Metro Herald, November 27, 2013 by Metro Herald

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

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Right-to-die Marie’s medical card farce

The health service has been by MetRo heRald staff warned to change its process Taoiseach enda Kenny after a terminally-ill multiple sclerosis sufferer was forced to warned that lessons need to be prove her sickness to have a learned by health chiefs. ‘A person does not become medical card renewed. Marie Fleming’s partner Tom un-terminally ill,’ he said as he Curran, who was repeatedly urged for compassion to be used asked for information on her in the medical card process. Ms Fleming, a former univercondition by officials at the health Service executive sity lecturer, was diagnosed (hSe), told RTÉ’s News at with MS in 1986 and can only One the situation was ‘abso- move her head. The mother-oftwo has had her full medical lutely ludicrous’. Barring a miracle, his partner card automatically renewed in is not going to get better, Mr the past. In a statement, the hSe said: Curran said, adding that four follow-up phone calls to the ‘As soon as the hSe became hSe to resolve the matter were aware that the individual has a a waste of his time, and while terminal illness, steps were imhe can understand there are mediately taken to ensure eligirules in place, he insisted ‘those bility remained in place.’ It said the medical card rules need to be human’. The hSe claimed a review processing centre has a dataform was routine, but said it base of more than two million people and handles more than regretted the inconvenience. Tánaiste eamon Gilmore said 10,000 pieces of correspondhe was unhappy at the treat- ence each week. A review of the ment of Ms Fleming. ‘I think it medical card process was andoes show that the system can nounced in last month’s Budget be quite cold at times and I in a bid to save €113million. Figures last week revealed think that’s something we have 428,682 cards to address.’ have been reThe 59-yearviewed this year, old, one of thouwith 10,393 cards sands of sick peowhich were isple being assessed sued on a discrefor eligibility for tionary basis refree health care, placed with GP lost a Supreme cards, full mediCourt challenge cal cards or taken earlier this year to from patients enend her life with Review: Marie Fleming and partner Tom Curran tirely. assistance.

Gun threat over pet dog tussle

G’wan ya (Moone) boy ya Actor and writer Chris O’Dowd and his Moone Boy co-writer Nick Vincent Murphy show off their International Emmy for Comedy at a gala ceremony in New York. The sitcom shot in O’Dowd’s native Boyle in Co Roscommon follows the life of 12-year-old Martin Moone and his grown-up imaginary friend Seán PICTURE: EPa

Keep Dublin tidy – Please recycle this Metro Herald when you are finished with it

A MAN who suffers from depression pulled out what looked like a firearm and threatened to shoot a dog owner after their dogs became entangled. Henry Bryan, 52, was walking his dog Snowy when it pounced on another dog, named Storm, and Bryan became aggressive and began cursing at its owner. He said her dog should be on a leash and threatened to burn her house down and kneecap her. When her partner came out of their house to see what was wrong, Bryan pulled out an imitation gun and pointed it at the man, saying: ‘I’m gonna blow your head off’. Three days later Bryan also threatened to shoot a Dublin bar manager because he was annoyed he was barred from the premises. Bryan of Sea Road, Galway, who suffers from depression, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to criminal damage and making a threat to kill at the Horse & Hound pub, Harmonstown, Dublin, in October last year and to unlawful possession of a fake firearm. Judge Martin Nolan adjourned sentence for two weeks.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

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70% Increase in the number of holidays to Northern Ireland by people south of the border in 2012, according to the Northern Ireland’s Tourist Board

Ireland’s rate of newsprint recycling is now up to 79%. Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you.

Today is...

Pins And Needles Day… A day to show solidarity with sufferers of pins and needles. We’re no experts

here at Metro Herald, but in this cold weather, maybe a quick stroll to stretch the legs will sort it out. Stay cosy!

From the archives (2008):

‘Nailgate’ chief’s €300,000 payoff The Fás chief who resigned over US travel expenses is in line for a payoff of €300,000 and an annual pension of up to half his salary. Rody Molloy resigned from his €200,000-a-year job over expenses claims of €643,000 including a $410 nail salon bill.

Today’s birthdays

Kathryn Bigelow, director, 62; Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK, 56; Mike Skinner (The Streets), rapper, 35; Roberto Mancini, football manager, (right) 49.

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Isolated Song bird Fish hawk Looseness Illness

Yesterday’s solution: Brian G Hutton

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

Last orders for cheating husband after wife signs away their marriage at the pub

You’re barred: The sign proposing to Paul... and the ones telling him his marriage was over athena pictures/WaLes neWs serVice/facebook

Here’s a sign things have gone sour... MOST break-ups take place behind closed doors. But not for one unfaithful husband, whose discovery his wife was leaving him was witnessed by the entire high street. He went to their favourite bar only to find its sign had been changed to read: ‘PAUL... I AM DIVORCING YOU.’ And the next day a follow-up appeared, saying: ‘BTW I AM KEEPING THE DOG.’ The scorned wife, who wished to

by sHAROn MARRis

remain anonymous, said she wanted to ‘make him pay’ after she found out he was having an affair. She said: ‘I was angry and upset so wanted a sign to go up for everyone to see. ‘When I found out, I went through a mixture of emotions but felt angry and wanted him to pay. ‘We have been together for years and it is so sad it has come to this. I am absolutely devastated

and going through a really tough time at the moment. ‘I did feel a bit better once the sign went up.’ To add insult to injury, it wasn’t the first time she had used the tactic, having previously used magnetic letters when she asked Paul to marry her. Noah’s Yard café and bar, in Swansea, often alters its frontage – but messages supporting Wales in the rugby are more usual. Owner Noah Redfern, 36, said:

‘Maybe this will become a new way of asking for a divorce. ‘We have had a lot of interest from customers who have been asking about the story behind the sign.’ Passer-by Ron Williams claimed it would keep men in the area on their toes. He said: ‘This could give a lot of wives in the city an idea – I’m guessing there will be a few nervous husbands walking down the street today.’

making Christmas more comfortable

METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Love/Hate Leroy drugs admission A YOUNG actor who featured in the controversial cat-killing scene in Love/Hate has been remanded on bail pending sentence after pleading guilty to a cannabis dealing charge. Yesterday, Leroy Harris, 19, admitted unlawfully possessing a quantity of cannabis worth €100, and having the drug for sale or supply, at Sheriff Street, Dublin, on October 14 last. The young actor, who has no prior criminal convictions, will be sentenced in January.

Bomb hijack site scoured by PSNI THE area in Belfast where a dissident republican bomb partially exploded on Monday has been searched by police. Yesterday’s PSNI operation focused on Jamaica Street, close to where the driver was confronted by masked men in boilersuits and forced to transport a 130lb bomb in his car at around 11pm. Vehicle checkpoints are to return to Belfast and the frequency of police patrols is to increase following the incident.

Five-year-olds ‘overweight’ A FIFTH of Irish five-year-olds are overweight or obese, a new study has revealed. Children in better-off families are less likely to be overweight or obese, according to the Growing Up In Ireland report. It found higher levels of screen-time are linked to less healthy eating, and more than twice as many five-year-olds from poorer families spend three hours or more a day in front of a TV, computer or other device, than better off children.

Tourist testifies that Monet damage ‘was planned’ A TOURIST who witnessed a €10million Claude Monet painting being damaged said he saw the accused man ‘lift his fist and put it through the painting’. Andrew Shannon, 48, of Willans Way, Ongar, Dublin 15, denies causing criminal damage at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, on June 29, 2012. The gilt-framed painting (left), entitled Argenteuil Basin With A Single

Sailboat, dates from about 1874 and is Ireland’s only work in public collection by the celebrated French impressionist. Two tourists who travelled from New Zealand to give evidence told the jury at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that they were standing next to the Monet painting when the incident happened. Michael Williams told Kerida Naidoo BL, prosecuting, that he felt the

damage had been ‘quite deliberate’. ‘Out of the side of my eye I saw this man lift his fist and put it through the painting. To me, it was clearly what he wanted to do,’ he said. ‘He said to me he was feeling faint. I grabbed him straight after the event and he had his excuse ready to go. I couldn’t help but feel it was planned,’ he said. The trial continues today.

Kenny set outs new target of 10% unemployment rate by ED cARTy

A NEW target of unemployment below ten per cent has been set for two years’ time. As official figures revealed a fall in the jobless rate to 2009 levels, Taoiseach Enda Kenny declared the Government would seek to drive it down further bythe next general election. Those out of work fell by 41,700 to 282,900 in the year – to 12.8 per cent at the end of September, from 13.6 per cent in the previous quarter. The Central Statistics Office’s quarterly national household survey – released hours before the Government’s latest review of its action plan for jobs, which claimed the private sector created an average

42% Rise since last year in people seeking advice from Focus Ireland to prevent them losing their home 1,200 jobs a week for the year – found eight of the 14 sectors saw a gain over the year, with agriculture, forestry and fishing up 25,100, hospitality up 14,700 and professional and technical up 10,900. The 35-44 age group saw a rise of 21,000, the 45-54 age group was up 18,400, with 25-to-34year-olds the only group to suffer a fall. The total labour force is now 2,182,100, up 16,300. However, the long-term unemployment rate – 58 per cent of the total – dropped by only one per cent. Jobs Minister Richard Bruton described the turnaround in numbers as ‘encouraging’. Meanwhile, Fergal O’Brien, of business lobby group Ibec, claimed the CSO report showed the jobs market is ‘really humming’.

