‘Immense joy’ for family as elderly British couple held by Taliban are freed

An elderly British couple who were held by the Taliban for seven months without charge have been freed.

Barbie, 76, and Peter Reynolds, 80, have been released from detention in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

The couple landed in Doha on Friday afternoon and were reunited with their daughter, Sarah Entwistle. Ms Reynolds told Sky News it was “wonderful to be here”.

Earlier, footage showed them boarding a plane in Kabul, where Mr Reynolds told Sky News: “We are just very thankful.”

She added: “We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children. We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens.”

In a statement, their family said it was “a moment of immense joy” and they were “deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release”.

“This experience has reminded us of the power of diplomacy, empathy, and international cooperation,” they added. “While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief.”

They thanked Qatari mediators for their “unwavering support”, as well as highlighting the backing from the UK and US governments, and the UN.

The couple were arrested by the Taliban on 1 February when they were returning to their home in Bamyan province in central Afghanistan.

They spent seven and a half months in detention without being charged and were held separately in a maximum-security prison until late May.

They were then transferred to the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), with the promise of release within two to three days, but this went on for months.

Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said the UK had worked intensively since their detention and supported the family throughout.

“The government’s ability to help those in need of consular support in Afghanistan is extremely limited. Our travel advice is clear that individuals should not travel to Afghanistan,” he added.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed their release, saying in a statement: “I welcome the release of Peter and Barbara Reynolds from detention in Afghanistan, and I know this long-awaited news will come as a huge relief to them and their family.

“I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar, including the Amir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, in securing their freedom.”

A spokesperson at the Taliban government’s foreign ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said the couple “violated Afghan law” and were released from prison on Friday after a court hearing.

His statement, posted on X (Twitter), did not say what law the couple were alleged to have broken.

Mr Balkhi thanked Qatar for its “sincere efforts and mediation” regarding the couple, who he said were passed over to Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan.

Upon their release, Mr Lindsay told Sky News it remained “unclear” on what grounds the couple had been detained, but said they were “very relieved to be going home and delighted to be reunited with their family”.

Asked about their health, he said: “I am not a doctor, but they are very happy.”

The British couple had been living in Afghanistan for the past 18 years, running education and training projects and decided to remain in the country even after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

The couple’s family have repeatedly called for the couple’s release, claiming they were being mistreated and held on undisclosed charges.

Their children have spoken previously about fears they have for their parents’ health. Mr Reynolds, who has suffered heart attacks in the past, appears to have developed some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to his son Jonathan.

He said in July that his father had experienced shaking in his hands, arms and face “to the point he was on the floor and he couldn’t get up”.

He added that his mother’s hands and feet were going blue, due to “malnutrition and some kind of anaemia”.

In July, United Nations human rights experts warned the couple’s physical and mental health was deteriorating rapidly, and they were at risk of irreparable harm or even death.

The Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, rejected allegations of mistreatment regarding the couple, claiming they are “in constant contact with their families” and their “human rights are being respected”.

A Qatari official said their release was thanks to “continuous efforts by my government to keep our policy in helping releasing hostages and our mediation and diplomacy”.

The sinister role of ‘black-pilling’ in the murder of Charlie Kirk

In the reporting of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was murdered in front of mostly college- and university-age students on 10 September at Utah Valley University, many have rushed to ascribe both motive and political ideology to Tyler Robinson, who has been charged with his murder. However, much of this has been wide of the mark – hugely missing the point about the strange and deeply complex online world that 22-year-old Robinson, and many youngsters like him, was immersed in.

Online subculture shot into the global conversation in March 2025 when the Netflix hit show Adolescence brought the word “red-pilling” into the mainstream. In the broadest terms, red-pilling means having your eyes opened to a hidden or uncomfortable truth, often about politics, society, or gender. The term is frequently used in far-right or conspiracy theory communities to describe someone being “liberated” from notions of equality, feminism, and “wokeness”. But what this conversation missed was how “black-pilling”, the darker and stranger cousin of red-pilling, is an even bigger threat – and is present in both far-right and far-left online culture.

