Metro Herald, Wednesday, December 17, 2014 by Metro Herald

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

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slaughtered in the classrooms 132 pupils shot dead in Taliban massacre by aidan radnedge

PUPILS were forced to watch friends and teachers being shot through the eyes, beheaded and burned to death as Taliban gunmen killed more than 141 people in a school massacre yesterday. Children who moments earlier had been sitting in lessons were herded together and mown down in Pakistan’s deadliest terror attack. At least 132 youngsters and nine teachers were killed and another 121 pupils and three staff members were wounded, on what UK prime minister David Cameron called a ‘dark day for

Target: An injured boy is lifted to safety PicTure: rex

« Gay veterans to march in Boston Paddy’s Day parade The organisers of Boston’s annual St Patrick’s Day parade have voted to allow a group representing gay veterans to march next year, a dramatic turnaround for an organisation that has long resisted the inclusion of gays. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which won a US Supreme Court decision in 1995 upholding their right to ban gay groups from the annual parade that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators, voted 5-4 on Monday to allow the group OutVets to march in the

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parade scheduled for March 15. They will be allowed to carry a blue banner with five white stars representing the branches of the military, and six vertical rainbow stripes.

‘Ensuring inclusivity is important for us’ OutVets represents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans. Bryan Bishop, OutVets founder and a US Air Force veteran, called the decision ‘awesome’.

‘I think it’s very significant,’ said Mr Bishop, who works as chief of staff in Boston’s Veterans Services department. ‘ensuring that there is 100 per cent inclusivity is important.’ The group has about 50 to 60 members, but has no political or social agenda, he said. ‘OutVets is being allowed to march because of their military service, not sexual orientation,’ said the veterans’ council’s commander Brian Mahoney. ‘This conforms to the tenets of the parade,’ Mr Mahoney said. ‘The parade is devoted to

Victim: An injured girl is carried to hospital PicTure: aP

honoring the service of veterans. It’s is our aim to honour that service and the history of the Irish Catholics in Boston.’ The parade organisers have long resisted the inclusion of gay groups, saying the parade is meant to honor veterans and Irish-American heritage, not promote any political or social agenda. The parade was in negotiations last year to allow the LGBT group Massequality to march, but things fell apart at the last moment and Boston mayor Martin Walsh boycotted the parade.

Sláinte! St Patrick’s Day in Boston just got better

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

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

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Pope Francis, religious dude, 78; Eugene Levy, yer man’s dad in American Pie, 68; Bill Pullman, the US president in Independence Day, 61; Milla Jovovich (pictured), actress, 39; Giovanni Ribisi, Phoebe’s brother in Friends, 40.

Can you Fields it? Diamonds are a girl’s Bates friend:

Well done to Amanda Bates, our lucky competition winner who won an 18ct diamond ring from Fields Jewellers

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Brad: We must feel bad about reading leaked Sony emails

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

by ANDREI HARMSWORTH BRAd PITT has blamed the email hackers for humiliating Angelina Jolie – not the executives who dubbed her a ‘minimally talented spoiled brat’. The actor refused to criticise Sony boss Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin when he stood in for his wife at Hollywood’s Unbroken film premiere, while she recovers from chicken pox. ‘I think someone’s conversation, whether in email or in person, should be private,’ said Pitt, 50. ‘We shouldn’t be participating and these sites that are disseminating them should stop. They won’t. ‘And we should stop reading them. We won’t. It’s more of an indictment on us, I think.’ Meanwhile, Pascal – who was recently pictured receiving an icy glare from Jolie – has addressed the emails in which she talked about US president Barack Obama. The emails were dubbed racist as Pascal and Rudin implied the head of state would only have an interest in films featuring mostly black actors. Pascal has now turned to prominent black civil rights activists, 73-year-

Family outing: Pitt takes his parents and children to the premiere Picture: getty old Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, 60, in a desperate bid to save her career. She said: ‘It was a very preliminary conversation and we just talked about getting together and hoping to discuss a healing process. ‘I want to accept responsibility for

these stupid, callous remarks.’ Pascal, 56, also insisted parent company, Sony Corp, weren’t about to sack her. ‘I still have the full support of the company,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter. The identities of the hackers are still unknown.

Ice Ice Amy: Pascal encounters Jolie after leak Picture: rex

Mel fuels talk of split from husband who ‘pi**es me off’ Split? Mel and duck-killer Stephen Picture: rex

MEL B refused to deny last night that she has left her husband Stephen Belafonte – after admitting ‘he p***es me off like no other’. Her spokesman would not comment on rumours the couple had split, saying ‘we don’t comment on her private life’.

However, he was happy to dismiss talk Mel was back into hospital following treatment last week. Pals say the former Spice Girl told convicted woman-beater Belafonte their marriage was over and walked out on him on Monday, hours after he denied having hit her.

She has not returned to the couple’s rented London home and will be jetting back to Hollywood as soon as she can, Metro Herald understands. In an interview, Mel said of film producer Belafonte (once fined for killing a duck with a brick): ‘Sometimes he p***es me off like no

other but he gets me.’ She added her ‘massive ego’ could make her difficult to be with. The spotlight was turned on Belafonte after his wife of seven years missed Saturday’s X Factor and returned on Sunday with what appeared to be bruises on her face.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

My teacher was crying, so a terrorist shot at her until she made no more sound

«from page one

humanity’. Shahrukh Khan, 15, was shot in both legs but survived after hiding under a bench. ‘One of my teachers was crying, she was shot in the hand and she was crying in pain,’ he said. ‘One terrorist then walked up to her and started shooting her until she stopped making any sound. ‘All around me my friends were lying injured and dead.’ The slaughter began at 10am yesterday when the murderers – dressed in military uniforms – slipped in un-noticed via a back door at the heavily guarded Army Public School in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan. They systematically shot pupils in the head or chest as classmates looked on in terror. Hospital workers later described seeing victims being brought in with their heads hacked off. And military sources said one teacher – named in some reports as Hifsa

Face of anguish: Injured boy is carried Picture: AP 200 miles

SCHOOL MASSACRE

Peshawar AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN

Islamabad INDIA

Karachi

Arabian Sea

Khush – had been doused in petrol and set alight in front of her class. Seven terrorists from the Tehrik-iTaliban group were killed as armed forces burst in to stop the slaughter. Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani admitted responsi-

bility for the atrocity. He claimed the army school had been chosen in retaliation for the months-long military offensive that Pakistan has mounted against militant Islamists. ‘The government is targeting our families and females, he said. ‘We

want them to feel the pain.’ Pakistani military spokesman Asim Bajwa said last night: ‘Their sole purpose, it seems, was to kill those innocent kids. That’s what they did.’ One young girl escaped the massacre by playing dead, her mother’s friend Shireen revealed to BBC News. ‘She managed to jump out,’ Shireen said. ‘She pretended she was dead and when the gunmen moved away she managed to escape through the back door.’ Pupil Abdullah Jamal, treated at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg, recalled: ‘I saw children falling down who were crying and screaming. I also fell down. I learned later that I have got a bullet.’ Condemning the outrage, Mr Cameron said: ‘There is not a belief system in the world that can justify such an act.’ Hospitals in Peshawar came under intense pressure following the attack but more than 1,000 people volunteered to donate blood.

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Blood: Guard helps boy AP/reuters/getty

ID card: Thought to be Hifsa Khush

Body found in hunt for killer of six

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Coffin: Rescuers help relatives

Victims: tims: (L-r) (L ) Barrister Bar Katrina Dawson and caféé manager TTorii Johnson, both hostages in Monday’s siege, were remembered by friends

Café’s manager ‘wrestled’ with Sydney hostage taker TRIBUTES poured in yesterday to two Australians who died in Monday’s hostage drama. Barrister Katrina Dawson, 38, died from a heart attack shortly after the siege ended, while 34year-old Tori Johnson, manager of the Lindt cafe, died from a gunshot wound at the scene, believed to have been inflicted as he wrestled with the gunman. Ms Dawson, a married mother of three, was reportedly shielding a pregnant colleague in the final moments of the siege, something her friends said proved how caring a person she was. Jeremy Stoljar, a close friend who worked with her, said: ‘She was a terrific barrister, she had first class legal skills, and more importantly

she was a wonderful person. Tori Johnson had worked at the Lindt cafe since October 2012. Mr Johnson reportedly died during a final standoff with the 50-year-old gunman Man Haron Monis, attempting to wrestle the shotgun from him, although police would not comment on this. Monis was not on a terror watchlist and New South Wales attorney general Brad Hazzard has been questioned as to why he was bailed in December in relation to being an accessory to murder and again earlier this year on sexual and indecent assault charges. Tougher bail laws will come in next month and Mr Hazzard said he did not believe Monis would have been bailed under these.

A body has been found in the woods near the suburban Philadelphia home of a US Marine veteran suspected of killing his ex-wife and five of her relatives. Police say the body was found yesterday afternoon by officers looking for 35-yearold bradley William Stone. Schools closed and hospitals and other public places tightened security yesterday as police in suburban Philadelphia hunted for him. Stone, 35, had been locked in a child custody dispute with his ex-wife, and police say he targeted people close to him. Nicole Stone was found dead in her apartment after a neighbour saw Stone fleeing at around 5am with their two young daughters, authorities said. The girls were later found safe with Stone’s neighbours. Police discovered five more people dead in two other homes: Nicole Stone’s mother, grandmother, sister, brotherin-law and 14-year-old niece. A 17-year-old nephew was wounded in the head, and police said he was in ‘very serious’ condition.

Heartbroken Malala: We’ll never give in NOBEL Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai led global condemnation of what she called a ‘senseless and coldblooded act of terror’ in Peshawar. The campaigner for girls’ education – who survived being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman who wanted to silence her – said she was ‘heartbroken’ by yesterday’s school slaughter. The 17-year-old Pakistani, now living in Birmingham, said: ‘Innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this. I, along with millions of others around the world, mourn these children, my brothers and sisters – but we will never be defeated.’ Ms Yousafzai (right) was joined by world leaders including David Cameron and Barack Obama in paying tribute to

Brand accuses US as victims of the Taliban lie dead RUSSELL BRAND faced a backlash after accusing the US of terrorism, just as news of the school attack broke. The comedian tweeted a link to an interview he conducted with former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, writing: ‘The people who do “terror” best are the people who decide what “terror” is.’ As details of the school killing

by AiDAn RADnEDgE the 141 pupils and teachers killed by the Taliban. Indian leaders laid aside the country’s differences with Pakistan to send messages of support. Mr Cameron said: ‘It’s horrifying that children are being killed simply for going to school.’ Mr Obama said: ‘By targeting students and teachers in this heinous attack, terrorists have once again shown their depravity.’ Labour’s Khalid Mahmood took a different tone, claiming Western powers should rethink support for Pakistan’s ‘not fit for purpose’ government. ‘They ought to have control in a place like Peshawar – not to be in control is an absolute abdication of responsibility,’ said the Birmingham MP.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

Tweet: Brand said US was an architect of terror picture: getty

Rescued: Pupils are led off by troops picture: reuters

emerged, Nate Anderson told Brand, 39, his comments were ‘bad timing, dude’. International relations professor Colin Wright told the self-styled revolutionary: ‘You do talk some crap at times. Not all the time but I’m seeing more and more of it.’ Mr Begg, from Birmingham, was held for three years without charge after his arrest in Pakistan in 2002.

