Supplement shelves can give the impression that almost everyone needs something. Yet for generally healthy adults, a review of 84 studies found that routine vitamin and mineral supplements offered little or no protection against cardiovascular disease, cancer or early death.

Taking a supplement without a clear reason may also cause harm. High doses of some water-soluble vitamins can cause harm, and too much vitamin B6, for example, has been linked to nerve damage. Some fat-soluble vitamins, particularly vitamin A, can accumulate and cause toxicity when taken in excess.

A diagnosed deficiency is one reason to take a supplement. Other evidence-based reasons include folic acid before and during early pregnancy, vitamin B12 for people who cannot obtain enough from food and the ten micrograms of vitamin D that UK guidance recommends people consider during autumn and winter.

Once there is a sound reason to take a supplement, timing can sometimes affect absorption. Usually, “timing” concerns meals, drinks and other medicines rather than a perfect hour on the clock.

Iron: the fussiest supplement

Iron supplements are used to treat iron deficiency anaemia. Because iron deficiency can be caused by blood loss and poor absorption, including conditions affecting the gut, it should be confirmed and its cause considered rather than self-treated on the basis of tiredness alone.

Coffee can substantially reduce iron absorption. In a small study of 34 iron-depleted women, coffee taken with a 100mg iron supplement reduced absorption by 54% compared with water. Taking the supplement with breakfast reduced absorption by 66%, even though the meal included orange juice.

The same study found that 80mg of vitamin C increased iron absorption by 30%, while 500mg offered no further improvement. It also suggested that absorption was 37% lower in the afternoon than in the morning. The result fell just outside the usual threshold for statistical significance, so it cannot support a firm rule about taking iron in the morning.

Improved absorption does not always produce better clinical results. In a randomised trial involving 440 adults with iron deficiency anaemia, iron alone was as effective as iron combined with vitamin C at improving haemoglobin and iron stores.

Calcium can reduce iron absorption over a single meal or dose, particularly in large amounts. However, the same systematic review of human studies found that its effect on long-term iron status was small. If you have been advised to take both calcium and iron, ask a pharmacist whether to separate them.

Iron is generally absorbed better on an empty stomach but can cause nausea, constipation, diarrhoea or stomach pain. Taking it with food may make treatment easier to tolerate. NHS advice is to take ferrous sulfate 30 minutes before eating or two hours afterwards where possible, but with or after food if it upsets your stomach. Following the instructions for your preparation is more useful than pursuing perfect absorption and repeatedly missing doses.

Vitamin D: take it with a meal

Vitamin D is fat-soluble. A randomised study found that vitamin D3 was absorbed better with a meal containing fat than with a fat-free meal. This supports taking tablets or capsules with a main meal. The study compared the fat content of meals, so it cannot tell us whether breakfast is better than dinner.

Some medicines can affect how the body absorbs or processes vitamin D. These include orlistat, a medicine used to treat obesity by reducing fat absorption, and corticosteroids such as prednisolone, which are used to reduce inflammation. Moving the supplement to another hour may not solve the problem. Keep taking prescribed medicine and ask a healthcare professional whether your vitamin D intake or levels need reviewing.

Vitamin B12: the cause is more important than the clock

Vitamin B12 supports red blood cell production and the nervous system and is obtained from animal-derived or fortified foods. A systematic review and meta-analysis, which brought together relevant studies and combined their results, found that vegans who did not supplement had poorer B12 status than people who ate animal products. Supplements improved their blood markers of B12 status.

For most B12 products, the underlying reason for taking them matters more than the time of day. Metformin and acid-suppressing medicines such as omeprazole can reduce B12 absorption or levels over time. Simply separating the doses may not prevent this effect. For prescribed cyanocobalamin tablets, a manufactured form of vitamin B12, the NHS advises taking them on an empty stomach. Follow the packet instructions for products bought over the counter.

Where deficiency is caused by poor absorption, treatment may involve high-dose tablets or injections. A review of the available clinical trials found low-quality evidence that high-dose oral B12 and injections produced similar short-term changes in B12 levels, so treatment should be chosen according to the cause, symptoms and clinical advice.

