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DAVID and Victoria Beckham have publicly thrown their support behind their eldest son Brooklyn in a rare social media move that has tongues wagging.

Brooklyn, 26, showed off his kitchen skills in a new Instagram video, flipping fluffy buttermilk pancakes to Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. 

While he’s been keeping his distance from the famous family for months, both Posh and Becks quietly “liked” the clip in a huge hint that the frosty feud could be thawing.

The gesture comes after Brooklyn and wife Nicola Peltz failed to publicly support Victoria on socials as her hit Netflix documentary landed earlier this month.

They were also notably absent from her Paris Fashion Week show and the premiere of the documentary.

The couple snubbed David’s lavish 50th birthday celebrations earlier this year in a move that left the family heartbroken.

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Sources previously claimed the rift had reached breaking point, with Victoria and David having “accepted they won’t see Brooklyn for the foreseeable future.” 

Meanwhile, the Beckhams’ other children are busy making their own mark in the spotlight.

Romeo, 23, is following in his dad’s football footsteps, Cruz, 20, has formed a band and is gigging around London, and 14-year-old Harper is said to be keen on following in her mums footsteps into fashion and beauty.

Victoria recently defended her kids from “nepo baby” criticism, telling The Sun: “It’s not their fault — give them a chance.”

Cruz is releasing his first single today and has already received critical acclaim, being signed to a top music management company — all off his own bat.

“Cruz has got music coming out soon,” Victoria told The Sun.

“He’s spent the last ten years learning his craft — much like I did with Roland — learning to play instruments.

“He taught himself to play about seven instruments. He writes his own songs, he’s put a band together.

“He’s properly done it from the grass roots up. He hasn’t just come in and sung his songs, or demanded anything.

“I mean I can’t really give him any advice — the industry has changed so much.

“But I told him, ‘Don’t expect immediate success’. It’s almost better if it isn’t an immediate success.

“You know, it’s like with my fashion thing — it’s taken me 20 years to get it to where it is.

“You’ve got to start small and build it up. And that’s exactly what he’s doing, playing tiny venues, no fuss, doing his thing.

“I am so proud of him.”

She added: “But he is a nepo. I mean, I feel sorry for these kids that are considered nepo-babies.

“The kids are simply the kids of their parents. It’s not their fault.

“Give them a chance. What matters is that people are good and kind.

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“It is fine to be ambitious, but it is more important to be kind. Let the music speak for itself before you judge.”

The meeting was supposed to be the prelude to the purchase of Finnish icebreaker ships.

But as United States President Donald Trump welcomed Finland’s President Alexander Stubb to the Oval Office on Thursday, he veered into a discussion of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) — and his ongoing feud with one of its members, Spain.

At a NATO summit in June, Spain was the most prominent holdout against Trump’s push to increase defence spending among member states.

Trump has long sought for all NATO members to commit 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to building up their military assets. But Spain successfully pushed for an exemption at June’s meeting, allowing its expenditures to remain around the previous benchmark of 2 percent.

That resistance lingered on Trump’s mind at Thursday’s meeting, as he discussed the US commitment to NATO with Stubb.

“As you know, I requested that they pay 5 percent, not 2 percent,” Trump said of the NATO members.

“And most people thought that was not gonna happen. And it happened virtually unanimously. We had one laggard. It was Spain. Spain. You have to call them and find out: Why are they a laggard?”

He then mused about taking retribution: “They have no excuse not to do this, but that’s all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly.”

It was a bitter note in an otherwise friendly meeting with Stubb, whom Trump hosted in March at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Since his first term as president, Trump has wavered in his public comments about NATO, at times embracing the alliance and, at other moments, rejecting it as “obsolete”.

But seated next to Stubb and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Trump took a decidedly enthusiastic approach to defending Finland, one of the newest members of NATO. It joined the alliance in April 2023, followed by Sweden less than a year later.

