US hitwoman who flew to UK found guilty of niqab disguise murder plot

A would-be assassin who travelled from the US to shoot a man in Birmingham has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

Birmingham Crown Court previously heard that US citizen Aimee Betro, 45, became embroiled in a plot to attack a rival family of Mohammed Nazir and his father Mohammed Aslam.

She disguised herself with a niqab before pointing a handgun at Sikander Ali in a Birmingham cul-de-sac on 7 September 2019.

However, the gun jammed, allowing Mr Ali to escape in his car.

Betro appeared in the court on Tuesday wearing a purple T-shirt and with her hair in space buns.

She showed no obvious reaction and stared towards the jury bench as the verdicts were returned.

She was found guilty by majority 11-verdicts on charges of conspiracy to murder and possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence.

She was found guilty by a unanimous verdict on a charge of fraudulently evading the prohibition on importing ammunition.

Jurors deliberated for almost 21 hours before handing down the verdicts.

Betro, who is originally from West Allis in Wisconsin but spent several years in Armenia before her arrest in January, will be sentenced on 21 August.

Defence barrister Paul Lewis KC said he was not asking for pre-sentence reports as they would not assist the court.

Judge Simon Drew KC told the court: “I suspect Miss Betro would like to know the outcome of this case and there is nothing worse than sitting waiting.”

Betro also showed no emotion as she was remanded in custody and led away to the cells.

During the trial, prosecutors said Betro flew to Britain in August 2019 to attack businessman Aslat Mahumad’s family as part of a “violent” feud. Mr Ali is Mr Mahumad’s son.

Giving evidence, Betro suggested that the perpetrator was “another American woman” who sounded similar to her, used the same phone and wore the same sort of trainers.

Betro also told jurors that it was “all just a terrible coincidence” that she was around the corner from the scene of the attempted assassination six minutes later.

The court heard that Betro had become embroiled in the murder plot after meeting Nazir on a dating app, then visiting the UK and sleeping with him.

Nazir and his father, both of Derby, were jailed in 2024 for their part in the bungled assassination plot.

The Crown also said that Betro returned to the scene hours after the attempted shooting of Mr Ali and fired three shots into his house, which was empty at the time.

She then left the UK and flew back to the US the next day.

It’s surreal that I was arrested at the Palestine Action ban protest

It was certainly not part of any life plan for my seventies that I should be facing a charge under the 2000 Terrorism Act. However, as one of the 532 arrested in Parliament Square on Saturday, under Section 13 of the Act, that is where I am. And it still seems vaguely surreal.

Section 13 relates to any public display indicating “that one is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation” – in this case, Palestine Action.

Our alleged crime is that we were directly supporting Palestine Action by holding up a sign calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and the reversal of home secretary Yvette Cooper’s dangerous decision to proscribe it as a terrorist organisation.

So I sat there, mostly in silence, for two and a half hours before being arrested. I spent a lot of time looking around at all those holding identical signs (“I oppose genocide: I support Palestine Action”), and on one occasion burst out laughing at the absurd idea that these calm, predominantly old or middle-aged, middle-class citizens are now seen by our government as linked to or even the equivalent of members of al-Qaeda, the IRA, Boko Haram or the Wagner Group.

One of the reasons why Mr Justice Chamberlain, sitting in the High Court on 30 July, expedited the appeal by Palestine Action against its proscription (now to be heard in November) was that the home secretary failed to consult with any individual or organisation other than those who had been pressing for years for Palestine Action to be proscribed. Any sensible, non-partisan person could have told Cooper she was going to end up looking like a bit of a chump – and I bet you any money her civil servants did.

Even the government’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s assessment acknowledged that “Palestine Action does not advocate for violence against persons” – the very essence of terrorism.

Weirdly, what I was most upset by was not the behaviour of the police, which I personally – though others had a different experience – found to be uniformly courteous and attentive, but the behaviour of all the no doubt well-meaning non-sitters, screaming insults at the police as they carried out their duties in removing us from Parliament Square. “Shame on you, shame on you!” Shame on whom, I found myself asking?

Shame, primarily, on our government. I’m in no doubt whatsoever that this government will be found, in due course, to have been complicit in the genocide being carried out in Gaza today – not just through continuing arms sales to Israel, but in its reckless refusal to act on stated duties to prevent genocide under international law.