Before adding a supplement

Ask whether you have an evidence-based reason to take it and whether the dose is appropriate. Check for the same ingredient in other products, as multivitamins, energy drinks and “wellness” powders can overlap. If you use prescribed medicines, ask a pharmacist about interactions and spacing. Then follow the label or prescription.

For some supplements, the surrounding meal or drink can make a measurable difference. Where no timing effect has been shown, follow the recommended dose and instructions at a time you can remember.

By RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT and NICK MIAO

Published: 14:48 BST, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 19:29 BST, 20 August 2026

Director James Cameron’s acclaimed sci-fi movie Aliens turns 40 in August. It’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic breakout hit Alien, made in 1979. Where the original featured one terrifying creature, Cameron’s movie features hundreds – and pits them against a squad of space marines.

A host of intriguing technologies make an appearance, including interstellar travel, hypersleep (where humans are preserved in stasis for long space journeys) and terraforming (making other worlds liveable for humans).

Some of the technologies in the film have already come to pass – or look likely to soon. But others were missed and some remain firmly in the realms of science fiction.

In Aliens, the marines travel to a distant moon to investigate the disappearance of over 100 human settlers. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the main protagonist of the first film, goes along to advise.

On arrival, they run into a six-year-old girl, called Newt, who managed to escape the grisly fate of the other colonists. When the marines encounter the alien hive, chaos and carnage ensue.

The technology featured in Aliens appears to be there to support the wonderful storytelling, rather than predict the path of innovation, as a futurologist might.

But let’s take a look at it. The film is set in 2179, 153 years into our future. Journeying 153 years into the past would land us in 1893, when common technologies were horse drawn and steam streetcars and gas lighting. Typewriters with Qwerty keyboards went on sale the following year.

Industrial aesthetic

We’ve moved on considerably, but the future world of Aliens feels less distant in many respects. Company executives use clunky business cards to trigger low-resolution video calls and wave computer printouts during meeting room showdowns.

For modern audiences, however, the lack of personal electronic devices may be jarring. One can only assume that they must have fallen out of favour by 2179.

The gritty, industrial visual style established in the first film was taken further here. Aliens introduces a variety of military vehicles that contain futuristic elements while drawing on real hardware used in the Vietnam war. The movie’s look influenced later films, but it has also been described as “everyday” and “ugly”.

An exception is the tracking technology: the motion detectors, wearable cameras and biosensors embedded into wristbands. These feel broadly “current”. But if we extrapolate from the present day, one might expect engineers in 2179 to make greater use of surveillance cameras and computer vision (a sub-field of AI where machines are trained to “understand” images and video).

A network of “smart cameras” throughout the moon colony could have tracked both the aliens and humans. Similar networks today monitor crowds and individuals – and watch for suspicious behaviour – on city streets and public transport.

Sentry guns and exoskeletons

The robots of Aliens are striking. Some are not so far removed from hardware used today, but with notable differences. In two separate scenes, Ripley straps into a massive mechanical suit known as a “loader”.

They are mainly used to move cargo, but, conveniently, can be appropriated for fighting xenomorphs. The loaders are a type of exoskeleton, real life wearable tech that may enhance human strength or movement.

Exoskeletons aren’t generally used for this kind of task yet. Large autonomous or teleoperated factory robots are the go-to technology for lifting heavy hardware. This is safer than having humans operate in such hazardous environments.

Current exoskeletons are smaller in scale than the loaders. They are helping people walk again after traumatic injury and commercial versions are available to support those with mobility issues to hill walk.

The war in Ukraine, meanwhile, has familiarised us with autonomous combat robots. One or two share a striking resemblance to the film’s automated sentry guns, which guard an entrance passage in the colony. But drone aircraft, in heavy use today, are notable by their absence.

However, one robot in Aliens operates at a level far beyond the rest: the android Bishop, played by Lance Henriksen. Bishop looks like a human on the outside and is referred to in the film as a “synthetic”.

