Video shows emergency service crews celebrating the announcement of a ceasefire deal with chants and sirens. The U.S.-brokered agreement aims to end the two-year Gaza conflict, but residents reported ongoing Israeli attacks ahead of the formal start of the ceasefire.
David and Victoria Beckham’s love story has been in the headlines ever since they first started dating. From the original story of how they met, to David’s alleged affair with Rebecca Loos.
Even amidst a very public feud with their son Brooklyn, Victoria and David have remained resilient. Whilst the documentary focuses on Victoria, her family – minus son Brooklyn – play a huge part in the series. At one moment during the documentary, Victoria says her husband is at least partly to blame for her looking so unhappy.
As they got ready to go out, she said: “Here’s a fact, I’ve looked miserable for all these years, because when we stand on the red carpet, this guy [Becks] has always gone on the left. Okay.
“Now I didn’t realise that when I smile, which I do! I smile from the left, because if I smile from the right I look unwell. So consequently I’m smiling. I’m smiling on the inside, but no one ever sees it, so that’s why I look so moody.”
Body language expert Judi James has now given us an insight into David and Victoria’s longstanding romance and how they’ve got through some of the toughest times together.
Speaking about how the pair’s dynamic has shifted over the years, Judi exclusively explained to The Mirror: “One thing that has clearly endured throughout the Beckham’s long and chequered relationship is their ability to role-shift.
“Even at the height of both their fame she would act like his besotted fan when he was the star of an event, and he would do the same for her. There was never any sign of success envy and here we can see them complimenting each other and switching their body language signals of status and power up and down accordingly.”
Annabelle Knight, Sex and Relationships expert at Lovehoney, added: “David and Victoria Beckham’s love story has always felt like something out of a movie. He was the golden boy of football, she was Posh Spice – one of the most recognisable women in the world – and yet when they met, there was this instant spark and sense of partnership.
“You could tell they adored each other’s drive, ambition and humour. That early connection set the tone for everything that followed – a relationship built on mutual respect as much as attraction. What people love about their relationship is that it feels real. They’ve had their fair share of ups and downs, and yet they’ve always come out stronger.”
Despite the “set up” nature of Victoria and David’s chat in their Cotswolds home, Judi says one thing is clear about their bond and romance; that they compliment each other so well.
“When they sit at the table though there is a role-swap and their ‘chat’ is more like a football pundit interview, with David asking the questions while she goes into vulnerable childlike mode. All her words are punctuated with spiky-fingered hand gestures, suggesting tension and anxiety while his body language signals relaxed confidence,” she said.
“She appears as the needy one in the relationship here, crying over making a cheese sandwich and claiming she’s trying to prove herself to David despite having been one of the biggest pop stars on the planet when he met her.”
Even the toughest parts of their romance – David’s alleged affair with Rebecca Loos and the family’s feud with Brooklyn – has only strengthened the pair’s marriage now and going forward.
“The Rebecca Loos scandal could’ve been the end for many couples, but they chose to face it together. When trust is shaken, it’s easy to walk away but instead, they’ve rebuilt their relationship. That takes honesty, forgiveness and a lot of teamwork,” Annabelle tells us.
“Even now, with all the chatter around their son Brooklyn, they’re showing what being a united couple really looks like. Parenting grown-up kids can test even the best relationships – loyalties get pulled, and emotions can flare but David and Victoria have always had each other’s backs. Their marriage clearly comes first, and that’s what keeps them solid.”
Judi further reveals that Victoria seems more “insecure” in their exchanges. She added: “She doesn’t appear to trust his compliments and support here, but he seems to act in the role of counsellor and coach.
“He claims she’s trying to prove something to herself, not him. There are clearly expressions of affection exchanged but there is an air of calm patience from him and tense insecurities from here that are hopefully complimentary. It could be that we see more of his support and reassurance to her here and not enough of when she’s flattering and reassuring him too.”
Annabelle added: “They’ve got that ‘us against the world’ energy, which feels like a bit of a modern fairy tale.”
Great British Bake Off’s Dame Prue Leith has shared a hilarious anecdote about the time she made an embarrassing mistake while serving tea to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The renowned chef, now a household name on British television, recently reminisced about her younger days when she had the rare privilege of meeting the Queen.
During an episode of the Making A Scene podcast, Dame Prue recalled the embarrassing incident that occurred over 50 years ago, when she was tasked with preparing a cup of tea for Her Majesty.
Speaking to podcast hosts Matt Lucas and David Walliams, she revealed how she went above and beyond to ensure the Queen’s tea was made exactly to her liking.
Despite contacting the Palace in advance to learn the Queen’s tea preferences, she was instructed to prepare a selection of options—including lemon tea and Earl Grey—for the Queen to choose from.
