Liam Payne’s parents Geoff and Karen hugged a heartbroken Simon Cowell as he sought to comfort them following their son’s funeral today. The heartfelt embrace took place outside the church where Payne was remembered in an emotional service following his tragic death at the age of just 31. Cowell’s girlfriend, Lauren Silverman, stood at a distance away while the 65-year-old shared a private moment with the grieving couple – who paid a final tribute to the beloved singer with a floral tribute beside his coffin spelling out the word ‘son’.

Moscow has revealed that Vladimir Putin is prepared to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump and the terms required to end the bloody conflict. The Russian leader is reportedly open to conversing with the US President-elect but has ruled out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO, according to five sources cited by Reuters. In the first detailed reporting of what tyrant Putin would accept in any deal brokered by Trump, the five unnamed current and former Russian officials said the Kremlin could broadly agree to freeze the conflict along the front lines.