By 2179, synthetics appear to be approaching human levels of cognitive function – something known as artificial general intelligence (AGI). They even seem to observe the laws of robotics devised by scientist and author Isaac Asimov. In one scene, Bishop tells crew members that he cannot harm a human or allow one to be harmed – Asimov’s first law.

Synthetics occupy capable and realistic bodies which seem to incorporate soft robotics. In this real research area, scientists create robots with flexible materials instead of hard ones, such as metal. Fluids or pressurised air generate movement rather than conventional electric actuators.

The synthetics probably have soft robotic systems overlaid on a rigid framework, similar to flesh on bone. They are therefore likely to be a mixture of soft and conventional robotics.

Tech conundrum

Some of the tech in Aliens remains well out of reach. We don’t have propulsion systems capable of sending crews to other stars and back within a lifetime. As regards hypersleep, in rare cases, humans have survived extreme hypothermia for over an hour, but this is not recommended. Terraforming, meanwhile, remains resolutely theoretical. But what of the synthetics?

Rightly or wrongly, many researchers and companies aspire to create humanoid robots and achieve AGI. We are bombarded with visions of their latest efforts on social media. But some proportion of those working on such ventures are looking to raise money. Many experts would argue that synthetic humans like those in the Alien movies are still far beyond today’s capabilities.

This leads us to a striking conundrum at the heart of Aliens. Why aren’t there more synthetics? Why not send a population of them to terraform worlds or fight aggressive ETs?

Perhaps humans are more expendable: maybe we will end up doing AI’s dirty work because we are the cheaper commodity. But there is a more optimistic answer. Maybe, despite all of our apparent failings and weaknesses, humans are the more capable being.

After all, it is Ripley – not Bishop – who, wildly improvising with available technologies and driven by her unstoppable desire to protect Newt, defeats the alien queen. Perhaps there is hope yet for our species.

LK Bennett, the womenswear brand founded in London in 1990, entered administration on January 27, 2026, when joint administrators were appointed to oversee the business.

Immediately afterwards, the retailer’s brand and intellectual property were sold to a company affiliated with Gordon Brothers, but its stores and concessions were not included in the transaction.

At the time, the company continued trading through nine standalone stores and 13 concessions across the UK and Ireland while administrators wound down the retail operation.

Those concessions included a department inside John Lewis at Westgate Oxford shopping centre.

Administrators initially expected the remaining stores and concessions to continue trading for up to three months before closing.

However, reports later suggested stock sold out faster than expected, leading to some LK Bennett stores closing ahead of schedule.

Some concession locations continued operating briefly while remaining stock was cleared.

The retailer later confirmed that all stores had closed, with its website displaying a notice stating that its “website and stores are now closed”.

As of August 2026, no LK Bennett stock can be found inside the John Lewis store at Oxford Westgate, marking the end of the fashion chain’s physical presence in the city.

Before its closure, LK Bennett operated concessions within a number of department stores, including John Lewis branches in Oxford, Manchester, Edinburgh, High Wycombe and London’s Oxford Street.

The retailer launched a series of clearance sales following the administration.

In March, reports said products across the business were being sold at discounts of at least 60 per cent as administrators sought to clear remaining stock and prepare stores for closure.

The disappearance of LK Bennett from Britain’s high streets comes during a challenging period for the retail sector, with a number of well-known chains announcing store closures or restructuring plans in recent months.

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 17:39 BST, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 18:56 BST, 20 August 2026

Police have launched a search after ‘extremely vulnerable’ teenage siblings took their parents’ car and ran away. 

Mukarma, 16, and her 14-year-old brother, Muhammed, are believed to have taken a family member’s car – a white Toyota Prius – in the early hours of Monday.

The missing white vehicle with the registration KR10 NTF was seen travelling on the A40 Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross towards Beaconsfield.

Muhammed is described as being 5ft 9in, Asian with a slim build and shoulder-length black hair. He also often wears glasses.

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His sister is said to be 5ft 3in, with a slim build and long, black, wavy hair which is often in braids. She may be wearing a Hijab and has a dimple on one side of her face. 

There have been no further camera sightings of the car, and the family have not heard from either Mukarma or Muhammed.   

