VOLVO has reinvented its smallest motor into an all-electric, all-terrain 4×4 – with a delightful focus on off-road driving.

A jacked-up version of the EX30 is set to become the Swedish brand’s first EV and first SUV to use Volvo’s cool new Cross Country branding.

Supplied

Volvo are to release an all-terrain, cross country version of the EX30[/caption]

Supplied

The small EV will get a host of tweaks and changes – both aesthetically and mechanically[/caption]

Supplied

It will also include the Cross Country branding – which hasn’t been released in the UK for 25 years[/caption]

While drivers might already be familiar with the EX30 – the smallest car Volvo makes, which has become hugely popular thanks to its good looks and competitive price point – the EX30 Cross Country introduces a string of notable differences.

Firstly, it’s much taller and chunkier; raised by 19mm, with beefier front and rear skid plates, the optional addition of mudflaps, and 720mm all-terrain tyres.

There’s also a five-link rear suspension that has been softened to cope with bumpier, off-road terrain.

Volvo also claims it can handle muddy tracks and even “ankle-deep” snow.

However, the brand has stressed that the EX30 Cross Country is not a “hardcore” off-roader, saying it’s more aligned with “weekend explorers”.

They added: “Cross Country is about helping you access nature on nature’s terms – not conquering it.”

It certainly looks the part, featuring a more rugged appearance than the standard car – including a blacked-out front grille and boot lid, as well as more sculpted front and rear bumpers and blackened arches.

It can also be optioned with 19-inch alloy wheels, as well as a roof-mounted kayak holder, roof-mounted tent, and stowable towbar.

Despite these additions, the interior of the EX30 Cross Country is exactly the same as the standard car’s.

Only available in all-wheel drive – at least for now – the 4×4 set-up draws power from a 69kWh battery, which feeds two motors for a combined 422bhp.

It also offers 264 miles of range – certainly enough for weekend explorations.

Jim Rowan, Volvo Cars’ CEO, said: “We launched our first Cross Country car over 25 years ago, and this concept of durable and all-weather cars is core to the Volvo brand.

“In Sweden, we face harsh winters, but we also like to make the most of them by getting out and exploring our amazing nature, even when it’s minus 20 Celsius outside.

“That’s why we want to deliver a fully rounded experience – not simply a car – to our EX30 Cross Country customers.”

Volvo last introduced the Cross Country badge some 25 years ago with the V70 XC. 

Since then, in the UK at least, this rugged, special off-road trim has been non-existent.

The Cross Country EX30 line-up is expected by the summer and will command a premium price – roughly £1,000 over the standard Twin Motor Ultra – so expect it to start around £47,000.

Supplied

Supplied

Despite the changes, it remains exactly the same as the standard car inside[/caption]

THE Masked Singer 2025 has had judges and fans alike scratching their heads trying to work out the identities of the secret celebrity singers.

With the grand finale fast approaching on Saturday, February 15, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s finalists.

The Masked Singer 2025 kicked off on ITV on Saturday, January 4.

The series began with 12 famous contestants, each hidden behind an elaborate costume and mask.

As the competition progressed they were gradually unmasked, revealing the celebs’ identities to the excited audience and panel of judges.

The three grand finalists this year are Dressed Crab, Wolf and Pufferfish.

Here’s a breakdown of their journeys on the show so far, including the songs they’ve sung and clues given about their secret identities…

Dressed Crab

ITV

Dressed Crab has made it all the way to the final[/caption]

Performances

The crooning crustacean has sung the following songs en route to the final:

• Lean on me by Bill Withers
• California Dreamin’ by The Mamas & the Papas
• Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz
• Suddenly by Billy Ocean
• Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind & Fire
• Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles

Clues

Dressed Crab’s hints so far include:

• An American football helmet
• A non-disclosure agreement
• Gold coins
• Film roll
• Dressed crab is a look that never goes out of fashion.
• Just marvel at some of my creations; my work has lit up the UK.
• I’ve scuttled all over the planet
• A riddle
• NFL mask
• “This Dressed Crab is the style of the season, and like all great trends, I’ll just keep coming back”
• “You have to be Da Vinci to crack this code”
• Three clocks with times for London, Miami, and Tokyo
• Dressed Crab told the panel: “I came out of my shell”
• Mentioned “big little lies”

They also shared the riddle: “I don’t want to be beaten, there’s too much at stake, I have a taste for the high life, my rivals should quake.”

