Last month, an unidentified troop sold cookies outside Daylite Dispensary in Mount Laurel as a trial run, according to store owner Steve Cassidy, after the idea had been rejected by the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey last year.
Cassidy said the girls’ effort was a success, which he attributed, in no small part, to the “munchies” that use of cannabis generally induces. But senior Girl Scout leadership was reportedly unhappy with the move, he told The Independent Thursday.
“It was about community,” Cassidy said. “If that means the local Girl Scout troop got in trouble, that is absolutely not what we wanted.”
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“I think they were very pleased with the amount of cookies they sold that day. I didn’t get a true count on how many boxes of cookies they sold, but I believe it was a lot,” Cassidy told News12. “A lot was sold to our staff members as well, but the feedback from our customers was overwhelmingly positive.”
Girl Scouts in Chicago sell cookies outside of a Starbucks in 2017. A New Jersey Girl Scout troop upset organizational leaders last month by selling cookies outside Daylite Dispensary in Mount Laurel (Getty Images)
It’s unclear whether the troop returned for a second scheduled sale that had been organized for Friday evening.
The Independent had no reply from attempts to contact the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey, as well as Girl Scouts headquarters for comment.
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In a statement to News 12, the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey said: “Girl Scouts can set up booths outside of businesses that they would be able to enter and purchase something.”
Troops across the United States have long set up booths in spots where they expect high footfall or a particularly cookie-hungry clientele – from shooting ranges to marijuana shops and college-town bars. But where they are allowed to sell appears to vary, from state to state.
An undated Cookie Booth Essentials guide on the Girl Scouts’ website echoes what the regional chapter told News 12: troops shouldn’t sell cookies in or directly outside establishments where they aren’t legally allowed to enter.
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In 2018, a San Diego Girl Scout sold more than 300 boxes in six hours outside Urbn Leaf, featuring favorites like Peanut Butter Sandwich and Thin Mints. In 2014, a 13-year-old sold 117 boxes in just two hours outside a medical marijuana clinic (Getty Images)
Girl Scouts have been selling cookies to fund troop activities and teach entrepreneurship since 1917. While door-to-door sales were the original approach, booths outside supermarkets and grocery stores soon became a familiar sight. Nowadays, many Scouts also accept credit cards and digital payments through apps like Venmo.
Reports of selling Girl Scout cookies at cannabis dispensaries is nothing new, especially on the West Coast. In 2018, an unnamed Girl Scout sold more than 300 boxes in six hours outside Urbn Leaf, a San Diego dispensary, with the store promoting her sale in a now-deleted Instagram post, KGTVreported.
In 2014, a 13-year-old in San Francisco sold 117 boxes in just two hours outside a medical marijuana clinic, according to a report in Mashable.
That same year, some Girl Scout councils, including Colorado, restricted sales near dispensaries, bars, and liquor stores.
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Girl Scouts are known for getting creative with where they sell their cookies, including at the 2016 Oscars to Hollywood’s biggest stars (Getty Images)
“If you are wondering, we don’t allow our Girl Scouts to sell cookies in front of marijuana shops or liquor stores/bars,” the organization’s Colorado branch tweeted at the time, KGTV reports.
In 2018, AnneMarie Harper, a spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of Colorado, told the New York Times that those restrictions had been eased, but Scouts in the state still need to get approval for booth locations to ensure safety and legal compliance.
“Back then it was a blanket: ‘No, you may not,’” Harper said. “Now, it’s more of: ‘Come to us, tell us where you want to be and what you want to do,’ making sure we’re checking off all of the safety guidelines.”
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At the time, Harper said that while some Girl Scouts had sold cookies near breweries, she was unaware of attempts to set up booths outside legal marijuana dispensaries.
“We really want girls to be cookie entrepreneurs, to find new and creative ways to reach customers,” she said.
Customers lined up on a New York City street in support of National Girl Scout Cookie Day on February 8, 2013 (Getty Images)
Even amid some controversies, Girl Scouts have found inventive ways to sell their cookies. In a February 2023 Reddit forum, one user said they have seen both Girl and Boy Scouts selling cookies at a local gun store or range.
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Around the same time, seven-year-old Girl Scout Siena and her family hit the streets of West Hollywood, a neighborhood famous for its lively LGBTQ community, and sold out their entire inventory twice, with enthusiastic support from drag queens and patrons of local gay bars,Yahoo reported.