? P O T E H T H C A E R O T T WAN .. F. L E S R U O Y H C T E R T S TH EN

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Abbey expecting her second baby

FORMER Strictly Come Dancing winner Abbey Clancy (pictured) and her footballer husband Peter Crouch are expecting their second baby. The model, 28, revealed her ‘exciting’ news on Twitter yesterday. ‘Super excited to announce me and Pete are expecting our second baby. We couldn’t be happier,’ she (pictured) told her followers. Stoke City forward Crouch, 33, added: ‘We are expecting baby no 2 woo hoo.’ The couple are already parents to three-year-old daughter Sophia Rose.

Bit overweight? Just breathe out

YOU can lose weight simply by breathing. We shed fat through exhaling carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, says the British Medical Journal. By breathing out 17,280 times a day, an 11st person will lose at least 200g of carbon. An hour’s run would remove another 40g.

WE’RE all entitled to big dreams, and this African elephant’s ambition, it seems, is to be a giraffe. The five-ton beast surprised onlookers when he suddenly reared up on his hind legs and stretched his trunk to grab some out-of-reach leaves. The photographer, Giovanni Casini, said: ‘It was quite a show to see a creature as massive as this standing on the back legs and pulling away an entire branch with his trunk, like it was nothing.’ The 35-year-old Italian, who captured the image during a dawn safari in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools Park, said: ‘It is very rare for elephants to stand on their back legs because of their weight.’

Pizzas topped with the salt of 7 Big Macs Half of all popular pizzas still contain more salt than the recommended daily maximum following a ‘complete halt in progress’ by the food industry, according to a survey. Some 48 per cent of 1,267 pizzas tested for Cash (Consensus action on Salt and Health) contained more than the recommended daily intake of 6g of salt, while five contained 16g – the equivalent of seven Big Macs. Cash said it was disappointed with the findings, which follow a call to action in 2012 after a previous pizza survey found 73 per cent of all restaurant and takeaway pizzas contain more than 6g of salt. Just over a third (38 per cent) of pizzas targeted at children in restaurants met the children’s salt target of 1.8g of salt per portion. Cash found that the majority of pizzas (59 per cent) mentioned in both UK surveys had either remained the same or increased in salt. a spokeswoman for Domino’s said: ‘We trust our customers to make an informed decision when it comes to having a balanced diet.

SALT CONTENT

Papa John’s Stuffed Crust Sausage 16g and Pepperoni (takeaway) per pizza Domino’s Pepperoni Passion BBQ 13g Stuffed Crust Mozzarella (takeaway) Papa John’s Stuffed Crust Spicy 12.8g Italian (takeaway) Domino’s American Hot Stuffed 12g Crust Mozzarella (takeaway) Pizza Hut BBQ Mega Meaty 10.4g (takeaway) Zizzi Piccante (restaurant) 10g Goodfella’s Mighty Meat Feast 9.2g (supermarket) 9g Zizzi Sofia (restaurant) Tesco Stuffed Crust Pepperoni 8.6g (supermarket) Chicago Town 8.4g Classic Crust Pepperoni (supermarket) Dail recomm y end amoun ed t

6g *

*Dept of Health Source: Consensus on Action and Salt

Wii fans told to beware of Nintendinitis

IF SANTA brings you a Nintendo for Christmas, be careful... it might just land you in hospital. Dozens of players have been injured by the games consoles over the years, a new study has revealed. Most complaints were cases of ‘Nintendinitis’ caused by hammering the buttons too hard – but some users were hit by lifethreatening conditions. Two people suffered strokes as a result of over-exerting themselves by playing on Wiis. A 55-year-old woman had a massive chest bleed when she fell during a game of Wii tennis. And in the early days of Nintendo’s rise to global dominance, there were reports of people hav-

by DOMiNiC HARRiS

ing seizures after playing for too long. ‘Overall, a Nintendo is a relatively safe present,’ said Dr Maarten Jalink, of the University of Groningen in Holland. ‘However, people should not swing the controller too hard, should be careful about where they play and take frequent breaks.’ Dr Jalink and his team collated all cases of Nintendo-related problems for the study in the British Medical Journal’s Christmas issue. A Nintendo spokesman said: ‘As with any activity, people should pace themselves and not overdo it.’

Just some of those ailments...

Wii wee: Incontinence in children so engrossed in Super Mario Bros they forgot to use the toilet Nintendo neck: Reported in a child playing his Game Boy for 30 minutes in a hunched position Nintendo elbow: Diagnosed in a

12-year-old who played his console ‘a lot’ for more than a month Carpal tunnel syndrome: Found in a woman who played a bowling game for six to eight hours a day Achilles wii-itis: A partial tear of the Archilles tendon through playing

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

Rouble crumbles and interest rates soar as Putin faces ‘perfect economic storm’

Russia plunges into red

Feeling the pinch: Shoppers in a Moscow supermarket check prices, which could spell trouble for Mr Putin PictuRes: coRbis/Getty

RUSSIANS saw the value of the rouble collapse yesterday, leaving President Vladimir Putin facing a crisis that could weaken his grip on power. They faced a 6.5 per cent rise in interest rates overnight, to 17 per cent, as the central bank tried to stop the currency slumping to a record low in the face of a ‘perfect storm’. The country has been vulnerable to falling oil prices, a looming recession and sanctions over Mr Putin’s support for separatists in Ukraine. Central bank deputy chairman Sergei Shvetsov called the situation critical, and added: ‘We could not have imagined what is happening in our worst dreams.’ Timothy Ash, at Londonbased Standard Bank, described the rouble’s fall as ‘the most incredible currency collapse I think I have ever seen in 26 years covering Russia’. Central bank reserves have already sunk to about

by TiMOTHy HERiTAgE €332billion, from €407billion at the start of the year. Global oil prices have also fallen to $60 a barrel, from $115 in June. Financial consultant Nicholas Spiro said: ‘The pieces are falling into place to start to affect the political sustainability of this regime.’ There have been few protests so far as the pro-Putin state media claims the country is under attack from speculators and the West. However, some pollsters say the economic gloom will hit the middle class in the cities and spread to Mr Putin’s supporters in the provinces. Lev Gudkov, head of pollsters Levada Centre, said Mr Putin has ‘a store of support that can last 18 months to two years. We will see the first signs of discontent in spring’. Mr Putin’s predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, left in 1999 after a financial crisis.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

★★

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Choked over a tie: Justin Timberlake Picture: Getty

JuSTIN TIMbERlaKE was moved to year-old boy w tears by a ten‘greatest gift ev ho gave him the er’. young fan hand The unnamed ed gift-wrapped bo the 33-year-old a w performance in tie during a brooklyn. a video shows Ti reaching down mberlake to take the pres from the boy, w ent ho Then the singer starts to cry. ch says: ‘Hey man okes up as he , greatest gift ever, because a ge can never have ntleman too many bow ties.’

T A H T ! D O C Y M OH CUT FEELS THOR

It takes two to tango... but I’m always so tired

No sex please, i’m wincing, says strictly star Mark

s own msworth stabbed hi THOR hunk Chris He inking it was a fish. th hand with a knife – alian actor recalled how str au ld -o ar kelling. The 31-ye d himself while snor g, ife kn lly ta en cid kin he ac as y gu s le r the sa He said: ‘I remembe use that knife for?” I said, a nn go u yo e is “What ar ent snorkelling in th “Fishing?” later I w ght I stabbed a fish but I ou swimming hole. Th e hand instead,’ he told GQ. th in f el ys m felt stabbed emory of what that ‘I still have a vivid m y bad but it was like, ingl like. It wasn’t alarm ne something here”.’ do st ju e I’v . ow “Oh, w e: xPosure bbed his hand Pictur sta ris Ch r: ivo rv Sole su

Gossip’s crazy, we ’re Justin good frien ds

JuSTIN bIEbER insis ts linked to Hailey ba he is ‘super single’ after he was ldwin. Earlier this month th daughter of actor St e 18-year-old model, ephen baldwin, de ni pair were dating – but bieber, 20, decid ed the clear up the rumou ed to rs on ‘People are crazy. I’m ce and for all. my good friend u wo super single and this is captioned an imag uld know otherwise,’ he e on Monday. baldwi of the pair on Instagram n been friends from th said recently they had e age of 13.

Stopping the rumours: Justin

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RObERT PaTTINSON and FKa twigs are taking their romance to the next level amid claims they are living under one roof. The actor, 28, and his music-making lover – real name Tahliah barnett – have been together for three months and getting ‘serious’. ‘Rob and Tahliah are living together for the foreseeable future,’ a source said.

Nicki really loves her new album...

