The war in Iran has been “a strategic defeat” for Donald Trump despite his repeated claims of victory, according to a leading Middle East expert.

Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s international affairs editor, said the Tehran regime had been left “empowered” by the conflict, despite the US president’s stated aim of bringing them down.

Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran agreeing to end hostilities while talks continue over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Under the deal, Iran has agreed to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, in return for being able to export oil again.

The war began on February 28 when America and Israel joined forces to launch bombing raids on Iran.

Speaking on Radio 4′s Today programme, Bowen said it had been a failure for both countries.

“We’re looking at the reality of a strategic defeat for the United States and by extension for Israel,” he said.

“Look back at what they said when all this started on February 28. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu said there was going to be regime change, Donald Trump called for unconditional surrender.

“Now we’re in a situation where the Iranian regime and the Americans through intermediaries did this deal essentially speaking to each other as equals in this.

“While the concessions in the deal to Iran are predicated on the success of the nuclear negotiations, the fact is it is front-loaded with inducements, not least the ability to immediately start exporting oil in return for opening up the Strait of Hormuz.

“So I think we’re looking at an empowered Iranian regime which had had its worst nightmare happen, which is a joint attack by the Americans and the Israelis aiming at regime change, they got through it [and] it didn’t happen.”

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Friends star Lisa Kudrow received a Lifetime of Culture award at the tongue-in-cheek Las Culturistas Culture Awards 20626.

Hosted by Wicked actor Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers of the Las Culturistas podcast, Lisa’s acceptance speech began after a rendition of her Friends character’s iconic song, Smelly Cat, by Pitch Perfect star Ben Platt.

(In 2025, the Dear Evan Hansen actor delivered an orchestra-backed version of Addison Rae’s Diet Pepsi at the event).

Following the performance, Kudrow accepted her award, saying: “Thank you so much. Winning this Lifetime Culture award is everything to me.

“I know what got me here tonight. It’s a career of meticulous planning to impress Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang,” she joked.

“There’s no time for all the details, but Romy and Michelle – I knew that what… I was doing as going to be enough for them. Slam-dunk.”

Lisa co-starred in the 1997 cult movie.

She continued, “It goes way back, too. When I auditioned for Friends in 1994, I thought, ’This is the show I should do. ‘Cos you know who’s going to love it? Four-year-old Matt and not-yet-born Bowen!’”

“All culminating in – not a coincidence – the third season of The Comeback. I knew Matt and Bowen would have to give me this award this year. So, thank you, gentleman, for playing right into my hands. And a bigger thanks to me, Lisa, for having my priorities straight.”

The award Lisa won was handed to her by her The Comeback co-star Malin Akerman.

Other winners of the night included Desperate Housewives actor Eva Longoria for Tiny Woman, Huge Impact award, Love Island USA’s Olandria for the Yess!! Award For Girl We Learned About This Year (And Loved), and Wanda Sykes for Eternal Lesbian Of The Pop Culture Mind.

Nigel Farage has been roasted over a photo of himself he posted online to celebrate England’s victory on Wednesday night.

The Reform UK leader shared an image of himself wearing a three lions football shirt and drinking a pint in a pub to mark England’s 4-2 win over Croatia in their first game of the 2026 World Cup.

He added in the caption on X: “Proper job. @England”

But, as first spotted by the Mirror’s deputy political editor Mikey Smith, it seemed to be an almost identical photo to one Farage posted from 2024 to celebrate an England win at the Euros in 2024.

Smith wrote on X: “Incredible coincidence that Nigel Farage watched the England game in the same spot in the same pub, with the same flags up, wearing the same top and standing next to someone wearing an identical top as he did during the Euros in 2024.”

A Reform source dismissed the criticism, claiming the Mirror journalist should get a reality check and “touch some grass”.

But a Labour source told HuffPost UK: “From the questions over his secret £5 million ‘gift’, who paid for his Clacton house, and swathes of potentially undeclared private jet and chopper trips with his donor – it’s clear you can’t trust a word Nigel Farage says.