Reporters at Thursday’s Oval Office meeting pressed Trump about what he might do if Russia expands its war in Ukraine to other countries in Europe.

In Finnish politics, the spectre of Russian interference looms large: The former Soviet Union invaded Finland in the 1930s, and since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, relations between the two countries have soured even further.

Finland closed its shared border with Russia in 2024, an international divide that stretches across 1,340 kilometres, or 841 miles.

“What if Russia and Vladimir Putin attacks Finland? Would you defend Finland?” one reporter asked Trump on Thursday.

Trump did not mince words in his reply. “I would. Yes, I would. They’re a member of NATO.”

He nevertheless cast doubt on the prospect of a Russian invasion under Putin.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t think he’s going to do that. I think the chances of that are very, very small,” he said, turning to Stubb. “You have a very powerful military, one of the best.”

When pushed to specify how he might defend Finland in case of an attack, Trump offered one word in reply: “Vigorously.”

Those warm remarks offered a stark contrast with his approach to Spain. In the wake of the June NATO summit, for instance, Trump called Spain’s position “hostile” and threatened its economy, pledging to make it pay “twice as much” in tariffs to the US.

“I think Spain is terrible, what they’ve done,” he told reporters, accusing the country of taking a “free ride” at other countries’ expense. “That economy could be blown right out of the water with something bad happening.”

NATO was founded with 12 original members and has since expanded to include 32. Spain joined in 1982. So far, no members have ever been expelled.

Quantum computing isn’t as well known as artificial intelligence (AI), but a small group of these stocks has generated astounding returns in just a year or two.

These companies are trying to build and commercialize the next innovation of the computer. Instead of using bits, the most basic unit of digital information and the foundational component of the computer, quantum computers use qubits that can process data in much more complex ways, allowing these machines to compute much more complicated equations.

If researchers are correct, quantum computers will be able to play instrumental roles in developing new and more effective drugs and tackling some of the biggest problems in society like climate change, which would obviously send these stocks to multiples of what they are today. While there is still much to achieve and certainly associated risks, here are two quantum computing stocks up at least 2,200% to throw $200 at.

Image source: Getty Images.

Rigetti Computing: Up 2,847% in past year

Yes, you read that correctly: Rigetti Computing (RGTI 0.52%) is up over 2,800% (at the time of this writing) in just one year. Perhaps due to the artificial intelligence revolution, investors have noticed the quantum computing space and started to believe these machines are not only possible, but can live up to the hype.

To really understand how quantum computers work, you need to be well versed in quantum mechanics, but Rigetti builds its machines in house with superconducting qubit-based quantum processors that are highly scalable and offer both fast gate times and fast program execution times. In July, Rigetti announced that its 36-qubit system had achieved 99.5% median two-qubit gate fidelity, which is a strong measure of accuracy. The company also said this system achieved a 2 times reduction in its median 2-qubit gate error rate from its previous best results.

Rigetti believes these results will pave the way for it to build and release a quantum computer with over 100 qubits (the more qubits, the more powerful the system) and similar accuracy before the end of the year.

Rigetti also just announced that it has been awarded a three-year contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory for $5.8 million. Rigetti will partner with a Dutch quantum start-up to work on developing advanced superconducting quantum networking, which would essentially be the next evolution of the internet with capabilities that could include functions like sending communication that can’t be hacked.

While Rigetti has a high ceiling, investors should understand that the company still makes very little in revenue, is losing money, and trades at a $7.8 billion market cap. So if things don’t go as planned or quantum computers turn out to be difficult to develop or do not live up to the hype, the stock could get hit hard.

D-Wave Quantum: Up 2,278% in past year

D-Wave Quantum (QBTS 0.51%) is another quantum computing stock that has been a moonshot over the past year. D-Wave differs from others in the quantum computing space because it uses annealing quantum computing technology, which uses concepts from quantum physics to identify the most precise solution in a more energy-efficient manner.

