Rapper Ghetts jailed after killing student in hit-and-run

Award-winning rapper Ghetts has been jailed for 12 years at the Old Bailey for killing a student in a hit-and-run while speeding and over the drink-drive limit.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, crashed his BMW into 20-year-old Yubin Tamang while driving in north-east London on 18 October 2025.

Clarke-Samuel failed to stop his vehicle or call emergency services after the collision, which left Tamang with “catastrophic injuries”. He died in hospital two days later.

The father-of-two admitted causing death by dangerous driving and dangerous driving.

Weeping in court, Tamang’s mother, Sharmila Tamang, said: “My son had come for studies to this place, but because of somebody’s mistakes he has died at a very small age. Yubin was our only child.”

The court heard that Clarke-Samuel had been one-and-a-half times over the legal drink-drive limit and was driving to his home in Woodford at speeds of more than 70mph before the crash.

He had been repeatedly veering onto the wrong side of the road and had failed to stop at six red traffic lights. The court was told that he also caused damage after colliding with a motorcycle and a Mercedes.

At 11.33pm, Clarke-Samuel hit Tamang as he crossed Redbridge Lane in Ilford, while he was going 67mph in a 30mph zone.

The rapper arrived at his home over 15 minutes later and was arrested by police the next day. Upon arrival at his home, officers smelled alcohol on Clarke-Samuel’s breath and saw that his black BMW had a smashed windscreen and damage to the front bumper.

In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft also disqualified the rapper from driving for 17 years. He told Clarke-Samuel that CCTV footage showed a “quite appalling litany of incidents” leading up to the fatal collision, which was “simply shocking”.

Prosecutor Philip McGhee said: “Mr Tamang was still crossing the road. He could do nothing to avoid a collision. The defendant’s BMW ploughed into him.

“Mr Tamang was catapulted into the air before crashing down on the roadway. He sustained catastrophic injuries.”

The court heard that the rapper was driving recklessly as he believed someone had been following him, however, no evidence of this was found on CCTV.

The rapper, who won best male act at the 2021 Mobo Awards and received the Mobo pioneer award in 2024, has collaborated with Skepta, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran. He also performed at Glastonbury a number of times, including in 2024.

In mitigation, extracts of a letter Clarke-Samuel had written apologising to Tamang’s family were read aloud.

He said: “I write from a place of extreme regret, shame and remorse. I am fully aware that there are no number of apologies that I can say which will soothe the pain that the family and friends of Mr Tamang must feel.

“This may be the only chance that I get to apologise. It was truly an unintentional act on my part and I am so sincerely sorry for the suffering and emotional distress that I have caused.”

Clarke-Samuel has 12 previous convictions for 27 crimes from the age of 16, which included robbery, aggravated vehicle taking and driving offences.

Zelensky says Putin’s troops will have difficulty fulfilling planned advances

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia‘s military failed to achieve aims it set out last year and would have difficulty fulfilling advances ​that Moscow hoped to achieve.

Addressing journalists in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president said ‌Moscow’s plans of seizing all of eastern Ukraine and areas further south remained unchanged.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces want the occupation of the east of Ukraine, specifically the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Zelensky said, but added that Kyiv “does not see that they have ‌the ⁠capability to accomplish the tasks” for the moment.

The assessment from Kyiv comes at a time when the planned trilateral peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, brokered by the US, are in peril due to the escalating conflict in the Gulf region.

Speaking to journalists, Ukraine’s war-time leader said he could not confirm the venue but stressed “no one has cancelled” the meeting.

“If there are difficulties with Abu Dhabi due to missiles and drones, then I think we have Türkiye, we have Switzerland – venues that have already worked and allowed us all to meet. We will definitely support any of these three venues for the meeting. We are waiting for a response from our partners,” Zelensky said.

Wolves sabotage again but Liverpool’s woes go beyond cruel moment

Increasingly, injury time is not Arne time. A night when Wolves could savour an action replay left Arne Slot lamenting the “same old story”. For the second time in four days, Rob Edwards set off down the touchline in manic celebration. Wolves, as their fans had chorused, are bound for the Championship, but on the way they are bloodying the noses of those with ambitions of Champions League qualification. First Aston Villa and now Liverpool have fallen at Molineux.

