realising

POP fans have only just realised that Sombr is secretly a nepo baby, following controversy over his performances.

Horrified fans worked out who his dad is and accused the pop star – real name Shane Michael Boose – of using his father’s connections to launch his music career.

Social media users looking into Sombr, who will be playing three nights at London’s Brixton Academy next March, have clocked that the singer is actually a nepo baby, whose dad counts some of the world’s biggest celeb names, including Elton John and Leonardo DiCaprio, as his clients.

The Back to Friends singer is the son of Andy Boose, 54, who founded luxury events company AAB Productions.

His company produces galas, concerts, fashion shows and charity events including fundraisers internationally.

Andy, who operates his company in cities including Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong and Venice, counts huge names among his client books.

SOMBER MOMENT

Watch Sombr’s awkward reaction to VMAs win as singer asks ‘is this a prank?’

These include UNICEF, Elton John AIDS Foundation, amfAR, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and other high-profile organisations.

Social media users were shocked to learn of Sombr’s nepo baby status, and quickly spread the news on X.

One wrote: “I found out today that sombr is a nepo baby, I feel like I just got shot in the chest”.

Another blasted: “well the reason sombr has no stage presence is because he was never meant to be a performer.

“his father is a CEO of some sort of major music company & he’s a mega nepo baby”.

While one posted: “Sombr is a f***ing nepo baby i knew something was fishy about him”.

It’s the latest saga surrounding his music career after a concert goer called out inappropriate jokes and bizarre segments at his concerts.

Sombr played a show in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, which 25-year-old TikTok user Megan Tomasic attended.

She posted a video on Wednesday recapping the whole experience, calling it “genuinely the worst concert” she’d ever seen.

She quickly realised she wasn’t the target audience – describing “thousands of tweens running around like they were at a middle-school dance” at the concert.

She claimed the singer made “a bunch of niche meme references for like the 12-to-16-year-old age range” through large parts of the show.

“It was like brain rot on stage,” she added.

The video, which went viral on the platform, prompted Sombr himself to respond.

“Anyone who knows me knows I’ve never uttered a serious word in my life,” he said.

“And also, I make jokes for five minutes of the concert and the rest is music. Like, live a little, enjoy life.”

COOL OFF

I’ve been to over 50 countries – here are my cheap winter sun hols with £11 hotels

UNMASKED

Chilling unheard tapes reveal how cops tore apart smirking serial killer Ted Bundy

“Every age, sex, sexuality, gender, race, everyone is welcome at my concert, and I mean everyone,” he said. “You guys need to find problematic people to hate on because I am just existing.” 

He ended his video with a “quick tutorial” where he touched grass, a Gen Z reference which essentially means ‘get a life’.

CORONATION Street fans have been left with their mouths open after discovering TWO of the soap’s legends once were a couple.

What is even more surprising, is that these pair of actors were on the soap almost a decade apart.

7

7

7

7

The soap stars in question are Phil Middlemiss, who played love rat Des Barnes in the 90s, and current Corrie star Alison King, who is known for her role of Carla Connor.

Reddit sleuths have unearthed an old article from October 8, 1995 that confirmed they were once a couple who were “madly in love”.

The story was from when actor Phil was at the height of his Corrie fame.

Alison, however, who was just 22 at the time, was not famous and was referred to as a “surf shop girl” in the story.

In the article Phil claimed that he had “bedded 100 women” but was now “in love” with Alison.

Posting the story on the discussion forum, fans went wild at this revelation.

One wrote: “No way!!”

Another added: “How random,”

This Corrie fan said: “I still can’t get my head around this!”

A fourth added: “Small world!”

According to reports the pair dated for five years, Phil telling the Scottish Daily Record: “I’ve never been happier. She is a wonderful girl. I love her to death.”

They reportedly met at a Tenerife bar in March 1995, before splitting in 2000.

Phil confessed: “I was in love with Allie. She’s the only person I’ve ever really loved.

“But she was working in London and I was in Manchester.

7

“In another life, if I had been a bus driver and she had worked at the local baker’s shop, we would have got married and had kids by now.”

Corrie fans will well remember lothario Des Barnes who graced the cobbles throughout the 90s.

Actor Phil was a regular fixture of the ITV soap from 1990 to 1998 when he quit the show.

Phil’s character Des was known for being a charming ladies man.

7

On the soap he was married to Natalie Barnes, the Rovers landlady played by Loose Women star Denise Welch.