★

NICKI MINaJ, 32, makes love to two songs on her new album. Her ‘mystery man’ requested it before the album ‘was even done,’ she told Ryan Seacrest.

year for Mimi as her longdelayed album, Me. I am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse, flopped in the charts and she announced her split from husband Nick Cannon, 34, in overwhelmed with ove took t august. she emotion as The Night Of Joy and the at e stag the to Festivity gig marked the 20th beacon Theatre in be day anniversary of her Merry Mon on New york Ne Christmas album which she told to belt out her among her fans was famous festive tune fa work. hold best to d and struggle back the ttears. It has been a tough

MaRIaH CaREy may have been thinking all I Want For Christmas is a box of tissues after breaking into a teary mess during her latest Christmas gig. The 45-year-old diva appeared to be

Picture: Bei/ rex

FOR ADULTS

twist my back I hear ten cracks. That never used to happen. My ankles, my groin – everything is hurting in every place,’ he winced. Speaking of the bedroom, he revealed there has been a crackdown on sexual shenanigans at hit dating show Take Me Out. Wright, who presents the spin-off show, Take Me Out: The Gossip, says the producers have acted to avoid Sleeping partners: headlines about contestants having orgies while staying on Tenerife. Mark, ‘There wasn’t any of that. The show and with makes sure they are all under wraps in Michelle the villa,’ he said. ‘And the hallways Pictures: Getty/ are all CCTV-ed up.’ BBc

EX? Cha-cha chance would be a fine thing, says Strictly’s Mark Wright, pointing out that his weekly waltzing has left him too tired for bedroom frolics. The former Towie star turned TV host is engaged to ex-Corrie beauty Michelle Keegan, 27. ‘I’ve not been waltzing around the bedroom. I sleep really good at the moment because I am tired all the time. And in pain!’ Wright, 27, told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat ahead of this weekend’s glitterball final. ‘Since Strictly, every time I

CHEZ SHOULD QUIT X FACTOR, SAYS KATIE

ssel has branded Cheryl FORMER X Factor wannabe Katie Wai 28-year-old flop took a Fernandez-Versini a ‘bulls***ter’. The d to get on her feet faile z Che r afte fresh swipe at her mentor testants performed a when Waissel and fellow X Factor con medley on Saturday’s live final. , said: ‘That is a real Waissel, who finished seventh in 2010 lly gotten into the spirit of tota shame. If anything, she should have also thinks Chez, 31, should bow She up.’ ten ligh to ds nee She things. t to be there and take part, then I out of the show. ‘If she doesn’t wan see through bulls***...’ Waissel suggest she slowly slip away. People magazine. ! New added in her weekly column for

‘Happy’ Matt has dig at Kate

★

MUSE frontman Matt Bellamy, 36, took a swipe at ex-fiancée Kate Hudson, 35, after declaring he is as ‘happy as Larry’ since they ended their four-year romance.

Target: Cheryl FernandezVersini Picture: PA

007’s Spectre has Brit’s bikini bod Bono moves in a brand new spirit is down to sushi mysterious ways

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luXuRy brand belvedere is the new vodka in 007’s Martinis, having been unveiled as a sponsor for the bond film Spectre at a london party last night.

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bRITNEy Spears says her new bikini body is down to training like an ‘Olympian’. ‘I’m really into raw food – sushi basically,’ she also told Women’s Health.

★

bONO tried going incognito in Dublin, hiding under camo-print clothes, a hat and sunglasses in an attempt to cover up his cycling injuries from last month.

Rihanna’s Havana rather sexy time ultimate RIHANNA looked like the s and les top sed po she as l’ ‘bad gir er aft ar smoking a large cig her celebrating the success of LA. in ll Ba nd mo Dia l ura inaug appeared ot cep The 26-year-old sau red into gla she as ess sin to mean bu by her ed nd the camera while surrou e rat bo ela an ng entourage. Weari de ma i RiR , wn go sen blue Zac Po by herself more comfortable ose her exp to lf ha unzipping the top desty with breasts, preserving her mo her folded arms. her She shared the photos on nd. eke we the at ge pa Instagram

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

HE’S THE NME... 1D’s HARRY A ‘VILLAIN’

e Taylor Swift will go HARRY STYLES and his old flam title of villain of the e head to head for the undesirabl ry. rua Feb in s ard Aw E NM the at r yea the One Direction It is the third consecutive year for the title – which he singer, 20, has been nominated first for Swift, 25, a is it won both times before. But last year after a few y uar Jan in les who split from Sty months of dating. way after bagging Meanwhile, Kasabian lead the ards, in partnership eight nominations. The NME Aw place on Wednesday, e with the city of Austin, Texas, tak y, Brixton. Vote for dem Aca 2 February 18, at London’s O ardsvote your favourite at nme.com/aw

Third time unlucky: Harry Picture: Getty

RAH P O S Y A S , M A E I HAD A DR OPRAH WINFREY once aimedr TVtosuhaccveeshes r

ture: Getty Admirer: Oprah Pic

settled fo own church – but ow host ‘idolised’ ger. sh lk instead. The ta when she was youn Martin Luther King King. I wanted to have ‘I wanted to be Dr y own congregation nm my own church, ru r and lead the de or n ow y and be m the New York people,’ she said at a drama about King. premiere of Selma, that, but my ‘I didn’t exactly do a way of doing as television show w the New York ld to , 60 h, ra that.’ Op ration there ne ge y er ev ‘In st: Po n like Dr King, comes along a perso garner the to who has the ability of a nation.’ ts iri sp e th d an ts ar he

★ Smokin’ hot: Rihanna, topless, with her entourage

MARK RONSON ‘was a little bit annoyed’ with Fleur East when he had to rush the UK release of Uptown Funk after she covered it on The X Factor. ‘I realised this girl’s cover is going to come out before our own… we rushed it,’ the 39-year-old told NME.

Uptown girl: X Factor finalist Fleur Picture: sPlash/ Getty

10 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

A helping hand on the Dart at last DART carriages have been fitted with Luas-style hand straps to cater for the large number of passengers standing during peak services. Irish Rail has been criticised as a reduction in the number of carriages on many services left more passengers without a seat. About half of the fleet now carry the straps. A spokesman for Irish Rail said: ‘On peak-service, standing is obviously a feature of rail travel so this will allow us to carry passengers more comfortably.’ The straps were funded as part of a €7million allocation announced as part of a €200million stimulus package.

Garda cleared of theft charge after taxi dispute A DUBLIN garda who ended up on trial after he resolved a dispute between a taxi driver and a passenger over a €6.25 fare has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Garda Padraig Dennehy, who is attached to Mountjoy station, was accused of assault and theft arising out of an incident in Dublin city centre just after 4am on March 3, 2013, charges he denied.

Garda Dennehy was acquitted by Judge Marian O’Leary at Dublin District Court following submissions from defence barrister Michael Bowman SC that there was no evidence he acted dishonestly when he took money from complainant Rimas Bastys and handed it over to taximan Nadeem Mirza, who was owed a fare. Mr Bastys, a Lithuanian, said he

had five beers while out with a friend in Dublin city-centre. He got into Mr Mirza’s taxi on O’Connell Street and asked to be brought to Blanchardstown. He claimed the driver went the wrong way and brought him towards St Stephen’s Green and he believed the taxi man was ‘taking me in circles’ to make more money. He said he did not want to pay

Landlords ‘forcing people out of homes as rents rise’ by BRiAn HuTTOn

A LEADINg housing charity has attacked the government for chronically failing to regulate landlords, forcing people to live in poor housing and leaving families in constant fear of eviction as rents soar. Threshold said the lack of proper oversight means people in Ireland can never regard their rented house or apartment as their long-term home. As rents go through the roof – particularly in Dublin – this has led to a surge in ‘economic evictions’, where tenants are thrown out and landlords immediately re-advertise at much higher rates, the charity said. Launching its annual report, Threshold chairwoman Senator Aideen Hayden said loopholes in the decade-old law governing rented homes meant it was no longer fit for purpose. ‘The private rented sector has grown exponentially in recent years: it now provides housing for one in five families in Ireland,’ she said.

Burglars avoid the bathroom HOuseHOLDeRs have been urged to hide their valuables in unusual places after a study revealed how experienced burglars choose predictable routes when raiding homes. Research found that career crooks targeted high-value areas, such as bedrooms, studies and living rooms, were suspicious of unusual rooms and rarely entered bathrooms. The university of Portsmouth ran the study on the methods used by burglars and nonburglars after seeing their actions first-hand during mock burglaries. In the tests, all the experienced burglars entered houses by the back door, while novices went through the front.

Gallery calls for exhibits about home COMMuNITY or commodity? Is ‘home’ a uniquely human idea, a right, a state of mind, or a place? Those are the questions the science Gallery is posing in its new exhibition, Home. The Trinity College gallery is seeking up to 20 works for the show and proposals from designers, artists and scientists. There’s a maximum budget of €2,500 for successful proposals, with two ‘outstanding original works’ in line for up to €10,000. Man Booker Prize-winning author Anne enright is one of the curators of the exhibition, which is due to open on May 1. The deadline for submissions is noon on January 16.

and got out of the taxi near Parnell Square to talk to Garda Dennehy and two other colleagues. He claimed Garda Dennehy took his wallet, removed €10 to give to the taxi man who then issued the correct change and a receipt. Mr Bastys claimed he felt robbed. Judge O’Leary dismissed the case saying she was satisfied the garda was not guilty on all charges.

Threshold has called for an NCT-style test for housing

Sharp spellers buzzing with anticipation Ryan Tubridy was all smiles yesterday as he helped Zara Smullen promote the 2015 Eason Spelling Bee – schools have until January 9 to register to take part picture: maxwells

‘However, there are chronic failings in the sector that need to be addressed before anyone living in a rented dwelling can really consider it their long-term home.’ The Residential Tenancies Act was enacted in 2004 to regulate landlords and rented homes. But there are now twice as many rental properties in the country, and the legislation cannot keep pace with the changing conditions, Ms Hayden has warned. ‘Loopholes in the law are enabling landlords to remove tenants from their homes and then re-advertise the same properties at substantially higher rents,’ she added. Damning the state of many rental homes, Threshold called for an NCT-style test for housing, which would force landlords to comply with acceptable standards.

Bosco hits out at ‘not very good’ Dustin WE’VE had our suspicions for a while, but Bosco has finally said it – Dustin the Turkey is a fowl singer. The pair have joined with a host of children’s TV stars to raise money for the Childline Emergency Appeal. They can be heard, along with the Starcamp Kids, Pajo, Ryan Tubridy, and Zig and Zag, on a rousing rendition of Paul McCartney’s We All Stand Together. Bosco said: ‘I had a great time. It

was my first time singing with an orchestra, it was so exciting.’ It was recorded at Windmill Lane, which accommodated them free of

‘Dustin was very bold, and he can’t sing’ charge. While Dustin has enjoyed a string of No.1 hits, Bosco wasn’t very

impressed: ‘Dustin was very bold, and he wasn’t very good – he can’t sing.’ The Save Childline 24 appeal hopes to raise more than €1m to help keep the 24-hour service open. Childline is 95 per cent funded by public donations and unless funds are raised, the service will have to close for five hours a night. Bosco added: ‘We need everyone to download the song to save Childline, and it only costs 99c on iTunes.’

Right muppet: Bosco wasn’t happy

New meaning to drone flight A HUMANOId robot with a head, hands and feet boarded a flight to Germany at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday, becoming the first robot to travel as a paid passenger on an airline. The robot, named Athena, created a scene at the international terminal as she was pushed in a wheelchair up to the Lufthansa counter to pick up her ticket.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

Right-winger’s bare ambition HE MAY not be your traditional pin-up but Italian politician Matteo Salvini is hoping to woo voters from the bedroom with semi-naked pictures of himself. The leader of the Northern League party posed bare-chested under a duvet for a magazine shoot to show he is not always the ‘grump’ he is portrayed as. ‘I am used to laughing at myself. I am serious at work but I do not take life too seriously.