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Drive to report Blackout plea city dog fouling for stand-off Guilty pleas: The former lead singer with multi-million selling band Lostprophets Ian Watkins has pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences

Paedophile shame of Lostprophet

ROCK singer Ian Watkins yesterday admitted using his celebrity status to abuse babies belonging to two fans. The Lostprophets star, described as a ‘determined and committed paedophile’, appeared in a 17-minute video abusing one child in the presence of the baby’s mother. He also indulged in a 45-minute virtual sex session, using Skype to persuade another baby’s mother to abuse her child. After he pleaded guilty at the start of his trial, Det Ch Insp Peter Doyle described the case as ‘the most shocking and harrowing child abuse evidence I have ever seen’. He added: ‘There is no doubt in my mind that Ian Watkins exploited his celebrity status in order to abuse young children.’ A laptop seized from Watkins’s home in Pontypridd was password protected but was later sent to GCHQ to be cracked. The password was later discovered to be ‘If***kids’. Texts sent to one of the mothers men-

ARMED gardaí and negotiators were called to the scene of a stand-off in Co Laois yesterday. Gardaí determined the episode, described as a ‘barricading incident’, merited a media blackout and they asked journalists not to report on the matter while it was ongoing. The incident began at a house at Wolfe Tone Street in Mountmellick at about 11.20am and ended four hours later. A Garda spokeswoman said officers found a man in his early-30s in a ‘very agitated and distressed state’. In a statement last night, Gardaí said no further details would be provided.

by TARiq TAHiR

tioned a ‘summer of filthy child porn’. The Welsh star also discussed using her baby as a ‘sex slave’. Both women, aged 21 and 24, are facing jail after admitting their role in the sex offences on their own children. Drugs including crystal meth and crack cocaine were said to have played a significant part in Watkins’ offending. At one time he boasted of wanting to intoxicate one of his victims by blowing crystalmeth smoke into the child’s face. Tests showed one of the babies had been exposed to the drug. Sally O’Neill QC, defending, told Cardiff crown court: ‘His position is still the same. He can’t remember the events depicted in the videos.’ Judge Mr Justice Royce is expected to sentence him next month. The Lostprophets spoke of their shock last year after Watkins was charged but remained silent since.

‘Cheaper faster Metro plan should not be dismissed’

Montague: Plan

picture: ap

DUBLINERS are being asked to report dog owners who fail to clean up after their pet with the launch of a new hotline. There were more than 400 reports of dog fouling in the capital in 2012 but just three proseuctions. By calling the hotline, a report can be made of the location, time and date and the local authority can take action or increase patrols. If an offender refuses to pay up, the person who reported them may have to give evidence in court. Naming and shaming is also being considered. The hotline is 1800 251 500.

A METRO Dublin proposal which claims to be able to construct city rail links faster and at a much lower cost should not dismissed out of hand, the chairman of Dublin City Council’s Transport Committee has said. Andrew Montague said he has asked council engineers to examine the Metro Dublin plan at half the price of Dart Underground and Metro North combined, saving €2bn, and to be completed in 26 months rather than 70 months. Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank has agreed in principle to provide ‘significant funding’ for the Luas Cross City link, joining the red and green Luas lines.

The free Journey Planner and Real-Time Ireland apps – helping you plan your journey and telling you when your bus, train, Luas or DART is due. Leap Card – so convenient, with no need to carry cash. Newer, more comfortable vehicles with more WiFi access. Discover all the benefits of the transport system and you’ll see there are more reasons to use it.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

60 seconds ANTÓIN DEMPSEY is the manager of the Dublin Wine Rooms and has collaborated with Urban Farm on Just Grow Up, an ‘upcycling and urban farming showcase’ taking place this weekend

What is Just Grow Up and how did it come about? I

became friendly with the horticulturist Andrew Douglas who I’ve admired for his work on the country’s first rooftop farm on King’s Inn Street. Andrew is one of the most innovative and exciting figures at work in Dublin today and I thought it would be great if we could bring some of his expertise and enthusiasm for all things agricultural to the Docklands. The idea’s pretty simple: we’re inviting people down to the Dublin Wine Rooms on Sunday where we’ll be giving demos, workshops and talks on urban farming and upcycling.

delicious mushrooms and, better still, you can turn the box on to the other side when you’ve picked the first harvest and start again.

You’ll also be introducing visitors to aquaponics. How does it work? It’s a system of

food production whereby raising fish or aquatic animals is combined with growing plants in a symbiotic manner. Andrew got his hands on plastic containers that were used to hold concentrated Baileys. He sliced them in two and placed one on ground floor level and another elevated above. He then placed goldfish and trout in the bottom half and their excrement is pumped upwards to fertilize herbs growing in the top layer. On the day we’ll be cropping basil and microherbs that have been grown with this system and showing visitors how they can preserve them in jars to make pesto.

Why upcycling? Upcycling has always been a big part of our ethos in the Dublin Wine Rooms and, wherever possible, it’s something we’ve really gone for in terms of design. When we ran out of flooring, for instance, we reclaimed the old Yours was the wooden floorboards from first restaurant in my girlfriend’s house in Ranelagh; one of Ireland to our cabinets is from adopt an We’ll be showing Eamonn Doran’s Enomatic selfin Temple Bar people what you can service wine and we re-pieced d i s p e n s e r. do with upcycled it together when How has it it ended up in a materials and a little been embraced salvage yard sale. imagination We’ve taken old by customers? scaffold planks and Really well. It’s a transformed them into great idea because diners tables and used old wine can choose a wine by the boxes to recover cupboard doors. glass without worrying how long On Sunday we’ll be doing the bottle has been sitting around ‘creativity’ tours of the restaurant exposed to the air. Customers have and showing people what you can to put credit on their card beforehand, do with upcycled materials and a insert it into the machine and then little imagination. they can either help themselves or ask a sommelier for assistance in Much of the day will be choosing a wine. A man named devoted to proving to city James Connolly brought the system dwellers that the absence of a to Ireland and is now one of the garden shouldn’t preclude main suppliers here and in the UK.

Xtra-vision’s U-turn Argos signals end over Xbox One row for its little blue pen XTRA-vISIOn has been forced to back down on plans to sell new Xbox One consoles only to customers who forked out at least another €50. Watchdogs ordered the chain to cancel rules on pre-orders after angry customers complained they were paying over the odds to get their hands on the in-demand gaming device. Xbox Ones are so popular in the run-up to Christmas they have sold out across the country. Xtra-vision tried to capitalise on demand by telling customers pre-orders would only be honoured if they also bought a computer game worth at least €50. The national Consumer Agency intervened in the dispute and got assurances from the company it would cancel the rule and offer refunds to anyone who has already paid up and has an unopened game. The same rules will apply for the Playstation PS4.

Chef Nigella ‘had a daily coke and cannabis habit’ by TARIq TAHIR

“

them from GIY. Where’s a good place to start? Andrew has

150 varieties of potato growing on his roof in the city centre so I think that proves you don’t need a farm in the country to show off your green fingers. Potatoes are very easy to grow in the tiniest outdoor space but even if you don’t have a windowsill it’s worthwhile coming down. One initiative we’re very excited about – and we’ll be highlighting how they work on Sunday – is ‘mushroom cartons’. Basically, this involves growing pink and yellow oyster mushrooms in an empty milk carton that’s placed on its side and filled with used coffee grounds and mushroom spores. After 17 days you’ll have a crop of the most

Have you had any design plans for the Dublin Wine Rooms that have yet to come to fruition? A bullet proof glass box used for exhibiting art over the entrance – watch this space…

What’s your favourite ‘industry’ joke? What’s the difference between God and a sommelier? God doesn’t think he’s a sommelier.

Daragh Reddin

Just Grow Up takes place this Sunday at the Dublin Wine Rooms, Custom House Square D1, noon to 6pm. w w w. d u b l i n w i n e ro o m s . c o m . To register for your free space email dublinwinerooms@gmail.com

ARGOS is to replace its laminated catalogue and cheap little blue plastic pens with iPads at six ‘digital concept’ shops. The UK chain, which has 735 stores, 40 in the Republic, has, however, pledged to keep producing catalogues for customers ‘more comfortable with using them’. Tables of tablet computers will take the place of paper order slips at the concept stores, with a new 60-second fast-track collection service for shoppers pre-ordering products online. The hi-tech upgrade comes as Argos revealed that more than 40 per cent of sales are now made via its website, while revenues from smartphone and tablet orders account for 16 per cent of sales. Nine out of ten of all the company’s sales still involve customers coming to stores, increasingly using the ‘click and collect’ service to make purchases

Kitchen goddess: Nigella

nIGELLA Lawson used cocaine, cannabis and prescription drugs on a daily basis and was referred to by former husband Charles Saatchi as ‘Higella’, a court heard yesterday. The Tv chef and her daughter, Mimi, were accused of being so off their heads on drugs they allowed two assistants to go on a £300,000 (€360,000) spending spree with a company credit card. Advertising guru Mr Saatchi, enraged that the two sisters, now on trial for fraud, would get away with their alleged swindle, made the claims in an email to his ex-wife. In the message, sent last month, he referred to the 53-year-old as ‘Higella’ and signed off: ‘Classy!’ Judge Robin Johnson allowed the email to be read before the trial of Elisabetta Grillo, 41, and her sister, Francesca, 35, at Isleworth crown court. Summarising their defence, he said: ‘Miss Lawson is a user of class A and class B drugs on a daily basis. This was a guilty secret kept from her husband.’ The Italian sisters insist they had a ‘tacit understanding’ with Lawson that they could keep spending, as long as they didn’t ‘shop her’ to Mr Saatchi, 70, about her cocaine habit, it was claimed. They are now charged with swindling Conraco Partnership out of £300,000 while working as the couple’s personal assistants. His email read: ‘Of course, now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you, Mimi, (and another) were so off your heads on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked.’ But prosecutor Jane Carpenter said: ‘This is a totally scurrilous account which has been raised by the defence.’ The sisters, of Bayswater, west London, both deny fraud and the case continues. Mr Saatchi and Ms Lawson broke up after the millionaire art dealer was photographed holding his wife by the throat. He dismissed the incident, outside a Mayfair restaurant, as ‘a playful tiff’ but later accepted a police caution for assault.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