In a J.P. Morgan report on quantum computing, analysts praised D-Wave’s Advantage2 prototype, which has over 1,200 qubits with 20-way connectivity, and a goal to eventually build a system with 7,000 qubits.

“This prototype claims significant speedups over classical supercomputers,” the report said. “Developed with a lower-noise, multilayer superconducting integrated circuit fabrication stack, the Advantage2 prototype demonstrates substantial performance gains on hard optimization problems, such as spin glasses, and shows improved performance on constraint satisfaction problems. … However, (D-Wave’s) approach is limited to specific problem types, and they face debates about the broader applicability of quantum annealing.”

Clearly, the potential for D-Wave is there and it could even stand out in a standout industry. But like Rigetti, the company still doesn’t have much revenue and is reporting losses, while trading at a $7.85 billion market cap.

Investing is all about trying to predict the future before it becomes the present, so I understand to some degree why investors are gung-ho about quantum computing. But investing is also about future risk management. That’s why I still only recommend a smaller, more speculative position in quantum computing stocks, whether that’s a few hundred dollars or a few thousand. It all depends on your specific financial profile.

The Milei government is weathering a bribery scandal as a pair of important elections approach in September and October.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has been forced to leave a campaign rally in Lomas de Zamora, a suburb of Buenos Aires, after protesters pelted his vehicle with small rocks, bottles and other objects.

On Wednesday, Milei and members of his libertarian party, La Libertad Avanza, held a rally for voters ahead of two key upcoming elections.

On September 7, the province of Buenos Aires is expected to hold local races. And on October 26, the country faces midterm elections, which will see half of the 257-seat Chamber of Deputies up for grabs, as well as a third of the Senate.

The elections are seen as major tests for Milei as he reaches the midpoint of his four-year term as president.

But Milei, whose dark-horse election victory in 2023 upset Argentina’s political establishment, has faced backlash for the dramatic “shock treatment” he has attempted to undertake with the country’s economy.

His administration has also been rocked by a bribery scandal involving his sister, Karina Milei.

As Milei and Karina stood on the bed of an open pick-up truck on Wednesday, waving to supporters and signing autographs, witnesses reported seeing objects flying in their direction as protesters attempted to approach the vehicle.

Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni shared a picture on the social media platform X, with a circle highlighting what appeared to be a rock thrown in the president’s direction.

“They could have killed anyone,” Adorni said of the protesters. “They don’t care about human life, and they’ll care even less about the country. The end.”

Video captured the pick-up truck accelerating to escape the crowd. One protester held aloft a mock suitcase with Karina Milei’s face on it and dollar bills sticking out in odd places. Others chanted, “Out with Milei!”

The news agency AFP reported that one Milei supporter had to be transported by ambulance for medical care after clashes with protesters resulted in rib injuries. But no officials in the Milei pick-up truck were injured.

Milei himself used the incident to campaign on social media against “Kirchnerism”, a left-wing political movement.

“The empty-headed nutters throwing rocks resorted to violence again,” he wrote in one post. “On September 7 and October 26, let’s say at the polls: KIRCHNERISM NEVER AGAIN.”

In another, Milei put the choice more starkly: “Civilisation or barbarity.”

Milei has taken dramatic action to regulate Argentina’s spiralling inflation, but his austerity campaign has included cuts to social safety-net services, widespread government layoffs and sweeping deregulation.

He famously campaigned with a chainsaw to symbolise his approach to government bureaucracy. But critics warn that his efforts have left Argentina’s poorest citizens more vulnerable. While official statistics indicate inflation has dropped, unemployment and poverty have risen.

The bribery allegations have heightened the backlash against his administration.

Karina Milei occupies a high-level position in Milei’s government, as a general secretary to the president.

But audio recordings have captured Diego Spagnuolo, the head of the National Disability Agency and a close ally of Milei, claiming that Karina took a cut from government contracts intended to help those with disabilities.

Milei has since fired Spagnuolo, and in his public appearances on Wednesday, he repudiated the recordings.

