Vladimir Putin's Little Pigs Jibe

Speaking at an annual meeting with the Russian defence ministry in Moscow on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin lashed out at European leaders, deriding them as “little pigs”. 

He reiterated that the goals of Russia's “special military operation” would be met “unconditionally”. “If they do not want a substantive discussion”, he said, “then Russia will liberate its historical lands on the battlefield”. 

And he again repeated that Moscow has no intention to invade NATO territory, claiming instead that the 32-member state alliance had begun preparing for a possible military confrontation with Russia, with a view to 2030.

In case, like me, you're wondering about Luis Suarez (right), note that he's still very much active in football, even though he will turn 39 next month. 

He is with Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (lit. Miami International Football Club), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida, USA and plays in Major League Soccer, which I consider a Sunday league, if you know what I mean. 

Anyway, the former Uruguay international who first joined the MLS side before the 2024 season, reuniting with former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, has signed a one-year contract that will keep him at the MLS club for the 2026 season. 

Suarez scored 17 goals and provided 17 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions in 2025 as Miami won the MLS Cup Championship for the first time by defeating Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on December 06.

Donald Trump’s Sentencing in Hush Money Case Delayed Again

The sentencing of former US President Donald Trump (right) in a criminal hush-money case has been delayed until after the November presidential election.

 

New York Judge Juan Merchan announced on Friday that he would move the sentencing date, previously scheduled for September 18, to November 26. This is the second delay in the sentencing hearing, which was originally set for July 11. 

 

Merchan explained the new date – exactly three weeks after the November 05 presidential election – was chosen to reflect Trump’s candidacy in the upcoming election.

 

For background info, kindly refer to my posts "The Indictment of Donald J Trump" and "Donald Trump Guilty in Sham Democrat-initiated Trial" published April 05, 2023 and May 31, 2024 respectively.

 

Uruguay striker, 37-year-old Luis Suarez (right) played his last game on September 06, a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay which ended in a 1-1 draw. He retires from international football, ending a 17-year stint with the national team. 

 

Suarez, who is the country’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals, has made 143 appearances for his country after making his debut against Colombia in February 2007.

Chinese Garlic is a US Security Risk

It's laughable but a US senator wants an investigation into the next biggest national security risk to the United States: Garlic (Scientific name: Allium sativum) from China!

 

Methinks, he is a vampire. I can tell you, after garlic, it'll be silver and crucifixes next.

 

And so, Florida Senator Rick Scott wrote to the commerce secretary, alleging Chinese garlic is unsafe, citing unsanitary production methods. 

 

China produces 75% of the world's garlic. And the US is a major consumer. 

 

But the trade has been controversial for many years. 

 

The US has accused China of "dumping" garlic on to the market at below-cost price. Since the mid-1990s it has levied heavy tariffs on Chinese imports in order to prevent US producers from being priced out of the market. In 2019, during the Donald Trump administration, these tariffs were increased.

 

In his letter Senator Scott (left) refers to these existing concerns. But he goes on to highlight "a severe public health concern over the quality and safety of garlic grown in foreign countries – most notably, garlic grown in Communist China". 

 

He refers to practices which, he says, have been "well documented" in online videos, cooking blogs and documentaries, including growing garlic in sewage. He has called for the Department of Commerce to take action, under a law which allows investigations into the impact of specific imports on the security of the US.

 

He argues: "Food safety and security is an existential emergency that poses grave threats to our national security, public health, and economic prosperity". 

 

The Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Canada, which attempts to popularise and explain scientific issues, says there is "no evidence" that sewage is used as a fertiliser for growing garlic in China. 

 

"In any case, there is no problem with this", an article "Is it true that garlic in China is grown in human feces and watered with urine?" published by the university on March 20, 2017 says. 

 

"Human waste is as effective a fertilizer as is animal waste. Spreading human sewage on fields that grow crops doesn't sound appealing, but it is safer than you might think".  

In yesterday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Crystal Palace, the former prevailed over the latter despite being a goal down in the fifty-seventh minute.

 

They had to wait nineteen minutes before Mohamed Salah equalised. Not exactly a well-taken goal but it was his 200th Liverpool goal – becoming only the fifth player to reach that landmark for the club, joining Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (241) and Billy Liddell (228). 