For Slot, the sense of déjà vu was depressing. His side are record breakers in the wrong sense, the first team in Premier League history to lose five matches in a season due to 90th-minute goals. “The three times we lost in the last 22 games were all three in extra time,” Slot said after Wolves, like Bournemouth and Manchester City before them, struck at the death. Include the late equalisers Fulham and Leeds got and Liverpool have let nine points slip through their grasp in injury time. It may cost them Champions League football.

Liverpool could call their latest setback cruel, when the decider needed a deflection, when they had hit the woodwork twice. “That it happens in extra time might be a coincidence but it happens so many times,” said Slot. Once again, it calls into question Liverpool’s game management.

For him, there were further familiar themes, another occasion when Liverpool dominated possession, had more shots, had the better of the statistics beyond the scoreline. “We hardly give away a chance but they score two,” he rued.

Yet Virgil van Dijk did not plead misfortune. “I think it’s down to ourselves,” said the Liverpool captain. “It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession and [guilty of] wrong decision-making.” It was an excoriating verdict but scarcely an exaggeration.

Defeat came late but Liverpool could trace it to their sluggish start. Even as they picked up the pace, even as Mohamed Salah ended a Premier League goal drought that had extended over four months, even though Wolves did not attempt a shot of any kind until their opening goal, Liverpool arguably did too little over the course of a match that was three-quarters forgettable fare, one quarter frenetic entertainment.

Wolves began frustrating Liverpool with their obduracy and ended doing it with their attacking. They began compact and organised, four central midfielders and three centre-backs forming a solid block. But Edwards rationalised the game would open up and made influential substitutions.

Two combined for the breakthrough with a second goal in as many games for the man who finished off Villa. Rodrigo Gomes had only been on the pitch for eight minutes when he struck. A fellow replacement, Tolu Arokodare, was too strong for Van Dijk, turning him and supplying on the on-rushing Gomes to dink a shot over Alisson.

After Salah levelled, as Liverpool committed men forward in the search for a winner, so did Wolves. After Alisson’s poor kick, Andre’s shot looped up off Joe Gomez and left the goalkeeper helpless. Wolves, the team with the four Gomeses, got the decisive touch from a Gomez. “We conceded a deflected shot, which was not even a chance,” said Slot.

Liverpool are nevertheless left to consider the prospect their struggles against their supposed inferiors will cost them a top-five finish. They have lost to Nottingham Forest and Wolves this season, drawn with Burnley and Leeds. Some 12 points have escaped their grasped in those games.

When it seemed they had salvaged something at Molineux, it was when Salah briefly turned back time. There are times, even when their powers are waning, when the greats can summon a little of their old selves. Hitherto ineffectual, Salah then darted into a gap and improvised a finish which he flicked with the outside of his left foot. Jose Sa got his left hand to it, but the ball nestled in the net. Salah’s 253rd Liverpool goal was his first in the Premier League since November.

Perhaps, though, it summed up the current Salah that it did not prevent defeat. Liverpool had struck the woodwork twice, in distinctly different fashion. A couple of minutes before Salah struck, Rio Ngumoha’s low shot was brilliantly turned on to the post by Sa. Just after half-time, a combination of Curtis Jones’ shoulder and Cody Gakpo’s boot turned the ball on the bar after Hugo Ekitike had flicked on Salah’s corner. After three goals from set-pieces against West Ham on Saturday, Liverpool ought to have had another.

But they mustered too little else. “What didn’t change in the last five, six seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create,” admitted Slot. Nor did they create enough.

This was a game that was crying out for Ngumoha long before his introduction, though, at 64 minutes, it was the earliest he had come on in the Premier League. Gakpo, though, had been poor as a starter.