“Everything he says is a lie,” Milei told reporters in Lomas de Zamora. “We are going to bring him to justice and prove he lied.”

Milei put on a united front with his sister at Wednesday’s rally, appearing side by side with her in the pick-up truck.

When John Beck first watched Jayden Maiava throw a football up close this summer, he could see pretty quickly why USC might hang its hopes on Maiava’s rocket right arm.

“He spins the ball really well,” Beck said. “The talent is there. The ability is there.”

Few are as qualified as Beck to make that assessment. A former NFL quarterback and private quarterbacks coach for 3DQB, he has helped fine tune some of the best passers in the sport, from Tom Brady and Drew Brees to Matthew Stafford and Justin Herbert. And this summer, over “a handful” of sessions at 3DQB’s training facility in Huntington Beach, Beck turned his attention to the mechanics of the Trojans’ starting quarterback.

Beck already had a general idea of how Maiava had risen into the starting role. He knew after impressing as a freshman at Nevada Las Vegas that Maiava had transferred to USC, where, last season, he started at quarterback over the final four games. He knew, too, that USC won three of those four, all while Maiava’s performance oscillated between breathtaking and anxiety-inducing.

That variability is part of what led Maiava to 3DQB — and to Beck.

As he watched Maiava throw for the first time, Beck saw that spectrum. He noticed certain types of passes weren’t maximizing the potential of Maiava’s arm. The later into the progression, the less efficient his mechanics often would be.

“He would make some throws, and you’d go, ‘Oh wow, there’s some real arm talent there,” Beck said. “Then you’d see some others, and the question would be, ‘Why isn’t that arm talent, that efficiency showing up in the same way on those specific throws?’”

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava warms up during practice on July 30.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

All quarterbacks go through that process, Beck said. And while Maiava has plenty of natural talent at his disposal, he hadn’t worked with a dedicated quarterback coach until last spring. That first private coach, Ryan Porter, told The Times last fall that Maiava was “super raw” and was still digesting USC’s offense at the start of last season.

But as Maiava enters this season as USC’s unquestioned starter, his plan was to do everything to elevate his game. That didn’t stop at working with a private coach. Maiava set out to get stronger, to get faster. He devoured cut-ups of past Lincoln Riley quarterbacks, like Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams. He started reading motivational books, recommended to him by USC’s new strength coach, Trumain Carroll. He even started meditating.

“Just doing anything I can to be smarter and get more knowledge,” Maiava said. “Because knowledge is power.”

When it comes to his mechanics, Riley insists there were no “radical problems” for the folks at 3DQB to fix. Beck said their focus with Maiava was largely on the finer points of his mechanics; like how to be more efficient with your footwork; or how to transfer your weight to deliver different types of throws with the same zip.

Maybe most importantly, they repped Maiava in as many different scenarios as possible.

“They just did a great job of putting me in situations that I could be most prepared for,” the junior quarterback said. “Football is a game with a lot of possibilities. Anything can happen within a play.”

A season ago, that certainly felt the case with Maiava at the helm of USC’s offense. He completed fewer than 60% of his passes and threw six interceptions. Two of those picks sank USC’s hopes of upsetting rival Notre Dame, as the Irish returned both for touchdowns. A month later, in the Las Vegas Bowl, Maiava threw three interceptions before leading a wild comeback win over Texas A&M.

The bowl game ran the full gamut for Maiava, the good and the bad. But in the fourth quarter, he believes he found something that can help him going forward.

One of the books he read this offseason, “Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness” by Tim Grover, stresses the importance of maintaining a “neutral mindset,” never allowing oneself to get too high or too low emotionally.

USC quarterbacks Jayden Maiava, left, and Husan Longstreet, center, take part in passing drills at practice on July 30.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

That resonated with Maiava, who had a tendency to dwell on mistakes. Against Texas A&M, he brushed off his performance in the first three quarters to lead USC on three touchdown drives in the fourth. On the final drive, Maiava completed eight of nine passes for 78 yards, including the winning touchdown, with eight seconds remaining.