The vast majority of people here in the UK now see that genocide for what it really is. Seven days ago, a Jordanian flight to airdrop aid revealed the full extent of the devastation wrought by Israel’s assault on Gaza over the last two years. Just 48 hours after that, the commemoration of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima 80 years ago reminded us of all of those terrible scenes. It was hard to tell the difference.

Yet, Cooper has doubled down on her determination to persuade us all that Palestine Action is a “violent organisation … causing significant injury to an individual”. Apparently, she can’t reveal the evidence that lies behind that assertion because of national security.

Let’s be clear: it is not our national security that is at stake in this moment; it is the integrity of our ministers.

Palestine Action has proved to be the most effective organisation in laying bare the extent of the UK government’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza, through its direct action campaigning against some of the manufacturers of the weapons that are killing Palestinians day after bloody day.

Has property been damaged in the actions? Yes, it has. Has that damage been costly to those involved? Yes, it has.

That does not make Palestine Action a terrorist organisation, though. The government has so many other ways of prosecuting Palestine Action for what it has been doing, including criminal damage – which already carries heavy penalties. But that would not have silenced Palestine Action.

Opposing genocide is not terrorism. That’s what brought all 532 of us to Parliament Square on Saturday, and I believe it will now bring the whole country together.

Jonathon Porritt is a former environmental adviser to King Charles and author of ‘Love, Anger and Betrayal: Just Stop Oil’s Young Climate Campaigners’ (Mount House Press, £9.99)

‘I’m on the right side of history’: The minister risking prison time to support Palestine Action

Dr Sally Mann is usually found at the east London church where her family have worshipped for five generations.

But on Saturday, striking images of the baptist minister emerged. Swarmed by police officers and standing alone, footage shared on social media shows the moment she was arrested at the pro-Palestine march held in Parliament Square.

Wearing a black shirt and white collar, she nods and silently accepts her arrest before she is escorted away, surrounded by a sea of police uniforms.

She is one of 532 people arrested by the Metropolitan Police at the largest gathering of Palestine Action since it was proscribed as a terrorist group last month.

Of those, the 55-year-old is younger than the average age of those detained, with figures showing half were aged 60 or above. Speaking to The Independent on Monday, she said she is prepared to accept a prison sentence for her actions.

“I am aware there will be repercussions in my life if I am successfully convicted but I felt completely at peace with both my actions and my decision,” she said. “It’s the right side of history. Even if I knew I was going to prison for this I would do it.”

She said despite not taking part in previous Palestine Action protests, she was moved protest on Saturday because of her faith. “I believe Jesus actually meant what he said and he modelled non-violent resistance to oppressive power,” she continued. “I see myself as a minister more than an activist but I have always felt compelled by my faith to try to build a community that is built on peacemaking.”

After reading the protest briefing from Defend our Juries, who organised the demonstration, Dr Mann said she felt certain the protest would be the kind of non-violent action she feels “committed” to be part of.

“On Saturday I got up early and went to St James’ Park because I wanted to be very calm,” she told The Independent. “I sat quietly and prayed. Then I headed over to Parliament Square.”

Dr Mann said during the main protest, though people around her had been arrested, she was not. But after the scheduled end she continued holding her placard stating: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. Within ten minutes, she said she was arrested.

“Other people very near me had been arrested, including some who really did look very elderly and vulnerable, and I thought it would be better for them if they arrest more,” she explained. “So I just decided to stand with my sign. I wanted to be arrested for this because I want to stand in solidarity with those who had been and I did feel the numbers mattered.“

Her arrest was captured on video – a powerful image of her nodding silently as she is escorted away by at least a dozen officers has accumulated thousands of likes on social media. “The numbers who turned up to arrest me were extraordinary,” she said. “I think there were a dozen officers arresting me and actually, had they asked me to walk onto the van I would’ve just gone on my own. I was completely ready to be arrested.”

She told The Independent she was put in a van with six police officers to two protesters and was put in line to be processed. “It was actually very peaceful,” she said. “It was a very low risk for me. I had moral certainty and legal ambiguity about what would happen to me, but prepared if a custodial sentence does come I am completely prepared for that. I just think it looks less and less likely now.”