Online cookie sales began in December 2014 with the launch of the “Digital Cookie” platform, allowing Scouts to sell through personalized websites, apps and email links. The platform was designed to teach modern entrepreneurship while maintaining in-person sales, according to the organization’s website.
More than a decade later, Girl Scouts are now using social media to expand their reach. Last month, six-year-old Pim Neill of Pittsburgh went viral on TikTok, selling some 121,500 boxes of cookies to set a new record in Pennsylvania.
Claudia Winkleman, host of BBC’s hit series The Traitors, surprised unsuspecting commuters and day-trippers at York Railway Station where a production crew is filming for Channel 4’s hit talent show The Piano.
Claudia Winkleman films The Piano at York Railway Station.. (Image: Photo Nadia Jefferson-Brown)
Onlookers crowded around the show’s shiny black piano, which has been positioned in the station opposite the destination board, as different pianists took to the ivories.
Some spectators were there by chance. Others had gone specifically after discovering that the popular TV personality and co-presenter, the musician Mika, was in the city.
The show discovers amateur pianists who perform on public pianos in major train stations across the UK. A member of the crew said they had already filmed at London Bridge and Birmingham but was tight-lipped about their next stop.
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In between filming, Claudia made a bee-line for people with babies and dogs among the crowd including Rachel Shearer, from York, whose two-year-old golden retriever Suki captured the attention of the camera crew.
Rachel Shearer, from York, with Suki watching the filming of The Piano, with Claudia Winkleman in the background. Photo Nadia Jefferson-Brown (Image: Photo Nadia Jefferson-Brown)
Rachel told The Press: “I love The Piano. I am a real fan. I was travelling back from London, from the Royal Albert Hall, late last night and got in at 12.15am. I could see the piano all covered up, and the filming equipment. The security guard who told me it was for The Piano
“I happened to have the day off work so I got here to see Claudia arrive and the new judge which was great. I popped home for a bit and brought the dog out because she needed a walk. I know Claudia likes dogs so we came back and have had a really lovely afternoon listening to the music.
“It is lovely to hear people play their own compositions; everyone has their own story which is meaningful to them.”
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Among the contestants was Harri Kelly, a 21-year-old from Manchester, who was there with his parents Angela and Heath.
Claudia Winkleman, pictured with Angela and Heath Kelly, whose son Harri was playing the piano. Photo: Nadia Jefferson-Brown (Image: Photo Nadia Jefferson-Brown)
Heath said: “My dad Trevor wrote a poem about my mother and life without her and Harri has rearranged that to music. It’s really emotional listening to him.”
Friends Harley Rose, 18, and Emma Watson, 19, from York, were thrilled to see the television star who they are more familiar with as the host of Strictly Come Dancing.
Harley said: “I am so excited. I saw her and said to Ems ‘That’s Claudia Winkleman’ and she said ‘no, it’s not, it’s some random woman with a fringe’. But it was. We couldn’t believe it”
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“It’s just so random that Claudia is here. The pianists are so talented. He [Harri] was amazing.”
Joshua Chapman, news and media manager at LNER, was helping to keep the area clear for train passengers to pass.
He told The Press: “This is for series four of The Piano. They have more to film and York is nicely sandwiched in the middle.
“This is something very different for the station; something we don’t see every day. It is a nice surprise for customers passing through and the general public who have heard that they are filming. It is nice to have the station filled with music. This piano was brought for the shop but we have one in the station entrance that’s available to the public. I heard someone playing on it this morning.”
If there was any nervousness around exactly what fans should expect from Lily Allen’s current live show, no one at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on Sunday night was showing it.
As the title suggests, the Lily Allen Performs West End Girl tour sees the Brit Award winner bringing her latest hit album to life on stage, with the setlist consisting solely of the songs from the new album, running from start to finish.
Those who were won over by the confessional break-up album (heavily inspired by Lily’s split from her ex-husband David Harbour) upon its release last year will know already that this is the best way to enjoy West End Girl, rather than by cherry-picking individual tracks, as it conveys a linear narrative over the course of 14 tracks.
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However, this approach also means that Lily’s time on stage clocks in at under an hour, sparking some heated debate among fans and critics about whether ticket-holders were getting their money’s worth.
