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SUMMER is getting closer by the day, and fashion-conscious shoppers are starting to give their wardrobes a much-needed refresh.

Now, eagle-eyed M&S fans have set their sights on the retailer’s stunning Collection Straw Tote Bag, and they’re rushing to stores to get their hands on one.

M&S

M&S

The in-demand summer staple has scored a generous 4.7 stars online, with positive reviews flooding the page, and shoppers can’t get over the “perfect beach bag”.

M&S call the effortlessly chic accessory a “stylish choice” for the beach or poolside.

The straw tote bag has two top handles, complete with “rose gold hardware” to give an added touch of luxury.

You won’t need to worry about your towel or book falling out as you race to secure your sun lounger either, as everything is kept secure by a subtle magnetic fastening.

And there’s plenty of room to fit all your items inside, so you can carry everything around with ease.

In fact, shoppers have commented on how impressed they have been by the generous amount of space inside.

The bag costs £49.50 and comes in a choice of two colours, natural or black.

M&S

M&S

Its outer material is made of 100% paper, while its lining is made of 100% cotton.

The tote is really easy to clean too, needing only a quick wipe to get it looking new again.

It’s another simple but stunning addition to the M&S Collection range, which includes “easy-to-wear wardrobe staples” that merge “classic” and “contemporary” styles.

Reviews online call the summer accessory a “real holiday handbag” with one person writing: “Loved the look of this bag so I bought it for my holiday later in the year.

“It’s gorgeous and very stylish with the gold magnetic handles at the top.”

Another happy shopper said: “Bought for holiday and travel – pleased with it, different to expectations- bigger than I thought it would be and good quality material.”

While someone else wrote: “Gorgeous. I love it. Spacious enough to carry some shopping and still look elegant.”

Other shoppers dubbed it the “perfect summer beach bag” and praised it for it’s “really lovely quality and style,” saying it “looks far more expensive than the price.”

Shoppers rated the bag highly for its excellent value for money, style and quality.

The hot accessory is available in-store and online, now.

You can find your closest M&S store, here.

MANCHESTER CITY superstar Erling Haaland celebrated his new mega deal by buying a new Porsche.

Haaland, 24, put pen to paper on an eye-watering ten-year contract with City two months ago worth a staggering £865,000 per week, including bonuses.

TIKTOK

TIKTOK

TIKTOK

TIKTOK

That means the star striker’s total earnings across the deal will be around £260million, or £26m a year.

Any release clause from the Norway international’s previous deal has been removed, so it would take an astronomical bid to lure him away from the Etihad.

Haaland has already started enjoying the new cash flow by buying a multi-million pound Cheshire mansion in January.

But the ex-Borussia Dortmund star was also spotted leaving City’s training ground with an orange Porsche 911 GT3, which is worth over £200,000.

Fans were left in awe with the sports car as they took to social media, with some poking some fun with a friendly tongue-in-cheek statement.

One fan wondered: “Why orange?”

Another commented: “GOAT Haaland.”

A third wrote: “That new salary is hitting.”

This fan said: “Haaland knows cars.”

And that one stated: “How did he fit in that GT3?”

Haaland has stood out for Man City this season, despite the team’s struggles, with a total of 27 goals and three assists in 35 appearances.

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ALL Stars Marcell Somerville, Nas Majeed and Montel McKenzie have broken their silence after Liv Hawkins’ bombshell villa claims.

Last night axed Love Island All Stars Islanders returned to dump one couple ahead of the final.

Liv, 29 – who was dumped on day 10 – attempted to cause drama between Grace Jackson and Luca Bish.

Eroteme

Eroteme

Eroteme

She claimed to have seen messages from Grace, 26, insisting she’d “do anything to win” the show this time.

Liv refused to name the person Grace allegedly made the bold statement to, but she and Samie Elishi said the other axed Islanders had all seen the screenshots. 

However Marcel, 39, Nas, 28, and Montel, 27, have now confessed they were completely unaware of Liv’s “receipts” until she mentioned them during the row. 

Speaking on a live stream after the show, Nas said: “Genuinely, she hadn’t mentioned any of that to us prior to going in so we were all looking around like, ‘oh…’.”

Marcel added: “There can’t be smoke without fire. But sometimes is the fire actually real?

“We don’t have those receipts. There are only two people who might have them and those are the people who brought them up.” 

When a fan insisted the boys must know if Liv’s claims are true, Montel replied: “We wouldn’t know unless we’ve seen [the screenshots].”

Montel was dumped on day 15 with Kaz Crossley and the couple are still going strong.

So it’s even more surprising he had no idea of Liv’s allegations about Grace.

Harriett Blackmore – who left the villa last night alongside boyfriend Ronnie Vint – immediately jumped to Grace’s defence when Liv made the comments. 