But she said her arrest, along with that of elderly protestors, shows the “absurdity” of proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group. “I would say to Yvette Cooper, who do you think you’re protecting by proscribing me as a terrorist?’,” she said.

Also arrested under terrorist legislation was 74-year-old NHS doctor Paul O’Brien. He said the Palestinian cause was “incredibly important” to him, but that the risk of arrest did make him think harder about attending than at previous protests.

“I thought the proscribing was really, really wrong and felt so disappointed in the majority of the MPs in Labour and the Tories for supporting it,” he said. “But it did make me think harder about going out.”

He was also detained later in the day and described his experience as “bizarre”. “It was just odd, all these people who have been arrested under terrorist legislation and we looked the most unlikely terrorists,” he said. “Half of us can hardly walk. It was quite funny. Even for a terrorist offence we were automatically bailed, they know it’s so bizarre.”

He added he thought the protest would be a “memorable” day for many. “Once you’re arrested for a terrorist offence, it’s an extraordinary thing to happen in your life,” he continued. “What happened on Saturday was historic, I think it’s going to grow.”

In a statement released on Sunday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the majority of the arrests made were for “displaying an item (in this case a placard) in support of a proscribed organisation (in this case Palestine Action) contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000”.

“Over the coming days and weeks, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested as part of this operation,” they added.

Trump just took over DC with vow to stop ‘thugs’ from abusing cops. He already pardoned hundreds of them

Monday marked the beginning of a Trump takeover of Washington D.C.’s law enforcement capabilities and what many Democrats fear could be step one of full federal control over the District of Columbia.

At the White House, Donald Trump was flanked by top officials including FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi as he announced that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the city’s main police force, would be brought under federal control.

From behind the podium, the president recalled images of police officers facing abuse by protesters he’d watched on TV screens over the years, clearly evoking anger in him and leaving a city braced for Trump to fulfill a long-awaited desire to “send in the troops.”

He then passed around images of individuals arrested over the weekend, and promised that, going forward, police officers would be unhinged in their treatment of criminals and, likely, dissenters: They’ll be able to do “whatever they want”, Trump vowed. “You spit, and we hit.”

It was about as explicit a lean into the “strongman” image as one could ask for. But the president’s fixation on clashes between protesters and law enforcement has one glaring exception: January 6.

The violent siege of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters in 2021 lasted for several hours. In the end, protesters left the building after police officers from neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia arrived to quell the chaos.

A deployment of more than 6,000 National Guard troops was finally authorized at 6 p.m., hours after the chaos began and hours after the worst of it ended.

Dozens of officers were injured, several died after the attack including one who sustained injuries during it, Brian Sicknick. Survivors recounted vicious abuse from protesters, especially Black officers who recounted racial slurs and threats of violence.

But the Capitol is not where the January 6 story ends.

As Trump supporters left the Capitol that day, they fanned out across the entire District of Columbia, some returning to homes and hotels in the region and others spreading mayhem across the city. Businesses were boarded up as far as southeast D.C. and scattered evidence of vandalism was seen around residential areas and various neighborhoods the next day.

It was the city’s most violent day in decades. But on the campaign trail last summer, Trump vowed his first act would be to pardon all of them.

True to his word, and despite the pleas of even some Republican supporters, on the day Trump was sworn in he pardoned some 1,500 people who participated in the siege on the U.S. Capitol and were either convicted or facing charges.

MPD officers were part of the initial response as well. Some of the officers who responded that day are now under the command of the same administration that pardoned hundreds of Jan. 6 offenders, including some charged with violence against MPD and Capitol Police officers.

One of those rioters, Julian Khater, was charged with spraying officer Sicknick with a chemical repellant during the attack; a colleague later testified that Sicknick looked “ghostly pale” afterwards.

Even so, the MPD’s union chief told Fox News on Monday that his outfit “completely agree[s]” with Trump that crime in D.C. is “out of control.” He and union officials pointed to an MPD commander under investigation for allegedly falsifying crime data, and claimed that it was a lie that crime in the District of Columbia was decreasing. The Justice Department touted that data as recently as January, days before Trump took office.

For Trump, Monday was “Liberation” day. “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote on Truth Social ahead of the press conference he’d teased all weekend.