 

And if you're crazy about stas, here's another one: Of those to score 50 or more for Liverpool, only Hodgson (1.56) and Luis Suarez (1.62) had a better games per goal ratio than Salah (1.64).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was Harvey Elliott who delivered the decisive moment inside the first of 10 minutes of added time, producing a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area to lift Liverpool above Arsenal. And they clung to their top-of-the-table position when Aston Villa beat Arsenal 1-0 on Saturday too. 

 

To be honest, it was another pretty poor performance from Liverpool – but again and again, they seem to find a way to score when those performances occur. Liverpool fans will just have to get used to seeing the team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat this season.

 

According to Opta Joe on X, the Reds have now scored more winners after the 90th minute than any club in Premier League history. And it isn’t even close. 

 

Elliott’s goal was the 43rd late winner that Liverpool have scored since 1992. That’s a full nine goals ahead of second-placed Arsenal. Seventeen of those – or 43% – have come during Jürgen Klopp’s reign over the past eight years.

Russia-China Trade Hits All-time High

Trade turnover between Russia and China continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, hitting a historic high in November despite the pressure of Western sanctions. 

 

According to Chinese customs data, trade volumes with Russia increased by 26.7% in the first 11 months of 2023, amounting to a record $218.17 billion. In November alone, trade amounted to $21.5 billion, an 8.6% month-on-month increase. 

 

Exports from China to Russia jumped by 50.2% to $100.33 billion in January-November, while imports from Russia to the Asian country surged by 11.8% to $117.84 billion. 

 

Russia emerged as China’s fifth-largest trading partner (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan) in the reporting period, behind the US, EU, South Korea, and Japan.

 

Luis Suarez (right) scored twice in his farewell match for Gremio as the Brazilian side defeated Fluminense 3-2 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. 

 

The 36-year-old Uruguayan football icon scored in the 43rd minute and then bagged a second with a cheeky “panenka” from the penalty spot in the 64th minute.

 

The victory ensured Gremio finished second in the Brazilian championship, two points behind champions Palmeiras as the season drew to a close on that same day. It marked a fitting finale to what has been a dazzling season in Brazilian football for Suarez, who cut short his two-year deal with Gremio after one season, saying the calendar was too much for his ageing body. 

 

Leading Gremio as captain, Suarez played in 54 of the club’s 64 matches in 2023, scoring a total of 29 goals. He ended the year as the second-highest goalscorer in the Brazilian league, with 17, inspiring down-on-its-luck Gremio to an unexpectedly solid season.

 

“I love this job, but it’s hard waking up in pain every morning”, he declared two weekends ago. “I’m hard-headed and I want to keep playing, but I don’t know what comes next”.

 

Those comments came after he scored the lone goal in Gremio’s win over Vasco in his final home match, earning an emotional standing ovation from the sold-out crowd. 

 

If, indeed, he is calling it a day, he will be missed! To make his "departure" more difficult, Gremio’s strong showing this season means they have qualified for the Copa Libertadores next year, the South American equivalent of Europe’s Champions League. 

 

“I would have loved to play in that competition. But my body is calling the shots”, Suarez said. “I need rest, recreation and time to think. It’s hard to say "basta" (Spanish for "enough"). Footballers are never ready for retirement”.

Luis Suarez's Hattrick for Grêmio

Luis Suarez (right) had a dream debut for Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as Grêmio, when he grabbed a first-half hattrick to help his new Brazilian club win the Recopa Gaucha Super Cup on Tuesday. 

The Uruguay striker who joined Grêmio on a free transfer after leaving Uruguayan side Nacional, scored three goals inside 37 minutes as they beat Sao Luiz 4-1 in the curtain-raiser for the new season.

Suarez, who also played for Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, bid farewell to Nacional in October after helping his boyhood club win the Uruguayan championship. 

It was the first time since December 2013 that the 35-year-old had scored a first-half hattrick after he netted three for Liverpool against Norwich in the Premier League. 

Grêmio will play in Brazil’s Serie A this season after earning promotion last year. 

Liverpool claimed their first win since the turn of the year as Harvey Elliott's stunning strike in the thirteenth minute fired the Reds past Wolves in their FA Cup third-round replay yesterday. 

The win means Liverpool will face Brighton in the fourth round, a week on Sunday, i.e. January 29.