This debate clearly didn’t discourage those at Lily’s Newcastle stop, though, where a sea of people sported homemade merch emblazoned with slogans inspired by her new album like “who the fuck is Madeline?”, “Dallas Major” and “4chan Stan”.
Others were decked out in polkadot everything as far as the eye could see (I clocked shirts, dresses, jumpers, cross-body bags and, of course, the obligatory puffer jackets, but I’m sure there was plenty else) and, as my friend informed me, a zealous few were taking part in an impromptu group singalong of Pussy Palace in the ladies’ loos, an hour before the night’s proceedings had even began.
It’s worth stating that fans on social media who’ve actually seen West End Girl live have been almost unanimous in their praise – and having now seen the concert for myself, I’m right there with them.
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Those hoping to hear the classics as well as cuts from West End Girl were treated to a run of hits before curtain up, provided in remixed form by a group of cellists dubbed the Dallas Minor Trio.
Warming up the crowd, the trio provided Bridgerton-esque instrumental backing for number ones The Fear and Smile, as well as fan-favourites LDN, Not Fair and Hard Out Here. Fans were encouraged to provide their own vocals for the performance, with the aid of lyrics that were projected onto the back of a screen at the front of the stage.
As for how effective the Dallas Minor Trio were as an opening act, I have somewhat mixed feelings. There’s no denying that once fans were used to being their own vocalist, they sang along to the hits with gusto (Fuck You was probably the stand-out, affording fans the chance to gleefully belt out timely lines like “you’re just some racist who can’t tie my laces”, “we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew so please don’t stay in touch” and “you say, you think we need to go to war, well, you’re already in one”). But the whole auditorium gazing up at song lyrics while seated in rows did put me more in mind of a year 6 assembly than a raucous karaoke party, even if some of the more enthusiastic fans were already on their feet by the first chorus of The Fear.
Attention did audibly start to drift during some of the lesser-known songs from Lily’s catalogue (one deep cut from fourth album No Shame has already been culled from the setlist), but it should be stressed that the trio left the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd, so clearly had the room on their side by the end.
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Lily Allen performing Sleepwalking on SNL in December 2025
Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
Then came the main event, and any doubts in my mind had already been dispelled by the end of opening track West End Girl.
Impressively, each of the album’s 14 songs is conveyed completely differently to what came before it, with the aid of projections, costume changes, props and abrupt set changes thanks to stage hands who seamlessly redesign the set in exciting and imaginative new ways between numbers, turning West End Girl into a one-woman show of sorts rather than your traditional pop concert.
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What’s interesting, too, is that so many of the supposed criticisms of the West End Girl tour – zero talking to the audience, the setlist not featuring any other songs, the lack of backing dancers or live band – are actually some of its strengths. Lily’s pivot to acting is what inspired the events of West End Girl, and in its live form, it feels like she’s taking everything she’s learned and playing a role with her latest live venture.
So, given she’s fully in character throughout, why would she break from that to talk to the audience? With the West End Girl album effectively being turned into a script, why would she want to dilute it with irrelevant songs just to keep more casual fans happy? And, indeed, why would she want to take away or distract from the jaw-dropping piece she and her team have created by sticking in a hits set before or after the main event?
Lily is also the only performer on stage for the entirety of her set, but still manages to re-enact the story of her latest album West End Girl flawlessly – which is no mean feat considering she’s made no secret of how painful and personal a story that it is. Far from the stage feeling bare or stark, the chart-topping singer holds your attention the entire time she’s on stage, leaving you feeling every ounce of the album’s paranoia, anxiety and, finally, catharsis along every step of the way.
Particular high points include Pussy Palace, already a cinematic experience thanks to Lily’s unfiltered and descriptive lyrics, but to which she manages to add even more while performing it live, and the double-punch of Tennis into Madeline, with every cry of “who’s Madeline?” from the crowd becoming more frenzied as our support for the show’s heroine grows.
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It’s not a perfect show, admittedly. West End Girl’s stand-out banger Nonmonogamummy sees Lily pretty much rooted to one spot delivering TikTok-friendly choreo with varying levels of conviction, when she probably could have sold better if she were able to just freestyle it and use the space more.
This was then followed by the heartbreaking ballad Just Enough, performed behind a beaded curtain in near-darkness with projections swirling around her. Unfortunately, this made Lily’s delivery a little difficult to see, which jarred given this is one of the album’s more vulnerable and raw moments.
