe Launchbury caps his 100th appearance for Wasps by captaining them against Bath in front of what is expected to be over 25,000 fans at the Ricoh Arena. Marty Moore starts at prop in the absence of Jake Cooper-Woolley, who misses out through the return-to-play protocols regarding concussion.

Kurtley Beale is handed his Premiership debut at full-back after starring in Wasps Champions Cup doubleheader with Connacht, while Elliot Daly lines up at 13 outside Jimmy Gopperth as the England international returns from the three-week ban he picked up during the autumn internationals. Danny Cipriani returns to the side after recovering from a calf injury to partner Joe Simpson at half-back, with Kyle Eastmond also returning from injury to take a place among the replacements.

Bath meanwhile are able to call on England international Semesa Rokoduguni, Nathan Catt and co-captain Matt Garvey as the trio return after sitting out the win over Cardiff Blues last week. Ben Tapuai is partnered in the centres with Jonathan Joseph for the first time, but Matt Banahan, Dan Bowden, Rhys Priestland, David Denton, Henry Thomas and Anthony Watson all remain unavailable.

Danny Cipriani returns from injury for Wasps (Getty)

www.ebook3000.com

Exeter Chiefs vs Leicester Tigers, Saturday 24 December, 3.00pm Rob Baxter recalls a number of first-team members after rotating for last weekend’s European victory over Bordeaux, with Ben Moon, Jack Yeandle and Tomas Francis all in the front-row, England’s Luke CowanDickie only making the replacements’ bench. Jonny Hill is handed a start at lock, while Gareth Steenson captains the side from fly-half to force Henry Slade along the line to outside centre with Ollie Devoto between the pair.

Leicester Tigers head into the match with questions still lingering over director of rugby Richard Cockerill’s future, although last weekend’s victory over Munster silenced the rumours of discontent for at least another week. Mike Williams makes his first start in two months at blindside flanker after recovering from an arm injury, while Dan Cole returns his exploits with England in the autumn internationals by taking up a place on the replacements’ bench.

George McGuigan starts at hooker in the absence of club captain Tom Youngs, so Ed Slater takes on the armband alongside Mike Fitzgerald in the second-row. Sam Harrison continues at 9 with Ben Youngs also a notable absentee, while Freddie Burns returns at stand-off after missing the win over Munster through injury, with Manu Tuilagi continuing his latest comeback from injury at inside centre.

Gareth Steenson comes back into the side to lead the Chiefs (Getty)

Bristol Rugby vs Worcester Warriors, Monday 26 December, 3.00pm Basement side Bristol can close the gap on 11th-placed Worcester when the two meet at Aston Gate on Boxing Day, with the home side able to call on Tusi Pisi for the first time in more than two months after recovering from a groin injury to start at fly-half.

Dan Tuohy will make his competitive debut for Bristol at lock, with Olly Robinson leading the side from

the openside in No 8 Jordan Crane’s absence. The other change sees Nick Fenton-Wells start in place of Jonathan Fisher, who is ruled out with a head injury.

Worcester can take a giant stride towards survival with a victory on Monday afternoon, and head coach Carl Hogg recalls England centre Ben Te’o for the encounter after featuring in the autumn internationals.

Christian Scotland-Williamson is handed his first start at lock, while Michael Dowsett starts at 9 and Dean Hammond comes in on the right wing.

Tusi Pisi makes his first start in over two months for Bristol (Getty)

Harlequins vs Gloucester, Tuesday 27 December, 4.00pm The big match at Twickenham sees Harlequins cross the road from The Stoop to take on Gloucester, with Chris Robshaw coming into the side after England duty in the only change to the starting XV that beat Timisoara Saracens last weekend.

Joe Marler makes his 100th Premiership appearance alongside fellow England prop Kyle Sinckler, while Danny Care, Marland Yarde and Mike Brown all start in what will be close to a sell-out crowd.

www.ebook3000.com

Chris Robshaw makes his first start after international duty with England (Getty)

Gloucester make five times as many changes as Quins, with former England centre Billy Twelvetrees back and Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw among the returning quintet. Laidlaw leads the side from scrum-half, with Paddy McAllister coming into the front-row, Mariano Galarza joining Tom Savage in the second-row and Ross Moriarty back at blindside flanker.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Tennis

I can add to record Grand Slam haul, says Federer

Roger Federer returns to tennis after five months out with a knee injury (Getty)

PAUL NEWMAN IN PERTH, AUSTRALIA

Roger Federer has not won a Grand Slam title since 2012 and has not struck a ball in anger since Wimbledon but as the 35-year-old Swiss prepares to make his comeback here at the Hopman Cup in the first week of the new year he is confident he can still challenge for the biggest prizes.

Federer, who returned to full training last month after a knee injury put paid to the second half of his 2016 season, said that his mindset was “always very positive” and that he was doing “everything that I possibly can” to return to the very top. www.ebook3000.com

“I feel very positive about my chances of achieving another Grand Slam and winning those big matches when it matters,” the former world No 1 said. “You put in everything that you can physically to be in tiptop shape when that Grand Slam final or semi comes around.”

Federer suffered his knee injury at Wimbledon and brought his season to a premature end when the problem flared up again when he started training in preparation for the US Open. Having had on operation to repair a torn meniscus in the same knee in February – the first time in his career that he had suffered an injury requiring surgery – he was relieved to be told that he would not have to go under the surgeon’s knife again.

Federer was forced to take time out after injuring his knee at Wimbledon (Getty)

“The goal was to be fully fit by the end of November or the beginning of December,” Federer said. “That was always the goal when I sat down after Wimbledon with my team.

“We knew it was going to take a while because we needed to give the knee sufficient rest and just take our time. Of course at one point you start building up more, you work harder, more days in a row, more hours during the day.

“I went on vacation at the beginning of November for almost two weeks. The first two weeks when I came back were really important for me to see how much load I could put on the leg. I wasn’t at 100 per cent, because you always need a bit more time and a bit more reassurance, but things went very well. I didn’t have any setbacks.”

He added: “The good thing about this lay-off is that I didn't have to have surgery after Wimbledon. For me it was crucial that I didn't have to have two surgeries in the same year. I just needed to rest.”

Federer has been training for the last month in Dubai. He brought in two American hitting partners,

Ernesto Escobedo and Mackenzie McDonald, who are both ranked in the world’s top 350, and has been playing sets against France’s Lucas Pouille, Croatia’s Borna Coric and Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur.

“We did a lot of two-on-ones for the first couple of weeks and then we did more exercises, more one-onones and then more sets and points as we went on,” Federer said. “I played very well. At the beginning I was struggling to find the range on every serve, but that’s coming along now as well.

“I do believe that it could be very beneficial for the future of my tennis career to have had this six-month lay-off, to resume refreshed. I feel like mentally maybe I needed this rest more than I thought I would.

Maybe my body also needed a rest more than I thought it would.

“It didn’t feel too gruelling and too long and too hard to go through this process. In some instances I actually enjoyed it. Towards the end of the season I started to miss tennis again, which was a good feeling for me to have. That made me even more excited to come back next season.”

While Federer was away, Andy Murray became world No 1, replacing Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings. Djokovic had a superb first half of the year, winning the Australian and French Opens, but as the Serb faded badly in the second half of the season Murray enjoyed a wonderful run. Between June and the end of the campaign the Scot won eight titles, including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The Swiss believes the rest may do his career some good (Getty)

“I’m not surprised that Andy is No 1 in the world because he has won so many titles, so many Grand Slams,” Federer said. “I always expected him to be world No 1 at some point, though I was surprised that he finished world No 1 this year especially after Novak’s start. Andy deserves even more credit for not just becoming world No 1 but also finishing the year as world No 1. Those are two separate things. I really www.ebook3000.com

respect Andy in a big way for the way he did it.”

Federer said he expected Djokovic to regain the world No 1 ranking “at some point in his career” but thought that would be difficult in the first part of 2017 given the large number of ranking points he has to defend.

“I think Andy will probably hang on to the world No 1 ranking for a while, but we will have to see if he stays injury-free,” Federer said. “That plays a lot into it as well. But I guess it will be a bit of a neck-andneck race for the next six months or a year. If anybody wants to break [their domination] they will have to win two Slams, so I think it’s pretty much going to be on Andy’s and Novak’s rackets at the moment.”

Federer said that one of the major reasons he had not won a Grand Slam title since 2012 had been Djokovic’s remarkable form. “It was hard for anyone to break through him,” Federer said. “So it’s up to us to reinvent ourselves and look at how you can beat Novak. Andy has shown that a little bit and has maybe triggered belief for more of the players that there is a bigger chance to win Slams. For me personally I still believe in it, but time will tell whether it is going to be possible or not.”

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Tennis

Movement in Kvitova’s fingers ‘the greatest Christmas present’

Petra Kvitova has left hospital after having a four-hour operation on her injured left arm (Reuters)

ELEANOR CROOKS Petra Kvitova described being able to move the fingers on her left hand again as "the greatest Christmas present I could have wished for".

The 26-year-old was speaking publicly for the first time since being attacked by an intruder at her apartment in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. www.ebook3000.com

Kvitova suffered potentially career-threatening injuries to her dominant hand, which was covered in a substantial bandage as she addressed the media in Prague following her release from hospital.

The two-time Wimbledon champion looked remarkably relaxed, smiling and laughing as she first read out a statement in Czech.

Kvitova's left arm was heavily bandaged after surgery (AP)

Switching to English, she said: "I'm happy to tell you I'm feeling well. The medical staff, the police, my family and my team have all provided me with amazing support in this difficult situation.

"I want to thank each and every one of them for the important part they have played in the past four days.

"I have been overwhelmed by the flood of messages and love I have received from the tennis family, fans and the public - thank you."

Kvitova revealed the encouraging sign that movement had returned to her fingers came at a session with her doctor on Thursday morning.

Kvitova says she will not dwell on the attack as she doesn't see herself as a victim (Reuters)

The world number 11 needed surgery lasting nearly four hours after tendons in all four of her fingers and her thumb were damaged as well as two nerves.

The intruder gained access to her apartment in Prostejov by posing as a utilities man before pulling out a knife and putting it to Kvitova's throat. The injuries occurred as she pulled the knife away.

The popular Czech has been told she will not be able to hold a racket for three months, with a return to the court estimated in six months.

Kvitova sent a defiant message, saying: "While what happened to me was very scary, I do not see myself as a victim, I do not feel sorry for myself and I will not look backwards.

www.ebook3000.com

Police released this identikit image of Kvitova's attacker (AP)

"I will use all my energy to focus on my recovery and I will do everything I can to return to the sport I love as soon as possible.

"I am now looking forward to spending time with my family and I ask for privacy and peace as I start my journey towards a return to the tennis court."

An identikit photo of Kvitova's attacker was released by the police on Thursday. The man remains at large.

PA

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Boxing

Eubank: Blackwell boxing again ‘absolute madness’

Nick Blackwell's eye injury during his fight with Chris Eubank Jnr (Rex)

DECLAN WARRINGTON Chris Eubank Jr has described Nick Blackwell's decision to risk sparring having had his career ended by a life-threatening head injury after their fight in March as “absolute madness”.

The 26-year-old Blackwell remains in hospital after requiring an emergency procedure to reduce brain swelling following an unsanctioned sparring session that took place last month. He awoke from a coma on Thursday night after having part of his skull removed in order to ease the pressure being applied to his brain.

He was forced to retire when being fortunate to recover from a bleed to the skull, discovered after he

collapsed at the conclusion of March's stoppage defeat.

Eubank Jr was discouraged from visiting Blackwell in hospital, when the fighter's family were unhappy at the Eubanks for discussing the fight in a press conference while he remained in a coma.

The fallout between the two continued with Eubank Snr claiming he told his son to target Blackwell's body to protect him, and the latter describing their actions while he remained in a coma as “inhuman”.

Hasan Karkardi and Liam Wilkins, the fighter and trainer involved in the sparring session that injured Blackwell again, have since been suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control.

But Eubank Jr said of the episode: “It's just madness, absolute madness. I understand how strong a love can be for the sport because I have that love inside me. But there is a difference between loving your sport and being able to spend time with your family and enjoy life.

“That is what he risked when he had that sparring session. I can't understand that. He's done it, and it's a shame but hopefully he pulls through again and everything is fine and he can learn from his mistake.”

Eubank Jr for the first time steps up to super-middleweight to challenge IBO champion Renold Quinlan of Australia on February 4 when ITV launches its pay-per-view platform.

Blackwell retired after suffering serious head injuries (ITV/Good Morning Britain)

He has returned to the UK to prepare for his fight after a three-month sojourn in Dubai in which he spent time recovering from an elbow injury, but this time has no plans to visit Blackwell.

“The last time I tried to be there and I wanted to see him but everyone around him blocked it,” he said.

“Then he came out of the coma and said the things he said about me and my father so I've kind of got the message now: to just leave it. But I'd love to see him again and shake his hand.”

A friend of Blackwell's, Chantelle Pong, revealed that Blackwell had woken from his coma when they www.ebook3000.com

arrived to visit him at hospital on Thursday. She wrote on Facebook: "A few days ago we had the Christmas miracle we've been wanting so badly to happen.

"We walked into the hospital expecting to see Nick staring blankly at us but instead he was watching telly and really trying to get words out to talk to people now that his breathing ventilator has been taken out completely!

"He looks just like himself again and is very smiley.

"We knew he could hear us talking to him when he was asleep and this is the one thing we kept saying 'just wake up before Christmas'.

"He's still got a very long way to go to recover to his full potential but we know he will do it."

PA

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Sport / Winter sports

Biathlon competition moved from Russia

Great Britain were set to boycott the Biathlon World Cup in Tyumen after McClaren's report (Getty)

SPORTS STAFF International biathlon and skating competitions due to take place in Russia next year have been moved from the country in the wake of the McLaren Report.

The International Biathlon Union said Russia had pulled out of hosting the Youth and Junior World Championships and a World Cup event, while the International Skating Union said the country had been stripped of a World Cup speed skating competition after professor Richard McLaren uncovered the extent of their state-sponsored doping programme.

Great Britain were set to boycott the Biathlon World Cup in Tyumen in March after McClaren's report www.ebook3000.com

claimed more than 1,000 Russians benefited from the doping programme between 2011 and 2015.

The IBU held an executive board meeting on Thursday in light, it said, of the “alarming findings” of the report and added in a statement that the Russian Biathlon Union had relinquished the World Cup meeting and the Youth and Junior World Championships, which had been due to take place in Ostrov.

“The relocation of both...events will be decided upon later,” the IBU said.

IBU president Anders Besseberg said: “This is a first important step by the Russian Biathlon Union to show to the IBU and to the world of sport that the current situation is taken very seriously. This will now allow the international biathlon family to focus on biathlon during these events.”

The IBU also said that it had provisionally suspended two Russian athletes, against whom the International Olympic Committee had started doping cases from samples provided at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The governing body did not name the athletes.

The ISU meanwhile have decided to move March's World Cup Speed Skating event from Chelyabinsk. A new location has yet to be confirmed.

“The ISU council considered that following the publication of the second part of the McLaren report, including a substantial amount of critical evidence and the uncertainty relating to the attendance of the athletes, the focus of the event would not be on the sport but rather accusations and controversies,” it said in a statement.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

ROUND 1

Catherine Tate made a guest appearance in which long running show this year? (Getty )

SIMON O’HAGAN 1. Who ended a six-month trip in the company of an American called Tim Kopra and a Russian called Yuri Malenchenko?

2. Andy Murray’s first two Grand Slam wins came over Novak Djokovic. Who did he beat to win his third?

3.Which Hollywood star made a video that ended with the words, “Declare everything when you enter Australia”?

4. Who was Jeremy Corbyn’s challenger in the Labour leadership election?

5. Where did Andrea Bocelli perform Nessun Dorma in front of 32,140 people on the 7 May? 6. Which TV legend turned 90 – some 60 years after he was told his teeth were too big to appear on www.ebook3000.com

screen?

7. Eileen Atkins, Nigel Havers and Catherine Tate all made one-off appearances as members of which cast?

8. Who asked a Select Committee member, “Do you mind not looking at me like that all the time, it's really disturbing”?

9. Who took two weeks to say, “I was left speechless”?

10. Who was revealed to be Anita Raja (supposedly)?

11. Which artist was behind the “ghost” soldiers who appeared around the country on the centenary of the Battle of the Somme?

12. Sam Allardyce’s only match in charge of England was a 1-0 win over who?

13. How did Kumbuka make news (for a couple of hours anyway)?

14. An inquiry found that whose death was “probably” approved by Vladimir Putin?

15. The High Court gave permission for a death certificate to be issued 42 years after whose disappearance?

16. Paul Beatty became the first American to win what?

17. Which Oscar-winner made a climate change plea in his acceptance speech after the film he starred in had to relocate in search of snow?

18. Foregone Conclusion – stars of a 2016 movie – is whose band?

19. Who got in trouble for claiming that he had been held up at gunpoint in Rio? 20. What set an Apple record as the app with the most downloads in the first week?

Answers:

1 Astronaut Tim Peake; 2 Milos Raonic; 3 Johnny Depp; 4 Owen Smith; 5 At the King Power Stadium Leicester as part of Leicester City’s Premier League title-winning celebrations; 6 David Attenborough; 7 The Archers, during the trial of Helen Titchener; 8 Philip Green; 9 Bob Dylan, on being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature; 10 Author Elena Ferrante; 11 Jeremy Deller; 12 Slovakia; 13 He is the gorilla who escaped from his enclosure at London Zoo; 14 Alexander Litvinenko; 15 Lord Lucan; 16 The Booker Prize; 17 Leonardo DiCaprio (the film was ‘The Revenant’); 18 David Brent; 19 US swimmer Ryan Lochte; 20 Pokemon Go

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

ROUND 2

The BBC’s Western House was renamed this year – but to what? (Flickr/RDVRS)

SIMON O'HAGAN 21. Whose death was followed by a government declaration of a year-long period of official mourning?

22. Who played Thomas Newton in a celebrated 1976 movie?

23. Who was the subject of a life-size bronze statue outside his favourite Los Angeles bar?

24. And who is to be honoured with a statue in Library Gardens, Bury?

25. Who was said to be missed truly, madly deeply?

26. And who prompted numerous headlines that read, “And it’s goodnight from him”?

27. Who had a BBC radio building named after him? www.ebook3000.com

28. Whose career path was destined after he was enraged by having his bike stolen at the age of 12?

29. Who was a celebrated musician who did not release his first album until he was 33?

30. And who was a celebrated musician who released 39 studio albums, four live albums and five compilation albums?

Answers: 21 Thailand’s King King Bhumibol Adulyadej; 22 David Bowie; 23 Lemmy of MotÜrhead; 24 Victoria Wood; 25 Alan Rickman; 26 Ronnie Corbett; 27 Terry Wogan; 28 Muhammad Ali; 29 Leonard Cohen; 30 Prince.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

ROUND 3

Which piano sonata by Beethoven has the same name as a symphony by Tchaikovsky?

SIMON O'HAGAN 31. If “NIMBY” means “Not in My Back Yard” then what is the more extreme sentiment denoted by “BANANA”?

32. Milton Keynes has 124 roundabouts but which town claims to be the site of the first one in Britain?

33. Which restaurant chain – with more 1,000 outlets worldwide – began life in a Johannesburg suburb in 1987?

34. The Battle of the Coral Sea took place in which war?

35. Which wine grape variety is said to have been named after a Hungarian peasant who first spread it in www.ebook3000.com

France? It’s now more commonly associated with Argentina.

36. The Blue Mosque is a major tourist attraction in which city?

37. A piano sonata by Beethoven and a symphony by Tchaikovsky, both with the same name. Which name?

38. About 50 were manufactured between 1885 and 1917. Two more were planned for 1918 but were not delivered because of the Russian Revolution. What?

39. The Wipers Times or Salient News was a publication that appeared for three years during which period in history?

40. Members of the Religious Society of Friends are better known as what?

Answers:

31 Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything; 32 Letchworth; 33 Nando’s; 34 The Second World War; 35 Malbec; 36 Istanbul; 37 Pathétique; 38 Fabergé eggs; 39 The First World War; 40 Quakers

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

ROUND 4

Baroness Hale is the only female member of which 11-strong body? (Getty)

SIMON O'HAGAN 40. Which Paris suburb – site of the Stade de France – is also the name of the capital of the Indian Ocean island of Réunion?

41. Gangnam – as in “Gangnam Style” – is a suburb of which city?

42. Who was the first poet to be interred in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey?

43. Baroness Hale is the only female member of which 11-strong body?

44. The Brockmans are the family whose trials are tribulations feature in which sitcom?

45. Which team’s 14-match winning streak began with a victory over Uruguay at the City of Manchester stadium in October 2015? www.ebook3000.com

46. Which country’s army includes a “rocket force” – in charge of its ballistic missiles, both nuclear and conventional?

47. The Indian city of Chennai was until 1996 known as what?

48. The Salts Mill art gallery in Bradford is noted for its large collection of which artist's work?

49. At 20,310 feet, which is the highest mountain in North America?

50. As of 2015 Priscilla Chan had – along with her husband – pledged $1.6bn to charitable causes. Who is her husband?

Answers: 41 Saint-Denis; 42 Seoul; 43 The Supreme Court; 44 Outnumbered; 45 The England rugby union team; 46 China; 47 Madras; 48 David Hockney; 49 Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley) in Alaska; 50 Mark Zuckerberg.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

ROUND 5

Fans of Doctor Who are known as what? (Getty)

SIMON O'HAGAN 51. The Gold Coast in Australia in 2018, Durban in South Africa in 2022. What?

52. Fans of Doctor Who are known as what?

53. In 1987 who became the first black woman to have a seat in the House of Commons?

54. The Moon Under Water – according to the title of an essay he published in 1946 – is whose idea of the ideal pub?

55. The regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines that closed in 2014 was called what?

56. Which two post-Second World War UK prime ministers were born in the same year?

57. Which rock legend – born 1940, died 1993 – said that “writing about music is like dancing about www.ebook3000.com

architecture�?

58. Founded in San Francisco in 2009, recently valued at $51bn, it has been banned in Berlin, and been the subject of protests in London, Paris and Madrid. What is it?

