Public outcry over the UK government’s plans for significant defense reforms comes at the expense of welfare programs.
Protesters have gathered in London under the slogan “welfare not war” and are opposed to the British government’s plans to increase military spending while reducing social support.
In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom is under pressure from the United States to take responsibility for its own security, just like its European allies in NATO.
However, the majority of Europeans are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, and they may be just as opposed to the British.
Can NATO allies create a defense force capable of retaliating against Russian threats without US assistance?
And how will European leaders address a potential public discontent?
Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam
Guests:
Analyst for defense Paul Beaver
Senior fellow at the Democratic Strategy Initiative, a political think tank, Aaron Gasch Burnett
London Pulse produced a determined display to move back to the top of the Netball Super League with a 58-48 win at Manchester Thunder.
Pulse were 17-10 in front after the first quarter but the hosts reduced the deficit to three points as the visitors led 27-24 at half-time.
However, Pulse stepped up their game and were 44-37 up at the end of the third quarter before going on to secure victory.
Olivia Tchine scored a game-high 27 goals for Pulse, while Elmere van der Berg scored 23 for the Thunder, who remain third with one round of fixtures to go before the play-offs.
“The second quarter, in particular, was a bit disappointing,” said London Pulse head coach Sam Bird.
“We just took our foot off the pedal a little bit. We just lost a little bit of focus. That is certainly something I want to be improving on.
“When they got their brains back together and they came out really hard I thought they did really well.
“It’s a difficult place to come. It’s really good for the players to play that well away.”
The three points meant Pulse are two points clear of second-placed Loughborough Lightning.
Both teams are guaranteed a top two finish and will contest the major semi-final in the play-offs with the winner going through to the final.
Loughborough Lightning had briefly gone top of the table with a dominant 79-58 win against London Mavericks on Friday.
Lightning, who have won three of the previous four Grand Finals, were in control throughout and opened a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
That set the tone for the contest, with Samantha Wallace-Joseph finishing with 24 goals for the victors, and Ella Clark and Berri Neil also impressing with 14 and 13 goals respectively.
Emily Andrew contributed 24 goals for the fourth-placed Mavericks.
Birmingham Panthers won 75-69 in the opening match of the round on Thursday.
Acting legend Bruce Willis tried various things to carry on his 40-year acting career before his dementia forced him to retire, with a new book revealing all about his final films
Bruce Willis was determined not to give up his 40-year acting career, but sadly it wasn’t to be(Image: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock )
Hollywood legend Bruce Willis tried to carry on acting despite his dementia diagnosis, his wife reportedly claims in her upcoming book. The 70-year-old made his last on-screen appearances in action movies Assassin and the Detective Knight series in 2023.
It was in February of that year that his family made the heartbreaking announcement the actor – famous for films from Die Hard and Pulp Fiction to The Sixth Sense and Death Becomes Her – had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a rare form of the illness, at the age of 67.
Prior to this the Hollywood legend had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that causes speaking or the ability to understand language is impaired. It was this that led to his retirement from acting in 2022.
Since then he has lived out of the spotlight while he is cared for by his family, including wife of 16 years Emma, ex-wife Demi Moore and the three grown up daughters he shares with Demi – Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and 31-year-old Tallulah.
READ MORE: Inside Bruce Willis’ reduced life now as tragically ‘nonverbal’ with around-the-clock care
Bruce with wife Emma (in red), ex-wife Demi and their three daughters back in 2019 (Image: Getty Images for goop)
But before his diagnosis was made public, it’s been revealed Bruce tried to find ways to solider on with his 40-year film career. In her new book – which is said to be a self-help book to help families going through the same thing, as well as a memoir – Bruce’s wife Emma opens up on life with the star as his condition has worsened.
Article continues below
Australian news site News.com.au reports that Emma’s book, The Unexpected Journey, will reveal how the actor continued to work for so long despite his condition.
It reports: “Before making his condition public, Willis had found ways to soldier on with his acting. Having directors scale down his dialogue and getting a trusted friend to feed him his lines through an earpiece on films, such as Assassin and the Detective Knight series.”
At first the deterioration in Bruce’s health wasn’t immediately obvious to anyone as he’s always had a slower speech pattern due his lifelong stutter. This meant his inner circle were not immediately concerned when he began stumbling over his words a bit more than usual.
In a previous appearance on chat show Parkinson, he even joked: “It’s how I got my sense of humour, because I realised, yeah I stutter, but I could make people laugh by doing stupid stuff.
