Ian McLauchlan, the former Scotland captain and the great of the British and Irish Lions, passed away at the age of 83.
McLauchlan played his final Test against New Zealand at Murrayfield in November 1979, leading his nation 19 times in his 43 caps.
McLauchlan, a prop known for his fearsome scrummaging, earned the nickname “Mighty Mouse” and participated in Lions successful tours of New Zealand and South Africa in 1971 and 1974 despite weighing only 14st 6lb on his debut in 1969.
In the first Test against Dunedin in June 1971, the Lions won 9-3 and were one of only five players to start all eight of those contests.
Andy Irvine, his former Scotland and Lions team-mate, told Scottish Rugby, “He was some character and some player.”
He was smaller than the majority of the props he faced, but I never saw him suffer.
He was “astounded, almost invincible,” he said. What a fantastic career for the Lions and Scotland. It’s very, very depressing.
McLauchlan, who made his Scottish Rugby debut in 2010, resigned from his position as president in 2019, extending his 50-year career.
He was inducted into Scottish Rugby’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List in 2017.
Ian “H” Watkins, the band’s star, revealed that the Bee Gees and the group were requested to perform at Glastonbury on the Pyramid stage, but they were unable to make the necessary arrangements.
Ian Watkins reveals real reason Steps were not able to perform at Glastonbury(Image: Press Association)
Steps star Ian ‘H’ Watkins is one of the most memorable stars of the legendary 90’s pop group who took the world by storm with a plethora of hits across the world. But now, it has come to light that there was one part of his pop career that he still holds a level of regret over – and that was missing out on performing at Glastonbury Festival.
The Glastonbury organizers were invited to perform at the coveted Pyramid stage after hearing the group’s song Tragedy.
The popular song had already sold more than 1.2 million copies in the UK at the time.
The Bee Gees asked us to join them on stage, the pop singer said in an interview with Metro. However, we literally couldn’t complete it in time because it was a very late request.
He continued, “Of course, some of them have already passed away, so that will never occur again.” However, the Steps crown contains yet another tiny gem.
Ian Watkins reveals real reason Steps were not able to perform at Glastonbury(Image: Instagram)
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However, the group’s musical Here and Now, which is scheduled to play around the UK and ends up in London’s West End, seems to be having a head start on the festival’s schedule.
Ian continued: “We’re the only ones, really, from that era that have all the original members and are still going, so it feels like we’ve earned our stripes by now.”
Ian explained that the media was interested in his sex life and that he felt unable to declare his sexuality at the height of his career.
Recalling the moment he followed in the media footsteps of Stephen Gately and Will Young, who were revealed as gay, Ian said he received a phone call he had been desperate to avoid while on holiday.
They were aware that I had a boyfriend, who I was with, and why I was there, he claimed.
He continued, “I immediately flew back from vacation, told my loved ones, told my family, and told my parents, and then they stopped running the story because I didn’t give them quotes.” However, they threatened me for many years, and I felt as though my coming out story had been taken from me, and I had lost all of my power.
But Ian was not alone. Boyzone star Stephen Gately and N’SYNC’s Lance Bass was also struggling with press attention over their sexuality.
Steps have been dominating the industry for more than two decades(Image: Getty Images)
It was a really challenging situation to be seen together or even acknowledge that you were friends with another close gay person, Ian added.
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After that, he made a firm friendship with his bandmates, as well as Britany Spears.
“All of her dancers were gay, regardless,” Ian continued. People assumed I was dating Brittany for a while, but that was untrue; it turns out to be strange.
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Justin Bieber’s increasingly bizarre behavior and cryptic social media posts, as well as wife Hailey’s “show off” of her bare wedding ring finger, are raising fears of an impending divorce.
The supermodel kept her left hand in tact all night, putting a dent in rumors that her marriage to Justin might not be as successful.
Hailey Bieber made a point of removing her wedding ring, showing off her bare finger to paps at every opportunity, while her husband Justin Bieber’s bizarre behaviour appears to spiral. The couple have sparked divorce rumours, after their marriage appears to be on the rocks, with Hailey showing signs of ‘frustration’ with her husband.