From the many conversations I’ve had with Gen Alphas I have worked with, black-pilling tends to take two forms: nihilistic and anarchist. The first is the belief that absolutely nothing matters at all (which is why black-pillers are often dismissive of red-pillers, because that suggests a belief in someone or something). The second is a desire to disrupt and destroy the world through chaos.

The writer Ryan Broderick – who is highly knowledgeable about these online worlds and writes brilliantly about the black-pill universe in his Garbage Day Substack – recently brought the term “accelerationist” into this discussion. Describing it on Tim Miller’s podcast, he said it means “wanting to cause chaos and hurt people to speed up what they see as the downfall of society, because they don’t like it, or think it’s not helping them and is broken already”.

Robinson’s motives are still being investigated, but what we do know is that black-pilling and its intersecting offshoots are steeped in the language of meme culture. Meme culture – a way of signalling meaning through culturally understood symbols or in-jokes – was evident in the markings on the casings of bullets fired at Kirk.

They carried engravings referencing “OwO,” often linked to furry culture; “Bella Ciao”, currently popular in gaming culture; and “if you read this you are gay, lmao” – a phrase widely used by kids and teens online and offline, often as a smirk at outsiders, particularly older people, who don’t understand the world and language they inhabit.

Memes also have layers upon layers of meaning, interpreted differently by different groups. They have appeared in many recent high-profile acts of violence, including the Christchurch mosque attack, the Charleston church shooting by Dylann Roof, and Luigi Mangione’s killing of CEO Brian Thompson.

Many perpetrators of modern violence are young men embedded in intense online communities such as Twitch and 4chan – where many memes originate. In some cases, the violence itself gets livestreamed on these platforms.

So, what does this have to do with your kids and teenagers? If they love gaming, howl with laughter at the “67” trend currently doing the rounds, or spent most of last summer yelling “skibidi toilet”, then quite a lot. This is not to say that if your child loves gaming or speaks in memes, they’ve been black-pilled or even red-pilled. But it does mean they exist in an ecosystem where, at the far end, violence and mass murder are filtered through irony and dark humour. And many within it hold contempt for a world they feel has wronged them.

If a youngster plays games and exists in communities on Discord or Telegram, they are potentially exposed to dangerous narratives – groups Broderick flags as the “Com network” and others, which he explains “recruit vulnerable young people around the internet, including inside multiplayer games like Minecraft and Roblox.”

He says: “They encourage their members to commit horrible crimes with the promise of internet clout, intentionally using conflicting political messages to obscure any larger motive besides inspiring other members of the group to do the same.”

Craig*, 19, who is deeply involved in the “far end” of the gaming world, told me he first got into it through Minecraft in his pre-teen years. Explaining the appeal of meme culture and black-pilling, he subscribes more to the nihilistic view than the anarchist or accelerationist one. He has no political affiliation, right or left, but says he admires Mangione, the prime suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. The shooting took place in New York City on 4 December 2024, and was met with a mixture of concern, fascination, and – in some quarters – surprising admiration.

“It’s hard to explain, but our view is at least an honest one. We are both fed and totally fed over in every way. Why should I care about trying to believe in or save or get worried about anything or anyone? We want it all to burn and can at least have a laugh while we watch it happen.”

Craig’s worldview may seem extraordinarily bleak, but worryingly, it is shared by a surprising number of Gen Zs and, increasingly, Gen Alphas. Many parents saw this first hand in their teen children’s reaction to the assassination of Kirk. Instead of horror at watching a murder in real time, many revelled in it – replaying and sharing the footage, and even creating darker memes from an already horrific event.

So, how can we protect young people from online extremism and recruitment? The obvious step is to ensure your child or teen has a life beyond the screen. In 2024, Gen Z averaged around six hours of screen time per day. Nearly half (48 per cent) of 16- to 24-year-olds also said they spent “too long” on social media. Teenage boys are now spending more time playing video games than they are in school. That’s according to a survey of more than 1,000 parents of seven- to 17-year-olds, conducted by gambling-addiction charity Ygam and published by Mumsnet. The survey found that 15- to 17-year-olds spend, on average, nearly 34 hours a week gaming.

