ONE of the rarest McDonald’s in the world has ditched the iconic golden arches and gone blue for a very surprising reason.
McDonald’s has over 41,000 stores across the globe but one branch in Arizona has managed to stray from the traditional yellow and red branding for over three decades.
The quirky Sedona store is located just off State Route 89A and welcomes in thousands of hungry visitors every day.
But many people are still left in disbelief when they spot the teal arches sitting proudly outside the restaurant.
McDonald’s decided to open up in the bustling city just a few years after it was incorporated into the state of Arizona – thrilling locals with the tasty addition.
The fast-food joint was first built over three decades ago in 1993 and originally planned to have the golden arches like every other store.
But the Department of Community Development in Sedona was left with a bitter taste in their mouth due to the bright gold arches and asked to change things up.
The community had decided it didn’t want to see the shiny “M” towering over Route 89A and instead wanted it to fit into the surrounding area.
Sedona is known for its natural red rock landscape, steep canyons and pine trees and locals feared the yellow may detract from the beauty of the area.
Senior planner for the department, Cari Meyer, told ABC 15 back in 2022: “Someone suggested it would be interesting if they did something else than golden arches to fit in with the identity that the city decided to establish.”
McDonald’s agreed to switch the arches to a teal shade to avoid upsetting the locals – marking a rare brand change for McDonald’s.
Mr Meyer says the blue logo is still seen as one of Sedona’s biggest talking points for visitors and new residents.
Her added: “It’s definitely unique.
“When I first moved here, it’s what people brought up. ‘Oh, you are moving to Sedona? They have turquoise arches!'”
This popularity has made the colour change a key part of the branch’s brand still to this day.
Drinks were even served in teal cups with the burger boxes matching up to the sign out the front at one point.
Inside, it still remains a beloved McDonald’s with the classic fast food design and delicious menu.
The front of the restaurant has become a social media sensation in the past decades with weekly TikTok’s and Instagram posts being made to showcase the teal look.
Only a few other McDonald’s locations have non-traditional coloured arches.
While the blue arches are a truly special switch-up for McDonald’s lovers, there are several other global stores with different colours.
McDonald’s in Sunset Boulevard, Rocklin, California has red arches instead of golden one.
Also in California, the Monterrey franchise can be seen from miles away with its black arches.
Across in Europe, a store on the stunning Champs-Élysées in Paris is often cited as one of the world’s best looking McDonald’s with its neon white arches.
Similar white signs also light up a McDonald’s in Bruges, Belgium.
Another hugely popular McDonald’s sits in Nyugati Railway Station, Budapest and it is often named the world’s most beautiful fast food store.
The station was designed by Austrian architect August de Serres, who later went on to help built the Eiffel Tower.
It opened back in 1990 and many of the original features still renain today including the antique lamps and painted stucco ceilings.
The vintage design has huge glass windows around the entire building, as well as copper-covered light fixtures.
Along with the more modern designs including touch screen kiosks, diners can even watch the food conveyor belt between the two levels of the kitchen a “unique” feature to the McDonald’s.
And it’s not the only cool McDonald’s in Europe.
One in Spain has been named the “most breathtaking,” being right on the beach.
As a Hamburg McDonald’s comes fit with a “drive-thru for boats” and has been named the coolest in the world.
HERE'S all the crucial information about McDonald's you've always wanted to know...
ROCK and Roll Hall of Fame viewers have slammed Dua Lipa as ‘pitchy’ following her live duet with Cher – but other fans have pointed out the possibly reason why.
Singer Dua, 29, was joined by pop royalty Cher, 78, as she took to the stage for a belting performance at the annual Induction Ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday.
However, their duet of Cher’s 1998 hit Believe received mix reactions online, with some branding Dua’s performance “pitchy” and “underwhelming.”
However, others pointed out that she may have been “under-singing” on purpose while her collaborator went full steam ahead.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one wrote: “Geez…Dua Lipa sounds terrible. If this was some singing competition, she would be out immediately.”
