How Brooklyn could torpedo the family brand

Ian YoungsCulture reporterGetty ImagesBrooklyn Peltz Beckham has claimed "performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships" were a fixture of his lifeSir David and Lady Beckham's son Brooklyn has accused them of putting "Brand Beckham" first as they built up their global image and business empire. His bombshell statement threatens to derail both their public reputation and their private life."We've tried to give our children the most normal upbringing as possible," David said in his 2023 Netflix…

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Second lady Usha Vance announces she is pregnant with fourth child

Usha Vance, the wife of Vice-President JD Vance, has announced she is pregnant with her fourth child. In a post on X, the second lady said she is looking forward to welcoming a boy in late July. "Usha and the baby are doing well," a statement posted on Tuesday to the second lady's social media account read. Vance and his wife, Usha, 40, have three young children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.Usha Vance (née Chilukuri) was born and raised…

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Trump is shaking the world order more than any president since WW2

Lyse DoucetChief international correspondentReutersTuesday marks one year to the day Trump was inaugurated as president for his second termOn day one, he put the world on notice. "Nothing will stand in our way," President Donald Trump declared, to thunderous applause, as he ended his inauguration speech in a cold Washington winter on this day last year, at the start of his second term. Did the world fail to take enough notice?Tucked into his speech was a mention of…

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Shock and confusion as officials struggle for answers

Guy Hedgecoein Adamuz, southern SpainReutersSpain's King Felipe (far right) visited the crash site with Queen Letizia on TuesdaySunday's high-speed train crash in southern Spain, the worst in over a decade, has been a devastating tragedy for the country, with the loss of at least 42 lives.And amid the grief, many are asking what could have caused such a failure on one of Europe's most admired rail systems.The CIAF rail investigatory commission has started analysing why a train travelling…

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EU to suspend approval of US tariffs deal

Jonathan Josephs,Business reporterandNick Edser,Business reporterBloomberg via Getty ImagesThe European Parliament is planning to suspend approval of the US tariffs deal agreed in July, according to sources close to its international trade committee.The suspension is set to be announced in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday.The move would mark another escalation in tensions between the US and Europe, as Donald Trump ratchets up his efforts to acquire Greenland, threatening new tariffs over the issue on the weekend. The stand-off has rattled…

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Ukraine’s parliament and half of Kyiv with no heating after Russian strikes

ReutersZelensky said repelling Monday night's attack had cost Ukraine about €80m (£69m) just in terms of air defence missilesA large Russian aerial strike on Ukraine has left the Ukrainian parliament and half of Kyiv's residential buildings without heating or power as temperatures across the country continue to hover around -10C.Drones, ballistic and cruise missiles targeted several locations in Ukraine, including Kyiv, Dnipro in the centre and Odesa in the south.Air raid alerts in Kyiv lasted most of the…

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Kurdish-led SDF pulls out of camp for IS families during clashes in Syria

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) says it has withdrawn from a camp holding thousands of people with alleged links to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), as clashes with the Syrian government continue despite a ceasefire agreement.The SDF said its forces were "compelled to withdraw" from al-Hol camp and redeploy to other cities in northern Syria "due to the international indifference toward the issue of [IS]".Syria's interior ministry condemned the move, saying it took place without co-ordination…

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UK defends Chagos Islands deal after Trump calls handover ‘act of great stupidity’

Getty ImagesThe UK government has defended a deal to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base, following criticism from US President Donald Trump over its handling.In a post on social media, Trump labelled the move as an "act of great stupidity" and "total weakness", months after he and senior US officials endorsed it.In response, the UK government said it would "never compromise on our national security", while the prime minister's official spokesperson…

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Colombia sentences ex-paramilitary leader Mancuso to 40 years in jail

A tribunal in Colombia has sentenced a former paramilitary leader, Salvatore Mancuso, to 40 years in prison for murders and forced disappearances committed at the height of the country's armed conflict.Mancuso was a commander in the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary group originally created to defend landowners from attacks by Marxist guerrilla groups, which became involved in drug trafficking.The tribunal found that under his command, AUC members committed more than 100 crimes in La…

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Ex-president accused of murder plot expelled from Togo

Togo has arrested and extradited Burkina Faso's former leader to his home country, after authorities in Ouagadougou accused him of plotting to kill his successor.Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba - who came to power in a coup in 2022 before himself being overthrown by Ibrahim Traoré eight months later - is accused by the current regime of masterminding an assassination attempt against Traoré.According to the Togolese justice ministry, Damiba was handed over to the Burkinabè authorities on Saturday.It says as…

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Australia parliament passes gun reform and anti-hate bills after Bondi shooting

Australia's parliament has voted for sweeping gun law reforms and a crackdown on hate speech, a month after two attackers shot 15 people dead at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach.Both bills passed the House of Representatives and Senate at a special sitting late on Tuesday. The gun reform measures include a national gun buyback scheme and new checks on firearm licence applications.Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the Bondi gunmen would not legally have had access to…

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Cow astonishes scientists with rare tool use

Watch: Veronika the cow shows off her unique skillsScientists are rethinking what cattle are capable of after an Austrian cow named Veronika was found to use tools with impressive skill. The discovery, reported by researchers in Vienna, suggests cows may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously assumed.Veronika, a cow living in a mountain village in the Austrian countryside, has spent years perfecting the art of scratching herself using sticks, rakes, and brooms. Word of her behaviour eventually…

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