However, during his time on Coronation Street, Des went onto to also have an off-again romance with Raquel, who was played by the legendary Sarah Lancashire.

Raquel later moved onto her famous screen partner, Curly Watts, but it was Des that played havoc with the pair in a bid to get revenge on Raquel leaving him.

Des even sabotaged their engagement party as an act of jealousy and rage.

7

Since quitting the cobbles in the late 90s, when his character was killed off, Phil has enjoyed a varied career mixed with a series of personal setbacks.

In 2012, the actor faced bankruptcy after a film he had put his life-saving into in 2008 failed to take off as a result of the financial crisis.

It forced Phil to take money from family and friends as he told the  Manchester Evening News: “It was partly-funded by myself but I didn’t have the money to fund the rest of the film.

“Filming came to a grinding halt. It was nearly three-quarters of the way along the line. It has been a difficult time. Three-and-a-half years is a long time to fund myself without any income.

” I have had to get money from family and friends.”

Meanwhile, his former girlfriend Alison joined the soap in 2006, almost a decade after Phil left, and six years after their split.

The actress’ character Carla is best known for being the boss of the knicker factory, Underworld.

Over the last two decades she has been involved in numerous high-profile storylines, from steamy affairs to battles with alcoholism.

This is turn has seen her win numerous awards, including Best Actress at the British Soap Awards in 2012.

Coronation Street Spoilers: News & Cast Updates

The beloved British soap has been captivating audiences for decades.

The show follows the lives of the residents as they navigate love, loss, family drama, and community struggles.

Here’s the latest on:

A YouTuber who is originally from the UK moved to Dubai for two years to “avoid paying tax” – but he returned home saying there were “more cons than pros” to living in the city

A British YouTuber who relocated to Dubai has packed up and returned to the UK after two years, citing one significant issue with life in the Gulf state.

YouTuber Charlie Morgan initially moved to Dubai to “avoid paying tax”, but returned home to Britain earlier this year after concluding there were “more cons than pros” to living in the city.

Whilst acknowledging that most people view Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, as “this big shiny utopia”, Charlie highlighted one of the major drawbacks of the Middle Eastern destination.

He revealed that “the real primary reason” he decided to abandon his Dubai lifestyle. He said: “It’s impossible to emotionally unpack.”

He continued: “Living in Dubai feels like you’re on holiday or in an Airbnb because in order for you to have a healthy life, you need to have people that you love and you need to have a social life and you need to have a love life, a family life.”

Charlie identified one crucial weakness of the city: “The issue with Dubai is everyone plans to leave. It’s a revolving door of a city which means that people come and people leave. And 90%, 95% of the people that I knew in Dubai did not plan on staying there for the long term.”

While Charlie highlighted one specific disadvantage of living in the sun-drenched climate of Dubai, there are also numerous other considerations that British expats recommend weighing up when relocating to the Middle Eastern nation. The first thing Brits will notice when they step foot in Dubai is the drastic change in temperature.

In the scorching months of July and August, it’s not unusual for temperatures to rocket past 40C, while during the cooler months of November and December, it can still linger around the mid-20s.

Despite significant differences in climate, taxation, and culture between Dubai and the UK, the UAE city has become an increasingly appealing option for Brits seeking a new life abroad.

Recent estimates show a massive surge in the number of UK nationals moving to Dubai in recent years.

In 2021, it’s estimated that 30,000 Brits packed their bags for Dubai, with that figure rising to 35,000 a year later, and hitting 40,000 in 2023. It’s thought that a whopping 240,000 Brits now call the UAE city home.

Speaking on This Morning, the money saving expert Martin Lewis turned his forensic hand to the topic of flight compensation and when you will and won’t be entitled to some cash

Martin Lewis has highlighted a little-known six-year rule that means you may be entitled to compensation without realising it.

Speaking on This Morning, the money saving expert turned his forensic hand to the topic of flight compensation. While many will know that, under EU law adopted by the UK following Brexit, passengers are often entitled to financial compensation following lengthy flight delays, they may not be aware of a useful bit of small print.

“Did anyone have a flight delay or cancellation this summer? Or actually, the law says you can go back six years, except in Scotland where it is five years. So if you’ve had this happen to you during this time, except in certain circumstances, you are entitled to a fixed amount of compensation. £520 per person, so a family of four is over a grand, depending on the length of flight and the length of the delay and some other things,” Martin told Cat Deely and Ben Shephard on Tuesday’s programme.