Another added: “Dua Lipa is quite literally singing live too that’s why we hear how awful most of it was.”
Someone else agreed: “Dua Lipa is me singing along with the radio.”
A fourth stated: “Anyone other than Cher singing this songs always sounds like bad karaoke, and that includes Dua Lipa unfortunately. Cher’s voice totally blew her out of the water.”
But a fifth rushed to her defence, asking: “Am I the only one who thinks Dua Lipa was under singing on purpose. Real Dua fans know she did not sing at full potential.”
And a sixth pointed out: “don’t forget that dua performed the day before for two hours in the royal Albert Hall.”
Cher, herself, has admitted to using autotune on the track, admitting on The Jennifer Hudson Show this year: “My record Believe was the first time auto-tune was ever used.
“It was called pitch machine, and it happened because of an argument that I had with my producer.”
The Turn Back Time songstress revealed she “walked out” on a studio session after being asked to “sing it better” over and over.
She added: “But then he called me the next day, and he said, ‘Cher, I just got this thing in, it’s called a pitch machine. And I’m doing some things and give me a couple hours and then come in ‘cause I think I’ve got something really interesting.’”
After hearing the final product, the Grammy winner said, “We both jumped up and high-fived. It was just the emotion of it.”
A HEADSET that can be used at home could help cure depression, a study has found.
The device, which stimulates the brain using electronic pulses, could have a “significant impact” on the future treatment of the condition, experts have said.
The treatment relieves all symptoms of depression in more than half of patients (57.5 per cent) in just 10 weeks, the research suggests.
The East London study also showed that the headset, which zaps the brain, was able to improve symptoms in 64.2 per cent of the patients involved in the trial.
No serious side effects associated with using the device were reported in the research published in the Nature Medicine journal.
The Flow headset works by stimulating brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the front of the brain, an area linked with depression.
It delivers weak electrical currents, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), through electrodes placed on the forehead.
A camera in an app helps the user put on the headset correctly.
It also controls the electrical current using Bluetooth.
According to the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics, one in six people externally has experienced moderate to severe depression.
Allan Young, chairman of mood disorders, and director of the centre for Affective Disorders in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said: “These results are very exciting and are poised to have a significant impact on the future treatment of depression.
“Major depression is undertreated throughout the world, and the current treatment modalities have significant limitations.
“This trial shows that this treatment is both effective and well tolerated, giving patients who are currently struggling to find options that work for them a vital new alternative.”
The device is available to buy from Boots for £399 – meaning it can be used by patients at home.
Gemma Collins was previously blasted for promoting the headset on her Instagram.
In the post, the reality star claimed the device worked better than antidepressants and encouraged people to take treatment for the mental health condition into their own hands instead of seeking professional medical help, the UK watchdog ruled.
The 43-year-old, who has 2.2million followers, shared a video of herself wearing the Flow device in May 2023, which has since been taken down.
Patients involved in the research were on a stable long-term dose of an antidepressant but were still moderately to severely depressed going into the study.
Depression can manifest in many ways.
We all feel a bit low from time to time.
But depression is persistent and can make a person feel helpless and unable to see a way through.
They may also struggle to about daily life.
Mind says these are some common signs of depression that you may experience:
How you might feel
How you might act
If you feel this way, visit your GP who can help you.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Using the device with the antidepressant led to even better results, with remission rates at 67.1 per cent when combined with an antidepressant, the study in 174 patients with depression found.
Professor Cynthia Fu, the study’s senior author and a professor of affective neuroscience and psychotherapy at King’s IoPPN, said: “The burden of depression is mostly keenly felt by the 280 million people worldwide currently managing symptoms.
“While a combination of antidepressants and therapy generally proves to be effective for many people, medication can have side effects that some can find disruptive.
“Our study has demonstrated that tDCS is a safe and effective alternative that has the potential to help those in need.”
