Carmen Xtravaganza Died: What Happened to Carmen Xtravaganza? How did Carmen Xtravaganza Die?
‘Funniest thing I’ve seen’ – Fans spot Arsenal star Leandro Trossard’s 6-word comment about Michael Oliver to Wolves ace
ARSENAL fans think they’ve spotted Leandro Trossard making a “hilarious” comment about referee Michael Oliver during the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.
Oliver has been the subject of much chatter since the match after controversially sending off Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Micheal Oliver showed Joao Gomes a yellow card for delaying the restart on Saturday[/caption] Leandro Trossard was approached Gomes to seemingly make a comment about Oliver[/caption] Trossard appeared to say ‘that’s what he did to me’[/caption]But it was his first yellow card to Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes that had Trossard passing comment on the Premier League official.
Gomes, who was ultimately sent off for a second yellow card offence in the second half, was booked for delaying the restart in the first half.
And Arsenal star Trossard was quick to try and intervene while the Brazilian protested his innocence to Micheal Oliver.
Gomes was hoping to talk his way out of the booking, but Trossard reminded the 23-year-old that he had suffered the same fate against Man City earlier in the season.
A clip of the Belgian forward appeared to show him saying to Gomes: “That’s what he did to me”.
Trossard was sent off against Man City back in September after receiving a second yellow card for delaying the restart.
Arsenal fans were loving their star’s hark back to the 2-2 draw and reacted on social media.
One wrote: “Funniest thing I’ve seen today”.
Leandro Trossard was sent off by Michael Oliver after a second yellow card for delaying the restart against Man City this season[/caption]CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
While another added: “Trossard is low-key hilarious”.
A third joked: “He said, ‘welcome to the club bro’.”
And a fourth posted: “I’m still laughing at this clip the next day”.
Oliver would later send off 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly for a trip some 90-yards from the Arsenal box, sparking fury from former players and pundits across the football world.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claimed he was “fuming” about the decision, but remained calm enough to suggest that he won’t be complaining.
Arteta told reporters that he hopes that an appeal won’t even be necessary and that the PGMOL will overturn the decision themselves as they did with Bruno Fernandes’ red card against Tottenham earlier in the season.
Ian Wright claimed that the refereeing in the Premier League is “nowhere near it” in a video on social media.
While Match of the Day host Mark Chapman claimed the red card was “baffling and nonsensical from supposedly one of our best referees”.
Alan Shearer blasted it as “one of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a long time”
He said: “As a referee, you can get it wrong on the pitch, you might see something which is incorrect.
“How on earth Darren England, the VAR, thinks that the referee has got that right and there is no need to send him to the screen is beyond me.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off by Michael Oliver against Wolves on Saturday[/caption] Lewis-Skelly was dismissed for a foul on Matt Doherty[/caption]MARK HALSEY: Questions have to be asked of VAR after Lewis-Skelly sending off... here's what SHOULD have happened
By Mark Halsey
VAR Darren England should have recommended a review as soon as referee Michael Oliver showed Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly a straight red card for his challenge on Wolves’ Matt Doherty.
An official has to decide whether the challenge was careless or reckless — careless is a free-kick only, reckless is a yellow card — or worthy of a red card.
When a player lunges at an opponent with one or two feet from the front, the side or from the back which endangers the player’s safety with excess force or/and brutality, it must be sanctioned with a red.
I saw it as a reckless challenge worthy of a yellow, not a red.
So why did Darren not recommend a review? Once the red card was shown, the VAR should have intervened.
If Michael had the opportunity to view the challenge again, I’m sure he would have changed his mind, cancelled the red card and issued a yellow.
As for Arsenal fans’ views that Michael is biased against them, I’m not buying into that. You can never question the integrity of a match official and Michael is one of our best referees.
Officials cannot get everything right and that is why we have VAR to help. So questions have to be asked of Darren.
With the second yellow for Joao Gomes after catching Jurrien Timber on the ankle, you could argue that was a worse challenge than the Lewis-Skelly one.