Having friends, hobbies, and communities in the real world is the greatest protection against online radicalisation. It shows young people from an early age that, despite the challenges they undoubtedly face, the world can still be a good place, with people and things worth living for and believing in.

It’s also incumbent on government and wider society to ensure in-real-life experiences and opportunities are accessible to all young people, whether through youth clubs, sports clubs, or safe and welcoming third spaces.

If your child or teen games or spends too much time online – which is almost all of them – the key questions are where and for how long. Spending hours immersed in online worlds like Twitch, TikTok, or Telegram doesn’t benefit any impressionable, developing person. An obsessive need for privacy or secrecy when gaming or online is often the clearest warning sign that they have something to hide – and parents should make it an absolute priority to find out (sensitively) what that is.

We all need to really listen to what our young people are saying. If a young adult suddenly voices extreme views about gender, race, or equality that you know didn’t come from you – or if they crack jokes about, or even celebrate, shocking or terrible stories in the news – the chances are those views are being shaped online. That’s a red flag to investigate what spaces or people are influencing them.

Most parents and carers now have the “porn talk” with their children and teens. This needs to be widened into the “content talk”, where you try to figure out what they’re watching, who they’re listening to, and who may be influencing them. With the caveat, of course, that you will never fully understand their online worlds if you are not a digital native.

Ryan*, 16, recently recounted to me, laughing: “My dad was so obsessed with being ‘down’ with memes and especially who Pepe the Frog ‘was’. We got sick of trying to explain, and him not getting it, so we told him Pepe had gone full circle and was now a feminist meme meaning ‘no boys allowed’ online. We heard him telling his mates this at their dinner party and they were all like, ‘Oh really, he’s feminist now, isn’t that interesting,’ and we were just dying upstairs. Especially as they’ll probably tell their friends and it’ll cause even more confusion.”

It was ever thus that adults trying to get down with the kids often get it wrong. One of the funniest stories from the Nineties is when Megan Jasper, then 25 and working for Caroline Records, gave a New York Times journalist a “grunge lexicon” she made up on the spot. The Times printed it in good faith, believing kids were using terms like “wack slacks” (ripped jeans), “lamestain” (uncool person), and “harsh realm” (bummer). Much to the hilarity of the grunge scene, it continued to be used with various layers of irony.

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. Only now, 30-plus years later, the stakes feel much higher and the culture much darker. And when murder becomes a joke – no one should be laughing anymore.

‘He’s f****** me’: Trump fumed to aides about Netanyahu after Israeli strike on Qatar

President Donald Trump fumed “He’s f***ing me” in a conversation about Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes on US ally Qatar earlier this month, according to a report.

The US president has remained firm in his support for Israel’s military action in Gaza, but was said to be furious after Mr Netanyahu authorised strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In the aftermath of the strikes, Trump said he was “not happy” with Israel and that the operation “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”.

But sources told the WSJ that Trump flew into a rage on receiving news of the strikes, and told close aides, including US secretary of state Marco Rubio: “Netanyahu is f***ing me.”

Previous reports suggested that the US president had rebuked Mr Netanyahu and complained that he had not been informed of the plan to hit Doha. He is said to have called the Israeli PM following the strikes to ask if they had been a success, and to have been unhappy on being told that they had not.

The prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said in response to the attacks: “The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”

Ahead of Mr Rubio’s state visit to Israel, Mr Trump had urged the Israeli leader to act with caution, saying: “My message is that they have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.”

But recent evidence suggests that Mr Netanyahu has not heeded Mr Trump’s warnings, and that Israel has become increasingly belligerent about striking countries in the Middle East, including Washington’s allies.