“I also learned that when I got on stage, I magically stopped stuttering. You can still hear a little bit of it in my voice. You’ll still hear that little pause in my voice while I catch myself and think about what I want to say next.”
But as his symptoms became worse, Bruce sadly had to withdraw from acting and public life altogether. His family have since shared he now requires round-the-clock care and is ‘non-verbal.’
Sharing details about her upcoming book – which will be released in September – on Instagram, Emma said: “I’m honoured to share the cover of my first book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path.”
The 46-year-old continued: “Born from grief, shaped by love, and guided by purpose, this is the book I needed back when Bruce was first diagnosed and I was frozen with fear and uncertainty.
“This is the book I trust will help the next caregiver. It is filled with support, insight, and the hope needed to navigate this journey. This book is for all of us finding our way through the unknown with love, grit, and courage. You are not alone.”
Article continues below
Emma Heming-Willis: The Unexpected Journey will be released on September 9 and is available to preorder now
READ MORE: Zara McDermott shares ‘unreal’ £30 hair waver that’s been creating her go-to summer hair
Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville and his wife Lulu sadly broke up in September 2023 after 25 years of marriage, despite having renewed their vows in Las Vegas in 2018
Hugh split from his wife Lulu Williams after a 25-year marriage (Image: Getty Images)
Actor Hugh Bonneville was married to Lulu Williams for 25 years before they announced their split in September 2023.
The news came just eight days after the couple, who married back in 1998, were pictured smiling together at a wedding ceremony.
And only five years previous, Hugh and Lulu celebrated their two-decade union by renewing their vows at Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas. But half a decade on, Hugh’s representative confirmed their split.
According to the chapel’s website during the time of their vow renewal: “Hugh Bonneville and his wife Lulu Williams stopped by in early August to renew their marriage vows. The British actor, who played Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, on Downtown Abbey, and Williams first married in 1998.”
READ MORE: Downton Abbey confirms heartbreaking detail in third movie poster – leaving fans in tears
Hugh Bonneville and Lulu Williams renewed their vows just 5 years before they split
A source with close ties to the pair spoke of the breakup, saying: “It’s a shame as locally they were known to be a very sociable couple. Hugh has been away from home filming a lot this year. He has lost a bit of weight this summer, he was looking trim, tanned and relaxed.”
Article continues below
Hugh, 61, and Lulu, 57, tied the knot in November 1998, after which Hugh admitted he was shocked that he’d actually got married, fearing he would never find The One.
After his vows, he said: “I thought I would be a bachelor for years. I’ve often been the guy who doesn’t get the girl.”
Hugh and Lulu’s love story was the stuff of fairy tales, having first crossed paths in their teen years, only to rekindle their romance decades later thanks to a little matchmaking from Hugh’s mother, Patricia.
The former couple share one child together(Image: Getty Images)
Hugh fondly recounted: “Lulu was running a marquee company… my mother rang her to hire some chairs or something and said, ‘Do you remember Hugh?’ and that was how we reconnected. It did infuriate me that I had to give full credit to my mum for reintroducing us.”
They lived near each other in England’s West Sussex and previously explained that they refused to let the glitz of Hollywood affect them.
Together, Hugh and Lulu are proud parents to their 22-year-old son, Felix. The couple chose to keep their family life relatively private but speaking to the magazine Parents, Hugh once opened up about fatherhood.
He said: “I think the absolute key one is don’t force your child to do the things you failed to do and wanted to do, like playing the piano or something.
“Another great piece of advice that someone once said to me when my little boy was arriving was, ‘Hug him close, and let him fly.'”
In October 2024, Hugh confirmed he’s in a new relationship with Heidi Kadlecova.
Hugh Bonneville is now dating Heidi Kadlecová
In photos obtained by the Mail Online, the actor and 53 year old vegan influencer Heidi could be seen sharing a kiss on the streets of London and in another snap, Hugh lovingly had his arm around Heidi.
According to reports, Hugh has also introduced Heidi to the cast and crew of his new movie, Go Away!. During their time on set, the pair were reportedly spotted sharing cuddles in between scenes, with a source claiming that Hugh’s mood changed considerably in the presence of Heidi.
Commenting on their romance, a source told Mail Online: “Hugh and Heidi seemed really loved up and excited to be in each other’s company.