However, when the moment came to serve the Queen, Dame Prue admitted to making a series of errors, such as adding a slice of lemon to her black tea and diluting it excessively. She recalled: “She said, as it filled, ‘I like it strong.’ So the poor woman—she wanted a strong tea, and she got a lemony, weak tea.”
Even decades later, Dame Prue revealed that the Queen had her sweet revenge, joking: “Well, she got her revenge, because it took her 50 years to give me a damehood.”
Dame Prue was honoured with an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1989 and later elevated to a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2010.
The pinnacle of Royal recognition came in 2021, when she was awarded a damehood for her contributions to food, broadcasting, and charity work.
Expressing her joy on X, formerly known as Twitter, she wrote: “I’m not sure I deserve such a pat on the back for doing things that I’ve loved all my long life—in business or cooking or campaigning.”
Recently, the 85-year-old has reunited with Paul Hollywood, judging the efforts of contestants on The Great British Bake Off.
US sanctions on Serbia’s majority-Russian-owned Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) oil company, which operates the country’s sole refinery, have taken effect after months of delay.
After the sanctions came into force on Thursday morning, NIS said it “had not yet been granted an extension of the special licence from the United States Department of the Treasury”.
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“NIS is working to overcome this situation,” it said in a statement, adding it would work with the US Treasury to seek its removal from the sanctions list.
Serbia almost entirely depends on Russian gas and oil supplies, which it receives mainly through pipelines in Croatia and other neighbouring states.
The fuels are then distributed by NIS, which is majority-owned by Russia’s state oil monopoly Gazprom Neft.
The US sanctioned NIS in January as part of its crackdown on the Russian energy sector following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The company said it has “sufficient crude oil reserves for processing at this time, while petrol stations are fully supplied with all types of petroleum products”.
President Aleksandar Vucic warned on Monday that the sanctions would have a serious impact and hit the banking sector first.
“There is no bank in the world that would risk violating US sanctions,” Vucic said.
NIS confirmed it expects foreign payment cards to “cease functioning”, with petrol stations accepting only Serbia’s domestic card or cash.
Although formally seeking European Union membership, Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, in part because of the crucial Russian gas deliveries.
The pro-Russian Vucic is facing one of the biggest threats to more than a decade of his rule, demanding he resign. Protests have been held by university students and others following the collapse last year of a concrete canopy at a railway station in the country’s north that killed 16 people.
A central NIS station in Belgrade was quiet on Thursday, as the head of the company’s consumer arm told the state broadcaster that there was no need for motorists to panic buy.
“Our sales are operating as normal. There are no restrictions when it comes to the quantities customers can purchase,” Bojana Radojevic, NIS retail director, said.
Croatian pipeline operator Janaf, which supplies oil to NIS, said it could take an 18-million-euro ($21m) hit this year.
“The expectation that the US will lift the sanctions is irrelevant. They [NIS] put themselves in such a position, and they have to resolve it,” Janaf chairman Stjepan Adanic told Croatian broadcaster HRT.
Vucic said earlier that talks were under way on the company’s future, including the possible divestment of Russian shareholders.
Despite Western pressure, Serbia has maintained close ties with Moscow and refused to impose sanctions, even as it pursues EU membership.
It is heavily dependent on Russian gas. A supply contract signed in spring 2022 is expiring, and talks are under way for a new deal.
NIS is 45 percent owned by Gazprom Neft.
Its parent company, Gazprom, transferred its 11 percent stake last month to Intelligence, a Saint Petersburg-based firm also linked to the Russian energy giant.
Palestinians have flooded the streets of Khan Younis, Gaza, celebrating after United States President Donald Trump announced the initial phase of a ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas would proceed.
Jubilation spread throughout the city as Palestinians expressed optimism that the prolonged, devastating Israeli genocidal war might finally conclude.
The comprehensive 20-point plan, initially revealed on September 29, outlines the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza reconstruction efforts.
In northern Gaza City, residents assembled outside al-Ahli Hospital to celebrate the impending ceasefire agreement. The crowd chanted takbirs and performed prostrations in gratitude, displaying relief and happiness following weeks of severe conflict.
According to the Health Ministry, at least 67,194 Palestinians have been killed and 169,890 wounded in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
The Israeli military resumed its Gaza offensive on March 18, disrupting a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement established in January. Since then, 13,598 Palestinians have been killed and 57,849 injured.
The new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is scheduled to begin on Thursday, following extensive mediation efforts in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice regarding its military campaign.
Members of the senior staff association of Nigerian universities (SSANU) And those of the Non-Academic staff union (NASU) are protesting at the university of Abuja main campus
The protest is part of the nationwide action decided upon by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Of the two unions, at the expiration of a two-week ultimatum they gave to the federal government to address their demands, which are mainly welfare matters
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The protesting university workers are demanding, among other things, the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with the federal government, immediate payment of 25 and 35 per cent salary increment, and the immediate payment of all withheld salaries