59. Mesopotamia mostly equates to which modern-day country?

60. Since 2001 Roger Tilling has been the voice of which TV show?

Answers:

51 Venues of the next two Commonwealth Games; 52 Whovians; 53 Diane Abbot; 54 George Orwell; 55 The Press Complaints Commission; 56 Harold Wilson and Edward Heath (both 1916); 57 Frank Zappa; 58 Uber; 59 Iraq; 60 University Challenge.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

ROUND 6 SIMON O'HAGAN Identify these 15 people – one royal, two actors, one Olympian, four writers, three actor/singers, one social reformer, one musician, one broadcaster, and one rugby referee (and there is a link): 1.

www.ebook3000.com

2.

3.

www.ebook3000.com

4.

5.

www.ebook3000.com

6.

7.

www.ebook3000.com

8.

9.

www.ebook3000.com

10.

11.

www.ebook3000.com

12.

13.

www.ebook3000.com

14.

15.

www.ebook3000.com

Answers:

1 Anne Boleyn; 2 Bryan Cranston; 3 Charlotte Dujardin; 4 David Essex; 5 Elizabeth Fry; 6 Frank Gardner; 7 Geri Halliwell; 8 Henry Irving; 9 Jack Kerouac; 10 Liza Minnelli; 11 Virginia Woolf; 12 Nigel Owens; 13 Oscar Peterson; 14 Roger Scruton; 15 Sue Townsend

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

FACE SCRAMBLE: UK EDITION

www.ebook3000.com

Can you guess who? (Getty)

Here are some clues: 1. Newham-born actor who gained critical acclaim for his role in Beasts of No Nation 2. Received an Emmy nomination for his leading role in The Night Manager 3. Model turned actress has Suicide Squad among her credits 4. Former One Direction singer , launched his solo career this year with “Mind of Mine” 5. Former footballer who played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain 6. Burnley-born actor most famous for his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies 7. Published The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pen name “Robert Galbraith” 8. The current Mayor of London 9. Shot to fame in 2008 with her debut album “19” Answers

1 Idris Elba; 2 Tom Hiddleston; 3 Cara Delevigne; 4 Zayn Malik; 5 David Beckham; 6 Ian Mckellen; 7 JK Rowling; 8 Sadiq Khan; 9 Adele

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

NAME THE OLYMPIAN

Answers: www.ebook3000.com

A Bradley Wiggins B Max Whitlock C Nicola Adams D Andy Murray E Laura Trott and Jason Kenny F Mo Farah

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

HOW COOL ARE YOU? ROUND 1

What was Amelia Earhart doing when she disappeared in 1937? (Smithsonian)

THOMAS W HODGKINSON 1. What was the remark the dandy Beau Brummell made that offended the Prince of Wales?

2. What did the actress Sarah Bernhardt reply when Oscar Wilde asked her if she minded if he smoked?

3. What was the name of Sarah Bernhardt’s pet alligator?

4. In which part of his body did the poet Paul Verlaine shoot his lover Arthur Rimbaud?

5. Coco Chanel: “I may be French but my … is international.” Fill in the blank.

6. “I am the toast of two continents,” Dorothy Parker once declared. Which two continents did she then www.ebook3000.com

name?

7. Dorothy Parker: “How like me to put all my eggs in one …” Fill in the blank.

8. What was Amelia Earhart doing when she disappeared in 1937?

9. Who is said to have been the first actor to utter the line, “Anyone for tennis?”

10. What was the ageing Marlene Dietrich’s response when a paparazzo tried to photograph her in her bedroom?

11. Of whom did the critic Kenneth Tynan remark that, what he saw in other women when drunk, he saw in her when he was sober?

12. Name the dance that made Josephine Baker famous throughout Europe.

13. The best known photograph of Lee Miller shows her nude in whose bathtub?

14. From whom was Robert Johnson said to have learnt this skill at playing the guitar?

15. What was the name given to the type of painting that Jackson Pollock made famous?

Taken from “How to Sound Cool” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

HOW COOL ARE YOU? ROUND 2

At her death, how much money was found strapped to Billie Holiday’s leg? (Getty)

THOMAS W HODGKINSON 16 What position did the philosopher and novelist Albert Camus play in his university football team?

17 Which part of his body did the author William Burroughs cut off after being rejected in love?

18 What “act” did William Burroughs say he was performing when he shot his wife dead?

19 To what does the title refer in the Billie Holiday song, “Strange Fruit”?

20 At her death, how much money was found strapped to Billie Holiday’s leg?

21 What had been the day job of drugs guru Timothy Leary? www.ebook3000.com

22 Complete Timothy Leary’s message to American youth: “Tune in, turn on, … …”

23 Miles Davis: “You can tell the history of jazz in four words. …. …. …. ….” Fill in the blanks.

24 In his influential essay about cool, “The White Negro”, Norman Mailer refers to living in the present as the search for what?

25 With what implement did Norman Mailer stab his second wife?

26 How heavy was Marlon Brando in his later years?

27 What was Paul Newman’s response when asked if he was ever tempted to be unfaithful to his wife?

28 What was Richard Burton’s response when Laurence Olivier asked him if he wanted to be a great actor or a household word?

29 After Burton died, a copy of whose collected works was buried with him?

30 When John Lennon met the poet Allen Ginsberg at a party, the latter had a sign hung on his penis.

What did the sign say?

Taken from “How to Sound Cool” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

HOW COOL ARE YOU? ROUND 3

Which popular novel reportedly inspired the killer of John Lennon? (Getty)

THOMAS W. HODGKINSON 31 What four-letter word is the title of Allen Ginsberg’s most famous poem?

32 What killed the French cultural theorist Michel Foucault?

33 Which part of Che Guevara’s body was cut off after his death, and why?

34 What was the name of Andy Warhol’s video that showed one of his friends sleeping?

35 The author Maya Angelou once declared that her motivation for writing was the same as Balzac’s.

Namely? www.ebook3000.com

36 Complete the the quote by French director Jean Luc Godard: “A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end. … … … … … …”

37 Name the make of car in which the actor James Dean met his death aged 24.

38 Name Elvis Presley’s favourite sandwich filling.

39 “I went to a Chinese-German restaurant. The food’s great but an hour later you’re …. … ….” Complete this Dick Cavett gag.

40 What did the author Hunter S Thompson steal from Ernest Hemingway’s log cabin in Idaho?

41 What five-letter word described the style of free-wheeling, intensely personal journalism popularised by Hunter S Thompson?

42 The photographer David Bailey’s father had a scar on his face. Who is said to have given it to him?

43 Who, in a controversial interview, did John Lennon claim the Beatles were bigger than?

44 Which popular novel reportedly inspired the killer of John Lennon?

45 What is Bob Dylan’s birth name?

Taken from “How to Sound Cool” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

HOW COOL ARE YOU? ROUND 4

What was Biggie Smalls birth name? (Rex)

THOMAS W HODGKINSON 46 The release of the Sex Pistols song “God Save the Queen” was timed to coincide with what public event?

47 What did Muhammad Ali, in one of his boastful riffs, claim to have done to lightning?

48 The Velvet Underground song “Venus in Furs” borrows its title from a novel by which Austrian novelist?

49 What did Lou Reed once describe as the definition of misery? www.ebook3000.com

50 At high school, Janis Joplin was voted what by her contemporaries?

51 Keith Richards has said the song “Gimme Shelter” was inspired by his concerns that Mick Jagger might be sleeping with whom?

52 What, in one of her songs, does Patti Smith say Jimi Hendrix, Jesus Christ and Jackson Pollock have in common?

53 The David Bowie song “Space Oddity” was released in the same week as what great event?

54 Where did Richard Branson go to school?

55 Why is breakdancing called breakdancing?

56 “Here’s to the …. ….” Complete this first line of an advertisement for Apple computers.

57 Which TV personality did Bjork once claim was her greatest musical influence?

58 To whom was Kurt Cobain’s suicide note addressed?

59 What’s the last thing said by Bill Murray to Scarlett Johansson in the film Lost in Translation?

60 What was Biggie Smalls’s birth name?

Taken from “How to Sound Cool” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

HOW COOL ARE YOU? ROUND 5

By what name did Ali G address former UN secretary-general, Boutros Boutros Ghali? (Getty)

THOMAS W HODGKINSON 61 What did the model Kate Moss reportedly ask the fashion designer John Galliano on her wedding day?

62 What was the original term used to describe documentaries?

63 Where has the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange taken refuge?

64 What did Paul Newman, in Cool Hand Luke, say could be a “real cool” poker hand?

65 What is “the Fonzie touch”?

66 What is Dudeism? www.ebook3000.com

67 By what name did Ali G once address the former UN secretary-general, Boutros Boutros Ghali?

68 To what did the word “geek” originally refer?

69 Who was Carly Simon addressing in the song You’re So Vain?

70 What make of car is driven by James Bond in Goldfinger?

71 Heroin was originally sold over the counter to people suffering from what ailment?

72 The rock group the Doors are named after what book by which author?

73 What was the nickname given to the occultist Aleister Crowley by his mother?

74 What was the original name given to snowboarding?

75 What do the letters stand for in the pastime known as BASE jumping?

Taken from “How to Sound Cool” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

HOW COOL ARE YOU? ANSWERS

JD Salinger’s classic, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ (AP)

THOMAS W. HODGKINSON Round 1: 1 Who’s your fat friend?

2 I don’t mind if you burn 3 Ali-Gaga 4 His wrist 5 Pussy 6 Greenland and Australia 7 Bastard www.ebook3000.com

8 Circumnavigating the globe 9 Humphrey Bogart 10 She shot at him with a starting pistol 11 Greta Garbo 12 Danse Sauvage 13 Adolf Hitler’s 14 The Devil 15 Drip painting Round 2: 16 Goalkeeper 17 Finger 18 William Tell 19 Linched corpses 20 $750 21 Harvard psychology professor 22 ...drop out 23 Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker 24 Orgasm 25 A penknife 26 20 stone 27 Why go out for hamburgers when you have steak at home?

28 Both 29 Dylan Thomas 30 Do not disturb.

Round 3: 31 Howl 32 Aids 33 His hands, as proof of his identity 34 Sleep 35 Money 36 But not necessarily in that order 37 Porsche 550 Spyder 38 Bacon and banana 39 Hungry for power 40 A pair of elk antlers 41 Gonzo 42 Ronnie Kray 43 Jesus 44 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 45 Robert Zimmerman Round 4: 46 The Queen’s Silver Jubilee 47 Handcuffed it 48 Leopold von Sacher-Masoch 49 Being interviewed by an English journalist 50 The ugliest man on campus 51 Anita Pallenberg (Richards’ girlfriend)

52 They’re all “niggers” 53 The Moon landing 54 Stowe 55 Because it was originally performed during the instrumental “break” in a song, when there were no vocals to distract from the dancing 56 Crazy ones 57 David Attenborough 58 His imaginary childhood friend, Boddha 59 A trick question: we don’t get to hear it 60 Christopher Wallace.

Round 5: 61 Who am I? 62 Actuality films 63 The Ecuadorian embassy in London 64 “Nothing.”

65 The ability to fix broken machinery by hitting it 66 A religion devoted to the philosophy embodied by the character of The Dude in the film The Big Lebowski 67 Boutros Boutros Boutros Ghali 68 Circus performers who bit the heads off chickens 69 Warren Beatty 70 Aston Martin DB5 71 A cough 72 The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley 73 The beast 74 Snurfing 75 Buildings, antennae, spans, earth

Taken from “How to Sound Cool” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

FACE SCRAMBLE: US EDITION

Can you name these faces? (Getty)

www.ebook3000.com

Here are some clues: 1.

Actor turned eco warrior who released his debut documentary this year

2. Outgoing president of the United States 3. Only woman to be featured on Forbes “Hip Hop Cash Kings” list 4. Actress and UN special envoy for refugees 5. Youngest actress to gain four Oscar nominations 6.

Appeared on the cover of Time magazine’s “Transgender Tipping Point” issue

7.

Rapper who released his seventh studio album this year with “The Life of Pablo”

8.

First musician to have three albums sell a million copies in a week in the US

9. The 6th richest person in the world with a net-worth of $44.6bn Answers:

1 Leonardo Dicaprio; 2 Barack Obama; 3 Nicki Minaj; 4 Angelina Jolie; 5 Jennifer Lawrence; 6 Laverne Cox; 7 Kanye West; 8 Taylor Swift; 9 Mark Zuckerberg

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

NAME THE POLITICIAN

Answers: A Nigel Farage www.ebook3000.com

B Boris Johnson C Jeremy Corbyn D Theresa May E Jeremy Hunt F George Osborne

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

HOW CULTURED ARE YOU? ROUND 1

Which US novelist appeared in The Simpsons with a paper bag on his head? (Fox)

THOMAS W. HODGKINSON

Writers 1. Name the Russian novelist who was sent horrific pictures of car accidents by the KGB in an attempt to trigger a mental breakdown.

2. Which US novelist appeared in The Simpsons with a paper bag on his head?

3. Which South African has won the Booker Prize twice but never bothered to turn up and collect it?

4. Which US novelist changed his name to hide the fact that one of his ancestors had been a judge who sentenced women to death at the Salem witch trials?

5. Which French novelist believed having an orgasm depleted his creative powers and is said to have remarked after making love, “There goes another novel.�

6. Name the only author ever to turn down a Nobel prize. www.ebook3000.com

Artists 7. Who did Jackson Pollock say was so ugly, you’d first have to put a towel over her head before making love to her?

8. Which artist’s work includes an album cover for Lady Gaga and sculptures of Michael Jackson and the Incredible Hulk?

9. Which artist retaliated against her husband’s infidelity by sleeping with Leon Trotsky?

10. Which artist said: “There is no progress in art, any more than there is progress in making love. There are simply different ways of doing it.”?

11. Which photographer and Vogue model was pictured naked in Hitler’s bathtub?

12. The word paparazzo originally comes to us from which of Federico Fellini’s movies, which includes a photographer of that name?

13. Which artist, on being criticised for not working from nature, replied: “I am nature.”?

Writers: the darker side 14. Along with a nappy-cleaning company, what other business did Kurt Vonnegut run before becoming a novelist?

15. William Burroughs killed his wife after they both got drunk and he persuaded her to balance a gin bottle on her head for him to shoot off. He missed the bottle and shot her in the head, but how did he escape being sent to prison?

16. Name the 19th century writer who, after contracting syphilis and going mad, claimed that his urine was made of diamonds.

17. What were the terms of the contract that the writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch signed with his mistress Fanny Pistor?

18. The Anglo-Irish novelist Laurence Sterne’s body was illegally dug up and sold to anatomists at Cambridge University. What made them swiftly reinter him?

19. While suffering a nervous breakdown, novelist Muriel Spark became convinced she was receiving coded messages from which modernist poet?

Philosophers 20. Which Jewish philosopher who was imprisoned in a concentration camp also dated a Nazi?

21. Which German philosopher claimed we could all improve our lives by spending more time in graveyards?

22. When asked on his deathbed if he renounced the devil, which philosopher replied: “This is no time to be making enemies.”?

23. Which philosopher’s name means “broad” in Greek (a reference to this great thinker’s particularly sturdy shoulders)?

24. Which French female philosopher would seduce her female students, then pass them on to her longterm lover, also a French philosopher?

25. Hitler attended the same school as which philosopher?

Taken from “How to Sound Cultured” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

HOW CULTURED ARE YOU? ROUND 2

Who did JFK describe as the most fascinating man he’d ever met? (Getty)

THOMAS W HODGKINSON Stranger than fiction: more writers 26. The song “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles was inspired by the work of which dystopian British novelist?

27. Who is the only Nobel Laureate to also have an entry in Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack?

28. When soldiers were searching his house, what did Chilean poet Pablo Neruda say was the only dangerous thing they would find?

29. Which homosexual novelist married his female first cousin before running off with his best man’s 15year-old son?

30. Name the US novelist who, in 1912, nearly boarded the Titanic but at the last minute decided to save money by switching to a cheaper ship.

31. Which US writer wrote a novel in favour of the prohibition of alcohol then later admitted he wrote it while blind drunk?

Politicians 32. Which famous revolutionary almost survived being hit in the head with an ice-pick?

33. Which French statesman wore 14 nightcaps to protect his head in case he fell out of bed during the night?

34. To whom did the humorist Dorothy Parker leave everything in her will?

35. Who did JFK describe as the most fascinating man he’d ever met?

36. When the US novelist Philip Roth remarked that kissing her was “like kissing a face on a billboard”, who was he talking about?

Scientists 37. What did the pathologist on duty when Albert Einstein died steal from him?

38. Which book did Sigmund Freud say was “the most significant novel ever written”?

39. Name the famous scientist who predicted that the world would end in 2060.

40. Which scientist left his house one winter’s day to test if stuffing a chicken with snow would help preserve it, only to die of cold himself?

41. After presiding over the world’s first controlled nuclear reaction, which scientist celebrated with a small paper cup of Chianti?

42. Which scientist was hunched over his desk, intent on solving a geometric problem, when a Roman soldier murdered him?

Taken from “How to Sound Cultured” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Quiz of the Year 2016

HOW CULTURED ARE YOU? ANSWERS

Martin Luther King was shot and killed in April 1968 (Rex Features)

Round 1 1 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 2 Thomas Pynchon 3 J M Coetzee 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne

5 Honoré de Balzac 6 Jean-Paul Sartre 7 Peggy Guggenheim 8 Jeff Koons 9 Frida Kahlo 10 Man Ray 11 Lee Miller 12 La Dolce Vita 13 Jackson Pollock 14 America’s first Saab dealership 15 He said the gun went off accidentally 16 Guy de Maupassant 17 That for the next six months he would be her slave and in return she would wear fur as often as possible 18 One of the surgeons had known Laurence and recognised his corpse 19 T S Eliot 20 Hannah Arendt

Round 2 21 Martin Heidegger 22 Voltaire 23 Plato 24 Simone de Beauvoir (her lover was Sartre) 25 Wittgenstein 26 J G Ballard 27 Samuel Beckett 28 Poetry 29 André Gide 30 Theodore Dreiser 31 Walt Whitman 32 Leon Trotsky 33 Talleyrand 34 Martin Luther King 35 André Malraux 36 Jackie Kennedy 37 His brain 38 The Brothers Karamazov 39 Isaac Newton 40 Francis Bacon 41 Enrico Fermi 42 Archimedes

Taken from “How to Sound Cultured” by Thomas W Hodgkinson and Hubert van den Bergh, published by Icon, priced £12.99.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / The Big Read

THE SEX DELUSION When 18th-century explorers returned from the South Pacific telling of sexual abandon, the northern hemisphere, thinking it’d been missing out, was keen to make up for lost time. In time the entire Western world developed sex mania. Andy Martin thinks it’s time we all took a cold shower

In our impatience for rapture we are apt in our premature way to try to make heaven on earth: a depiction of Islamic Jannah, said to be populated with ‘houris’ to reward the faithful

Do I have to? Do I need to? Do I want to? I’m reminded of a line that my (then) seven-year old son once came out with, when I asked him if he really needed that extra piece of chocolate. “I want to need it”.

I have a feeling we’re all a bit like that where sex is concerned. Possibly chocolate too, but I want to focus on the sex. Or rather, stop focusing on sex for a while, because that, it seems to me, is a large part of the

problem, the overemphasis, the privileging of sex to the point of monomania, a mad feudal mentality in which sex is the great overlord with a tyrannical droit de seigneur.

I was reminded of this recently by my friend Jenessa Abrams, a twentysomething New Yorker. Her “first love” had a habit of requiring her to go down on him, using the trigger phrase, “I’m ready now”. Her younger self kind of rolled along with all this in a hazy teenage honeymoon period, but her slightly older self sees that not only was he well out of order, but also that she doesn’t have to, doesn’t want to, and sure as hell doesn’t need to, make herself into “a tool” any more. (You can read her deeply felt “What I’ll tell my children on being fuckable under the regime of President-elect”, on rumpus.net.)

Maybe, you might say, she has just gone off oral. But I think it’s more than that. She’s fallen out of love with an entire narrative, a whole hyper-sexualised culture, a global conspiracy which broadcasts “I’m ready now” at mind-blowing volume.

Personally, I blame the Sixties. I speak, of course, of the 1760s. That decade in which the world was turned upside down. In 1768 Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, the French navigator, made land in Tahiti. Followed by our very own Captain James Cook. The traveller’s tale that emerged and took hold in the northern hemisphere was that the southern hemisphere was a sexual paradise. French sailors in particular were bowled over that Tahitian women actually wanted to go down on them. After months or years at sea, they were definitely ready. Now. Blissful hospitality ruled. If you read the original reports, it wasn’t quite as simple as that. Inevitably, there were a few dead bodies along the way (including Cook himself, in Hawaii, who suffered the very fate that his name seemed to suggest – so much for the aloha spirit). Meanwhile a proto-porn movie, involving grass skirts, surfing, and free breadfruit dangling from trees, was already playing on a loop in the European imagination.

www.ebook3000.com

Liberation game: anthropologist Margaret Mead, here in Samoa, c.1926, whose theories on cultural norms did much to influence the Sixties sexual revolution A century later, the painter Paul Gauguin would follow Bougainville to Tahiti and beyond in search of a state of pleasure that continued to elude him but created great art out of disappointment. But more importantly the notion of a sexual renaissance, or possibly just naissance, took root in the northern

hemisphere. Women, in particular, so argued Margaret Mead in her classic Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) were free, or should be, to satisfy their own manifold desires in America or Europe, just as they appeared to be in the South Pacific.

It turns out that the 19th century was not the golden age of repression, as per the classic idea of buttonedup Victorian England, all stiff upper-lip and sports fields and hymns. The fantasy of palm trees and sultry breezes blew north. The great utopian dreamer, Charles Fourier, inspired by Tahiti, prophesied the rise of the “phalanstery” in the imminent Age of Harmony, in which there would be public orgies, inexhaustible liaisons, and a handy sexual AA call-out service for anyone who was still feeling short-changed. A few phalansteries were actually built in the US, even though a lot was lost in translation (especially in the one in Dallas). The point was to satisfy, or satiate, all unsatisfied passions. No one had ever really tried to satisfy them before, not seriously. And all crime arose, Fourier argued, out of frustrated desires. Desire was therefore not just a right, it was a duty. The decent citizen was really obliged to be inordinately passionate and let it all out, whether you liked it or not. As Rousseau would say (in his Social Contract), you would have to be “forced to be free”, for your own good.

