New York State

A RARE McDonald’s drink usually only seen in the US is making its UK debut today – and The Sun got an exclusive taste before anyone else.

The Shamrock Shake is being launched at restaurants for a two-week period only, from March 12 until March 25.

Simon Jones

I tried the Shamrock Shake which is on UK menus for the first time[/caption]

Simon Jones

The Shamrock Shake is on menus from £2.19[/caption]

Thirsty customers can get their hands on small, medium and large sizes, with prices £2.19, £2.69 and £3.09, respectively.

Bear in mind, though, that prices might vary from restaurant to restaurant.

The launch of the mint-flavoured beverage comes after Maccie’s trialled the blueberry-flavoured Grimace shake last summer.

I got an exclusive try of the new Shamrock Shake, unveiled to mark St Patrick’s Day, before it hits menus today (March 12).

But how did it actually fare flavour-wise? Put simply, this was not one for my taste buds.

I love a McDonald’s strawberry milkshake, so I was keen to see if the Shamrock could knock it off its pedestal. But, overall, I found it to be a bit of a disappointment.

The first rush of flavour was far too sweet for me. Given most McDonald’s milkshakes are like this, though, I was willing to let this pass me by.

But then the mint flavour hit… and for me, it was far too chemically.

My taste buds did adjust and the drink became more bearable after a few sips, but I was still left with a synthetic taste in my mouth.

The vanilla ice cream was creamy and smooth, but overall, the Shamrock doesn’t beat a classic strawberry shake for me.

If you’re someone who usually goes for a mint milkshake, this might be one for you though.

McDonald’s said it will donate 20p from each sale of the drink at selected restaurants to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.

OTHER MCDONALD’S MENU CHANGES

McDonald’s regularly shakes up its menu to keep customers on their toes – and it added four new items in February.

The fast food chain brought back the Philly Cheese Stack, Raspberry and White Chocolate Pie and Mars McFlurry.

Plus, Tropicana apple juice was added to menus for the first time, and will be staying as a permanent addition.

The Philly Cheese Stack is on sale until May 6, combining two beef patties with cheese sauce, cheese slices, grilled and crispy onions and pickles served in a toasted bun, from £5.29.

The burger was last on sale in October before being dropped from menus.

The Raspberry and White Chocolate Pie, which first launched early last year, is also on menus until May 6, for £1.99.

The crispy pink pastry is filled with a smooth white chocolate ganache and raspberry compote.

Senior consumer reporter Ellie Smitherman got to try the sweet treat when it first launched and was a big fan.

Also hitting menus last month was the Mars McFlurry, consisting of soft dairy ice cream swirled with crunchy chocolate-covered nougat pieces and topped with caramel sauce, from £1.69.

The pudding will be available until March 25.

Customers can also still get their hands on the Katsu chicken wrap and McCrispy BBQ Smokehouse until May 6 and the Mozzarella Dippers until March 25.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities was founded in the UK in 1989 and currently operates 14 houses.

The houses are partnered with NHS hospitals, providing families with free accommodation to support them while their child is in hospital.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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MOTHER-of-four Amy Claridge fell into rent arrears after maternity leave left her with less money than expected.

The primary school teacher, 35, and her partner saved around £200 a month in preparation for the birth of their son in November 2023.

It was difficult for the young couple to scrape together the cash each month and still provide for their other three children.

At first they were able to make ends meet on Amy’s £1,600 a month salary and her partner’s £2,000 a month income.

But after three months Amy’s maternity pay halved to £800 and the family began to struggle.

Then the cost of living crisis drove up their monthly gas, electricity and food bills and the couple fell behind on their payments.

First they missed a council tax payment, then they struggled to pay their energy bill.

But it was the increase in their rent from £801 to £809 a month on their two bedroom house that pushed them over the edge. 

“We just couldn’t keep on top of it at all. We were just trying to chase our tails with other bills,” Amy said.

“We were trying to put £50 towards one bill and £100 on another but could never pay the full amount.”

She was using her overdraft to make ends meet but racked up hefty fees when she missed her payments.

Sadly, she maxed out her credit card, which lowered her credit score.

The family tried to cut back on their spending, they stopped going on days out and said no to school trips for their eldest daughter and son.

Eventually they had to stop using their Nissan and 2014 BMW cars altogether as they couldn’t afford petrol or running costs.