Smiling is good for life,’ the 41-year-old said after the photos were published in Oggi. Five of them are being auctioned off on eBay with proceeds going to an antiabortion organisation and a cancer charity. Standing on an anti-EU platform, Salvini is Italy’s second most popular politician behind prime minister

Matteo Renzi, 39, according to polls.

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gERMANy: A former Nazi death camp guard will go on trial early next year charged with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder. Oskar Groening, 93, has always claimed he witnessed atrocities at Auschwitz during World War II, but did not commit any. Prosecutors claim Groening helped the Nazis benefit economically and supported killings by dealing with belongings stolen from victims. Survivors and victims’ families have given pre-trial evidence at Lueneburg state court.

INDIA: Rickshaws pulled by humans are to be banned from Kolkata because they ‘give the wrong impression’. The 6,000 operators are to be given pedal or battery-operated models, funded by the government, within a month. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said: ‘We need to replace it because it is sad to see a human pulling a human.’ The book City Of Joy, which became a Patrick Swayze film in 1992, was based on Kolkata rickshaw puller Hasari Pal.

Jeb lays plans to be president Bush III

Nut rage airline faces shelling out big fine

AMERICA: The younger brother of George W Bush has said he is considering running for president. Jeb Bush revealed his plans after talking to his family over the recent Thanksgiving holiday. ‘As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president,’ said the former Florida governor, 61. A spokesman said he’ll announce his decision next year.

sOuTH kOREA: The national airline could be made to ground its fleet for 21 days or pay €1.04million after a boss delayed a flight’s takeoff over a bag of nuts. Korean Air is to be punished after officials found staff had been pressured to lie during an investigation into executive Cho Hyun-ah, daughter of the chairman. She told the pilot of a flight from New York to turn around, so a steward who failed to serve her nuts on a plate could be removed from the plane.

and finally... VATICAN: The Lord is my shepherd... an organic one at that. Pope Francis is to open to the public the farm that produces dairy, meat and vegetables for him and his staff. Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles south of Rome, could offer visitors ‘the possibility of tasting our products’, said manager Osvaldo Gianoli.

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60 seconds Mailbox

Email: mail@metroherald.ie

Quick pic

can be used in any one of 40 restaurants in the City Centre.

DublinTown, the city’s business improvement district. The City Centre is a truly special place at Christmas time. From the streetlighting ceremonies, right up until Christmas day, the city sparkles with festive spirit like nowhere else. In the run up to the big day, Dublin at Christmas organises a variety of merry events, including the first traditional Dublin At Christmas Market on Stephen’s Green and the Festive Family Fun vintage mini fair at wolfe Tone Square. we also ran Geansaí Nollaig Day, where participants came out sporting their cheesiest Christmas jumpers to break the world record.

The Grinch-iest among us sometimes need a little extra help when it comes to seasonal cheer. Which three haunts are guaranteed to warm the cockles? The

Christmas movie is Elf. It’s so funny and the whole family can enjoy it together… my six- and three-year-old and I have watched it twice already in the past few weeks.

Wolfe Tone Square is currently home to a Family Fun Fair. What ride leaves you queasy? Have you ever seen

a grown man take on a Helter Skelter? I screamed like a little girl the whole way down...

“

Dublin At Christmas Markets would bring out the festive cheer in would bring out the years ago, my the Grinch festive cheer in the daughter Eliza was himself. Soak up four. It was the first the atmosphere Grinch himself year she really got and enjoy a mulled the whole Santa thing wine! Then head over and that year she got a to the South william pink bike. watching her race Street area of the Creative down the stairs and rip apart the Quarter, walking down Grafton Street and through Johnston’s Court wrapping paper to unveil the bike… magic! where you’ll see beautiful streams of Christmas lights – a popular Assuming you deserve a spot place to pop the question this time on the nice list this year, of year. Finally, cross the Liffey and what will you be hoping to take a spin on the vintage Chair-oPlane ride at wolfe Tone Square. find under your tree? I’ve been a very good boy this year so I’m For generations of Dubs, it hoping for a Nespresso coffee wasn’t Christmas without a machine!

lights go on and the window displays are revealed, there’s a lovely festive feeling in the city. I’m loving Arnotts’ window display this year.

What are the options open to foodies looking for top seasonal fare? There are many

restaurants doing festive offers. Fallon & Byrne is definitely worth a visit. There is a great festive atmosphere in the food hall and wine cellar. This year, we have just launched the first ever Dine In Dublin voucher. It’s a voucher that

LIGHTS GO DOWN: ‘I was sorry to hear the lights are going out on Metro Herald. I enjoyed so many of your Quick Pics. Here’s one last from me. Thanks for everything’ Brian Ahern

The National Concert Hall is hosting a stage musical based on The Wizard Of Oz and a special concert featuring Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman. What are your festive favourites? My favourite

A Most Peculiar Thing is an animation based on Christmas memories screening at The Ark. What’s your The Dublin At most emotive Christmas Christmas Markets memory? Two

trip to Clerys or Brown Thomas to see the window exhibits. Has that come and gone? I don’t think so. when the

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*Please include a name and location. Emails with attachments cannot be received. 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

clyde carroll is director of marketing and communications at Dublin City Business Improvement District. He is a driving force behind Dublin At Christmas, the city’s seasonal festivity programme

What exactly is Dublin At Christmas? It’s an initiative of

Text: ‘Mail’ to 53131*

What’s the best and naffest Christmas presents you’ve ever received? The best present I

received was from my wife. After only going out together for a few months she bought me an Xbox… I knew right then that I was going to marry this woman! The naffest present I ever received has to be this in the Kris Kindle at work. one of the guys got me a selfie stick! It’s very naff. ok, ok – I secretly love it.

What’s your favourite Christmas cracker joke? who says oh, oh, oh? ……. Santa walking backwards!

Pinky mcJingles

Send your photos to pictures@ metroherald.ie with ‘Quick pic’ as the subject and we will print the best each day in the paper

thanks – and issues of abandonment...

ow could you announce you will be ceasing publication in the week before Christmas?! I’ve been living in Ireland and commuting into Dublin since 2005 and will be retiring back to the UK in April. Therefore, Metro Herald will always be associated with my daily journey in Dublin. I will miss the opportunity to get an update of the world news, read the various amusing articles and mutter at some of the ridiculous and not so ridiculous views expressed in the letters page. You also create a problem for me on Monday mornings. As a non sports fan, how am I now expected to arrive into the office and have an intelligent conversation with the football fanatics? Finally, thank you to all the staff,

both in the background and on the streets in all weathers, who bring us this daily dose of enjoyment. I hope you are all justifiably proud and wish you all luck in the future. Peter Bentley ■ Sad to see you guys closing down. You always had the balls to print my hilarious, insane texts. Good luck and happy ***ing Christmas. Life is a Twisted Joke. Rex Broadbent x PS – I think you’re being closed down because you’re too liberal. The Conservative Press is threatened by your creative openmindedness. what paper can the young read now? Go out with a bang. ■ So sad to see this end of an era. Can’t say how much I enjoyed reading your paper the last few years, especially the Mailbox. Best of luck to all of you, from the of-

good on ya

● A massive thanks to Mr John Corboy who retires this week from 52 Upper Baggot Street after 33 years. You are a true legend, John. RK ● Lord, thank you for the gifts you provide me within life – my family, friends, the ability to think positively and a sense of humour. Amen. (Hey – was that a prayer I just said?)

fice to the street. Happy Christmas and New Year to you all. Anon ■ Sad times are coming. I’ll have nowhere to gripe anymore. Before you go, I’ll like to congratulate my friends Garreth and Paul who got married after being long-time partners. Goodbye, Mailbox – it’s been great. Gavin Roche, D11 ■ Further to Quiz on wednesday December 10 and the question about which is the last Book of the old Testament – your answer was Book of Malachi. You must have got this question from the UK, because while it is the last book in the old Testament in the Jewish Bible and the King James Bible, the last Book in the old Testament in the Catholic Bible is II Maccabees. So there. Anthony Murphy

yeH big ride

● To the tidy little edition I look at on the Dart each morning between Blackrock and Pearse Station. You fascinate me so much and always have done. I’m not sure I can manage without you. Your words are the best love letter... Sadman

your rusH-Hour crusH

Grateful for the important things, D5

● Fair play to me. I rock. Aren’t I great? Eoghan

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in the know, on the go

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

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h t r a E n o o h W wrote that? Book stores are full of celebrity memoirs in the run-up to Christmas. To whet your appetite, Claire Allfree has selected a few choice extracts. But can you guess which celebrity wrote which bit? Answers opposite...

like a man who is perfect but just ‘There again, I was lucky and lost his trousers because he has unlucky. I know many, many been having sex.”’ people who profess to liking coke but who just can’t recover ‘I began my career as a until the next morning and will feel school-master with one like hell for two days afterwards. For considerable disadvantage: some reason it never had that effect as I had confessed to Mr on me. I would awaken with a spring Tolson, I knew nothing about the and a bounce and Tigger my way subjects I was supposed to teach. This down to the kitchen in search of is no exa exaggeration. I had breakfast, much to the once passed a history hist grumpy annoyance of exam, but God knows kno Hugh, with whom I how – I still got ho shared a house at ly ho t I though confused about how that time… Never the atrimony just m dates with 16 on the larkiest bird in the an meant the wom front could occur in morning sky, Hugh, to e m staying at ho the seventeenth after a day in the hile cook the dinner w century. That’s gym, bed at 11.30 to t ou es go an the m about as basic as and not so much as es meet his mat history hist gets.’ a gin and tonic in een, still managed between, ‘The family famil had moved to feel like hell until down with me, and we mid-afternoon and seven coffees rented a house. I liked it; I the next day.’ liked the sea air. But we moved house three times in the first ‘It wasn’t just my grasp of year. It was unsettling, but we were road safety that left a lot to trying to find the right place, and be desired in the early villages can be funny old places. We eighties, I had plenty to couldn’t find a Catholic school, like learn about married life as well. I thought holy matrimony just meant St Bede’s in Manchester, for the the woman staying at home to cook kids. The school we eventually found was different: it was more the dinner while the man goes out conventionally English, very middleto meet his mates. In my defence, class – cricket and rugby, tea and all that new man bollocks was a scones. We went to a charity long way off yet.’ function for the school a few months after the kids had started ‘I’m a much quieter, more there. It was a tuxedo job, and I solitary person than people ended up sitting beside a man I imagine… I’ll read or watch didn’t know. I wondered how the DVDs, or just talk to… friends conversation was going to flow. He at home. I like to sleep about ten said: “What do you think of this hours a night too, which makes me new coalition government?” I even less likely to go out. When you thought: “For f***’s sake…” I nearly isolate yourself like that you get went, “Is there a new coalition talked about. That’s the price. When government? Did you watch people talk about you through Barcelona last night? I thought the a mouthful of resentments and New Coalition was a team playing jealousies you’ll get painted not as somebody who likes their own space in the Suffolk league.’” but as somebody stand-offish, who ‘I remember my dad sees themselves as above the group.’ complimenting me a couple of weeks earlier. He’d told me ‘Englishness is vital to what I looked smart, in my white I do. It’s about cut, it’s about shirt and black trousers, my Co-op irony and it’s about risk uniform. He said that he was proud taking. And it’s about to see me out working. I had nothing politics. I remember thinking: to prove to him; he was behind me “I know – I’ll do this without skirts,

5 ❛

Chapter and verse: Those spilling the beans for the Christmas market include the Kevins Bridges and Pietersen, Stephen Fry, Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, Dermot O’Leary, Ray Winstone, John Cleese, Vivienne Westwood and Harry Redknapp whatever I did. I could go on to be the best ever f***ing shelf stacker the Co-op had seen and he’d be standing there, watching, shouting, “That’s my boy!” as I was bursting open crates of baked beans and tinned soup, ripping the plastic off with my bare hands and firing them up on the shelves, screaming at the guys unloading the delivery lorry to keep them coming.’