And Wolves finished with a flourish; on the night and perhaps over the season. After one win all season, they have two in a week. “We are showing we are not as bad as people thought,” said Edwards, whose touchline dash showed the emotional relief of victory and brought pain, though not the sort Slot was feeling. “It’s my groin this time,” the Wolves manager said. “I’m falling apart.”

‘She added beauty to the world’: Sarah Everard’s mother remembers her five years on

The mother of Sarah Everard, who was raped and murdered by a serving Met Police officer five years ago, has paid tribute to her daughter in a piece remembering her travel, dancing and sense of humour.

Susan Everard said Miss Everard “added to the beauty of the world” in the article for British Vogue, a publication the 33-year-old was photographed by at V Festival in 2010 as part of a street fashion series.

Mrs Everard wrote: “It was 2010 when the photograph was taken and, although it is bittersweet, I love to see her, happy and beautiful, with her whole life ahead of her. It was a golden time when she had recently graduated and was back home from travels to south-east Asia and already making plans for future adventures.”

She said the marketing executive had loved to travel, spending time in South America, South Africa and Nepal.

“She was interested in the world around her and made the most of life. There was a depth to her, she led her life with decency and integrity,” Mrs Everard wrote. “She cared about others and worried about us in the pandemic. She had a large network of friends who were dear to her; we meet up with them now to celebrate her.

“I miss the goodness of Sarah: she was thoughtful and dependable and highly principled.”

Miss Everard went missing on 3 March 2021 after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham at about 9pm, before her body was tragically discovered a week later. Following the arrest of Wayne Couzens, it emerged in court that he had kidnapped her under the guise of an arrest for breaking Covid lockdown rules, before raping and murdering her.

After the horrific crime, it emerged that Couzens had passed several rounds of vetting despite three alleged incidents of indecent exposure that were not fully investigated.

The case put police vetting processes in the spotlight and the handling of officers accused of sexual misconduct.

In December, an inquiry launched after Everard’s death urged forces to drastically tighten police vetting after finding recommendations on recruitment had not been followed up by police forces.

The commissioner of the Met Police said “no organisation of 40,000 people can be perfect” – but insisted work has taken place to remove problematic employees from the force since Miss Everard’s death.

Sir Mark Rowley said some 1,500 people had been “rooted out” of the force since 2022, including many because of inappropriate behaviour toward women.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Mark said: “They [women] can absolutely trust [us]. We are an organisation that is doing everything we can possibly do to double down on our integrity and be as strong as we possibly can, from the front door of the organisation where the vetting is much tougher than it was, all the way through every step we take with allegations inside.

“Of course, no organisation of 40-odd thousand people can be perfect but you can be as determined to sustain the integrity of the organisation as possible and that’s certainly what we’re doing now.”

Last year, The Independent revealed that at least 59 police officers across England and Wales had been convicted of sexual offences since 2022. That included 22 officers – all male – from the Met Police, none of whom are still serving.

In January, a review showed some 5,073 officers and staff at the Met were not properly vetted between 2013 and 2023. The Met estimated that around 1,200 recruits may have had their vetting refused under normal practices.

However, in a statement to The Independent, the Met said forced exits had trebled to around 550 in 2024, from 150 in 2020. Refusal rates through vetting had also more than doubled to 11 per cent, it said.

But women’s charities have said more needs to be done. Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid, told the BBC that there needed to be a change of attitude towards women among police officers.

Sir Mark said: “We haven’t got to the point where every woman is going to say ‘I completely, without question, trust the Metropolitan Police. Of course. This is a horrific incident [Everard’s murder].

“A serving police officer abducted, raped and murdered somebody. Of course that’s going to live long in the memory and all I’m seeking to do is just say, I can see that we are making progress and people are noticing that.”

Have you been impacted by this story, or wish to comment on the Met Police’s handling of misconduct? Contact alexander.ross@independent.co.uk

‘I can’t be Mary Berry at 90 because I’m not white’: Nadiya Hussain on why her cookery show ended

Nadiya Hussain says she dreams of cooking on TV into old age – but that longevity in the industry isn’t afforded to everyone.

