1) Strength training

2) Taking creatine

3) Reading before bed

4) Keeping a positive attitude about ageing

5) Eating prunes

A fatal car crash and a censored rap album, seemingly unrelated and a year apart, have sparked what could be the largest revolt of Vietnam’s youth in living memory. Over the past ten days, millions have mobilised around the death of an 18-year-old student, caused by a former National Assembly deputy who walked away without charge. What began as isolated outrage has since put the country’s political system on trial.

On the evening of August 14, uniformed police cleared away bunches of flowers at the base of a tree near the centre of Hanoi. Later that night, groups of young people came back and laid more. Where these were removed, they started laying them at other trees and outside police stations. Then they started wearing white ribbons on their backpacks.

This tree – “Memorial tree 55” on Hanoi’s Nguyễn Huy Tự Street – is at the centre of a growing protest for gen Z in Vietnam. It marks the spot where, in May 2025, a black BMW crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a motorcycle carrying a father and his 18-year-old daughter, Do Ngoc Phuong Thuy. Mina, as she was widely known, lost her leg and died days later, shortly before she should have graduated from high school.

Over the next year there appeared to be no progress in the investigation of the incident, except that the driver was identified by the initials N.S.C. But social media users flooded into the information vaccuum, starting to link these initials to former National Assembly deputy Nguyễn Sỹ Cương. There was much online discussion of a government cover-up.

But by August 2026, the car crash and Mina’s death had almost faded from public memory. It may have stayed that way if hadn’t been for the heavyhanded decision of Vietnam’s minister for culture, Lam Thi Phuong Than, to all but ban a new album by rap artist “MCK”. This censorship against the most popular rap singer among Gen Z drew scrutiny to the culture minister – and from there attention moved to her husband, Nguyễn Sỹ Cương.

Within days, more than a million posts naming Cương spread across Threads and TikTok. One local person I spoke to, who for security reasons only wishes to be known by their pseudonym “Tam Khien”, says that young people across the country are outraged.

But, Tam Khien told me, it would be a mistake to view this sequence of events as outrage over one fatal crash, or even a single case of alleged corruption. Rather, it was the spark that lit up grievances with the state that had been present for years.

This is borne out by data from the Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), which shows how public attitudes have changed. For more than a decade, when asked which problems they view as the most urgent policy challenges, nationally representative samples have named poverty and hunger. But in 2024, corruption overtook these problems – named by 22.6% of respondents, up from under 5% the year before.

Top three issues of concern to people in Vietnam

While this number does not measure levels of corruption in Vietnam, it shows how it has come to dominate public debate. Combined with consistently low levels of confidence in the accountability of the government towards its citizens – rated as low as 0.47 out of 10 – the conditions were ripe for a single event to galvanise protest.

Creative protests

Vietnam’s constitution grants a right for public demonstrations, but the law needed to exercise it has neven been passed. In its place, a 2005 decree requires gatherings to be registered in advance – and protesters are routinely arrested and prosecuted for “disturbing public order”.

So it is clear to protesters in Hanoi that mass rallies are not a realistic option. Publicly accusing a powerful former official is risky, Tam Khien told me. Instead the emerging movement turned to more creative forms of protest, which confront the state with acts that are hard to prosecute.

They pinned the “Tree of Justice” – as Tree 55 has become known – on Google Maps (although pins have been deleted). They continued to lay in defiance of the authorities removing them – and when the flowers were removed they laid them at other trees. They also mark these other trees with the number 55 – an easily recognisable reference which is ambiguous enough to retain plausible deniability.

People changed their profile pictures to memes taunting officials, made paintings and artistic drawings of the crash victim to commemorate her loss and created a virtual “justice tree” that cannot be cleared away. When posts started being taken down, they switched to displaying their messages in Morse code or binary.

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Each of these actions was an adaptation to extensive efforts by the government to crack down on the movement: scrubbing the internet of related content and increasing the police presence at the crash site. Authorities were ordered to paint over the number 55 on trees. This has failed to quell the protests.

What next?

On the evening of August 17, state television VTV aired a rare public statement about the crash. Hanoi police confirmed that Cương had indeed been behind the steering wheel of the BMW. The statement announced that prosecutors had determined no criminal liability, but were vague as to the exact criteria for this decision.

Neither Nguyễn Sỹ Cương nor his wife have made a public statement about the crash. Meanwhile, the victim’s father appeared on camera saying he fully agreed with the government’s decision and had no complaints. But this was greeted by the protesters as scripted.

Vietnam is not Nepal, where a Gen Z movement occupied the streets and burned the parliament. But the resemblance to the youth movements that upended authoritarian politics from Nepal to Indonesia to Madagascar last year is undeniable.