I think Fourier was right and we are now living in an immense phalanstery in which sex has become compulsory. When God died, sex rushed in to fill the void. Especially, I’ve noticed, in the evangelical pages of Cosmopolitan. Freud, who was a great fan of the voyages of discovery, mapped the hallucinatory 18th-century world geography on to his vision of the human psyche, in which the savage and sensuous southern-hemisphere id was barely held in check by the chilly northern ego. The point, as Wilhelm Reich (author of The Function of the Orgasm) and Warren Beatty (legendary Hollywood lover boy) and others have asserted, was to liberate yourself from all constraints and maximise satisfaction. All the time. As a consequence we have become perversely conscious of our unconscious. The rampant libido has been promoted to the status of superego de nos jours.

www.ebook3000.com

‘Two Tahitian Women’ by Gauguin, who visited the island in the 1890s in search of pleasure that continued to elude

The odd thing is that all this was already contained in all our great monotheisms. Lo, it is written, the God of love really expects you to perform, on order. The marriage vows call upon the betrothed to love, cherish and obey the command, “I’m ready now”. I was reminded of this recently by the experience of one abused or possibly disabused wife whose other half had taken it into his head that she would like to have him masturbating over her. Every day. Possibly more than once, I’m not sure. Unless he just didn’t care whether she liked it or not.

I’m not a massive fan of sloe-eyed houris either, to be fair, who are said to populate the gardens and palaces of the Islamic Jannah. I wouldn’t mind except that in our impatience for rapture we are apt in our premature way to try to make heaven on earth and, via Tinder or Grindr, reconceive approximately half the population as Playboy-style sex bunnies. I have to confess to a soft spot for Christoph Luxenberg’s The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran, in which he demonstrates that, etymologically, houris do not exist.

There are no houris in heaven, only hûr, or bunches of particularly juicy, voluptuous grapes. You never want for grapes in heaven. Which is good to know. “The fruits of paradise”, oddly enough, really were fruits.

When I went on a road trip to St Tropez with my best friend Griffo, with a view to a close encounter with Brigitte Bardot, living embodiment and apostle of sexual liberation, approximately 200 years after Bougainville, we were playing out the same old story. If I stress the fact that this was the late Sixties, and we were very young, it is for a reason. I realise now that, since around the time of the Garden of Eden, we have been forever re-enacting the process of puberty and mistaking a bio-chemical event for some kind of liberation or enlightenment. Or “sentimental education”. The whole of history is a fractured iteration of that endlessly repeated transition from zero to hero. Not totally zero, and not quite hero either, as Freud would be the first to point out, but then since we think in binaries, you’re either ready now, or you’re just unready.

20th century fox: Brigitte Bardot, living embodiment and apostle of sexual liberation

Not that evolutionary theory has been all that helpful on this account. All the selfish gene has on its tiny mind is reproduction. I guess there must be a selfish little blow-job-obsessed gene too. So whatever happened to sexual liberation? Is it nothing but coercion by another name? When did the dream become such a nightmare? Isaiah Berlin’s great essay on Two Concepts of Liberty clarifies the problem succinctly.

Positive liberty – the “freedom to”, let’s say, masturbate on your wife – is always liable to collapse into tyranny. Negative liberty – “freedom from” – at least preserves the right to say give me a break, bozo. I’m not ready.

Sex is so weird and complicated, it’s like the inside of your knee (for anyone who has had the opportunity to inspect this part of the anatomy). It’s such a mess in there, and there is so much to go wrong, it’s hard to figure out how it ever works. It just does, occasionally. But, even assuming your knee is working OK, there is no obligation to go around jogging fanatically. And there is no entitlement to someone else flexing your knee for you, either.

I feel that the erotic has had a good run for its money for the past few centuries. Or millennia. Maybe it’s www.ebook3000.com

finally time to make room for the zerotic.

Andy Martin is the author of ‘Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of Make Me’ (Bantam Press, RRP £18.99). He also teaches at Cambridge University. @andymartinink

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

THE TOLERANCE PARADOX If education and tolerance go hand in hand, as is frequently claimed, why are anti-immigrant sentiments so common and virulent in educated populations? Jan Germen investigates

Recent events suggest that the supposed link between education and tolerance is flawed (Rex)

It’s often said that a person’s tolerance rises with their education level. So on this basis, the higher a person’s educational attainment is, the more likely they are to accept racial or ethnic minorities. Studies often show that young people are also more welcoming in their attitudes to outsiders. This is thought to be largely because they have higher levels of education than older age groups. So, you would expect that society as a whole becomes ever more tolerant and enlightened as new, better-educated generations www.ebook3000.com

steadily replace older, less educated ones.

But recent political events suggest that this line of reasoning is too simple. Because how is it possible that anti-immigrant sentiments – as expressed in the Brexit vote and the election of Trump – are so virulent when the education levels of Britons and Americans are at their highest-ever levels? In our own research, which is currently under review, we find that while younger people may have become increasingly tolerant of sexual fluidity and racial and cultural diversity, they are growing less positive about immigrants.

Declining tolerance Education is said to make people more tolerant by enhancing their knowledge and reasoning skills. This helps people to see through prejudiced claims and dismiss irrational fears about those who are culturally different. Schools and universities also enhance tolerance by emphasising it as a virtue. The longer individuals stay in the education system, the more they are exposed to tolerance as a “core value” – and the more likely they are to internalise it. On this basis, some scholars have argued that education brings many extra benefits for society and that we can never have enough of it. This is supported by previous research which has shown that people have become ever more accepting of racial minorities and LGBT people – with young people generally showing the highest levels of tolerance.

And yet, intolerant notions across all age groups still persist. In the 1990s and 2000s, there was a steady growth in the number of people in Britain who believed that it was right for employers to discriminate against immigrants when recruiting new staff. And this trend has continued into more recent times – with figures showing a huge decline in the number of people who believe legal immigrants in Britain should have the same rights as British citizens. The figures also show that in 2013 only a small minority of people still believed that legal immigrants should be treated equally.

Educational advantage?

So it seems that the more educated British society has become, the lower its levels of acceptance towards immigrants. Strange as this may seem, the reason for it may also be in part down to an increased level of education across society. This is because education does not only enhance knowledge and foster tolerance as a virtue but also gives people a competitive edge, and access to higher social positions. This makes people with the highest education levels feel more secure and less exposed to competition from other people “coming to take their jobs”.

But what the highly educated gain, the people with middling and low levels of education lose. The value of their qualifications is diminished when all others in society become more educated and “out-compete” them in the struggle for desirable jobs. And this loss of status produces feelings of economic insecurity which may translate into more defensive and intolerant attitudes towards “out-groups”.

Not a cure-all So while higher levels of education may be good for some individuals in terms of making them more tolerant, there may not be any benefits for society at large because of the “trade-off” the process of educational expansion creates. It is this effect – sometimes referred to as the positional effect of education – that may explain why a positive relationship between education and tolerance does not always occur in society as a whole.

Another possibility is that other social forces have a stronger effect on attitudes towards immigrants than education. Along with the new wave of negativity towards migrants, the remarkable return of nationalism is something, for instance, that cannot be ignored. Mainstream parties have now adopted some of the nationalist rhetoric and proposed policies of populist anti-immigrant parties.

This has led to more restrictive immigration regimes in a number of Western countries and a discourse

more generally of protecting and privileging the ethnic majority. In such an environment, the taboo of expressing negative sentiments towards those who are culturally different – especially immigrants – has undoubtedly weakened. And this serves as a stark reminder that educational expansion is not the panacea to all of society’s problems.

Jan Germen Janmaat, Reader in Comparative Social Science, Department of Lifelong and Comparative Education, UCL. This article was originally published on The Conversation.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Photography

PAST PARTICIPANTS The Spanish Civil War’s Battle of Belchite left a ghost town in its wake.

Angus Berwick speaks to people who recall it

Old town stands as a witness to the war, with a Republican guard revived for tourists (Reuters)

Almost 60 years ago Tomas Ortin fled under cover of night from his home in the small town of Belchite on Spain’s northern plains to escape with hundreds of others from one of the bloodiest battles of the Spanish Civil War.

Residents of the new town remember the dark days of old Belchite (Reuters)

Now aged 94, Ortin lives just across the road from Belchite, which has lain in ruins since the anti-Franco Republican forces attacked it – a testament to the destructive nature of the war of 1936 to 1939, in which an estimated 500,000 people died.

www.ebook3000.com

Toma Ortin visits the remains of his childhood home (Reuters)

Walking down abandoned old Belchite’s streets, Ortin points to the house where he was born, its walls still pockmarked with bullet holes. He points to the bar where the town’s youth used to dance; and to the spot where his brother was shot in the neck.

Around 500,000 lives were lost in the Civil War (Reuters)

“This was our future because everybody used to get together here,” Ortin says by the skeletal remains of the town’s church – its brickwork is still embedded with artillery shells. The siege of Belchite was part of a Republican offensive in 1937 to capture Zaragoza, capital of the Aragon region, from the Nationalists led

by General Francisco Franco, who went on to win the war and establish a dictatorship that lasted 40 years.

www.ebook3000.com

Foreign volunteers helped defeat fighters loyal to Franco (Reuters)

Nationalist-controlled Belchite represented a key obstacle given its strategic location in the red-brown hills south of Zaragoza. After much bloodshed, the Republicans won this infamous battle. Foreign journalists such as Ernest Hemingway sent back reports from the frontlines as Republican troops, among them a number of American and other international volunteers, fought to seize the town.

Having lost this battle, Franco’s Loyalists won the war (Reuters)

After the war Franco visited Belchite and ordered it to be abandoned and preserved to honour the bravery of its defenders and the brutalities they suffered.

Ortin and several thousand other Belchite residents endured the siege for almost two weeks, hiding in their cellars as soldiers fought hand to hand in the streets and artillery shells rained down. Bodies were piled on top of each other and burnt.

www.ebook3000.com

The local government pays tribute to deaths on both sides

On the night of 5 September 1937 about 600 of Belchite’s soldiers and residents gathered in the town square, where a falling shell had killed the mayor only a few days before, and prepared to escape. “A very brave commander got up and shouted ‘one, two, three’, and we all started to run,” says Josefina Cubel, a woman in her nineties who still lives nearby.

Two weeks of fighting in 1937 caused all the damage (Reuters)

They barely reached Belchite’s perimeter before the shooting began. Cubel, then 11 years old, was shot in the leg below the town’s gate and was left behind by her family who presumed her dead. She was captured and treated by the Republicans and was only reunited with her parents several months later.

www.ebook3000.com

Tourists roam streets where hand-to-hand combat took place (Reuters)

Cubel and Ortin now live in New Belchite, built by Republican prisoners on Franco’s orders. The old town has continued to disintegrate due to decades of looting and neglect. While bitter divisions created by the Civil War still simmer among residents, the local government has sought to use Belchite to educate about the human cost, on both sides, of the war – not just an example just of one side’s valour.

While the fighting has stopped, old tensions remain (Reuters)

As Domingo Serrano, a former mayor who was born in the old town, puts it: “There was a battle. Who lost?

The people."

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Food & Drink

PASS ME THE POLITICS Rising prices, public health and the scandal of waste are trimmings that seldom make it to the table with the turkey. Unless you give a cluck, says Rachel Norman

There is more to the festive spread than meets the eye (Shutterstock)

The Victorians introduced many of the traditions we now associate with the festive season. Along with Christmas cards, crackers, mince pies and Santa himself, they are responsible for the modern-day Christmas dinner. While British households would once have had goose or beef at the centre of the table, by the end of the 19th century most were eating turkey.

In the intervening years, many of us have taken this festive feast for granted. Nothing lasts forever, though, and growing populations and changing economic conditions could easily make Christmas Future a lessthan-rosy prospect. We still produce enough food for the time being, but it is not well-distributed and

much is lost at different points in the supply chain. There have already been some unnerving reminders in recent months about how easily food security can be compromised. So read on with trepidation.

It's not easy being a Turkey at this time of year (Getty)

Christmas critters We lose around 25 per cent of the food we produce to pests and diseases – there have been some salient examples lately. Turkeys have been under threat from bird flu. First there were outbreaks in more than 12 countries in mainland Europe, including France and Germany, such that British farmers were ordered by the authorities to keep their birds indoors as a precaution. This meant some turkeys would technically fail the requirements for free-range status by spending too long in barns.

Then came the news a couple of days ago that bird flu has been detected on a turkey farm in Lincolnshire in. Up to 5,000 birds were culled to prevent the spread of this highly infectious virus. The Food Standards Agency says bird flu does not pose a food safety risk and it is not believed this year’s turkey supply is under threat. But bird flu is only one infectious pathogen which can affect farm animals: farmers are fighting a constant battle against diseases – foot-and-mouth and BSE are just the best-known.

Turkey farmers at least have the advantage that they can keep their birds indoors. Crop farmers do not have that luxury with their products, as farmers of Brussels sprouts have been finding to their cost. Their crops have been under attack from diamondback moths arriving earlier and in greater numbers than usual.

Farmers in Lincolnshire, who supply two-thirds of what the UK consumes, report a drop in output of up to 60 per cent. These are age-old problems, of course. But in a world of mounting pressure on food supplies, eradicating pests and diseases would mean not needing to increase production so much to feed the growing population. www.ebook3000.com

In addition, climate change and more intensive farming are causing new and emerging diseases. Take prawn and shrimp production, which since the early 1990s has been under attack from white-spot syndrome virus, probably due to more intensive farming. Another example is salmon farming, which routinely struggles with sea lice because the fish are bred in confined spaces. Worth considering as you tuck into your smoked salmon or prawn cocktail starter on Christmas Day.

Brexit is credited with a rise in food prices (Getty)

Down the chimney Political uncertainty is another risk to people’s food security. Due to the uncertainties of Brexit, one estimate is that Christmas dinner will cost 14 per cent more than last year – and that’s before the UK actually withdraws from the EU. The row over the price of products including Marmite earlier in the year between Unilever and Tesco was a taste of what is to come.

Inflation is expected to rise steeply in 2017, which is a trend that ought to make politicians nervous. Rapid price increases in other countries have been the cause of civil unrest, and it is certainly not unthinkable that the same will happen in the UK. It was already recently estimated that more than 8 million people in the UK are struggling to put food on the table, and inflation will only push more to the brink. Then there is climate change, which threatens food both from long-term change and increased annual variations. We are seeing more and more extreme weather events and these are set to get worse. Since so many plants depend on weather conditions, expect upheaval.

In 2011 in the UK, for example, there was a shortage of holly due to early frosts but a bumper crop of mistletoe due to a mild autumn. Yet in Texas that year, a drought caused a mistletoe shortage. Clearly mistletoe and holly are not issues of food security – but root vegetables are. In January, there were concerns that parts of the UK were losing lots of carrots and parsnips because flooding was causing them

to rot in the ground. Water also needs a mention here. In the south-east, a summer hosepipe ban has been used for years to cope with water shortages. This will be as nothing compared to the global water battles that climate change and population growth make increasingly likely.

A staggering amount of food is thrown away every year Waist of effort Christmas dinner is probably safe for this year, but many of the issues we are encountering suggest more serious things to come. This brings into focus the amount we waste each year.

The UK throws away around 7 million tonnes of food and drink each year, more than half of which could be consumed; and at Christmas the country throws out: 5 million Christmas puddings, 2 million turkeys, 74 million mince pies and huge amounts of vegetables, fruit and snacks. When you reflect that food security is a global issue, and that many countries have a much harder time feeding themselves than the UK does, waste really needs to move up the agenda. Beyond this we need to start finding solutions to the major threats to food from climate change and population growth. In a civilised world, it’s vital that everyone has access to decent food – and a feast at Christmas if they want one.

Rachel Norman in Chair in food security and sustainability at the University of Stirling. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Food & Drink

TAKE A CAB It’s never too early to browse seed options for your next cabbage patch, writes Barbara Damrosch

Try a little tenderness with the humble cabbage but pick the right variety (Barbara Damrosch)

The 2017 seed catalogues that started to trickle in before Thanksgiving seemed as premature as the jingly caps on checkout elves at the supermarket. We were still harvesting the last of the cabbages to put into winter storage.

Why would we want to think about what’s being offered for spring? Because we were curious, and because early browsing helps to evaluate the current year’s choices while they are fresh in our minds.

My husband spotted a new cabbage with “distinctly silky texture excellent for sauerkraut.” The variety is also available in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalogue, which proclaims it “especially suited for Weisskraut, a Bavarian specialty which is mild and more tender than typical sauerkraut.”

That sent me hunting through German cookbooks, because what I dislike about sauerkraut is that it’s so sour, no matter how probiotic its devotees claim it to be. As near as I can tell, Weisskraut is not typically a sauerkraut but a boiled white cabbage dish, flavoured with caraway, sometimes bacon and sometimes little dumplings – which we agreed would be delicious.

We also agreed that people should grow more cabbages, starting with the hard, red, ball-shaped ones. They are so wonderful, simmered in beef broth, with sour cream stirred in at the end, or paired with beets in a meaty Russian borscht.

This often keeps all winter long in cold storage, as does the hard green version. I tend to chop those fairly fine, steam for 15 minutes and season with caraway seeds crisped in brown butter, a hearty but simple dish for a cold day.

But it is also worth growing the softer, non-storing cabbages, such as the Portuguese couve tronchuda, a leafy, open-headed plant that is the basis of caldo verde, a meal-in-itself soup made with potatoes, olive oil, garlic and spicy sausages. Others in that category are the open-headed Asian varieties such as Tokyo Bekana, and the barrel-like Napa cabbages, with a shape so convenient for shredding or slicing.

These are so tender that they can be eaten raw and keep no longer than the average lettuce. They’re great cooked in a stir-fry but could also stand in for romaine in a hefty Caesar salad.

In between, in terms of keepability, are the Savoy cabbages, named for the French alpine region they originate from. These are my favourites. Although they don’t store all winter, we’ve had one called Deadon that has lasted up to four months in our root cellar.

Savoys are prized for their tenderness and for the beautiful netted pattern of their outer leaves, a texture that helps a sauce or dressing cling to them.

Even the inner leaves are crimped and more loosely packed than those of standard cabbages. In the case of Deadon, the “wrapper” leaves are an attractive purple, the interior ones a pale, lime-green. It’s in lots of catalogues, including Johnny’s.

When it’s finally time to commit to next year’s orders, if you haven’t settled on a cabbage, you may find just the solution in the Pinetree Garden Seeds catalogue, which also just washed up on my desk ahead of the big spring surge. It offers a cabbage mix that includes “early ones, late ones, red ones, green ones, little ones, big ones, domed ones and flat ones, smooth ones and savoyed ones.”

This conveniently staggers the maturity times and storage periods, for a continuous supply, and introduces you to a kingdom of cabbages from which – in 2018 – you may then make a most educated choice.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Food & Drink

PESTO PICKINGS Julia Platt Leonard’s light pumpkin seed and pesto twists are the ideal welcome nibble for festive party guests

Here’s the challenge: you’ve got people coming over for Christmas dinner. You’ve planned the meal, done the shopping, chosen the wine and dragged out the white tablecloth from the bottom of a drawer. You’ve asked everyone to arrive in plenty of time so there’s no last-minute rush to the table.

But what do you do with all these lovely guests from the moment they arrive until they sit down to dinner?

You’ll offer them a glass of something, of course. And there should be a nibble to go with it. Here’s the rub – you don’t want them stuffing themselves silly. It needs to be something tasty to get the juices flowing, elegant yet easy.

Cheese straws are a happy solution. They’re hand-held (no need for more plates) and the perfect accompaniment to a cocktail or glass of wine or bubbles. Thanks to frozen puff pastry, they’re also a doddle to make, especially if it’s already rolled out. Top them with pesto and you can slip them into the fridge

until you’re ready to bake them off.

I make a pumpkin seed pesto but you could use a store-bought pesto too. If you do make pesto, make it ahead of time and top the pesto with some olive oil to keep the lovely green colour. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use. This recipe makes much more pesto than you’ll need but it’s handy to have around – great with pasta, on vegetables or stirred into soup. It also freezes beautifully. I like to put it in an ice cube tray then I’ve got handy portion-size cubes ready to go.

I like the cheese straws when they’re still warm from the oven with a small bowl of the pesto on the side for dipping.

Pumpkin seed pesto cheese straws Makes about 40 cheese straws 1 x 320g sheet of already rolled out frozen puff pastry, thawed 4 tbsp pumpkin seed pesto or other pesto 30g parmesan cheese 1 egg, beaten Paprika Pumpkin Seed Pesto 1 large bunch of basil, about 50g 1 small clove garlic, minced 25g pumpkin seeds www.ebook3000.com

150ml olive oil 20g grated parmesan cheese Salt and black pepper Preheat oven to 225°C. To make the pesto, wash and dry the basil leaves, discarding the stems. Put the garlic and pumpkin seeds in the small bowl of a food processor. Blitz adding a bit of the olive oil until roughly chopped. Add the basil leaves and while the machine is running, drizzle in the rest of the olive oil.

You’re aiming for a slightly rough paste. Place the mixture in a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. Taste and add salt and black pepper as needed.

Place the puff pastry on a cutting board. Spread the pesto on to the pastry, covering it completely. Top with the parmesan cheese. Pat the parmesan down so it sticks to the pesto and pastry. If time allows, pop in the fridge for 30 minutes – this will make it easier to handle. Take a pizza-cutter or very sharp knife and slice the pastry in half lengthwise. Cut each half into strips – about 40 in total.

Carefully lift up a strip and twist it from both ends to create a spiral. Place on to the baking sheet, leaving space between the strips as they’ll spread as they cook. Brush the bits that don’t have pesto with the egg wash and add a sprinkle of paprika.

Put the pan in the hot oven and cook for about 5 minutes until puffed up and nicely browned. Serve hot or at room temperature with a small bowl of the pesto on the side for extra dipping if you desire.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Food & Drink

FESTIVE FIZZ Forgo the mulled wine this year and mix yourself (and your guests) up a subtly spiced Christmas cocktail instead

Preparing Christmas dinner and hosting the day with extended family, their offspring and spouses can be tiring and stressful. Combine that with having to time everything perfectly, meet everyone’s needs – from goose-fat roast potatoes to mashed – and actually produce a meal that is edible and warm, it can all really take its toll. It’s a long, complicated process and day. So a cocktail – or two – can definitely make things easier.

For years, mulled wine has been the go-to drink for festivities, but well-mixed cocktails are making evermore-frequent appearances on Christmas menus. Just take festive spices and fruits and mix with alcohol and you’re almost there.