They started using a local food bank to make sure they had enough supplies to feed their children.

The pressure of the situation took its toll on the couple and their children aged 12, nine, three and six months.

“It was so stressful. It was the first time I’ve ever suffered with my mental health,” Amy said.

“It was a difficult situation and nobody wants to be in that position. We both work really hard. My partner is a supervisor at a retail shop and works really long hours.”

The couple fell three months behind on their rent payments and owed their housing provider Sovereign Housing around £2,427.

As the situation worsened the couple were threatened with court action.

“We could not see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Amy said.

“Maternity leave is meant to be one of the happiest times of your life but it was just clouded by debt.

“The threat of court was looming and keeping a roof over the children’s heads was quite daunting.”

As the financial pressures became all-consuming, Sovereign Housing sent the couple to its debt support team.

An advisor referred the family to the Lightning Reach portal.

Lightning Reach connects users to personalised help, such as fuel vouchers, energy advice and utility bills.

To be eligible you need to be struggling financially, for example because you are waiting for a benefit payment, have lost your job or your bills have increased.

You do not need to be referred to access the support and can apply directly through the Lightning Reach website.

Amy said the support from Lightning Reach “just changed everything”.

“We only had to fill in the forms once and all the information was at our fingertips. There were many different avenues and personalised searches for our situation.”

The busy mum was able to build a profile and explore her options easily using just her mobile phone.

After she submitted the paperwork Amy was offered a grant from Teaching Staff Trust.

She was given the choice of either £1,000 towards their rent arrears, £500 for food, or the full £1,500 towards their rent debt.

Amy chose to cover her arrears, easing the financial pressure on the family.

“Within a couple of days, I got an email. I reread it five times as I could not believe my luck,” she tells me.

“It was absolutely amazing. I felt like the grey cloud hanging over us had lifted and we were finally getting the support we needed.”

Where to find financial help

There are several grants and cash payments you could get if you are struggling.

Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount on your energy bill.

If you are eligible then your energy supplier will usually apply the discount to your bill.

You may instead be sent a voucher if you have a prepayment meter.

Applications for the scheme opened in October but there can be a delay before the payments are made.

To qualify for the cash, you usually need to be claiming one of a range of means-tested benefits during the qualifying week, which is typically in August.

But if you successfully claim backdated benefits, you may still be able to qualify after this date once your benefits are confirmed.

If you qualify for the Warm Home Discount, you should receive a letter to tell you.

These letters are usually sent between October and January.

You can use our guide to check which benefits qualify for the help.

Plus we explain how to get the cash if you think you are eligible but have not received a letter.

Household Support Fund

If you are struggling to pay your bills, you may be able to apply for support via the Household Support Fund (HSF).

The funding is designed to help people who are vulnerable or cannot afford necessities including energy bills, water bills and food.

The help may be paid as cash, food or fuel vouchers.

What support is available and whether you are eligible varies by council.

Check your local authority’s website to see what is on offer and how to apply.

For example, St Helens Borough Council in Merseyside is offering support with essential bills.

Low-income families can apply for support with their food, fuel bills and other living expenses such as utility debts.

They can also get cash to help with the cost of purchasing furniture or white goods.

Households can apply for payments worth £200.

Those over 80 who are not eligible for this year’s Winter Fuel Payment can get £300.

They must be receiving Housing Benefit or another Council Tax reduction.

Free electricity and gadgets

You may be able to get a grant to help you pay your bills directly from your supplier.

Several energy suppliers have support customers experiencing financial hardship.

EDF customers who are struggling with energy debt can get help through its Customer Support Fund.

The fund offers grants and support to those who are behind on their bills and provide essential white goods such as a fridge or cooker.

You need to get independent debt advice before you apply for the funding.

To apply visit the Let’s Talk website.

E.ON Next customers who are experiencing financial difficulties and are struggling with their energy bills can get help through the supplier’s Energy Fund.

The fund offers debt support and energy efficient appliances such as washing machines, fridges and cookers.

Other suppliers are giving customers free gadgets to help them cut their energy bills.

Octopus Energy is handing out freebies including electric blankets to customers as part of its Octo Assist fund.

The bankets can save customers up to £150 across winter.

Octopus customers can also borrow a thermal imaging camera to help find spots in their homes where heat is escaping.

Once they have identified the draughts, customers can look into ways to get them fixed, which can help to reduce their energy usage.