Budget for NSC’s Training Program Gets Decimated

My previous post “NSC Forsake Low Wee Wern and 9 Others” published Monday refers. It’s not only the ten squash players who were dumped. 

It seems that Malaysia's National Sports Council had outed a total of 144 athletes! 

According to Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim (right), a former deputy youth and sports minister said he had raised concerns over the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ lack of funding for NSC’s training program. 

In a statement on Thursday, he revealed he had brought up the matter in Parliament – and the minister in charge gave an assurance that athletes would not be neglected. But just a month later, they were booted out. 

Sim even suggested it would be better to purge 10 ministers and deputy ministers to resolve the lack of funding issue. He declared: “[Their salaries] are more than enough to accommodate our athletes in their sports training program”. 

Wishful thinking, Sim! Of all people, you should know that Government ministers sit at the top of the food chain and that’s how it is in this country. 

I’m really happy for Luis Suarez. 

Yesterday, he (right), finally, scored in the forty-first minute as Atlético Madrid blitzed Rayo Majadahonda by five goals to reach the Copa del Rey last-16. 

The Uruguay international had gone ten games without a goal for club and country, a drought that stretched back to the La Liga game on November 07 where Atleti drew 3-3 with Valencia.

The Barca Villain is No More

Ronald Koeman has lost his job as head coach of Barcelona after 14 months in charge at the Nou Camp. 

Barca have picked up just 15 points from 10 games in La Liga and have already lost twice in the group stage of this season's Champions League. 

They are ninth in the table, six points adrift of the joint leaders after Rayo Vallecano won 1-0 against them on Wednesday. The loss was Barca's third in their last four games and it followed defeat in Sunday's Clasico to Real Madrid. 

Koeman was the guy who told Luis Suarez in the summer of 2020 that he had no future at the club. 

FYI, across six years at Camp Nou, Suarez had delivered 198 goals, four La Liga titles and a Champions League crown. You don’t say goodbye to a legend in a 40-second phone call, period! 

Yesterday, Celtic's first-half performance against Hibernian was exceptional as it netted them three goals to earn them another three points.

Two goals came within the first 14 minutes – and both were gifts as Anthony Ralston and Cameron Carter-Vickers were left all alone to apply a header to a free-kick, then a volley to a corner. 

The third Celtic goal was absolutely fabulous as Tom Rogic left a trail of defenders in his wake before Jota rolled the ball across goal for Kyogo Furuhashi to tap in, in the thirtieth minute.

Hibs pulled one back seven minutes later but that was all they could manage. The final score stood at 3-1 and the one-sided first half had been their undoing. 

Ange Postecoglou's team are now two points behind leaders Rangers after the first round of top-flight fixtures in the Scottish Premiership. 

And in the EFL Cup, second-half goals from Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi secured Liverpool's place in the quarter-finals at the expense of a resolute Preston North End side. 

Of course, this was an entirely different Liverpool side to the one which thrashed Manchester United 5-0 on Sunday – and despite dominating possession for long periods, the Reds didn’t play well at all. 

I guess what’s important, we won 2-0.

Covid Deaths Surpass 700K in the US

The United States reached its latest heartbreaking pandemic milestone when it surpassed 700,000 deaths from Covid-19 on Friday. 

On that same day too, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics report that their experimental antiviral pill molnupravir (MK-4482, EIDD-2801) may be a big help protecting patients infected with Covid-19. 

Clinical trial data from an interim analysis 29 days after the study began showed that 7.3% of 385 patients who received the antiviral were either hospitalized or died from Covid-19, compared with 14.1% of the 377 patients who received a placebo. Meaning, the drug "reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50%" for people with mild to moderate Covid-19. 

Molnupravir is an investigational, orally administered form of a potent ribonucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of Covid-19. The drug which was originally developed for the treatment of influenza at Emory University was quickly licensed by the two drug companies. 

"This is the most impactful result that I remember seeing of an orally available drug in the treatment of a respiratory pathogen, perhaps ever", Dr. Scott Gottlieb (right), former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday. "I think getting an oral pill that can inhibit viral replication – that can inhibit this virus – is going to be a real game changer".

According to Dr. Daria Hazuda (left), chief science officer with MSD, Merck's label operating outside of the US and Canada, molnupiravir “actually gets incorporated into the genetic material of the virus and introduces errors”. 