“I would like to have seen myself where Mary Berry is at 90 years old, still cooking on television, I would have loved that for myself,” says the 41-year-old, “But that’s a dream that I can’t live up to because I’m not white.”

The British-Bangladeshi chef, author and TV presenter, who won the Great British Bake Off in 2015 and was catapulted to fame, spent 10 years making cooking shows for the BBC, but the shows weren’t recommissioned last year – a decision she says “shocked” her.

The mum-of-three notes that it’s “really hard to pick a few” Muslim female chefs on TV. “Because we don’t have longevity. I can’t even find another Muslim woman to equate myself to, or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with.

“It’s hard not to feel like a token, because it’s almost like we’re allowed a certain amount of space, until that space no longer exists for us – when the box has been ticked. There’s this kind of show of, ‘Look, we’re inclusive’, until we’re not.”

The TV chef and cookery author has released her 11th cookbook, Nadiya’s Quick Comforts, celebrating the food she makes so often at home, which is fast to make and designed to be enjoyed slowly.

“This is exactly where I am and what I cook for my kids, because my eldest is moving out soon, and then my second will be moving out at the end of the year, and all they want is comfort food. All they want is yummy food that’s delicious.”

Hussain is entering a new era, without a TV show on the horizon, as she did for so long and “it’s scary”, she says.

Regularly publishing a cookbook, followed by a TV series, had become the norm for her. “I’d gone into autopilot where I was like, ‘I’ve got a book, of course I’m going to do a series’, and when that was taken away from me, I didn’t have a conversation with anyone, it was just taken away from me with no explanation.”

Last year, she published a cookbook about Ramadan, in which, for the first time, she “attached faith and food together”.

“Up to that point, I was the digestible version of myself for the general public,” she says, and now had become “too much” for some people. “I thought, you know what, in that case, I have not been enough.

“When the BBC cancelled the show, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I see what’s happening’. And so from that point, I got rid of my management. I needed to start from scratch. [I thought] I cannot become this manufactured caricature version of myself that everybody thinks is sellable as a brand. I need to be the version of myself that allows me to sleep at night, because right now I can’t sleep.”

So rather than a rejection, Hussain saw it as a wake-up call – and a chance to show her children what matters.

“I think what’s really important for the kids to see is integrity. And I look back at 10 years and going in that autopilot mode and just doing as I’m told, because that’s what will get you the book deals, and that’s what will get you the TV, and that’s where you just, just comply, comply, comply.

“My daughter’s struggle will be different as a Muslim woman in this society. My sons will have their own struggles, always less so because they’re men – her struggles will be greater. And what I’m trying to teach her is that being compliant and submissive is not the way you speak your truth, you speak your mind, and it may make you less rich, but you will sleep at night.”

Since that famous Bake Off win, where Hussain pulled on the nation’s heartstrings with an impassioned speech about believing in herself, she has come a long way. “You do a lot of self-reflection and growth in 11 years,” she notes. “I’ve changed so much, and this and every year, I feel like more myself than I ever have.

“It’s knowing yourself, and I think that shows in the way I cook. I’m not scared to just say, this is what I love to do. And I’m not scared to say I deep-fry three times a week, and that’s absolutely fine,” she laughs. “I could write an entire book on deep-fat frying, I absolutely would, because it gives you a texture that nothing else can give you.”

In a world that often encourages us to cut back on certain foods, Hussain is instead encouraging us to see food as warmth and safety. Whether that’s deep-frying cheese strings or the corn pakoras she serves up instead of biscuits when people come round to her house for tea. You’ll find easy family-friendly tray bakes – like shawarma fries or frankfurter bacon sarnies – alongside an all-in-one-pan chicken roast dinner that takes less than an hour.

And if you thought crumpets were just for butter and jam, try Hussain’s savoury crumpet dish – torn and fried up with onions, chilli and egg, and sprinkled with coriander.

“We are so bound by rules and habit,” she notes, “but if you step out of your comfort zone, you actually do really wonderful things with simple ingredients. I’ve been having savoury crumpets for years.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be comfort food without dessert; think brown butter pecan coffee cake and croissant berry pudding slices.