Conversely, West End Girl’s other key ballads, including the desperate Beg For Me and the sobering Let You W/in, were staged much more effectively, before ending on a high with the somewhat optimistic Fruityloop.
After breaking character for the first and only time, taking a small bow before leaving the stage, she returned to the stage for a curtain call, taking out her in-ear monitors to allow her to soak up the rapturous reception from the Geordie crowd, which left her visibly touched.
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Last week, Lily made a point of shooting down journalists’ (including, indeed, my own) suggestions that West End Girl lasted just 45 minutes, the same length as the album that inspired it.
Taking the opening act out of the equation, Lily is actually on stage for closer to 55 minutes, which is, of course, still on the shorter side for a concert. But given everything that’s gone into West End Girl – the imaginative stage design, the elaborate sets and, most pressingly, what has to be an emotional performance from its central star night after night – no one who loves the album could leave feeling short-changed.
As for anyone else… well, what are you doing at a show called Lily Allen Performs West End Girl in the first place?
Quite how the night will translate to the arenas she’s scheduled to perform at later this year remains to be seen – at the moment, it seems perfectly suited to the smaller venues she’s playing on both sides of the Atlantic, but some tweaks might be required to help it fill bigger spaces.
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For now, though, the intimate and unflinching show is an ambitious high-point in Lily’s 20-year career. The show is frank, unapologetic and emotionally resonant, all while never losing its sense of humour – in other words, all of the qualities that have kept Lily at the top of her game.
Lily Allen Performs West End Girl continues on Tuesday night in Manchester, with shows scheduled at intimate venues around the UK for the rest of March, culminating in two nights at the iconic London Palladium. She’ll then take the show overseas, before returning in June for a string of arena shows across the UK and Ireland.
Five members of the Iranian women’s football team have left the team’s training camp and successfully sought refuge in Australia, after fears they could “face dire consequences” on their return to the country.
The office of Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi said he has been told the players – Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi – are now in a “safe location”.
The Australian government had come under pressure to protect the team after they were knocked out of the Asian Cup.
The players were reportedly criticised in the Iranian media, with a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting saying they had committed the “pinnacle of dishonour” for staying silent during the anthem before defeat in their match against South Korea a week ago.
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“Traitors during wartime must be dealt with more severely,” presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi said, reported the Reuters news agency.
Some believed the team’s silence was an act of resistance, while others saw it as a show of mourning following the initial US-Israel joint attacks on their country.
The team has not made any specific comment on their stance – but then sang and saluted their national anthem ahead of their defeats to Australia on Thursday and the Philippines on Sunday, raising concerns they had been ordered to do so.
Uncertainty surrounds the team after they failed to progress beyond the group stages of the tournament, while global players’ union FIFPRO said it was “really concerned” about the team’s welfare and had so far been unable to contact the players.
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Dozens of people were seen chanting “let them go” as they surrounded the team bus during its departure from the stadium on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, after Sunday’s match, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Police and security teams were also seen creating a safe passage for the bus to leave amid chants of “save our girls”.
Image: Supporters near the bus carrying the players after Sunday’s match. Pic: AAP/via Reuters
Supporters also said they could see at least three of the players on the bus making the international hand signal for help, reported CNN.
Mr Pahlavi, an Iranian dissident in exile in the US, had earlier said the team faces an “ongoing threat” following their “brave act” not to sing the anthem before the game with South Korea.
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On social media, he wrote: “As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran.
“I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.”
Image: Iranian players on the bus after the defeat to the Philippines. Pic: AAP/via Reuters
The Australian Iranian Council had previously contacted Australia’s government, urging it to protect the squad members during their time in the country.
It also launched an online petition urging the Australian authorities to “ensure that no member of Iran’s women’s national football team is to depart Australia while credible fears for their safety remain”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong declined to comment on whether the Australian government had made contact with individuals.
But she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp: “It has been really moving for Australians to see them in Australia, and (Australia’s women’s team) swapping jerseys with them was a very evocative moment.
“We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women.”
The killer claiming to be Welsh was looking for people from Wales to write to him in prison
For over 20 years Rhys Williams has been pen pals with a dangerous killer who sought out people from Wales to write to him whilst on death row. Rhys had never met his friend of over two decades, Roderick Michael Orme, until now.