I am taking all of the above with more than a pinch of salt. I have this impression that Big Pharma are rushing to bring out new drugs to make quick profits.

And in football, there’s wonderful news coming in from Madrid, Spain. I'm reporting this only because it involves Luis Suarez. 

Reigning champions Atletico Madrid went level with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and inflicted further damage on Ronald Koeman's struggling Barcelona with a deserved 2-0 win yesterday. 

Suarez played a part in the opener in the twenty-third minute and then he slotted in against his former club in the forty-fourth minute to give Atletico the three points.

Daniel Craig's Last 007 Film Finally Has Royal Premiere

Daniel Craig's final James Bond film has finally had its world premiere in London, UK, eighteen months later than planned because it was delayed by Covid. 

No Time To Die is the British actor's fifth outing as 007. 

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on the red carpet on Tuesday, he said the role was "incredibly important to cinema and to history, and the weight of that has been on my shoulders for a while". 

And he added: "I've been incredibly lucky".

The film hits the country's cinemas tomorrow! 

The film industry is watching closely to see how No Time To Die performs at the box office, and whether it can tempt fans back in large enough numbers now that most cinemas have reopened. 

Advance ticket sales in the UK have been at levels not seen since before cinemas shut at the start of the pandemic, according to the Odeon and Cineworld chains. Odeon said they had sold more than 175,000 tickets by Monday, while Cineworld said they had the highest pre-booking rates since 2019's Avengers: Endgame.

A massive win in Portugal for Liverpool yesterday when they thumped Porto 5-1 to remain top of their Champions League group. 

Mohamed Salah's prodded finish in the eighteenth minute set them on their way. And a back-post tap from Sadio Mane extended their lead in the forty-fifth minute. And again, Salah contributed his second in the sixtieth minute with a clinical finish into the bottom right corner. 

Then, substitute Roberto Firmino also scored a brace in the seventy-seventh and eighty-first minutes to complete the rout. 

Curtis Jones who made his third consecutive start for the Reds deserves special mention because he played an integral part in four of Liverpool’s five goals. 

Truly, the Reds were rampant against a side who offered little and were helped in no small part by a truly dreadful performance from Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who gifted them three goals. 

Liverpool sit top of Group B after two rounds of fixtures – two points clear of Atletico Madrid, who triumphed 2-1 against 10-man AC Milan in Italy thanks to a 97th-minute penalty from former Anfield favorite Luis Suarez.

167 Million Cases and Luis Suarez's Decisive Goal

The world has reached another high point – with 167 million Covid cases to-date. 

Malaysia again saw 6,320 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, lifting the country’s cumulative figure to 505,115. 

And yet the government don’t seem to show any urgency in addressing the pandemic. The nationwide MCO which is commencing this coming Tuesday, is again the same old, same old. 

#GagalKerajaan 

After 37 exhausting weeks, the Spanish La Liga title race was decided on the very last day, i.e. yesterday – as Atlético Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone had said all along. 

His side clinched their first title in seven years – and 11th overall – by amassing 86 points, two points ahead of defending champions Real Madrid, who end the season trophy-less. [In case you’re interested to know, only Real Madrid (34) and Barcelona (26) have claimed more La Liga titles]. 

I was pretty wired and edgy because Real Valladolid snuck in the first goal in the eighteenth minute – but Atlético Madrid turned the game around in the second half with a brace (57, 67). And it was Luis Suarez's coolly taken effort that produced the winning goal that decided the match. 

The Uruguay striker started the season being told by Barca boss Ronald Koeman he was not in his plans for this season – but still went on to score 21 league goals. As a tearful Suarez said afterwards: "I am delighted the way Atletico have appreciated me and given me the chance to keep showing I can perform on this stage. I thank them for trusting in me”. 

Congratulations, Suarez and Atlético Madrid!

Football Magic on a Sunday

Yesterday was another “must-win” Premier League match for Liverpool. And thank god, they triumphed against West Bromwich Albion. 

To be honest, it was an enormous 2-1 win for Liverpool and in the most dramatic way possible. 

Only because Alisson Becker made the 80-metre journey into the other side’s penalty area to score a goal that kept alive the Reds’ chances of reaching the Champions League. 