“Her being on set brought out another side to him, he was like a different person on set when she was around, considerably perkier.” The source added: “He introduced her to everybody connected with the project and they came across as a really sweet pair, like a couple of lovebirds.”
Article continues below
Immediately after his split, Hugh was rumoured to be dating Canadian actress Claire Rankin, known for her roles in the films, Molly’s Game and Seven in Heaven, as well as the TV show, Ally McBeal.
They were spotted together in March, but decided not to address the rumours. By July, Hugh was spotted with Heidi.
READ MORE: Vet tells dog owner ‘prepare for the worst’ but 89p-a-day ‘improved condition 100%’
Devoted Coleen has told how her four boys inspired her to meet with displaced families suffering because of the years-long Russian invasion
Coleen Rooney today revealed she thought of her children as she made a mercy dash to meet bombed-out kids left devastated by Vladmir Putin’s bloodthirsty war in Ukraine.
The devoted mum, 39, told how she was inspired by her four boys – Kai, 15, Klay, 12, Kit, nine, and Cass, seven – as she jetted into Poland to meet families who fled their homes as the conflict erupted. And the former I’m A Celebrity… star, 39, revealed she thought of her adopted sister, Rosie, who died aged 14 in 2013 after a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome, as she met disabled refugee kids. The war in Ukraine has displaced families at a scale and speed not seen since World War Two.
READ MORE: Russia blames UK for Ukraine drone attack that ‘risks escalation to World War 3’
Coleen Rooney met with Ukrainian children who were displaced by Putin’s bloody war(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
Almost nine million people have fled into Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 2022. And during a trip to a UNICEF Educational Rehabilitation School, Coleen met fitness coach Kateryna and her seven-year-old son, Murat, who has learning difficulties and is unable to speak.
They fled Nikolayev – the frontline of Volodymyr Zelenskyy defense against Putin’s brutal regime – and made a two-day bus trip of nearly 700 miles to find safety in Krakow.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror about her encounter with stricken mothers forced from their homes, Coleen said: “As a mum, your first thought was what would you do? What goes through your mind is just to protect the children and make sure that they are OK. And that’s exactly what these mum’s were doing, they got out of Ukraine.
Article continues below
“I spoke to one lovely mum, Kateryna, who said a tank blew up outside her house. They had their son behind double walls in the house so that if anything hit the house, they were protected by the outer wall.”
Coleen Rooney UNICEF High Profile Supporter (center) talks with Yuliia Karpenko (left) her daughter Anastasiia Karpenko and Yuliia’s sister Olisia Popadiuk (right from the back)(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
“She showed me videos of what was happening and that resonates with you, because of that protective instinct.” She added: “I can relate to being a mum and the first thing in that situation is to get out of danger, to just make sure the kids are OK. But I couldn’t imagine what was going through their heads, the emotions.”
Almost 1.6 million refugees are in Poland and around 90 per cent of them are women and children. Exclusive footage given to the Mirror shows children swarming over Coleen as she met children at a UNICEF centre catering for disabled youngsters.
Coleen said she grew up in an environment similar to the one some Ukrainian children are now going through(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
And today Coleen, who tied the knot with football legend Wayne Rooney, 39, in 2008, told how the trip evoked memories of her beloved younger sister, Rosie. Coleen said: “One of the schools was for children with disabilities. And I grew up in that environment, my sister went to a school like that.
“It was just like where they were, with music therapy, physiotherapy and all those things for the sensors. I felt so comfortable, it wasn’t a shock. That was probably the easiest visit of my time in Poland.”
Coleen said seeing children recuperating in Poland ‘wasn’t a shock’(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
“Because I’ve experienced that and I felt comfortable there.” Coleen also visited a Spilno Hub, in Krakow, which supports families who’ve fled the war, providing psycho-social support to help them deal with the horrors of war. She met Yuliia, her sister Olisia and Yuliia’s daughter Anastasiia – known as Nastia, aged four.
They have been in Krakow for three years, travelling from Kryvvi Rih on an evacuation train carrying just a backpack each. As they fled they turned their phones off to help them go undetected by missiles.
Coleen said artwork done by some of the displaced children was ‘upsetting to see’(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
Now Coleen has told how the trip helped “open her eyes” to the reality of war and the devastating impact it has. Coleen said: “I wouldn’t say it’s affected me, but it’s given me a big insight into what’s going on around the world and the aftermath. You know, you think it is over, it’s not. These people have been hit with trauma and it’s hard for them to move on.