Referring to Liv’s previous claims Ronnie, 28, messaged her while they were still together last year, Harriett, 25, said: “She’s probably made it up babe, like she did with Ronnie.”

Ronnie’s best pal and Love Island icon Olivia Attwood last night took to Instagram to brand Liv an “expired Islander” and praised Harriett for handling the situation.

After they made their All Stars debut last month, Liv attempted to crack on Ronnie but admitted her “red flag” with him was the fact they’d messaged during his relationship with Harriett. 

And Olivia, 33, later claimed Liv was “very engaged” in the conversation, adding: “He wasn’t talking to himself and I think the picture of him holding Harriet’s hand, she photoshopped her face onto it and sent it back to him.”

Harriett doubled down on Olivia’s revelation last night, firing back at Liv’s accusations: “The girl literally photoshopped her head onto mine and sent it to Ronnie and he still didn’t want you on the outside or in the villa…”

Shutterstock

Eroteme

Eroteme

PRINCE Harry has just hosted his Invictus Games but it turned into the “Meghan Markle show”, according to a royal expert.

Ex-home office minister Norman Baker claims the Duchess of Sussex, 43, “muscled in”, during her husband’s sporting event for wounded servicemen in Canada.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Invictus Games, held in Canada between February 8 – 16[/caption]

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Some people have accused the mum-of-two for making it the ‘Meghan show’[/caption]

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Former MP Norman Baker compared Meghan and Harry to John Lennon and Yoko Ono[/caption]

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Meghan posted this kissing photo saying she was ‘missing my Valentine’ after flying home early from the games[/caption]

The pair made numerous appearances at the games – held in Vancouver and Whistler from February 8 – 16 – but some accused Meghan of show-stealing antics.

Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan cosied up to one another showing PDA at the opening ceremony.

Meghan also squealed with fear as she tried tubing down a slope. 

Royal author Norman claimed on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show: “It looked kind of like the Meghan show. 

“Looks like she was trying to muscle in and make us or a PR event for herself rather than about the athletes. 

“She was there making sure she was set to stage more than Harry was, as a matter of fact.”

The former MP also compared Meghan to Yoko Ono – who has previously been accused of being the person to break up the Beatles, after the band split up one year after she married John Lennon.

The Japanese artist and musician was married to Lennon for over ten years from 1969 to 1980, until he was murdered in Manhattan.

Norman stated: “You have to say this a bit like John and Yoko, really, in terms of who’s running things. 

“It’s quite a curious relationship. 

“I have to say she looks in her element in Hollywood and over there, but whether Harry is another matter.

“He wasn’t centrestage, she was.”

During the opening ceremony, Meghan also took part in an “impromptu” introduction for Harry – in which she gushed over the Prince‘s parenting skills.

Royal reporter Bronte Coy added: “She’s coming across now as a Hollywood influencer, and that seems to be the image she’s wanting to present.”

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Meghan was spotted trying tubing – and squealed as she went down the slope[/caption]

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The couple displayed PDA during the opening Invictus Games ceremony[/caption]

This comes ahead of her upcoming Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, and the launch of her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

Despite jetting home to the couple’s Montecito mansion to look after Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, Meghan posted a Valentine’s day kissing shot on her Instagram page to pay tribute to Prince Harry.

The pair spent Valentine’s Day apart, with Harry remaining at the Invictus Games.

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The trailer for With Love, Meghan has been released, with the show launching next month[/caption]

The event, established by ex-soldier Harry in 2014, involves a line-up of sporting events for injured military servicemen and women.

After Meghan caught her private jet back home, Harry relaxed over a beer with former New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, 44.

They were spotted in the stands at the wheelchair rugby – as the USA and Australia battled it out for the bronze medal.

In snaps from the game, the solo prince can be seen smiling, chatting and cheers-ing with the retired rugby star – who was twice part of the World Cup winning side for the All Blacks.

THIS is the shocking moment a brawl erupted between non-league players and their own fans.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Minehead AFC stars trudge off the pitch after losing 2-1 at home to Stockwood Green in the Somerset County Football League.

The hosts had just conceded a late goal and were carrying equipment back to the dressing rooms when they are confronted by a group of their own fans.

Words appear to be exchanged before a fight suddenly kicks-off.

After initial pushes, punches are then thrown and one player is eventually grappled by five supporters as another heads inside holding corner flags.

They continue to leather him with blows as more fans swarm the scene.

The player eventually wriggles away and heads into the changing rooms.

Those involved in the scrap are held back by others and the door rapidly closes to stop the angry mob getting inside.

A man then shouts through the glass to the players: “You stay away. You stay away.”

Minehead‘s goalkeeper then appears and seemingly tries to calm the situation before the video ends.

The non-league club released a statement on social media that reads: “We are fully aware and disappointed by the incident that happened at the club yesterday afternoon.

“This is currently being investigated and the relevant authorities are involved.