“I’m mystified and so are many other Israelis,” Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to the US, told the WSJ after the strikes. “The only thing that’s really working for [Netanyahu] is Trump’s support.”

“Netanyahu knows that while the White House may grumble a bit, there really is no downside to an ‘ask forgiveness, not permission’ approach,” said Damian Murphy, a former staff director for the Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee.

The Independent has contacted the White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for comment.

Mr Netanyahu told Mr Rubio during his state visit that the relationship between their respective countries was “as strong, as durable as the stones in the Western Wall that we just touched” as the pair wrote prayers on pieces of paper and placed them between the bricks.

The US president emphasised his commitment to Israel and its military campaign during a state visit to the UK. He backslapped Sir Keir Starmer as the British prime minister said that Hamas must have “no future” in Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu is subject to an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court and has been criticised by international leaders, human rights groups, and the United Nations, which recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel vehemently denies the claims.

Why King Charles can’t forget his relationship with Nixon’s daughter

At last night’s state banquet, Trump talked from the heart – he waxed lyrical about the “priceless and eternal” kinship between the UK and the USA, doubled down on the King as his “friend” and wrapped the special relationship in a florid package of “history, fate, love and language”. But it was the more scripted King who penetrated deepest into what might have been a really “special relationship”, alluding to that once-upon-a-time moment when Charles admitted, “I myself might have been married off within the Nixon family!”

The attendees tittered gingerly, most none the wiser as to what the old King was talking about. But beneath her sapphire tiara you can be sure the Queen knew precisely what Charles was alluding to. That same fated summer of 1970, when a gauche Prince of Wales first met the impossibly English and pricelessly confident Camilla at a polo match, there was another woman in the frame.

When the world’s most “unlikely sex symbol” (cue a very green, 21-year-old Charles) was bumped from Canada to America on a two-day stopover, all eyes were on the prince and President Nixon’s pocket-sized eldest daughter, Tricia. Confident, blonde and crucially, a smidgeon older than Charles, here was a Transatlantic version of Camilla: a young woman with peaches-and-cream sex appeal and political pedigree; small wonder the prince looks terrified in all the footage.

That summer, President Nixon had his eye on the main chance; knee-deep in the quagmire of the Vietnam war and always susceptible to old-school imaging, by all accounts he was “unusually excited about the royals” and hosted a programme of events that threw the prince into constant contact with Tricia. These included a Washington Senators baseball game at RFK Stadium, where the couple sat side by side, engaging in giggling conversation, and a 700-strong dinner-dance at the White House.

That same summer, Tricia graced America’s TV cameras with a tour of the upper floor of the White House. Standing on the Harold Truman balcony in a startling white lace minidress, her interview is coquettish yet assured, its style a salient reminder of just how much the American presidential system borrows from Britain’s constitutional monarchy. Often referred to as an elective kingship, arguably the only magic ingredient the USA lacks is the transcendent glamour of the hereditary principle. This was a way of getting the best of both worlds.

Decades later, with Tricia safely married to a Harvard lawyer, Charles conceded, “That was quite amusing… they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.” In America at the time, there was little doubt that this was a special relationship that could seal the real deal. According to one columnist, “Nixon was so infatuated” because he “lacked what Charles and Anne had in abundance”. The article goes on to mock the parvenu president and his “intense but vain search for the magic which the prince … carried along so casually”. Which is one way of describing Charles’s unsure gait and untamed fop of dark hair.

In the end, the media dubbed them “the match that didn’t take”, and Nixon’s wide-eyed wonder at the immutable appeal of monarchy was nothing new. For all the king-bashing during the American Revolution (neatly alluded to at the royal state banquet), Thomas Jefferson admitted of royalty in 1789 that “some of us retain that idolatry still”. Stateside, the later wealth-generating 19th century coincided with the growing popularity of Britain’s monarchy under Victoria.

