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A PILOT was bitten by a tarantula and suffered an allergic reaction in a horrifying mid-air drama.

The spider crept onto the plane during a stopover in the Moroccan city of Casablanca before the jet carried on to Spain.

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The Iberia plane had to be fumigated. Stock pic[/caption]

The Iberia plane’s onwards journey was delayed so it could be fumigated and the pilot treated with anti-inflammatory medicine.

The mid-air drama occurred on Friday afternoon on an Iberia Airbus A320 flying between Dusseldorf in Germany and Madrid’s Barajas Airport.

It is understood the spider crawled onto the plane earlier in the week.

The plane was fumigated when it reached the Spanish capital, prompting a three-hour delay which led to passengers waiting to board for its onward journey to the Galician city of Vigo being informed about what had happened.

The pilot is said to have been treated with Urbason, the marketing name for a medication called Methylprednisolone widely used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and to reduce the inflammation and symptoms associated with severe allergic reactions.

It was not immediately clear this morning if he needed medical assistance when he reached Madrid although Iberia has said he is doing fine and has suffered no lasting health effects.

After leaving Casablanca to return to Madrid on Tuesday, the plane the spider appeared on had touched down in cities including Brussels, Zurich and Toulouse.

Galician newspaper La Voz de Galicia said some passengers were constantly checking their seats and the aisle for fear other spiders had got onto the plane despite the fumigation before it touched down in Vigo around midnight on Friday.

Last November a plane was grounded for five days after more than 130 hamsters in the hold managed to escape their cages as maintenance workers tried to round up the power-eating rodents.

Baggage handlers are said to have discovered the cages the animals were in had been damaged and 132 of them were roaming around the cargo hold when the POUNDS 83 million Airbus 320 touched down in the Azores archipelago capital Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel Island.

The hamsters were reportedly part of a delivery for a pet shop on the island which also included ferrets and some birds.

The mass four-legged break-out prevented the aircraft from returning to the Portuguese capital Lisbon where it had started its journey.

Last January chaos erupted on a domestic AirAsia Thailand flight between Bangkok and the southern province of Phuket after a live snake was discovered by passengers in an overhead bin.

In February 2022, a spotted python was found onboard one of the airline’s domestic flights in Malaysia traveling from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Sabah.

The plane ended up being re-routed to Kuching International Airport in the state of Sarawak because of the incident.

Videos and photos of the 2022 incident went viral on social media and showed the reptile slithering through the plane’s light fixtures.

The airline said in a statement at the time: “This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time.”

ALLY McCOIST has told Rangers he is prepared to quit all of his media commitments at the drop of a hat to take over again at Ibrox.

The Rangers legend, 62, was shocked to discover he’s one of the many names in the frame to replace Philippe Clement in Govan.

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Ally McCoist has reacted to Philippe Clement’s dismissal[/caption]

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Clement was shown the door by Rangers on Sunday[/caption]

The Belgian was finally sacked by Ibrox chiefs on Sunday following Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren.

Patrick Stewart and Fraser Thornton eventually came to the decision to axe Clement last night and have already started the process of finding his replacement.

Several former Rangers men have been linked with the job in the hours following, with Steven Gerrard the favourite and sacked Southampton boss Russell Martin also in the running.

McCoist has found himself being touted for the role as a heavy outsider by the bookmakers too.

He found out this morning that he’s actually priced at 33/1 to become the next Gers manager.

It would see him make a stunning return to the Ibrox hot-seat after already spending three years in the position previously.

He was the Rangers manager between 2011 and 2014 after Walter Smith stepped down.

McCoist was quizzed on talkSPORT this morning if he would be interested in replacing Clement at Ibrox.

But the Rangers legend admitted there’s one thing standing in his way.

He doesn’t want to leave his radio pal Jeff Stelling.

However, he joked that even he’s tempted to put some money on himself given the odds.

McCoist said: “I tell you what, it would break Jeff’s heart. I might put a couple of quid on that if it’s 33/1!

“But I couldn’t do it to Jeff.”

Stelling laughed: “Well you couldn’t take the drop in salary, could you Coisty?”

He added: “He wouldn’t just be leaving me. He would be leaving talkSPORT, TNT, and his EIGHT other day jobs as well!”

Earlier in the breakfast show though, McCoist did reveal he would jump at the chance of becoming the Rangers manager again.