“If Farage can’t even be straight with the public on where he watched the football, you’re left to wonder – what else is he hiding?”

A similar reaction unfolded across social media as critics leapt to call out the Clacton MP.

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Last night (Wednesday 17 June) marked the fifth Las Culturistas awards ceremony, hosted by the hit podcast’s stars, actors Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.

Lisa Kudrow received an interesting rendition of Friends song Smelly Cat, performed by Pitch Perfect star Ben Platt, at the tongue-in-cheek award ceremony.

Wanda Sykes, meanwhile, scooped up Eternal Lesbian Of The Pop Culture Mind.

And Barbie actor Will Ferrell won the Titan of Culture award before giving un unexpected pride speech.

The actor began his speech by saying: “Be proud of yourself. I think we should all celebrate our pride.

“For example, I have pride about being an actor and a filmmaker, but I also have pride about being a husband to a wife.

“I guess what I’m saying is I’m proud to be straight. God, it feels good to finally say that,” Will joked.

He added, “The second, more important thing after pride is to be happy, be joyful, be gay. Have gay pride! Starting this month, I hereby declare June… Pride Month!”

June is, of course, already Pride Month, and has been for decades.

Co-host Matt had begun the second televised Las Culturistas ceremony by saying, “It’s a huge queer celebration honouring actresses, lady musicians, and randomly, Will Ferrell.”

Other highlights of the night included Drag Race legend RuPaul Charles receiving an Artist of the Millennium award, the word “Ricochet” picking up a Most Beautiful Name for a Daughter You Haven’t Even Thought of Yet prize, and Hacks’ Hannah Einbinder finally scooping up the coveted All Good Either Way Award for Bisexuality In Media accolade.

In a video shared to Facebook on Monday, Jo Frost (best known as the parenting expert and face behind the reality show Supernanny and Nanny on Tour) offered a bit of tough love to parents based on her concerns about what she’s seeing more and more with clients.

Her worry? The (unintentional) ways that parents might be keeping their kids from cultivating independence.

“I’m going to say something that might make you uncomfortable, so sit tight: We are slowly disabling our children, and I don’t say that lightly. I say that because I work with families continuously every day and I’m seeing a pattern that’s growing: children who are capable but not being taught,” she said.

Frost began to list out the symptoms of what she’s seeing via “life skills” that she believes have fallen off for many families: Children not moving and learning coordination in age-appropriate ways (via extended use of strollers or push-bikes), use of dummies well into the toddler years, kids in school who can’t brush their teeth, use a knife or fork or master how to use the bathroom, wipe and wash their hands effectively.

While Frost said she understands the pressures of modern parenting and how busy life can be for parents navigating work, life and children every day, she insists that teaching these skills to kids “isn’t about time, it’s about intention”.

She warns that every time a parent opts to kick the can down the road on these skills (because it would be time-consuming or messy or labour-intensive), she worries how that sets kids up for more of a struggle as they grow.

“In our desire to help, protect and make life easier, we can sometimes unintentionally rob our children of the opportunity to learn the very skills that build confidence, resilience and independence,” Frost wrote in the post accompanying her video. “We keep them infantile.”

“Whether it’s riding a bike and pushing down on those pedals, brushing their teeth, tying their shoes, wiping their own bottom, using a knife and fork properly, washing their own hair and brushing it, cleaning up their stuff or simply helping around the home in general, life skills aren’t optional extras, they are essential building blocks for adulthood,” she continued.

Among the most passionate respondents to the video were educators, who cited seeing similar struggles to the ones Frost describes.

One teacher warned that small things like being unable to tie their shoelaces by age 10 or 11 are “just the tip of the iceberg”.

Others warned that while these skills (from nascent emotional regulation to bathroom hygiene) were once considered a prerequisite for schooling, the situation in classrooms has changed significantly.

“Teachers are supposed to build on a foundation, not be responsible for laying the entire thing,” one user wrote.

There were even some parents – who admit to occasionally avoiding the messy, complicated lessons in the heat of the moment – who also chimed in to agree with Frost on this one.