America’s vulgar plutocracy couldn’t get enough of our ancient families and titles, in an era when marrying an impoverished English lord became a well-trodden path, most famously modelled by the 9th Duke of Marlborough and his miserable American bride Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan. Jennie Jerome, later Lady Randolph Churchill, was an altogether more successful (if less rich) import. Today, Keir Starmer’s reveal of the Churchill archives at Chequers works on more than one level. As President Trump is always keen to remind us: “seen from American eyes, the word ‘special’ does not begin to do … justice” to the relationship between the two countries.

Perhaps not, but if in 2025 Britain is prepared to flaunt all its old-school glory (including a “so beautiful” Kate wrapped in a gold frock coat, strategically located next to a puffed-up Donald) in the vain hope of better trading terms, we can only wonder where a Nixon in Buckingham Palace might have left us.

Presumably, as a single woman from America’s first family, Tricia would have avoided the more vicious criticism and snobbishness that plagued Wallis Simpson (although the Watergate scandal may well have upended the Windsors’ claim to political impartiality). As for the twice-married woman from Baltimore who snared Edward VIII, Mrs Simpson didn’t have a hope in hell of winning the snooty British public round. JohnTravolta dancing with Prince Diana in 1985 was far nearer the mark – sufficiently fleeting and Hollywood-performative for everyone to feel like a winner (Charles long since forgotten as the star attraction of Windsor PLC).

Nearly a century on from Mrs Simpson, Meghan’s marriage to Prince Harry suggests that little Britain’s capacity to deliver a latent sneer lives on. Meanwhile, over in California, Meghan’s limpet-like commitment to her duchess title has done little to allay UK fears of being used.

As for Trump, the man who has it all except a crown, his version of America does not recognise the Meghan Markles of this world. This 47th president, of Scottish protestant descent and the son of a keen monarchist, clearly feels much closer to the British royal family than to a mixed-race princess from his own country. His lavish praise went in one direction only, as he pointedly insisted the king had raised a “remarkable son, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales”, who Trump assured us would have “unbelievable success in the future”.

Prince Harry and his choice of an American bride were the unspoken elephant in the room – a reminder that only half of America backs this controversial president whom Starmer’s Britain has set upon the highest pedestal. It speaks to the perversions of a world divided as never before, led by Donald Trump, who encourages those divisions, and in which the current rupture at the centre of our own royal family has actually proved something of a diplomatic asset during this unprecedented second state visit.

As to whether Queen Camilla appreciated being reminded of her blonde rival from over 50 years ago, a little light diplomacy behind closed doors may be required…

Tessa Dunlop is the author of ‘Elizabeth and Philip, The Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy’

Family of heiress who died after ‘insect bite’ planning legal action

A Greek heiress who was found dead a day after her family claims she was sent home from a London hospital, sent messages to a friend saying “nobody is checking up on me, nobody is coming” before she was discharged.

Marissa Laimou, 28, had been rushed to University College London Hospital (UCLH) by ambulance after she had visited a clinic on 10 September, complaining of dizziness, itching and a high temperature, relatives have said.

When she arrived at the hospital, tests were carried out on her by nurses, but four hours later, she was discharged with antibiotics, a family friend claimed.

However, the following day, her housekeeper found her lifeless in her bed at the townhouse she lived in with her parents in Knightsbridge, central London.

The coroner is investigating her death, but her family has said the official diagnosis given by doctors was “toxic effect of venom” caused by an “animal or insect bite”.

The family has now accused UCLH of failing in its care for the 28-year-old.

A relative told MailOnline: “No doctor examined Marissa. Only the nurses saw her and did the blood tests, and passed the test to the doctor, and the doctor said you can be discharged, that’s all.

“They should not have let her go, definitely. If it was not so urgent, her oncologist would not have sent her in an ambulance, they would have said go in an Uber or go later. It was urgent. They didn’t address it with the serious way they should have done.”

The family friend, also speaking to MailOnline, revealed the messages sent by Laimou while she was at UCLH, where she had blood tests and was given a drip with fluids.

They said: “She was waiting, she sent some messages to her friend saying: ‘Nobody is checking up on me, nobody is coming, I don’t know where they are, I’m still itching, I feel dizzy, I don’t feel well’.”