But city officials are adamant that the trends mapped by the data are real, and that all types of crimes including some of the most stubborn categories such as carjackings were dropping in frequency across the board.

“Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told MSNBC on Sunday. “There are very specific things in our law that would allow the president to have more control over our police department. None of those conditions exist in our city right now.

“We had one of the lowest crime levels and shootings that we’ve had in a July in recent history. So, not only are we going down year to year, we’re seeing the trends go in the right way in every crime category.”

There’s no question: Trump has been looking for an excuse to do this.

A Rolling Stone investigation published earlier this year cited two sources with knowledge of the president’s conversations as saying that Trump was speaking to aides just after taking office in January about identifying the earliest possible moment when it would be appropriate to send in federal troops for crime suppression efforts.

Anger felt by some city residents (among whom Trump supporters are still a slim minority) on Monday was embodied by restauranteur José Andrés, who tweeted at the president: “[Y]ou didn’t have the power to call the National Guard on January 6 but now you do? Washington DC is not only our nation’s capital…it’s a beautiful city that 700,000 people call home. I’m proud to run a business and raise a family here. DC doesn’t need federalized troops…it needs leaders who respect our fundamental founding principles of democracy, dignity, and respect.”

Trump finally got his opportunity with the July attack on a man whose online nickname — “Big Balls” — propelled him to both mockery and notoriety. The former DOGE staffer, who is still a federal employee, named Edward Coristine, was attacked while allegedly intervening during a carjacking attempt. According to police reports, Coristine was mobbed by a large group of teens during the attack and had his iPhone stolen in addition to being viciously assaulted.

Groups of teenagers have become a major problem for city officials in recent weeks, with residents reporting large numbers of young adults and school-aged children attacking people on city streets, neighborhoods such as Navy Yard (where many congressional staffers live) and the Metropolitan Branch Trail, a paved route across the northeastern part of the city used by pedestrians and cyclists. In some cases, groups have numbered as high as hundreds of people and have required massive police responses.

The only questions for Trump now are how far he takes this, and how much punishment he’ll dole out on D.C. elected officials. Even as Bowser continues to avoid a public confrontation, Trump aimed harsh rhetoric at the city council on Monday.

And it remains to be seen whether he’ll try and take this effort national once again, after being largely stymied in his efforts to impose a sustained presence on the city of Los Angeles over ICE protests.

A compliant Congress will likely make any Trump takeover of D.C., no matter how broad, a smooth process. But that same dynamic won’t be found if the president tries to reimpose his will on America’s blue states, where governors are raring for the chance to show that they have the backbones which their voters are demanding they show.

The damage Newcastle’s tragic summer could do to their wider project

It was as early as the first days of June that Eddie Howe and his staff feared this summer was going to be “a big problem” for Newcastle United.

The reason then was not yet failed purchases, the departure of sporting director Paul Mitchell or even Alexander Isak. Or at least, just Isak. Newcastle had already known about the Swede’s ambitions to leave for months. Now, the same fears were growing about Tino Livramento and Anthony Gordon, with the added concern that any unrest could lead to more agitation in the dressing room. The mood was so foreboding that Howe’s staff even asked others in football about potential solutions.

It was a huge shift from the satisfaction felt mere weeks before, and the end of a season that was the club’s best in decades. The Carabao Cup closed that long wait for a trophy, bringing a sense of release around the club. The final-day qualification for a second Champions League campaign in three seasons then seemed to take that further; to embolden everyone, and afford the club the financial assurance to really press on. There was no longer a PSR need to sell stars like Isak.

There were instead a host of other latent problems. Almost everything has gone wrong, from start to finish and top to bottom, and especially in transfer negotiations.

The noise around Newcastle on social media no longer sees human rights groups criticising the Saudi state owners to the same prominence. It is instead jokes, and memes, about how comically haphazard this summer has been. Newcastle can’t seem to buy what they need as stars want to leave. Worse, transfer pursuits seem to end in absurd ways, a bad joke, with the same punchline.

As one figure at a rival club enjoyed quipping when it became clear Benjamin Sesko was opting for Manchester United, “you can have the most serious owners but you’ll still be Newcastle, not Man United”.