With every book, and each year that passes, Hussain feels more comfortable being “unapologetically” herself. “I think once you get to your forties, there’s a comfort in your own skin. I thought thirties was the decade. It’s not, it’s 40. I used to think 40 was really old, when I think back, but actually, I feel more alive now than I ever felt.”

And “I’m really excited about what that could mean for me in five or 10 years.” Or when she’s 90.

A BBC Spokesperson said: “After many wonderful series, we made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain for the time being. We remain open to working with her in the future.”

“This is like a bread-and-butter pudding but – simply put – better,” says Hussain. “It’s made with an easy vanilla custard, which is baked around chunks of buttery croissant, laced with raspberries and white chocolate. It’s comforting, warm and really hits the spot.”

Serves: 8

Prep time: 8 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 large croissants

3 medium eggs

300ml double cream

100ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp caster sugar

100g fresh raspberries

50g white chocolate, chopped

Icing sugar, to dust

To serve:

Clotted cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan. Grease the inside of a 23cm cake tin.

2. Take a sheet of baking paper, large enough to cover the base and sides of the tin, scrunch it into a ball, then un-scrunch the paper, flatten it out, and fit it into the tin. Grease the inside of the paper.

3. Rip the croissants into small shreds and put them into the tin.

4. Put the eggs into a bowl and whisk until broken up. Add the double cream, whole milk, vanilla and caster sugar, and mix until really well combined.

5. Get a sieve, and strain the custard mix through the sieve, straight on to the croissants.

6. Put the fresh raspberries on top, sprinkle over the white chocolate, and bake for 35 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge. Dust with icing sugar and serve cut into wedges, with clotted cream.

“I love a fish curry; I grew up on the stuff,” says Hussain. “Over the years, I’ve learned to make it in lots of different ways. This version is rich and creamy and packed with coconut flavour. The addition of cashew nuts makes it extra special.”

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

100g whole cashews

2 tsp garlic paste

2 tsp ginger paste

2 medium onion, peeled and blended to a smooth paste

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp paprika

3 tsp curry powder

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

400ml water

150g mangetout

80g baby spinach leaves

2 x 280g pieces of cod, cut into chunks

To serve:

Microwave rice

20g desiccated coconut, toasted

A small handful of fresh coriander, chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

Method:

1. Put a 5l pot on the stove on a medium heat.

2. Add the vegetable oil to the pot, and when the oil is hot, add the cashews and toast until golden. Now add the garlic and ginger paste, along with the onion paste from the blender.

3. Add the salt and cook for a few minutes, until the onions are just golden brown.

4. Add the turmeric, paprika and curry powder and cook for a few minutes. If the onion starts to stick, add a small splash of water.

5. Pour in the coconut milk, then use the empty can to measure out the 400ml of water and pour that in too. Bring to the boil and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes.

6. Add the mangetout, spinach leaves and cod chunks and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes with the lid off.

7. Serve with rice, and sprinkle with toasted coconut, chopped coriander and chilli flakes.

“I love goat’s cheese with caramelised onions, and this recipe pairs that brilliant flavour combination with flaky puff pastry, another thing that I really, really love,” says Hussain. “I hope you love this too!”

Serves: 6

Prep time: 12 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

3 medium onions, peeled and sliced into rings

1 tsp salt

1 tsp caster sugar

150g goat’s cheese

1 tsp dried thyme

1 x 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry

Honey, to drizzle

To serve:

Simple green salad

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan and line a 39cm baking tray with baking paper. Drizzle some oil over the paper and brush it all over in an even layer.