Unlike our friends across the pond, eggnog is not too high on our Christmas drinks list (mainly because many people are still unsure as to what it actually is). But for something a little less creamy, we have some www.ebook3000.com

lighter Christmas cocktail recipes to get you through the festive week.

Cointreau fizz with warm vanilla and apple 50 ml Cointreau​ 15 ml fresh lime juice

5 ml vanilla syrup 30 ml cloudy apple juice 40 ml soda water Fill the glass with ice, add the Cointreau, lime juice, vanilla syrup, cloudy apple juice, soda water and stir.

Then garnish with a vanilla pod and a slice of apple.

The Christmas negroni To add a fun twist of pink and some wintery spice to the traditional Negroni cocktail, gin fans can try the Edgerton Christmas Pink Negroni at home.

80ml infused gin 50ml Martini bitters 50ml Martini bianco 2 slices of orange To make the infused gin: 120g golden caster sugar 3 cloves zest of 2 oranges 1 cinnamon stick pinch of black pepper 500ml Edgerton Original Pink Gin Add all the ingredients, except for the gin, to a small pan. Gently bring the mixture to the boil then simmer www.ebook3000.com

over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until it forms a light syrup. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Pour the cooled syrup and its infusions into a glass bottle and top up with the gin. Shake well and store for at least two weeks to infuse. Make the gin as far ahead as possible, then just before guests arrive at Christmas drinks parties, mix the ingredients in a jug, stir well and divide between glasses.

www.ebook3000.com

Citrus Christmas surprise 40 ml Cointreau 10 ml fresh lime juice 50 ml fresh clementine juice ​ 40 ml sparkling water Fill a glass with ice, add the Cointreau, fresh lime juice and clementine juce. Then top it off with sparkling water, and stir briefly. Garnish it with three fresh cranberries for a festive feel.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Food & Drink

ALL THE TRIMMINGS The turkey may be the star of the show, but don’t neglect the bread sauce (or the gluten-free Yorkshires) with these essential lastminute recipes from Great British Chefs

You've got the turkey, you made and iced the cake and you've wrapped the presents. But have you got enough bread sauce, or forgotten how to make Yorkshire pudding? Our last minute festive recipes will provide the perfect finishing touches to your Christmas dining table – bon appetit.

www.ebook3000.com

Bread sauce The classic sauce is always delicious at Christmas and its rich flavour is a perfect turkey accompaniment.

This recipe from Dominic Chapman makes a wonderful side that is fantastic for the winter holidays, as well as for Burns Night. You can make the bread sauce ahead of time, and it can be stored in the freezer a couple of weeks ahead.

250ml of milk ½ onion, studded with one clove 1 bay leaf ​ 100g white bread, crusts removed Nutmeg, freshly grated to taste Salt Pepper 1 tbsp double cream Put the milk and clove-studded onion into a pan with the bay leaf, bring gently up to a simmer and then strain over the breadcrumbs. Stir until the bread softens then add cream, nutmeg and seasoning. Cool, then chill (or freeze in a lidded container until needed. Defrost overnight in the fridge). Serve warm with turkey.​

Hollandaise sauce Hollandaise is an indulgent, buttery sauce that is an essential component of eggs Benedict, but equally heavenly with asparagus, salmon or new potatoes. The sauce is an emulsion of egg yolks and liquid butter flavoured with lemon juice, salt and a little cayenne pepper and is notoriously difficult to get right. The trick is to heat the eggs enough so they thicken but no so much that they curdle. Our easy recipe will help you achieve perfect results every time.

150ml white wine vinegar 1 banana shallot, finely sliced 1 sprig thyme 1 tsp black peppercorns ​2 egg yolks ​ 200g butter, melted Salt Place the vinegar, shallot, thyme and peppercorns in a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce by half.

Place a large bowl over a pan of simmering water and add the egg yolks. Whisk until they have double in size and add the vinegar reduction. Remove the bowl from the heat and very gradually add the butter.

Season the hollandaise to taste with the salt. Serve immediately. If you prefer it to be more acidic you can add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Yorkshire pudding www.ebook3000.com

Lisa Allen’s classic Yorkshire pudding recipe makes a fantastically crispy accompaniment to your Sunday roast. Don't forget to get the oil or dripping smoking hot before cooking – this is the key to any good Yorkshire pudding.

80g plain flour 1 egg​ 80ml milk​ 60ml water 2 tbsp vegetable oil, or beef dripping Pinch salt Pinch pepper Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to make a well in the centre. Break the egg into the well and mix with the flour. Add the milk, water, salt and pepper, whisk until you have a smooth batter and set aside.

Add the vegetable oil or dripping to a 28 x 18cm roasting tray. Place into the oven until the fat gets smoking hot, for around 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the tray from the oven, pour in the batter and return to the oven until crispy and puffed up around the edges – this should take approximately 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe by Lisa Allen first appeared on the Great British Chefs

​Herby dairy- and gluten-free Yorkshire puddings

Howard Middleton puts a twist on a classic with this recipe for dairy-free and gluten-free Yorkshire puddings. Chives and sun-dried tomatoes really boost the flavour of the batter, but any combination of herbs would work beautifully in this recipe.

2 tbsp rice bran oil 4 eggs ​ 300ml oat milk 1 pinch salt Freshly ground black pepper ​ 100g tapioca flour 50g gluten-free oat flour 50g gram flour 50g cornflour ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder Handful chives, chopped or snipped 6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil and chopped Preheat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 9. Pour the oil into a 20 x 30cm metal baking tin and place into the oven to heat up. Meanwhile, make the batter by whisking together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add the flours and baking powder and whisk again, then add in the chives and tomatoes and stir well.

Once the oil has become smoking hot remove the tin from the oven and carefully pour in the batter.

Return the tray to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the Yorkshire pudding has risen and become golden brown in colour. Slice into 4 pieces and serve.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Food & Drink

WINTER WONDERS OUTSIDE AND IN This week in Brunch on Saturday, Emma Henderson dines out (literally) in a winter wonderland, while Fern Green whips up some seasonally spiced fritters

The heated outside area, next to the open fireplace

Brunching out...

Most of the time, I won’t believe the hype. I don’t like to read books that are talked about everywhere until much later and I’m unlikely to get into a TV series that is gripping the nation. But when it comes to restaurants, I will actually take recommendations – from a select few people. The Ivy in Chelsea is one of those places that could easily just hide behind its prestigious name. But it does not.

Drawing you in with seasonal decorations adorning the whole of the exterior (of its Grade II listed building), this is a time to judge a book by its cover, as it’s clear the brand cares as much about the outside as it does the inside.

And this one has opened its own winter garden in the substantial outside space, serving brunch on the weekends between 11.30am and 4pm. Don’t let the word “garden” put you off, there’s an open fire, heaters, a fire pit and plenty of pretty foliage – so much that it could even trick you into thinking you’re in a tropical jungle rather than south London. Over the festive period, there is a huge Christmas tree in the garden, adorned with orange and cinnamon decorations, that is just screaming for you to take a picture in front of it.

Roasted butternut squash with grains from the mains menu (Paul Winch-Furness)

It’s also the kind of place where brunch is not just confined to eggs and avocados – although there is plenty of that, including a decadent lobster Benedict served with asparagus – it’s a three-course affair, if you want it to be. Starters cover crispy duck salad to eggs royal, while mains range from a homely shepherd’s pie to a hamburger and veggie-friendly roasted butternut squash. It’s vast. And dishes are deceptively filling. Then there are desserts to suit chocoholics, cheese lovers and those with a sweet tooth. Of course, you can indulge on drinks, too, with bloody Marys and Aperol spritzes as well as some of their own concoctions – or non-alcoholic cocktails – and pick your favourite tea from a solid tea selection to round it all off.

The interior is separated into different areas, a more causal section at the back in the orangery and a more formal restaurant towards the front. It’s vintage luxury in design, with earthy tones and a down to earth yet elegant feel, with an added touch of Victoriana in the form of delicate framed pictures of flowers and plants .

So, sometimes, we should believe the hype – and book ahead for weekends. www.ebook3000.com

The Ivy Chelsea Garden, 195-197 King’s Road, London SW3 5EQ; 02033010300; theivychelseagarden.com

Brunching in...

Spiced Granny Smith fritters For those of you who love apples and doughnuts, these fritters are a delicious combination of the two –

crispy on the outside with soft, tart apple in the middle. I sometimes make a dipping sauce of cream cheese, cinnamon and honey to serve with them.

Makes about 20 225g self-raising flour 2 tbsp caster sugar 1/4 tsp ground ginger Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of ground cloves 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 5mm cubes 2 eggs, beaten 180ml whole milk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Butter, for frying Icing sugar, to serve Combine the flour, sugar, ginger, nutmeg and cloves together in a bowl. Add the apple and toss around in the dry mixture until well coated. Pour in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract and stir gently until everything is combined.

Put a small knob of butter into a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Use a large spoon to add a portion of apple batter to the pan. Spoon more fritters into the pan, but don’t overcrowd it – I find doing 4-5 at a time is enough. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and then flip the fritters over to fry the other side for a further 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp all over. Remove the fritters from the pan using a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on kitchen paper. Add more batter to the pan and continue cooking until all the batter has been used. You can crisp the fritters back up in a very hot oven for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Breakfast Morning, Noon and Night by Fern Green. Published by Hardie Grant, ÂŁ18.99

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / IndyBest

PIE IN THE SKY Mince pies are a Christmas Eve classic, so here are the best ones to pop in your trolley this afternoon

KATE HILPERN Still got some last minute festive food shopping to do? Don’t panic – we’ve hunted up and down the high street for the best mince pies to enjoy with some brandy cream and a nice cuppa. And don’t assume the most expensive brands are necessarily the best – our roundup reveals that some of this year’s best mince pies come from the budget brands.

1. Iceland Luxury Mince Pies: £1.50 for 6, Iceland

These tasty morsels from the budget frozen food specialist beat a lot of the big players thanks to the combination of juicy, glossy-looking mincemeat and buttery pastry, along with the home-made appearance.

2. Waitrose Christmas All Butter Mince Pies: ÂŁ2.50 for 6, Waitrose

www.ebook3000.com

Heat up these simply designed mince pies with crimped edges and hey presto, you’ve got yourself a real crowd-pleaser, thanks to the deep filling and melt-in-the-mouth pastry. You get more citrus than spice coming through, which means they can turn even those who don’t normally like mincemeat.

3. Bettys Speciality Mince Pies: ÂŁ12.50 for 12, Bettys

Bettys sells two types of selections – one containing traditional mince pies with delightful cookie-cutter star tops, and this one containing six beautifully presented continental frangipane mince pies and six ricciarelli mince pies. Both are scrumptious, and well worth the extra dosh, although we favour the latter’s exotic almond flavours.

4. Cottage Delight Mini Almond Mince Pies: £6 for 9, John Lewis

www.ebook3000.com

We think these bite-sized pies are a great after dinner treat that can be enjoyed either hot or cold. There’s not too much pastry (a common problem with petits fours-sized mince pies), with a simple almond sprinkling on the top of the full-flavoured mincemeat. Only problem is it’s hard to stop at one.

5. Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Mince Pies: £2.99 for 6, Aldi

Aldi’s gone off piste with its frangipane topping and what a great decision that was – it’s fluffy and decadent, with the almond taste giving a really rich and sophisticated flavour, which balances well against the luscious filling that boasts a generous splash of seasonal cheer. A major thumbs up from us – and they look great too.

6. Marks & Spencer Handcrafted Ultimate Mini Mince Pies: £16 for 36, Marks & Spencer

www.ebook3000.com

This eye-catching box of yuletide goodies makes for a lovely gift, not least because the mince pies taste every bit as good as they look, with moist, plump fruit in the filling, and a light, golden pastry casing. There are three types, beautifully decorated with the likes of pecans, silver lustre and gold dusting. The collection comprises 36 pies, so this is one for the party hosts.

7. Harrods Classic Mince Pies with Brandy: ÂŁ8.95 for 6, Harrods

These aren’t the cheapest in our round-up, but the rich brandy-laden filling – which, by the way, is more citrusy than spicy – and thick, crumbly, golden pastry makes them a decadent option. If you heat them up, the smell is wonderful.

8. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies: £2 for 6, Sainsbury’s

www.ebook3000.com

And now for those who prefer a really well-spiced filling. We found the fruits are chewy, tangy and utterly delicious, while the thick shortcrust pastry is flaky and buttery. Definitely best eaten warm from the oven, with a nice dollop of brandy cream.

9. The Foods of Athenry Very Fruity Mince Pies Gluten Free: ÂŁ4.50 for 4, Ocado

Despite being determined to include a gluten-free option in our round-up, we almost gave up as most are truly bin-worthy. So we were all the more delighted to come across these handmade ones, which have a generous portion of succulent filling that hits the perfect balance between sweet and tangy, and a pastry that – although very crumbly – is delicious, especially when served hot.

10. Fortnum & Mason Petits Fours Almond Mince Pies: £18.95 for 32, Fortnum and Mason

www.ebook3000.com

What kind of household needs 32 mince pies in one box, you may be thinking – but this bumper pack of mini mince pies are so utterly divine that you have no need to worry about leftovers. Includes traditional, almond, St Clement’s and even dark chocolate.

11. Riverford Mince Pies: ÂŁ4.99 for 6, Riverford

Riverford is a one-stop festive shop if you like your yuletide goodies both delicious and organic. Its mince pies are handmade with rich, buttery and reasonably thick pastry and a luscious filling of vine fruit, citrus peel, Bramley apples and a princely dash of brandy. Great for pretending you made them yourself.

12. Tesco Finest All Butter Pastry Deep Filled Mince Pies with Courvoisier VS Cognac: ÂŁ2 for 6, Tesco

www.ebook3000.com

These pretty looking pies look attractive on the plate and the pastry is rich and buttery, while the mincemeat has a good glug of brandy added to the moist, ripe fruits. There’s a nice amount of spice too.

But the pastry could be a bit more crumbly.

13. Lottie Shaw’s Seriously Good Mince Pies: £3.20 for 4, Ocado

These shallow-filled mince pies mean you’re sure to get a generous portion of succulent mincemeat in every mouthful. The pastry is sweet and crumbly and finished off with a scattering of caster sugar. The packaging is gorgeous too.

The Verdict: Mince pies Iceland’s Luxury Mince Pies boast crumbly, buttery pastry and are generously filled with sweet fruity, boozy mincemeat. And they cost a fraction of their more exclusive rivals. We also fell in love with Bettys Speciality Mince Pies, which are unusual, exotic and thoroughly indulgent.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Fashion & Style

A QUICK WRAP If you’re in need of last-minute stocking fillers for men, best stick to the warm, woolly winter basics says Lee Holmes

Hats and scarves are seriously underrated as festive gifts

If you haven’t already finished your Christmas shopping by now, you’re probably praying for some last minute Yuletide miracles. But what form these little miracles should take is always up for debate; buying a random aftershave can be an odoriferous minefield if only because what smells fragrant to you may well smell foul to somebody else.

Instead, it’s probably best to stick to the basics and by this; I mean the fluffy woolly kind. It’s the hats, gloves, socks and scarves that are stocking-filler lifesavers during the final run up to Christmas, especially so when we live in a county where the winter weather is nothing if not harsh and unpredictable.

For a start, you can never have too many pairs of gloves; I now lose so many throughout winter that I’m

seriously considering having my next pair stitched onto the cuffs of my coat. Which means that owning three or four pairs and having them on rotation should be a no-brainer. As for fingerless gloves, they’re an incredibly practical gift if you’re buying for anyone who is constantly glued to their smart phone; hands are kept warm while fingering dexterity remains intact.

A similar approach should also be taken when it comes to handing out the socks, so don’t feel guilty when you witness your nearest and dearest unwrap his sixth pair in as many hours. Rather, remind yourself that any gentleman worth his salt should be switching up his sock draw at least annually, throwing out the old and welcoming in the new. Socks as a last minute gift should be given with absolute abandon.

Hats and scarves are also seriously under-rated as festive gifts. After all, didn’t your mother always tell you that you lose most of your body heat through your head? Whether that’s true or not, it’s the everfunctional beanie hat that snazzy gents will want to find at the bottom of their stockings this year.

Likewise, a brand new scarf can add some much-needed swagger to your Christmas ho, ho, ho, proving once and for all that warmth and style are not mutually exclusive.

Hat, £155, Marni

www.ebook3000.com

Lambswool socks, £8, Gap

Hat, £160, Gucci

www.ebook3000.com

Hat, £8, Topman

Socks, £5, Cos

www.ebook3000.com

Scarf, £40, Whistles

Fingerless gloves, ÂŁ7, Topman

www.ebook3000.com

Socks, £25, The Workers Club

Scarf, £80, NN07

www.ebook3000.com

Beanie Hat, £2.99, New Look

Gloves, £155, Moncler Gamme Bleu

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Fashion & Style

LET IT SHINE Be bold and embrace the sparkle: New Year’s Eve is all about piling on the glamour, says Sarah Young

Silver lining: New Year's Eve is the perfect time to break out that sequin dress (Getty Images)

While your Christmas frock might be in the bag, the party doesn’t end there. Because as much as we like to go on about how New Year’s is overrated, we still care about what we’re wearing on the big night.

Whether you’re heading out to celebrate or doing something at home, New Year's Eve is all about piling on the glamour. If there’s one night to bust out the sparkles, this is it. So embrace the opportunity to dress up and steal the party spotlight. Sure, a glittering ensemble is hardly ground-breaking for New Year’s Eve, but if you can’t wear it then, when can you?

The key here is to strike just the right balance of shimmer and non-shimmer and top it off with a touch of irony. For full-on festive twinkle, a sequin dress should be your go-to. But if you don’t want to go down the

disco ball route, metallics are another great option. Avoid anything lame though and opt for something a little more interesting or directional instead.

Splashes of silver and gold against jacquard or the material of the moment, velvet, are a modern way to update the most lacklustre of ensembles. Even if you do decide to opt for the ubiquitous Little Black Dress, embrace your inner magpie with metallic jewellery, a flashy clutch bag or even a pair of silver-hued shoes.

For those who like to break the mould, these shiny accents are a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd. Try opting for a silver high-shine skirt or, for the really brave, a pair of silver strides ala Marques’ Ameida Spring/Summer 2017. If the idea of entering 2017 in the sparkliest of ensembles fills you with dread, there are other alternatives. A precision-cut tux and stiletto heels never goes amiss, nor does a billowing, full-skirted dress for that girly showstopper.

And, of course, there’s always the option to add a little festive twinkle in your eye; or on it, should we say.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Car review

PULL UP TO THE BUMPER, BABY Sean O'Grady sees Citroen launch their airbump offensive on the supermini market with the new C3

Citroen airbumps are the kind of thing that would look at home in a bearded hipster’s flat (all images Citroen)

Airbumps. You don’t have to venture very far into the world of Citroen before you’re confronted with them. Their designers are obsessed by them. On their new C3 five-door hatch, for example, they are a prominent design “cue”, as they say. Airbumps are what boring car people used to call “side rubbing strips” and these strips of rubber were fitted to your Ford Cortina, say, either by the factory or by you, via your local accessory shop.

The idea was that these strips of rubber would prevent scrapes and dents to your bodywork. You could also buy vertical ones with built-in reflectors that would go on the trailing edge of the doors to offer even more protection for your paintwork in tight parking spaces. They were functional. But Citroen “airbumps”, a bubbly version of the traditional rubber cladding, are an altogether more fashionable thing, you see, the

kind of thing that would look at home in a bearded hipster’s flat.

Families will be at home in the roomy cabin

Airbumps first sprouted on the C4 Cactus, and have become so stylishly successful that now Citroen put them everywhere. So airbump shapes abound on the air vents, the rear lights, the alloys, and the dash generally and the door handles. The C3 flash drive they give to journalists has an airbump-style rubber casing. If they could make the wheels airbump-shaped they would have done it.

The airbump is an attractive sort of shape, a squared-off oval. Strange to say, then, that customers can specify their new C3 without the trademark airbump, which maybe defeats the whole object of the design exercise, as well as suggesting a little nervousness on the part of Citroen as they pitch their little car into the vicious market place that is the “B-sector” – up against the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Juke, Skoda Fabia, Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio, VW Polo… it is a long list of capable small cars, none of which haveairbumps.

THE SPEC Price: £15,995 (£17,555 as tested) Engine capacity: 1.2 ltr 3cyl petrol Power output (hp@rpm):110 @ 1,500 Top speed (mph): 117 0-62 mph (seconds): 9.3 Fuel economy (mpg): 61.4 CO2 emissions (g/km): 103 BIK: 17%

Following the lead set by the Mini a few years ago, Citroen are offering lots of combinations of nine body colours, three roof colours, and a variety of interior trims. Inspired by the Range Rover, the C3 also features a “floating roof” look. In all this the closest counterpart in the five-door supermini market is the Skoda Fabia. You can create the most appalling colour clashes if you like, and Citroen will serve them up with equanimity.

Citroen are offering two broad engine options. There are three sizes of three-cylinder petrol engine, all of which offer excellent driving characteristics and rev to ridiculously high limits. Smooth and torquey, they also have a “note” which is vaguely reminiscent of an air-cooled (two cylinder) 2CV. So the C3, unlike the Mini and Fiat 500, may not look retro – anything but – but it does make a 1940s noise. www.ebook3000.com

The diesels are also highly accomplished but not as free-revvingly enjoyable, and of course they suffer from the same drawbacks even modern diesels are prone to.

Citroen place a great premium on comfort, and the C3 is a generally enjoyable place to be. It has broad seats and soft suspension, which makes for a slightly rollabout-on-the-roundabout quality to it, so I can’t see them doing a “GTI” version of it. It sits high, in that cross-over way, and families will be at home in its roomy cabin. Oddly, they don’t specify an armrest for the front seats even on the top level of trim “Flair”.

“Connectivity” is also there, though I couldn’t link the app, and therefore my C3’s dash camera, to a mobile phone. If I had been able to I’d share some images of where I had been driving it, and how. I suspect that’s my problem, not the Citroen’s.

So the new C3 has a great deal to commend it, and I’d tend to opt for the basic £10,995 version, offering strong value, and maybe wait a little while to find some lightly used ones cropping up on the market. The C3 has been an important model for Citroen since the first generation appeared in 2003, selling an impressive 3 million units around the world. This airbumped new edition deserves to succeed just as well.