One mum to a young grade-schooler said she “spent most of his life getting disbelieving looks in public from other parents for expecting him to do things for himself” or for encouraging him to take age-appropriate risks.

Another mum shared the requirements for her child beginning school and said she was “genuinely shocked by how low the bar has been set” for kids – when the bar is to be potty trained, able to use a knife and fork, speak in full sentences, recognise at least three letters and be able to dress and undress themselves by the age of four.

“My son is a capable, independent little boy who already has the attitude (and determination) of a teenager,” user @shropswife1 wrote. “He thrives when he’s given real responsibility and the chance to prove to himself what he can do.”

And her concerns did demonstrate some of the big-picture worries about the adults that kids raised this way can turn into with such bar-is-on-the-floor expectations: “It feels like we’re slowly raising a generation of children who are being taught that very little is expected of them – and that worries me.”

Another user, @misspennygadget also shared concerns about what kids who were taught these skills might internalise by seeing such a stark contrast between themselves and their peers: “I think about the ones that have been taught and how jarring it must be to see so many peers unable and ill-prepared, wondering why.”

If you’re wondering how it feels to be an adult who feels they were left behind by their parents’ restrictions, some of the people responding to this post had their own stories to tell.

One user, who called Frost’s assessment a “truth nuke”, shared that they had a particularly restrictive upbringing (where they weren’t allowed “near stoves” until they turned 15), noting that they feel their growth was “stunted”.

Another 31-year-old poster (@bleatingartist) named the lack of attention to this work as “neglectful”, in the case of their parents, noting that they seemed to feel that the child being both “fed and alive” was the bar for decent parenting.

Ultimately, Frost identifies the solution in parents learning to prioritise these skills and take the “slower, messier” route to accomplishing day-to-day tasks.

“Every time we step in and do it for them or avoid teaching because it’s slower, messier or inconvenient, we take away an opportunity for them to become capable,” as Frost said in her video. “And children want to feel capable.”

As Frost notes, independence isn’t something that just happens to kids. It takes foundational work, demonstration, repetition and support from parents to get a toddler out of their baby habits and into the ones that are considered developmentally appropriate for them as young children. (Lather, rinse, repeat for each age and stage that follows into adulthood.)

“We guide, we repeat, we expect,” Frost said. “Not perfectly, but consistently.”

Providing that support – and learning when it’s time to step away – is key for helping your kid grow into their confidence in the long term.

In a call to “go back to basics,” Frost advocates for what experts call “scaffolding” – where you provide more support early on when introducing a task you want a kid to eventually pull off independently and slowly remove the support when it’s not needed anymore.

“By scaffolding this support, parents can provide a high level of support initially and gradually reduce it as kids and parents feel more comfortable,” as Jill Hartrich, a child therapist and parenting coach at Foundations Therapy, previously told HuffPost. “This support helps kids build problem-solving skills so they can feel confident making smart decisions when they are without an adult.”

In the UK, tops come off at the slightest whiff of sunlight – I’ve seen people walking around shirtless when I’ve still been wearing a jacket.

But the French have said: no more.

A number of French resorts are taking a stand against summer shirtlessness by slapping offenders with fines if they don’t cover up.

According to The Times, a number of resorts – including Deauville and Narbonne – have introduced penalties for those who don’t keep their tops on in public places, on the grounds of “hygiene and decency”.

While this state of attire is perfectly acceptable for the beach, in Narbonne, people are banned from being shirtless, wearing swimwear or walking barefoot in parts of the city centre – and anyone not following this rule may face a fine of up to €150 (£130).

Deauville has also reportedly raised its fines for being shirtless from €17 (approx £15) to €150 (£130).

Other places such as Nice, Cannes, Arcachon, Les Sables-d’Olonne and La Grande-Motte have similar rules in place, per The Connexion, with varying penalties for not abiding by them.

There’s been growing discontent over half-naked tourists for a while now. Last year, the mayor of Les Sables-d’Olonne, Yannick Moreau, took to Facebook to ask for “a little decorum, please”.