Each began with a local trigger that would have gone nowhere without years of accumulated frustrations with their elites. Each was leaderless and mobilised quickly online. The groundswell of Vietnam’s Gen Z protest continues to grow and, as the protest is taking forms that are not easily policed, the state appears at a loss as to how to deal with them.

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 22:18 BST, 21 August 2026 | Updated: 22:23 BST, 21 August 2026

A hand-shaped bruise discovered on the two-year-old daughter of Trump-endorsed Ohio Congressman Max Miller sparked a months-long child abuse investigation that ultimately failed to determine who injured her.

X-rays taken on February 19 confirmed that the girl had suffered a broken collarbone, while doctors identified what appeared to be a handprint and thumbprint across her right shoulder, according to police records reviewed by the Washington Post.

The markings led a Cleveland doctor to believe someone may have grabbed the toddler from behind, the outlet reported. 

Hospital staff alerted child welfare officials, who referred the case to police and launched parallel investigations into the possibility that the injury had been deliberately inflicted.

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Detectives focused on a five-day period in which the child moved between the homes of Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, but could not establish when or where the fracture occurred.

A child protection specialist initially told police the girl had been with her father when she was hurt and said it appeared at the time that the injury had been ‘inflicted by dad.’

Moreno told detectives that her daughter regularly said ‘Daddy’s angry’ and had also described her father’s home as ‘scary.’

The Daily Mail first revealed Moreno’s abuse allegations against Miller in May, publishing photos of the injuries she claimed were caused when he threw scalding water at her. 

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A hand-shaped bruise discovered on the 2-year-old daughter of Trump-endorsed Ohio Congressman Max Miller sparked a months-long child abuse investigation that ultimately failed to determine who injured her

The markings led a Cleveland Clinic doctor to believe someone may have grabbed the toddler from behind

Detectives focused on a five-day period in which the child moved between the homes of Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, but could not establish when or where the fracture occurred

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The Daily Mail first revealed Moreno’s abuse allegations against Miller in May, publishing photos of the injuries she claimed were caused when he threw scalding water at her

She also accused Miller of once holding a gun to her head while she changed their daughter’s diaper, but declined to file a complaint because she believed no one would believe her.

The child’s nanny offered another troubling detail, telling investigators that the girl consistently identified the red, angry face in a set of emotion toys as her father.

Miller denied harming his daughter and initially suggested that a car-seat strap or sudden braking by a reckless driver could have caused the bruise and fracture.

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He later turned his suspicions toward Moreno, telling investigators: ‘She did it. She’s guilty.’

Investigators ruled out Miller’s car-seat theory because it did not match the bruise pattern and concluded that the injury would have required ‘a high degree of impact,’ according to the Washington Post.

Police scrutinized library footage showing the girl moving both arms shortly after leaving Miller’s home, but the report did not explain whether detectives considered the possibility that she was injured after the visit.

Child welfare officials ultimately found the abuse claim against Miller unsubstantiated, listed the suspected perpetrator as unknown and closed the case. 

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The abuse allegations against Miller have transformed his once-safe Ohio Republican seat into an unexpectedly competitive midterm battleground.

Another famous face has been eliminated from this year’s Celebrity MasterChef, which is currently airing on the BBC

Welsh presenter Jason Mohammad has bid farewell to Celebrity MasterChef.

The first heat of the 2026 series has been taking place this week, with TV and radio host Jason, actor and author Joe Pasquale, The Wanted’s Jay McGuiness, weightlifter and Olympic medallist Emily Campbell and Love Island star Shakira Khan all competing for a place in the semi-final.

Jay was the first celebrity to face elimination this week, with Cardiff-born Jason soon following him out the door on Friday (August 21).

The latest episode saw the remaining four celebrities team up to cook a three-course menu for judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli.

“We are going to create our own mini restaurant, because if you stay in the competition, you’ll end up cooking in a real-life kitchen,” Giorgio explained, reports the Mirror.

Later, Grace and Giorgio welcomed food content creator Seema Pankhania to the kitchen, as she set the next challenge.

With her recipe content regularly going viral, each celebrity was tasked with recreating one of the chef’s technically challenging favourites. The recipes had been developed by Seema and were inspired by her travels.

Emily was tasked with a northern Thai classic, khao Soi – a spicy noodle broth topped with crispy chicken skin, while Jason was given Seema’s cabbage dumplings filled with ginger and Shaoxing wine-infused chicken, and served with egg fried rice.