“They’re doing what they can but it could affect them for their entire lives. That’s what struck me, we see things on the news, but we don’t think that much into it.”
The mum said she gained ‘big insight’ into the lives of displaced Ukrainians(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
“It was a real eye opener to see the disruption to people’s lives.” She added: “It’s quite a humbling thing to see.
“But I think the great thing is that despite the tragedies there are people that are willing to go above and beyond for people out there.”
Coleen and Wayne with their sons Kai, 14, Klay, 11, Kit, eight, and Cass, six
But despite the harrowing trauma suffered by children during the conflict, Coleen said the mental care they were receiving was paying dividends.
She added: “There was one place we visited and what really stuck with me was, they showed me all the artwork the children had done when they had initially arrived from Ukraine.
Coleen Rooney is a high-profile UNICEF supporter(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
“There were lots of dark colours and it was really quite moody and it was quite upsetting to see. But after being there for a while they clearly lifted and the artwork was full of lots of colour. The children have been receiving therapy and it shows that it really works.” Coleen visited Krakow with UNICEF to see how donations to the Soccer Aid charity game support refugee children.
Husband and ex-Man United and England legend Wayne is taking on a player-manager role alongside the likes of comedian Paddy McGuinness, Olympic hero Sir Mo Farah and One Direction star Louis Tomlinson.
Coleen joined some of the children during therapy sessions(Image: Jan Brykczyński / UNICEF)
Coleen said: “Soccer Aid is a big part of our family, it’s been a yearly thing in the calendar for the last, I don’t know how many years. And my boys love attending and Wayne obviously is involved so we’re looking forward to seeing him. And then my youngest Cass is going to be one of the mascots, so it’s a real family affair.”
Article continues below
Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2025 will take place on Sunday June 15 at Old Trafford, and will be shown live exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
In the Nations League bronze-medal match between France and Germany in Stuttgart on Sunday, Kylian Mbappe scored and added an assist.
Mbappe worked his magic on a France squad that had undergone significant changes.
Germany led the opening half, but just before half-time, Mbappe carved a shot through a crowded penalty box to celebrate his 50th goal in French style.
Mbappe snatched a poor Germany pass on the half-way line and hurried forward as the hosts desperately searched for an equalizer before setting up Michael Olise.
Mbappe hadn’t scored in France’s open play for more than a year.
The France captain responded to criticism made against him after the game by saying, “Everyone always talks about me, since I joined the international team. They speak poorly when given the chance to do so.
“I’m the next, and they did it with all the great players in history in France.” But that’s okay with me. I make an effort to do my job.
Aurelien Tchouameni, a midfielder for France and Real Madrid, praised Mbappe and his international teammate, saying that “everyone in the team loves him.”
He plays for us very dearly, and it’s amazing when he plays as he did today.
Questions remain as to how much Germany’s performance under Julian Nagelsmann has truly improved, despite losing two straight matches for the first time since 2023.
Niclas Fuellkrug, the striker, lamented his team’s wastefulness, telling DAZN: “If we had taken our first chance and scored, it could have been three or four nil.”
Didier Deschamps, France’s coach, acknowledged that the Nations League match against old foes Germany “isn’t the most important game for us,” with a particular focus on the World Cup coming up next year.
Deschamps switched to eight starting spots after the semi-final defeat to Spain, with only Mbappe, Maignan, and Adrien Rabiot, a veteran midfielder, remaining.
Nagelsmann also made a significant change, including reintroducing Fuellkrug to the starting XI.
In the opening half, the Germans had numerous chances. Karim Adeyemi received a penalty, but VAR overturned it for diving. The post was hit by Florin Wirtz.
Just before half-time, Mbappe scored. The Real Madrid man tapped into a pass that flung over Joshua Kimmich’s head, took a touch, and fired a header home with his preferred right foot.
At half-time, Nagelsmann replaced Deniz Undav with   rookie striker Nick Woltemade. Undav had the ball in the net when the move appeared to have had a positive impact, but his effort was blocked for a foul in the build-up.
Germany had a dominant lead in possession and field position, but Mbappe’s lightning-fast forwards, led by France, made them vulnerable on the break.
On 58 minutes, Marcus Thuram hit the post. Then, Mbappe and substitute Olise, both of whom play for Bayern Munich in Germany, combined to make the score 2-0.
With six minutes left, the French captain squatted for the onrushing Olise to tap home after a poor Robin Koch clearance on the half-way line.