Judges’ guesses

Jonathan Ross guessed the celeb behind the Dressed Crab costume was Jamie Foxx, while Maya Jama chose Billy Porter.

Mo Gilliagan went for a different Porter — Gregory — while guest judge Sir Mo Farah thought it was diving superstar Tom Daley.

Davina McCall was convinced it was singer The Weeknd.

Jonathan later changed his guess to Nile Rodgers, Mo switched to Seal, while guest Tom Daley thought it might be Adam Lambert.

Wolf

ITV

Wolf’s identity remains a mystery — but not for long[/caption]

Performances

The wily wolf has belted out the following songs in their run to the final:

• Let’s Dance by David Bowie
• Copacabana by Barry Manilow
• The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr
• Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish
• Rebel Yell by Billy Idol
• Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House

Clues

Wolf’s clues this series have included:

• A T-shirt with “Wolf Pack” written on it
• References to “two sides to every story” and “take me as I am”
• Mentions of “good foundations” and keeping a roof over your head
• Bishop seen behind the camera
• Imagery of multi-coloured bowling pins and a ball
• Clues about a ship and being perceived as “big” or “bad”
• “You wanna know more about little old me, if the three little pigs had listened to my advice no huffing or puffing would’ve blown those houses down”

Wolf’s riddle was: “As a wolf, I’ve held dominion over everything I see, wild woods, creek or cave, that’s my territory.”

Judges’ guesses

Johnathan guessed it was either Jason Donovan, David Tennant or Paul Weller.

Vicky McClure thought Wolf could be Mike Skinner, while Mo opted for U2 frontman Bono.

Davina believed the mystery star behind the mask was really Duran Duran‘s Simon Le Bon.

Pufferfish

Performances

The inflatable fish has sung some classic songs on their way to the final:

• Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
• Loose Control by Teddy Swims
• Don’t Rain on My Parade by Barbra Streisand
• What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish
• One Night Only by Jennifer Hudson

Clues

Hints about the celeb behind the Pufferfish mask include:

• An American football
• A rubber spider shown on a hairbrush
• A pair of dice that land on a five and six
• Pufferfish could be seen squashing a rubber chicken with its blue boot
• “The Empire State is just too hard to miss out on”
• “I’m a speedy learner and it runs in the family too”

They also shared the riddle: “Being puffed up all day can feel so excessive, sometimes being small is just as impressive.”

Judges’ guesses

Maya guessed US star Nicole Richie, while guest judge Vicky chose Kelly Osbourne.

Other judge theories included actress Hayden Panettiere, as well as Sort Your Life Out host and former X Factor singer Stacey Solomon.

Jonathan even put Rag ‘n’ Bone Man‘s name in the mix as the star hiding behind the Pufferfish costume.

These three fantastic finalists will be hoping to be crowned The Masked Singer 2025 champion on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 7pm on ITV1.

NICKY HENDERSON has delivered a devastating update on Sir Gino, confirming: “The situation remains critical.”

The legendary Seven Barrows boss was forced to pull his superstar novice chaser from Cheltenham Festival yesterday.

PA

Nicky Henderson confirmed Sir Gino remains in a critical state[/caption]

Sir Gino was odds-on fav for the Arkle Chase on day one – and all set for a blockbuster head-to-head with Willie Mullins’ Majborough.

But a wound picked up last week turned out to be much worse than first thought.