‘Through Twitter I was able to show my real personality. I started tweeting little snippets of my days. Even something simple like “I’m doing the school run…” would get a reaction. Really? Haven’t you got a private chauffeur to take the kids to school? Er no. I’d tweet something from the train and people would go: “Where are your bodyguards?” People have some pretty odd ideas. Yeah, I really do get up in the morning and go to work. I fix the kids supper with our missus. I do the ironing every now and again.’

‘After the audition I was just later, a terrified old Indian lady about to set off back to work, emerged, berating me for being when they reminded me that drunk halfway through the day. I I hadn’t finished my coffee. didn’t get that job.’ Now at the time I had an aversion/reaction to lukewarm coffee ‘I saw Suarez put his whereby if I drank it, I threw it back head towards Chiellini up again but, in the circumstances, it and my instinct was seemed rude not to. So I quickly that he had tried to downed the very-much lukewarm headbutt him. “Funny sort of coffee and made to head off… headbutt – in the shoulder,” I Unfortunately at this point the thought. “What was the point of producer came over to shake my that?” As the replays were shown it hand, whereupon I realised ealised became clear cle it was a bite. said coffee was Another bite! as about to bit It didn’t make a reappearancee make mak sense. Is he mad? and that it might How Ho does he think he A terrified not be the best will get away with old Indian lady emerg impression for me this stuff? There are e d, berating m to leave my television cameras e for being drunk half everywhere, at every impression all w through th ay game. The bigger the over his shirt. e I didn’t get day. After a hurried match, the more ma that job handshake I made it footage there will be. fo round the corner,, out The level lev Suarez plays of eyeshot at he is always going to eshot just in time to al deposit the coffee next to a be found out. He must have phone box, out of which, moments a screw loose.’

❛

The answers…

6 7 8 9 10

The Second Half by Roy Keane and Roddy Doyle (W&N) We Need To Talk About… by Kevin Bridges (Michael Joseph) #2 Sides by Rio Ferdinand (Blink Publishing) The Soundtrack To My Life by Dermot O’Leary (Hodder) A Man Walks On To A Pitch by Harry Redknapp (Ebury)

VoGue: the GoWn by Jo ellison CONRAN Stuck for what to wear to the Christmas party? Get a bit of inspiration from this fabulous book dedicated to some of the best dresses ever to feature in fashion bible Vogue. Former features director Jo Ellison documents each dress and cleverly explores the narrative of fantasy and dreams that accompanies the act of putting on a gown

Everyone deserves to get a good book for Christmas – and we’re not talking Bibles. Claire Allfree picks the best page-turners of the year

Choupette by patriCk MauriÈs and Jean-Christophe napias THAMES & HuDSON There are cats, and there is Choupette, the permanent companion of Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld and a feline style icon in her own right. Choupette already has her own Twitter account and bone china dinner set, and here she shares her tips on health, beauty, fine dining, lifestyle and the Middle East crisis (only joking). dior by Chandler burr RIzzOLI

‘Make me a perfume that smells of love,’ Christian Dior told his head perfumer in 1947. Dior’s love affair with scent is beautifully documented here by perfume expert Chandler Burr.

It’s one of three books from New York publisher Rizzoli celebrating the legendary couture house. Patrick career, then make sure your stocking Demarchelier’s Dior: New Couture 2 is big enough for Santa to pop in a uses his exquisite photos to tell the copy of this. Elsa Schiaparelli Dior story from its seminal and Coco Chanel were early New Look collection to muses for the young Raf Simons’ 21stThe wom photographer who cut century designs, who inv an his teeth at Vogue in while Dior: The the 1930s, while Legendary Images the wra ented p dress Salvador Dalí was a gathers more than shares t constant influence. 60 photographers The photographs who shaped Dior’s details o he f a themselves aren’t just visual mythology. n extraord fashion images but art. inary

horst by philippe Garner, Claire WilCox and robin Muir RIzzOLI If you missed the V&A’s recent exhibition devoted to Horst’s groundbreaking, six-decade-long

life

More Fool Me by Stephen Fry (Michael Joseph) Young Winstone by Ray Winstone (Canongate) KP: The Autobiography by Kevin Pietersen (Little, Brown) Vivienne Westwood by Vivienne Westwood and Ian Kelly (Picador) So, Anyway… by John Cleese (Random House)

Read all about it For fashionistas

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

1 2 3 4 5

liberty style by Martin Wood FRANCIS LINCOLN Liberty is synonymous with English design and this book celebrates the lasting influence of Arthur Liberty’s

the WoMan i Wanted to be by diane Von

Regent Street shop on a host of aesthetic and fashion-led movements.

louis Vuitton Fashion photoGraphy by Charlotte Cotton and Martin harrison RIzzOLI Louis Vuitton says one thing, money, and this epic visual history of the luxury brand is a case of pure escapist glamour. Contributors include David Bailey, Karl Lagerfeld, Helmut Newton and Mario Testino, while the story itself ranges from early 1920s ad campaigns to contemporary magazine editorials via William Klein’s cool, sharp 1950s photographs. Seriously lovely.

FurstenberG SIMON & SCHuSTER The woman who invented the wrap dress shares the details of an extraordinary life in this affirmative memoir. Von Furstenberg married a prince, went clubbing at Studio 54, hung out with the New York jet set and then almost lost everything before bouncing back to create a multimillion-dollar global brand. ViVienne WestWood by ViVienne WestWood PICADOR This ‘autobiography’ combines Westwood’s voice with that of her biographer, Ian Kelly, to produce a hybrid narrative of Westwood’s idiosyncratic fashion career and personal history.

16 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

s ’ T H g i TOn D

v T 0 1 p O T

The TV event we’ve all been waiting for – The Fall draws to a close

Will Daniel crack under the pressure of the interviews in The Apprentice?

1. The Fall

RTÉ1, 9.35pm Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that tonight is one of the most eagerly anticipated TV events of the year – the finale of this taut, smouldering murder-procedural. Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan have danced excellently together as the detective and the serial killer trying to stay one step ahead of each other. Put the phone on silent and pull the curtains for this one.

2. The Legacy

Sky Arts 1, 10pm Who knew a Danish drama about an arty family squabbling over an inheritance could be so gripping? Tonight, Signe, the ‘lost’ sister, tries to play peacemaker and come up with a solution everyone is happy with. But she’s out of her depth….

4 Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer wave goodbye to the autocue as The Newsroom rolls its last reel

2 Marie Bach Hansen is mired in family politics and intrigue in Danish drama The Legacy

3. The Apprentice

BBC1, 9pm We’ve reached the interview round, in which the five remaining hopefuls experience the business equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition courtesy of Alan Sugar’s henchmen. You need a hide as tough as a rhino to survive this. It’ll be water off a duck’s back for Daniel, but if Róisín tries her diamond-charming tricks, it could get messy.

4. The newsroom

Sky Atlantic, 10pm It’s been a ride that’s mixed the bombastic and the pretentious with the odd gripping storyline and now it’s time for Aaron Sorkin’s TV drama within a TV drama to sign off for good. Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer give their characters one last spin around the autocue.

5. MasterChef: The professionals

BBC2, 8pm In racing terms, this MasterChef is the cookery equivalent of a marathon. We’ve reached the final – though we won’t know the winner until next week – with the five contenders cooking for 25 of their peers.

6. surprise surprise

UTV, 8pm Splashing through the floods in

The five remaining chefs battle it out in MasterChef: The Professionals

YOUR gUiDE TO THis EvEning’s EssEnTiAL viEWing England at the beginning of the year turns out be well worth the soggy socks for one rescue worker who gets a special surprise from JLS boybander turned TV presenter Marvin Humes. McBusted and Russell Watson are among the other dream-makers hitting the right note.

7. The great irish Christmas Bake Off

TV3, 9pm Judges Paul Kelly and Biddy White Lennon are joined by guests as they

compete in the kitchen and demonstrate two very different approaches to baking for Christmas, featuring a traditional pudding and festive lollipops. Presented by Anna Nolan.

8. Hit And Run

UTV, 9pm It’s no coincidence that this documentary, which looks at the rise in hit-and-run traffic accidents, is screened just before Christmas. It’s the time when our

roads are at their most treacherous, with drink-driving all too common. Let’s hope the case histories featured here hit home.

9. Tsunami: 10 Years After The Wave

Sky1, 9pm It’s a decade since the Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed an estimated 250,000 lives, with Sri Lanka among the most devastated nations. Here survivors reflect on the terror of being caught up in one of nature’s most devastating phenomena.