“As this is an active investigation, no further comments will be made from us during this time.”

Avon and Somerset Police are also aware of the fight but have refused to comment further.

CORK lifeboats have issued a stark warning after two men were rescued from a sinking ship amid stormy conditions overnight.

A lifeboat was launched from Castletownbere in Force 7 winds to rescue the men from the water.

The 20-metre fishing boat in distress was located south of Blackball Head off the Beara peninsula.

It was taking in water and had lost power with two people on board.

The south Cork volunteer crew were alerted to the situation in the early hours of yesterday morning by the Valentia Coastguard Marine Coordination Centre.

They receive word of the sinking ship at 4.20am and had their lifeboat launched by 4.30am under the command of Coxswain Marney O’Donoghue, mechanic David O’Donovan and crew Dean Hegarty, Joe Cronin and Andrew O’Neill.

And conditions were poor in the early hours of the morning with crews braving strong winds to aid the two men.

Describing the conditions of the rescue on their social media Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat said: “Conditions were described as Force 7 south- easterly winds and a 4 to 5 metre swell.”

Another local fishing boat was standing by at the scene when crews arrived and amid the challenging conditions the lifeboat managed to attach a tow line.

The ship was then towed back to Castletownbere harbour and a local tug assisted in berthing the boat at the pier.

In a quick turnaround the lifeboat was refueled and ready for dispatch if needed by 8.20am.

Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Launching Authority, Brendan O’Neill said the men made the “right decision” calling for help.

He said: “Given the poor weather conditions, the crew aboard the fishing boat made the correct decision to call for help immediately and we are glad that everyone is now ashore safe and well.”

Praise poured in for the team on social media after they managed to get the two men to safety.

One person said: “Well done CTB RNL yet again.”

Another wrote: “Great service.”

And another said: “Where would we be without Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat.”

One person added: “Thanks for keeping them safe.”

Union Hall RNL also shared their praise for their colleagues on social media.

They wrote: “Well done to our colleagues at Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat.”

Social Media Collect

The boat was launched after 4am[/caption]

GERARD Butler admits it was a struggle to play nice with co-star O’Shea Jackson in action-packed sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.

The Scots hunk, 55, has reprised his role as elite copper Big Nick O’Brien as he travels Europe with career criminal Donnie Wilson, portrayed by the son of legendary rapper Ice Cube.

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O’Shea Jackson Jr, right, is good pals with Gerard after their fight scenes.[/caption]

Motion Picture Artwork © 2017 STX Financing, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Scots actor is one of Hollywood’s top tough guys.[/caption]

It was revealed at the end of the first film that Wilson wasn’t just the getaway driver — but was in fact the mastermind behind the whole plot to rob the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.

He was last seen escaping to London canvassing a diamond exchange as O’Brien realised he’d been outsmarted.

Butler, who shot to fame as King Leonidas in 2007 flick 300, enjoyed finally getting to grips with on-screen enemy Jackson, 33, after their characters were mostly kept apart in the first film.

The Paisley-born actor joked: “I really liked working with O’Shea on Den of Thieves, but there’s only so much you can bond with somebody when you’re choking them out, punching them or slapping them.”

O’Brien is benched by his bosses after failing to capture Wilson, and his wife soon files for divorce.

Desperate for revenge, he ends up teaming with the same man he was hunting as they plan the ultimate crime at one of the impenetrable World Diamond Centres in Antwerp, Belgium.

The sequel introduces a new criminal crew called the Panthers, allegedly based on real criminals throughout Europe.

Butler said: “When we’re reintroduced to Nick, he’s going through a rough time and grappling with everything that’s happened since he was outmanoeuvred by Donnie at the end of the first film.

“On the one hand, Nick is impressed by Donnie’s smarts; on the other, he wants another shot at him.”

He gets his chance when a flight carrying diamonds from Johannesburg is hijacked in Brussels and thieves dressed in police SWAT gear make off with a cache of jewels worth tens of millions, including a single huge pink diamond.

He immediately suspects Donnie is involved and gets assigned to the Pantera task force dedicated to putting the thieves out of business.

The angry cop breaks bad when he masterminds a plot with Wilson to get on the wrong side of the greatest jewel robbery in history.

Butler was shocked at how easily the movie upped the ante from the first instalment after worrying they couldn’t match its intensity.

He said: “We thought, how can we raise it to the next level? In Den of Thieves we went to the Federal Reserve. How do you go even bigger than that?

“I knew we had an epic tale full of character and excitement. Donnie and Nick are on this collision course. Nick’s going to get his revenge, but it doesn’t quite turn out the way you think. He’s been completely hoodwinked by Donnie, who got the better of him at the end of the first film.

“Nick’s always been impressed with Donnie. He has a worthy adversary there, and a silverback gorilla like Nick needs another silverback gorilla to wrestle with.”