“I just cannot see and work out what VAR is thinking going along with Michael Oliver’s decision. No wonder it gets criticised by so many people.”
And BBC Five Live pundit Pat Nevin said labelling such a challenge serious foul play was setting “a bar so low even a limbo dancing snake couldn’t get under it”.
Even ex-Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara said: “I’m all for Arsenal having a beast but that is never ever a red card, one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. Jheez lol”.
While the comments on social media from fans went too far, with the PGMOL releasing a statement revealing Oliver had been subject to death threats and “abhorrent abuse”.
It read: “We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal fixture.
“No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours.
“The police are aware, and a number of investigations have commenced. We are supporting Michael, and all those affected, and are determined to tackle this unacceptable behaviour.
“Sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times.
“We will continue to support all investigations.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright hits out at Myles Lewis Skelly red card decision
IAN WRIGHT has joined the long-list of former professionals and pundits to be left reeling by the decision to send off Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly on Saturday.
The cynical challenge left most fans expecting a yellow card, but the Hale End graduate was shown red by referee Michael Oliver instead.
Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes led the on-field protests as Arsenal’s players showed their frustration at the decision.
And now Gunners icon Ian Wright has weighed in on the incident, claiming that it’s “never a red”.
In a video posted on social media by the former Premier Legue bagsman, he fumed: “It’s a joke!
“Anyone that has ever played the game, and I’m not even talking Premier League, I’m talking five-a-side, Sunday league, knows that it’s never a red.
“Yellow card, nobody says a word. Time and time again, this level of refereeing [and] the decisions in the Premier League… the inconsistency, the excuses, the apologies.
“All of them are just the centre of attention for me. We can’t criticise too hard because, where are the refs going to come from? Where are we going to get them?
“But I’m sorry, this is the highest level of football and we do not have the highest level of referees. When will the Premier League bring the best refs into the so called ‘best league in the world’?
“Because at the moment, with this level of refereeing, we’re nowhere near it. Nowhere near it.”
Met Office map reveals Storm Herminia’s wrath with 80mph wind and flash floods after deadly Eowyn’s carnage
A MET Office map reveals Storm Herminia’s wrath with 80mph wind and flash floods rampaging across the UK.
The latest named storm comes after Eowyn killed two people over the weekend and caused major disruption, with some Brits warned to stay indoors.
Commuters on London Bridge this morning[/caption] Strong winds have brought big waves at West Bay on the Jurassic Coast[/caption]The national forecaster says the next few days look “set to remain very unsettled”.
An interactive map shows a blanket of rain drenching much of the UK over the next few hours.
WARNINGS
A series of yellow warnings for wind and rain have been issued for large parts of England and Wales with more than 40 flood warnings in place.
Parts of Wales and central, southern and northern England are under a 24-hour warning for strong and gusty winds from the same time.
A warning for periods of heavy rain that could cause some flooding of roads and properties was in place for the West Midlands and most of Wales until 11.59pm on Monday with the Met Office predicting 20mm to 40mm to fall quite widely and 50mm to 70mm on higher ground.
Okehampton in Devon had 35.8mm of rain on Sunday, while an 83mph gust was recorded in Berry Head, south Devon, and 81mph in Capelcurig, North Wales.
A yellow wind warning was in place until 7am on Monday for large parts of southern England, the North West, the West Midlands and Yorkshire.
Flooding saw stretches of the A36 and A303 closed in Devon and Wiltshire overnight, while National Rail said services were running normally between Taunton and Castle Cary after flooding.
Most of the 40 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, issued by the Environment Agency cover the south west and south coast, the two warnings issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Scotland is recovering from the effects of Storm Eowyn.
ScotRail said engineers had made “great progress” in removing debris and repairing damage, but several lines were unlikely to reopen for the start of services on Monday.
The Largs to Adrossan line will not reopen on Monday after an overhead gantry was brough down by a falling tree.
Avanti West Coast said services to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh had resumed, but warned of late starts and possible delays on Scottish routes.
Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said around 74,000 customers remained without power at the end of Sunday following Storm Eowyn, while the Northern Powergrid said teams were working to reconnect more than 150 customers overnight.
Ben Lukey, a flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Although not expected, impacts could include localised flooding from watercourses, drains, channels and flooding from overland flow.
A wet and windy spell arrived in the South West on Sunday morning and was moving across the north of the UK overnight.
Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said: “Things are going to stay unsettled in the next few days. We’re getting successive spells of wet and windy weather, which is obviously adding to impacts
While not as powerful as Storm Eowyn, a low-pressure system was named Storm Herminia by meteorologists in Spain which was expected to feel the strongest winds.
5-day weather forecast
Today:
Showers or longer spells of rain across most areas. Showers turning heavy at times in the south with a chance of thunder, plus hill snow in the north. Strong, gale-force winds continuing in the south, and temperatures around average.
Tonight:
Showers and longer spells of rain continue overnight. Gales in the southwest slowly easing, but winds picking up in the far north. A patchy frost forming in the northwest.
Tuesday:
Further heavy showers in the south with a risk of thunder. Longer spells of rain in the northwest, but easing later. Strong winds at first, and temperatures around average.
Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:
Remaining wet and windy in the south on Wednesday. Becoming more settled for all on Thursday and Friday. Temperatures near the seasonal average, but chilly at night.
Ex-partner in court charged with murder of ‘kind-hearted’ gran-of-five found ‘attacked’ in street
THE former partner of a “kind-hearted” gran-of-five found “attacked” in the street has appeared in court charged with her murder.
Claire Chick, 48, was discovered seriously injured in Plymouth, Devon, on Wednesday evening.
Claire Chick was found in the street with serious injuries[/caption]Tragically she could not be saved and was declared dead in hospital the following morning.
Her ex-partner Paul Butler appeared at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court today charged with her murder.
Claire’s family were in court as Butler, 53, was remanded into custody following a short hearing.
He has been ordered to appear before a crown court on January 28.
A further hearing has also been fixed for March 3.
District Judge Stuart Smith told Butler: “These matters are going to be sent to the crown court.
“You will be committed into custody. You will have a hearing tomorrow at the crown court where a crown court judge will consider your remand status further.”
Claire, previously known as Claire Butler, worked as a lecturer at the University of Plymouth.
She was found seriously injured in West Hoe Road, Plymouth, at around 8.55pm on Wednesday.
Claire was rushed to hospital from the scene, but died of her injuries in the early hours of the following morning.
In a moving tribute released by police, her family said they were “devastated and broken”.
They added: “She was the most beautiful lively soul and was there for everyone.
“Everyone who knew our mum had so much positive words to say about her. She was the life and soul of any place where she was.
“She loved to dance and sing, even though she was pretty bad at it; she had no shame in doing it in front of any audience.
“We will never get over this as a family, she was our glue and our go-to.
“We won’t ever get the justice our mum deserves for this, because no amount of justice will bring her back.”
Vice-chancellor Professor Richard Davies said the university was “shocked and saddened” by Claire’s death.
He said: “Having spoken with Claire’s colleagues, I know that her contribution to Plymouth was significant and deeply felt – she was a respected nurse, lecturer and personal tutor, ensuring students were supported academically and pastorally.
“As associate head of school for international in our school of nursing and midwifery, she was closely involved in developing nursing programmes, students and academics in Europe, Africa and Asia.
“As a colleague, Claire’s humour and warmth will be dearly missed by academic and support staff.”
Paul Butler has been charged with murder[/caption] Claire died in hospital following the horror[/caption] Her family have paid tribute[/caption]Маша 45-річна Маша Єфросиніна показала спільне фото із 67-річною матір’ю (фото)
Meri Brown Says None of Sister Wives ‘Are Talking to Each Other’ Due to Lack of ‘Trust’ Amid Coyote Pass Sale
Holly Willoughby & Ant and Dec left red-faced after getting ‘very easy’ 1% Club question WRONG – could you crack it?