Mukarma is said to be 5ft 3inch, with a slim build and long, black, wavy hair which is often in braids. She may be wearing a Hijab and has a dimple on one side of her face

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Muhammed is described as being 5ft 9in, Asian with a slim build and shoulder-length black hair. He also often wears glasses

The siblings are believed to have taken a family member’s car – a white Toyota Prius (pictured) – in the early hours of Monday

Detective Sergeant Gary Walker, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘We are increasingly concerned for the welfare of Mukarma and Muhammed due to their ages, the length of time they have been missing and the belief that they may be driving a car without a licence.

‘It is now a critical time in our investigation. By now the children, who are extremely vulnerable, could be anywhere in the country, so we are appealing to the public to come forward with any information or sightings. 

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‘We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have offered them assistance or accommodation in recent days.

‘Any piece of information, no matter how small, could be crucial to our investigation.’

Anyone who sees Mukarma or Muhammed is urged to call 999 immediately, quoting reference CAD 2117/17AUG.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

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Harry and Meghan are believed to have secretly stayed in the Cotswolds during their recent visit to the UK – which may signal their interest in choosing the exclusive rural area for their next home.

The couple are understood to have spent a few days staying in a private house belonging to a wealthy associate in early July when they last came to Britain, the Daily Mail has learned.

During their brief stay, Harry and Meghan house hunted in an enclave that is popular with celebrities, it is understood.

From their rural base, Harry took his family to see his father King Charles at Highgrove, on the southern side of the Cotswolds, and they also visited the grave of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, at her ancestral home at Althorp, in the East Midlands.

But otherwise their movements are not publicly known.

And royal experts are now speculating that the stay in Oxfordshire may have served as a secret reconnaissance mission to help the Sussexes make their surprise decision to live in the Cotswolds full time – and to work out how to manage this.

The couple are thought to have already found a home and have booked Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, into a local prep school – and there is speculation that they were making these arrangements during their stay in Oxfordshire.

They are expected to arrive in the UK to begin their new life within a fortnight, ahead of school terms beginning in the first week of September.

The precise location of their elective new home is being kept a closely guarded secret for security reasons.

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, already have strong links with the Cotswolds, having lived in a rented £2.5million farmhouse in the area in 2018  – only moving away after the location of their house was revealed.

The couple were looking into the possibility of renting a new property in the area as long ago as last October, the Daily Mail can also disclose.

Property sources revealed at the time they had made discreet inquiries about a possible upmarket rental property in the area.

Harry’s cousin Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi own a £3.5million country farmhouse in the vicinity.

It is believed that Archie and Lilibet will be day pupils, rather than boarders, at a fee-paying prep school, meaning they will have to be driven to and from home every day.

But there is no shortage of prep schools in the Cotswolds due to its affluent nature. 

The area is home to the Sussexes’ friends, former US chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi.

Music mogul and TV personality Simon Cowell also lives on an £8million estate in the region with his fiancee Lauren Silverman while the Sussexes’ chums Beyonce and Jay-Z have previously looked into building a home nearby.

The couple are believed to have already found a home in the Cotswolds and have booked Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, into a local prep school 

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Once the family moves back to the UK, it is thought that their children will be day pupils rather than boarders

Harry and Meghan first fell in love with the Cotswolds when they rented a farmhouse there for 18 months shortly before exiting the Royal Family

The couple’s 2018 farmhouse was close to Ms DeGeneres’s space-age home, which she bought for £15million in 2024.

The house was seen as perfect for the newlywed royal couple without children and had an adjoining two-bedroom property for their Royal Protection Squad officers.

The Sussexes were reportedly visited by a string of famous friends at the property, including George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, as well as Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.

Harry and Meghan’s idyllic life at the property only came to an end after its specific location was revealed in aerial pictures taken for a paparazzi agency. Harry later successfully sued the agency for breach of privacy.

The same farmhouse on the estate is now believed to be being rented out by another occupier, although it could well now be considered too small for the Sussexes and their two children.

Last October sources told of how the couple’s attention turned to other potential rental properties in the Cotswolds. 