The film’s explosive scenes demanded a lot from the cast who performed a lot of their own stunts.

Jackson lost two and a half stone for the role and Butler appears similarly ripped.

The film’s impressive roster of athletic talent also included a number of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) champions such as Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, Brazilian UFC legend Vitor Belfort, former UFC title holder Michael Bisping and Ciryl Gane, a current heavyweight competitor in the UFC.

Butler said: “These actor- athletes have a particular energy, which is that they want to learn, they want to do this. Nobody has their kind of work ethic.”

One of the many thrilling scenes involves a car chase across mountainous roads.

Porsche had five custom- designed Taycan cars that were about to be destroyed because they weren’t built for on-road use and the Den of Thieves 2 team snapped them up.

Butler enjoyed his training, but executing stunts and using weapons inside the vehicle was challenging.

He said: “There was so much manoeuvring of guns inside the Porsche which, as much as it’s a beautiful car, wasn’t designed for reloading large guns.

“The tricky thing was, we sometimes had to fire the weapons backwards. We had to lift off the seat, put our butts back almost into the driver’s face, turn our legs around, and then have one hand out the window.

“This would all be happening while driving at full speed and making turns around sharp bends.”

The movie was mostly filmed in Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands.

Although it’s a beautiful part of the world, the warm climate didn’t always go down well with Scot Butler during filming.

During one heist sequence at the Hatton Bourse, he and another five thieves were stuck in a very small elevator shaft. They were squeezed between the wall and the cab and there was no air conditioning.

Butler said: “At one point we filmed inside these little box rooms with the whole camera crew. We were dressed in black neoprene bodysuits with thick black masks that stick out half an inch from your face.

“You put them on and it feels like you’re being suffocated. There’s no oxygen, there’s no air and it’s so hot. A tiny little room with six actors who are panicking, all dressed in black.

“We’re sweating like crazy, and it’s so hot you think you’re going to have a heat stroke.”

“Then Christian (director Christian Gudegast) comes in and films it quickly, in guerilla-filmmaking style.”

But it was all worth it, with Butler confident they’ve made the ultimate action movie.

He added: “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has it all — drama, thrills, action, comedy. It’s also very smart and really gets into the workings of this incredible world of high-stakes theft.”

Den of Thieves: Pantera is available to stream on Lionsgate+

SOME 16,000 properties have been identified as “tenancies of concern” – after some landlords hiked rent prices higher than the legal max.

A major crackdown on illegal rent surges could see landlords heavily fined.

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Thousands of renters in Rent Pressure Zones have seen their rents surge over the 2 per cent annual cap.

A media campaign was launched in October last year to inform landlords of rent caps.

RTB officials said: “We wrote to this group of landlords to advise that we have identified a rent increase of concern for their tenancies.

“Landlords were asked to check and correct their rent, and to return any overpaid rent to tenants if necessary.

“We also created new educational resources to support landlords.

“These included a new webinar on calculating rent correctly in an RPZ.

“This was shared by email with all landlords associated with the 16,000 tenancies of concern.

“We also ran national and local radio ads to remind landlords of their obligations.”

The second phase of the campaign will focus on investigating breaches by landlords.

Those in breach may get a written caution and/or a sanction of up to €15,000 and up to €15,000 in costs.

Other breaches include failing to register a property, failure to update the register when required to do so, failing to offer a tenancy back to a tenant when required to do so, knowingly giving a false or misleading reason for ending a tenancy in a Notice of Termination or seeking a greater amount in deposit or an advance payment than is allowed. 

Illegal retention of tenants’ deposits is another common dispute reported by renters to the RTB, according to Threshold.

The board received almost 4,000 Dispute Resolution Applications in relation to deposit retention, from 2021 to 2023.

People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy suggested a new bill in the Dail that, if enacted, would protect tenants from illegal retention of their deposits by landlords.

Mr Murphy said: “My Bill simply enacts legislation passed by the Government in 2015 but never enacted to establish a Deposit Protection Scheme under the auspices of the RTB.

“This would prevent landlords getting and subsequently illegally retaining deposits.

“In many other countries, including in the North, England, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand and Australia, third party deposit protection schemes are already in place

“This is a bare minimum measure to give some basic protection to tenants.

“A deposit is often the only form of savings tenants have and the only thing standing between them and homelessness.”

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Already declining in popularity among basketball fans, the NBA All-Star Game took another blow on Sunday when it was revealed that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was not going to be able to partake in the mini-tournament due to issues in his left foot and ankle. James was part of Shaquille O’Neal’s Team OG, […]

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During the special 50th anniversary episode of SNL, “Please Please Please” singer Sabrina Carpenter parodied one of her close friends, Taylor Swift, who she opened for on the Eras Tour. She appeared during a sketch where she parodied Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” Carpenter performed with Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Sarah Sherman. They mention […]

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