Henderson delivered this update on the five-year-old on Tuesday.

In a statement on X, the trainer said: “Firstly, we would just like to say thank you for the absolutely amazing amount of well wishes following Sir Gino’s setback and admittance to the Equine hospital.

“It has been overwhelming that any horse could cause as much sentiment and it is much appreciated by us all.

“Sir Gino remains under treatment and the veterinary team were pleased with how that went yesterday.

“The situation does remain critical but he is comfortable and eating remarkably well under the circumstances.

“The medical attention will be ongoing for the foreseeable future and he is in the very best hands.

“He has the potential to be one of the greats and hopefully with all fingers and toes crossed he still will be.”

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Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chases their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed a vast ancient pyramid that was hidden for millennia, right next to a revered sacred city.

They have hailed the find as an opportunity to shed new light on the earliest advanced civilisation in the Americas.

Jam Press/Caral Archaeological Zone

The ruined pyramid and surrounding development was found at the Chupacigarro archaeological site[/caption]

Jam Press/Caral Archaeological Zone

A series of vertical stones called ‘huancas’ suggested to archaeologists there was a site to be discovered[/caption]

The new pyramid has been dug out at the Chupacigarro archaeological site, just one kilometre west of the world heritage site Caral in the Supe Valley, west Peru.

The discovery was made by the team dedicated to exploring the area around the sacred city, known as the Caral Archaeological Zone.

It is thought the pyramid site – named Sector F – was an extension of the main city.

For thousands of years, it lay beneath earth and shrubs, but then the scientists came across vertical stones – “huancas” – marking out the corners of a building.

They also signify the site as one of ceremonial importance.

The footprint of the ancient structure is rectangular, and features a central staircase that once led up to a towering summit.

It consists of 12 smaller areas scattered across nearby hilltops that historians think were used for ceremonies or other aspects of public life.

Around the outside, archaeologists also came across the ruins of numerous houses.

These discoveries point to the site being a small urban centre – a suburb of the main sacred city Caral.

The central pyramid is formed of at least three overlapping platforms that stacked up to form the body.

It also featured a sunken, central pillar.

One of the most astonishing finds in the dig was a massive “geoglyph” – meaning a design marked on the earth – of a human head.

The huge artwork was over 62 metres long and 30 metres wide.

The Chupacigarro archaeological site sits next to a small stream running through a ravine, which would have supplied water to the ancient Peruvians living there.

Jam Press/Caral Archaeological Zone

Ruth Shady, Caral Archaeological Zone

The ravine would also have allowed a channel for trade between inland settlements and people living on the coast.

The pyramid is part of a broader network of settlements around Supe Valley.

It was built by people of the Caral civilization, which thrived in ancient Peru for over a thousand years.

The modern Peruvian government hopes the fascinating new find will attract more visitors interested in the area’s past.

THE proportion of five-year-olds with rotting teeth is rising in three areas of England, new figures have revealed – with experts warning of a dental health crisis.

The latest statistics show as many as six in 10 children in some areas are at risk of needing fillings, and in some cases tooth loss, by the age of five, with clear differences between poorer regions of England and the more affluent.

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As many as six in 10 children in some areas are at risk of needing fillings by the age of 5[/caption]

The three areas with the highest rates of tooth decay among five-year-olds are the North East, London and the South West.

At a regional level, Manchester has the highest percentage of five-year-olds with enamel and/or dentinal decay – with 60.8 per cent of children affected there in 2024.

This is followed by South Hams in Devon (49.6 per cent), Pendle in Lancashire (49.0 per cent) and Salford (48.2 per cent).

Rochford in Essex had the lowest percentage (4.9 per cent), followed by St Albans (6.0 per cent), North Hertfordshire (6.9 per cent) and Bromsgrove (8.0 per cent).

The data shows a clear North-South divide, with the three highest percentages (not including London) all in northern England.