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, you can contact the Samaritans on www.samaritans.org, or 116 123 at any time.
WE'RE all guilty of assuming that any effort to be more mentally sound will be a boring slog.
At worst, you might have to endure a miserable early morning run.
At best, you might need to carve out some extra sleep – though perhaps not boring, it might seem like an impossible feat for some.
But in reality, there are lots of small, pain-free tricks that require minimal effort but could have a huge impact on our wellbeing.
The Sun’s health team share their tried and tested ways to boost your mental health, from playing with dogs and using a free meditation app to making use of to-do lists.
Read the full story here.
LAS Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has dropped a major hint about his NFL future.
With the Raiders struggling for wins and the trade deadline coming up, Crosby is expected to be a hot commodity this fall.
Among the biggest rumors this season is the Detroit Lions attempting to swing a trade for the superstar pass-rusher.
The Lions lost their young star, Aiden Hutchinson, to a broken leg last week, and they are expected to be in the market for defensive talent.
Detroit already has an extremely talented roster, but a player like Crosby would likely push them over the ledge into Super Bowl favorites.
Crosby is adding some fuel to the rumors lately, by posting messages to his Instagram Story that hint at a trade.
The Raiders defensive end played his college ball at Eastern Michigan, giving him ties to the city of Detroit, and one fan called on him to return to the state.
“Homecoming at the Factory and Maxx Crosby field,” the reposted picture read.
“Time to come home and win a (ring emoji) @maxxcrosby.”
Fans went wild for the message from Crosby and quickly shared their theories on social media.
“OHHHH S***,” one fan said.
“I mean really what else could this mean?” another fan said.
“The news of Maxx Crosby getting traded to the lions on Wednesday is gonna hit,” a third fan said.
“It’ll happen,” a fourth fan said.
While fans are begging for a Crosby trade, the executives in Las Vegas have maintained that he isn’t going anywhere.
“It’s unfortunate today, but there’s so much outside chatter that is not true,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said.
“It’s not coming from any sources. It’s not coming from anything.
August 1 - Hall of Fame Game - Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears
August 8 – Pre-season begins
August 27 – Deadline for 53-man rosters
September 1 – Final day of pre-season
September 5 – Season opener – Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs
November 5 – Trade deadline
January 5 – Week 18 of regular-season
January 11 – Playoffs begin
February 9 – Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana
“My basic thing is never to answer all that stuff because, otherwise, you get trapped in this black hole.
“It’s just not happening.”
While Davis is ensuring Raiders fans that Crosby won’t be moved, anything can happen while the team continues to get worse.
They sit at 2-5 on the season and have little chance of making the playoffs. The team already traded away star wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets and will likely move other pieces.
The Raiders are going to have a high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, so they might as well load up on more picks to help their upcoming rebuild.
November 5 marks the 2024 NFL trade deadline, so fans will know within a few weeks if Crosby will be traded.
NINTENDO Switch’s subscription service works a bit differently from Xbox’s and PlayStation’s.
While all of them allow you to play multiplayer games online, depending on your tier, the free games they offer are very different.
All of the games in the Nintendo Switch Online library are for Nintendo’s older consoles, whereas Xbox and PlayStation give away newer games.
However, that’s about to change as Nintendo has announced Game Trials, a Switch Online perk that allows you to grab newer games.
From October 23 until October 30, people can pick up and play three popular recently released games.
One of the bigger games in the selection is Minecraft Dungeons, a smaller spin-off game based on Minecraft.
This is a dungeon crawler, with procedurally generated levels, so it’s different every time you play.
The other two games are smaller indie titles that have received a great reception from fans.
Cursed to Golf is an 80-rated golf roguelike, where you have to complete a randomly selected 18-hole golf course in order to escape purgatory.
A Little to the Left is also up for grabs, and is a puzzle game where you organise objects into pleasing arrangements.