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METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

★

★★ ★ ★

Saints go marching on N

icole Appleton says a future with her old girl band All Saints could be just the ticket to get back on her feet. The 38-year-old and her sister, Natalie, have buried the hatchet with Melanie Blatt and Shaznay lewis and are hitting the road to support the Backstreet Boys next year. The trip down memory lane comes after her marriage to liam Gallagher, 41, collapsed following a scandal over his love child earlier this year. ‘i’m really looking forward to it,’ Nicole said of the reunion. And the singer put to rest rumours that the band’s split in 2001 was down to the Appleton sisters’ hard partying. ‘We’re all party girls, actually, so i don’t know where that came from. in fact, they’re worse than us,’ she said of Blatt and lewis, both 38. Natalie, 40, added: ‘We always got along, really – we just had our differences because of what we went

Spreading her wings: Paloma Faith will swap the mic for flying with parrots when she opens her debut exhibition along with Album Artists this week. The 32-yearold singer will be showing a collection of her album art and live performance stills in Shoreditch, east London

by JENNI MCKNIGHT through with the workload and everything. That’s what happens. ‘But we’ve always got on. i mean, we’ve had issues, i’ve fallen out with my own sister, you know – but it’s just normal, we’re all fine.’ Meanwhile, Nicole (pictured) said she was buoyed by a stint as a guest X Factor judge when her personal life was in pieces. ‘it was lovely of them to ask me. i enjoyed it. i don’t know if it will go anywhere but i’ve got fond friendships with everybody there and i loved it.’ And Nicole says the girls simply couldn’t refuse an invitation from the US boy band. ‘it was them that asked us and we have the same history so we were like, “Yes”!’ Appleton’s world came crashing down when her husband of five years fathered a child with US journalist liza Ghorbani.

★

SOUND

Britney Spears says she’s fallen head over heels again – less than a year after giving fiancé Jason Trawick the boot. ‘I’m in love,’ the Work Bitch singer said of new fella David Lucado, adding: ‘I like the fact that he’s very stubborn and he’s stuck in his ways.’ With a string of fraught romances behind her, the 31-year-old admitted protective father Jamie had run a background check on her latest flame.

★

Paris Hilton insists she never made a buck from online sales of her sex tape 1 Night In Paris. The 32-year-old claims she has much ‘nicer’ ways to make money. ‘I’ve never made a dollar,’ she said. The reality star is in a legal battle to shut down a Slovenian website that uses Paris Hilton in its title. ‘I don’t like people using my name to make money, especially in such a gross way,’ she moaned.

Catalogue in this Friday’s

Metro Herald.

Wake-up: Niall Horan and Harry Styles of One Direction perform on ABC’s Good Morning America at Rumsey Playfield in New York City picture: splash

Very Perry Christmas

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

Bodycon? I call dresses sucky sucky, says Posh

Katy Perry tries to get on Santa Claus’s good side by flirting her way through the latest ad for her new perfume. The 29-year-old dons a red mini-dress, high-heel black boots and pearls for the 23second clip to plug Killer Queen. She wishes fans a very ‘Perry Christmas’ before sitting on Santa’s lap to ask for ‘a picnic on Machu Picchu’ to be waiting under her tree. Killer Queen is the third perfume the singer has released after Purr and Meow.

She’s become one of the most sought-after designers in the world but Victoria Beckham has yet to master the flowery lingo of fashion. Posh has described her new tightfitting bodycon frocks as ‘sucky sucky’ dresses. ‘That’s probably not the best technical term for it but that’s what

I call it because that’s what it does,’ she admitted. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old mother of four hinted it won’t be long before she starts working on a children’s line. The workaholic told Vogue: ‘At some point, I would love to do that. Working and having four kids is tough but I will get there.’

It’s Kylie v Dannii in TV talent show war

The Minogue sisters are set to ratchet up their sibling rivalry to another level in a war for TV ratings Down Under. Kylie is taking a judge’s chair on The Voice Australia – meaning she will go head-to-head with sister Dannii, who appears on The X Factor Australia. Fresh from filming the British version of The Voice, which will air in January, Kylie announced last night she is to lead the hunt for unsigned Australian talent on the Channel 9 reality show. And she will be joined on the panel by Will.i.am. Revealing the news on Twitter, Kylie, 45, said: ‘So excited to be coming home and being a coach on

The Voice. I look forward to spending time in Australia, getting up close and personal with new talent.’ The I Should Be So Lucky singer and Will.i.am replace Seal and Delta Goodrem as judges. They will work with current judges Ricky Martin and Joel Madden. Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am, 38, said he was joining Kylie because: ‘Australia is a highly creative country and a place with many good memories that have shaped my music career.’ Meanwhile, Dannii, 42, whose act Dami Im recently won The X Factor Australia, will return as a judge for a second series in 2014.

★

Kanye West has ordered fans to boycott Louis Vuitton gear – after throwing a tantrum when the boss of the company declined his invitation to meet up. The Bound 2 rapper, 36, responded to Yves Carcelle’s snub by urging: ‘Everybody in New York City, don’t buy any Louis Vuitton.’ He seemed to believe shoppers would obey him, adding: ‘Influence. They think I don’t realise my power.’

Expecting visitors? Book a visit from us first. Life through a lens: Lady Gaga hotfoots it from the American Music Awards to Japan where she is promoting her latest album Artpop PICTURE: SPLASH

Miley’s on her high horse The bickering’s started again after Miley Cyrus threw a wobbly over Lady Gaga’s extravagant entrance to the American Music Awards in LA. The 21-year-old was aghast to see Gaga turn up on a mock white horse – and let everyone know it. ‘What a f***ing... what a big scene stealer,’ she ranted as Gaga clopped up behind her. ‘Next time I’m going to come in on a dragon.’ Clearly miffed, she told E! News: ‘You can stop interviewing me if you want to interview Gaga. I don’t care.’

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10 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

World

digest

Rabbit probe ready sarkozy in ‘psycho’ to hop on to Moon rant at Greek leader

CHiNA: A Moon rover named Yutu, or jade rabbit, will join Beijing’s latest foray into space, possibly as early as next week. The six-wheeled vehicle will travel on the Chang’e-3 lunar probe, marking the first time the nation has soft-landed a craft on another planet. Yutu’s name, voted for by the public, derives from Chinese folklore.

fRANCE: Former president Nicolas Sarkozy once called Greece’s leader a ‘f***ing psycho’ and an ‘a***hole’ in front of a room full of EU leaders. Mr Sarkozy was furious that George Papandreou wanted to hold a referendum in 2011 on more austerity cuts. The incident is in a new book by former Spanish prime minister José Zapatero.

In tow: This clip from the ITV documentary shows Balakrishnan heading to an inquest followed by Josephine Herival and Aisha Wahab in 1997 picture: itv news by sHARON MARRis

PHiLiPPiNEs: Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan carry on the clean-up in Tacloban yesterday. Amid the chaos, there are signs that normality is returning, with stalls appearing in front of wrecked shops picture: Ap

Life behind bars for ‘Climate refugee’ is ‘throat-slit’ parents told to return home

iNDiA: The dentist couple convicted of killing their 14-year-old daughter and servant have been jailed for life. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, who hit their victims with a golf club before slitting their throats, got an extra five years for destroying evidence. Rajesh received another year in jail for lying to police. The pair, from Noida, near Delhi, plan to appeal.

NEw ZEALAND: A father of three yesterday failed in his bid to become the world’s first climate change refugee. Ioane Teitiota claimed rising sea levels made it too dangerous to go back to Kiribati, a low-lying Pacific island. A judge in Wellington ruled Teitiota was not being ‘directly persecuted’. Without refugee status, he will be deported.

THIS is the first picture of the man accused of keeping three women as slaves for more than 30 years. The image from a 1997 ITV documentary shows Aravindan Balakrishnan heading to an inquest, followed by Josephine Herival and Aisha Wahab, who he is said to have kept in servitude. All three were attending the hearing into the death of Sian Davies, who fell from a window of a house used by Balakrishnan’s Maoist group. It is believed that the third ‘slave’ kept at the home could be Rosie, Ms Davies’s 30-year-old daughter. The footage also shows Irish national Ms Herival arguing with a film crew asking to speak to Comrade Bala, as the 73-year-old, who was arrested along with his wife Chanda last week, likes to be known. Balakrishnan and his wife were

and finally... POLAND: Failing your driving test is never a happy time. Yet a learner’s 14th flop is one her instructor will never forget. Anna Nowacka beat her instructor and drove his car into a wall in Rybnik. ‘I just lost it,’ she said.

Door block: Aisha and Josephine

walking in the shadow of a Maoist ‘slave driver’ believed to have been well-known to police after setting up a communist squat, the Mao Zedong Memorial Centre, in Brixton, south London, in 1976. Police found the ‘slave’ women in the house last month after Miss Herival rang the Freedom Charity, saying she was being held against her will. The property has since been boarded up by Lambeth Council and police have confirmed that there are ongoing inquiries relating to a total of 13 addresses in Lon-

don that are linked to the couple. The three women are now in the care of a specialist non-government organisation and it is believed that Rosie has spent her entire life living as a slave. Speaking yesterday, London Metropolitan Police commander Steve Rodhouse said: ‘We believe emotional and physical abuse has been a feature of all the victims’ lives.’ The couple, who are of Indian and Tanzanian origin and came to the UK in the 1960s, have been released on bail until a date in January.

Look out for us at Pearse Street DART Station on Tuesday 3rd December! » Tweet a photo of the DART of Physics crew » Use our hashtag #DARTofPhysics and you could win an iPad mini on your daily commute!