Meanwhile, EDF customers can get their hands on free energy-saving gadgets such as air fryers, kettles and slow cookers.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

LOVE Island’s Millie and Liam have been forced to make a major social media change after they spoke to Samie Elishi on their podcast.

Millie Court, 29, and Liam Reardon, 25, invited Samie, 25, onto their podcast – with the explosive and controversial episode dropping this week.

Instagram

Samie Elishi appeared on Millie and Liam’s podcast[/caption]

Instagram

She spoke about her time on All Stars[/caption]

YouTube

Liam and Millie are one of Love Island’s success stories and total power couples[/caption]

While Samie was on the podcast, she revealed she confronted All Stars rival Grace Jackson over her comments about her being the “snakiest” Islander.

She also recalled her first day in the villa and how she was “crying all day”.

Samie was instantly hit with backlash, with her even forced to tell a cruel troll to “do one”.

And now Millie and Liam have been forced to intervene as well.

The couple have both turned comments off on their social media profiles, which comes as Samie continues to get a lot of backlash.

“My first day I was so upset I was literally outside crying all day to the producers…” Samie said on the episode.

“I was like what am I doing here?” she said to Millie and Liam on their podcast.

“I was like, I don’t like anyone… is there any other Bombshells coming in? And they kind of told me, but not told me, that I was the last bombshell to walk in.

“And then I was like, oh this is just long. So now I knew that I was just going to be used to mess with couples.”

Samie entered the Love Island as a late arrival and had set her sights on Brighton lad Luca Bish, despite him being coupled up with Grace Jackson.

While in the villa, she and Grace didn’t quite see eye-to-eye with them embroiled in a bitter feud during Samie’s time on the show.

Also on the podcast, Samie admitted she took Grace to one side at The BRITs to confront her after they had both tried to avoid each other when partying with the same friends.

She said on the podcast: “I did speak to her just because I said that I didn’t appreciate that she called me the snakeiest Islander on the podcast.

“I just said to her, honestly, I feel like I haven’t done anything in my eyes to you and it was just about the messages and stuff.”

Instagram

Samie joined the 2025 All Stars series as a bombshell[/caption]

Instagram/@gracexrosa

Grace Jackson was coupled with Luca Bish when Samie entered the villa[/caption]

Samie was referring to Grace’s explosive row with Liv Hawkins in the villa, when Liv suggested she had seen messages in which Grace claimed she would “do anything” to win.

Samie added to the podcast: “She agreed that she didn’t think that Liv had photoshopped them or anything like that, which I was like oh okay, well can you tell everyone else that.

“I just knew what Liv was going through, and I what I was going through as well, and I was like it just wasn’t nice.

“She fully knows about the hate, but she didn’t apologise for calling me the snake.

“She just said that’s how I felt, so we just kind of left it as that.”

Reacting to the episode on Reddit, fans of Love Island were taken aback.

“Samie put her foot in it by backing Liv with the Grace screenshots. If she just stayed quiet this would’ve been between just Liv and Grace,” said one person.

They added: “She can’t really speak the way she’s speaking saying Grace needs to clear anything up when her and Liv were the ones who put grace in this mess.

“Sounds like both grace and Liv/Samie have been through a lot off the back of these allegations which just shows it really wasn’t worth bringing up in the first place.”

While a second penned: “Grace never called her snakey, she said that Samie and Liv were the least trustworthy because of the screenshots.”

ITV

Samie and Grace did not get on in the villa[/caption]

Instagram/@gracexrosa

Grace is still with Luca following the 2025 All Stars series[/caption]

MARRIED At First Sight Australia fans have begged producers to step in for “gaslighting” his wife Katie during an explosive dinner party.

Viewers watched as Katie was reduced to tears on her wedding night as Tim confessed he didn’t feel there was a “spark” between them.

Nine

MAFS Australia fans begged producers to step in for ‘gaslighting’ his wife Katie[/caption]

Nine

But in true MAFS fashion, it wasn’t long before the drama unfolded[/caption]

But in true MAFS fashion, it wasn’t long before the drama unfolded.

During Tuesday’s episode on E4, tension between Katie and Tim boiled over.

Tim told his bride how he felt he was making the most effort in their relationship, having struggled to find a connection with her.