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In 1993, Orme was sentenced to death for beating, raping and strangling nurse Lisa Redd to death at a motel in Panama City, Florida. He is still waiting for a date of execution. Cameraman Rhys Williams is going on a journey to the US to learn more about the killer he calls a friend in a new S4C documentary, Fy Ffrind ar Death Row (My Friend on Death Row).
Rhys said: “I don’t want to be friends with a murderer, but I’ve found myself as a friend with a murderer. Maybe at the end of this journey, I’ll re-think that idea. The letters date back 20 years, and then they became emails after some years, then in the last year or two he’s been able to phone me.” Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter.
The two became friends after Rhys read an article with the headline “Welshman on death row” which mentioned that Orme was looking for pen pals in Wales to connect him to his roots with his distant relatives being from Llandudno.
Orme’s plea for a Welsh pen-pal read: “As a so-called free person, I was a slave to pleasures of the flesh. Whether it was for booze, drugs or sex. Now as a death row prisoner I am totally physically locked down, but find myself mentally freer than I’ve ever been.”
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In the programme, Rhys and journalist Elen Wyn meet Carol, Lisa’s sister who says she will “never forgive” Orme for what he did.
Carol said: “She and I had gone out. He stopped us the whole time we were out because that Sunday, when he showed up at her house to see her, I told him, ‘Lose her number, she doesn’t want to see you’. He said, ‘If I can’t have her, no one can’ and I asked him, I said ‘What does that mean?’ He said, ‘Take it as you will’. She was dead two days later.”
Meeting his pen pal, Orme now aged 64 tells Rhys that he can’t remember killing Lisa as he was high on cocaine and on an alcohol binge.
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After his arrest, Orme denied first degree murder, robbery and sexual battery, but was found guilty. He has since made two unsuccessful attempts to appeal his deaths sentence.
The documentary airs on S4C at 9pm on March 10 and will be available on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer with Welsh and English subtitles.
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Tickets are now on sale for the immersive Christmas experience, which will run from November 27 to December 23.
Based on Chris Van Allsburg’s beloved children’s book and the 2004 animated film, The Polar Express Train Ride invites passengers to step into the story aboard a steam train bound for the North Pole.
Travellers are encouraged to wear pyjamas to fully immerse themselves in the experience, with many families choosing matching outfits to add to the festive fun.
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The hour-long journey features appearances by the hobo, the conductor punching golden tickets, and a visit from Santa who, with the help of his elf, gifts each passenger a silver sleigh bell as the “first gift of Christmas.”
The Polar Express Train Ride is part of a global experience spanning 54 locations and welcoming more than 1.5 million riders each year.
All guests receive a keepsake golden ticket and a sleigh bell as part of the experience.
Ticket prices range from £35.95 to £57.95 depending on the date and time of travel, and early booking is advised as popular dates typically sell out quickly.
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Tickets can be booked at yorkshiredalesthepolarexpressride.com.
Fans of gaming, listen up: London Games Festival has officially unveiled what’s happening for the festival’s latest iteration.
The festival, which runs every year, celebrates the best of gaming in the UK and beyond, culminating with the BAFTA Games Awards in April. It’s always popular – last year, 102,000 people visited the festival’s 26 different events – and while some of the fortnight revolves around industry meetings, there’s also more than enough for gaming fans to get stuck into as well.
This year, things kick off on March 27 and continues all the way until April 19. Here’s what to put in your calendar.
This first event happens a few weeks before the rest of the festival gets going, on March 27. It’s part of the V&A Museum’s Friday Late series, but this one is gaming-inspired: curated by Susie Buchan and the V&A’s Senior Curator of Contemporary Programmes Kristian Volsing. It’s an evening that includes live-action roleplay, cosplay drag, talks about professional acting in video games and the chance to hear experimental live-coded music. It promises to be a fascinating night out.
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Strange Play: Open Mic and Showcase
Though Somerset House’s festival of experimental gaming, Now Play This, is no more, one of its curators, Holly Gramazio, has been involved in setting up three new events that will run during the festival instead. The first of these is Strange Play, which celebrates unconventional approaches to play and performance. On April 13, there’s an open mic open to anybody wanting to perform ‘short playable works’, before the showcase on April 18-19. This second night includes boundary pushing performances like Tamagotchi Séance 3 (to honour our departed virtual pets) and absurdist portaloo-themed escape room The Turdis.