That was said with some mischief, but it is also a touch unfair. Newcastle’s structure is not what a progressive club should look like.

That was all too clear from the start of the window, and the departure of Mitchell, since they’ve been negotiating transfers without a sporting director. Mitchell had immediately caused friction with Howe on his arrival in 2024, but the recruitment guru’s most pressing concern was the “trading model”. He realised just how much needed to be changed to make Newcastle PSR-compliant, right up to the strategy on player profile. The club had to be more nimble.

That may be a surprise given Newcastle’s success in signings like Isak, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, but most of those came through paying big out of PSR headroom following Mike Ashley’s departure, as much as any market insight. As it was, Mitchell didn’t sign anyone at all.

Some sources relay another frustration, which is the long time it takes to do anything. Insiders talk of how any major decision has had to go through multiple layers and meetings way above the football side, often back to Riyadh. If it concerned a transfer target, one source complains, Newcastle found that rival clubs had stolen ahead in the time it took for them to finally go all in.

If such bureaucracy sounds at odds with the vacuum of this summer, there is actually a strange consistency to it all. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) has naturally been actively concerned with concrete financial decisions, as befits its status as an infinitely wealthy fund. It has just not been immersed in the minutiae, as befits its remoteness. Even players have complained of a lack of visibility from the hierarchy, with no apparent overarching strategy. Former part-owner Amanda Staveley had many detractors in football, but her personality formed a culture.

This may eventually change with the arrivals of Ross Wilson as sporting director and David Hopkinson as chief executive, but the current situation has inevitably exacerbated the chaos. Club insiders have even joked about who actually said “no” to Liverpool’s first offer for Isak.

Howe and his staff currently have much more power than managers are usually afforded by modern clubs, and are described as “almost running everything”. Such concerns have been accentuated by questions about Howe’s powers of persuasion outside the training pitch. A number of targets have found they haven’t fully synced with the manager. That happens everywhere, but what is conspicuous this summer is how often it has been mentioned. It’s all the more jarring since Howe has done the hard part of restoring the actual football team to Champions League level.

This was supposed to be what Saudi Arabia always wanted, the biggest stages. There are instead new doubts about the club’s very place in that state strategy.

Much has been made of how PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan could be decisive in the Isak saga, given his geopolitical clout. And yet that comes amid increasing talk he has been superseded in Saudi sports strategy by Turki Alalshikh. The rumours about the boxing supremo buying a club – which includes speculation about Sheffield Wednesday – have not gone away. They now run hand in hand with assertions that the Saudis always just wanted one of the biggest names, in Liverpool or Manchester United.

The frugality at Newcastle is certainly a contrast to the bombast around other Saudi projects, from boxing right up to the 2034 World Cup and the Saudi Pro League project shaping its buildup. The strategy now looks to be about bringing everything into the kingdom, rather than spreading money outside.

Those with knowledge of PIF nevertheless insist it remains fully committed to Newcastle, and that some of this summer’s issues – the bureaucracy, the wait for appointments – are just in keeping with a thorough emphasis on sound governance. Club sources have meanwhile constantly pointed to PSR restricting investment.

And yet that very stance only makes the lack of action elsewhere more inexplicable. Why has the ownership not moved on easy PSR – and PR – solutions like sponsoring the training ground, let alone big projects like the stadium? There are more delays over announcements there.

Maybe most conspicuously, we’re not seeing the same vaunted headlines about investment in the region, an aspect that had repeatedly been raised to justify the highly controversial takeover. There are of course still many reasons to oppose a state owning a football club, above all on human rights grounds.

And yet now, unexpectedly in this case, there’s another.

There’s clearly an inherent risk in a club’s strategy being dependent on a state’s economic policy, and the wider forces of geopolitics.

It might even play into the Isak saga. In a normal situation, there would be strong logic for an upwardly mobile club to sell Isak. Newcastle could actually enhance the wider squad, in the way Liverpool did after Philippe Coutinho and Juventus used to make a habit of in the 1990s. They even sold Zinedine Zidane for that purpose.

Except, on one side, it’s possible the PIF leadership get too hung up on pride and status, and what a sale would “say”. On the other, selling Isak only works if you have the structure in place to prepare for it.

Newcastle, as their staff feared early on, evidently do not. This certainly isn’t what it was supposed to be.