2. Lay the onion rings all over the paper and sprinkle all over with the salt and sugar.

3. Bake the onions for 10 minutes.

4. Take the tray out of the oven, dot all over with the goat’s cheese and sprinkle over the dried thyme.

5. Place the puff pastry sheet on top and bake for another 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

6. Take out of the oven and leave for 10 minutes, then flip out on to a board.

7. Drizzle with honey, cut and enjoy with a simple green salad.

‘Nadiya’s Quick Comforts’ by Nadiya Hussain (Penguin Michael Joseph, £28)

Why Gran Hotel Taoro is Tenerife’s must-book luxury stay for 2026

Tenerife’s iconic Gran Hotel Taoro holds a special place in Spanish history. As the first luxury hotel in Spain, opening its doors in 1890, it was a glamorous haven for high society, welcoming everyone from King Alfonso XIII and the Duke of Kent to author Agatha Christie.

Now, after a complete renovation, the landmark hotel has been reborn as an elegant 21st-century destination that’s ready to welcome you for the ultimate five-star break.

The hotel’s carefully preserved neo-classical architecture exudes old-world elegance, while colonial-inspired interiors in earthy tones and modern five-star comforts promise a stay that feels both timeless and contemporary.

Set on a lush hilltop in northern Tenerife and overlooking the historic town of Puerto de la Cruz, the hotel’s 199 rooms and suites make the most of its enviable location, featuring breathtaking panoramic views of Mount Teide – the highest point in Spain – the Atlantic Ocean, and the palm-dotted greenery of its terraces and surrounding botanical parks.

Prepare to embark on an unforgettable culinary journey throughout your stay, with exceptional restaurants celebrating local and international flavours.

At fusion restaurant OKA, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Ricardo Sanz, Japanese fine dining is given a mouthwatering Mediterranean twist.

Two-Michelin-starred chef Erlantz Gorostiza is the mastermind behind two more restaurants: Spanish gourmet bistro Amalur, with a menu inspired by the four elements; and fine dining restaurant Lava, whose exclusive setting includes a Chef’s Counter for six guests.

Breakfast at Atlantico Buffet is the perfect way to start the day as you savour delicious dishes alongside terrace views. For leisurely poolside lunches, La Carola is the place to be, serving Mediterranean flavours and crisp Canarian wines with a generous side of Tenerife sunshine.

Secure your holiday to Gran Hotel Taoro with British Airways Holidays and enjoy a great-value holiday with quality and peace of mind. You’ll benefit from ATOL protection from the moment you book, a 24-hour helpline and a generous checked baggage allowance. Book your holiday with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments* – so all that’s left to focus on is enjoying your holiday in style.

If you upgrade to Club Europe, you’ll enjoy a host of additional benefits including lounge access,** increased checked baggage allowance, and priority check-in and boarding. Members of The British Airways Club benefit from collecting Avios, earning tier points and using Avios towards the cost of holiday packages.

Spend your days at the Gran Hotel Taoro relaxing by three heated pools, set amidst beautifully landscaped gardens and providing a postcard-perfect setting for some downtime.

If you want to up the relaxation factor further, head to the serene sanctuary of the Sandara Wellness Center, which offers a range of exclusive treatments in partnership with luxury French brand Anne Semonin.

Guests who want to explore the history, culture and natural wonders of the local area – including Puerto de la Cruz, the oldest tourist destination in the Canaries – can take advantage of the hotel’s new X-Plora programme, offering a range of tailor-made experiences both within and beyond the hotel grounds through the dedicated concierge team.

More than a luxury retreat, Gran Hotel Taoro is a grand hotel reborn: a destination where heritage, culture and five-star service come together in one of Tenerife’s most treasured and authentic settings. Book with British Airways Holidays to experience this Spanish icon’s remarkable return in 2026.

British Airways Holidays packages include a generous checked baggage allowance for each customer and come with full ATOL protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your Tenerife holiday to Gran Hotel Taoro with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly*.

*Based on two sharing. Full balance due four weeks before departure. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply. **Subject to availability

• Secure your holiday with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments.*

• All holiday packages include a generous checked baggage allowance.

• ATOL protection from the moment you book your holiday package giving you financial reassurance.

• Quality car hire with no hidden fees, 24-hour support and roadside assistance.

• Upgrade to Club Europe (Business Class) for a host of additional benefits including lounge access,** increased checked baggage allowance, delicious food and drink options and dedicated check-in and priority boarding.