Find out more dartofphysics.ie

Tiger mauls his keeper in attack at Irwin’s zoo

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

Wolves killed after zoo escape THREE wolves were shot dead after a pack of five got through a damaged fence at Colchester Zoo in England yesterday. One of the animals returned of its own accord, another was shot

with a tranquiliser and returned to the zoo, while the others had to be shot because they managed to escape to an out-of-safe range. Zookeepers were said to be ‘devastated’.

“AS IF MY PHONE CAN TELL WHEN THE NEXT BUS IS DUE.”

Horrifying: The tiger lunges at David Styles and, inset, a zoo keeper rushes to his aid Pictures: 7 News

A TIGER trainer was flown to hospital after being mauled by one of the big cats at the zoo made famous by crocodile hunter Steve Irwin. Zoo keeper David Styles, 30, was bitten on the neck and shoulder by a tiger, which he has raised since it was a cub. Witnesses said the animal became over-excited during a period of play time and lunged at the trainer during a show. Schoolboy Jake D’Olimpio, 14, told Australian newspaper The Courier Mail: ‘It was horrifying. The trainer and the tiger fell in the water and the tiger was trying to hold him under. ‘The other trainers, maybe four of

by SHAROn MARRIS them, tried to fight the tiger off. One of them was hitting it with a stick.’ Another onlooker tweeted: ‘Things went from playful to violent instantly. I hope that poor fella recovers quickly.’ Mr Styles, who has worked with big cats at the Australia Zoo for nine years, is in a ‘serious but stable’ condition at a hospital in Brisbane, Queensland. Zoo director Wes Mannion praised the actions of quick-thinking staff who rushed to Mr Styles’ aid. ‘They acted professionally and calmly, he said in a statement. ‘My

hat goes off to them.’ Andrew Haggerty, a doctor who treated Mr Styles at the scene, said: ‘The neck is a very complex area and contains lots of serious structures including blood vessels, and perhaps most importantly the airway. ‘Any bleeding in the area itself could cause significant complications.’ The zoo, on the Sunshine Coast, keeps three Bengal and eight Sumatran tigers and visitors can be photographed with the animals every day. The zoo was formed by Steve Irwin, 44, who was killed by a stingray barb while swimming off the North Queensland coast in 2006.

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12 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Mailbox

Email: Twitter:

mail@metroherald.ie Text: @metrohnews and Facebook: #metromailbox

‘Mail’ to 53131* Facebook.com/ metroherald

*Please include a name and location. Texts cost €0.30 per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay, D2. Customer service number 0818286606

Some more sheltered than others heading for retirement?

nteresting to read from the archives (2010) in Monday’s Metro Herald that the taoiseach warned ‘no one could be sheltered from the €15billion recovery plan.’ We then read that the retirement age for ordinary workers is to go up to 66 next year, 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028. Compare this to last weekend’s reports that the county manager of sligo County Council has retired at the ripe old age of 57. Just to help him along in what we all hope will be a long and happy retirement, the ordinary workers of this country have endowed him with a €250,000 lump sum and a €65,000 a year pension. now you all know where your UsC, property tax and water charges are going. never again Mr Kenny. Bill ■ i have lived in Dublin all my life and apart from the junkies, the people of Dublin are decent people. if you do not like Dublin, why did you come in the first place? i suggest you go back under the rock you

Quick pic

TEQUILA SUNRISE: Reader Karolina Milkowska sent us this picture of a beautiful winter sunrise in Dublin Send your photos to pictures@ metroherald.ie with ‘Quick pic’ as the subject and we will print the best each day in the paper

crawled out from under.

James

■ Mike, Dublin, like every other city, has its share of good and bad. if all you can see is bad, then you are the problem. Dublin will be happy to see your negative rear disappears over the horizon. Cynical Optimist ■ Hi Mike, you mustn’t get out much or your opinion of Dublin comes from watching too much Love/Hate. if you want doom and gloom, just watch the news or buy any other paper instead. i personally find the uplifting stories quite refreshing, and a perfect tonic each morning on the way to work. so please, do leave. Our fair city will be that bit fairer without the likes of you. Lee ■ Hi Mike, i would suggest that no more than ten emails a day are received in the Metro Herald good On Ya section. even more amazing than people being kind, is people saying thank you and sending in an email. Grouch

gOOD On yA

yEH bIg RIDE

● I would just like to say a very big thank you to the kind man along with his partner who stopped near the O2 last Wednesday night. When I came out from the O2 my car would not start, we had the jump-leads out and ready but we needed another car to help. This kind man came to our aid and was very helpful. Thank you both. Yvonne

● To the guy with black framed glasses in Copán on Thursday, I was the girl with the long, light brown hair sitting just up from you… want my number? Admirer ● Dark haired girl in Eddie Rockets, Tallaght, you said hello last week. I’m raging I didn’t stop to talk to ya! Mr Vodafone

yOuR RuSH-HOuR cRuSH

RAnDOM AcTS Of kInDnESS

TREnDIng

@metrohnews #metromailbox

#IanWatkins

● Yes it’s disgusting what Ian Watkins did, but what I find most disturbing is the two mothers involved that allowed it to happen #ianwatkinstrial. @sjaox ● Today’s news on Ian Watkins… I’m

actually speechless.

@ColletteVonTora

● This Ian Watkins stuff has made me incredibly sad. I mean there are people out there who used to consider him as an inspiration. @ingoldblood_

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

Find out why the Citroën C4 Picasso has scooped ooped the Continental Irish Car of the Year. See WHEELS p17

‘X Factor was a baptism of fire’ I

Then 16-year-old Janet Devlin had a hard time on the 2011 show but she’s moved on with a refreshingly frank attitude. Her debut single is out later this month, writes Andrew Williams nterviewing a former X Factor contestant can be like talking to someone who’s escaped a cult. they’ll often keep repeating mantras such as ‘it’s been a fantastic experience’ and ‘they’re grateful for the opportunity’. So, it’s surprising that flame-haired irish singer Janet Devlin, 19, proves so willing to get the ups and downs of life on the show off her chest when we meet in a London members’ club. She finished fifth on the 2011 series, won by girl group Little Mix, and is about to release her debut single, wonderful.

Devlin entered the show after her mother, Patricia, told her she could audition online by sending a video in. ‘i thought there’s nothing to lose by applying,’ she says. She’d already amassed 15,000 subscribers on Youtube, who watched her perform covers of songs including Adele’s Someone Like You and Florence & the Machine’s Cosmic Love. She received an email telling her to attend the live auditions two days later, where she sang elton John’s Your Song and – hey presto – was on her way to Saturday night small-screen

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14 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

music

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stardom. But Devlin’s turbulent relationship with the show started early on. At the judge’s houses round of the competition – filmed on a rooftop in Miami – Devlin hit an impasse with producers who, she says, wanted her to show some emotion on camera. ‘I was on that roof for several hours,’ she says. ‘I was being quite emotionless, which got on their nerves. They said how do you expect anyone to connect with you unless you let your guard down? Eventually, I cried. It was horrible.’ Even today, Devlin comes across as reserved, so it’s not surprising that on-the-spot emoting didn’t come easily. She says she’d previously watched the audition rounds of The X Factor but not much of the live shows, which is presumably why the karaoke aspect proved problematic. She wasn’t always happy with having songs chosen for her on the programme and matters came to a head in a heated showdown with mentor Kelly Rowland when Devlin was presented with The Jackson Five’s I Want You Back. She’d sung the original lyrics, with the song addressed to a girl, in rehearsals for a week when Rowland asked for the gender to be changed. Devlin wasn’t keen on the idea and after a shaky dress rehearsal was summoned to Rowland’s dressing room for a telling off. ‘It wasn’t nice,’ she says. The singer says it reflects a general

competition

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“If you stay longer, I think you’re automatically signed to Syco. I’d rather have a choice…

personality clash she had with Rowland. ‘She’s very enthusiastic, a big character, and in those days I was quite quiet. I wasn’t very chirpy, which I think annoyed her. ’ To add to her woes, Devlin’s grandfather died during her time on the show, which meant more tears on camera. ‘They asked what happened, I cried and that was it. I needed to address it because the fact he’d passed away had already trended on Twitter. It taught me that opening up sometimes isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but it’s a lot for a 16-year-old to deal with, to open yourself up to millions of people like that.’ Devlin won the most number of votes for four consecutive weeks – until she appeared to forget the words to Hanson’s Mmmbop, which sent her packing. But it wasn’t a case

✹

of amnesia. ‘I hadn’t been eating a lot because I was working so much and then had a massive dinner that day. I felt a bit ill and when I was singing I felt bile coming up in my throat, swallowed it, and lost my place in the song,’ she laughs. ‘I just thought: “Don’t throw up on TV.”’