STARS such as Holly Willoughby and Ant and Dec have been caught out by a question on the tricky 1% Club.
A new video uploaded to the ITV social media accounts saw the stars alongside BGT’s Alesha Dixon and Kingfisher from The Masked Singer attempt to take on one of the notoriously difficult questions from the quiz programme.
Holly Willoughby struggled with a question from The 1% Club[/caption] Ant and Dec also attempted to give it a go[/caption] Singer Alesha Dixon appeared the most clueless[/caption]The Saturday night favourite, fronted by comedian Lee Mack, has become a ratings hit and has already found itself picking up more than a few gongs.
But even the ITV celebs are left struggling with some of the questions asked on the show.
In a new promo, Holly, Ant and Dec, Kingfisher and Alesha were all asked to answer: “Which word continues the pattern to complete the sentence? Jo the chef likes eating chicken…”
The answers that they celebs could pick from were “wings”, “nuggets” and “jalfrezi”.
Whilst Dec and Holly appeared to have some what of a clue as to work out the answer, former Mis-Teeq singer Alesha was more bamboozled by something else as she exclaimed: “Who is Jo the chef?!”
Holly appeared to work out a formula as she could be heard asking how many letters there were before she began to add them up.
Ant and Dec also had the same idea and appeared to get the correct formula, however, they still appeared to select the wrong answer.
Whilst Alesha went for “wings”, the Geordie duo and Holly both plucked for “nuggets”.
However, the correct answer was in fact “jalfrezi”.
This is because “jalfrezi” contains eight letters which each word in the statement having a letter added too it.
The statement currently contained words that began at two letters before the final word “chicken” had reached seven letter.
It meant that the next word must contain eight letters and as such left “jalfrezi” as the only possible answer.
Hitting out at the famous faces, one viewer insisted that it was “very easy” as they wrote: “That wasn’t a 1% question, think it was 10 or 20% either way very easy.”
The Masked Singer’s Kingfisher got the question correct but with the mystery celeb still in the contest, the identity of who is behind the mask remains a mystery.
Hardest Quiz Show Questions
Would you know the answers to some of quizzing TV's hardest questions
- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – Earlier this year, fans were left outraged after what they described as the “worst” question in the show’s history. Host Jeremy Clarkson asked: “From the 2000 awards ceremony onwards, the Best Actress Oscar has never been won by a woman whose surname begins with which one of these letters?” The multiple choice answers were between G, K, M and W. In the end, and with the £32,000 safe, player Glen had to make a guess and went for G. It turned out to be correct as Nicole Kidman, Frances McDormand and Kate Winslet are among the stars who have won the Best Actress gong since 2000.
- The 1% Club – Viewers of Lee Mack’s popular ITV show were left dumbfounded by a question that also left the players perplexed. The query went as follows: “Edna’s birthday is on the 6th of April and Jen’s birthday falls on the 15th of October, therefore Amir’s birthday must be the ‘X’ of January.” It turns out the conundrum links the numbers with its position in the sentence, so 6th is the sixth word and 15th is the fifteenth word. Therefore, Amir’s birthday is January 24th, corresponding to the 24th word in the sentence.
- The Chase – The ITV daytime favourite left fans scratching their heads when it threw up one of the most bizarre questions to ever grace the programme. One of the questions asked the player: “Someone with a nightshade intolerance should avoid eating what?” The options were – sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots – with Steve selecting sweetcorn but the correct answer was potatoes.
Cyclist Sara Piffer killed aged 19 in horror road accident before her dad makes incredible gesture to driver who hit her
A TEENAGE cyclist was killed in a horror traffic collision during a training ride.
Sara Piffer, 19, was hit head-on and killed when an oncoming car overtook from the other side of the road and crashed into her.
The incident occurred as Piffer went for the ride with her brother near her home in Trentino, northern Italy, with several eyewitnesses confirming details of the crash with police.