Joe worked on a biscuit base for a dessert that was inspired by a well-known American shop-bought treat – a chocolate, peanut butter and caramel tart. Lastly, Shakira had to successfully recreate Seema’s most viral recipe, butter chicken with naan and kachumber salad.

Jason soon encountered some problems with his dish. Grace noted: “You had trouble in that round. I could see you beginning to become very stressed and I think that the fact that you’ve delivered this entire plate is really to be commended.”

Jason added: “That was a really tough one because I’ve never, ever made cabbage rolls.”

Unfortunately, Jason’s efforts weren’t enough to keep him in the running, as he became the next celebrity to be eliminated.

Shortly after his exit, he said: “Thank you so much. It’s been incredible. Thank you for having me… It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Giorgio praised Jason for his “instinctive” nature in the kitchen, before offering him an invitation to his own kitchen in the future.

Jason quipped: “As long as you don’t have a go at me, that’d be great!”

Celebrity MasterChef is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

A ferry service on Scotland’s west coast has been evacuated over a bomb threat after a passenger was rescued from the water.

Operator CalMac said a person was reported overboard on the MV Caledonian Isles 16:40 sailing from Brodick on the Isle of Arran.

The vessel’s fast rescue craft was launched to recover the passenger. The BBC understands that they then claimed there was a bomb on board.

CalMac said emergency protocols were put in place. The vessel was searched and 329 people were removed on foot when it berthed at Ardrossan.

Passengers from the ferry and others waiting at the port were taken to a nearby Asda car park by police while the search was carried out.

When this was complete, police declared that the situation had been resolved and allowed people back on board to collect their vehicles.

The Duchess of Sussex has had ‘preliminary conversations’ to join the cast of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, it was claimed tonight.

It is believed filming for the third series of the Netflix action comedy will begin in the autumn, with the cast in the process of being confirmed.

A source told US entertainment website Deadline that talks with Meghan were in their ‘very early stages’ and added that a role has not yet been identified.

The Gentlemen, which stars Theo James as an army officer turned drug baron, became one of Netflix’s biggest hits of 2024, drawing 44million views in the first four weeks of its debut. It also stars Vinnie Jones and Kaya Scodelario as the daughter of Ray Winstone’s crime boss character.

The second series premieres on Netflix on September 3.

It follows the 2019 film of the same name, starring Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Dockery and Hugh Grant.

That was also a hit, grossing just over $115million at the box office, against a reported budget of $22million. In the film version, McConaughey plays a drug lord who tries to sell off his profitable marijuana business to a dynasty of billionaires.

It came as sources also claimed the duchess will be eyeing up a major part in a West End show when she moves back to Britain with Prince Harrynext few weeks.

A former friend told the Daily Mail that she has ‘desperately wanted to be in a West End’ production for many years and ‘will certainly be speaking to people about a role’.

Another source in Theatreland said there were deafening rumours the former Suits actress wants to land a serious stage role in London upon her UK return.

It comes after news broke Prince Harry and Meghan (pictured) would be returning to the UK after departing to the US in 2020 in a move famously dubbed ‘Megxit’

Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix show features Theo James (pictured) and has grossed just over $115million at the box office, against a reported budget of $22million

The duchess – a former National Theatre patron – is known to be a fan of the theatre, attending several West End shows with Harry while living in Britain, including Hamilton, Tina: The Musical and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

After her last episode of Suits aired in 2018 and she joined the Royal Family, the 45-year-old duchess paused her acting career and has not had any parts since.

Sources have, however, told Australian outlet News.com.au that Meghan has been offered a part in an unnamed upcoming project based in the UK. Bronte Coy, the reporter behind the story, said Meghan being offered the role in the ‘top secret’ UK production had played a key part in the family’s decision to return.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘This is such a key part of the puzzle. I think when we all heard that news that Harry and Meghan were moving here, and within a matter of days, and the kids were enrolled in school, everyone was asking, what is Meghan going to be doing?’

Ms Coy added that the project is ‘significant’ and Meghan – who has a small part in the upcoming US film Close Personal Friends, making a cameo appearance as herself alongside Lily Collins and Brie Larson – is ‘very excited’, adding that more details will be released ‘relatively soon’.

Later, the journalist told ITV News: ‘We don’t know exactly what the project is, but it’s clearly significant enough and one that’s got her excited enough to be… pushed back to a country that I really think most of us didn’t expect she’d return to in any sort of permanent capacity.’ Sources close to the duchess did not deny the reports. Nearly a decade ago, Meghan said in a joint interview with Harry after their engagement in 2017 that she was happy to pause her acting career.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled in a British school (the family are pictured in December 2025)

It is, however, thought that King Charles ‘welcomes’ news of his son’s return to Britain (the pair are pictured together in 2022)

She said at the time: ‘I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It’s a new chapter.’