HE was happy to go when she did as she still qualified for the X Factor live tour. ‘I wanted to do it to earn money to make the album,’ she says. ‘If you stay longer, I think you’re automatically signed to Syco. I’d rather have a choice. Everyone wants choices.’ She was offered other deals when she left the show and turned them all down. ‘It was nice money but it meant I’d have had to sing other people’s songs. I don’t want to be in the music industry for the sake of it – I want to earn my place.’ She crowd-funded her current album, Hide & Seek, and wrote with musicians she admires, including Newton Faulkner. ‘I was jumping around the room when I heard he’d write with me,’ she says. Devlin has no regrets about doing The X Factor. ‘It was a baptism of fire,’ she says. ‘I’ve never worked harder in my life but I learned a lot. I came out of it wanting to write an album about human experiences and for it to be real – which I have done.’ Keeping it real: Tyrone’s Janet Devlin has blossomed since X Factor Wonderful is out now.

w in

from the Red Cow Luas stop, XMusic boasts ample free parking – vistors are welcome to wander the store, peruse our excellent range of stock and – should they feel the urge – pick up an instrument and play. See Xmusic.ie. To be in with a chance to win this fantastic prize all you have to do is: Take a picture of yourself in XMusic with any of their instruments and e-mail it to: metro@xmusic.ie. Don’t forget to include your contact details. Deadline for receipt of your picture is midnight, Nov 30. The winner will be announced on Dec 2. Exclusive for Metro Herald readers

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AbOuT TOwn GIG Duckworth Lewis Method

The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon and Pugwash’s Thomas Walsh play tracks from Sticky Wickets, their second cricket-themed LP, featuring a dozen vaudevillian tracks about the idiosyncrasies of the gentleman’s game Tonight, Olympia Theatre, 72 Dame St D2, 8pm, €25.40. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.dlmethod.co.uk

CONCERT Boyzone

It’s been a whopping 20 years since the Dublin man band shimmied about The Late Late Show set for the first time with scarcely an ounce of dignity – as the BZ20 Anniversary Tour rolls into town, Keating and co have the last laugh Tomorrow, The O2, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay D1, 7.30pm, various prices. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.boyzone.net

HOT TIckETS Vladimir’s Viennese Christmas The Irish-based Slovak violinist Vladimir Jablokov kicks off a festive tour next month when he’ll be treating guests to tracks from new album Classical Christmas. Expect a stocking-full of yuletide favourites from Prokofiev and Strauss, alongside timeless carols. For tour dates see www.vladimirmusic.com Dec 2, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace D2, 7.30pm, from €23.50. Tel: (01) 417 0000. www.nch.ie We have two pairs of tickets to see Vladimir’s Viennese Christmas and albums to give away. For your chance to win, just answer the question below and text LIFE followed by your full answer, e-mail address and name to 53133 (texts cost €0.60 + standard network charge). Q Complete the Christmas carol: Little Road To… A Bethlehem B Balbriggan

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

home cinema

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Wolverine at his topless best The WoLverine (12) HHH✩✩

DVD, blu-ray, VoD Hugh Jackman’s return in his hairy, adamantiumtaloned, beefed-up guise (pictured right) is based on one of the best story arcs in Marvel Comics’s X-Men chronicles, the standalone Japanese adventures (published 30 years ago) taking Wolverine to a different culture and more exploration of character. In 1945, Wolverine shields a young man from the Nagasaki A-bomb. In the present day, he’s living alone in the wilderness, when he receives a summons to Tokyo from the now elderly tycoon whose life he saved. There, he’s plunged into a baffling private war, protecting the old man’s imperilled granddaughter (Tao Okamoto) while assailed on all sides by yakuza, ninjas, nasty mutant vixen Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) and the Silver Samurai. Action set-pieces, atop a bullet train for one, are let down by some ponderous plot longeurs and a by-the-numbers climax but it’s a decided improvement on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Jackman is splendid

(and frequently shirtless). A neat end-credits sting sets the scene for next year’s Days Of Future Past. Angie Errigo

SchaLcken The PainTer (15) HHHH✩

DVD, blu-ray With winter nights upon us, when better to snuggle up with a properly spooky ghost story? One of the most requested titles from the BBC’s archives, this lost Gothic TV classic was originally screened in the last hours before Christmas Eve, 1979. Our hero is eager young 17th-century (reallife) painter Godfried Schalcken, who has fallen for his mentor’s beautiful blonde niece. Alas, someone else also has their evil eye on her. Namely a mysterious ghoulish stranger, who buys her from her uncle for a box of gold, snatching her from Schalcken’s arms, though not from his art. Director Leslie Megahey commissioned himself to make this extraordinary docudrama for Omnibus, the BBC’s longrunning arts series, of which he was newly

an editor. Marvellously macabre and narrated by Charles Gray, it recreates the shadowy interiors of the Dutch Golden Age with meticulous precision. It’s a cult treasure whose intricacies are explored in the essays within the BFI’s lavish, illustrated booklet. An ideal festive present for the more high-brow zombie fan. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

BiLL BaiLey: QuaLmPeddLer (12) HHHH✩

DVD, blu-ray What must it be like to be inside Bill Bailey’s brain? Probably akin to being inside the Large Hadron Collider, with lots of high-energy, cerebral elements bashing together to form a wondrous and occasionally abstract whole. This show, filmed at London’s Hammersmith Apollo earlier this year, is a typically scattershot affair, with most of the appeal resting on how intelligent ideas can quickly turn silly: a rap about thermodynamics; the British coalition reduced to three hilariously disparate

objects; church music given a dubstep make-over. There are more musical mash-ups to enjoy too, the highlight being a reggae twist on the Downton Abbey theme tune. If there’s a thread here, it’s about the confusion of modern life – of government, social media, reality TV stars. Cognitive dissonance, he calls it. Thank God, in Bailey, there’s someone able to make some sense of it all. Sharon Lougher

Five films to see at the cinema

1 2 3

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire It may not top the first one but Jennifer Lawrence is still astonishing in this faithful-to-the-book sequel of this gamechanging, female-led action franchise. The Summit Nick Ryan’s documentary about 2008’ss illfated expedition on K2, which saw 11 climbers – including Limerick mountaineer Ger es, is a McDonnell (pictured) – lose their lives, tense, well-crafted affair. Blue Is The Warmest Colour Steven Spielberg and his Cannes Jury awarded this controversial, epic, erotic, French coming-of-ager the Palme D’Or. Find out why.

Gone With The Wind Catch Scarlett and Rhett briefly back on big screens, still not giving a damn, in this 4K reissue of the beloved Technicolor Hollywood American Civil War epic.

Gravity There’s really only one 3D film per year worth seeing, and this is 2013’s. A sensational spac survival thriller starring space Sandra Sandr bullock and George Clooney Clooney.

by Luas

Looking ahead OLDbOy

Spike Lee directs this remake of Park Chan-wook’s super-violent Korean thriller about a kidnapped businessman (Josh brolin) on a vengeance mission. Out Dec 6.

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16 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Life television WhaT i’m WaTching Johnny vegas cartoon network

I am obsessed with Cartoon Network’s triple bill of Regular Show, The Amazing World Of Gumball and Adventure Time. Adventure Time is a show I consider ‘too good’ for kids, despite the fact my tenyear-old son and I regularly sit watching in fits of laughter or exchange the same ‘did they really just get away with that?’ look at some of the show’s more trippy/ risqué moments.

doctors on call RTÉ1, 8.30pm On tonight’s show, reporter Paul Walsh hangs out with ladies GAA team The Kilmacud Crokes Mothers And Others in Stillorgan as they take on a challenge to see if upping your exercise for four weeks can make you live longer. Meanwhile, Dr Ciara pays a visit to a group of young mothers to chat about issues from feeding to sleeping, plus she’ll be telling them what to look out for if their baby is sick and when to call 999. Dr Terry will be tackling Ireland’s biggest killer, ischemic heart disease, while Dr Johnny Walker puts sports gadgets, including the ElliptiGO – a cross trainer/bike hybrid, to the test.

FilM oF tHe day case 39, RTÉ1, 9.35pm

Working her Bridget Jones look (blonde, hair band, pout of a confused little hamster) Renée Zellweger plays Emily, a singleton social worker so dedicated to helping the ickle children she has no time for romance with fellow care worker Bradley Cooper. But her worthy instincts bite her on the bum when she gets involved with Case 39. Following a hunch that a ten-year-old girl Lillith (Jodelle Ferland, above with Zellweger) is being abused, Emily breaks into the house, only to find the little girl’s parents about to stuff her in an oven and roast her alive. Ian McShane gives an adequate performance as the local cop, although overall this horror thriller is a fairly predictable and contrived affair.

Breaking Bad

goggleBox channel 4, 10pm Who thought a show watching other people watch TV could turn out to be one of the must-watch hits of the year? It’s edited close to transmission and there’s no word as yet as to what our favourites will be passing comment on. But if it were up to us, we’d like to know what Brighton pair Stephen and Christopher (right), posh tipplers Stephanie and Dominic and Liverpool’s Leon (the world’s biggest Tess Daly fan) and June make of I’m A Celeb and Doctor Who – with a spot of Bottler to top it off.

The agrarian bromance ’twixt chef Nigel Slater and farmer Adam Henson (right) bubbles along in the Cotswolds, where Nige is whipping up lamb burgers slathered in cheese in his dream of a farmhouse kitchen. That’s just what farmer Adam needs after a hard day fretting over the havoc the freezing weather is having on his wheat. It’s a full larder this week: tips on when best to eat lamb and what to look for in cheap cuts, plus the pick of strawberries and potatoes.

gBH

tHe tunnel Sky aTlanTic, 9pm

i’M a celeBrity.. get Me out oF Here! 3e, 9pm

We’ve passed the halfway stage of this atmospheric Anglo-French remake of the Danish-Swedish thriller but mismatched cops Karl and Elise (Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy) are no closer to nailing moralistic murderer the Truth Teller, who this week turns his sick mind to taking a coachload of schoolchildren hostage.

Kian psyches himself up to take on the next trial after the public vote, and he’s determined to win the nine stars up for grabs. But will he keep his cool after being lowered into a cave full of slithery and multi-legged creatures? meanwhile, the remaining teams play a game to decide who gets to go on the Halfway Holiday and there’s talk of Vincent’s wee...

nigel and adaM’s FarM kitcHen BBc1, 8pm

I know it’s an obvious choice but what the hell. The transformation of Bryan Cranston’s ‘Walt’ from cancer victim to criminal monster proved heartbreaking but every bit as addictive as his blue crystal meth. Only a show this impeccably written, cast and shot could have you rooting for the guy, then leave you feeling ashamed for having done so.

sleepy Hollow UniveRSal channel, 9pm

There’ll never be another mulder and Scully but ichabod crane and lt abbie mills (Tom mison and nicole Beharie) have their own thing going on as they chase after spooky demons and that elusive headless horseman. The blade-swishing rider is back in the saddle, causing all kinds of merry hell as ichabod and abbie call for backup from sister Jenny and captain irving.