He reiterated that it’s “forbidden to walk around shirtless or in a swimsuit in Les Sables-d’Olonne” – and anyone breaking the rules could be fined up to €150 (£130).

Sorrento, Portofino, Positano and Capri in Italy; Barcelona in Spain; and Albufeira in Portugal have similar rules in place so that toplessness and swimwear is reserved only for the beach.

According to the Mirror, fines for flouting the rules can reach up to €1,500 (£1,300) in Albufeira.

In 2023, the Croatian city of Split also issued a ban on wearing a bikini and/or going shirtless in the old city centre – following the lead of Dubrovnik.

To avoid being caught out, if you’re on holiday and not at the beach or pool, it’s probably best to keep your top on!

Donald Trump has signed an initial deal to end his war against Iran within the next 60 days – but just what did the countries agree to?

The US president signed the “memorandum of understanding” in France’s Palace of Versailles last night, while his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed electronically.

Both vowed to reach a final agreement over the next two months.

It comes after growing pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping lane, which Iran closed in retaliation to US–Israel strikes back in February.

A US official has since revealed that the 14-point memorandum contains a set of stunning concessions from America, despite the White House’s attempts to paint it as a “major win” for the US.

That includes $300 billion paid in reparations to Iran and a suggestion Tehran could charge vessels for using the Strait of Hormuz in the future.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the official signing ceremony scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday.

This includes an immediate termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, while the final deal will confirm a permanent end to the war.

The US and Iran have also accused one another of meddling in the other’s domestic affairs since the conflict began.

Trump called for Iranian protesters to overthrow the Islamic Republic regime earlier this year and Iranian agents have been accused of attempts to assassinate the US leader.

Israel’s ongoing action against Hezbollah – the Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon – and occupation of the “security zone” in the south of the country has been a major sticking point in the attempts to end the Iran war.

While the US is keen for an off-ramp for the conflict, Israel has signalled it does not believe it needs to abide by any US-Iran deal to protect Lebanon.

However, the memorandum will push Trump to actively discourage Israel’s offensive in Lebanon or risk compromising his Iran deal.

The US will remove its naval blockade against Iran within 30 days of signing the memorandum so Iran can resume exports and imports – helping its struggling economy.

But that means Trump has sacrificed a key card in negotiations.

America also promised to remove its forces from the “proximity” of the country within 30 days of signing the final deal.

The US even vowed to terminate all types of sanctions against Iran, including the export of oil, in exchange for nuclear commitments.

Iran has discovered just how effective its control over the Strait of Hormuz can be on the global economy – and how lucrative.

While it never imposed fees on ships or tankers passing through the shipping lane before the war with the US and Israel, Iran is suggesting it may start slapping charges on vessels in two months’ time.

That’s a blow to the US, considering the White House was keen to return commerce to prewar conditions.

It looks like Trump is paying for the damage the US and Israel imposed on Iran’s infrastructure through its aggressive strike action.

However, the inclusion of “regional partners” suggests America’s Persian Gulf allies might have to cough up instead.

Still, Trump has often mocked Barack Obama for paying Iran $1.7 billion to secure his own 2015 nuclear deal – an agreement Trump exited, calling it “horrible” and “one-sided”.

The US is also granting Iran access to its frozen assets (worth at least $24 billion) upon the “implementation of the MOU”.

The money can go to “any ultimate beneficiary” – including the Iranian military.

The US and Iran have agreed to resolve the nuclear issue, the central reason for Trump’s February strikes on Tehran, though the memorandum was loose on details.

Iran has promised to maintain the “status quo” of its nuclear programme, which is currently in ruins, until a final agreement is reached.

It said it would not to “procure or develop nuclear weapons” – the same vow Iran made in 1970 and a key pillar of its 2015 nuclear deal with Obama.

Iran also pledged to dilute its enriched nuclear material to below the level required to make a nuclear bomb.

However, it stops short of offering to surrender its stockpile.