The 28-year-old made a point of showing her bare ring finger to waiting photographers in the West Village of New York. As she stepped out of a black SUV and grabbed herself some breakfast at The Commerce Inn, she wore over-sized sunglasses.
Her left arm was raised, keeping her ringless finger in front and center the entire time, according to the model and Rhode Beauty founder. Her $500,000 sparkle was nowhere to be found, and she was once more seen with Camila Morrone and Suki Waterhouse, who were also model mates, without their wedding ring.
Meanwhile, Justin Bieber’s increasingly concerning behaviour has seen fans speculate that a split is on the cards. Earlier in the week, the child star uploaded a number of cryptic posts, one of which was a blurred monochrome selfie in which he could be seen looking glum.
Hailey has been seen numerous times without her wedding ring(Image: B4859 / Avalon)
The 31-year-old wrote, “Tired of transactional relationships,” in a troubling caption. That is not love if I have to do something to earn love.
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A body language expert believes Hailey is purposefully highlighting the fact that she’s removed her wedding ring after looking at their recent behavior. She holds her hand up as she leaves the car, which body-lunguage expert Darren Stanton describes as “unusual” in one photo.
Explaining to the US Sun, Stanton said: “That’s a very unusual gesture and it seems to be that she’s trying to emphasise the point that she’s not got the ring on.” He added: “Hailey is making a very exerted effort to show the paparazzi that she’s no longer wearing the ring.”
Meanwhile, Stanton claims Justin, who wed Hailey in 2018, is sporting a “brave face.” He said, “I can feel sadness in Justin’s presence. He may be more depressed than she is emotionally. He’s attempting to appear brave.
Justin’s bizarre public behaviour has escalated recently(Image: Instagram)
He added that Justin might be putting on a fake smile to conceal his true feelings. There are no crows feet or laughter lines, according to Stantons, who explained that the singer doesn’t have the “two main tells” of a genuine smile.
The so-called “human lie detector” added that “It is most likely a fake smile to conceal and inner emotion, and I believe Justin is feeling sadness if the entire face is not engaged and we don’t see the three lines at the side of the eyes.”
It comes after Hailey branded Justin a “f***ing child” after he made a series of odd posts on social media to celebrate Father’s Day. Justin, who shares nine-month-old son Jack Blues Bieber with Hailey, went on a wild rant in which he admitted he is ‘broken’, ‘angry’ and ‘exhausted’ from ‘thinking about himself all the time’.
Hailey and Justin chose not to post upbeat family photos on what should have been a special day. Instead, he shared images of himself holding what appeared to be a joint, later claiming to be “a dad that’s not be f***ed with.”
In an effort to avert a drawn-out Middle East war, the three largest European countries, Germany, France, and the UK, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.
Donald Trump, the president of the US, criticized the failed negotiations with European leaders and said he would decide within two weeks whether to join the Iranian assault.
“Iran is not interested in talking to Europe.” They want to speak with us. He told reporters, “Europe will not be able to assist in this one.”
Araghchi claimed that Iran was only listening to the negotiations taking place in Geneva.
As Iran and Israel exchanged missile and drone wars, he added, “There is no room for negotiations with the US]either] until the Israeli aggression stops.”
The US is the only nation with significant military forces stationed in the area that has the potential to alter the course of the conflict because it has always been Israel’s main ally and supporter.
At a meeting of European foreign ministers on June 20, 2025, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, gather at an outdoor terrace table in Geneva, Switzerland.
Why are Europeans enlisting in this?
Germany, France, and the UK – sometimes referred to as the E3 in Iran-related negotiations – played a key role in the 2015 agreement with Iran.
Iran agreed to develop only peaceful nuclear programs and be subject to independent monitoring under the 2015 treaty, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Along with the UN, Russia, China, and the United States all contributed to the negotiations.
Trump, however, withdrawn the US from the JCPOA in May 2018. The E3 tried unsuccessfully to keep the treaty in place. One year later, the US abandoned it by Iran.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top official for external affairs, reiterated on Saturday that she was committed to “improving Israel’s security” and that her “longstanding concerns about Iran’s expansion of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian purpose, are in violation of almost all Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) provisions.
However, the E3 have been divided over their policy toward Israel because of its conflict there, further deteriorating the EU’s commitment to a new war on its doorstep.