Stelling asked him if he’d drop his MANY commitments to return to Ibrox.

Laughing, McCoist said: “Listen, you know me, I’d drop everything for Rangers! You included!”

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

ANTHONY JOSHUA has vowed to spill Tyson Fury’s blood in an epic Battle of Britain – if his rival comes out of retirement.

The pair’s long-overdue domestic dust-up seemed finally set to come to fruition after Fury’s back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk last year.

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Tyson Fury was on course for a grudge match with Anthony Joshua before announcing his retirement last month[/caption]

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AJ isn’t buying the Gypsy King’s retirement and reckons he will fight again[/caption]

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The Watford warrior insists he’ll shed Fury’s blood if they do end up fighting[/caption]

But Fury threw a major spanner into the works last month by announcing his FIFTH retirement, although AJ isn’t giving up hope of putting a brutal beating on the Gypsy King.

The former two-time unified heavyweight champion told iFL TV: “I feel like it’s the best fight [for me].

“People might say [Joseph] Parker, people might say – I don’t know.

“But I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight as well. So I think it makes sense.

“You could say it’s been years in the making. But listen, the heavyweight division has been thriving.

“And why I say it’s probably still a great fight is as I said Parker is, for me, a great story of someone that never gives up.

“And the thing is, there is going to be one winner and one loser and there’s going to be bloodshed. And it ain’t gonna be mine.”

Fury, 36, has remained radio silent on his fighting future since his latest hanging up of the gloves.

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But Joshua isn’t convinced we’ve seen the last of the Wythenshawe warrior.

“Has he retired with the possibility of coming back?” Joshua asked when quizzed about Fury’s retirement “Yes.

“Has he retired? Yes. Is he going to come back next month? No. In short, he might come back but he is retired.”

Joshua, 35, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his brutal fifth-round KO defeat to former sparring partner Daniel Dubois last September.

A February rematch with Triple D was on the cards before his team convinced him to rest and recover from niggling injuries.

And he’s keeping his cards close to his chest over when he’ll next be back in the squared circle.

When asked about his ring return, AJ said: “More fights, this is my life, this is what I do.

“Right now I sit outside and I watch and then I’ll make my return one day.

“Right right I sit back as a fan and watch the great people in the sport I love.”

DEAR DEIDRE: MY partner’s passing comment while we were kissing and cuddling turned my stomach – and made me seriously think about dumping him.

We were both getting turned on when he said I reminded him of his mum. To say it killed the moment is an understatement.

There is a significant age gap between us but I want to be his partner, not his mum.

Besides, I’ve met his mum. She might only be nine years older than me but she looks and acts like an old lady. I was insulted.

I am 41, he is 28 and we’ve always had a brilliant sex life.

We have been very happy for nine months and he made it clear he wanted me right from the start.

We see one another most days and our feelings have grown over the months.

He would love to move in with me but I worry about my children, who are only 18 and 15.

They get on well with him but I have concerns about our age gap.

He says I remind him of his mum because I make him feel loved and secure.

He insists he doesn’t see me as a mother figure. Still, I am worried about us living together.

If it doesn’t work, the emotional upheaval for me and my children would be devastating.

Are relationships like ours ever successful?

DEIDRE SAYS: There are lots of couples who do have happy, lasting relationships, despite their age difference.

While age gaps, where one partner is in their late teens or early twenties, raise serious concerns of a potential power imbalance in the relationship, your boyfriend is in his late-20s and will have significant life experience.

As for the future, there are no guarantees in relationships. He may change down the line. And, of course, so might you.

Many of us are drawn to people who remind us of a parent without realising it, primarily because we find them comfortable and familiar.

It is time to clear the air and discuss your concerns with your boyfriend.

The main issue for age-gap relationships is when the couple are at different life stages.

So talk about whether he wants marriage and children of his own. These are important issues to iron out before getting more involved.

My support pack Age Gaps – Do They Matter? will help.

FIANCÉE SCORED WITH RUGBY PAL

DEAR DEIDRE: I KNEW my fiancée got on well with a close friend of mine – but I didn’t think they would end up secretly having sex.

I’m 29, she is 26 and we’ve been together for four years. I met my friend through our local rugby team. My fiancée often comes to watch our games, standing on the touchline cheering us on.