That means it is well worth looking back at flights you may have taken as long ago as 2019 to see if any of them were delayed enough for you to claim some compensation. Online tools such as AirHelp let you check if you’re owed cash for free.

Martin went on to explain that other criteria that can determine whether you’re owed compensation.

“First of all, it has to be a UK or EU-regulated flight. That is, any flight leaving the UK or European airport, that is pretty simple. Or any flight arriving to a UK or EU airport, but then it has to be a UK or EU airline. Easiest way to think of that, British Airways from New York to London is EU regulated, American Airlines from New York to London is not,” he said.

“Then for a delay to count you have to have arrived, not left, three hours late. So when they open the doors of the plane.

“Cancellation rules, they have to have cancelled less than 14 days before the flight. If it’s more, it’s deemed that you have more time to organise. If it’s less, then it depends on when the replacement flight would’ve landed, what you’re entitled to. You’ll need to look that up. There are free tools online that’ll do this for you, you do not need to pay.”

As many passengers have found out to their displeasure, there are certain situations in which airlines don’t have to pay out despite lengthy delays or cancellations.

“The final thing is it must be the airline’s fault, which is much broader than it may sound. If it is a weather issue, if it is air traffic control, if the airport shuts down, it’s not the airline’s fault. If it is staffing problems for the airlines, technical problems for the airlines, if it is a knock-on impact that means your flight is delayed, it is generally the airline’s fault,” Martin said.

When it comes to whether or not you should claim, Martin suggested the following rule of thumb.

“It’s a slight moral thing. If you were three hours and one minute late, sat in the airport bar, having a great time, I wouldn’t bother. We don’t want airlines to go bust. If you were 12 hours late, the kids were sleeping on the floor, it was an absolute disaster, go get your money,” he concluded.

Chunks of blue ice could plunge from an aircraft as it comes in to land, and the block is made up of waste and disinfectant mixed together

The definition of blue ice on an aircraft has nothing to do with fancy drinks or cocktails. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

According to SKYbrary, ‘blue ice’ is known as “the frozen sewage material that has leaked mid-flight from commercial aircraft lavatory waste systems.”

In simpler words, it’s frozen waste from the lavatories, a mixture of human waste and blue disinfectant, which freezes at temperatures below 60C.

The ‘blue ice’ that has been accumulated throughout the flight can then detach from the aircraft during the landing. Although it’s rare to fall from its high altitude, it could be dangerous to anyone it falls on, and could even damage a property.

READ MORE: Turkey holidays update for Brits as devastating wildfires destroy resorts

Airlines are not actually allowed to deliberately dispose of such waste mid-flight and, according to Skybrary, they have no means of doing so.

There is no special lever to pull. But there have been occasions where leaks have happened from the septic tank on-board an aircraft.

Heathrow Airport, Britain’s biggest aviation hub, says there are on average 25 ice fall incidents per year countrywide. “So the chance of experiencing property damage due to falling ice is extremely low,” it added.

It then went on to explain exactly how the waste is collected, and said: “Waste collection happens when the aircraft lands at an airport and is disposed of responsibly. However, there have been reported incidents where the hose valve that is used to empty the aircraft has been faulty and leaked fluid which has frozen at altitude.

“This rare occurrence usually results in discoloured ice and is commonly referred to as “blue ice.”

Blue ice has caused injuries and damage

As reported by the Daily Mail in December 2015, a woman in her 60s got almost hit with a chunk of a mysterious block of ice that fell from the sky over a village in India.

The woman was left with a shoulder injury. However, she said that those from her village, Aamkhoh, could’ve received worse injuries. Witnesses said the ice crashed onto someone’s home terrace before it got to her.

In 2016, a teacher from Canada claimed that a “frozen lump of excrement from a plane passing overhead” created a hole in the roof of her mother’s home.

She claimed that right after waking up from a loud noise, she found a hole in the ceiling with a puddle of water on the floor, 15 feet from where she was sleeping.

After calling a professional to inspect and repair the damage, they described it to be the “strangest thing they had ever seen.”

READ MORE: Brits heading to Spain, France and Greece this summer issued ’24-hour warning’

When you board a plane, you’ll always step onto the aircraft from the left – and it turns out there is a very good reason for this – and it’s all to do with ships and boats

As we gear up for the summer holiday rush and prepare to soak up the sun, there’s a curious constant in our plane-boarding experience that might have escaped your notice. Whether you’re buzzing with excitement or grappling with pre-flight jitters, you’ve probably never pondered why you always board an aircraft from the left-hand side.