A nice relaxed event run alongside the Games Festival. Head to the PocketSquare Skyline Bar & Terrace at the Hyatt City East for a night featuring lots of retro games, consoles, prizes and chatting with fellow enthusiasts. It’s the perfect place to test out your speedrunning skills in company, alongside a couple of drinks.
Rules of Watching
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Artists Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and Symoné head up this game jam and following talk. Over the course of two days, 15 game makers and creatives will be linking up to explore their game development skills through workshops, play and critical challenge – before Brathwaite-Shirley and Symoné unpack their findings in a talk on April 15. The theme this year is The Rules of Watching – which, the website explains, you can take any way you please.
This full-day takeover of Siobhan Davies Studios will bring together professionals, players, philosophers, scientists and more to take part in a series of roundtable discussions about the state of gaming and storytelling, with the aim of designing your own short game. There are three strands to this event — Game Demos, Game Poems and PlayLab – so pick your favourite and get creating.
Get hands-on time with some of the latest game releases before anybody else. Held every year at Exhibition White City, this is where studios and developers come to showcase their upcoming games (this year, there are more than 70 titles on show) and consumers get to chat with them, as well as test out those games for themselves. How could you resist?
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London Video Game Orchestra
This does what it says on the tin: returning to Cadogan Hall for the second year, the London Video Game Orchestra will be playing music from some of gaming’s most iconic franchises. Think Dolphin Shoals from Mario Kart 8, music from the Final Fantasy franchise and (of course) the iconic Halo choir.
It’s been more than a week since Iran launched revenge attacks on the Middle East
Alice Scarsi, Richard Ashmore and Olivia Bridge
16:36, 09 Mar 2026Updated 16:37, 09 Mar 2026
New travel advice has been released for Brits stuck in the Middle East as the war in Iran rages on.
On February 28, US-Israeli missiles rained down on Tehran as part of ‘Operation Epic Fury’, killing supreme leader Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran hit back, firing missiles across Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain in a bid to target US air bases.
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Thousands of Brits have since been stranded in the Middle East as flights were ground to a halt amid the brewing conflict.
Now, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued an update in the escalating situation, revealing dozens of flights are due to start bringing people home.
In a post shared on X today (March 9), the FCDO said dozens of flights are due to depart from the region to bring back Brits who have remained stranded since the beginning of the US and Israeli joint operation.
The post reads: “On Sunday, 30 flights departed from across the region carrying more than 7,000 British nationals – the highest number of Brits arriving in the UK in a single day since the beginning of the crisis. More than 40 flights are scheduled to depart from the region today.”
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The FCDO added that “more than 37,000 British nationals have returned to the UK since March 1”.
“Three charter flights have now left Oman and landed in the UK. The third flight landed in the UK earlier this morning (Monday),” the post continued.
“The UK government has chartered a flight out of Dubai which, subject to the situation on the ground, will leave later today.
“More than 40 flights are scheduled to depart from the region today (Monday). British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE should ‘Register Your Presence’ with the FCDO.
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“British nationals should continue to follow FCDO Travel Advice and local instructions, as the situation is volatile and could escalate.”
Some 172,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the region. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Foreign Secretary will continue to speak to airlines, travel companies and regional governments to find safe routes home.”
Meanwhile, thousands of UK families face disruption to Easter holiday plans because of the conflict, reports The Express. Dozens of flights to Cyprus were cancelled last week, amid airlines’ concerns about its proximity to the region and the presence of a UK air base, which was hit by a drone.
On Monday, 16 out of the 18 scheduled flights from the UK to Qatar were cancelled because of continued airspace closures, aviation analytics company Cirium said. Eleven out of 33 flights from the UK to the UAE, which includes both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were also axed.
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About half a million passengers per day normally use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi. It is expected to take weeks to clear the backlog of stranded passengers caused by the conflict, which started on February 28.
Airspace closures are not just affecting holidaymakers who plan to visit the Middle East, as its airports are a vital hub for travel between Europe and the continents of Asia and Australia.
There has been a surge in demand for non-stop flights between the UK and Asia which avoid stopovers in the Middle East.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, told the Press Association: “The situation across the Middle East continues to evolve rapidly, and our travel agent partners have been working around the clock this weekend to ensure customers receive the most up-to-date advice and guidance.
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“For holidays booked to Cyprus, it is very much business as usual.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is not currently advising against travel to Cyprus and as such, if you choose to cancel your holiday at this stage, standard cancellation charges will apply.