How do the E3’s views toward Israel differ from one another?
Since Israel’s occupation of Gaza in October 2023, the E3’s positions on Israel have diverged.
Israel has continued to be the most fervently pro-Israeli country, refusing to criticize Israel for its arbitrary bombing of civilians in Gaza and halting funding of UNWRA, a UN agency that Israel claims aids Hamas.
Following Labour’s victory in the election last year, the UK somewhat changed its position. It was initially pro-Israel. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister, were officially sanctioned by the UK earlier this month for their “initiation of violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, along with four other nations. Israel referred to the decision as “unacceptable” and “outrageous.”
Israel is viewed with even greater skepticism in France. In April of last year, one of the EU’s four members began calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron declared he would formally recognize Palestine within months on April 9th, partly to encourage Arab states to do so and to encourage them to do so. Besides France, it is alleged that other European countries are urging others to do the same. The following month, Spain, Norway, and Ireland all formally recognized Palestine.
What leverage does the E3 have over Israel or Iran?
With a combined gross domestic product (GBP) of about $11 trillion, they are Europe’s three biggest economies.
Aircraft carriers and expeditionary forces have been deployed to the Middle East and North Africa, respectively, in two of them, France and the UK. They also possess nuclear weapons.
In the end, however, none of these things will be persuasive enough to influence either Iran or Israel on matters of national security. The true value of the E3 lies in their ability to work toward a common goal with the US and accept Iran and Israel as good-faith mediators.
According to George Tzogopoulos, a lecturer in international relations at the European Institute in Nice, “Germany, France, and the UK have attempted to mediate for more than 20 years, and their approach has been milder than that of the US.” “The same thing is occurring right now.” These three prioritize diplomacy over starting the conflict and allowing the conflict to end if necessary.
Could Iran and Israel cooperate with the E3 to broker a deal?
Given that they didn’t succeed in reviving the JCPOA without the US, it would be challenging.
The Trump administration, President Trump himself, and the Israeli government all came to the conclusion that diplomacy cannot work in the case of Iran, and that is why the role of the three was diminished, according to Tzogopoulos.
They have trouble coordinating with the US, which is also true. Trump has since criticized the intelligence community in his own country for accepting that Iran is developing a bomb. Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, claimed that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons and that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had not re-authorized the nation’s suspended nuclear weapons program. Gabbard later claimed she was “wrong.”
No one else is confirming that assessment, so I believe Israel needs to come out more publicly and share it, according to Kelsey Davenport, director for non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, a non-governmental organization with headquarters in the US.
I wouldn’t bet my money on their potential success, he said, “But if there is some coordination between the US and the E3, we might be more optimistic.”
Angelos Syrigos, a professor of international law at Panteion University in Athens, said, “The Europeans have very low chances.” The Americans are the only ones who can take matters seriously. I’m not sure if Iran is willing to do that, though. He cited the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and Egypt, which led to the Camp David Agreement six years later, and US intervention in the Yugoslav War, which led to the 1995 Dayton Accord. “You typically need a decisive defeat to have final peace,” he said. There is no military solution, according to one party.
Could there be a diplomatic solution, according to the UN Security Council?
Because of differences between China, Russia, and the US regarding Iran and Israel, experts say no.
Syrigos remarked, “The Security Council won’t find a solution to this.” “We will veto it, China, Russia, or the US.” The US and China are the main differences. In recent years, China has made a significant investment in Iran. They send Iranian materials for nuclear weapons to that location, where they typically get their oil. China is primarily associated with Iran.
Russia has urged the US to refrain from attacking Iran because it runs the risk of destabilizing the region. Russia is not able to aid Iran, according to Syrigos.
Russia is currently supporting the US. It is reluctant to get involved. It lacks power, though. Therefore, he claimed, “it’s turning a necessity into a voluntary act.”
Recently, David and Victoria Beckham’s feud with Nicola Peltz’s daughter-in-law have been in the news, and it appears to be going to end school.
The family have been feuding for months(Image: Instagram)
David and Victoria Beckham are said to be “bewildered” by a “sneer” as their feud with Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz deepens. It has been reported that a source close to the Peltz family have allegedly claimed that the Beckhams are tight with money.
