A leading travel company is dishing out free holidays to lucky couples to celebrate the release of the new Barbie film.
In case you’ve been living under a rock and somehow just haven’t heard, it’s going to be a massive weekend at the box offices, with two massive blockbuster films by two of the most critically-acclaimed directors working at the moment being released to serious fanfare – and one of those films, of course, is Barbie.
An all-star ensemble cast lead by Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken make up Greta Gerwig’s third solo directorial outing.
Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Issa Rae are just a handful of the some 30+ famous names also on the jam-packed cast list, so as you can tell, it’s a pretty big deal, and in a fitting nod to celebrate what’s set to be one of the biggest and most highly-anticipated films of the year, leading package holiday travel company On The Beach has decided to give away some freebies.
Not just any old freebies though, we’re talking all-expense-paid trips to Barbados.
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This travel company is giving free holidays to real-life couples called Barbie and Ken / Credit: On The Beach / Southern Palms Beach Club
Oh but, there’s one minor catch – the holidays will only be dished out to real-life couples, whose names just so happen to be Barbie and Ken.
“We want real life Barbies and Kens to have it all and enjoy a week of fun, frolics, and fluff,” explained On The Beach’s chief customer officer Zoe Harris, “So if your name in your passport is Barbie and you’re dating a Ken, now’s the time to take advantage and go party for free in Barbie-dos.”
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Real-life Barbies and Kens will get whisked away by On The Beach to the aptly-pink Southern Palms Beach Club in the popular St Lawrence Gap neighbourhood in Barbados, and is known for offering high-class accommodation in breathtakingly-beautiful settings.
The holidays are at the Southern Palms Beach Club in Barbados / Credit: On The Beach / Southern Palms Beach Club
It also gives-off the same vibes as the buildings in the ‘Barbie land’ featured in the film.
With the travel company calling it “the perfect pink palace for an active and exciting long-haul break”, the Southern Palms Beach Club is right on the beach front and boasts two pools, an outdoor gym, free WiFi, and a wide range of different activities for everything to get involved with.
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And all you’ll need to do to be in with the chance of bagging the free trip, is prove that your names are Barbie and Ken on your passports.
Real-life Barbies and Kens will get to stay at the resort for free for seven nights / Credit: On The Beach / Southern Palms Beach Club
Couples whose first names appear on their passport as Barbie and Ken are urged to get in touch with On the Beach’s sales team and quote ‘Barbie-dos’ to claim a FREE seven-night stay at the Southern Palms Beach Club Hotel on a half-board basis.
Barbies and Kens have until 31 July to claim their holiday and it must be taken in 2023.
Making sure nothing is left forgotten, the holiday comes with flights, transfers, baggage, and taxes included – but is subject to availability.
Featured Image – On The Beach / Southern Palms Beach Club
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Tesco are introducing ‘VAR-style’ self-checkouts in the UK
Danny Jones
Many people think VAR has already gone too far and want it gone from football full stop, and we’re here to tell you that you’re a fool; your hopes are in vain, and the technology is only going to become more common as time goes on. Sorry.
So much so, in fact, that Tesco look are bringing in their own virtual referee into self-checkout systems in shops. You could say the ‘game’s gone…’
Of course, we’re being a bit flippant here, but if you have seen ‘VAR’ and ‘Tesco‘, you’re not seeing things: this is genuinely a thing that is being rolled out here in the UK, with video footage of the supermarket chain’s next self-checkout technology going viral online.
Thought you’d got away with sneaking an extra little something in the bag without paying? Think again.
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) May 28, 2025
We’ll admit, this was the first time we’d come across the technology, but as it turns out, the updated self-checkout service has been in place for a while.
Similar VAR checkouts have already been installed at other retailers, Sainsbury’s and ASDA, although some reports claim that while stores capture footage of shoppers to check if they’ve scanned all of their items, it is thought that not all of these self-service tills show a playback when an error is detected.
Although this particular speculation has sparked some uproar and debate online, many have quite rightly pointed out that CCTV records your movement in any given shop.
Regardless, it’s fair to say that aside from the obvious memes and people poking fun at the new system, many on social media have shared some pretty strong opinions on the matter.
Not that it matters much – it’s likely this will soon become increasingly the norm, with the likes of Sainsbury’s having already introduced barriers which require customers to scan their receipt in order to leave at branches such as the site on Regent Road Retail Park over in Salford.
As yet, it’s unclear how many of these new self-service tills are in operation and whether they are limited to larger supermarket locations of their Express convenience stores, but don’t be surprised if you come across one.
Put simply, if a barcode isn’t registered before being put on the scale and/or set aside to be packed away, the Tesco till will read: “The last item wasn’t scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again.”
Addressing these new VAR-style checkouts in an official statement, a company spokesperson said: “We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
“We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier.”
What do you make of the new Tesco and their new VAR self-checkout technology?
Ruben Amorim reacts as Manchester United are booed off after Malaysia friendly
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has delivered a fairly brutal response after his club were booed off by supporters during a friendly in Malaysia.
The Red Devils recently embarked on a post-season tour following a calamitous 2024/25 campaign, both domestically and continentally, with that limp loss in the Europa League final, but have already resumed what has become alarmingly normal service with yet another defeat.
Finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur – a squad comprised of various talents from around the region who had never played together before and were only founded as an actual team back in 2014 – it was all far from clean slates and fresh starts.
In the wake of the shock result, Man United were booed off by the Malaysian and other international fans inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which saw more than 70,000 in attendance.
It’s the end and that’s it. Man United got boo’ed by the fans after the final whistle.
They got beaten by non-full team Asean All-Star who just trained together as a group few days before the match. pic.twitter.com/fBxnMiZPN8
For context, the ASEAN All-Stars had only trained together for the first time just days before the game itself, but the de facto exhibition outfit still managed to break the deadlock in the 71st minute against a United side that rarely looked like scoring.
All that being said, Amorim had some choice words for his own players in his post-match duties after their first post-season tour fixture, insisting that while he always remains accountable, those out on the pitch perhaps received somewhat of a deserved reckoning too.
He began by stating, “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. [I have been responsible] since the first day”, but went on to argue: “The boos from the fans, I think it something that we need, maybe.”
Citing that the Old Trafford faithful and die-hard away fans have always been loyal and supportive despite frustration in the league, he suggested that “maybe they will change the way they behave” following this latest reality check.
Despite adding that he has seen reasons for optimism in performances against Man City and Liverpool, for instance, where he felt he saw “belief” and seeds of what’s to come, he’s made very few excuses for the poor displays up to now.
United face the Hong Kong national team in their next friendly on Friday, 29 May, and it’s fair to say anything less than a win would be beyond bad for the predictably unpredictable Premier League club.
You can see his full post-match press conference down below.
Emily Sergeant -
20th July 2023 