“For holidays or trips booked to the Middle East, or to Asia with a routing through the Middle East, standard cancellation terms will apply unless your airline has proactively rerouted or cancelled your flight.
“If you have booked a package holiday and your trip is cancelled by the provider as a direct result of the situation, you are entitled to a full refund or the option to amend your booking.”
Woman in hospital after serious crash | Wales Online
Need to know
A road is closed and drivers are asked to avoid the area after the incident
The incident happened at Oak Terrace in Bridgend(Image: Google Maps)
A woman has been taken to hospital and a road closed after what police have described as a serious collision in Bridgend.
Police were called to the incident of the two-vehicle collision between Oak Terrace and the junction of Heol Clawdy in Bridgend at 1.55pm on Monday, March 9.
The road is currently closed between Oak Terrace and the junction of Heol Clawdy and is is expected to remain closed for some time, a South Wales Police spokesperson said on Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the force said: “South Wales Police was called at 1:55pm today to reports of a collision between two cars between Oak Terrace and junction of Heol Clawdy in Bridgend. A woman has been taken to hospital as a precaution. The road remains closed.”
Motorists are advised to avoid the area and use alternative routes where possible. Delays are expected in the area.
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The daughter of the 2008 FA Cup winner has three international caps for Iceland
Football remains a family business for one Pompey Hall of famer, whose offspring has lined up in an international against England.
Ida Marin Hermannsdottir, the daughter of Pompey favourite Hermann Hreidarsson, lined up against England Women on Saturday. Harriet Massey/Getty Images | Getty Images
And also in attendance at Nottingham Forest for the occasion was her proud father Hermann Hreidarsson.
Perhaps it was fated that Ida would become a professional footballer, considering both of the 23-year-old’s parents represented Iceland with distinction.
Father was a 2008 FA Cup winner with Portsmouth
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Hreidarsson won the FA Cup with Pompey in 2008 and made 89 international appearances in a career which also saw him serve Ipswich, Charlton, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Coventry.
While her mother, Ragna Loa Stefansdottir, featured 36 times for Iceland, scoring twice, before being forced to retire through injury in 1999.
Saturday’s fixture against England represented Hermannsdottir’s third international outing, having last week also started in a 3-0 defeat to Spain.
Hermann Hreidarsson made 123 appearances, scoring eight times, during his time at Fratton Park. | National World
The talented midfielder represents Fimleikafelag Hafnarfjaroar (FH), a club based in a harbour town near Reykjavik who compete in the top tier of women’s football in Iceland.
Born in England during Hreidarsson’s time with Ipswich, she lined-up against Sarina Wiegman’s Three Lions side in Saturday’s Group 3 fixture on the road to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
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2-0 defeat to England Women
Lucy Bronze and Georgina Stanway were the scorers in England’s 2-0 success, which sees them top a group which also contains Spain and Ukraine, albeit after just two matches.
Hermannsdottir was replaced in the 63rd minute at a time when the scoreline was 1-0, with her dad among the 27,474 crowd at the City Ground.
Hreidarsson’s own playing career saw him inducted in the Hall of Fames at both Ipswich and Pompey in recognition of his outstanding contributions, mainly in the Premier League.
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Ida Marin Hermannsdottir has made three international appearances for Iceland to date. Picture: Molly Darlington/Getty Images | Getty Images
A hugely popular character who largely operated as a swash-buckling, competitive left-back, he made 123 appearances for the Blues, scoring eight times, and was one of Harry Redknapp’s 2008 FA Cup winners.
‘I spent the best time of my career here’
At the time he told The News: ‘I feel so grateful, humble and thankful – I spent the best time of my football career here.
‘The people of this football club brought me here because they understand my character, they appreciated what I bring, and I went on to have a great relationship with the fans.
‘Obviously I have been waiting for the Hall of Fame phone call for years! But seriously, I am so grateful. I genuinely gave everything to this club and it’s nice to receive this.
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‘Towards the end, we had some really tough times, testing times, and after I left Pompey I always wanted to help, that’s why I brought my Icelandic team over.
‘For me it was important to give something back, so helping raise funds for the club after the fans took over was close to my heart. It was the least I could do.
‘I had the best of times here at Pompey – my connection with the club is there for life.’
At trial Max Elliott denied the charge and said he thought he had consensual sex
A former university student has been found not guilty of rape. Prosecutors alleged Max Elliott, 24, ‘stealthed’ a female student at the University of Manchester after the pair met at a party. It was said that she gave consent for sex on the condition he used a condom.