Despite the leaps in aviation technology, the boarding process has remained steadfastly the same, and Michael Oakley, managing editor of The Aviation Historian, has shed light on this intriguing tradition. Originally, commercial aircraft featured passenger doors on the left due to historical practices, but today it’s all about operational efficiency.

READ MORE: ‘I made one change to my meals and lost weight, felt fuller and cut down my caffeine’

Speaking to Afar, Michael revealed: “Much of aviation terminology had its origins in maritime lore (rudder, cockpit, cabin, bulkhead, knots, etc), and similarly, the aeronautical ways of doing things owe a lot to sailing.”

He further explained: “Just as boats and ships have a port side – the side of the vessel conventionally adjacent to the dock when in port – aircraft are the same. Sensibly, people decided to continue to board on the port (or left) side.”

Boats were traditionally designed with the steering oar on the right side (starboard), leading to passengers and cargo being loaded onto the opposite side.

This practice was carried over to aircraft until United Airlines in the 1930s and 40s decided to place their doors on the right. However, as air travel became more popular, it proved more efficient for everyone to board planes from the same side using the same terminals.

“Since the pilot sits on the left, airports began to be built with gates on the left so the pilot could better judge distances as they taxied to the gate,’ explained Matthew Burchette, senior curator at the Museum of Flight in Tukwila, Washington.

He added: “As soon as more complex airports were developed, with passengers using Jetways as a means of walking directly aboard from the terminal, ground operations were a lot easier if every aircraft did the same thing in the same direction.”

This arrangement also makes life easier for airport ground staff, who can work on the right-hand side away from passengers, while passengers are kept clear of any machinery.

YOU may have thumbed through an Argos catalogue over the years, but have you ever stopped to think about the name?

It turns out there is a key reason why the brand has its moniker – and its history is also tied to a popular supermarket too (and it’s not Sainsbury’s).

3

3

The Argos name doesn’t come from its founder – Richard Tompkins – but is taken from the Greek city of Argos.

It was also chosen as it would feature high up in alphabetical brand listings.

The history behind the brand is even more fascinating than the name – and despite the brand now being owned by Sainsbury’s, its early ties were with Tesco.

In the 1960s, the founder of Tesco, Sir Jack Cohen, signed up his grocery store chain to the Green Shield Stamps scheme.

This meant that Tesco customers could get stamps when they bought products at his shop. 

They could then use stamps to buy products at the Green Shield Stamps catalogue stores which were located around the country.

The collaboration proved to be a huge success, and helped Tesco gain loyal customers.

It also helped Green Shield Stamps, who was owned by Richard Tompkins, and also gave him the idea that customers could also use cash to buy products from his catalogue. 

He decided to rebrand Green Shield Stamps as Argos in 1973.

Argos actually lost Tesco as a client around 1977, when they ditched using the Green Shield Stamps scheme and focused on lowering prices across the chain.

In 1979, Argos was purchased by British American Tobacco and stopped issuing stamps entirely.

Just over a decade later, Argos was demerged and floated back on the stock market, but had now become a recognisable household brand.

By 2010, over 20 million copies of the catalogue were printed, with many people buying them ahead of Christmas to choose presents.

While Argos had major ties to Tesco when it was launched, it now is owned by one of its main rivals.

3

In April 2016, Argos’ parent Home Retail Group agreed to a £1.4 billion takeover by Sainsbury’s – but the brand has struggled over the past few years.

A large number of the high street Argos stores have closed over the past few years, with many being replaced by an Argos outlet in Sainsbury’s stores.

A spokesperson for Argos previously told The Sun: “The transformation of our Argos store and distribution network has been progressing at pace for several years now, improving availability, convenience and service for customers.

“As part of this, we are continuing to open new Argos stores and collection points in many of our Sainsbury’s supermarkets, enabling customers to purchase thousands of technology, home and toy products from Argos while picking up their groceries.”

HISTORY OF ARGOS

FOUNDED in 1972 by Richard Tompkins, Argos revolutionised the British retail landscape with its unique catalogue-based shopping model.

The first store opened in Canterbury, Kent and quickly expanded, becoming a household name.

Customers could browse the extensive Argos catalogue, fill out a purchase slip, and collect their items from the in-store collection point.

The retailer was sold to British American Tobacco Industries in 1979 for £32million before being demerged and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1990.

In April 1998, the company was acquired by GUS plc.