And yet there’s another irony. If you took this summer on its own basic terms, it wouldn’t actually be that bad. A good side now has the additions of Anthony Elanga and Aaron Ramsdale, with the sale of Sean Longstaff for £15m, amid some promising other work incoming. And yet, as Howe and his staff intimidated early on, almost everything about it feels “a big problem.

Jet, Set, Glow: How to turn pre-flight time into a wellness ritual

The airport might not be the first place you think of when you think about wellness, but believe me, you can hone healthy habits just about anywhere. Feeling well is about small incremental changes that are easy to manage and I’ve got plenty of tips on how to apply these ahead of a holiday.

Part of my job is travelling to health retreats around the world so there are a few things I do when I arrive at Heathrow to prepare me for this. Read on for my tips on how to transform waiting at your gate into a wellness ritual.

There are great wellness wins to be found in Duty-Free if you know where to look. Discounted skincare? Yes please. I’ll always head to the World Duty Free stores to stock up on my flight favourites to hydrate, protect and soothe stressed out skin and wellness tools to fight jet-lag and keep my healthy habits up on the other side.

Don’t believe what you see on TikTok – you don’t want to be putting on a load of skincare and facemasks on a plane. Dermatologists agree that less is more, so I pick up one of Aesop’s simple Venturer kits and use it as soon as I’m on the plane. The mouthwash and deodorant contain no nasties and the natural scents soothe the nervous system.

I also head to the Charlotte Tilbury counter to make the most of the deals there. The Magic Cream is gentle and hydrating so I use it on the plane once I’ve taken any make up off to stop my skin drying out in transit. I also usually pick up an In-Flight Hydrate, Protect and Glow kit, which contains a hydrating travel-sized mist, primer and lip oil.

If you’re concerned about your circulation on a flight, you can find incredible ayurvedic massage tools and neurocosmetic oils from Mauli Rituals to give the brain and skin a boost while you’re waiting to board and in flight. The brand’s bath salts are great for jet lag recovery too.

I slather hand cream on to prevent dryness while I’m in air conditioned spaces so I also make a beeline for L’Occitane products while I’m in the World Duty Free store – the minis are great for travelling and there are some cute travel exclusives available, such as the Shea Travel Must Have’s Set. Elemis also does a great selection of minis. If you don’t want to bring your entire skincare routine on holiday, opt for the whole Elemis protocol in minis in a travel exclusive set for a gentle hydrating pro‑collagen fix.

You can reserve your products online up to 30 days before your trip, so rather than stressing about what’s in stock or turning up without a clue, I recommend pre-ordering and heading straight to the desk for what you need. Then enjoy a bit of a browse. Stress isn’t great for you at any time, let alone when you travel so don’t stress yourself out by spending too long looking for what you need and having to run to your gate.

I recommend pre-ordering the Aesop kit, Charlotte Tilbury skincare or Mauli Rituals’ travel-size oils. It’s also worth looking for travel-exclusive offers and sets. The Charlotte Tilbury, Elemis and Clinique travel sets are often much better value than high street versions

There are a host of other stores I like to visit for essentials when I arrive at Heathrow and Boots is obviously one of them. This is where I find all my supplements – magnesium for sleep and muscle tension, electrolytes to maintain hydration while travelling and probiotics or digestive enzymes to keep my gut happy.

I also head to the Rituals store for more aromatherapy goodness but usually I’ll have already stocked up in World Duty-Free. One thing I won’t have found in Duty-Free is clothing, so I go to Lululemon for buttery-soft comfies to wear on the plane. Of course, no airport visit is complete without popping into WH Smiths for a book – next on my list is Genius Gut by Dr Emily Leeming.

Did you know that Terminal 2 and Terminal 5 both offer quiet areas for stretching? This is a must if you’re going to be sitting down for ages on your flight. A quick stretch or yoga session helps to alleviate tight hips, back and neck pain and avoid swelling – especially if you do it before you board and after you land.

Compression socks can also help with swelling and improve your circulation but it’s great to wake the body up too. Try ankle rolls, neck rotations, legs up the wall and cat-cow stretches. You can also use this time to use your Mauli Rituals massage tools to boost circulation and get your muscles nice and relaxed before having to sit still for an extended period.