As reported earlier this week, following her death, Laimou, also known as Lemos, had earlier survived breast cancer. It has since emerged, according to the family, that the clinic she went to on 10 September was Leaders in Oncology Care (LOC), where she had previously had chemotherapy.

Although born in the UK, she is part of the wealthy Lemos family, one of the biggest families in the Greek shipping industry. They are reportedly now planning to take legal action following the sudden death.

The tragic circumstances began after Laimou had recently returned from a summer holiday with her family on the Greek resort island of Porto Cheli, it has been reported.

She first started feeling unwell and recorded a high fever of 39C on the night of 9 September, but despite calling for an ambulance, she decided she would wait till the morning to seek further medical help.

The next day, still feeling unwell, she went to LOC, where medics, after taking blood tests, sent her to UCLH, the family say. After being discharged at 6.30pm on 10 September, she was found dead the next day, it is said.

Laimou was involved in theatre production after studying musical theatre in New York and going to the University of Arizona.

Earlier this year, she had played a leading role in a production of Romeo and Juliet in London and was reportedly preparing for a new production of Oliver.

Marissa’s great-aunt Chrysanthi told Parapolitika: “The entire family is shocked by the sudden death of the daughter of Diamantis and Bessie Laimou. She was a very kind girl, quiet, educated, cultured, modest and simple. She loved art and theatre – she was involved in theatre.”

The Inner West London Coroner’s Court confirmed to The Independent that the death of Laimou had been referred to the court. An inquest has yet to be opened.

A UCLH spokesperson said: “We were extremely sad to hear of the death of Marissa Lemos. We offer our deep condolences to her family and friends at this sad and difficult time.

“We have initiated an internal investigation, as is the normal process for an unexpected death. We await the result of the post-mortem, and we will provide any information required from the coroner’s court.”

The Independent has also contacted the LOC for comment.

What to expect from Heathrow’s ‘Redefine Your Beauty’ experiences

As someone who’s regularly jetting off to different corners of the globe for work, to me the airport has come to represent just a means to an end: Pret, security queue, working charging socket. After years of this, I’ve pretty much got my routine on lockdown, which usually involves some purely functional eating, a quick pint in Spoons, and a last-minute visit to Duty Free to buy a moisturiser because I forgot mine, again.

So, when I heard Heathrow was rolling out a new experiential beauty and wellness campaign across all four terminals, with pop-up beauty bars, luxury treatments and skincare tech that tells you things about your face you didn’t even know were possible, I was curious. Airports are not where I usually go to feel (or look) my best. But a quick massage and some free beauty advice before a flight? Oh, go on then.

I’m due to fly out of Terminal 5 soon, which means I’ll get to check out the Personal Shopper Lounge and see what the hype is about. There’s a full-on treatment menu, the kind you’d expect at a boutique spa, except here, it’s been designed for travellers on the move, like me, with treatments lasting between 10 and 20 minutes. How often can you say an airport is offering La Mer facials, Elemis LED masks, Molton Brown hand massages and Estée Lauder’s ‘Age Reversal Sculpt Ritual’ facial? From neck and shoulder massages to cryotherapy and ultrasonic peels, it’s the kind of thing you’d usually have to schedule weeks in advance, and here it is, just a stone’s throw from your departure gate. I might even consider swapping my pre-flight pint for something a little more restorative.

Outside the lounge, the terminals are set to be abuzz with pop-up beauty bars from brands like Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, Molton Brown and Penhaligon’s – offering live demos, free mini-treatments and genuinely helpful skincare advice. There’s even a skin analysis station (powered by tech that looks like it comes from the year 3000), and perfume engraving on the spot. Fancy.

I wasn’t planning to splurge £200 on more beauty products,​​ but it’s hard to resist when there’s a free luxury beauty bag up for grabs when you do, packed with products from Elizabeth Arden, Versace, Benefit, Amouage and Elemis, to name a few. The offer’s available in all the main World Duty Free stores, and if you’re a Heathrow Rewards member, you can earn double points on qualifying beauty buys (up to 1,000 points), which definitely makes me feel a little better about splashing the cash.