A driver who hit and killed her, a 70-year-old man, is being investigated by police for vehicular homicide.
Reports suggest the driver struggled to see her due to the sun. Piffer was taken to hospital by helicopter but died due to her injuries.
But in a stunning gesture, the father of the young athlete, Lorenzo, has said he forgives the driver.
It came following a plea from his son, Christian, who was out with Priffer when the crash happened.
Lorenzo said: “After the accident, my son Christian hugged me and said, ‘Dad, please forgive him. Because I think he’s suffering right now too.’
“So I decided to forgive him. Then justice will take its course.”
Lorenzo added his daughter was “always careful” on the roads, which he later described as a “Wild West”.
Christian reportedly called his father following the crash, tragically telling him, “Sara is not breathing”.
Before heading out, Piffer is said to have told Lorezno before going out: “‘Dad, we always pay attention, it’s the others who don’t pay attention to us.’ And unfortunately, that’s how it was.”
The death of Piffer – said to be sporty and artistic and enjoy painting and making sculptures – has rocked the local community, with tributes pouring in.
Lorenzo told Italian media in an emotional interview she was “a flower, a gift from God” and he was “grateful” to have had her in his life.
He added: “She was good at doing everything.”
Maurizio Fugatti, the President of the Province of Trento, said in a statement: “Our condolences go out to the family, friends and the entire community.”
Piffer was a winner of the Under-23 Giornata Nazionale Rosa – GP Città di Corridonia in 2024, a member of Mendelspeck Continental women’s team and earned fourth place in a team time trial event at the Italian National al Championships.
Christian miraculously only suffered minor injuries from the incident.
He said: “I heard a noise, I looked back, then ran to my sister but there was nothing I could do. At first I was angry with the driver, then I saw that they were scared and ashamed.”
Lorenzo also highlighted how the roads around town had gotten out of control.
He said: “I’d say we need more common sense. Unfortunately, they always realise it too late. Maybe to save that minute they put other people’s lives at risk. I see things getting worse on the roads.”
Piffer’s funeral was held today.
In an interview with La Repubblica, her mother, Marianna, said: “They asked me to choose the clothes for my daughter’s funeral, I picked a cycling jersey she won last year.
“It has ‘winner’ on the front and she dedicated that success to Matteo Lorenzi, who was killed last year. Sara was always a winner for me.”
Sophie Wessex debuts glittering £15k Chopard gift from husband Prince Edward after celebrating 60th with Princess Kate
BEING in the royal family certainly has its perks, particularly when it comes to extravagant gifts.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who celebrated her 60th birthday this month, recently dazzled in a £15,000 Chopard jewellery gift, thought to be from Prince Edward.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh looked spectacular at the Royal Corps of Army Music dinner last week[/caption] Sophie showed off a beautiful Chopard diamond set, which included stud earrings and a matching necklace and bracelet[/caption]The stunning diamond set – which included a necklace, bracelet and stud earrings, could well have been a Christmas present from her husband of 25 years.
The jewellery items are from the ‘Happy Diamonds’ collection – and Sophie debuted them on Christmas Day as she went to church with the royals.
If they were from Edward, they appear to have gone down well with Sophie.
The hard-working duchess showed off the set again last Thursday on a visit to Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy that trained up the likes of Princes William and Harry.
As she attended the Royal Corps of Army Music Dinner in her role as Colonel-in-Chief, Sophie looked sensational in a grey floor-length Erden “Lindsay” gown.
The dress, which features a high neckline and long, sheer sleeves was cinched in at the waist with a matching belt.
Sophie has worn the sparkly dress a number of times before, including during her 2023 Canadian trip, and she could have taken style notes from Princess Kate.
The Princess of Wales wore a similar Erdem style in a midi length at the UK-India Year of Culture launch event in 2017 that was hosted by the late Queen.
Sophie celebrated her birthday with a party organised by her husband Prince Edward.
The dinner and dance was held at Bagshot Park, the grand house in Berkshire which Edward and Sophie moved into shortly after their wedding in 1999.