All three games are available for free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but they can only be picked up during that week.
However, they are all short games, and if you’re a gaming fanatic, you can probably finish all three within the time frame.
You can also pick the game that most closely aligns with your taste and focus on that for a week.
While Nintendo doesn’t usually offer recent releases with its online subscription, it is much cheaper than its competitors.
One year of Nintendo Switch Online costs the same as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and that price difference is shocking.
Personally, I think Nintendo Switch Online is the best value out of all three gaming services, but I rarely play modern online games.
Nintendo’s older library of games includes classics like Super Metroid and A Link to the Past, which are still amazing to play even today.
Nintendo’s subscription also offers games you can’t play on other consoles, making for a great value package.
If you want to learn more about the service, check out everything we know about the Nintendo Switch Online secret playtest.
Get the lowdown on more of the latest Nintendo Switch releases from our expert reviewers.
For Xbox Series X and PS5 reviews, check out our full game reviews section.
SHOCKING pictures from the Yung Filly court case allegedly show the aftermath of “violent acts” carried out by the YouTuber, prosecutors claim.
The 29-year-old has been charged with rape and sexual assault with investigators claiming to have “extremely strong” evidence against the social media star.
Western Australia Police Prosecutor Julius Depetro is leading the case and claims prosecutors have photographs of the alleged victim which show a “history of what we say is violent acts”.
Mr Depetro told the court during Filly’s first hearing this month that “no ordinary person could consent” to what the images allegedly show.
The prosecutor added: “We say those photos and what is alleged in the allegation is effectively beyond the pale.
“Beyond the norm of what could be considered or entertained to be a consensual act.”
Prosecutors also say they have seen CCTV footage that confirms Filly was with the woman on September 28 when she alleges the assault took place.
The court heard that the 20-year-old woman was seen leaving a venue with Filly as investigators try to pinpoint the exact location of the pair.
Initial reports say it is likely to be outside the Bar1 Nightclub where Filly was performing and his accuser was partying with a friend.
Additional footage goes on to show the woman leaving another building alone which may be the hotel where the alleged offences took place.
Mr Depetro also claims that another witness is being actively looked at by police.
Filly, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, has been charged with four counts of rape and three counts of assault causing bodily harm.
With an additional count of impeding a woman’s normal breathing or circulation by applying pressure to her neck also included.
Filly was charged with the eight serious counts earlier this month and was granted bail on strict conditions by magistrate Tanya Watt.
He stumped up $100,000AUD (£51,000) and is banned from leaving the state, can’t contact the alleged victim and has to report to Perth Police Station everyday.
His second hearing isn’t due to get underway until December with a potential trial set to take up to two years to finally begin.
Leaving Filly potentially forced to stay in Australia for a two-year stint without any update on the case.
The UK musician’s lawyer Seamus Rafferty, has confirmed that Filly has managed to find a home in Perth which he is set to stay in for the next six months until the second hearing.
Mr Rafferty said his client “will need to lead a fairly quiet existence for a while”.
Court documents from the trial have also revealed the timeline cops are using to investigate the alleged hotel attack.
The 20-year-old woman is said to have been partying at the Bar1 Nightclub in Perth on September 27, according to the Perth Magistrates Court docs revealed by MailOnline.
The university student was with a friend in the VIP section until the early hours of the following day.
She was said to have been drinking throughout the night, say the documents.
Filly was the guest performer at the same club on that evening.
Once the rapper had stopped performing the young woman is believed to have met up with him.
Prosecutors then say the pair went back to a hotel room together.
The alleged victim then claims she was sexually assaulted and raped inside the room on September 28.
The woman phoned her friend at around 5:31am after leaving the Perth hotel, according to the docs.
Detectives believe this was immediately afterwards the alleged assault.
Barrister Rafferty claims that the woman doesn’t mention any form of sexual misconduct in the short phone conversation.