10. Today’s Film: Edward scissorhands

E4, 8pm Johnny Depp’s best movie? It’s got to be up there, with Depp bringing vulnerability to this 1990 Tim Burton tale about a young lad who has metal shears for hands. His terrific topiary makes him a big hit with the residents of a town who at first take him in as one of their own. But it’s a story with a cruel cutting edge. Very dark but also very humorous.

interview

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

CORONATION OF AN A-ClAss sTAR He may be playing a king but Joel Edgerton is a laid-back man of the people, finds Anna Smith

oel edgerton is preparing people I admire. You think, “God, I for a premiere in london’s hope they’re going to be nice peoClaridge’s Hotel, loudly de- ple,” and they are. They didn’t come claring that he hasn’t had down a rung at all in my mind.’ In exodus, edgerton puts in a enough sleep. ‘A buddy of mine was downstairs last night – we barely recognisable turn as the bald, haven’t seen each other in a while bossy Ramses, who banishes Moses and I thought, “I’m going to catch after his slave roots are revealed. up with orlando!”’ ‘It’s a character so far removed Yes, when he says ‘orlando’, he is from who I am and how I sound and the lifestyle I have,’ he says. referring to a certain Mr ‘You fall backwards into Bloom. The 40-year-old I find a the arms of the costume actor is certainly movreason out and make-up departing in celebrity cirin ab la ments because they cles. But like many p m o c to I caught create the character Aussie actors, he still . g in h t y g as much as I do.’ an in in ambles casually into la p m myself cot being While past films a room mid-sentence, abou include Star Wars: chatting to everyone e in Paris thy episodes II and III as if they’re old mates. other da and Zero Dark Thirty, The actor is equally edgerton cites some of frank about his role as the pharaoh Ramses in exodus: his favourites as bruising fight Gods And Kings, opposite Christian film Warrior alongside Tom Hardy (‘we put in a lot of hard work’) and Bale as Moses. ‘The first few days are so nerve- The Great Gatsby opposite leonarracking for me,’ he says. ‘The anxi- do DiCaprio. ‘I really loved doing ety, trying to block out whether or Gatsby,’ he says. ‘I really dialled not I’m going to get fired, thinking I that up to 11 at times but I enjoyed don’t know how I’m going to do playing that character.’ this, how are they going to feel about that? And maybe I’m not the right person… It’s like being at school, arriving first day and having all the kids stare at you.’ If ‘all the other kids’ includes his co-stars Bale, Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley, that makes the teacher director Ridley Scott. ‘Being an actor is a blessing and a curse,’ edgerton says. ‘You get to meet a lot of people you’ve been watching for years. You get to meet Ridley Scott and Christian Bale,

❛

year so there’s plenty of Nidge this and fizzy orange that. Hearing a chorus of young audience members join in with Cinderella (TV presenter Megan Cassidy) doing Let It Go (the Frozen anthem that is to kids what Hallelujah is to grown-ups), brings a different kind of tear to the eye. The water protests get a pointed and hilarious outing, and such was the edginess I was slightly disappointed when they didn’t sing Hozier. Cinders’ Wicked Stepmother is played by Mary Murray (Janet ‘the tart with the heart’ from Love/Hate), whose eeeeevvviiilllll Mmmbritish accent slips into Love/Hate patois when she gets a bit flustered, ‘Yeh bleedin muppeh.’ Although very

Versatile: Joel Edgerton’s roles include (below from left) Ramses in Exodus, Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby and playing ing opposite opposit Tom Hardy in Warrior

Up next is life with Robert Pattinson, crime drama Black Mass with Benedict Cumberbatch and trouble-hit western Jane Got A Gun with Natalie Portman. ‘That one was difficult because we were plagued with all sorts of issues. lynne [Ramsay, the original director] fell out of the movie on the first day, certain actors came and went… I think Hollywood is waiting for a train wreck but we ended up making a really great movie.’ As for his free time, the actor loves to travel, but says: ‘I find a reason to complain about anything. I caught myself complaining about being in Paris the other day. My brother calls it A-Class Problems.’ His preferred trip is home to Australia. ‘I like to go back as often as I can. I like to surf and spend time with friends and family,’ says the actor, who’s yet to settle down. And with that, he buzzes along, his main A-Class Problem being a lack of sleep prior to the premiere. ‘I may have a little nap at lunchtime,’ he declares. Sleep well, Joel – there are big things ahead.

Exodus: Gods And Kings is out on St Stephen’s ’s Day.

Everything is awesome about this panto ‘WHEN the sisters were farting.’ What our four-year-old says when we ask her what was her favourite bit of Cinderella, the Christmas panto at The Helix. Luckily, the ugly sisters, played by Aidan Mannion and Eoin Cannon, are able to modulate their flatulence thanks to a magic potion that pumps out mobile phone sounds instead. It’s just one of the many raucous moments that made the TheatreworX production hilarious to kids and adults alike, and the singing and dancing is often eye popping too. Panto’s all about namechecking the pop-culture references du jour as well as belting out the hits of the

affected, it works, and the audience really do love/hate her. A special mention should go to Prince Charming’s footman, Dandini (the golden voiced Adam Lynch – Try A Little Tenderness is his standout number), whose performance, while arguably ethically iffy (he’s a ‘foreigner’ who keeps hilariously misusing words),

shows perfect comic timing. But the real star of the show is Buttons (Colin Hughes), effectively the MC who keeps the whole thing ticking over and who along with Dandini has the whole house in chaos, including our twoand fouryear-olds, dancing to The Lego Movie’s Everything Is Awesome, whether they want to or not. With

Cinderella *spoiler alert* marrying Prince Charming (Chris Currid) at the end, etc, etc, there’s nothing here to challenge any gender stereotypes, but that’s probably above everybody’s pay grade. However, there’s enough of a balance between the often very biting satire for adults and fairytale fantasy and slapstick for kids to keep everyone happy. To indulge in more ‘kids say the darndest things’-type mawkishness, when it’s all over and the lights go up, the four-year-old pipes up: ‘Is there another one coming up?’ A ringing endorsement if ever there was one. Alan Caulfield Cinderella, The Helix, DCU, Griffith Ave, D9. €21/25 Various times and dates until Jan 11. www.thehelix.ie

18 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

cover story

Joe’s Down ‘n’ Out but Leppard still roars Joe Elliott is back on the road with his band Down ‘n’ Outz. He talks to Pavel Barter about jamming with Taylor Swift, directing Tom Cruise and the future of Def Leppard

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Prog rock: Joe Elliot (second right) with Down ‘n’ Outz and, bottom left, on stage

efore Taylor Swift became the was a happy accident. In 2009, Mott reformed biggest pop star on the planet, she had and asked elliott to play support at their final a chance to indulge herself with one show. The singer put together a band, made up of of her favourite artists. In late 2008, members of rock act The Quireboys. The musical Swift teamed up with Def Leppard for union stuck. Down ‘n’ outz recorded an album, My reGeneration. When two singles, england a live concert on television. ‘This is my rocks and overnight Angels, reached top five in childhood dream come true,’ Swift told the American rock charts, elliott followed it up with audience after singing the Def Leppard a second album, The further Adventures of… song Photograph. ‘She was like a kid in a candy store working Last week, the singer played his native with us,’ says Joe elliott, the band’s singer. ‘We Sheffield with the band. He finishes the tour in were flattered. It was fun because it’s so different Dublin, the place he has called home for almost to anything we normally do. We always crave to 30 years. ‘It has worked out beautifully. I just get do weird stuff. It gets you off the hamster in the car, go home and then I’m done. It’s a great treadmill of album, tour, album, tour. ‘Hey go way to finish.’ and work with Taylor Swift for four Dublin is engrained into the history of days’. okay, that sounds like fun.’ Def Leppard. The band recorded parts s a Seeing Swift turn full-on fan girl of Hysteria (1988), one of the w t if w ‘Taylor S id in a over a rock band from Sheffield is biggest selling rock albums in like a k ore history, here. elliott’s Stepaside perhaps not so surprising. In 2012, Lady Gaga revealed that home is Def Leppard’s centre of candy st h us... wit her album Born This Way was operations where he is working working s fun inspired by Def Leppard. ‘We on a follow-up to the band’s 2008 a w It was it album Songs from The Sparkle hear that from people like Pink, e s u a bec ’ t n Mariah Carey,’ continues elliott. Lounge. ‘We have about 15 songs e r so diffe ‘John Mayer is a huge fan. He often going. I’d imagine 12 will make the plays our songs on stage. It’s weird, record. About half of them are finished. but flattering.’ It’s sounding good – a bizarre mixture of even Tom Cruise got in on the act. He sang Def all sorts of rock music. Not just one standard Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me for the film sound.’ rock of Ages. ‘We were in fort Lauderdale Vivian Campbell, the band’s Northern Irish [florida] when they were filming his guitarist, has been battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma performance,’ elliott recalls. ‘Between takes, for two years, but is still very much involved. He he’d jump down off the stage and ask, “Are you recently underwent a stem cell transplant to guys okay with this? Does it look right?” I’d say, combat the cancer. “Well you’re Tom Cruise. I think you know ‘He’s in recovery at the moment. He just has what you’re doing”.’ to get his immune system up from zero, so While Def Leppard’s fan base crosses he can hit the road with the band next musical borders, elliott has not forgotten April. Last I’m aware, it was a successful the music that inspired him. over the operation, now he just has to mend. It last few years he has been cultural will just be an endless round ambassador for Mott The Hoople, a of tests and more tests for him over classic rock band that slipped through the next six months. The synopsis the cracks. The singer discovered the is positive.’ band, best known for their Def Leppard is also in good David Bowie-penned hit All health, with the band due to The Young Dudes, when he hit the road for another was growing up in Sheffield worldwide tour in 2015. Joe elliott might be returning to during the 1970s. ‘I was an age when I wanted his day job, but he is something that was mine unlikely to forget the and not shared with musical inspiration that everybody else. It just made all this possible. became my band.’ Down ‘n’ outz, elliott’s Joe Elliott’s Down ‘n’ Outz homage to Mott The Hoople, play The Academy tomorrow

body matters

Sound systems of one kind or another are a staple of Christmas wish-lists but don’t let that thoughtful present damage your hearing, warns Dr Dandra Cumming

t’s common knowledge that loud noise can cause hearing loss. In modern society, noise is more prevalent than at any other time in history. Adding to the concern is the everincreasing popularity of personal music systems such as iPods and other mP3 players. some of these are able to play as high as 120 decibels – a noise equivalent to that generated by an airplane taking off. such volume levels pose serious threats to hearing, particularly when used for long periods of time. Risk of hearing loss can increase with just five minutes of exposure at full volume per day. Loud sounds stress and could damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear that convert mechanical vibrations in the air into the electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. If exposed to loud noises for a long time, the hair

cells can become permanently damaged and no longer function adequately, producing hearing loss. noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by two types of noise: sudden bursts, such as firearms or fireworks; or continuous exposure to loud noise such as motorized recreational vehicles, loud sporting events, power tools, farming equipment, or amplified music. For a person to lose their hearing because of continuous exposure, it would depend on how loud the sound was, how often and for how long they heard it. It takes repeated exposures over many years to cause noise-induced hearing loss in both children and adults. Facts about noiseinduced hearing loss: • noise-induced hearing loss is related to both the volume and to the