Watching Boys From The Blackstuff as a child formed my obsession with storytellers such as Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, those people who presented dramas that spoke to me about my world and helped make sense of the strain my family and friends might find themselves under. Alan Bleasdale is an incredible writer.

My Favourite tv cHaracter

Garry Shandling’s Larry Sanders, Rip Torn’s Art, Jeffrey Tambor’s Hank..? Any character from The Larry Sanders Show would fit. All perfectly epitomise the neuroses and giant egos that abound within showbusiness. As fresh and ahead of its time now as it was then. Genius! Sharon Lougher Vegas takes over Ideal World TV shopping channel tonight at 8pm, trying to sell a product of the viewers’ choice.

Precious few television shows have avoided a drop in standards throughout their lifetime, so the mixed reviews for the latest Love/Hate finale have fans fearing the worst. Ross McDonagh looks at firm favourites that jumped the shark Very few TV series have ever managed to remain great up until their conclusions: The Sopranos, 24, The Wire and Breaking Bad the most recent to join the pantheon. As a general rule, it’s simply a matter of time before a TV show ‘jumps the shark’; a reference to the moment when it was unanimously agreed the once-great Happy Days lost its way (the Fonz literally jumped over a shark on water skis). Modern shows tend not to have a great identifiable instance of aquatic avoidance acrobatics – they just sort of taper off and, well, become crap. Dublin crime epic Love/Hate exploded on to our screens in 2010, a previously unheard-of, accomplished Irish-made drama. Could it be the long-prophesised first justification of your licence fee? Skip to November 2013 and season four has just wrapped. Reviews are... mixed. It hasn’t lost it yet, but season five stands of a precipice. Can the writers pull it back and silence the critics? Or will Love/Hate join the following list of once-potentially great TV series?

DExTER

Man, did this start off great. A guy who’s morally good at heart, but suffers from a condition that makes him need to kill. A serial killer with a conscience, who just happens to consult for the police force charged with solving his crimes. Early Dexter was superb, as he tried to strike a balance between covering his murders but suffering from withdrawal the longer he waited between kills. An excellent premise, until the writers seemed to forget about his condition, and just seemed to have him kill as a hobby. Then they brought Julia Styles’ moany face in… Gave up after: Season 5

LOvE/ HATE sERiEs fivE – wiLL wE LOvE iT OR HATE PRisOn BREAk iT? Who doesn’t love a good prison

break? The ridiculously goodlooking engineering genius Michael Scofield gets himself arrested on purpose in order to break his wrongly-accused brother out of jail, with the plans for the prison secretly hidden within his awesome full-body tattoo. Season one was choc full of squeaky-bum-almost-got-caught brilliance. Season two is – logically enough – spent on the run after they escape. Season three, they break into a jail in Panama that’s run by criminals…. Wait, what? Gave up after: Season 2

THE x fiLEs

The beauty of The X-Files was you were either on Mulder’s side or Scully’s; either you believed there was some weird paranormal stuff going down, or you were the skeptic who explained it all away. The writers managed to keep it ambiguous to a point – never choosing one side over the other – until season three, episode 22: Quagmire. In it, the duo investigate reports of a lake monster attacking townsfolk. The bodies keep stacking up until Mulder finally tracks down and shoots... an alligator! Was the alligator responsible all along? Or was there ever a plesiosaur in the lake? I guess we’ll never know. Oh no, wait, there’s the Loch Ness Monster smiling and waving into the camera for the final ridiculous shot. Series = ruined. Gave up after: Season 3

wheels

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

editorial@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Picasso is master motor by jOAnnE AHERn The Citroën C4 Picasso has scooped the Continental Irish Car of the Year 2014 title, pipping the Volkswagen Golf and the Mazda6 to the post. Overall, the Citroën received 377 votes, with the Golf at 364 and the Mazda6 at 327. Presenting the award to Citroën Ireland managing director Frederic Soulier, Continental Tyres Ireland’s Tom Dennigan said: ‘The Citroën C4 Picasso is an outstanding car and a worthy winner of our main award. ‘It combines excellent driving qualities with a range of truly impressive technologies, and is a credit to everyone connected with Citroën.’ Meanwhile, there was good news for both Volkswagen and Mazda in the category awards. The Mazda6 was named the Continental Irish Family Car of the Year, with the Volkswagen Golf GTi taking the Continental Irish Performance Car of the Year title. The Peugeot 2008 crossover scooped the Continental Irish Small Car of the Year accolade, while the Citroën C4 Picasso also took the Continental Irish Compact Family Car of the Year award, ahead of the VW Golf, which was shortlisted. The Range Rover was named the Continental Irish executive/Luxury Car of the Year. The Car of the Year awards are voted upon by members of the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association, taking into account comfort, practicality, equipment level, safety, fuel economy, ride and road holding. All of the winning cars are available to test drive now. Visit atTheLights.com for reviews of the winning cars.

REviEwED CITROëN C4 PICASSO Styling: As five-seat MPVs go, the C4 Picasso isn’t a bad looking vehicle, and might almost be called stylish. The cabin offers a large and bright space, while the cockpit is striking, with a 12” digital information screen centred in the middle of the dashboard, and a 7” ‘control panel’ touch screen underneath. Comfort: Very comfortable, with a fine, high driving position and good leg and head room in both back and front. Each of three full-size individual rear seats is fitted with Isofix points for child seats. There’s also a conversation mirror, allowing the driver to see what’s going on in the back without having to turn around. Boot: Loads of room for buggies and golf clubs. The rear seats also fold flat to expand capacity. Tech: The Exclusive grade test car included SatNav, cruise control/speed limiter, auto lights and wipers and an excellent

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18 MeTrO HeralD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

body matters

I’m helping to break the stigma of HIV Alex Sparrowhawk, 28, talks to Vicki-Marie Cossar about living with HIV and how he is hoping to change people’s misconceptions about the condition

‘T

hat’s the thing about hIV; if you keep it a secret it makes people think there’s something to hide,’ says alex sparrowhawk, who is hIV positive. ‘By speaking out, I’m putting a face to the virus, showing people my plaining the journey and explaining helpfacts. that way, I’m help ing to break down the stigma associated with gay men and the disease.’ the 28-year-old was diagnosed with the virus four years ago after a one-night stand. ‘I

wouldn’t say I slept around when I was younger,’ he says. ‘I usually used protection but this was one of the times I didn’t and it was just bad luck.’ Despite scientific advances in treating the condition and laws to protect people living with it against discrimination, there is still stigma around hIV, something sparrowha hawk says is born of ‘fear and ignorance’. hIV is a long-term medical condition. ho however, lack of kno knowledge and assumptions about how it is transmitted fuel negative connotations which, in turn, discourage people from being tested for the virus. HEALTH & FITNESS CLUB the terrence higClub Vitae, Maldron Hotel Cardiff Lane gins trust’s ask Me Tel: 01 6439502 | Email: dublin@clubvitae.ie about hIV will be launched on World aids Day this sunday. sparrowhawk is an ambassador for the campaign, which

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GeT in early Speaking up: Alex Sparrowhawk tested HIV-positive after a one-night stand aims to help dispel these myths around hIV. however, could initiatives such as this encourage people to have unprotected sex because they think hIV is no longer to be feared? ‘hIV is not the death sentence it once was,’ says Jason Warriner (pictured left) clinical director at the terrence higgins trust. ‘But the reality is no one wants to live with this virus. having hIV means taking medication every day, sometimes with unpleasant side- effects. there is no cure. People need the facts about hIV so they can take the necessary steps to protect their sexual health.’

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human immunodeficiency virus attacks the body’s immune system – its defence against diseases. the virus kills off the white blood cells that fight diseases (called CD4 cells), leaving sufferers open to infections such as tB, some cancers, oral thrush, pneumonia and meningitis. this is called aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). You don’t die from hIV or aids, you die from the infections that take advantage of a weakened immune system. hIV is not passed on through spitting, biting or sharing eating utensils. the symptoms of hIV are flu-like, with a fever and sore throat the most common. the hIV In Ireland 2012 report found a 160 per cent increase in hIV diagnosis among gay and bisexual men between 2005 and 2012, and said the average age of diagnosis had also dropped, from 38 to 32. In the first two quarters of 2013, there were 165 new hIV diagnoses notified to the health Protection surveillance Centre – 82 of whom were men who had sex with men and 56 of whom were heterosexual (29 male, 27 female). ‘Without treatment, a person with hIV will become seriously ill and ultimately die,’ says Warriner. ‘that’s why it’s so important to break down the stigma that can put people off getting tested. today, it’s always better to know your hIV status. It’s not a condition anyone would choose to live with but, with the right treatment, a person with hIV can live a full and healthy life well into old age. Condoms remain the best way to protect your sexual health.’ sparrowhawk was on a plane returning from a week in France when he first felt ill. ‘I had a headache but thought it was sunstroke,’ he says. ‘then I felt fluey, so I went to get tested. the test came back negative and I was so relieved. But I had a cough that just wouldn’t go, so three months later I

On average, HIV sufferers die ten years earlier if they are diagnosed late. Delaying testing allows the HIV virus to damage the immune system. HIV treatment is free for everyone in Ireland. If you test positive, as long as you test early and start treatment, you can expect to live as long as someone without HIV. Someone who is diagnosed late, after the point at which they should have started treatment, is nine times more likely to die within a year of receiving their diagnosis than someone who tests in good time.

went for another test and this time it was positive.’ sparrowhawk’s CD4 count was just 213. the average person has a count of between 600 and 1,200 and his hIV viral load – the amount of hIV in the blood was 79,000 (copies of the virus per millilitre of blood). the load can range from more than one million in the early stages of infection to less than 40 after medication – classed as undetectable. ‘When they told me, I just felt numb,’ he says. ‘It’s hard to describe but it was like a silence had descended over me. I had a million questions but couldn’t think what to ask first. so I went back to work and kept it to myself for about a week. I just wanted to be treated normally and to deal with it in my own time.’ a week later he told his close friends but he didn’t tell his family for two years. ‘I didn’t want them to worry about me and I needed to get my head around it before they started asking questions,’ he said. sparrowhawk wanted to take control of the situation so he

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

wHAT wE LEARnED THis wEEk

Eyes on the prize Rachel Byrne and Aoife Ryan, fifth year students at Presentation Secondary School, Thurles, Co Tipperary, with their project The Amplitude Of Accommodation Of Students’ Eyes, which was one of 15 projects from across the country exhibited at the national final of SciFest 2013 Picture: naoise culhane

Hiv – nO LOngER A DEATH sEnTEncE

‘In the 1980s and early 1990s, there were no effective treatments for HIV and most people with it were eventually diagnosed with Aids and died,’ says HIV consultant Dr Michael Brady. ‘But now, anti-HIV drugs can control the virus, so far fewer people develop serious HIV-related illnesses and, if treated properly, people with HIV can expect a normal life expectancy. A person on effective HIV treatment should have an undetectable viral load. ‘This is a sign that the treatment is working. ‘Having a high viral load means you’re much more likely to pass on the virus if you don’t practise safe sex. Having an undetectable viral load means there is almost no risk of transmitting HIV.’