• Members of The British Airways Club benefit from collecting Avios, earning tier points and using Avios towards the cost of holiday packages.

Trump’s neck rash raises new questions over his health

President Donald Trump has sparked health concerns once again after he was seen with what appeared to be a bright red rash on the side of his neck.

Photos taken Monday during a Medal of Freedom event at the White House showed what looked like a large, red rash and scabs on the right side of the 79-year-old president’s neck that spread from his ear to the back of his head.

White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella excused the irritation in a statement to The Independent, saying: “President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment, prescribed by the White House Doctor.”

“The President is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks,” Barbabella added. He did not say why the cream was prescribed or what it was.

During the ceremony Monday, Trump was also sporting a bruise on his right hand, which, as usual, was covered by a thick layer of makeup. The new mystery rash only adds to the mounting scrutiny he has faced over his physical health and mental acuity after becoming the oldest president to be sworn into office.

The president’s well-being has previously been questioned after he was photographed with bruised hands — and then with makeup to cover the bruises — as well as swollen ankles.

White House officials tried to ease concerns by blaming the hand bruises on “frequent handshaking.” However, Trump told The Wall Street Journal in January that the bruises come from taking a higher dose of aspirin than doctors recommend, which he has done for years.

“I’m a little superstitious,” he said. “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart. I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”

The president also said that he applies makeup to his hand after he gets “whacked again by someone” and that “I have makeup that’s, you know, easy to put on, takes about 10 seconds.”

At the time of the interview, Barbabella said that Trump takes aspirin for “cardiac prevention.” But the president takes 325 milligrams daily instead of the common low dose of 81 milligrams.

The president’s cognitive health has also been called into question during his second term. Trump has been filmed with his eyes shut during Cabinet meetings and in the Oval Office, though the president says he doesn’t sleep a lot.

“I’ve never been a big sleeper,” he told the Journal, adding that he just closes his eyes to relax.

“Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink,” he added.

Last July, White House officials announced that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency — which was to blame for his swollen ankles.

The condition affects millions of Americans and is not a serious health threat. It occurs when a person’s leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to the heart.

Government criticised as proposed social media ban for under-16s set to be axed

A proposed blanket ban on social media use for under-16s faces potential reversal next week despite being previously backed by the House of Lords.

The government is instead pushing for a more adaptable power, allowing for the blocking of children from “specified internet services” rather than a strict age limit for under-16s.

Should MPs approve this amendment within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, ministers would acquire new authority to impose social media curfews or restrict screen time for young people.

Crucially, while Lords sought a direct ban on user-to-user platforms, the revised proposal grants ministers discretion over the specific measures to be implemented.

John Nash, who steered the ban in law through the Upper House, described this as a “blank cheque”.

The government launched an online safety consultation on Monday, which explores several themes including whether social media platforms should come with a minimum age requirement, and whether platforms should switch off addictive features such as autoplay.

Lord Nash told the Press Association: “The government’s amendment confirms that they remain firmly on the fence on how best to protect children.

“In fact, it is patently clear that raising the age limit to 16 for harmful social media platforms is far from their preferred option.

“MPs must choose on Monday whether to act now and raise the age limit for harmful social media to 16, or vote for the government’s amendment, which is in effect a blank cheque, committing only to further delay while their consultation runs its course.

“That consultation is simply yet another opportunity for Big Tech to mobilise their lobbyists and water down any prospective measures before they reach the statute book.”

Lord Nash, a Conservative former minister, added that he has backed a letter-writing campaign by raisetheage.org.uk ahead of Monday’s Commons debate on the Bill.

He said his proposal, which peers backed in January by 261 votes to 150 – majority 111, was “the only legislative vehicle on the table that will force the government to raise the age limit for harmful social media platforms”.

He said MPs should back his proposal instead of the government’s “without hesitating”.

Launching the consultation earlier this week, technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.”

She urged children and parents to take part in the government’s consultation.

“Together, we will create a digital world that gives young people the childhood they deserve and prepares them for the future,” she said.