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

HARK now HEAR

children who are too young to amount of time you are exposed to it. the distance from the sound also protect their own. • Avoid high-level volumes – the matters. softer the better • noise-induced hearing loss is • When using a personal music cumulative, invisible and permanent. system (iPod/phone/mP3 player) It is cumulative because the damage can start when we are young and gets make sure that it is at 60 per cent volume for 60 per cent of the day. worse over time. It’s invisible Any further listening should be at a because it can happen without you even noticing it, until it’s too late. It’s lower volume. • If music is audible 1m away, the permanent because, unlike a broken volume level is too high. arm that heals over time, we can’t heal our hearing. once it’s damaged, • Larger earphones that rest over it’s damaged for good. • noise-induced hearing loss is 100 per cent preventable Tips for preserving hearing: • Know which noises can cause damage (those at or above 84db) • Wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices when involved in a loud activity • Be alert to hazardous noises in your surrounding Check out these environment great offers and treat • Protect the yourself or a loved ears of

the ears are safer than insert earphones • Use noise-cancelling earphones so that you don’t have to crank up the volume to compete with ambient noise. • Get a hearing test from an audiologist if you suspect that you are suffering from hearing loss

For more information or to book a hearing test, please contact 01 293 7930 or info@beaconaudiology.com

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20 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

puzzles

METROSCOPE by Patrick Arundell

NEMI by Lise

Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

Mercury moves to the top of your solar horoscope. This is the area connected to your standing in life. And the suggestion is that you will find yourself thinking more about the ways in which you can improve your lot. For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

Are there changes in your life that you’re considering, yet also feeling very tentative about putting into practice? If so, the rest of this week could prove to be a defining time. This is because you’re being given the astrological tools to take firm action. For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

METroku Easy, Moderate and Challenging

Your ruler Mercury relocates into a new sector, one which is going to give you an unerring ability to figure out what people really mean, rather than what they say. If you’re someone who has any kind of entrepreneurial abilities, these can flourish.

– Oct 23

The buzzy exchanges which have lit up this week are not about to lose their lustre. However, you may find yourself more attuned to domestic issues. But if you do find yourself needing a breather, don’t feel guilty. For your forecast, call 15609 114 76

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

Saturn has certainly been an instructive transition through your sign. Yet, perhaps without even realising it, you have been learning a tremendous amount. For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

All the flair that you’ve been developing of late may see you needing some kind of evidence that it could become something more. If you can blend your enthusiasm with an eye for detail and the cost of things, you’ll have a winning formula.

cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

Has your self-discipline been pulverising your passion, and especially when it comes to making time for your closest relationships? If so, today and the rest of this week give you an opportunity to reconnect to the people who matter. For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

The sociable aspects of the festivities have certainly been something you’ve enjoyed embracing, but now the accent is starting to change, and you can start to think more seriously about the finer details of your planning for gatherings ahead.

PEArLs BEForE swINE

Libra Sep 24

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

Your ruler is on the move today, arriving in the serious sign of Capricorn, but the irony for you, Virgo, is that this transition can actually be very cheerful. And you may find yourself starting to get excited by the more sociable elements of this time of year. For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

If your heart is willing as far as the festivities are concerned, but your body has been less so, you can find yourself becoming more engaged now. Potent influences have made you reflective, but now you could be minded to seize the moment. For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

Many Aquarius people have something of the armchair psychologist about them, and if this rings true for you too, you can find that your natural gift for analysing is boosted by the arrival of Mercury in the sector of your chart concerned with secrets. For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

The stars are not quite fully in the seasonal swing just yet, but things are hotting up. And today’s arrival of Mercury in your sector of friendships can help. One person could be interested in more than a platonic way. For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

Benefit (9) Nothing (3) Rude (11) Tackle (7) Weird (5) Drift (6) Made great efforts (6) Pitiless (5) Type of sword (7) Anarchy (11) Name for the sun (3) Unsafe (9)

2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 14 16 19 21

Obscure (3) Bravery (5) Among (6) Ingredient (7) Question (11) Innocent (9) Incessantly (11) Great slaughter (9) Let (7) Protect (6) Flavour (5) Small French coin (3)

Solutions to previous puzzle: Across: 7 Repair; 8 Hasten; 10 Protect; 11 Tract; 12 Ewer; 13 Below; 17 Vague; 18 Free; 22 Lower; 23 Upright; 24 Silent; 25 Manner. Down: 1 Prophet; 2 Opposed; 3 Liken; 4 Caution; 5 Steal; 6 Unity; 9 Strenuous; 14 Vagrant; 15 Brigand; 16 Fetters; 19 Close; 20 Dwell; 21 Break.

Astrology calls cost 1.27 euros per min from a BT landline. Live Services cost 2.40 euros per minute. Calls from mobiles/other networks may cost more. Callers must be 18 or over to use this service and have the bill payers permission. For entertainment purposes only. All calls are recorded. PhonePayPlus regulated(ComReg in ROI) UK SP: StreamLive Ltd, NR7 0HR, 08700 234 567. ROI SP:Moveda, 1 Courtyard Business Park, Orchard Lane, Blackrock, Co Dublin, 0818 241 398

ENIGMA A horseman wears these nasty things Upon his heels. They’re spiky rings Designed to make the horse go fast. Win yours, and it means you’ve passed. WHO AM I? An actress, I was born in Texas in 1949. I was already in my late twenties when I played a disturbed teenager in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel Carrie.

WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO... was the legendary Spartan king who was Agamemnon’s brother and Helen’s husband? WHAT... metrical foot in verse consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable? WHERE... was the country invaded by Austria at the start of the War of the Spanish Succession? WHEN... was the Philippeville Massacre in Algeria?

SCRIBBLE BOX

1 8 9 11 12 13 15 17 18 20 22 23

DOWN

QuIz

ACROSS

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: Spurs. WHO AM I? Sissy Spacek. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? Menelaus; An iamb; Italy; 1955.

QuIck crossword

For a live one-to-one consultation with one of my gifted psychics, call 15809 113 68 or 1800 719 688 to book using credit card

cycling giro legacy

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD

in the pink... pink Gran Fondo cycling race to take place in the North for next three years

Glory days are here again: The TinkoffSaxo team which included Nicolas Roche sets out from Belfast Titanic during this year’s Giro d’Italia

Coup: Darach McQuaid, Shadetree, Arlene Foster MLA and Andrea Trabulo, RCS Sport, at the annoucement pa partners Shadetree Sports to secure the event, a sportive aimed A mAjor cycling event – the at amateur cyclists across the Gran Fondo – has been secured world who travel to the host counfor Northern Ireland. run by try to participate. Giro d’Italia organisers rCS, the Two race routes have been Gran Fondo will take place in the scoped and provisionally recomNorth for the next three years, mended by the organisers, prewith the first event scheduled for ceded by cycling activities on the june 2015. day before the main event across Speaking at yesterday’s an- the North. Both routes, one 177km nouncement at Titanic Belfast, the and the other 59km, commence North’s trade minister Arlene Fos- and finish at Titanic Belfast. ter said: ‘The 2014 Giro d’Italia Darach mcQuaid, Shadetree captured the imagination of the Sports director said: ‘We are very people of Northern Ireland and pleased to announce this new was hailed as a resounding suc- partnership with NITB on Gran cess by the organisers, who were Fondo Giro d’Italia. The success bowled over by the warmth of our of the Big Start last may was just welcome and enthusiasm. Cy- the beginning and we are looking clists are now coming to ride the forward to working closely with Giro stages and other routes local stakeholders to make this across Northern Ireland and we new event a big success over the want to capitalise on that interest. next three years. ‘The Gran Fondo will establish ‘We aim to make Gran Fondo a tangible legacy event to the Giro Giro d’Italia Northern Ireland one d’Italia and further increase of the best in the world and one awareness of Northern Ireland as which will attract riders from all a premium cycling and tourism around to globe to ride on Northdestination. There will also be a ern Ireland’s roads and experipositive economic imence the warmth of the pact, with riders and welcome here, along ake their families filling m with the unique Giro o t ‘We aim do Giro local hotels and theme.’ n o Gran F orthern restaurants. Andrea Trabuio, ‘The event also head of mass events d’Italia N e of the n has the capacity at rCS Sport said: Ireland o e world h t to generate sig‘Following the in t s e b hich nificant media innd one w iders’ great success of the a terest in the lead2014 Giro d’Italia act r will attr up and across the Big Start from Belfast, weekend of the Gran in the amazing scenery of Fondo. Both the Northern the Northern Ireland coastline, Ireland Tourist Board and Tour- we are very happy to announce a ism Ireland will be working hard new three-year partnership that to engage with cycling media will see a series of Gran Fondo across our key markets close to Giro d’Italia events hosted in this home and overseas.’ fantastic country. Following the huge success of ‘We are sure that this “made in the Giro Grande Partenza, North- Italy” event will be a big success ern Ireland Tourist Board entered and will positively promote into negotiations with rCS and Northern Ireland.’

by cLARE MccOy

spORT DigEsT Vallverdu teams up with Berdych

20 Trophies Tigers trio sign new deals pound to lead probe taken from

Red Bull’s factory have been found in a lake. Thieves stole more than 60 from the building in Milton Keynes recently

Rugby uNiON England duo Tom

Youngs and Dan Cole and Argentina prop Marcos Ayerza have all agreed new long-term contracts with Leicester. The trio have made more than 400 club appearances between them and have a combined 120 international caps. ‘It is great news for us that Marcos, Tom and Dan have all agreed new contracts with the club,’ said rugby director Richard Cockerill. ‘They are all genuine worldclass players and important parts of the senior core to the squad.’ Committed: Cole

on TV doping claims ATHLETics Dick

Pound, former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), is to chair an independent commission investigating allegations of doping and cover-ups in

Russia. The three-man commission has been set up after a German TV documentary also alleged the IAAF had failed to follow up on suspicious blood tests from more than 150 athletes, including three from Britain.

New job: Vallverdu

TENNis Dani Vallverdu will coach Tomas Berdych following his departure from Andy Murray’s team. Murray announced last month assistant coach Vallverdu and fitness trainer Jez Green had left his set-up. Vallverdu has wasted no time finding a new job, the Venezuelan landing a senior position alongside Azuz Simcich with the world No.7.