Unless airbumps give you goosebumps.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Car choice

SMALL CARS, BIG BOOTS Need a new or used car but not sure which make or model? James Ruppert can help you decide

The Vauxhall Meriva has highly configurable internal seating allowing you to maximise space (Vauxhall)

Mike Finedon needs a small car with plenty of space and a decent boot – and only has £2,000 to spend.

A car for the head In a Vauxhall Meriva Mike will find that the seating is set high and is very comfortable – effectively this is a mini people carrier. It is just as flexible too, because the rear seats move independently for many different configurations. Branded as “Flex Space,” the three seats each move forwards and backwards, while the outer two move side-to-side and can fold into the floor to create a massive 1,410 litres of rear storage space.

The 1.4 litre petrol engine option is economical enough, and should return around 40mpg. You can buy a 2010 1.4i Design model, which is well equipped, for around £1,750.

The Mazda 2 has plenty of room inside and is related to the Ford Fiesta (Mazda)

A car for the heart The Mazda 2 is related to the Ford Fiesta, which is a very good thing because as a result it's an easy-todrive small hatchback. There is plenty of head- and leg-room, with scalloped interior door trims and a relatively flat floor, so that space is maximised at all times. The rear seats will fold and there is a large square boot, although the seat backs do not lie fully flat. The smaller 1.3 petrol engine variant will return over 50mpg. In this case, around £1,795 will buy a 2009 example with a year’s MOT, 90,000 miles, and full service history with warranty.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

TOP TEN... TOP TENS OF 2016 The best of John Rentoul’s weekly lists from this year, including the important information that Aga is the Swedish abbreviation for Gas Accumulator Company

Margaret Thatcher's nickname, ‘The Iron Lady’, was intended as an insult but later became the title of a film in which the politician was portrayed by Meryl Streep

1. Insults Worn As Badges of Pride 1. Iron Lady. First applied by the Soviet military newspaper Red Star to Margaret Thatcher to suggest that she was stubborn and inflexible.

2. Prime Minister. Originally a derogatory term meaning the monarch’s favourite.

3. Know-Nothings. The American Party, 1850s. Opposed immigrants and Roman Catholics. Originated as a secret society whose members claimed they “know nothing” about it.

4. Quaker. Religious Society of Friends. So called because founder George Fox bade magistrates “tremble at the Word of the Lord” when brought before them in 1650.

5. Suffragette. Derogatory term coined by the Daily Mail and adopted by more militant suffragists.

6. The Vermin Club. Formed by Tories (also originally an insult) in 1948 after Aneurin Bevan called them “lower than vermin”.

7. Barmy Army. Coined by Australian commentators for English cricket fans constantly cheering despite their team losing to Australia in 1994-95.

8. Scouse. Pertaining to Liverpool. Short for lobscouse – a cheap stew for sailors.

9. Queer. Reclaimed by the gay pride movement in the 1980s.

10. Geek. Late 19th-century English, “fool”, of Germanic origin, related to Dutch gek, “mad, silly”.

2. Words You Think Come from One Language but Come from Another 1. Admiral. Arabic, emir al-.

2. Rigmarole. Eighteenth-century English, “ragman roll”: a game in which descriptions of characters were written on a scroll.

3. Yoghurt. Turkish.

4. Svelte. Italian (svelto, the past participle of svellere, to pluck out).

5. Doolally. Indian place-name, Deolali.

6. Craic. Irish spelling of English “crack”.

7. Khazi. Italian, casa, a house, brothel.

8. Sassenach. From Saxon, “Saxon”.

9. Veranda. Portuguese.

10. Que sera sera. Neither Spanish nor Italian, it’s basically nonsense.

3. Original Names for Bands 1. The ’N Betweens. Then Ambrose Slade, from a record-company secretary who named her handbag Ambrose and her shoes Slade. Then they dropped the Ambrose. One of Mike Reid’s better jokes was to pronounce it to rhyme with Sade.

2. The Rollin’ Stones. After a Muddy Waters song, “Rollin’ Stone”. The “g” was restored when they signed to Decca Records.

3. The Guildford Stranglers. None of them was actually from Guildford, and a mere place name was not tasteless enough.

4. On a Friday. Radiohead. Because that’s when they rehearsed.

5. Seymour. Blur.

6. Bastard. Lemmy’s original choice of name for Motörhead.

7. Westside. Westlife. www.ebook3000.com

8. The Obelisk. Then Malice, Easy Cure and finally the Cure.

9. Smile. Queen.

10. Angel and the Snake. Blondie.

4. Acronyms You May Not Have Realised Were Acronyms 1. Pakistan. Coined in 1933 for Punjab, Afghan (North-West Frontier) Province, Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan. Strictly a backronym, retrofitted to Urdu for “Land of the Pure”.

2. Gulag. Russian: G[lavnoe] u[pravlenie ispravitelʹno-trudovykh] lag[erei], “Chief Administration for Corrective Labour Camps”.

3. Aga. Aktiebolaget Gasaccumulator (Swedish for Gas Accumulator Company).

4. Laser. “Light amplification by stimulated emitted radiation.”

5. Scuba. “Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.”

6. Base jumping. Parachuting or wingsuit-flying from a building, antenna, span (bridge) or Earth (cliff).

7. Radar. “Radio detection and ranging.”

8. Flak. From German Fliegerabwehrkanonen, “aeroplane defence cannon”.

9. Syriza. Contraction of Coalition of the Radical Left in Greek. Another backronym: syriza (pronounced suh-ree-zuh) is Greek for “radically”.

10. Zip code. “Zone improvement plan.”

5. Compound Names in Which Every Word is Untrue 1. Socialist Workers Party.

2. Holy Roman Empire. Rare genuine Voltaire quotation: “Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.”

3. Carphone Warehouse.

4. New Scotland Yard.

5. Eurovision Song Contest.

6. Lord Privy Seal. Ernest Bevin said he was “neither a Lord, nor a Privy, nor a Seal”.

7. Madison Square Garden. The original venue may have been near Madison Square but even it was never a garden.

8. Champions League. You can qualify from finishing fourth and it’s a cup tournament.

9. Bayeux Tapestry. Made in England, and is embroidery.

10. John Harvard, Founder, 1638: inscription on the statue at Harvard University. It is not him and the statue doesn’t date from 1638 (the model was an unknown resident of Concord in the 19th century); nor was he the founder: when he died in 1638 he left a library to a school that had been founded two years earlier, which was renamed after him in 1639.

6. Dictionary of Notional Biography Entries 1. Sortie de Camions, French 17th-century mystic 2. Tetanus Booster, Southern US Senator

3. Hertz Van Rental, 17th-century Dutch painter 4. Hong Kong, younger brother of the misunderstood oversized gorilla playboy 5. Morden Via Bank, South African actor. Mainly played aristocrats in German horror films of the 1920s 6. Ambre Solaire, glamorous 1930s French film actress 7. Helvetica Bold, purveyor of discreet adult services to the gentry 8. Stella Artois, Brummie gal who married into the French aristocracy in exile in the late 18th century 9. Chilcot Inquiry, star quarterback for Ohio State Buckeyes football team 10. Cédez le Passage, burlesque dancer

7. Modern Proverbs 1. “Truly, truth is stranger than Photoshop.”

2. “No good ever comes of answering an office landline.”

3. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to phish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

4. “The least-followed egg is the angriest.”

5. “A watched update never loads.”

6. “Tweet in haste, regret immediately.”

7. “If at first you don’t succeed, try turning it off and on again.”

8. “Power corrupts. Absolute power keeps your smartphone fully charged.”

9. “Never go below the line.”

10. “You Brexit, you fixit.”

8. Words That Describe Themselves 1. Languid.

2. Spindly.

3. Curt.

4. Intertwined.

5. Grandiloquent.

6. Turgid.

7. Pentasyllabic.

8. Autological.

9. Bed. 10. Cantankerous.

9. Popular Zombie Bad Policies Political ideas that refuse to die even though they don't appear to work. www.ebook3000.com

1. Graduate tax.

2. Rent control.

3. Universal basic income.

4. Proportional representation.

5. Rail nationalisation.

6. Death penalty.

7. Import tariffs.

8. Robin Hood tax (financial transactions tax).

9. More runways.

10. Rebalancing the economy.

10. Jokes And finally, a bonus Top 10: a new round-up of the best of Glenny Rodge, Moose Allain and others.

1. Two horses at a party. Which one finds it hard to mingle? The shire horse. Andrea Snowmann.

2. “My work here is done.” – Yoda, pointing at his desk. Glenny Rodge.

3. The A4 is jammed. It’s stationery. Moose Allain.

4. Genie: “What is your first wish?” Joe: “I want to be rich.” Genie: “Granted. And what is your second wish?” Rich: “I want lots of money.” Fro Vo Ho. 5. Eskimos have more than 50 words for snow. These include snope, snegative, snevergonnahappen and, of course, snotonyournelly. Glenny Rodge.

6. Schadenfreude is a German word that means taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. The nearest British equivalent is “British”. Moose Allain.

7. My mate got arrested trying to mug a sea cow. What was he charged with? Crimes against a manatee. Lola Kempes.

8. “Fancy bumping into you here also buying a globe!” “It’s a small world.” Moose Allain.

9. Then they came for the bins, and I did not speak out, because I was not a bin man, and they were, and that was their job. Dubious Genius.

10. “Do you like Tolstoy?” “Of course. Who doesn’t?” “What’s your favourite book?” “The one where Woody is kidnapped and Buzz tries to save him.” Glenny Rodge.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine / Games

GET THE PICTURE Find the well-known word, name or phrase made by each group of pictures, and the theme that unites them all

Tap here for a clue Tap here for answers

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

The Magazine

BIRTHDAYS

Broadcaster Carol Vorderman is 56 today (Getty)

Jan Akkerman, guitarist, 70; Nicholas Archer, former Managing Director, Policy and Network Development, UK Trade and Investment, 56; Trevor Beattie, Creative Director, Beattie McGuinness Bungay, 57; Chris Blackhurst, former Editor, The Independent, 57; Jonathan Brenton, Minister Counsellor (Prosperity), British Embassy, Moscow, 51; Keith Deller, former world darts champion, 57; Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent BBC, 58; Sir Gerald Elliot, former Chairman, Christian Salvesen, 93; Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland, 73; David Hobart, Chief Executive, City of London Law Society, 63; Helen Jones MP, 62; Anil Kapoor, actor, 57; Hamid Karzai, former President of Afghanistan, 59; Nick Kent, music writer, 65; Lord Kilclooney of Armagh, former MP, 79; Sir Ivan Lawrence QC, former MP, 80; Ricky Martin, singer and actor, 43; Stewart Maxwell, former MSP, 53; David Mepham, UK Director, Human Rights Watch, 49; Stephenie Meyer, author, 43; Ed Miliband MP, former Leader of the Labour

Party, 47; Stephen Pattison, former diplomat, 63; Mary Ramsey, musician, 53; Paul Skinner, Chairman, Defence Equipment and Support, Ministry of Defence, 72; Jeff Smith, Head of Music, BBC Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music, 56; Louis Tomlinson, singer, 25; Carol Vorderman, broadcaster, 56; Rt Rev Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester, 58; Richard Wildash, Deputy Head of Mission, Saudi Arabia, 61; Simon Woolley, Co-Founder and Director, Operation Black Vote, 55; Philip Ziegler, writer and historian, 87.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / Film

LAST CHANCE SALOON Luke Hemsworth thought an acting career had passed him by – until Westworld came along. Interview by Kaleem Aftab

The eldest Hemsworth brother is now catching up with his younger siblings (HBO)

Westworld is the place that people go to live out their fantasies. The Golden Globe-nominated show is also where Luke Hemsworth, who plays Westworld’s head of security Ashley Stubbs, landed the acting career that appeared to have previously slipped away from him. It seems you can get what you wish for.

For years, the eldest of the Hemsworth brothers looked on as doors opened in the acting world for his younger brothers, Thor star Chris, and The Dressmaker lead Liam. While they journeyed to Hollywood, the eldest Hemsworth took on a labouring job following in his grandfather’s footsteps in Australia.

“I don’t think I ever saw acting as an actual career, until late. Chris was much different,” the 36-year-old Australian tells me at the Dubai Film Festival. “That’s why I went down the road of getting a trade and

doing flooring and supporting myself that way, because I never really saw coming to Los Angeles as an option.”

From a young age, all Hemsworth wanted to do was play. He was a keen sportsman, who would spend his time in the water surfing or playing water polo. Viewing a nine to five job as anathema, he wanted a career that would not involve an office. He saw potential in acting as, “I like making people laugh, so drama was never a big leap for me.”

He trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Melbourne before graduating to the set of Neighbours. Yet he never quite got that defining role and by the time he was 27, with the first of his four children on the way with wife Samantha, he decided to turn his back on acting.

“By that stage I had been in the acting industry and did a whole bunch of stuff and never quite cracked it in the way that I needed to have a career and be able to support myself,” he recalls. Waiting for directors to call action often broke his spirit: “I was in a dark place and it had to do with the fact that things had not gone in a direction I thought that they would.”

I don’t think I ever saw acting as an actual career, until late

He would have given up acting had it not been for the success and generosity of his younger brothers, especially Chris: “I went and worked on Thor 2, as his personal trainer.”

We laugh. Comparing the physique of Luke, shorter than his brothers, more stocky in build than lithe athlete, it’s hard to believe that Thor would need training from this man seated in a borrowed three-piece grey Dolce and Gabbana suit. He admits, “I had very little experience [as a personal trainer]. But what I lacked in experience, I made up for in dedication.”

So he moved his family to London, where Thor 2 was filming. He was paid extremely handsomely, which enabled him to relocate with his four children to Los Angeles, moving into a house bought for him by his two younger brothers. None of this surprises me, as I’d previously been told how the middle Hemsworth had used the money from his first Marvel movie to buy his parents a house.

When I mention this to Luke, he has to hold back the tears. Taking off his sunglasses for the first time in the Dubai sun, he mumbles, “Yeah. Oh it makes me so emotional. I still remember it because I had to keep a secret. He’d transferred the money to our parents’ bank account and I had to tell my mum to look. I’ll never forget watching my mum open up her online banking page.”

In terms of acting royalty it’s middle brother Chris who is king. It can be an odd situation for an elder brother to have to look to his younger kin for support. But it’s perfectly in keeping with the straightforward friendly attitude of the Westworld star that he sees it as a gift rather than something to begrudge.

“Chris has been in the industry for so long, and he’s been a part of so many incredible productions and issues, and I can’t help but look up to him and ask for advice, just seeing him be able to do that, to watch that.”

Getting to Los Angeles was only the start of the battle. Hollywood is not famous for handing out roles because you’re someone’s brother. Nothing came easy. Even Westworld was a battle in which he had to face rejection before finally coming out on top. He first went to audition for gunslinger Teddy, a role that went to James Marsden. The months passed by, and actors of the calibre of Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, www.ebook3000.com

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jeffrey Wright joined the cast.

Then came the call asking if he would be interested in taking on the role of Stubbs. “I think I only did one more audition after that, and sealed the deal,” says Hemsworth. “It’s a beautiful jumping off point. I’m not carrying the show so I’ve not got that pressure. It’s an incredible feeling and a great introduction to an American production.”

Luke Hemsworth, centre left, in Westworld

He says that the personality of the character was tailor-made for him. “There is not a lot of hefty research that I had to do to play Stubbs. There is a lot of stuff that is quite close to me, there is a physical presence, there is an intellect, there is a wry sense of humour, and a sardonicism. Yeah, I think it’s played quite close to my heart, this character. Maybe that is the answer,” he states, laughing as he demeans himself.

The desire to keep people safe comes from his father. “He hates bullies. So does my mum. They are both champions of the underdog. My dad has spent 20 years of his life working in child protection and writing policy for organisations across Australia in order to recognise and safeguard against abuse. I think their influence is on all of us. We all don’t suffer fools and we are very quick to defend someone.”

Trying to get information out of him about the next season and discover if Stubbs will escape from a hostile tribe is like trying to find surf in the Dead Sea. Not that Hemsworth is trying to hide anything; he genuinely doesn’t seem to know. He didn’t even know what the big reveal in the finale of Westworld was going to be until it happened: “They [the show’s creators] are very open to a point but they like to keep everything close to their chest. There is a lot of cloak and daggers and misdirection. And it’s great on their part. No one knew that Jeffrey was disguised.”

There will be a long gap before they start shooting season 2, which is not due to air until 2018. “They are

trying to get it right. They don’t want to go in doing what they were doing last time where they were under the cosh the whole time. They want to go in with a clear plan – A to Z and everything in between – at least have drafts in place.”

In between times, and unlike in the show, Hemsworth finally gets to play a cowboy. He is the lead role in western Abilene, playing Wild Bill Hickok alongside Kris Kristofferson and Bruce Dern. “It’s a film about Hickok’s life just before he went to Deadwood and was shot in the back,” says Hemsworth. “It’s the first time that I’ve been number one on the call sheet. It was all last minute, and there was some trepidation over whether I could do it and learn the amount of material I needed to in the short time available. There was a lot of material – it’s quite wordy, there is horse riding, shooting guns, but the scary stuff is what excited me.”

Abilene will be out in 2017 and Westworld will be available on DVD in 2017

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / TV

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW Peter Capaldi talks Time Lord japes, the classic Doctor Who injury, and why the show will always belong to the children. By James Rampton

The Doctor Who 2016 Christmas Special takes a superhero-shaped turn

The audience for the Christmas special of Doctor Who – which is likely, as always, to reach many millions – will include one particularly interested viewer: Peter Capaldi, who plays the Time Lord himself.

But the actor, who has been widely acclaimed for his magnetic performance as the 12th incarnation of the Doctor, admits that he will be switching on with some reservations.

Capaldi, who is teaming his trademark “electric shock” hairdo with a smart dark suit today, explains why.

“I have always watched Doctor Who at Christmas, even before I was involved. I still do, but now I watch it from behind the sofa because I’m terrified of my acting and my hair! But it’s still the centrepiece of our day. I wouldn’t like to deprive my family of that.

“Doctor Who should be on Christmas Day. It suits Christmas. It’s a little bit scary, a little bit nostalgic and a little bit festive. Christmas should be really scary. It is in my house, but I think we get it mixed up with Halloween.”

With a presence as vivid and electrifying as his hair, 58-year-old Capaldi makes for compelling company.

He possesses an unusual, almost otherworldly charm that makes him perfect for the role of Doctor Who. A lifelong fan who famously wrote to the Radio Times as a young boy praising the programme, the actor brings a rare relish to the part.

A live wire with a captivating use of language, Capaldi manifests a very appealing sense of humour, too.

When asked, for instance, if he gives people Doctor Who gifts for Christmas, the actor replies, “Not unless it’s someone I know loves Doctor Who. Otherwise, I give people personal gifts.

“Obviously, I could show up on Christmas Day, and all my relations would say, ‘Uncle Peter has given us a Doctor Who calendar.’ But if every relative of mine had a Doctor Who calendar, it might pop into their heads that a job lot of them had been supplied to me.”

In a similar vein, Capaldi talks about the classic Doctor Who injury that he has sustained this year. “I have got the same knee injury as Matt Smith [the actor who played the last Doctor]. When I first met him, he came hobbling into the restaurant on crutches. I said, ‘What’s happened to you?’ ‘It’s the show, mate’.”

Capaldi, who has now played the Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey for the past three years, proceeds to stand up and demonstrate the action that has caused such trouble. “I’ll show you.

Doctor Who suits Christmas. It’s a little bit scary, a little bit nostalgic and a little bit festive.

”You run down the corridor, reach the end, and then spin on one leg to make sure you get a nice close-up.

But when you spin, you put tension on that knee and that’s why it hurts. We should come up with a name for that injury. How about ‘Gallifrey Knee’?”

The actor will surely only have exacerbated his already serious case of “Gallifrey Knee” in playing the Doctor in “The Return of Dr Mysterio”, this year’s Christmas special, which goes out at 5:45pm on Sunday.

In this episode written by showrunner Steven Moffat, the Doctor travels to New York, where he teams up with an enigmatic superhero known only as The Ghost to tackle fiendish, brain-swapping alien baddies bent on world domination. Will the Doctor manage to save Manhattan?

The actor, who also made a huge impact in a previous leading role as the foulmouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in Armando Iannucci’s multi-award-winning political comedy, The Thick of It, tries to recollect if he has ever been responsible for an act of heroism.

With a wry grin – he does a lot of wry grinning – Capaldi recalls that, “I once turned the woman next door’s water off when she had a burst pipe while she was out. I had to put my hand down a hole in the pavement. I know nothing about plumbing, and there was just water gushing everywhere.

“Her house was flooding fast, so I thought, ‘There is obviously a thing you turn down there.’ But I wasn’t www.ebook3000.com

sure what I would find. There could have been a monster with teeth down there. It was at that moment that I thought, ‘Maybe one day I’ll play Doctor Who.’” But further than that, Capaldi does not discern any similarities between the Doctor and a superhero. “I don’t think Doctor Who and a superhero have much in common,” muses the actor, also a very accomplished director who in 1995 won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. ”Doctor Who is a sort of anti-superhero. He doesn’t have tights, as far as we know. But I’ve got them. I wear them under my trousers! The Doctor is not as slick as the traditional superhero. They don’t really come from the same place – or do they?”

Moffat, 55, chips in that, “Superheroes specifically say they are heroes, but the Doctor doesn’t ever do that. He is more of an accidental hero. He is just larking around in time and space.”

Doctor Who may not be a superhero, but this episode certainly chimes with the tone of the earlier, less earnest superhero movies. Capaldi observes that, “There is a lovely wit to some of the movies.

“For instance, in the early Christopher Reeve Superman movies and the old Batman episodes with Adam West, there is a tremendous tongue-in-cheek humour about the whole thing, which has slightly vanished from the world of superhero movies now. But that tongue-in-cheek element is there in this episode.”

Superheroes specifically say they are heroes, but the Doctor doesn’t ever do that. He is more of an accidental hero.

All the same, Moffat is quick to point out that “The Return of Dr Mysterio” does not send up superheroes.

The showrunner, who is also the co-creator of one of the BBC’s other immense global hits, Sherlock, declares that, “You can’t take the mickey for very long. Even five minutes is pushing it. You’ve really only got a sketch then. You have to tell the story sincerely.

“We’re trying to tell a good superhero story and have fun with the idea of a superhero, which mainly comes from the fact that they have to have a secret identity. That means that shy, socially awkward people can believe that at some point they could become a god – which is something I’ve always clung to!”