While England as a whole has seen a drop in the percentage of children with enamel and/or dentinal decay – from 29.3 per cent in 2022 to 26.9 per cent in 2024 – it has risen in the North East, from 26.0 per cent to 27.7 per cent.

In the South West, the percentage has jumped from 23.3 per cent to 24.2 per cent, and from 28.5 per cent in London to 30.0 per cent.

One of the main causes of enamel erosion is acids found in food and drink.

The report said: “It is especially important to determine the proportion of children with enamel decay who do not yet have dentinal decay, as in the past, children were often regarded as ‘free of decay’.”

The British Dental Association (BDA) said there has been “no progress” on the rollout of Labour manifesto pledges to “fix the failed contract fuelling the crisis in NHS dentistry” or to deliver prevention programmes in schools.

Chairman Eddie Crouch, said: “This oral health gap was made in Westminster, with children paying the price for official failure to take dentistry seriously.

“A new Government calls this ‘Dickensian’, but it will take deeds not words to turn this around.”

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan said: “The Labour government’s promised 700,000 additional dental appointments have so far proven as real as the Loch Ness monster.

“To see your child in pain is one of the worst feelings a parent can go through.

“But to think that so much of this suffering could be prevented if the scourge of dental deserts was ended makes it all the more infuriating that we are still in this situation.

“It is time ministers woke up, gripped this crisis and prevented more unnecessary suffering.”

Getty

One of the main causes of enamel erosion is acids found in food and drink[/caption]

The Royal College of Surgeons said, in 2022/23, some 47,581 children required tooth extractions in NHS hospitals, with 66 per cent (31,165 cases) directly attributed to decay.

This is the equivalent of 120 hospital operations every working day, it said.

Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, dean of the faculty of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “We’ve seen a slight improvement overall in the number of five-year-olds with tooth decay, but it is still too high.

“The fact that more than one in five children still suffer from an entirely preventable condition is concerning.

“Supervised toothbrushing programmes (STPs), which the Government has said it will implement, offer a glimmer of hope, but their roll-out is uneven across the country.

“STPs have proven to reduce dental decay within a single year after children have been enrolled.”

UNLOCK your iPhone and get your thumbs ready to hit “delete” – because there’s a folder you need to empty out right now.

It’s packed with loads of useless stuff that will be gobbling up your valuable storage.

The Sun

Go to the Duplicates folder in your iPhone’s Photos app[/caption]

An iPhone’s storage space is precious stuff: it’s where all of your photos, videos and apps are kept. It can fill up pretty quickly.

Usually getting extra storage means paying for pricier iPhone models – and then you’ll fork out even more to back it up with iCloud.

So one solution is to trim the amount of storage that you need in the first place.

SPACE SAVER

Go into your Photos app and scroll down until you find the Utilities section.

In there, you should see a tab called Duplicates.

This is where Apple keeps track of every photo and video that you’ve got doubles, triples, or even quadruples of.

It can happen very easily, especially if you use an app like WhatsApp where you might receive the same image in multiple chats.

I checked my duplicates folder and found a frankly shocking 10,843 duplicate pictures and clips.

By clearing them out, I instantly free up dozens of gigabytes of storage.

If you’ve got lots of videos in particular, you might find yourself unlocking even more storage space.

Each item will be listed in order of recency.

You’ll be able to see the duplicate files, each with a Merge button alongside it.

If you hit Merge, the duplicates will be removed leaving you with an original file.

To make the job quicker, you can tap the Select button in the top-right.

The Sun

You’ll want to tap on the Merge button to scrub out doubles of your photos and videos[/caption]

This will let you quickly tap on all of the duplicate files that you want to free up and merge them all in one clean sweep.

There’s even an option to Select All on this page, so you can merge everything in an instant.

That’s the fastest way to free up space, as manually selecting each Merge could take ages if you’ve never cleared out your Duplicates before.