It is not every day you see a goalkeeper score a 95th-minute winner. In fact, in Liverpool's 129-year history, no goalkeeper has ever scored in a competitive match for the club. [Note: Alisson became the sixth goalkeeper to score a Premier League goal – and the first to do so with a header]. 

The Baggies actually landed the first goal – in the fifteenth minute – before a typically incisive Mohamed Salah finish eighteen minutes later levelled the score. 

With Roberto Firmino firing against the woodwork, Sadio Mane seeing a goal ruled out for offside and others profligate in front of the net, it really looked as though the Reds had blown their chance. 

And then, that incredible injury-time winner, that spectacular Alisson moment, that magnificent magic! 

Liverpool must keep up their winning ways when they travel to Burnley next. A victory on Wednesday and another against Crystal Palace on May 23 – and Top Four is very likely. 

Let's continue to keep the faith.

On Sunday too, Luis Suarez scored a dramatic late winner as Atletico Madrid fought back to beat Osasuna 2-1 and put themselves on the verge of a first La Liga title in seven years. 

Both Atletico goals arrived in the final 10 minutes of a compelling contest – and just as it looked as though they were going to have to surrender top spot to their city rivals. 

Diego Simeone's side now travel to Real Valladolid in their final game knowing that a win will clinch the title.

The US Fails in Human Rights Too

Americans have been regularly informed about human rights abuses occurring in other countries around the world – these days, China is the whipping boy – but many do not want to admit that human rights are being violated in their own country too. 

Definitely, the US is not as innocent as it makes itself out to be. 

The long list of injustices includes: Existence of systemic racism; weaker labor protections than most western countries; imprisonment of debtors; criminalization of homelessness and poverty; invasion of its citizens' privacy through mass surveillance programs; police brutality; police impunity and corruption; incarceration of citizens for profit, mistreatment of prisoners; the highest number of juveniles in the prison system of any country; some of the longest prison sentences in the world; continued use of the death penalty despite its abolition in nearly all other western countries; abuse of both legal and illegal immigrants (including children); facilitation of state terrorism; a health care system favoring profit via privatization over the wellbeing of citizens; the lack of a universal health care program unlike most other developed countries; continued support for foreign dictators (even when genocide has been committed); forced disappearances; extrajudicial detentions; torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and extrajudicial targeted killings. 

I don't believe Americans are that stupid not to know!

Below, is a really rad video that puts the spotlight squarely on the United States of America for its human rights abuses. You should check it out:

 

Given all of the above, the US is not in any position to criticize other countries for human rights abuses. The country is undoubtedly, not unblemished. 

I’m pleased that Atletico Madrid moved a step closer to becoming Spanish champions for the first time since 2014 with a tense 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Wednesday. 

Luis Suarez's excellent through ball had assisted his fellow teammate to score the second goal. 

Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. will win the La Liga title for the eleventh time in their history if they win both their last two matches. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. 

And on the same day too, Celtic earned a very comfortable 4-0 win over St Johnstone in a Scottish Premiership match.

David Turnbull (23), Odsonne Edouard (24), Kris Ajer (79) and teen talent Kamoko Dembele (85) – see photo below – were on target.

[Note: For those who don't know Dembele, he’s the one who caught massive media attention in October 2016 when he made his debut for Celtic's under-20 development team at the age of 13]. 

Celtic will finish their season away to Hibernian on Saturday – they’re safe in the #2 position whatever the outcome anyway.

The CNY Story of Nian

Since the Lunar New Year is almost upon us, I think it's good to share a little about this special holiday. 

It signals the beginning of spring, and the start of a new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar. And of course, it is the most important holiday in China. And celebrated by the Chinese diaspora everywhere.

In China, you’ll hear it being called chunjie (春节), or the Spring Festival. It’s still very wintry, but the holiday marks the end of the coldest days. People welcome spring and what it brings along: planting and harvests, new beginnings and fresh starts.

The Spring Festival is technically 15 days. But celebrations start on New Year’s Eve (making it 16 days). Note that the most important part of Lunar New Year is the family reunion. Everyone should come back home for the New Year’s Eve dinner. 

There's no set date for Lunar New Year. The date of the Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year) changes every year as it is based on the lunar calendar. While the western Gregorian calendar is based on the earth’s orbit around the sun, China and most Asian countries use the lunar calendar that is based on the moon’s orbit around the earth. 