Brady adds that some of the most common myths include people thinking HIV and Aids are the same thing, that HIV will kill you and that someone with HIV can’t or shouldn’t have a relationship with someone without HIV. ‘In 2013, a person with HIV can live a long and full life,’ adds Brady. ‘They can enjoy healthy relationships irrespective of their partner’s HIV status, they can even start a family with less than one per cent risk of passing on the virus.’

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7 million hair implants decided to ‘come out’ on Facebook a year ago. ‘I wasn’t willing to hide from it any more,’ he said. ‘I wanted to stand up and break the stigma and become an activist to raise awareness. Everyone’s really supportive.’ Sparrowhawk’s HIV viral load is now undetectable and in August his CD4 count was back to 577. He has also found love with a boyfriend who is HIV negative. ‘I always thought getting HIV meant a death sentence,’ he adds. ‘But there are so many myths about it and because of this I feel strongly that something needs to be done to raise more awareness. There isn’t enough education in schools about it and the government needs to do more. There’s been no national HIV campaign since 1987. I can only see this being more of a problem in the future unless something is done.’ For more information about World Aids Day visit www.worldaidsday.org. For information about HIV, visit www.dublinaidsalliance.ie

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Zero emissions for farming

ScieNtiStS have identified a gene that regulates alcohol consumption which when damaged can make mice drink to excess. the study found while normal mice have little or no interest in alcohol, mice with a specific genetic mutation overwhelmingly chose water containing diluted ethanol. they found these mice would even perform tasks to win an alcohol ‘reward’, and would drink so much they became inebriated. the British research, published in Nature communications, may help scientists develop an understanding of alcoholism in humans.

FARMIng should be completely carbon-neutral by 2050, politicians have claimed. With carbon emission levels from Ireland’s agricultural sector currently higher than the EU average, the government has been urged to set a new target in revised climate change laws. Agriculture contributes about 30 per cent of the country’s emissions, compared to an EU average of less than ten per cent, an Oireachtas committee found. Its report recommended farming be brought in line with other sectors which have set zero-emission targets.

MORning AfTER piLL wARnings the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it is looking into whether morning-after emergency contraceptive pills fail to work in women over a certain weight and will decide whether to add a warning to the drug’s label. the agency was reacting to reports that european health regulators have ordered a label change for the emergency contraceptive product by French drugmaker hRA Pharma sold under the brand name Norlevo, requiring it to include the drug’s diminishing effectiveness based on weight.

20 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

puzzles

METROSCOPE

by Patrick Arundell

NEMI by Lise

Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

Today the Moon sweeps over Mars. The upside of this is that it can give you a push to get on with any tasks that you have been putting off. Yet, it could also make you less patient and a little irritable. Use this excess of nervous energy to get busy. For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

With an enlivening Moon/Mars link, you can feel sociable. There continues to be quite a delicious array of planetary energy to give you the confidence to say what you want but with a persuasive, charming, touch that few will resist.

METROKU Easy, Moderate and Challenging. For solutions, visit Metro.co.uk/metroku

For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

You might find your mood is sensitive today and your feelings could be close to the surface. This could also make you more defensive than usual. However, if you feel in need of some extra personal cheer, you may decide that a treat is in order.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

Cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

Pluto has been strengthening your desire to have your say in recent years, and if done right, that has been no bad thing. Today, there are two influences bubbling away for you which could see you decide to make a generous or amorous gesture. For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

If you are tempted to spoil someone, try to be conscious of what your motives might be. Your factual take may be a bit hazy. Wait a day or two. If you have been generous or helpful to someone in the past, they may acknowledge this fulsomely.

PEARLs BEFORE swINE

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

If anyone seems to put seemingly unfair obstacles in your way, you may find yourself bridling at them. Yet, some subtle vibes suggest you should try to give people the benefit of any doubt. Someone may soothe your fears.

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23

Little things you would normally shrug off could really get under your skin today. Knowing this is the Moon and Mars up to mischief will hopefully give you the reassurance to retain your usual diplomatic cool.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 76

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

You might find yourself considering a change of plan when it comes to your social life. Fortunately, you can probably keep the goodwill of anyone you make changes to if you are sincere. For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

You might find yourself wanting to assert yourself today but ensure you get your facts right. With Neptune still mischief-making, you may have a tendency to react to something you might later see in a different light. For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

Mystery continues to potentially upset a planetary scenario, which nevertheless seems hopeful. As much as one situation can get you down, bear in mind the old maxim that fact can be stranger than fiction. Ignore any petty gossip. For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

Uranus in Aries for the past couple of years has aroused your more outspoken side. Today, you may feel that when it comes to something shared or financial, you simply have to cut through the froth and tell it how it is. For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

Your competitive instincts could be aroused today. Or, if you are wanting a fuller love life, you may reach out to someone you like. The one thing you should try to avoid is putting anyone on a pedestal. Stay grounded.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

DOWN 1 Kingly (5) 2 Victor (6) 3 Former (3) 4 Contend (6) 5 Entreat (7) 8 Petition (7) 11 Fall out (7) 13 Vagary (7) 15 Fret (6) 16 Departure (6) 17 Haste (5) 20 Deed (3)

Yesterday’s Solutions Across: 1 Out-of-doors; 7 Alder; 8 Mastiff; 10 Farewell; 11 Envy; 13 Throng; 15 Redden; 17 Hold; 18 Catacomb; 21 Diploma; 22 Arena; 23 Deportment. Down: 1 Order; 2 Throwing; 3 Female; 4 Oust; 5 Reigned; 6 Far-fetched; 9 Flying-boat; 12 Separate; 14 Relapse; 16 Vacant; 19 Overt; 20 Solo.

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ENIGMA In medieval Europe these in bright attire used to please the ladies of the court in pairs, with their cheerful songs and airs. WHO AM I? A singer, I was born in Edinburgh in 1975. I am one quarter Chinese. I won the award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2006 Brit Awards and my hit singles have included Suddenly I See and The

Other Side of the World. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO… in theatre was born Emilie Charlotte le Breton? WHAT... nationality was playwright and novelist August Strindberg? WHERE... is Grozny the state capital? WHEN... was Interpol established?

SCRIBBLE BOX

ACROSS 6 Conveyance (7) 7 Extreme (5) 9 Blemish (5) 10 Liberate (7) 12 Swindle (11) 14 Coiffeur (11) 18 Excursionist (7) 19 Spurious (5) 21 Deficient (5) 22 Get (7)

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QuIz

Crossword No. 867 See next edition for solutions

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: Troubadour. WHO AM I? KT Tunstall. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? Lillie Langtry; Swedish; Chechnya; 1923.

QUICK CROsswORd

For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

rugby

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD

cApTAin cuLLEn READy TO sTREngHTEn LEinsTER Hopeful: Leinster’s Leo Cullen is coming back from his Achilles tear Picture: iNPHO

LEInStER confirmed that Brian O’Driscoll’s exit from Sunday’s bruising international against new Zealand was the result of a concussion, meaning the Ireland centre will have to pass through the sport’s strict protocols before returning to the field. O’Driscoll was unlikely, along with heavily-utilised Ireland

players such as Cian Healy, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Rob and Dave Kearney and Mike Ross, to face this weekend’s Pro12 opponents Llanelli, but club captain Leo Cullen could feature for the first time this season after the second row’s recovery from an Achilles injury gathered pace over the past week.

Elsewhere, Rory Best should be fit for Ireland’s Six nations campaign after the Ulster hooker had surgery to stabilise the broken arm suffered against the All Blacks, however his expected return date of mid-to-late January would rule him out of the rest of Ulster’s Heineken Cup pool campaign. Fellow forward

Lewis aiming for a winter boost by ADAM HAy-nicHOLLs

LEWIS HAmILTon is confident a winter’s worth of input into next year’s mercedes will ensure he avoids another ‘average’ campaign. one victory, five poles and fourth place in the drivers’ standings represents a reasonable haul from Hamilton at the end of his debut season with the team. When you consider before the year began Hamilton was not expecting to be too competitive, he and team-mate nico Rosberg have performed well to hand mercedes second in the constructors’ for the first time. However, on reflection, the British driver claims he ‘should have done more’ but points out the fact the car was not his and not developed to his tastes when he first arrived. With a year under his belt, and with F1 facing its biggest rules change for

formula1

Hoping for better things: Hamilton many years next season, Hamilton now has the opportunity to mould the 2014 mercedes to his liking. ‘When I was at mcLaren, going into my first year I’d already been there a period of time,’ said Hamilton. ‘I’d done a lot of simulator running

to really get on top of things and changed things to the way I liked them, and the car worked for me. ‘over the following years the car was built for me and I had a lot of input into that. ‘This year’s car has been built for nico, and developed with michael [Schumacher], who drives differently to me. So it has been a really difficult season in terms of being able to extract the most from the car. ‘Actually, it’s not been such a bad year given it has been my first and with a car I’ve not known. ‘There are so many things I have been learning, with lots of problems throughout the season. ‘nico has been here from the first year, so the stuff I’m learning I’m sure is similar to what he was learning in the first year. ‘So I’m hoping next year I have a much better understanding.’