“That’s something I like to reflect on,” Maiava said. “Just having that neutral mindset and going out there for that last drive.”

That’s the version of himself Maiava is hoping to hold on to this season. So far, the difference in him has been distinct, according to teammates and coaches.

“You can just feel Jayden being more comfortable in his own skin and more comfortable being one of the leaders of this football team and operating this offense,” said Luke Huard, USC offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “You just feel an improved and elevated level of confidence with the way he’s going about his business.”

That was the goal when Maiava set out this summer to take himself seriously — reading and meditating and drilling down the finer points of the position.

“This was his first opportunity to really be trained like a pro,” Beck said.

“Now, it’s just about tying it all together.”

England captain Ben Stokes produces a stunning throw to run out Rishabh Pant for 74 in the last ball of the morning session on day three of the second Test at Lord’s, to leave India 248-4 at lunch, 139 runs behind England’s first innings score of 387.

FOLLOW LIVE: England v India third Test – day three

Available to UK users only.

Benidorm is a top holiday destination for Brits, with its cheap prices, sunny weather and the famous Calle Gerona – best known as ‘the strip’, but there’s a hidden gem nearby

Benidorm is a popular British tourist hotspot known for its sunshine, bargain deals, and the renowned ‘the strip’ on Calle Gerona. But while you’re likely to encounter lively stag and hen parties along the main drag, Benidorm also harbours many stunning, lesser-known gems.

For those holidaymakers looking to escape the party atmosphere, there’s a delightful little town just a stone’s throw from Benidorm. Despite being only minutes away, it offers a tranquil contrast to the party atmosphere for travellers, drawing comparisons to the idyllic beauty of Mykonos.

Hop into a car for an 18-minute journey or catch a 12-minute bus from Benidorm Intermodal station and you’ll arrive at the charming haven of Altea, Alicante.

Touted as one of Spain‘s “most iconic” towns, Altea is akin to stepping into a fairytale past with its winding cobbled lanes and radiant white houses.

Meandering through Altea’s old town, your senses are greeted by the inviting scents of coffee from local cafés and delicacies from cosy eateries.

Visitors are frequently captivated by the stunning parish church, formally named Nuestra Señora del Consuelo or more commonly called Iglesia de Arriba, and the breathtaking views of shimmering seas and vast beaches beyond it.

Alice, an online influencer who shares Benidorm’s hidden treasures and her top picks, recommends adding Altea to any traveller’s itinerary.

The TikTok creator, with an audience of more than 37,000 followers, recently took in the sights of Altea. She saied: “Hidden gem only 15 mins from Benidorm!

“Maybe Altea isn’t a hidden gem for those in the know, but the way you could lowkey be just 15 mins away from this gorgeous slice of history and culture while on your holibobs in Benidorm!”

The travel fan added: “It’s an absolute MUST see if you’re looking to escape for an afternoon to see some of the best views on the entire Costa Blanca. It’s giving cheeky altea day trip, don’t you think?”

The brief video has already racked up over 16,300 likes and a host of positive comments.

One visitor said: “I went there in December. Very nice.” Another said: “There are stunning restaurants and bars. It’s not Benidorm. They may be close but they are worlds apart. Altea is beautiful.”

Another person commented: “It’s simply a stunning old and new town.” Meanwhile, another user hailed it as their “fave place of all time”.

Another added it to their must-visit destinations, saying: “Definitely heading here.. never knew it was so close.”

Flights from the UK to Alicante are available from just £40. From there, you can hop on a bus, grab a taxi, or catch a tram to Benidorm, which should take about 40 minutes by road.

Dodger Stadium was eerily quiet for much of Monday night. And not just because whole sections of the upper deck sat largely empty.

In a 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers didn’t just drop their fourth straight game, but turned in a performance that elicited as many boos as anything else at Chavez Ravine, stumbling to a season-worst losing streak on a night they did little right in any facet of the game.