Even if you’re flying economy, you can also book into lounges like Plaza Premium or No1 Lounge for a fee. Many include quiet zones, hot food, showers and complimentary herbal teas. Terminal 5 also has a spa inside some lounges like the Sofitel Heathrow if you’re really in need of some downtime whilst passing through the airport, perhaps for a connecting flight.

There are so many eateries and shops I recommend at Heathrow, you just have to know where to look for the healthiest finds. Eating high protein and fibre options will mean you stay fuller for longer and feel comfortable on your flight. You might also want to think about whether you plan to sleep on the plane or not, and either go for foods and drinks that will relax you, or give you an energy boost, depending on your plans.

I’ll always go for a high protein breakfast from Pret over a fry up at ‘spoons. I also love their ginger shots for an extra immunity boost before breathing in aeroplane air.

If I want to feel awake and invigorated, I’ll go for a juice and a matcha from Joe and the Juice. Leon is a great shout if you want something more filling that won’t leave you feeling sluggish – think fast, fresh options including quinoa bowls, grilled chicken, and veggie pots.

For a sit-down meal, head to Giraffe for global-inspired meals with veggie options, smoothies and herbal teas. My all-time favourite spot is Itsu for sushi, miso soup, edamame and gut-friendly options that won’t leave me feeling bloated or uncomfortable during the flight.

Then I’ll stock up on snacks from M&S food for the plane – fresh fruit, nuts and coconut water for hydration. Eating mineral-rich food like this and staying hydrated can help lessen jet lag.

Heathrow has water refill stations in every terminal after security. Staying hydrated is one of the easiest ways to reduce jet lag, boost focus, and support digestion—especially important if you’re flying long haul. I fill mine up with filtered water and then drink it before I go through security. On the other side it’s easy to refill your bottle or buy a new bottle of filtered water.

You can also bring your own herbal tea bags, electrolytes and soothing adaptogenic drinks from home. Most come in travel-size sachets and all you have to do is politely ask any coffee shop or restaurant for hot or cold water in a takeaway cup or your reusable cup to mix them up.

I always create a personal ritual to feel grounded whilst I’m in an airport. They can be busy frenetic places and you might already feel tired from an early start. I like to do a guided meditation (there are plenty of free ones on Spotify) with my headphones on while I’m sitting down paired with some box breathing exercises. I also do it again once I’m in my seat on the plane. This relaxes the nervous system and gets you into a more positive mental state. It’s great for alleviating any stress, preparing you for any stressful or challenging situations or calming your nerves if you happen to be a nervous flyer.

You can also use your aromatherapy oils, a rollerball or a spray to soothe your senses and reset. Just be mindful of other people around you if you’re spraying something. I also try to use the opportunity of time spent waiting at my gate to read a book, instead of doom-scrolling on my phone. If I’m doing this, I pop my earplugs in to drown out the noise around me – my favourites are from Loop. If you prefer to take in your surroundings, pop your headphones on and listen to a soothing or uplifting playlist. I like to curate these before I head to the airport to help me get into the right headspace when I need it.

If you do suffer with anxiety around crowds, feel nervous about flying or just want to feel more grounded, you can practice saying a few affirmations and mantras for confidence and calm. This could be something as simple as: “I am safe and I travel with ease”.

Armed with all these tips you’ll hopefully be able to board your flight feeling relaxed, prepared and excited to travel to destinations far and wide. Though the unknown can be stressful, there are plenty of ways to feel more optimistic and resilient if we know how to take better care of ourselves, wherever we are.

Find out more about Heathrow’s Redefine Your Beauty campaign, including treatment menus, participating brands and exclusive offers here.

Security services descend on UK’s poshest farm shop as JD Vance visits

British armed counterterrorism officers debating who gets the chocolate-flavoured ice cream, Secret Service muttering in earpieces while wandering through meadows, and American security personnel emerging from a farm store with shopping bags.

None of these are sights that residents of a sleepy Cotswolds village are used to, with peaceful country lanes and rolling farmland their more usual daily landscape.

But this week, a US visitor in town, bringing warnings of a “circus” in tow.