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It was alleged that Mr Elliott did not use a condom, which ‘removes’ her consent to sex. “What would otherwise have been consensual sexual intercourse in law then becomes rape,” prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said.
Prosecutors also alleged Mr Elliott ‘admitted what he had done’ to his friends and donated money to a ‘rape victims charity’.
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Mr Elliott, from Surrey, says the woman told him they should ‘probably’ use a condom. Mr Elliott claimed she would have known he was not using a condom because she had performed oral sex on him shortly before.
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After 45 minutes of deliberations, a jury at Minshull Street Crown Court found Mr Elliott not guilty of the single charge of rape.
Jurors were told that Mr Elliott and the alleged victim were both university students at the time. They met at a student party and the woman was ‘clearly attracted’ to Mr Elliott, the court heard.
They returned to his accommodation where they engaged in ‘clearly consensual’ sexual acts. Prior to engaging in full sexual intercourse, the woman asked Mr Elliott to use a condom because she was not using a contraceptive pill, jurors heard.
Mr Blackshaw said she provided him with a condom and that she deliberately turned her back on him, to give him ‘space and privacy’. They began having sex and that ‘at the point of ejaculation she started to realise that in fact he was not wearing a condom’. The woman was said to have told Mr Elliott: “Did you just do what I think you did?”
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She was also said to have told him: “I can’t believe you just violated me like that.” Jurors heard she then noticed the condom she had given to him unwrapped. She said she asked him ‘why you did that?’. Mr Elliott allegedly said: “I’m so sorry, I don’t understand, I don’t understand.”
She then called him an ‘a*******’ and slapped him across the face, jurors heard. She left and returned to her accommodation. She told a flatmate about what had happened, who is said to have told her: “Sounds like you’ve been raped.”
The woman said Mr Elliott texted her offering to pay for a morning after pill, but she declined. Over the next few days she ‘avoided seeing him’ and Mr Elliott texted and asked to meet up to speak about what happened, jurors were told.
They heard that one night Mr Elliott called her, sounding ‘broken and hollow’ and saying that he ‘really, really’ wanted to speak to her. He said that he was ‘dropping out’ of university and was taking the train home the following day. She agreed to meet him the following morning.
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She met him in a park and described Mr Elliott looking like ‘a shell of his previous self’. Mr Elliott allegedly told the woman: “I hold myself up to a high standard, this is a bump in the road. I’m not a bad person. This was a mistake, and I can’t apologise enough.”
Prosecutors claimed Mr Elliott had also met up with a friend, telling him that he had ‘f***** up’ and ‘done something bad’. They claim he told the friend that he’d pretended to put a condom on during sex.
The friend told another pal, who both then spoke with Mr Elliott. Mr Elliott allegedly told them: “I know, I’ve done wrong, I’ve donated £200 to a rape charity.”
Giving evidence at his trial, Mr Elliott said: “I couldn’t remember who approached first, but it was mutual. We ended up kissing and we danced together. We left the party… and went back to my room.”
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He said she performed oral sex upon him, but he was not able to sustain an erection which left him ’embarrassed’.
“At this point nothing was wrong,” he told the court. “There was perhaps a sense that she was a bit disappointed and the atmosphere was a bit awkward. At that point she got on top of me and straddled me and it felt clear we were about to have sexual intercourse.”
Mr Elliott said he tried to penetrate the woman, but was unable to. “At that point it was fairly clear we were going to have sex and she said to me ‘you should probably wear a condom’”, he told jurors.
He said the woman handed him a condom from her bag. Mr Elliott added: “I thought briefly about putting it on, but I had a semi at that point and was not able to put it on. I placed it on the shelf. As far as I knew, I thought she could see my penis and see I was not wearing a condom.”
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Mr Elliott accepted he was not wearing a condom at the time. He said believed the woman was aware he was not wearing one after engaging in foreplay. “There was no break when I could have put it on, she must have been aware,” he said. “She didn’t indicate she didn’t want to have sex.”
He denied being ‘animalistic’ or ‘violent’ and denied forcing himself on her. “The atmosphere was good, enthusiastic and consensual,” Mr Elliott added.
Jurors found Mr Elliott, of Station Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey, not guilty of rape and he was discharged from the dock.