22 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

football

D main picTure: reuTers

ODDbALLs

Strange stories from the world of sport

Fan fails to transfer fund NoTTiNgHAM ForEST wore thin smiles of celebration yesterday after winning a £250,000 transfer kitty – 24 hours after the Football League banned them from signing any players in the January window. Fan Shaun Lander earned the prize after winning Sky Bet’s Transfer Fund competition – a day after Forest were put under embargo for breaching financial fair play rules. it’s not all bad news though, Lander also won £5,000 for himself and the League have assured Forest there will be some benefit for them despite the ban. ‘They can use the money in terms of paying loan wages but not transfer fees,’ explained chief executive Shaun Harvey. u Striker Anthony Mounier made it a season of good skill after pulling one out of the bag for Montpellier at the weekend. The French

hitman (right) Santa fans crazy as he donned a festive hat to celebrate a cracker in the Ligue 1 clash with rivals Lens on Saturday. A kit special: Henry was at Monaco, top left, and Juventus and won the World Cup with France, before joining Arsenal. There he broke the goalscoring record before leaving for Barcelona and New York

premier league Stretchered off: Mirallas

TA-RA TO TOp gun THiERRy

£11m Fee 228 Club to Juventus in 1999

Toffees set to sweat on fitness of mirallas

eVerTon striker Kevin mirallas will have to wait until the end of the week to discover the extent of his ankle injury. The belgium international was stretchered off during monday’s 3-1 Premier league win over QPr after a tackle from Jordon mutch. mirallas had scans yesterday and boss roberto martinez said: ‘We are still doing some tests and nothing is conclusive yet. ‘We are not going to find out until the next two or three days the extent of the injury.’ meanwhile, Seamus Coleman insists everton’s style will not be compromised by the pressure to get results at Goodison Park. monday’s at-times disjointed

victory was only their third of the season at home and ended a run of four matches without a win. Coleman said: ‘We go out trying to play the same way we do every week. Sometimes you get the result, sometimes you don’t, but

4 goals in 11 league games

for Mirallas this season, plus two in two in Europe hopefully that [QPr] result can kick-start us. ‘When results haven’t been going well you do feel the pressure a little bit more but i thought we played freely and ross [barkley] was brilliant breaking from midfield.’

Thierry henry has officially brought down the curtain on his glorious playing career, and revealed he will head straight for the TV studio before considering a career in management. The 37-year-old former Arsenal striker confirmed his retirement yesterday, having left the new york red Bulls this month, and will return to London to work for Sky. ‘i am retiring now, but not in-

13 Major trophies. Five with Arsenal, a World

record goals Cup and European Championship with France in 377 games and Champions League with Barcelona by jAck fOx volved with any team, so in the meantime, why not give back to the game on TV?’, he said. ‘i am at peace with what i have done in the game, i have no regrets, i think things happen for a reason.’ And henry revealed talk of a third playing spell with Arsenal was never really on the agenda. ‘you kind of never leave Arsenal.

People want to know about the playing side, but we did not talk too much about that – how many comebacks do you make? ‘At one point it will turn out to be a bad movie. We all love the first rocky, but then i don’t know about the last one,’ he added. ‘i don’t have the pretension to know right now if i can be a good coach or not, but the desire is there, so we will see.’

Wimbledon bosses deny pay-TV talks Wimbledon bosses insist there are no plans to show the Championships’ matches on pay TV channels. There have been reports the bbC, which has had the rights for 80 years with the current deal running until 2017, has held talks with bT Sport about sharing the rights, with some

tennis action from the early rounds being shown live only on the subscription channel. but the All england lawn Tennis Club (AelTC) is adamant it will lead the talks on future rights. ‘The AelTC

confirms categorically there is no truth in reports regarding bT and future Wimbledon TV rights,’ a statement said. ‘We have an exclusive TV rights agreement with the bbC up 2017 and the timing and process of any future negotiations will be entirely led by the AelTC.’

football capital one cup

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 METRO HERALD 23

Reading about past is key to Rodgers’ future picture: ian hodgson/daily mail

by jOn HARvEy Brendan rodGers admits losing his job at reading exactly five years ago has helped him deal with the increasing pressure at liverpool. defeat at Manchester United on sunday has left the reds seven points off the top four and, after their champions league exit, has put fresh scrutiny on the northern irishman. it is undoubtedly the 41-year-old’s most difficult spell since taking over in 2012 but rodgers is adamant he will get through it, unlike his unsuccessful reign at reading, which ended shortly before christmas in 2011. ‘it is totally different. i never forget the day – it was Wednesday, december 16 – and it was a difficult period of course,’ he said ahead of tonight’s capital one cup quarter-final at championship leaders Bournemouth. ‘it was probably the making of me as a

Cherries vs Reds: Rodgers hopes Liverpool receive a much-needed boost at Bournemouth tonight

fifa

Investigator: Garcia

Back in the game: Clarke

Clarke’s hoping to be a right Royal hit steve clarke has been named the new manager of reading just a day after the championship club sacked nigel adkins. almost a year ago to the day that clarke was axed by West Brom, he has made his return to football at the Madejski stadium with the royals 16th in the table after a run of three wins in 16 games following saturday’s 6-1 thrashing at Birmingham. clarke, 51, has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and said: ‘I am delighted to be joining reading and look forward to helping the club move in the right direction. a big part of the work ahead is on the training ground and I look forward to meeting the players and getting onto the grass with them.’

‘The sacking probably made me as a boss’ manager. it is not until you experience it that you can analyse and reflect on things you can be better at. ‘That was the way it worked out. i was able to do a decent job at swansea and up to this year i would hope people would think i did a decent job here. ‘as a manager you will always have tough periods but i have great confidence in how my staff and players work. ‘We just need a little bit of luck and a break and i think we will get that. When we get some consistent results we can push on.’ Bournemouth, unbeaten since september and fresh from hitting five goals past cardiff, will be a tough test but rodgers has urged his side to kickstart their season tonight. ‘We wanted to have a right go at all of the cups this year and the game will be an opportunity for us to get into the semi-final,’ he said. ‘if we can get the Goals Bournemouth have scored in 21 victory at BourneChampionship mouth the aim for us games – six more would be to hopefully than anyone else go on and win the competition.’

fOOTbALL DigEsT

free tickets for unemployed Celtic fans for the match with Ross County on December 27, the Hoops have announced

Herrera denies any match-fix claims

bournemouth defender simon francis ‘They might not be firing on all cylinders in the league but they are still a great team and it’ll be an excellent game. They are under a bit

of pressure and aren’t on the best form at the moment and we’ll look at that and hope to exploit it, create some chances and hopefully win.’

fifa rejects appeal over corruption report Michael Garcia’s appeal against the findings issued by ethics judge hans-Joachim eckert on his investigation into the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World cup bidding process has been ruled inadmissible. Garcia, who led the investigation

over an 18-month period, immediately appealed against eckert’s statement, saying it contained ‘erroneous misrepresentations.’ But Fifa’s appeals committee has ruled the statement did not constitute a decision and is therefore neither

legally binding nor appealable. World football’s governing body also said there were no grounds for opening disciplinary proceedings against eckert after complaints from whistleblowers who said their evidence had been revealed.

Manchester United midfielder ander herrera has denied any wrongdoing despite being named in a match-fixing probe in spain. the 25-year-old is one of 41 people, including swansea winger Jefferson Montero, mentioned in an investigation by the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office in spain. Writing on his Facebook page herrera (pictured) said: ‘I have never had and will never have anything to do with manipulating match results. If I am ever called to testify, I’ll be happy to attend, as my conscience is totally clear.’

Bevington leaves FA after 17 years

aDrIan BevIngton, one of the senior figures in the england set-up, is to leave the Fa. Bevington has been managing director of club england for four years and the Fa’s communications director, he was also heavily involved in the appointment of current england manager roy hodgson. the 43-year-old said he wanted ‘a new challenge’ after 17 years with the organisation. ‘It has been a privilege to work for the Fa,’ he said. ‘I have been considering my departure for some time.’

SporT

24 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 17, 2014

...Hand that’s all, folks – Thierry Henry to retire

«see page 22

Quins lock facing ban for possible gouging of Leinster’s Ryan

Cite for sore eyes Harlequins second row Charlie Matthews could be handed a lengthy ban after he was cited for allegedly making contact with the eye area of leinster flanker Dominic ryan during saturday’s european Champions Cup match at the aviva stadium. lock Matthews was shown a yellow card after the incident by referee romain Poite late in the game, which leinster edged Madigan’ 14-13 thanks to ian Madigan’s 71st-minute penalty. The disciplinary panel will meet in london on Wednesday, with a low-end sanction lasting

by DAnny HOgAn

12 weeks, mid-range 24 weeks, while Matthews could be banned for a year for a more serious offence. a statement from european Professional Club rugby (ePCr) read: ‘ePCr has received a citing complaint against the Harlequins second row, Charlie Matthews (no.4), following the european rugby Champions Cup round 4 match against leinster rugby on saturday, 13 December 2014. ‘Matthews is alleged to have made contact with

the eye area of the leinster wing forward, Dominic ryan (no.7), in the 77th minute of the Pool 2 game at the aviva stadium in contravention of law 10.4 (m). He was shown a yellow card following the incident by referee, romain Poite (France). ‘The complaint was made by the match Citing Commissioner, stefano Marrama (italy).’ Harlequins are currently sitPremier ting ninth in the aviva Premiership standings and top of european rugby Champions Cup Pool 2.

Bad scrape: Leinster No.7 Ryan was on the receiving end of the suspected eyegouging on Saturday

Card justice: Matthews is given a yellow card by referee Roman Poite pictuRes: inpho

Rodgers dismisses talk of dressing-room unrest LiverpooL manager Brendan rodgers has dismissed claims of dressing-room unrest as ‘totally untrue’. However, there appeared to be more to read into what the Northern irishman did not say rather than what he did as he twice declined the opportunity to publicly back striker Mario Balotelli over criticism he has upset the equilibrium within the reds’ squad. Former Liverpool midfielder

paul ince called for rodgers to sell the italian as he believes he is a disruptive influence and is partly responsible for the lack of team spirit. ‘Mario is a Liverpool player and as the coach and manager i need to work to maximise what i can get out of the player, but that is the same with every single player,’ said rodgers. ‘While he is here at the club that is all i will concentrate on. i hear one or two bits and pieces

about unrest – it is totally untrue of course. We are not happy we are not winning games. ‘These are competitive players who nearly won the league last year so they won’t be happy with losing, but the actual spirit in the group is very strong and that is one of the reasons why when we get that confidence back then we will go into the second half of the season and be much better.’ rodgers admitted signing the 24-year-old late in August was a

gamble but, after such a lacklustre first half of the season, it seems unlikely he will even be able to offload him in January. Former club inter Milan appear to have ruled out a move after club vice-president Javier Zanetti told Sky italia: ‘A Balotelli return? We all know Mario is a great player but i think it’s difficult because he only just arrived at Liverpool.’

«reDs’ cup test – page 23

Under pressure: Rodgers needs goals