According to legend, Nicola lived a life of luxury as a young child, the youngest daughter of US billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz. According to a source, Nelson “threw money at anything and everything,” including buying the two houses in Los Angeles where he and his partner have resided since they started dating in 2019.
Brooklyn also developed into a millionaire household, but his parents, David and Victoria, also helped him develop a more normal life. Brooklyn, age 15, accepted a job as a barista in a Kensington coffee shop for an affordable wage of £2.68 per hour.
Nicola grew up in a billionaire household(Image: Nicola Peltz Beckham/Instagram)
Additionally, Victoria sent the three brothers to assist with the relief efforts following the 2017 Grenfell tragedy. Brooklyn and Nicole recently purchased a new home in Los Angeles.
Prior to moving in, the couple previously resided in a £7.7 million mansion with a gym and sauna. They now reside in a brand-new, five-bedroom Beverly Hills home worth £11 million. According to legend, Nelson and Claudia’s trust fund, which included money, purchased their homes.
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According to a source close to The Sun’s reporting, Nicola’s parents were anticipating that the Beckhams, who are worth half a billion, would match them penny for penny. Or at least contribute to financial matters when necessary. They are irritated and telling people it’s a little tight, which would totally enrage David and Vic if they knew because that hasn’t always happened, so they are annoyed.
Where is the motivation to work on your own two feet, according to a separate source close to the Beckham matriarch and patriarch, according to the Daily Mail? Do the Peltzes realize David and Victoria’s objections to not purchasing Brooklyn and Nicola a home are real? It is obvious that the Beckhams believe it to be true, but the Peltzes do not.
The Peltzes appear to be awful for having just spoilt their daughter because all this only serves to demonstrate that they are wise parents who have instilled a work ethic in their children. What message does that convey?
Another person, however, refutes claims that Nicola is spoiled. Nicola, a source close to Brooklyn and Nicola, told the Mirror, “She is grateful for the fact that she has a happy life.”
She has worked for more than 20 years, and she currently writes, directs, and produces her own projects. Her parents are proud to raise their children, but it seems as though doing so would not appeal to them.
“Calling her spoiled is false. For her wedding, she requested donations to support Ukraine instead of gifts, and she runs Yogi’s House, a rescue that saves dogs from euthanasia in shelters. These one-sided and false attacks have gotten out of hand.”
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The Peltz family also paid for Brooklyn’s £76 million wedding, which took place in their £75,000 Florida home in April 2022.
David and his parents, Sandra and Ted, both worked as gas fitters in Chingford, East London, and their children were raised in a semi-detached house. Because her father, Tony, had his own business and a Rolls-Royce, Victoria’s upbringing was more middle-class.
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Joe Ralls, the Bluebirds’ skipper, will leave the club, ending 15 years in the Bluebirds’ ownership.
Ralls, the longest-serving player for the Bluebirds, had been in talks with the club’s manager about a potential extension of his stay.
The 31-year-old midfielder will move on after having discussions with new manager Brian Barry-Murphy when his contract expires at the end of this month.
Andy Rinomhota’s three-year contract expires at the end of June, and he or he will also leave.
The 28-year-old joined Cardiff in the summer of 2022 and spent three seasons playing for the Bluebirds.
In the campaign of 2024/25, Rinomhota won Players’ Player of the Season.
After being demoted to League One, Barry-Murphy was given the go-ahead to become the club’s new head coach last week, so a decision on their futures was put on hold.
Ralls thanked Barry-Murphy for “being completely honest with me,” thanks to owner Vincent Tan and the Cardiff board on social media.
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Ralls, who left Farnborough for the Cardiff academy in 2010, made 409 appearances there.
He played a significant role under Neil Warnock when Cardiff returned to the top flight in 2018 and was a key player during the club’s first promotion to the Premier League in 2013.
He is one of the top ten appearances of the Bluebirds and was appointed club captain in 2022.
Vincent Tan, the owner of Cardiff, paid tribute to his impact at the south Wales club by saying: “Players like Joe Ralls don’t really get to play very often in the modern game. Throughout his 15 years at our institution, Joe has shown incredible love and loyalty.