Yet despite its grandeur, 120-room Bagshot has rarely been used by Edward and Sophie for formal entertaining.
But they opened up their home for Sophie’s black-tie bash, to which all members of the Royal family were invited.
Staff for the party were borrowed from nearby Windsor Castle as the Edinburghs do not lead an ostentatious life.
Their only everyday employees are a butler (whose actual job title is Household Manager) and a housemaid/cleaner.
Sophie also wore the set on Christmas Day with the royal family[/caption] Princess Kate wore a similar Erdem dress during a reception to mark the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017 at Buckingham Palace[/caption] It has been thought that Sophie’s Chopard set could have been a Christmas present from Prince Edward[/caption]“Neither Sophie or Edward are what you might call big party animals,” says a source close to the family.
Naturally included for the celebrations were the Edinburghs’ son James, Viscount Severn, 16, who is studying for his A-levels at the all-boys boarding school Radley, and daughter Lady Louise, 21, who is reading English at St Andrew’s University.
Sophie’s bond with Kate
Sophie has been a pillar of support at a time when the Royal Family was hit by two alarming developments – the news that the Princess of Wales was suffering from cancer which had been discovered after she had abdominal surgery – and the shock announcement shortly afterwards that King Charles was also being treated for cancer.
William especially was grateful that the moment she heard of Kate’s condition Sophie was in touch to see how she could help.
Sophie celebrated her recent 60th birthday with a party at Bagshot Park[/caption] Sophie has supported Princess Kate during her cancer treatment[/caption]When Kate stepped back from public life, Sophie was the first to take on some of her engagements.
“That sort of pragmatism, a genuine desire to help and support someone who has been knocked off kilter, is pure Sophie,” says a senior royal source.
“It really helped William and Kate, obviously in a practical way, but also knowing Sophie could always be relied upon to give her support whenever it was needed.”
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's 'humble' start in life
UNLIKE Prince Edward, Sophie comes from humble beginnings.
The daughter of a tyre salesman and a secretary, she was working in PR at Capital Radio when they met in 1987.
Edward was dating her friend at the time, but six years later they got together after a charity event.
Sophie continued to work for a few years after they got married before finally becoming a full-time royal in 2002.
“I remember our first meeting many years ago when she was just becoming known as Edward’s girlfriend,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said.
“I was lunching at The Ritz with one of the Queen Mother’s ladies in waiting when I saw Sophie at a nearby table. I seized the moment and introduced myself which was probably very annoying for her, but she was charm personified, and we chatted for a few minutes.
“And I really don’t think she has changed much since then.
“Yes, she and Edward live in a mansion, have titles and huge privilege, but Sophie has known a life outside those cloistered palace walls and she has kept her sense of perspective.
“For example, she has told her children that, titles or no titles – and they have chosen thus far not to use their HRH status – they should expect to have to earn a living.
“Sophie was happy for her daughter to take on a seasonal job at a garden centre for less than £7 an hour.
“And during the pandemic Sophie served as a volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service, talking with people on the phone to help them combat the feeling of isolation – and she carried on talking with some of them after the pandemic ended.
“She will also often travel under the radar to places like Malawi, Botswana or Ethiopia to visit projects dedicated to promoting eye health and preventing blindness, and she does this from the heart after her daughter Louise was born with a squint.
“Sophie is one of the strengths of the new monarchy – elegant, engaging and empathetic. I think people have really taken her into their hearts.”
And that support was extended to the Wales’s children, with ‘Aunt Sophie’ arranging picnics and playdates at Bagshot for George, Louis and Charlotte, during the times when Kate needed to rest after her debilitating sessions of chemotherapy.
Despite their 18-year age gap, Sophie’s relationship with Kate – which has always been warm – has deepened in the last year.
Her support for the princess was evident on Remembrance Sunday, when Kate looked to be on the verge of tears at the end of the service at the Cenotaph.
Sophie simply placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder as the pair made their way from a balcony.