With its legions of adult fans known as “Whovians”, there is always a debate about which audience Doctor Who is appealing to. But Moffat, who also created the award-winning children’s drama Press Gang, remains adamant that the show should first and foremost speak to younger viewers. “I always say it’s very important to appeal to children. You have to be able to draw the monster. We talk a lot in script meetings about, ‘What is the playground game?’

“That doesn’t mean we take it simply. Doctor Who stories can be complicated and emotional – you’re supposed to sit up and watch it. But you have to keep in mind the slightly different, more intense, more emotional way that children watch TV. At its heart, Doctor Who is a children’s programme that adults absolutely love. Ultimately, it belongs to children. There isn’t a Holby City lunch box – or if there is, it’s not selling very well.”

Hitting his rhetorical stride now, Moffat asserts that, “I feel very strongly about this. Just because Doctor Who is a children’s programme, it doesn’t mean that it’s dumb – in fact, quite the opposite. Children’s TV has to be challenging. You have to stay ahead of the audience because, let’s be clear, kids are smarter than us – and that’s why we don’t like them.

“Doctor Who is a good-hearted adventure where the adults say, ‘This is a really clever show’, and the kids say, ‘Yes, but it’s ours!’ It fills that slot. We can all sit down and watch it. I always think Doctor Who is like when you go to a restaurant and glance longingly at the children’s menu. You think, ‘That’s so much better than the risotto I have to pretend I want.’”

Moffat has announced that he will be stepping down from his role as showrunner at the end of the next series of Doctor Who. Is he already beginning to feel sad about his impending departure? “No. That would be pre-emptively wistful, and I don’t think you can do pre-emptively wistful. But I’m sure I’ll be bitter when it’s over. I’ll say, ‘Why did it end?’ ‘Because you left, you idiot!’

“So I don’t feel wistful yet, but I’m sure the day is coming where I’ll be writing an angry piece for a broadsheet newspaper about how the BBC has lost its way and my phone number and how things were better back in the day. I’ll do that the day after I’ve left!”

One thing Moffat promises he won’t be doing is making a valedictory, Hitchcockian appearance in an episode of Doctor Who. “I’m the executive producer, and I can stop things like that happening because I know I’m a very, very bad actor. It would spoil Doctor Who for me.

“I’d be watching and thinking, ‘Oh no, not him. He can’t act!’ I was in an episode Peter Davison made called ‘The Five Doctors’ playing myself, and even that proved to be out of my range.”

Before we part, Capaldi reflects on whether he has nailed the role of Doctor Who yet. “I don’t think I have, but that’s the way you should be with every part. I find it surprising when actors say, ‘I’ve nailed it. I know how this works.’ I don’t know how it works. I just keep going. It’s clear after a while that certain things are more popular than others, but it would be a mistake to say I know how to do something.”

But does this childhood fan of the Time Lord still get the same joy as ever from playing the part? “Of course! It’s Doctor Who, for goodness sake! What’s not to like?”

The Christmas special of Doctor Who, “The Return of Dr Mysterio”, goes out at 5:45pm on Sunday 25 December

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / Music

GIRLI POWER If being a popstar in 2017 means being outspoken, politicised and unafraid to offend, then pink-haired north London sensation GIRLI is doing it right. By Jamie Milton

‘This is the sound of me vomiting out my brain’: GIRLI doesn’t hold back

When getting to know GIRLI’s hyperactive, anything-goes pop, the best starting point is through one of her mixtapes. Shadowing as a twisted homage to pirate radio, her two “GIRLI.FM” shows are messed up, junk-filled introductions. On her latest, she impersonates Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link, envisages an episode of Take Me Out where Donald Trump gets buzzed off, and recounts late-night party conversations with her friends. All while this is happening, she throws in a dozen demos, half-finished ideas and off-the-cuff takes. In truth, these works are less like actual mixtapes, more like hearing her weird imagination spilled out in song form, warts and all.

As she neatly puts it, this is the sound of “me vomiting out my brain”. An exciting prospect for some, a gross one for others. In her short existence, the outspoken north London newcomer – real name Milly Toomey – has pissed off as many people as she’s brought on board. Songs go for the jugular – new single “F*** Right Off Back to LA” being as brash as it gets – and it’s enough to make hesitant bystanders flock for the hills. Speaking ahead of another sold-out London show, however, it’s clear the all-pink-sporting star wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve been trolled quite a few times,” she says, readily admitting that many don’t see eye-to-eye with her music or opinions. “I got trolled by The 1975 fans on Twitter. I’ll probably get trolled again if this is in the article,” she begins, clarifying: “I like their songs. I respect them for where they are. But the album title [I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it]... I thought it was the most stupid thing ever. So I tweeted, I Like It When You Name Your Album A Twatty Title, For You’re So Pretentious Yet So Unaware Of It. I was on the train, thinking, ‘I’m so funny’ and that five people might pick up on it. I logged in two hours later and it was exploding with hate.” Her account was invaded with abuse (“You’re s***! I hate your hair!”), mostly personal slights. “I made fun of a band’s album title, they said something about my family!”

GIRLI was Deputy Youth MP before turning to music

At this point, GIRLI is fairly used to barrages of hate. At one of her first shows – not exactly subdued affairs, these tend to consist of tampons being thrown from the stage and screwed up beats breaking venue speakers – someone came up to her, while she was on stage, and handed her a note that read, “You’re shit”. Things could only get better. And for every naysayer willing to express their hate, she picks up a bunch of enthusiastic, sugar-pop-happy fans hanging off her every word.

After even just a few minutes in her company, it’s clear GIRLI The Popstar isn’t remotely separate from www.ebook3000.com

Girli The Actual Person. In the past, she’s been accused of making up a persona and creating her own fictional world. Not exactly a crime in the first place, but it doesn’t hold true. Within seconds of saying hello, she’s recounting stories from last weekend’s parties, dissing venue cloakrooms (“Don’t charge me £2 to keep my coat safe. I want to mosh”) and talking about how live music in London is “losing its dirtiness” due to too many rules and restrictions. Everything is out in the open, right down to those troublemaking tweets and social media’s latest additive, Instagram Stories (“That’s been a bad development for me,” she jokes).

With the hype wheel spinning, at this time of year talk begins to turn to 2017. GIRLI is right at the heart of the conversation, alongside a bunch of young, opinionated acts eager to make a point, even if it might ward off potential fans. Just last week, go-to tip Declan McKenna was arguing with Piers Morgan on Twitter.

Fellow 2017 hopeful Jorja Smith penned her first song, “Blue Lights”, about police brutality. GIRLI is similarly screwed-on. Politics is part and parcel of her early material. Brash single “Girls Get Angry Too”, released earlier this year, is a vital celebration of female identity.

With more extreme shit happening in politics, musicians are finding it hard to keep this neutral stance.

It’s impossible to be a musician in 2016 without being partly politicised, but GIRLI has a history of this. At 15, she was the deputy Youth MP, campaigning after she felt “the need to change the world.” After being “very academic” in school, her brush with politics arrived exactly when she entered a “massive rebellious grungy phase.” There’s footage of her speaking in Parliament with an untucked shirt, sleeves rolled up. “I remember being like, ‘F*** you all!’ And I remember all these kids from the countryside coming up to me like, ‘Oh, you live in Camden do you? With all the punks!’ But yeah, that happened.

“With more extreme shit happening in politics, musicians are finding it hard to keep this neutral stance,” she states. The Trump result felt like a “personal assault”, because as a bisexual, she fears of a future where she can’t “go to America and hold hands with a girl.” And she has an issue with musicians who don’t put their politics forward, particularly if they’re in a position of influence. “The person I was really disappointed about was Taylor Swift. She said f*** all. F***. All. One of the most influential, famous people in the whole world. She has a responsibility to say something,” she states.

Heading into 2017, it’s clear GIRLI isn’t holding anything back. Being inoffensive is her worst nightmare, and for the time being, upsetting a few strangers is a fine sacrifice to make. “Everyone’s watching the world burn. But I hope that people realise they can’t sit still.”

GIRLI's new single 'F*** Right Back Off to LA' is out now

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / Film of the week

STARSHIP BLOOPER Geoffrey Macnab eyes up a deep-sleep pod after watching Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence float aimlessly in space

Aurora (Lawrence) and Jim (Pratt) veer unconvincingly from sci-fi to rom-com and back again

Passengers (12A) ★★☆☆☆ Dir. Morten Tyldum, 116 mins, starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne Passengers is a space travel movie with no clear idea of its destination. Its premise is bleak in the extreme but at the grimmest moments of metaphysical despair here, the filmmakers are still desperately trying to make a glossy romantic drama. At every opportunity, they throw in fetishistic footage of Jennifer Lawrence in her swimsuit or jogging Lycra, looking as if she’s on a galactic version of a Sports Illustrated shoot, or of Chris Pratt in the buff, flexing his muscles and flaunting his backside in the shower.

This is a story of passengers on a 120-year journey across space who wake up from hibernation 90 years too soon. There’s no way to return home. They’re separated from their family and friends. Time will run out on them long before their ship, the Avalon, reaches “Homestead II”, the distant colony where they are due to start a new life. Their fate, it seems, is to fester and die en route.

In spite of its reported $120m budget, Passengers has a smaller cast than that of the average Samuel Beckett www.ebook3000.com

play. There are 5,000 passengers on board and 258 crew members but they’re almost all in a very deep sleep. At the beginning of the movie, the only active human on screen is Jim Preston (Pratt), the ruggedly good-looking blue-collar engineer whose hibernation pod malfunctions.

The Avalon may be a spaceship but it bears more than a passing resemblance to one of those sleekly modernist designer hotels in which everything is automated. Jim (like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic) is travelling economy class. That means he’s not entitled to a top-of-the-range mocha or cappuccino but has to make do with the cheapest coffee for breakfast.

The strongest aspect of Passengers by far is its production design. The spaceship is very lovingly, very intricately, designed. As Jim quickly discovers, it is both a paradise and a hell. The ship has been programmed to anticipate almost every physical need of its passengers. Jim is the only one awake and so has everything to himself. There are diners, bars, viewing platforms and a swimming pool.

Jim even has a Jeeves-like robot barman called Arthur (Michael Sheen) to make him cocktails and to shoot the breeze with him. It’s one of the surprises here that Sheen gives easily the most soulful performance.

The barman looks human from the waist upward but has wires and steel cables for legs. Even so, Sheen brings a Tin Man-like pathos to the role. Arthur seems to want to be human and communicates a sense of yearning that we simply don’t get from the two leads.

Jon Spaihts’ screenplay plunders shamelessly from countless other lost in space and survivor stories. Early on, when Jim grows a beard and teeters close to despair, it looks as if he is modelling himself on Robinson Crusoe. The scenes of him alone at the bar rekindle memories of a demented Jack Nicholson drinking highballs in the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. There are obvious parallels, too, with Gravity – not least when the passengers put on their space suits and go on floating walks outside the Avalon.

Jim’s plight is desperate. He is on his own, craving company. He can see all the other passengers in their pods. He regards one, Aurora (Lawrence), as potentially the perfect mate. With his engineering skills, he has the ability to wake her up too. The dilemma for him is that if he does so, he will condemn her to his fate. She will age and die long before the ship reaches Homestead.

Aurora is a journalist and writer in her mid-20s. She has come on the mission because she thinks she will get a decent story from the trip.

Bizarrely, once this sleeping princess is jolted out of her slumber, a dark and ominous film turns briefly into a glorified rom-com. Jim courts Aurora with old-fashioned gallantry, bringing her flowers and using robots as go-betweens when he finally plucks up the courage to ask her out on a date. The spaceship has its very own Michelin-starred restaurant (or equivalent of) where they eat gourmet food and drink fine wines.

Director Tyldum, who did such a fine job in telling the story of neurotic genius Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, seems utterly snookered here. He doesn’t know what to do with his two stars and simply can’t work out how to reconcile the escapist elements with the pessimism at the core of the story. At times, as Jim and Aurora have their lovers’ tiffs and try to avoid each other, we almost forget that we are watching a sci-fi movie at all.

There are elements of kitsch. Lawrence’s Aurora is closer to a cartoon astronaut like Barbarella than she is to characters fighting for their survival in space like Sandra Bullock in Gravity or Sigourney Weaver in Alien. Laurence Fishburne, as Chief Gus Mancuso, the third human rudely awakened from his slumber in the supposedly failsafe pod, looks as if he has just wandered in from an episode of Blake’s 7.

The spaceship is as much a character here as the human protagonists. It is shaped like a pretzel. There are constant shots of it spinning through the cosmos. The malfunctioning of the pods are symptoms of some flaw at the heart of the vessel. There is a sense that it is turning against its human inhabitants.

Several of the special effects-driven sequences are very impressive indeed. There’s a tremendous scene when gravity is lost just as Jennifer Lawrence is swimming – and she and the water both rise upwards in a violent, washing machine on its final rinse-like whirl. Passengers delivers plenty of fairground ride-like spectacle. This, though, doesn’t begin to atone for its evasive and equivocal storyline or for the mood of phoney optimism that always prevails, even at the very grimmest moments.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / Film reviews

BEST OF THE REST A lovable performance by James Franco, a South Korean action flick with Liam Neeson and a huge turkey with all the trimmings are on Geoffrey Macnab’s pre-Christmas menu

Howard (Will Smith) comes face to face with Death, in the unlikely guise of Helen Mirren

Collateral Beauty (12A) ★☆☆☆☆ Dir. David Frankel, 97 mins, starring: Will Smith, Keira Knightley, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Naomie Harris, Helen Mirren Collateral Beauty is one of the last films to be released this year and also one of the very worst. This is a horribly stodgy and misconceived attempt to make a modern-day New York-set equivalent to It’s A Wonderful Life. There aren’t any angels called Clarence on display. Instead, director David Frankel provides us with three struggling off-Broadway actors called on to portray Death (Helen Mirren), Love (Keira Knightley) and Time (Jacob Latimore). The deeply contrived screenplay from Allan Loeb suggests that they may not be performing.

The reason these three spirits/thesps have been summoned is that hotshot advertising exec Howard Inlet (Will Smith) is in a prolonged slump following the death of his six-year-old daughter. “We are certainly not just here to sell sh*t. We are here to connect,” Howard tells the rest of the team in a pep talk before his

bereavement but, afterwards, he retreats from the world and spends his days in the office building elaborate constructions with thousands of dominoes.

As soon as he has finished one domino sculpture, he’ll destroy it with a single flick. In his spare time, he writes (and posts) letters to “love”, “death” and “time”. His neglect of his clients has put the future of the agency in jeopardy. That’s why his old colleagues hire a private detective to tail him and to try to prove that he is not mentally fit to run the company.

This is a movie full of lonely and unhappy people. Every character at the agency is in emotional turmoil.

Howard’s business partner Whit (Edward Norton) has just been through a messy divorce and his pampered young daughter wants nothing to do with him. Claire (Kate Winslet) has been so devoted to her work for so long that it may now be too late for her to have kids of her own.

Simon (Michael Peña) is very ill and desperate to provide for his young family. The three come up with a bizarre scheme to hire actors to play Love, Death and Time,” to film Howard speaking to them and then to digitally tweak the footage so that it looks as if he’s talking to himself and really is a loony.

There are references here to parallel universes and the secrets of the cosmos. The real mystery, though, is why such fine actors all agreed to appear in such a half-baked movie. Late on, Helen Mirren gets arguably the very worst line in the film – the one in which she tells us that in spite of all the suffering and injustice in the world, we’ll find the “collateral beauty” if only we look hard enough for it.

As Death, Mirren is more Miss Marple than scythe-wielding grim reaper. Knightley’s Love is shy, impulsive, wears a red hat and is good at advertising slogans. Latimore’s Time is a brash street kid on a skateboard.

Meanwhile, as the grieving dad, Will Smith is at very low wattage. His is so busy looking distracted and forlorn that he gets very little chance to show off his trademark charm. It’s strange, too, to see an actor as intense as Norton in such a syrupy role. You always half expect that he is going to step out of character and expose the film as an ironic spoof. Unfortunately, he never does.

The pick of the performances comes from Naomie Harris as Madeleine, the counsellor who has lost a daughter herself and holds meetings for parents who’ve suffered similar bereavements. She’s the only one of the main protagonists who doesn’t give into extreme self-pity.

Collateral Beauty has glossy and impressive production values. There is beautiful high angle footage of the New York skyline at night. The street level scenes (Norton chasing after Knightley through a crowded Manhattan or Smith riding across town on his bike) are shot with plenty of verve. It’s the script itself which acts as the deadweight here in what turns out to be one of the soggiest, most manipulative melodramas imaginable.

Why Him? (15) ★★★☆☆ Dir. John Hamburg, 111 mins, starring: Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Keegan-Michael Key, Griffin Gluck Why Him? is a very crude and intermittently very entertaining seasonal comedy that plays like an adult version of Meet The Parents. Its trump card is the performance from James Franco, every bit as sleazy here as he was in Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers but who also brings an unlikely and appealing little boy lost-like naiveté to his role as the foul-mouthed tech billionaire Laird Mayhew.

Laird has “no filters”. He’ll say whatever comes into his mind, generally prefaced by as many expletives as possible. He is going out with young Stanford student Stephanie (Zoey Deutsch). She invites parents Ned www.ebook3000.com

Fleming (Bryan Cranston) and Barb (Megan Mullally) to come to Palo Alto to spend the holidays with her and Laird. Ned runs his own printing company and is a strait-laced type, not at all used to dealing with tattoo-covered gaming moguls like Laird.

Actor Jonah Hill co-wrote a screenplay in which the humour is often prurient in the extreme. There are jokes here about vaginal douches, bukkake, and moose urine. The filmmakers also play up the differences between “old media,” as represented by Ned with his struggling print business back east, and the brave new world of Silicon Valley where even loo paper is considered an extreme anachronism. This leads to maximum, trousers-round the-ankles embarrassment for Ned in one of the film’s most excruciating scenes.

Like Robert DeNiro’s character in Meet The Parents, Cranston’s Ned is uptight and extremely distrustful of spontaneous expressions of emotion. Cranston is effectively the straight man to Franco’s clown but he plays his role with just the right measure of pomposity and wounded dignity. Inevitably, the anarchic glee of the early scenes gives way to a much more conventional style of storytelling.

Ned and Laird may seem like polar opposites in temperament, class and behaviour but as Stephanie makes clear, she regards them as being very similar. Both are extremely stubborn and both think that they know what is best for her.

Why Him? flags eventually. Some of its later gags are very laboured. The scenes of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley from rock band Kiss singing acoustic versions of Christmas carols are pretty feeble and the celebrity cameos from chefs (Richard Blais) and inventors (Elon Musk of electric car fame) verge on the redundant.

Nonetheless, Franco gives one of his most likeable performances and there is strong comic support too from Keegan-Michael Key as Laird’s bodyguard/valet/fixer/business advisor/martial arts instructor Gustav, who speaks in a wonderfully camp Germanic accent. In its own goofy, lowbrow way, the film is plenty of fun.

Operation Chromite (15) ★★☆☆☆ Dir. John H Lee, 108 mins, starring: Liam Neeson, Jung-jae Lee, Beom-su Lee, Sean Dulake, Justin Rupple Liam Neeson gives an eccentric performance as General MacArthur (“I am Douglas MacArthur, I win wars”) in this South Korean war movie set in the run-up to The Battle Of Inchon in 1950. Neeson’s MacArthur is seen smoking his Popeye-like pipe and arguing with his fellow military commanders back at headquarters while the film’s hero, the James Bond-like Captain Jang Hak-soo (Lee Jung-jae), leads an undercover mission behind enemy North Korean lines.

Every so often, characters will stop to discuss ideology or MacArthur’s bid for the presidency but this is primarily an action-driven romp. The tension early on comes from Jang’s efforts to pass himself and his men off as loyal communists. The ruthless, trigger-happy villain Lim Gye-jin (played in quietly sadistic fashion by Lee Beom-soo) is suspicious of them from the outset.

Surreptitious raids on enemy offices in search of maps of mines, shoot-outs in barracks and hospitals and chases are all thrown into the mix. This is a film squarely aimed at South Korean audiences – and it can’t help but seem mildly baffling to viewers from elsewhere. Its tone is unashamedly jingoistic and the screenplay is very simple-minded. As a film about the political intricacies of the Korean war, it’s an utter failure but as a boys’ own adventure romp, full of gunfire and explosions, it just about passes muster.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / Album of the week

STOCKING KILLER The Killers have made a habit of festive offerings, and this new anthology delivers much more than an average cheesy throwaway destined for the bargain bin, says Andy Gill

All the proceeds from the Vegas band’s album are going to an Aids charity

www.ebook3000.com

The Killers, Don’t Waste Your Wishes ★★★★☆ Download: Christmas In LA; Boots; Dirt Sledding; I’ll Be Home For Christmas; Don’t Shoot Me Santa The title is instructional, and exactly appropriate for this anthology of The Killers’ annual Christmas singles, from which all proceeds go to the Product Red Aids charity. It’s to the band’s credit that they haven’t wasted the opportunity, either: resisting the temptation to just dash off some old standard, they’ve brought imagination and sometimes thought-provoking reflection to the task. And wry amusement too, as in their inaugural 2006 offering “A Great Big Sled”, which finds Brandon Flowers admitting, “Little boys have action toys for brains/I’m living proof it can last a long time”. Featuring the wistful hankering of a sun-bound soul to “roll around like a kid in the snow”, it’s one of several warm-weather seasonal plaints here, the starkest being their 2013 collaboration with Californian band Dawes on “Christmas In LA”. Here, despite the sunshine, it’s a bleak, midwintery mood for scuffling actors seeking purchase on the greasy pole of stardom: “There’s a well-rehearsed disinterest in the atmosphere/I don’t know if that’s what this town gave me, or if it led me here”.

That kind of ambivalence haunts most of these songs, from the bluntly realist survey of poor Joseph’s untenable position in the Nativity tale “Joseph, Better You Than Me”, where Elton John and Neil Tennant join the band in empathy for a hapless man cuckolded by God, to the protagonist of “Don’t Shoot Me Santa”, persecuted by teasing children for his belief in Santa Claus until he could “turn my cheek no longer”, a sly interpolation of the Christian message. Building from plodding piano blues to full-on Springsteen-esque melodrama, it’s the most potently-arranged piece here, though even jaunty novelties like “The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball” and the mariachi-flavoured “Happy Birthday Guadalupe!” have much to recommend them.