Even the food spots are jumping on board with the wellness vibes. I usually go for a failsafe Joe & The Juice Tunacado, but I’ve spotted a Clean Green smoothie at Jones the Grocer and a Firecracker Chicken Salad from Leon. I might even grab a poké bowl from YO! Sushi for the flight, although word on the street is the plane meal is steamed seabream with romesco.

I never thought I’d describe an airport experience as relaxing and rejuvenating, but this campaign is definitely out to challenge me. Between the luxurious treatments and nutritious food choices, Heathrow has created the first airport rendezvous that won’t leave you feeling like you need a holiday from your holiday.

If you find yourself passing through Heathrow between now and early October, don’t just bolt straight to your gate. Give yourself an extra 30 minutes, book yourself in for a quick massage or facial, and visit World Duty Free to grab that beauty bag full of goodies to make your holiday that little bit more special.

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

Tsunami warnings after 7.8 earthquake jolts Russia’s Kamchatka

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region, the US Geological Survey said.

The major earthquake triggered a brief tsunami warning, the second-highest alert level, across the region and as far away as Alaska, though no damage was reported. It was lifted about two hours later.

The earthquake struck at 6.58am local time on Friday with its epicentre 127km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of just 165,000 people, according to the agency.

The temblor happened at a depth of 19.5km and caused a series of aftershocks of up to 5.8 magnitude.

It also triggered a tsunami warning for parts of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, north of Japan. Authorities reported waves between 30 and 62cm (1 to 2ft) along the Kamchatka coast.

Russia’s emergencies ministry said the quake had a magnitude of 7.2.

Governor Vladimir Solodov said all emergency services had been placed in a state of high readiness, but no damage had been reported.

“This morning is once again testing the resilience of Kamchatka residents,” Mr Solodov wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Immediately after the earthquake, we began a rapid inspection of social institutions and residential buildings.”

Videos shared online showed light fixtures and kitchen furniture swaying, while small groups of residents gathered outside buildings.

In late July, the remote Kamchatka region was hit by an 8.8-magnitude quake, one of the strongest ever recorded, setting off tsunami waves that reached as far away as Hawaii and California.

The current quake comes a week after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck near the east coast of the Kamchatka peninsula. The US Tsunami warning system issued a threat following the quake, but it was later called off. Earthquakes occur when the planet’s rocky tectonic plates, floating on magma, rub against each other, releasing massive amounts of energy.

Dubbed the “land of fire and ice”, Kamchatka, in the easternmost part of Russia, is one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth and is known for its wilderness and lack of communication links.

It has about 300 volcanoes, with 29 of them still active, according to Nasa’s Earth Observatory. Quakes and tsunamis regularly strike the peninsula that lies close to an ocean trench where two tectonic plates meet.

Teen ‘sexually assaulted multiple women’ in two-hour rampage in London

A teenager allegedly sexually assaulted several women during a two-hour rampage in London. The British Transport Police (BTP) have appealed for information from anyone who witnessed the incidents.

The first woman targeted was travelling on the Bakerloo line at 4.40pm on Friday 5 September at Harlesden station. She was on the train when she was sexually assaulted by a boy described as being around 17 years old.

Soon afterwards, the same boy allegedly sexually assaulted two more women, on a Thameslink train and on the platform at Blackfriars railway station.

At around 6.40pm, he reportedly attacked another woman on a Thameslink train towards St Pancras railway station, and he is alleged to have targeted another woman at West Hampstead station at around 7pm.

An arrest has been made and further inquiries are ongoing, with the BTP appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Confirming the assaults were linked, a BTP spokesperson said: “They would like anyone who witnessed these incidents – or who may possibly have been a victim themselves – to come forward.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP on 61016, or call 0800 40 50 40, using the reference 656 of 5 September. Information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”