It’s a good idea to check your Duplicates folder every few months to make sure that it isn’t clogging up with unnecessary doubles.

EXTRA SPACE

If this doesn’t free up enough space, you’ve got some other options too.

The easiest thing to do is going into Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

This will show how much free space you have left, and it even details which apps are taking up the most storage.

More importantly, you should find a list of recommendations at the top of the page.

The Sun

There are some other ways of freeing up space on your iPhone in its storage settings[/caption]

These are one of the most effective ways of freeing up storage space on an iPhone.

For instance, you can use Offload Unused Apps to keep the files associated with apps you don’t use regularly – but removing the apps themselves.

Then you can restore them when you need them without having to keep them saved the whole time.

You might also see an option to Remove Older Downloads.

The Sun

You can easily see which apps are taking up the most storage – as well as how recently you’ve used them[/caption]

This will let you keep just the latest five automatically downloaded episodes per show on your iPhone.

It won’t affect anything that you’ve saved or manually downloaded.

And you can hit Review Downloaded Media to see what’s saved on your iPhone – letting you scrub anything that you don’t want.

You could easily free up huge amounts of space with these tricks, so they’re worth trying before you fork out on a pricier iPhone model with extra storage.

DREAM TEAM managers should always be alert to potential difference-makers, especially those who are cheap as chips.

At this point in time, might Jacob Ramsey (£2.7m) fit the bill?

Dream Team

99.6% of Dream Team managers are overlooking Ramsey at present[/caption]

The Aston Villa midfielder has been on a role of late with 35 points in four appearances across the last three Gameweeks.

The 23-year-old scored against West Ham and provided two assists at home to Celtic in Gameweek 21 for a combined return of 22 points.

Like most of Unai Emery’s troops, he underwhelmed away to Wolves in Gameweek 22 but bounced back with a strong showing against Tottenham in the FA Cup in Gameweek 23.

Ramsey scored within a minute at Villa Park on Sunday, thanks in no small part to Antonin Kinsky’s error, and received 12 points for his efforts come the final whistle.

From a Dream Team perspective, this fruitful form has come at a good time as gaffers should be very interested in Villa players at this stage of the season.

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Ramsey struck early against Spurs[/caption]

Villa are one of just three teams set to fulfil two fixtures in Gameweek 24 with Ipswich and Liverpool due in the Midlands within four days of each other.

A home game against the Tractor Boys has to be considered a favourable match-up and while Arne Slot’s league leaders are quite the opposite, that midweek fixture is essentially a bonus point-scoring opportunity – a helpful quirk in the schedule.

Not only that, Emery’s side will also double up in Gameweeks 25 (Chelsea & Crystal Palace) and Gameweek 26 (Cardiff & Champions League round of 16 first leg).

This combination of form and fixtures surely makes Ramsey, who currently features in just 0.4% of teams, an appealing option for the next month or so.

Alamy

Villa’s No41 has started the last four games in a row and delivered enough goal involvements to retain his place but some Dream Team bosses may be concerned about his minutes given the level of competition within the squad.

January recruits Donyell Malen (£2.9m), Marco Asensio (£3.5m) and Marcus Rashford (£3.4m) have added extra dimensions in attack and it will be interesting to see how Emery shuffles his pack.

Many gaffers will feel Morgan Rogers (£3.5m) allows them to cover Villa’s busy period and that may well be the case.

The 22-year-old has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions this season.

His tally of 195 points is only bettered by six midfielders at the time of writing.

Alamy

Rogers is a popular man this week[/caption]

After a wave of transfers this week, Rogers is now the third-most popular player in his position (21.7% ownership).

He probably is the first port of call for Villa points, with Ollie Watkins (£5.1m) also a strong option when fit, but Dream Team managers who like to go against the grain should at least consider Ramsey ahead of Gameweek 24.

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Sony has finally announced a date and time for its next State of Play though it’s keeping coy on what sort of PlayStation 5 games will be shown.

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