The two of them got on well but nothing more. We have been talking about starting a family and decided over Christmas we would be happy if she got pregnant. But a short time later, she started to get depressed and upset.

I thought she’d changed her mind about wanting a baby, but then she broke down in tears and admitted she had cheated on me with my mate. I was gobsmacked, but she insisted it was a stupid mistake and she still loves me.

She has apologised numerous times but doesn’t show any real regret.

I can’t help but think if she really wanted to be with me, she would be begging for forgiveness.

But she refuses to talk about what they did.

I want to believe her when she says that it won’t happen again.

She has suggested we have some space apart, but surely we need to be spending more time together if we are going to make it through this.

DEIDRE SAYS: You’ve been doubly betrayed, but your girlfriend doesn’t seem to understand how shocked and hurt you are.

You are dealing with her infidelity, and also the fact she has sexual feelings for your friend.

It is possible to get over an infidelity but being apart will solve nothing. Is she suggesting having some “space” so she can back away if she has a change of heart?

She needs to be committed to your relationship and to reassure you that this is what she wants.

At the very least, she owes you honesty. My support pack Cheating – Can You Get Over It? will help.

HOPE FOR BABY IS IGNORED

DEAR DEIDRE: DESPITE always knowing I want more children, my partner keeps going on about having a vasectomy.

I am 34 and he is 35. We have been together for five years. He already has a daughter from his previous relationship and we have a son together.

They get on well together, but I would love my boy to have a full sibling.

I don’t like vasectomies because they go against nature. My partner just laughs when I tell him this.

He doesn’t seem to value my opinions or my feelings.

I am on the Pill but I feel as though he doesn’t trust me enough to take it.

I love him but he ignores my longing for another child. How do we get past this?

DEIDRE SAYS: While I understand your desire to have another baby, it wouldn’t be right to force this on him. It wouldn’t be fair to him or the child.

When one partner wants more children and the other doesn’t, it can be a deal breaker. Does your partner really want the snip? It’s all very well to talk about this but going through with it is a different matter.

Tell him that being denied another child will hurt you deeply.

Ask him why he is so against the idea and make sure he understands that a vasectomy is final.

A NOUGHTIES pop group look unrecognisable 18 years on from their catchy hit singles – and they’re headlining a huge charity festival.

Originally formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2003, The Hoosiers consists of Irwin Sparkes and Alan Sharland.

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They first shot to fame with their 2007 debut album, The Trick to Life, which reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Their lead single, Worried About Ray, became an instant classic, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart, followed by the hit Goodbye Mr A, which cemented their status in the indie music scene.

Despite their success, the band took a few twists and turns in their career, parting ways with their record label in 2011 and independently releasing music.

This includes the albums The Illusion of Safety, The News from Nowhere and Confidence, their most recent release in 2023.

Over the years, they’ve experimented with different sounds and even dabbled in side projects.

Frontman Irwin launched his solo act White Tail Falls, while he and Alan also performed as comedy duo Felix and The Scootermen at the Edinburgh Fringe.

A previous iteration of the band even included members Tony Byrne, Tom Easey, Martin Skarendahl, Sam Swallow and Toby Smith.

Now, The Hoosiers are making a major comeback, not only with a new tour but also as the headline act for the Test Fest Music Festival 2025.

In a promotional video for their gigs, the pair certainly look different.

And, the charity event, taking place at Taunton Rugby Club on June 21, is organised by It’s in the Bag Cancer Support to raise awareness for testicular cancer.

The two-piece, originally formed by Irwin Sparkes and Alan Sharland in 2003, will be headlining as part of their The Illusion of Safety 15-year anniversary tour.

Charity founder and event organiser Sue Brand said: “2025 is It’s in the Bag’s 10th birthday as an independent charity, and what a great way to celebrate with The Hoosiers being our headline act.

“There are a few more exciting bands and artists to come, so don’t miss out on tickets. This year more than any, we encourage you to buy early.”

The festival has been recognised by the UK Festival Awards, Stand Out Magazine, and the BISFF Film Awards, and aims to attract attendees from across the South West.

Many survivors and their families are expected to attend.

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Martin Skarendahl, Irwin Sparkes, Alfonso Sharland made up the line-up in 2013[/caption]

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Goodbye Mr A cemented their status in the indie music scene[/caption]