Seb will only get better, Horner warns his rivals RED BULL team principal Christian Horner believes Formula One is still to see the best of Sebastian Vettel. Vettel equalled Alberto Ascari’s 60-year-old record with his ninth consecutive victory in Brazil on Sunday. But Horner is sure there is more to come from the German. ‘It’s been an unbelievable You ain’t seen nothing yet: Seb performance from Sebastian,’

reflected Horner. ‘He has driven with such consistency, accuracy, speed, and what he has achieved this year has been quite outstanding. ‘I don’t think he can quite believe what he has achieved – nine consecutive victories in one season. ‘I’ve said before he will continue to improve and we’ve yet to see the best of him. We are just starting to see that now.’

Iain Henderson could be absent for a similar period after scans revealed a hamstring tear that will take up to six weeks to heal. Meanwhile, there was good news for Connacht in the form of a two-year contract extension for Robbie Henshaw. the 20-year-old has committed to the Sportsground until at least 2016.

Quick recovery: Cuthbert

cuthbert set to return for clash with Wallabies BRITISH and Irish Lions wing Alex Cuthbert has made a surprise return to the Wales team for Saturday’s clash with Australia in Cardiff. Cuthbert suffered an ankle injury during Cardiff Blues’ Heineken Cup victory over Toulon last month and missed the opening three autumn Tests against South Africa, Argentina and Tonga. But his record at the highest level as a proven try scorer means he is being rushed back. Elsewhere, flanker Dan Lydiate features in the back row with Justin Tipuric on the bench, while Dan Biggar will play at fly-half.

22 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

football champions league

Cracker-Jack display gROup f

REsuLTs

ARSeNAL..................................2 MARSeiLLe .............................0

gRoup e

Basle ..........................1 Chelsea .................. 0 Steaua Bucharest ....0 Schalke .................. 0

table Chelsea Basle Schalke S Bucharest

P 5 5 5 5

W 3 2 2 0

D 0 2 1 3

L F 2 11 1 5 2 4 2 2

by JACK fOx

A Pts 3 9 4 8 6 7 9 3

ArsenAl’s progression into the knockout stages is still in the balance despite Jack Wilshere’s lightning-quick opener setting them on the road to victory at the emirates stadium. The Gunners midfielder bagged a brace, with his first goal – the fastest by an englishman in the competition – coming after just 33 seconds as Arsenal saw off group whipping-boys Marseille. However, with Borussia Dortmund beating napoli, it means the Gunners will probably need a point from their final group game against rafael Benitez’s side in Italy next month to be certain of reaching the last 16 of the competition. Arsenal’s evening had got off to the perfect start as Wilshere found the net

champions league gRoup F Arsenal ..................... 2 Marseille ............... 0 B Dortmund ............. 3 Napoli ..................... 1

table Arsenal B Dortmund Napoli Marseille

P 5 5 5 5

W 4 3 3 0

D 0 0 0 0

L 1 2 2 5

F A Pts 8 3 12 9 5 9 8 9 9 4 12 0

gRoup h

Celtic .........................0 AC Milan.................3

fixTuREs Champions League Group A Bayer Leverkusen v Man Utd................... TV Sky Sports 2 Shakhtar Donetsk v Real Sociedad ............... Group D CSKA Moscow v Bayern Munich ..............(5pm) Man City v Viktoria Plzen ........................ TV Sky Sports 4

Penalty Mes: ozil failed from the spot

Missing: Lionel Messi

star duo to take a rare night off LIoNeL MessI and Cristiano ronaldo always seem to score don’t they? Well, not this week as both are injured. Amazingly, it means neither of them will be on target in a Champions League group matchday for the first time since the sixth round of matches in 2011, according to Infostrada sports.

sucker-punch: Jack Wilshere, main picture and inset, enjoys his first-minute strike

TRANsfER TALK

out: Cristiano ronaldo

u NeWCAsTLe may have a fight on their hands to keep Yohan Cabaye beyond this season. The one-time Arsenal target craves Champions League football and will assess his future in the summer. u NottiNghAM Forest are leading the chase for West Brom midfielder graham Dorrans but fellow Championship sides Derby and Reading are also interested.

PiCtURe: ReUteRS

with less than a minute on the clock. The england midfielder burst down the right before cutting inside and curling his shot beyond goalkeeper steve Mandanda. Mesut Ozil missed the chance to double the lead with a tame penalty after Aaron ramsey was adjudged to have been fouled – replays later showed the offence took place outside the box. Arsenal were becoming increasingly frustrated by their visitors until Wilshere calmed nerves with his second. ramsey slid the ball through to Ozil, whose cross into the box was superbly guided home by Wilshere’s boot – the 21-year-old’s first career double. Theo Walcott capped a fine night for the hosts with a welcome return from injury as a substitute late on.

@MetrohSport

Diego tempted by arsenal interest WoLFsburG playmaker Diego has revealed that Arsenal are interested in signing him at the end of the season. The 28-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, said: ‘I know there is interest from Premier League clubs. I have heard one of them is Arsenal.’

Diego will reportedly look to move away from Wolfsburg when his deal expires and could even agree a pre-contract move in January. southampton and Tottenham have also been linked with the midfielder (pictured), who has 33 caps for brazil and a wealth of experience.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 METRO HERALD 23

but not safe yet picture: reuterS

Ball control: FC Basel’s Kay Voser (L) challenges Chelsea’s Willian who could not help the Blues beat Basle

Defensive frailty: Neil Lennon

clinical Kaka crushes celts euro dream gROuP H celtic ......................................0 ac milaN ................................3

Another Swiss miss for Jose as his Blues sneak through CHELSEA have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League despite suffering defeat after a sub-standard display in Basle. The Swiss side beat the Blues for a second time this season, after their victory at Stamford Bridge in September, thanks to an 87th-minute winner by Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian caught the Blues napping as he collected a long ball

premier league

gROuP E basle ...............................1 chelsea .........................0 by DAnny gRiffiTHs from the back and then produced a sweet finish to beat Petr Cech. Chelsea needed a point to reach the knockout stages and victory

required to keep out a Taulant Xhaka free-kick before stretching for a deflected Fabian Frei shot. Chelsea looked stronger in the second half when Eden Hazard replaced the ineffective Oscar and appeared to have finally blunted the Basle attack. But Jose Mourinho’s team were devoid of invention up front and paid the price when Salah cut through their defence to cash in.

Poyet sees justice done over Brown SunDErLAnD boss Gus Poyet is ‘delighted’ with the ‘fair and just’ decision by an FA panel to overturn the red card Wes Brown received in Saturday’s match with Stoke. referee Kevin Friend came under fire for sending off Brown (pictured) for a seemingly legitimate challenge on Charlie Adam. But having had

Monthly Certified Distribution Sep 30 - Oct 27, 2013: 59,764

to finish top of the group but were unable to muster a single attempt on goal. They went through, however, when Schalke drew with Steaua Bucharest in Romania. Salah scored for the third time in a row against the Blues and was unlucky not to net in the first half, when he was denied by a smart reflex save from Cech. The Blues goalkeeper was also

the red card overturned, Black Cats boss Poyet was keen to move on. ‘naturally we are delighted with their decision, which is fair and just,’ he said. ‘I have spoken with Mike riley and whilst the details of our conversation will remain private, I am satisfied with the outcome. Of

course it was hugely frustrating to have Wes sent off, but we accept that officials are only human and like everyone, they can make mistakes. ‘Having the red card rescinded goes some way to rectifying the error and we are delighted to have Wes available for Saturday’s game at Aston Villa.’

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A WOEFUL defensive display saw Celtic eliminated from Europe as Kaka led AC Milan to a comfortable victory. The Brazilian was left unmarked to head the opener and Cristian Zapata struck from another corner, seconds after Virgil van Dijk had missed a sitter. Mario Balotelli made it 3-0 after the Hoops were caught out by a long ball. A shock victory for Ajax over Barcelona means Scottish champions will finish bottom of Group H and cannot even qualify for the Europa League. Their last European game of the season will be at Barca on December 11. Derk Boerrigter had the first chance of the match as he failed to connect with a volley from a Mulgrew corner. But the visitors took the lead from a 12th-minute corner. Fraser Forster stayed on his line, allowing the unmarked Kaka to head home. Celtic bombarded the visitors’ goal with a series of crosses. The outstanding Kaka then sent a curling effort just wide from long range. Balotelli had the ball in the net again but he was wrongly ruled offside. Celtic had a golden chance to equalise after the break as Charlie Mulgrew chipped the ball to van Dijk, who volleyed straight at Christian Abbiati from only a few yards out. The hosts were punished as Milan went 2-0 up in 48 minutes. Valter Birsa’s corner found Alberto Nocerino and his low cross was turned in by Zapata. Van Dijk headed in at the other end but was ruled offside. Balotelli made it 3-0 on the hour, showing great balance to get on to a long pass and steer the ball beyond Forster. James Forrest’s stabbed effort clipped the post and Celtic’s night only got worse as news filtered in from Amsterdam.

24 METRO HERALD Wednesday, November 27, 2013

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