It comes as The Sun spoke to a mum who has accused Yung Filly of breaking her terminally ill son’s heart after he failed to keep a promise he made to the youngster.
The YouTuber told Mason Greaves, 12, he was there to “support him” and challenged him to a game of Fortnite in a video.
But mum Kelly Greaves claims the rapper instead ghosted her poorly son and even at one point told him to “shut up”.
YUNG Filly’s rise to fame saw him start out as a social media star.
The influencer got his big break on YouTube before moving into mainstream TV.
Although he goes by Yung Filly, his real name is Andres Felipé Barrientos.
He was born on August 6, 1995, and moved to the UK from Colombia when he was two years old.
Filly then relocated to southeast London during his childhood.
When asked what it was like growing up in the capital, he told Indy100: “I come from the bottom of the barrel…and that’s why I’m so grateful for the position I’m in now.
“My mum definitely shaped me with the lessons she taught me.
“She’s a single mum with three kids, my dad was a s*** dad so she just had to make it happen.
“She did loads of cleaning jobs. My mum worked at Poundland at the time I had some mad BBC series…just getting my mum out of the position she was in was just the biggest motivation.”
Filly is best known for being a member of the comedy group known as The Wall of Comedy.
He is affiliated with fellow YouTuber Chunkz and the pair have collaborated on many videos and tracks.
Over the years, Filly has also taken part in The Sidemen‘s Charity Football Match, organised by members Josh Bradley, Simon Minter, Tobi Brown, KSI, Ethan Payne, Vikram Barn and Harry Lewis.
SHOCKING footage has shown the moment one of Vladimir Putin’s soldiers seemed to tempt death as he dodged eight drone strikes.
The video showed how this Russian survived the near-deadly kamikaze attack carried out by remote Ukrainian pilots.
This shocking video, caught by drone cameras, showed the fighter crossing through a desolate field alone while under attack.
The soldier, from the 15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Alexandria Brigade, was targeted twice by drones on the field.
He continued onto an empty road where footage showed four more FPV drones narrowly missing him.
The soldier reportedly dodged two more drone attacks, not shown on video.
This Terminator-esc fighter reportedly walked away with little more than minor injuries.
Despite this Ukrainian drone attack failure, the army conducted a successful operation on a Russian explosives plant overnight on October 20.
A series of loud eruptions were reported at the Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhins, in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia.
Shocking images showed clouds of smoke and bright flashes coming from the site as it was pummeled by kamikaze drones.
This plant was one of Russia’s biggest producers of industrial explosives and other military equipment, like artillery shells and warheads for air defence systems.
Despite this blow, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has shared hope that his country will soon defeat Putin and end Russia’s war.
Two and a half years after his country was invaded, Zelensky stood infront of Ukraine’s parliament and revealed his “victory plan,” The Sun has previously reported.
The Ukrainian leader detailed his five-step proposal to strengthen Ukraine’s ties with the West and deter future attacks from its neighbour.
Specific ideas included securing an invite to join NATO, and getting permission from allies to use long-range weapons, that have been provided, deep inside Russia.
Other steps include a joint effort from the US and EU to protect Ukraine’s natural resources and hosting non-nuclear weapons on its soil to deter Russia.
Finally, Zelensky said he wanted to provide Ukrainian soldiers in Europe as part of the bloc’s defence against Russia, after the war ends.
The Kremlin dismissed Zelensky’s plans as a spokesman said Kyiv had to “sober up.”
The Russian parliament has also come out to deny claims that Putin’s health has deteriorated.
This unprecedented move came after the Russian president, 72, admitted on TV that he had received regular medical examinations at one of Moscow’s top hospitals.
“Doctors at the Central Clinical Hospital, where I undergo all sorts of regular examinations, also recommend getting vaccinated with domestically produced drugs,” Putin said in the televised meeting.
Putin’s men last month suffered their biggest death toll since the invasion started.
The Russian army faced an average of 1,270 dead troops each day in September, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