Betting firm Ladbrokes is offering 80/1 odds on Meghan appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, 100/1 on EastEnders and 150/1 on Coronation Street. Meanwhile, the journalist closest to the couple, Omid Scobie, claimed they have been ‘slowly and methodically’ planning their move back to Britain

The British journalist said clues about the Sussexes leaving America after six years ‘have been there all along’ – including how they had reduced the size of their US office and rebranded their Archewell Foundation to Archewell Philanthropies.

Mr Scobie told ABC News: ‘This is definitely a couple that have been looking to make changes, for sure.’

The Daily Mail has approached the Sussexes’ representative for comment. 

Netflix declined to comment. 

Police in Ireland have stepped in to reassure the public after alarming AI-generated images of a character resembling Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat spread widely online

Police have been compelled to issue a statement following the emergence of disturbing images that seemingly depicted someone dressed as Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat menacing a residential area.

The unsettling photographs surfaced from Limerick in Ireland, showing an eerie cat-like figure lurking through streets and loitering in residents’ driveways, sparking concern among both locals and social media users. Fortunately for those left unnerved, Gardaí officials have now confirmed the pictures are fabricated and were in fact artificially generated by an unidentified hoaxer.

The images, which initially surfaced on Facebook though were believed at the time to have come from photo-sharing platform Snapchat, were paired with bogus and deceptive claims that officers were looking into the sinister real-world cartoon character, the Irish Mirror reports.

The prank wasn’t confined to Limerick either, with doctored images of the figure appearing in locations including Glanmire, Cork, Cahir, Tipperary, Curracloe, Wexford, and Broadford Park in Dublin, all contributing to the mounting panic online.

Notably, one regional police force even deemed it necessary to tackle the matter head-on, issuing a firm statement to reassure residents that the entire episode was complete nonsense.

A spokesperson for Wexford Garda stated: “In an unusual turn of events we are hearing a lot about an illusive Dr Seuss character doing the rounds online, apparently causing havoc in neighbourhoods and towns across the country.

“Fortunately, we can rule out the issue, which is essentially an AI prompt that places the character into images/videos of familiar places. To be clear, the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out and he is not currently hiding out in Curracloe.”

Remarkably, this isn’t the first occasion officers have been forced to issue alerts about misleading AI-generated trends.

Last year, police forces across the UK became involved after a viral stunt featuring a fabricated “AI homeless man” supposedly invited into people’s homes resulted in numerous emergency calls from individuals who’d been duped by what turned out to be an elaborate wind-up.

Dorset Police disclosed they’d taken a call from one “extremely concerned parent” who’d been convinced by their daughter that an unknown man was present in their family residence while she was home alone, only for officers to establish the entire incident was an AI-generated hoax.

A force spokesperson advised: “: “If you receive a message and pictures similar to the above antics from friends or family, please attempt to check it isn’t a prank before dialling 999.”

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The US Supreme Court has temporarily allowed construction of the White House ballroom to move forward.

The decision on Friday by Chief Justice John Roberts, issued as a stay, will allow US President Donald Trump’s $400m (£297m) project to continue as the high court mulls over a case aiming to halt it entirely.

The stay will remain in place pending further action from the court.

The case, originally filed by a preservation group that argues the project would become irreversible unless stopped immediately, was appealed to the high court after a federal appeals court had ordered work to halt earlier this month.

The appeals court ruled that Trump was a “temporary tenant” of the White House and could not make the alterations without congressional approval. It gave the administration two weeks to appeal the decision.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a preservation group, has led the lawsuit against the ballroom, arguing it is causing irreversible damage to a historical building.

“We are aware of the administrative stay,” the group told the BBC on Friday. “To be clear, this is not a final decision on the merits of the government’s stay application, and we await further action.”

The court’s decision represents a victory – albeit perhaps a temporary one – for Trump, who has long argued that the White House needs a larger events space, and more recently, that it was vital for national security.

Had the Supreme Court not issued a stay, or chosen to rule against the Trump administration, the White House would have been legally obligated to halt construction on Friday.

The president has asserted that the new ballroom is needed to “accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits”, and has also said that it is “vital for National Security”.

Government lawyers have argued the additional security complex and features included in the ballroom project are needed to protect the White House complex from drones, ballistic missiles, biohazards and other threats – changes essential to protecting the president, his family, and staff.

In an emergency filing to the high court before the stay, the US Solicitor General D John Sauer argued construction on the ballroom had to continue for safety reasons.