There was bad defense early. In the first inning, center fielder Hyeseong Kim lost a fly ball in the twilight sky, leading to two runs that would have been unearned had it not been ruled a double. In the second, third baseman Max Muncy spiked a throw to first on a slow-rolling grounder that led to another preventable score, even though his miscue was also ruled a base hit.

The pitching wasn’t great either. Left-handed opener Jack Dreyer followed Muncy’s bad throw with an even wilder pitch to the backstop in the next at-bat, advancing the runner to set up an eventual sacrifice fly. Landon Knack took over in the third and promptly gave up a pair of two-run home runs, one to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on a down-and-in slider and another to Gabriel Moreno on an inside fastball.

Even the few bright spots offensively weren’t close to being enough.

Mookie Betts hit two home runs in his continued search to break out of a slow start. Shohei Ohtani retook sole possession of the major league lead in long balls by whacking his 17th of the season. But all three blasts came with no one on base. And they represented the Dodgers’ only hits of the night against Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who was otherwise unbothered in a six-inning effort that included no strikeouts (or even a single swing-and-miss from a Dodgers hitter) but plenty of fine plays from an athletic defense behind him.

“It’s hard to start games behind before you take an at-bat,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ve given up runs in the first inning. We got to put up that zero and kind of get a chance to get the game going.”

While shaky defense and inconsistent production at the plate have been bugaboos for the Dodgers (29-19), it is the team’s increasingly pitching struggles that have stood out most during this four-game skid — the club’s longest since losing five in a row in late May last season.

With the loss to the Diamondbacks (26-22), the Dodgers own a team earned-run average of 4.28, which ranks 22nd in the majors and is their highest at this point in a campaign since 2010.

The main root of the problem is easy to identify. Starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki remain on the injured list, forcing the club into plans such as Monday with a rookie in Dreyer opening for a depth arm in Knack. The bullpen has been shorthanded, too, with Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Kirby Yates all injured, as well.

“You go through certain situations like this, it’s just tough to find a way to get back healthy and get our guys back out there,” Betts said. “But we’re battling with what we got.”

Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno, right, celebrates with teammate Josh Naylor after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning Monday.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

The good news is that several of those sidelined options are on the mend. Glasnow and Snell are both progressing in their throwing programs, with Glasnow “a tick ahead of Blake,” according to Roberts. Sasaki is expected to begin his throwing program during the team’s upcoming road trip. And Ohtani, who has been throwing regular bullpen sessions all season, is beginning to build up his pitch count as the club targets his return to the mound sometime around the All-Star break.

But in the meantime, the Dodgers have still expected more from their currently healthy group.

“It’s not the staff we thought we’d have this season, but I feel that what we still do [have], and have done in the past with injuries, we’re not doing,” Roberts said. “In the sense of getting ahead of hitters, and keeping them in the ballpark.”

And to do that, Roberts cited one place to start.

“On first glance, we need to be better at getting ahead in counts,” he said. “It doesn’t take a deep dive to see we start 1-and-0 quite often. When you do that, it makes pitching tough.”

Indeed, the Dodgers entered the night 24th in the majors with a 59.8% first-strike rate, a problem Roberts believes has led to too many long innings, and too large a workload for the staff.

“The 30-pitch innings just don’t play. It’s not sustainable,” he said. “And that starts with getting strike one. That ultimately goes to our entire pitching staff.”

The Dodgers were better in that area Monday, starting 27 of 49 at-bats with a strike. But it didn’t help. Dreyer needed 38 pitches to get through his two innings. Knack threw 106 to get through the next five (including 16 in one at-bat to Moreno in the fifth).

And when long reliever Matt Sauer took over in the eighth and gave up a two-run home run to Geraldo Perdomo, much of a season-low (and atypically quiet) crowd of 41,372 began streaming for the exits, not sticking around for one of the Dodgers’ flattest showings this year.