He previously told her on the night of their wedding that there wasn’t an instant physical attraction there and viewers saw him fail to interact with Katie or make any effort during the honeymoon.

It left co-star Jamie furious as she defended Katie and branded Tim a “gaslighter” after he “flipped the script” and made her believe she was doing something wrong.

After the table quizzed Tim over his true intentions and whether or not he would give his relationship a go, Tim decided to slam his wife for “betraying” him in front of the group by not defending him when he was being grilled over their marriage.

Katie was left close to tears as she admitted she was in the wrong and apologised saying “I’m a rookie when it comes to relationships“.

Her fellow co-stars were left gobsmacked at Tim’s manipulation.

Carina pulled him to one side to try and get to the bottom of things – but he continued to “deflect” every question.

At the dinner party though, he told her: “I’ve been the one making most of the effort.”

Katie – who has previously been left in tears by him – said: “Are you serious?”

Tim replied: “I feel like my trust has been broken.”

But for Jamie watching on, the situation appeared to trigger her as she branded Tim a ‘gaslighter’.

She shouted: “He’s gaslighting her.

“Am I the only one seeing what’s going on here? That is not OK.

“I won’t sit here and tolerate that.”

Before storming out of the dinner party, Jamie further snapped: “I can’t die on this hill charging at this mother f*****.”

E4 viewers were left horrified by Tim’s behaviour and begged for bosses to step in to protect Katie’s mental health.

One wrote: “No, no, no the gaslighting is too much. I need a producer to pull Tim aside.”

A second posted: “It’s horrible to see this gaslighting at Katie.

A third said: “Tim manipulating Katie and making her apologise is the last straw for me. How are the experts watching and letting this happen? Even Jamie’s soul is bothered, and I am fuming!”

“The production team have a duty of care regarding Katie’s mental health. When are they going to intervene and haul Tim from the process? This isn’t fair on her,” a fourth fumed.

This frustrated viewers said: “Not only is Tim gaslighting Katie, he’s trying to gaslight the viewers too. Are you joking sir we can see your behaviour you are on camera.”

“Tim is gaslighting Katie to the nth degree! For fucks sake! Katie apologising when she shouldn’t be,” someone else echoed.

While another added: “Where are the producers? They should have removed him from the dinner party and discussed his behaviour right then and there!”

In the end, it all got too much for Tim and he stormed out of the dinner party after rowing with the group.

He’s even been branded MAFS Australia‘s “most hated groom” following some cruel comments to his bride.

Viewers were left fuming after watching the primary school teacher brutally reject Katie.

Fans watched in horror as Tim raged at producers that Katie “wasn’t his type”, just seconds after they were married.

Ever since then, he has refused to give his bride the time of day.

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Jamie stood up for Katie and branded Tim a ‘gaslighter’[/caption]

Nine

Tim has be branded the ‘most hated groom’ following some cruel comments to his bride.[/caption]

THE captain of the cargo ship which crashed into an oil tanker in the North Sea is a Russian national, the vessel’s owner has said.

Shipping company said the rest of the Solong crew were Russian and Filipino.

AP

Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea[/caption]

It comes after cops said a man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with Monday’s horror crash off the coast of Hull.

Humberside Police said a 59-year-old is in custody to allow enquiries to take place.

Cops are continuing to speak to those involved to understand what happened after the vessel collided with US-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate.

One crew member was declared missing before a search was called off.

The force is working alongside the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The tanker was carrying jet fuel.

FEARS are growing for a 13-year-old girl who disappeared in her school uniform over 24 hours ago.

Juwayriyah was last seen in Birmingham at 7:30 am yesterday and concerns are growing for her welfare.

She was wearing a black headscarf, black Nike hoodie, and a school blazer with a red badge from Moseley School when she disappeared.

Birmingham Police are urging anyone who may have seen Juwayriyah to come forward immediately.

She was last seen at 7:30 AM on March 11, 2025, wearing a black headscarf, black Nike hoodie, and a school blazer with a red badge from Moseley School.

Anyone with information is asked to call 999 and quote log 4801 – 110325.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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West Midlands Police

Picture of Juwayriyah wearing her school uniform[/caption]

Oleh: Salahuddin Alam Tidak biasanya tetiba seorang sahabat lama di LSM dan mantan anggota DPRD...

Source

A very wintry scene in Cheltenham.

'Stop teasing us Emmerdale!'

Viewers were fuming.