While initially billed as a 650-person ballroom that would incorporate the existing building when it was announced in July 2025, revised plans later expanded it to have a capacity of 900, and then about 1,000, with the entire structure of the East Wing being demolished in the process.

A six-year-old girl has died in hospital just days after three members of her family drowned at Shoreham-by-Sea.

Saja El-Khawas, six, was pulled out of the water and taken to hospital after the group came into trouble while swimming close to the shore in West Sussex, on Tuesday. 

But the youngster, who was in critical condition, has now died, a law firm acting for the hospital and the Palestinian Forum in Britain reported.

Her older sister Sara El-Khawas, 14, and her parents, Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, died during the tragedy. 

The family were British citizens of Palestinian origin who came to the UK from the Rashidieh Camp in southern Lebanon, the Palestinian embassy said. 

The camp is on the Mediterranean coast and one of the most populous Palestinian refugee camps in the country.

It is understood that the family had travelled down from their home in north-west London to visit Shoreham for the day.

Floral tributes were left at Shoreham beach following the tragedy.   

Zeina Alayn, 37, died alongside her husband and two daughters at Shoreham-by-Sea

Hassan El-Khawas, 55, who died alongside his wife and children, was a Palestinian refugee

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Eldest daughter Sara El-Khawas, 14, was described by her school as a ‘sweet girl’ who was ‘well-liked’ by her classmates and teachers

The family lived in a first-floor, two-bedroom council flat, with neighbours describing them as a ‘warm, close family’.

Sam, who lives on the ground floor of the building, said the family had lived there for ten years and spoke little about their life before coming to the UK.

‘Hassan was a lovely man and I often saw him in the shared garden we have. I saw him a couple of days ago and he said they were going down to the seaside for a day trip,’ he said.

‘They’ve been in the flat for quite a few years and two of their youngest kids were born since they’ve been living there. They were a warm, close family and what’s happened is devastating.’

Ahmed, another neighbour, said: ‘All I know is that they were in a refugee camp before coming to the UK which was more than ten years ago. Hassan worked as a builder and was a down to earth guy who was always smiling and friendly.’

Eyewitnesses claimed one of the girls got tangled in a fishing net, sparking the tragedy. A fisherman pulled one of the children out before raising the alarm.

Joe Chrisp, 24, said: ‘One of the local fishermen said it was two adults, two kids.

‘One of the kids apparently got caught in a fishing net.’

Floral tributes and a lantern were left at the scene after the tragedy on Tuesday

The investigation into the incident remains open, but police believe it was a tragic accident with no third-party involvement.

In a tribute to the family, the Palestinian Forum in Britain mourned their passing earlier this week.

‘With hearts believing in God’s decree, the Palestinian Forum in Britain mourns Mr Hossam El-Khawas, his virtuous wife, and their daughter – from the Rashidieh refugee camp in Lebanon – following their drowning in the Sussex area,’ it said.

‘We pray for the recovery of their second daughter, who was transferred to the hospital.’

The forum added: ‘We also request help in reaching out to the family (for those who know them) so we can fulfill our collective duty together. 

‘May God bestow His vast mercy upon them, welcome them into His spacious gardens, and grant their loved ones patience and solace. Indeed, to God we belong and to Him we shall return.’

This is a breaking news story. More to follow. 

The Green Dragon, on Finkle Street in Stockton town centre, closed in May 2023 after nearly seven years under its previous management.

Now, new owners say they are preparing the venue for its return, promising a traditional pub where local people, regulars and new faces can come together.

In a post shared online, they said: “Something exciting is happening in the heart of Stockton and we’re absolutely delighted to finally share it with you.

“We are so pleased to be taking on The Green Dragon and cannot wait to welcome you through our doors.”

The owners said they wanted to create a “proper local” where people could enjoy a drink, catch up with friends and feel at home.

They said: “We’re passionate about making our pub one of the best traditional pubs. We’ll make sure we excel with good company and creating somewhere that feels like a proper local, somewhere you can walk in, have a drink, meet friends, make new ones and feel right at home.

“There’s lots happening behind the scenes as we get everything ready, and we’re putting our heart and soul into making sure The Green Dragon is perfect and a place we can be proud of.”

Regulars voiced their upset when the pub’s closure was announced in 2023, with one customer describing it as their favourite pub and another saying major events in their life since 1990 had been marked at the venue.

The new owners have not yet revealed an opening date, but said customers would not have to wait “forever” for its return.

They added: “Make sure you like and follow the page because we’ll be sharing updates, sneak peeks and, of course, the big opening date as soon as we’re ready to announce it.

“The Green Dragon. Traditional pub. Proper welcome. Stockton on Tees. Watch this space, the dragon is waking up.”