Elsewhere, “Boots” adapts the theme of It’s A Wonderful Life – and some of its actual dialogue – with a freezing man praying to God for rescue (“You know it’s been so long since I rang one in,” he concedes sheepishly) and finding salvation in fond memories of family, frost and snowball fights: “So glad that they found me/Love is all around me,” he concludes – but is he still alive? Again, ambivalence stalks the song.

This year’s single is both the simplest and most moving, a version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” presaged by Brandon Flowers’ account of how, as a nine-year-old, his family moved to Utah, where a teacher, Ned Humphrey Hanson, changed the course of his life by singing the song a cappella. Now 86, Ned sings it here again, pitch-perfect, joined in the later stages by Flowers and subtle tints of ghostly strings. It’s a piece that seems to embody Richard Dreyfuss’s admonition, on last year’s “Dirt Sledding”, that “there’s something to be said for being present, and not just getting one”. Merry Christmas, everybody.​

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Radar / Album reviews

BEST OF THE REST Andy Gill delves into this year’s Christmas releases, from the luminous harmonies of Voces8 and Cara Dillon, to the meagre efforts of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood

The folk singer’s vocals are infused with reverent purity

www.ebook3000.com

Cara Dillon​, Upon A Winter’s Night ★★★★☆ Download: Upon A Winter’s Night; The Holly And The Ivy; O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Standing By My Christmas Tree There’s enchantment aplenty in this traditional folk Christmas album – as is to be expected from a singer with a voice to charm the birds from the trees. Accompanied by a band led by her partner Sam Lakeman, Cara Dillon offers a seasonal selection infused with quiet gravitas and rustic charm. Her solo version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is infused with reverent purity, as is her a cappella duet with her sister Mary on “O Holy Night”; while the use of a less well-known melody for “The Holly And The Ivy”, arranged for piano, accordion, bouzouki, fiddle and Uilleann pipes, brings a jaunty forward motion and uplift to a familiar theme. The album opens with the title track, a new song by Lakeman and son Noah in which the same line-up’s cantering groove cleverly conveys the urgency and excitement of the kings and shepherds headed for the stable; but here as throughout, it’s Dillon’s exquisite, sweet delivery that captivates.

Voces8​, Winter ★★★★☆ Download: For Now I Am Winter; Nunc Dimittis; Plainscapes; In The Bleak Midwinter; The Fruit Of Silence Rather than rehash the usual seasonal chestnuts, choral octet Voces8 have opted for a more climaticimpressionist approach to the Christmas album, the obverse to last year’s light-flooded Lux. There are a few well-known carols – including a particularly beguiling version of “In The Bleak Midwinter” –though the emphasis is on more contemporary works by northern composers, the choir’s luminous harmonies tinted by subtle dabs of harp, strings, celeste or piano as required. Olafur Arnalds and Arnor Dan Arnarson’s “For Now I Am Winter” establishes the mood of chilly wonder, while Arvo Part’s setting of the “Nunc Dimittis” sustains the religious connection. But the centrepiece is Peteris Vasks’ “Plainscapes” trilogy, with the vocals establishing a white-out landscape into which, halfway through the third section, arrive a small pack of wolves, evoked through imaginative touches of cello and violin. Magical.

She & Him, Christmas Party ★★★☆☆ Download: All I Want For Christmas Is You; The Coldest Night Of The Year; Mele Kalikimaka Not everyone would be brave enough to tackle Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, the most enduring recent example of a genuine Christmas classic, but M Ward and Zooey Deschanel just about pull it off here by taking it in a different direction, with an old-school country/R&B makeover that finally persuades when the saxophone comes rasping in towards the end. It’s a courageous opener to a decent collection which explores different aspects of the duo’s chosen musical territory, from the Hawaiian number “Mele Kalikimaka” that offers Ward the chance to demonstrate his tasteful guitar skills, to their duet on the Mann/Weil rarity “The Coldest Night Of The Year”, where Deschanel banks up great girlgroup harmonies. Ward’s Chuck Berry cover “Run Run Rudolph” is slightly under-powered, but there’s a rumbustious charm to the Tex-Mex-styled “Must Be Santa” (though their rhyming, in its list of presidents, of Richard Nixon with Hillary Clinton must cause some slight embarrassment).

Neil Diamond, Acoustic Christmas ★★☆☆☆ Download: Do You Hear What I Hear; Children Go Where I Send Thee

If ever a voice could kill a party, it’s Neil Diamond’s. Within seconds of the opening song here, “O Holy Night”, his sententious delivery has cast a grim shadow on proceedings, from which the album struggles to recover. There’s intermittent relief in peripheral pleasures, like the lacy threads of tingling acoustic guitar and piano twinkling like frost about “Do You Hear What I Hear”, or the unusual pair of spirituals featuring the Blind Boys Of Alabama, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and “Children Go Where I Send Thee”, but they’re not enough to lift the overall mood. Diamond drains every ounce of fun from “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, while “We Three Kings” is delivered in the robust tone of someone who’s never sung the school-kid joke version. His own contributions to the bulging corpus of Christmas song, meanwhile, fall well short of the expected standard: “Christmas Prayers” reshuffles sentimental seasonal cliches, fattened with lists of relatives, while “#1 Record For Christmas” is just greedily self-seeking – not to mention signally failing in its desire.

Kurt Elling​, The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas ★★★★☆ Download: We Three Kings; The Michigan Farm (Cradle Song); The Snow Is Deep On The Ground/Snowfall As befits the world’s most accomplished jazz singer, Kurt Elling somehow manages to steer clear of all the potential Christmas album pitfalls with The Beautiful Day. While not wanting to make an overtly religious album, he has nevertheless sustained its air of hope and wonder; although studiously avoiding cheesy sentimentality, he’s brought enjoyable vitality to dog-eared standards; and throughout it all, the grim spectre of rat-pack cabaret jazz is avoided. The result is an album of carefully-judged new arrangements which, like the Voces8 album, bring an apprehension of the season’s silence, snow and solitude – most clearly in Elling’s lyric “The Michigan Farm”, set to Grieg’s “Cradle Song”. Elsewhere, a swinging take on Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” balances a wistful version of Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne”; but the standouts are the thoughtful, extended explorations of “We Three Kings” and “The Snow Is Deep On The Ground/Snowfall”.​ Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood​, Christmas Together ★★☆☆☆ Download: What I’m Thankful For (The Thanksgiving Song); What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? One might have expected something more from country music’s undisputed power couple, but sadly, Christmas Together is literally the least that Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood could do: just 28 minutes of undistinguished, lacklustre performances in which Brooks demonstrates an at times hilarious inability to invest the cheesy seasonal cliches with sincerity. Yearwood fares better on a suitably sultry solo “Santa Baby” set to yawning ragtime trumpet and clarinet, and a version of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” originally intended as a duet until Brooks heard how sweetly his wife tackled the first verse, and wisely left it to her. But his hard-times drawl is simply unsuited to the sly charm of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, or indeed his own grating attempts at seasonal songwriting, “Ugly Christmas Sweater” and “Merry Christmas Means I Love You”. Better by far is the duo’s exercise in warm piety “What I’m Thankful For (The Thanksgiving Song)”, to which James Taylor adds a comforting extra blanket of emotional insulation.

www.ebook3000.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Traveller / Features

WHALES, WOLVES AND WONDER IN NORWAY Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan takes his family on an unforgettable trip north of the Arctic Circle

Lola makes a new friend at the Wolf Lodge

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GORDON BUCHANAN

The desire to escape Britain’s coldest, darkest days, even for a weekend, is understandable – essential, some might say. At this time of year, fly south and your days will be brighter, warmer and longer. But what about swapping your sarong for long johns and heading north? Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, to be precise.

My wife Wendy, our two children, Lola and Harris, and I flew in to Tromso, a city of some 80,000

residents, which sits as far north as Alaska’s northern tip. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, and many others racing to the Poles came here, using local expertise in extreme cold to their advantage. It wasn’t so cold when we arrived, the temperature hovering around -5C. There’s quite a lot of the peculiar about Tromso, once dubbed the Paris of the North, owing, I believe, to the abundance of sealskin apparel on offer (this was presumably when Paris was big into that kind of thing).

Anyway, if sealskin is your bag (or hat, coat or gloves), there still are shops that sell (very expensive) products made from it. Another oddity is that under the island on which the city sits is a network of road tunnels nicknamed the Swiss cheese; the entrances and exits pop up at surprising locations around the place.

Tromso by night

After a night at a hotel on the very lovely quayside, we headed for the water. The sea off north Norway is the best place to look for herring at this time of year; like us, they’re here for a winter break. But maybe of a little more interest to visitors is the large number of humpback and killer whales, or orcas, that follow them. As a family we’ve had many adventures at sea looking for whales and dolphins and failed miserably, but with hope in our hearts and binoculars in our pockets we booked an RIB (rigid inflatable boat) tour with the lovely people at the family-run Tromso Friluftsenter.

www.ebook3000.com

The family prepare to step aboard

Our trip started with a scenic 40-minute coach journey to Kvaloya (which translates, aptly, as Whale Island). On board, the charming guide told us the hydrophone (underwater microphone) that we’d hoped to use to eavesdrop on the cetaceans had been stolen by a curious killer whale on a previous trip.

Unfortunate, but a promising sign.

When we arrived at the small harbour at the top of the island we were suited and booted in survival suits before stepping on to one of the RIBs. As a wildlife cameraman, I’ve had some incredible whale and dolphin encounters, so for the sake of the rest of the family I was crossing my fingers we’d catch at least a glimpse. Within 15 minutes we got lucky as we spotted a pod of killer whales some distance off. But that was just the start. Before long we struck gold and found ourselves in a stretch of water that became what can only be described as whale soup. Three or four humpbacks and more killer whales than you could shake a stick at. And not just glimpses but prolonged views and close encounters. Some so close that I could have reached out and touched their towering dorsal fins. To share such an incredible experience with those you love is as good as life gets; the afterglow of what we’d just seen helped keep the cold at bay as the boat raced back up the fjord.

The orcas make a splash

In the cold Arctic air the light is crisp and clear. The winter sun barely peeks above the horizon and a slow sunrise marries seamlessly with the sunset without it every properly getting bright. There is a perpetual twilight that I love, every hour of the day providing the perfect light for photography. The days may be short but they are magical.

The next day, we had a two-and-a-half-hour drive south to what would turn out to be the crescendo of our trip. The world’s northernmost wildlife park, Polar Park, specialises in Arctic species, with enormous enclosures that give the animals space to explore and places to hide. The park’s crowning glory is the wolves, and the jewel in the crown is the Wolf Lodge. This luxurious cabin is accessed by a covered tunnel through the wolf enclosure. Why, you ask? Well, as you sit near a crackling log fire sipping a hot chocolate on a comfortable sofa, it’s inevitable that your nearest neighbours will pay you a visit. You might get the feeling you’re being watched, and when you look up at one of the large patio windows you’ll likely see a family of five wolves looking in at you. They are a healthy, happy bunch and are the perfect mix of curious and aloof. A more enchanting creature is hard to find.

www.ebook3000.com

The wolves are free to come and go

Their first visit was a few minutes peering in and frolicking outside before they galloped over the hill and off through the trees. You could look out of any of the huge windows at the amazing views for hours and not see a single wolf. It’s a strange and fitting scenario where the humans are enclosed behind glass and the wolves have to freedom to come and go. In the lodge we were hosted by Heidi, who made delicious dinners, and Catrine, one of Polar Park’s experienced animal keepers, who stayed in the lodge overnight to make sure we were all happy together. Me, Wendy, Lola, Harris and the five wolves. The animals returned to the snowy knoll by the cabin after dark to serenade us with a hauntingly uplifting howling session before we turned in for the night.

They can turn up at any time

I opened my eyes at first light to see one of the huge male wolves looking in through the full-length bedroom window. Not disconcerting, but strangely comforting, though he soon lost interest and trotted off. Later, there was a treat outside the lodge for Wendy and me. The wolf pack has been socialised, meaning that accompanied by Catrine and another colleague we were allowed to leave the lodge to have a closer encounter; for safety reasons only those over 18 and more than 1.6 metres tall can do this, so that meant the children had to stay inside.

Once outside the lodge, Catrine called the pack in, in very much the same way you might call a pet poodle.

There are nerves involved, obviously; even playful wolves have a serious presence. They were exited to meet us in the flesh, greeting us with an enthusiastic face lick. The real magic of the experience was that, although you might expect it to be intimidating, it was in fact incredibly intimate. Other guests have wept with joy after such wolf encounters. I get it.

www.ebook3000.com

Wendy meets the wolves

Over hundreds of years we’ve misunderstood wolves and seen them as monsters. At close quarters, you see a different side. They are intelligent creatures, bound by their relationships. An enduring memory will be one of the wolves approaching a downstairs window of the lodge while we were outside. It brought its face close to the glass, with our awestruck daughter a tongue’s length away, on the eve of her 13th birthday.

I have a rewarding job, I get to see and film things that many others can only dream of. The downside is time away from my family. So to travel to Norway, to see beautiful animals in the company of the most beautiful people in my life, was perfect. As a family we’ve never had so many memorable moments in a single weekend. Who needs winter sun when you can have winter magic?

Travel essentials Getting there Norwegian flies from Gatwick to Tromso.

Staying there Wolf Lodge, Polar Park, from 75,000 Norwegian krone (£7,040) a night; sleeps 12.

Clarion Collection Hotel With, Tromso. Doubles from £155, B&B. More information visitnorway.com

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Traveller / Features

CITY SAVER Visit New York’s less traditional haunts and Christmas in the Big Apple needn't break the bank, Laura Chubb explains

Scraping by: New York has plenty to offer for those on a Yuletide budget (Shutterstock)

What is it about the idea of Christmas in New York that has even the most die-hard grumpy Scrooge type desperate to go ice skating around a Christmas tree dressed in head-to-toe tinsel? Blame the movies – Home Alone II, When Harry Met Sally, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, Trading Places, Scrooged… all have instilled in us a Pavlov’s dog-like association between the Big Apple and the twinkly magic of 25 December.

The problem, of course, is that a trip to New York might make for a memorable Christmas, but it could also mean that you're poverty-stricken for the following year. That is, unless you know a few handy secrets.

Here’s how to have a fairy tale Christmas in New York on the cheap.

Forget big department stores like Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman and head for the Union Square Holiday Market instead. Little wooden booths hawk knick-knacks and beauty products made by independent, local craftspeople, all at refreshingly affordable prices, so you can say the gift is 100 per cent New York-made and save a fistful of cash. The market is open up to and including Christmas Eve. Christmas is the one time of year when getting together and playing games isn’t eyed as a strange Dickensian throwback – it’s tradition, dammit. And you can even make it seem quite cool if you head to Barcade. This craft beer bar has two locations in the city – one in St Mark’s in Manhattan and one in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – both serving a massive selection of microbrews. But, even better, they also offer stacks of vintage arcade games – everything from Centipede to Qbert – that you can play for cents. Both www.ebook3000.com

venues are open on Christmas Eve until 2am (which is technically Christmas Day, hurrah).

Beer pong: The Barcade pub has craft beers and vintage arcade games (Barcade/Facebook)

A traditional Christmas dinner out is always going to be expensive, but if you’re able to slightly adjust your ideas about what a Christmas dinner entails, you can still snag a budget feed. Most Chinatown joints remain open on Christmas Day for those who don’t celebrate the holiday, and one of the most enjoyably raucous is the Golden Unicorn in Lower Manhattan. Here, they offer traditional dim sum trolley service in a chaotic banquet hall, where carts pushed by a fleet of no-nonsense ladies are piled high with all manner of dumplings, steamed buns and more. Be quick to grab what you fancy as the trolleys weave around the tables – the most popular dishes run out fast.

Grab dim sum at the Golden Unicorn in Manhattan’s Chinatown (Golden Unicorn Restaurant/Facebook)

After stuffing yourself stupid, it’s always a good idea to go for a digestive stroll. Forget the much-hyped High Line and instead enjoy what is easily New York’s greatest wander, crossing from Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn on the brilliantly photogenic, cable-stayed Brooklyn Bridge. You get ace views of the Empire State, the Chrysler, the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan Bridge, and at the end you can either turn left to explore Brooklyn Bridge Park (check out the painstakingly restored 1920s carousel), or hang a right to walk along the waterfront Brooklyn Heights Promenade, directly facing the Manhattan skyline, for a proper “By Zeus's beard, I’m in New York!” moment.

www.ebook3000.com

Passing between boroughs on the Brooklyn Bridge is a New York must (Shutterstock)

Now that you’re in Brooklyn, you might as well make a beeline for the borough’s studiously cool bars.

Only, it’s Christmas Day, so most are closed. Dang. There is one beacon of cosy Christmas hope, however – Union Hall in the “hipster family” neighbourhood of Park Slope. (Imagine Haggerston mated with Highbury and had an incredibly cool but family-friendly baby and you’re pretty much there.) This converted warehouse (what else?) is generously strewn with roaring fireplaces, bocce courts (bocce is a type of boules) and even has a library with red leather chairs to settle into. And it does fried chicken for $12. It'll be open from 6pm on 25 December. Merry Christmas!

Compete in a Christmas Day bocce tournament at Brooklyn’s Union Hall (Ben Rosenzweig)

Or simply cosy up in Union Hall’s inviting library room (Isaac Danna)

Travel essentials Christmas is prime time to visit New York, but if you don’t mind flying out Christmas Eve and returning www.ebook3000.com

on 30 December, budget long-haul airline Norwegian (norwegian.com) say they can you get you to JFK for £574 return, leaving from Gatwick.

Look, you just don’t get cheap hotel rooms in NYC. Even the “budget” options are expensive, and there’s no point paying piles of dollars for a so-so room. The best idea, then, is to rent a room or a studio on a sharing economy site – prices are generally between £30-60 per night. Or you could sleep in the back of a cab in Queens, though with temperatures dipping as low as -10C in winter, we’d struggle to recommend it.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Traveller / 48 hours

AARHUS, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR...

With hip bars, daring design and hygge a plenty, the European Capital of Culture 2017 is ripe for a weekend away. Chris Peacock explores

Glass act: experience 360 degree hues at Inside Your Panorama (Bech Poulsen)

Why go now?

Denmark’s second city will officially step out of Copenhagen’s shadow in the new year to become European Capital of Culture 2017 (along with Paphos, Cyprus). A stacked calendar of more than 350 events, festivals and projects kicks off on 21 January under the banner “Let’s Rethink”, reflecting the creative spirit that has long permeated this cool harbour-side sprawl. The city’s docks have been transformed by a host of new cultural venues, such as Dokk1, which, together with a thriving gastronomic scene and clutch of world-class museums, means Aarhus should no longer play second fiddle to the capital.

www.ebook3000.com

Dokk1 houses a library and theatre space by the waterfront (Kim Wyon)

Get your bearings Aarhus sits on the eastern coast of Denmark’s Jutland peninsula and feels more like a laidback town than a city, with cobbled streets, picturesque canals and charming docks. And with most points of interest accessible on foot or by bike from the compact centre, getting around couldn’t be easier. For longer journeys, a fleet of yellow city buses operate throughout central Aarhus. An AarhusCard gives unlimited travel, plus free or discounted entry to many of the city’s headline attractions, and costs Dkr 129 (£14.80) for 24 hours. Cards can be purchased at the bus station and most attractions. The main tourist centre can be found at Dokk1, where you can use free online touch screens for information and ideas. Open MondaySaturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 11am-2pm.

Day one Take a view Get a colourful overview of Aarhus from Your Rainbow Panorama, a kaleidoscopic circular walkway on the roof of Aros art museum. The brainchild of Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist famed for his bold, conceptual pieces, this 360-degree skywalk offers brilliant technicolour views of Aarhus through rainbowhued glass panels. Aros takes its main theme from Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” and is designed as a journey from hell to heaven. Hell is The 9 Spaces, a black-walled basement of eerie installations, while heaven is Eliasson’s multi-coloured halo hovering high above the streets.

Take a hike Start in Aarhus’ centre point, Domkirkepladsen, where the city’s 12th century cathedral looms large.

Across the square, under the Nordea Bank, is where the Vikings founded Aarhus in the ninth century (its name comes from “Aros”, meaning “place at the river’s mouth”); the Viking Museum marks the exact spot.

www.ebook3000.com

Selfie conscious: head down to Mollestien to marvel at the city’s most Instagrammed street (Ditte Isager)

From here, wander through cobbled lanes, past churches and half-timbered houses in the Latin Quarter, the city’s oldest neighbourhood, towards Mollestien. It’s by far Aarhus’ prettiest (and most Instagrammed) street with pastel-coloured facades that have looked the same for centuries. To witness the city’s waterfront regeneration, head east to Dokk1. It’s home to Scandinavia’s largest library and is part of the city’s Urban Mediaspace project, turning former industrial port areas into bright modern spaces. Stroll up the harbour to Aarhus O, the new dockland neighbourhood that’s turning architectural heads with

photogenic developments like the iconic Iceberg.

The Iceberg is located in a disused port (Kim Wyon)

Lunch on the run Head back down the harbour, or hop on a bus to Banegardspladsen (central station), for the Aarhus Central Food Market. Opened in October, this buzzing indoor market is full of specialist shops, delis and breweries, where you can grab everything from Kahler’s seasonal smorrebrod to gourmet porridge at Grod – think oatmeal with organic chicken and peanuts. Another mark of the city’s booming food scene is the nearby Aarhus Street Food, which opened last summer in a former car park with stalls in repurposed shipping containers. Feast on melt-in-the-mouth pulled-duck burgers at Duck It, or spicy Vietnamese buns at Banh Mi Bandits.

www.ebook3000.com

Take your pick from food stalls in old shipping containers

Window shopping The Stroget is the backbone of Aarhus’ shopping life with an 850-metre long pedestrianised parade of stores. Highlights include Skagen, the iconic Danish watch house; department store Salling with big-name brands such as Royal Copenhagen porcelain; and Georg Jensen, featuring exquisite silverware and jewellery from the Danish master. For more independent retailers, head to the so-called “Side Streets Quarter” between Aboulevarden and Norre Alle, where cheaper rents have allowed new designers and artisans to flourish. Check out 1+1 Textil for hygge-enhancing homeware and nearby St Valentin for stylish Scandi menswear.