That’s a US climbdown compared to 2015, when 97% of Iran’s stockpiled was sent to Russia.

It’s unclear if Iran will keep the nuclear material or if it will have to close its major facilities.

Trump has also insisted that Iran will agree to a “new, far stronger” inspection regime but that is not part of the memorandum.

Trump admitted at the G7 summit in France that he needed to sign the Iran deal to avoid “economic catastrophe” after almost four months of war.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz immediately hit a fifth of global oil supplies, meaning prices went up around the world.

Trump has faced plenty of international pressure to end the war so the international economy can get back on a steady footing.

He claimed his European allies “love this deal” after he had used the G7 summit to discuss the details of the deal “with the closest friends and allies, the heads of countries”.

Trump’s interference in Iran has proven to be deeply unpopular with American voters – YouGov found 64% disapprove of it – but some Republicans are not happy with the memorandum, either.

Senator Bill Cassidy called it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”, writing on X: “Reagan is rolling over in his grave.”

The president appeared to respond by claiming he no longer wants to be friends with those who dislike his deal, calling them: “Stupid and bad people.”

Trump has already cast some doubt over whether this initial deal will hold, particularly when it comes to Iran’s nuclear programme.

At his press conference on Wednesday, he told reporters: “It’s a memorandum of understanding.

“If it doesn’t get done in 60 days, that’s all right, we go back to bombing.”

The entire war has also put the US-Israel relationship on unsteady footing.

Trump claims the US still has an “amazing partnership” with its ally in the Middle East, but said he had urged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adopt a “softer touch” when it comes to his military activities in Lebanon.

“I love them as a partner. They were terrific but they could do a much better job with Hezbollah. On that, I don’t think they’re doing well,” he said.

Iranian leaders have also framed the deal as a victory, but hardline voices within the regime fear any deal with the US looks like appeasement amid their own economic pressure.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Toy Story star Tom Hanks has shared the movie moment he can never watch back.

On a recent episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, co-hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde, Tom was asked about the best movie he’d ever made.

The Forrest Gump actor replied: “I do not watch these movies after the first time, really, because they never change. And there are movies that have moments in it that I cannot watch, because I didn’t get there.

“And sometimes these are the big moments. I simply did not get there,” he shared, suggesting that he didn’t feel the emotion the scene required.

“And I know it, and I was confounded by any number of things,” he continued.

Richard asked him to name one such moment, to which he replied: “There is a moment. Okay. Yeah, I’ll tell you.”

“There is a moment… that was painful for me in Cast Away in which I am back and Chuck [the main character played by Tom] is back in Kelly [his on-screen fiancée, played by Helen Hunt]’s house.

“And he gives her her watch back. And there’s a moment where I just think, ‘I’m not there’. All it is is a turnaround on me. But I do this gesture that I just think is false, and is me, and is not Chuck,” he stated.

Tom said that the scene is so hard for him to watch back, he has to physically leave when it’s playing.

“If the movie is on, I will get up and leave the room before that scene comes on,” he shared with the hosts.

Marina asked him if he knew he’d feel that way at the time of filming, to which Tom replied he didn’t.

“It wasn’t until I actually saw it, when it went down. And I think that, ‘oh, we were just moving on there and I wasn’t there’,” he revealed.

Still, that’s not to say the Oscar winner isn’t proud of any of his output.

“When I happen to land on a couple of minutes of an old episode of [TV show] Bosom Buddies, I remember all of [co-star Peter Scoleri]’s lines.

“I have no idea what I say next, but because I was watching him do it, we were so close and we were so tight. So the only time [feeling proud about a rewatch] happens [is when I think], ‘I don’t remember doing that’.

“But it’s not a thing. I can’t linger on [old success]. I don’t sit there and say, ‘oh, watch this movie, watch this moment that comes up, we really nailed that’,” he ended.

“All I could say [is], ‘I was cold.’ You know, ‘it looks like I’m warm… I was really freezing that day’, you know, something like that…”

You can watch the interview in full here.