Throughout the decades, Argos adapted to changing consumer habits, embracing e-commerce early on and launching its website in 1999.

This allowed customers to reserve items online for in-store pick-up, blending the convenience of digital shopping with the immediacy of physical retail.

By 2006, Argos became part of the Home Retail Group which was demerged from its parent GUS plc.

At the time, Home Retail Group also owned Homebase and Habitat.

In 2016, Argos, along with its Home Retail Group sister brand Habitat, was acquired by Sainsbury’s.

Since the acquisition, the Argos brand has been integrated into Sainsbury’s operations, significantly expanding its presence through dedicated concessions within Sainsbury’s supermarkets across the UK.

However, due to declining sales, Sainsbury’s discontinued Argos’ iconic printed catalogue in 2020.

Despite these setbacks, Argos has remained true to its roots, offering a wide range of products from toys and electronics to furniture and jewellery.

EASTENDERS star Molly Rainford is a familiar face on telly after landing a role as Queen Vic’s pretty barmaid.

The star has won a legion of fans playing Anna, the daughter of Cindy Beale.

5

5

5

But talented Molly has been working in showbiz for over a decade, and first shot to fame as a finalist on the sixth series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2012.

Molly became BGT’s youngest-ever finalist at the time, at age 11 performing Ave Maria in the final and finishing sixth.

Following the show, she won a scholarship at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, gifted by Simon Cowell and Sony Music.

After finishing school, Molly went on to star in the lead role in CBBC series Nova Jones and released two EPs, including her single Commitment.

It set her on the path to stardom and she continued to win big opportunties.

Talented singer Molly played the lead in Nova Jones, in the CBBC comedy about the life and adventures of a galactic pop star.

She later joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 and came runner up with dance partner Carlos Gu.

And talent runs in Molly’s family.

She grew up in Essex living with her dad Dave Rainford and mum Sarah.

David is a former Chelmsford City FC midfielder and was an assistant football manager.

He started at Colchester United and returned to the team during his senior career in 1997.

He also played for Slough Town, Heybridge Swifts, Bishop’s Stortford and AFC Hornchurch.

From 2012 to 2013, Dave was assistant manager for Chelmsford City after joining the team in 2008, and he now works for the Premier League in a top job.

Some EastEnders fans have just figured out who her famous dad is, and took to Reddit to discuss it.

“That’s a lot of nepotism,” one said.

Another rushed to defend Molly, writing: “None of it is nepotism – it isn’t family connections that have helped her out she was just lucky enough to have been given a massive opportunity at a young age.”

One more said: “You keep believing that, you’re telling me she got into eastenders for her acting talent?! Everyone knows it’s her dad that helped.”

5

5

THE HUMBLE crab stick has been popular since the 80s tossed in salad, now they seem to have had a resurgence as people add them to ramen or seafood boils.

The food has often been used as a cheap alternative to crabs but fans are vowing to never eat them again.

2

2

It comes after foodies have just realised how the crab sticks, also known as imitation crab, are really made.

After seeing the process of how the red and white sticks are processed some have dubbed them the ‘hot dog of the ocean.’

It comes after a Thai crab stick factory revealed their manufacturing secrets through a YouTube video, reports the Mirror.

It showed the transformation from unappetising grey blocks to the familiar red-and-white striped sticks seen in shops.

Initially resembling massive, grey, concrete-like slabs, the frozen fish meat blocks undergo several stages before becoming edible.

They’re first pulverised by machinery into a mushy mix, then carried along a conveyor belt where salt and various spices are infused.

Next ice, vegetable oil, and sugars are blended in.

The footage shows factory workers funnelling the mixture through a tube, which turns it into a grey paste which is then shaped and coloured to achieve the iconic crab stick appearance.

The Thai factory boasts being the globe’s largest, churning out 40,000 tons of fish sticks annually – that’s quadruple the weight of the Eiffel Tower. It sells to more than 37 nations.

But it seems the video has put people off of the snack.

Taking to Reddit, people shared their disgust after witnessing the video.

One person wrote: “Hot dogs of the sea”.

Another commented: “The only ingredient I could identify was the ice”.

Humorously addressing the unappetising mush, a comment read: “Everything ok hun? You’ve hardly touched your grey.”

A fourth penned: “Bet that place smells wonderful”.

Another person noted: “If the title hadn’t specified they were making crab sticks, or in fact any type of food, I would’ve gotten to 1:38 before I realised that they weren’t making some sort of industrial building material.”