An aperitif Pharmacy-turned-bar St Pauls Apothek has a vintage, speakeasy charm, with a hip atmosphere and slick mood lighting. The food menu is limited, following a concept of small Nordic dishes and wine pairings, but it’s the killer cocktails that pull in the crowds from pre-dinner into the early hours. It also holds regular rum, whiskey and tequila tastings. Tables fill fast so book ahead or expect a lengthy wait.

Creative cocktails are a speciality at St Pauls Apothek

www.ebook3000.com

Dine with the locals Aarhus’ food revolution has been gathering momentum for some time with Frederikshoj, Gastrome and Substans awarded Denmark’s first Michelin stars outside of Copenhagen in 2015. Much of the recent buzz has centred on newcomer Sart, where a band of young chefs adhere to a philosophy of producing everything they can from scratch. Expect casual, Danish-style tapas with sharing plates such as charcuterie meats, venison bolognese and apple compote pizza. For cosier but equally impressive dining, head to Mefisto in the Latin Quarter. It offers a seasonal four-course menu with pairing wines for Dkr 600; dishes currently include pickled monkfish with apples and horseradish.

Mefisto offers up a variety of dishes and combinations

Day two Sunday morning: out to brunch Café Smaglos is reputedly one of Aarhus’ oldest cafes, with a charming outdoor area overlooking Monastery Square. Oddly, smaglos in English means “tasteless” but the food and atmosphere is anything but. There’s kitschy decor, live music and a decent breakfast buffet for only Dkr 45 (daily, 9-11:30am). For bigger appetites, order the café’s cult favourite, the NamNam burger.

Take a ride Do as the Danes do and get on a bike. With wide cycle lanes, few cars and relatively flat roads, Aarhus is geared for two-wheeled discovery. Cycling Aarhus offers rental bikes for Dkr 110 a day, as well as several themed tours of the city’s highlights. For a taste of the great outdoors, get on the Ringgaden Circular Road and head south for a brisk ride on the Brabrandstien cycle trail. It’ll take you along the river Aarhus and around beautiful Brabrand Lake, a haven for birdlife with watching towers and nature information dotted along the path.

A walk in the park Cycle back up the Ringgaden to the Botanical Gardens for a stroll around its immaculate lawns and striking dome-shaped greenhouses. The glorious gardens make up one of the biggest parks in Aarhus,

spread over 53 acres, with lakes, streams and exotic plants gathered from all over the world.

The Botanical Gardens provide a selection of some of the planet’s most spectacular plants

Cultural afternoon For a unique local insight, take a journey through time at Den Gamle By. It’s an incredibly engaging openair museum of half-timbered houses, painstakingly reconstructed to form a provincial old market town with supporting costumed guides, horse-drawn wagons and interactive exhibits.

www.ebook3000.com

Step back in time at Den Gamle By (Kim Wyon)

After exploring Aarhus of old, head over to Den Gamle By’s more recent historical neighbourhoods, recreating local life in 1927 and 1974. In the latter, you can browse an old hi-fi store with authentic Seventies tech or wander around apartments for an intimate peek into real past lives. Open daily 10am-5pm, but hours vary by season.

The icing on the cake Aarhus isn’t short of fascinating museums or eye-catching architecture, but at Moesgaard Museum you get both. Prehistory exhibits are presented in a spectacular modern space, with the star attraction the 2,000-year-old Grauballe Man – the world’s best-preserved bog body. The part-historical, part-forensic display showcases a remarkably intact body – right down to the fingernails – while more than 50,000 other artefacts document everything from the evolution of man to Viking voyages. Moesgard sits 10km south of the city in Hojbjerg. Bus 18 runs here regularly and takes 25 minutes from central station.

Moesgaard Museum is home to 50,000 artefacts (Kim Wyon)

Travel essentials Getting there Ryanair flies from Stansted to Aarhus airport, and to the nearby city of Billund. British Airways flies from Heathrow and London City to Billund, as well as from Manchester through partner Sun-Air. A shuttle bus (number 925X) leaves from outside the arrivals terminal at Aarhus airport to the city’s central station, and takes 50 minutes. Tickets cost Dkr 115 one-way. From Billund the 912X bus travels direct to Aarhus and takes just under an hour and a half (tickets cost Dkr 146).

Staying there The lively Scandic Aarhus City on Ostergade is a stone’s throw from the main shopping artery, Stroget, and just a five-minute stroll from the train station. Bag a room on the top floor for scenic views of the harbour, woods and beaches. Doubles from £95, including breakfast.

www.ebook3000.com

The stylish Scandic Aarhus City is the perfect springboard for accessing the rest of the city

A stylish townhouse in the heart of the Latin Quarter, Aarhus Guldsmeden offers French colonial style rooms with four-poster beds and Persian rugs, plus a charming garden for cocktails. Doubles from â‚Ź171 (ÂŁ146) with breakfast. Cabinn Aarhus has functional but budget-friendly rooms reminiscent of ship cabins that stretch along a vibrant canal front opposite Aarhus Cathedral. It offers compact rooms with twin or bunks beds as well as family rooms for four. Rooms from Dkr 495, room only.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Traveller / The man who pays his way

STICK IT TO HATE AND KEEP VISITING BERLIN The best way to combat hate is to keep visiting the places we love – like the German capital, writes Simon Calder

What we should really fear is letting terrorists dictate our travel plans (visitBerlin)

The first time I saw a proper anti-truck barrier was outside the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, the benighted capital of Honduras. It was 1991, and the country was uneasily sandwiched by two nations that had been ripped apart by war, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Yet even though Washington DC had hardly been an innocent bystander in Latin America over the previous decade, I thought it an absurdly excessive defence.

A quarter-century and several truck bomb attacks on US diplomatic premises later, large lumps of concrete and extra-strong bollards are part of the scenery at sensitive buildings and tourist spots worldwide.

Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben, has its own designer steel and concrete barrier, while the rest www.ebook3000.com

of Parliament Square in London has plenty more “protective street furniture” in place, installed after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Elsewhere in Britain, airports and big railway stations have punctuations of pillars designed to stop a truck loaded with explosives in its tracks. “Hostile Vehicle Mitigation” of this kind was introduced after the attack on Glasgow airport in 2007, in which two would-be suicide bombers tried to drive a Jeep laden with petrol and propane gas cylinders into the airport terminal.

This year extremists changed their murderous tactics. On 14 July in Nice, 86 people were mown down by a truck. And on 19 December in Berlin, once again a celebration changed in seconds into a massacre.

Each of the victims had their life cut brutally short, and the lives of those who loved and lost them will never be the same. For the rest of us, the horrors of the Promenade des Anglais and Breitscheidplatz provide a reminder of the risks in a world where hate seems to have a stronger voice than ever.

A natural human response is to close the curtains and stay safe with family and friends, while in the world beyond more barriers spring up. But a better response is to travel to Berlin, to Nice, to Brussels… even to Tegucigalpa.

You and I can demonstrate solidarity with the citizens of those splendid cities, and show we will not be bullied into changing our way of life by thugs in trucks. And the overwhelming probability is that your life will be enhanced by a joyful experience.

It seems an appropriate time of year to hear from at least two wise men. Ted Wake, director of short-break specialist Kirker Holidays says his customers in the German capital are undeterred by the latest terrorist attack.

“Kirker clients in Berlin at the moment include a family with two children staying in the city centre who have decided to carry on enjoying their cultural short break. Other customers due to travel out to Berlin for Christmas have no desire to amend their plans.

“In Berlin, whilst the first concern was to ensure that all those directly and indirectly affected were properly cared for, the authorities were also very well organised and determined to ensure that local people and visitors alike can return to the normal pattern of their day-to-day lives as quickly as possible.”

But Mr Wake concludes with a thought that many, with heavy hearts, will echo: “These events are likely to remain part of our lives for some time to come.”

So it was good to be reminded by Sir David Spiegelhalter of “what an enormously safe world we live in.”

“It’s staggeringly protected,” the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge told BBC Radio.

“One in a million people every day die an accidental death, a non-natural death.

“We live with uncertainty and risk, and that’s one of the joys of being human.”

As you plan for the year ahead, reduce your exposure to joy at your own risk.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Traveller / Round-up

PICK UP A PENGUIN Take Christmas by the ears with family fun options that beat staying home. Lucy Gillmore checks out 10 of the best

Children are bound to find the ice rink at Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, er, cool

Join a treasure hunt, Cornwall When the tide is in, you can trundle across to St Michael’s Mount across the causeway in the “amphicraft” – an amphibious vehicle that looks like a Clarkson creation. The castle atop this tiny Cornish island has been home to the St Aubyn family for more than 400 years. Children can learn about its history and legends on a treasure hunt (27-30 December). Warm yourself in front of the fire in the Great Hall, check out the Christmas tree in the Blue Drawing Room, and tuck into homemade cakes in the Sail Loft.

Castle entrance: adults £9, children £4.50 Set off on a reindeer safari, Cairngorms Where do reindeer go after Christmas? You can visit them all year round at the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, just outside Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands. There are daily hill trips at 11am, trekking up www.ebook3000.com

onto the mountainside to feed the main herd by hand and stroking their velvety noses. You can also visit a handful of reindeer in the paddock at the centre if you don’t fancy the moorland schlep.

Adults £14, children £8

Be among nature in the Cairngorms (Shutterstock)

www.ebook3000.com

Go bird-watching, Carmarthenshire Huddle together in the Heron’s Wing Hide looking out over the reserve at the Wetland Centre in Llanelli, scouring the saltmarsh for pintails and pochards, Canada geese and tufted ducks. Then climb up into the (heated!) viewing tower to gaze through the telescope over the lagoon and estuary. Kids can also pop along to winter craft workshops – every afternoon until 3 January – to make bird feeders, bird nesting stockings and lanterns.

Adults £9, children £5 Have some shipshape fun, Portsmouth Take the helm of HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860 and the Mary Rose, three of the world’s most iconic ships – or at least a virtual image of them, as they’re projected on to the wall of a 170-year-old listed warehouse over Christmas (until 3 January) at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The interactive “I Saw Three Ships” illuminations, which look like they are floating, are set to traditional Christmas music. There are also a host of other activities at the site, including a festive family fun trail.

Adults £23, children £16 Experience Nutcracker magic, Derbyshire Glorious Chatsworth House, set within rolling Derbyshire parkland, has been decked out as the world of The Nutcracker for Christmas. Until 3 January, visitors wandering through the grand apartments will stumble upon tableaux featuring characters from the ballet dressed in sumptuous costumes, from dancing snowflakes to the Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker soldiers and the Mouse King.

House and garden tickets: adults £19, children £12 Enjoy sky-high views, Brighton For a bird’s eye view of Brighton soar 450ft up into the sky in the new British Airways i360, a vertical cable car, launched in August and already in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s tallest moving observation tower. The glass viewing pod gives you 360-degree views across the South Downs and the Sussex coast, with “flights” departing every 30 minutes.

Adults £15, children £7.50; discounts available when booked together with Sea Life Brighton and the Royal Pavilion

Go high-end in Brighton

Immerse yourself in living history, Shropshire Six of Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge museums will be open from 26 to 31 December. This World Heritage Site has plenty to entertain kids including Blists Hill Victorian town, where they can meet the inhabitants in the recreated cottages and shops, check out original remedies in the pharmacy and sample traditional favourites in the sweet shop. Budding scientists should head to the Enginuity design and technology centre to become an engineer for the day, learning how to control a river to generate electricity and build an earthquake-proof tower.

Annual ticket to all attractions: adults £25, children £15 Skate in a Winter Wonderland, Yorkshire Enrol your kids in skate school – book a half-hour private lesson on Sunday mornings (priced £20).

Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland is open until 2 January and is home to the largest outdoor ice rink in the north of England, The Ice Factor (the rink is open until 8 January). There’s also a 30ft Christmas tree, a Narnia-themed Christmas village and a funfair of vintage rides. Clamber into the Brooklands Dodgems built in 1937, the 1950s Ghost Train, the Speedway from 1936 and Muffin the Mule Aerodrome created in 1947.

One-hour skate: adults £10.45, children £9.45 Visit the Poles, Edinburgh You can touch part of a real iceberg in the Polar Extremes gallery at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, which takes visitors on a journey through the evolution of the planet. Just remember to wrap up warm. A film of simulated flight over glaciers, coupled with the freezing temperatures, catapults visitors to the Poles while interactive exhibits show how climate change is threatening the indigenous animals and other wildlife.

From 27-30 December, Penguin Days – a series of polar-themed drop-in activities – will be taking place, www.ebook3000.com

with children able can make their own penguin-themed crafts and learn about the different species.

Adults £12, children £8 Walk among giant flowers, Surrey Giant illuminated botanical blooms have been scattered around the gardens at RHS Wisley in Surrey to create magical walkways after dark, while the Glasshouse has been transformed with a rainbow of light.

Inside there’s a magical Gingerbread House and garden filled with poinsettias as well as an exhibit featuring 10 Christmas trees from around the world. The 45-minute stroll along the the gardens’ trail is a good way to start burning off those extra calories. Until 2 January.

Adults £14.50, children £7

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

Traveller / Travel question

ANY GOOD TIPS FOR YOUNG TOURISTS? Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Switch it off: staying alert is probably the most important thing (Getty/iStock)

Q I remember hearing you in an interview talking about your advice to your daughter (I think) when she travels. It was a short list which I believe included, don’t look at your phone whilst walking and not travelling in a car driven by someone under 25. Could you remind me of the entire list if possible please?

My stepson is going travelling next year and I want to help him look after himself whilst he enjoys his trip.

Brian Woodward A I know a fair amount about risk, as my one-person job creation scheme with A&E departments the length and breadth of London testifies after a lifetime of bicycle prangs. I also know that one risk that is www.ebook3000.com

vanishingly low is terrorism. I put it in the same category as plane crashes: terrible things very occasionally happen, and it’s awful, but the individual risks are tiny.

Anyway, a school in Wokingham asked me for travel advice for their students, so I responded as follows, based on analyses of risk by experts in the field: – Don’t text when you’re crossing the road.

– When you’re out and about while abroad, don’t wear headphones. You’ll miss out on the amazing sounds of life in the world beyond Berkshire, and also be less tuned in to possible dangers.

– Wear a bike helmet (when you are cycling, anyway. Not otherwise.)

– Don’t travel in a car driven by someone else aged under 25, unless there is a 25+ person also in the vehicle.

– Be aware of the dangers of rip tides, and understand how to deal with them. You can find an excellent guide online at scienceofthesurf.com – And for older students: never rent a scooter when abroad Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Home news in brief

Queen Mary 2 off the Florida coast during another tour of the Americas (Getty)

Queen Mary 2 calls off search for Briton ‘overboard’ The Queen Mary 2 cruise liner yesterday turned back to search for a British woman lost overboard in the Atlantic, before abandoning the hunt late last night.

The missing woman, 74, was on a 12-night tour of the Caribbean which left New York on Thursday. Petty Officer David Micallef said she was reported missing between 1am and 3am US time yesterday.

A company spokesman said: "It is with sadness we can confirm that after a comprehensive search, working with all relevant authorities, Queen Mary 2 has halted the search for a missing guest, presumed overboard.

Cunard's care team is offering every support to the family."

The Queen Mary 2, based in the port of Southampton, was built in 2003 at a cost of £700m and launched the following year. The luxury ship was renovated earlier this year and boasts suites, state rooms and the "largest library at sea", with 8,000 books, according to the Cunard website. www.ebook3000.com

Jo Cox’s husband to deliver Channel 4 Christmas message The husband of the murdered MP Jo Cox will deliver this year's alternative Christmas message on Channel 4, during which he will call for an end to the "rise of hatred". Brendan Cox will also pay tribute to his wife and touch on the "awful year for our family" in the broadcast on 25 December.

In the message, which is traditionally billed as an alternative to the Queen's annual Christmas Day address, Mr Cox will say: "Jo loved Christmas, the games, the traditions, the coming together of friends and family and above all the excitement of our kids." He will also tell viewers that now is the "moment to reach out to somebody that might disagree with us".

Three wild birds test positive for bird flu Three wild birds in Scotland and England have tested positive for a dangerous strain of bird flu. A dead wild peregrine falcon in Dumfries and Galloway and two dead wild wigeon ducks from Somerset and Leicestershire were all confirmed as having H5N8 avian influenza, officials said yesterday.

The latest cases come a day after a dead wild duck in Wales was found to have the same dangerous strain of the disease, a highly-pathogenic H5N8 strain of avian flu that was found in a turkey farm in Lincolnshire last week and has been circulating in Europe.

A temporary ban on events involving gatherings of poultry including chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese such as auctions and livestock fairs has been imposed across England, Scotland and Wales to prevent spread of the disease. A prevention zone is also in place, which requires keepers of poultry and other captive birds to keep them inside or take appropriate steps to keep them separate, and protect them, from wild birds. Experts said the threat to public health from the virus is very low.

Investigation into riot at HMP Swaleside Police and prison authorities have launched an investigation after a jail was plunged into chaos when around 60 inmates seized control of part of a wing on Thursday evening. Fires were lit during the unrest at HMP Swaleside after prisoners took over a landing, forcing riot-trained "Tornado" squads to be deployed.

The disturbance at the category B training prison on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent was suppressed after several hours and those involved were back in their cells at around 1am, the Prison Service said. Police are aiding an investigation into the latest episode of trouble in UK prisons. It came hours after the jail safety crisis deepened when it emerged that prison officers had "overwhelmingly" rejected an improved pay deal from the Government.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

World

World news in brief

Piers Sellers in 2006 following the return of the space shuttle Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida (AP)

British-born astronaut Piers Sellers dies aged 61 Piers Sellers, a British-born astronaut and Nasa climate scientist died yesterday at the age of 61 in Houston.

He had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in October 2015 and went public with his diagnosis in a New York Times column in January of this year.

Sellers, born in Crowborough, East Sussex, said he dreamed of going into space ever since he saw images of the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbiting the Earth in 1961 and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969.

He acquired dual citizenship in 1991, and five years later became part of Nasa's largest astronaut training group. In three space flights from 2002 to 2010, Sellers logged 35 days in space, including 41 hours in six space walks. Some lasted as long as seven hours, including a walk in 2006 during which he tested new emergency repair techniques and materials using caulk guns, putty knives and his “favorite spatula� from www.ebook3000.com

home.

"Piers devoted his life to saving the planet," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "His legacy will be one not only of urgency that the climate is warming but also of hope that we can yet improve humanity's stewardship of this planet."

Indigenous Amazon people vow to block oil drilling Indigenous Amazonian people have publicly banned an oil company from their land and warned them that they are willing to physically block the drilling from happening if necessary. At the beginning of December the Peruvian government approved Santiago-based company GeoPark Ltd to produce oil in Block 64, which is home to dozens of indigenous people. The move is part of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s drive to remove red tape and generate profit from the region’s natural resources.

The Archuar federation, FENAP, which represents 45 communities within Block 64 in the northern Peruvian Amazon, has issued a public ban on the Chilean oil company entering their territory. The Archuar have pledged to physically block the company — previous attempts to do this have resulted in dozens being killed.

In a statement issued earlier in December, GeoPark said it “respects the rights of indigenous people and would not seek to develop areas where local populations are opposed to drilling activity”.

LA now completely powered by renewable energy Las Vegas has reached its decade-long goal of completely powering the city with renewable energy, making it the largest city in the United States to do so. “Las Vegas is one of the few cities in the entire world that can boast using all of its power from green sources,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman told reporters at city hall.

The city reached the goal thanks to the opening of Boulder Solar 1, a 100-megawatt solar plant located near Boulder City. Now, the city’s government buildings, streetlights, and parks are fueled the renewable energy.

Since the city began working on the project in 2008, it has reduced energy emissions by 30 per cent, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. It has also inspired several casinos – MGM Resorts, Wynn, and Las Vegas Sands – to announce plans to utilise more renewable energy sources.

SATURDAY 24 DECEMBER 2016

News

Carrie Fisher suffers major heart attack on London-LA flight

Carrie Fisher suffered cardiac problems about 15 minutes before the flight landed (Reuters)

ADAM WITHNALL The Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher last night suffered a major cardiac episode on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Fisher's flight arrived at LAX at around midday yesterday, and she was rushed to hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

A source told the Los Angeles Times that the actress was “in a lot of distress on the flight�. Her brother Todd Fisher said she was in a critical condition in intensive care, although he also said she was stable and "out of emergency".

The entertainment news outlet TMZ reported she had suffered a heart attack rather than a cardiac arrest, www.ebook3000.com

and said she received 15 minutes of CPR before the plane landed.

United, the airline, issued a statement saying Flight 935 from London was met by medical personnel after a female passenger was reported to be unresponsive. “Our thoughts are with our customer at this time,� the statement read.

Fisher and Ford in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox/REX/Shutterstock)

An unnamed law enforcement official told NBC Los Angeles that Fisher had suffered a heart attack, and that her condition was "not good". A recording of the conversation between the pilot and air traffic controllers was released.

An air traffic controller told the pilot: "United 935, I need the nature of your medical emergency, and also the sex of the patient and if there is medical personnel at the gate."

The pilot responded: "Yea, we've coordinated medical personnel for the gate, we have some passengers, nurses, assisting the... unresponsive passenger. So they're working on her right now, we're going to have them seated in about two minutes and we should hopefully be on the deck in about five."

A spokeswoman for police at LAX airport said: "Los Angeles police responded at 12.15pm to Terminal 7 regarding a female victim who went into cardiac arrest. Upon arrival the LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) was already performing CPR on the victim and the victim was transported to a local hospital for further medical treatment."

Fisher, 60, rose to fame as Princess Leia in the original episodes of the Star Wars film franchise, a role she reprised in 2015's The Force Awakens.

The actors Anna Akana and Brad Gage wrote on Twitter that they were sat on the same plane as Fisher

when the incident occurred.

Akana wrote: "Don't know how else to process this but Carrie Fisher stopped breathing on the flight home. Hope she's gonna be OK. So many thanks to the United flight crew who jumped into action, and the awesome doctor and nurse passengers who helped."

Gage wrote: "I'm in complete shock. Anna Akana and I sat in front of Carrie Fisher on our flight from London and she was just taken off the plane by EMTs. I don't know what happened. Not really sure what to do right now but I hope she is ok. I hope she is ok."

Fisher had been on tour promoting a new memoir. No representatives for the performer were immediately available for comment, nor were city fire department officials.

Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original films, wrote on Twitter: "As if 2016 couldn't get any worse ... sending all our love to Carrie Fisher."

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report

www.ebook3000.com