After a busy few months in office, JD Vance is spending his summer holidays in a Grade II-listed country manor with his family in the hamlet of Dean, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

And the US vice president’s trip would not be complete without a visit to a farm shop dubbed the UK’s poshest.

Crowds descended on Daylesford Organic on Monday, as Mr Vance and his family decided to have a languorous lunch there, surrounded by products such as a £15 jar of hot chilli honey, a 12-pack of eggs for £6, and some bone broth at £7.50.

The first signs of the visit was the unusual appearance of a man in a dark suit, according to a member of the gym attached to the store. “This morning there were two guys walking the perimeter of the meadow in a black suit and tie,” they told The Times. “There are gardeners in the meadow sometimes but not a man in a suit and tie, I have never seen that before, so I knew it must be for the vice president. It’s not really very secret when they are dressed like that.”

Daylesford Organic continues to be run by its founder, Lady Bamford, who is married to billionaire JCB chairman and Conservative donor Lord Bamford. The couple have previously hosted politicians at their Georgian country estate at Daylesford House, with Boris and Carrie Johnson even holding their wedding party there in 2022.

The pair were seen leaving the farm shop’s private dining room at around 3pm, according to a staff member, while Mr Vance, his wife Usha, and their three children, Ewan, eight, Vivek, five, and Mirabel, three, all left just under an hour later.

A member of staff told the newspaper: “They came and had lunch as a family. It’s been exciting. Nice to have something different.”

The Vance family were given a tour of the complex, with the vice president and his wife seen laughing as they strolled through a conservatory.

Dean Manor, where the family are staying, is a 20-minute drive away in the vice president’s 20-vehicle motorcade, which was seen parked up outside Daylesford Organic from around 1pm.

Secret Service officers were spotted dressed in light-coloured chinos and plaid shirts, with kevlar vests hiding underneath, as they walked around the car park as well as inside the building.

British armed counterterrorism officers were also seen, with one walking out of the store holding three ice creams for his colleagues and asking: “Who wants chocolate?”

And members of the Metropolitan Police’s special escort group were seen too, dressed in bike leathers, and equipped with handguns and tasers. The team are normally in charge of protecting the Royal Family and government ministers.

Then multiple members of American security personnel were seen carrying Daylesford paper shopping bags as they left the store, before placing them in their armoured vehicles.

Around a hundred visitors also crowded round the entrance of Daylesford Organic, hoping to catch a glimpse of the vice president.

American tourists and Maga supporters, Arne and Holly Ewing, both 49, of New Jersey, told The Times: “We’d never get a chance to see him like that at home, you’d never get close. I posted on our family chat and my dad’s like, how did you get so close to him? I was like, we’re in England.”

Residents in the vicinity of Dean Manor’s 6-acre site have described roadblocks and police door knocks in recent days, as security in the area reaches high alert.

Road closures, sniffer dogs, police and a number of blacked out cars have all been spotted in the area, a marked difference to the usual calm and quaint atmosphere of a Cotswold country retreat.

Though the village is no stranger to high-profile faces, with it being the home to former prime minister David Cameron, the level of security has prompted the owners of the manor to apologise to locals “for the circus”.

Mr Vance is set to visit US troops at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Wednesday. He will receive a briefing on the base’s capabilities and will deliver remarks.

Man and woman arrested over death of girl, 1, on Isle of Wight

A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of a toddler on the Isle of Wight.

One-year-old Jayla-Jean Mclaren died in hospital on Sunday 3 August, two days after she was admitted with serious injuries.

The man, 31, and woman, 27, both from Newport on the island, were arrested on Friday on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and bailed.

However, they have now been re-arrested on suspicion of murder, Hampshire Police said.

They remain in custody.

“We know this case has caused considerable distress within the community and our thoughts remain with those affected by Jayla-Jean’s death,” Detective Superintendent Rod Kenny said.

“The arrests made today are just one part of a much wider set of inquiries in our investigation to establish exactly what happened to Jayla-Jean, and those inquiries remain ongoing.

“We would like to reiterate that you should not speculate on this case, particularly on social media, as this could affect our investigation.”

In a statement issued by the force on Thursday, Jayla-Jean’s family said: “Mummy, daddy, and nanny will always love you. Fly high princess.”

The force said it was called at 11.34am on Friday to a report of a child being taken to hospital with serious injuries.

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