The Lunar New Year always falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. In Malaysia, we have a 2-day public holiday, i.e. February 12-13, 2021 which is the first and second day of CNY as it is more commonly called here.

Chinese mythology tells us that the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called Nian (年). 

Check out the paper-cut animation "Chinese New Year" – released on Thursday in Beijing, China in eight languages – presenting the cultural background of China's Spring Festival to the world.

 

The New Year greeting in Chinese is “xin nian kuai le”. The phrase literally means “Happy New Year”. 

But in Hong Kong and other Cantonese-speaking regions, it’s more common to say “gong hei fat choy”. In Mandarin Chinese, it’s “gong xi fa cai” (恭喜发财). It means “congratulations on the fortune”. 

Luis Suarez (right) scored twice in the Spanish La Liga match against Celta Vigo on Monday – but it was not enough to earn victory for leaders Atletico Madrid as they were held to a 2-2 draw. 

The draw means Atletico, who have lost only one league game this season, are eight points clear of second-placed Barcelona with a game in hand over Ronald Koeman's side. 

Suarez, who left Barcelona for Atletico last summer, is the top scorer in La Liga with 16 goals.

I'm sure every time he scores, Barcelona feels a lot of hurt!

I Sound Like a Broken Record

This Star newspaper headline in Malaysia today catches my eye. 

Yes, I sound like a broken record but I just have to re-state that the rising number of coronavirus cases in Malaysia are more due to the absence of strategies to contain Covid-19 as well as bad policies in place. 

Again, I'm urging a re-think. 

Refer to my three posts which spell out ideas that should merit serious consideration: “Malaysia Can Learn from China” published January 10, 2021; “An All-time Covid Record During MCO 2.0” published January 16; and “98 Million Cases and MCO Prolongation” published January 22. If only the health authorities will take heed.

Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said a total of nine new Covid-19 clusters were recorded by the Health Ministry yesterday. Eight of which involved workplaces and one involving a detention centre. The clusters were from Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Putrajaya, Sabah and Selangor. 

Need I say more? 

Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-2 in the FA Cup fourth round tie yesterday. 

The loss to their fierce rivals means Liverpool have now won only one of their past seven games. 

And in another game I was following, Uruguay striker Luis Suarez (right) on his 34th birthday on Sunday scored a brilliant team goal as Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Valencia 3-1 to move seven points clear at the top of the Spanish La Liga with a game in hand. And a 10-point gap to Barcelona!

Happy birthday, Luis Suarez!

UK: The Sick Man of Europe

The United Kingdom stands shut off from the rest of Europe on Monday – over fears of the “Grinch strain”, sowing chaos for families, truckers and supermarkets just days before the Brexit cliff edge and just before Christmas.

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland were among those that issued UK travel bans after Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) warned that a highly infectious new strain of the Covid-19 virus was a danger to the country. 

Outside of Europe, Canada, Colombia, India, Israel, Saudi Arabia and others have followed suit. 

According to one BBC News report I read today, more than 40 countries have barred UK arrivals. As the list of countries imposing travel restrictions on the UK grew, the World Health Organization sought to put the risks in context. 

WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan (left) said new strains were a normal part of the evolution of a pandemic, and that it was not "out of control". 

And UK’s Food and Drink Federation’s chief executive, Ian Wright, even warned of possible food shortages as a result of the border closures. 

He said on Sunday: “Tonight’s suspension of accompanied freight traffic... has the potential to cause serious disruption to UK Christmas fresh food supplies”. 

This is damn serious leh! 

Ex-Liverpool and Barcelona forward Luis Suarez (right) is doing well at his new club. He scored a brace (41, 58) in Atlético Madrid’s 3-1 triumph over Elche on Saturday. This means they went to the top of the Spanish La Liga table with two games in hand. 

The Uruguayan striker, making his 200th La Liga appearance, has now scored seven goals in nine league appearances for his club this season. Luis Suarez rocks! 

The victory took Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. three points ahead of Real Madrid and Real Sociedad – at least for a short while. Real Madrid kept pace with leaders Atletico Madrid when they beat Eibar 3-1 on Sunday to record a fourth straight La Liga win. Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Valencia on Saturday, trailed the two clubs by eight points.