A well-placed local property source stated at the time: ‘I understand that enquiries have been made by parties close to the Sussexes.

‘It is early days, but it would make complete sense for them to rent again in and around the area.

‘Ellen now lives there and of course they were Ellen’s close friends and neighbours in Montecito in California.

The royal couple have strong links to the Cotswolds, having stayed there before just around the corner from their friends, Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi 

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‘Indeed, it was after talking to Harry and Meghan that Ellen and Portia moved from their previous farmhouse near Burford.’

Ms DeGeneres and her wife were also neighbours and friends with Harry and Meghan in Montecito, California.

They remained friends after their UK move, which was reported to be due in part to them being upset about Donald Trump being elected to a second term as US president.

Harry is said to have linked Ms DeGeneres and Ms de Rossi up with his friend James Corden who had lunch with them in London last year to advise them on settling into English life.

Ms DeGeneres spoke last year at a Q&A in Cheltenham extolling the virtues of her idyllic new Cotswolds home complete with chickens, dogs and horses.

Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman live with their sons Eric and Adam nearby in a grand hilltop house set in eight acres.

The TV personality moved to the glorious Cotswolds to bring up his family after his London home was broken into repeatedly.

He and Harry share a love of country life, and he is often spotted posing for selfies with fans at a local cafe.

Cowell and Harry are said to have been friends for years. It is reported Harry even used to pop into the studio to watch The X Factor ‘back in the day’.

The Sussexes also share friends with Cowell in California. The Britain’s Got Talent judge, 66, is close friends with record producer David Foster, 76, whose wife Katharine McPhee, 42, is a friend of Meghan’s.

Beyonce and Jay-Z had been tipped to buy a £7.5million estate in the Cotswolds with 58 acres and planning permission for a seven-bedroom property, but they reportedly cancelled the proposed move earlier this year over concerns that the land was prone to flooding.

David and Victoria Beckham also have a 43-acre plot and triple barn in the area, neighbouring A-list country club Soho Farmhouse where Meghan had a hen-do in March 2018.

But Harry’s relationship with David Beckham is reported to have been strained of late, despite their previous well-publicised ‘bromance’ with the pair meeting up regularly.

There were suggestions that a ‘feud’ had developed between them, fuelled by Harry and Meghan’s concerns that the Beckhams were leaking information about them to the Press. Sir David was said to be extremely upset about these accusations.

Meanwhile, Sir David has forged a close bond with Harry’s brother Prince William, and also with King Charles. He recently received a knighthood from the King and is said to have bonded with him over beekeeping and gardening.

Harry’s efforts to repair shattered relations with his own family have led to speculation that he could do the same with the former England football captain, especially if they are likely to bump into one another at Soho Farmhouse.

Another reason royal watchers are suggesting a move to Cotswolds for the Sussexes, is that as well as Beatrice, Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall live with their children at Princess Anne’s estate at Gatcombe Park.

The local property source concluded in October: ‘It’s bizarre and it almost feels like we have come full circle.

‘If these early enquiries to rent a property come to fruition, then we are right back to the situation we had shortly before this so-called Megxit situation when they were happily and anonymously living here again. But this time they will be surrounded by more friends and family than there were when they left.’

Graeme Dott is accused of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards two primary school age children.

Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has told a court there is “absolutely no way” he sexually abused two children.

The 49-year-old is accused of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards two primary school age children. The allegations span between 1993 and 1996 involving a girl, and 2006 to 2010 involving a boy, both in the Glasgow region.

Dott has denied the two charges against him. Giving evidence to his trial at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, Dott denied carrying out any of the alleged abuse.

Asked about his first alleged victim by his lawyer Euan Dow, Dott said there was “absolutely no way” he had touched her inappropriately.

“On any occasion?” Mr Dow asked him. “On any occasion,” Dott confirmed.

He was asked about skin cream he used for eczema, which the woman, who is now in her 40s, had told the court on Monday she could smell when he allegedly kissed her.

Dott denied the cream he used had a smell, saying he always used E45 and the “whole point of it” is that it is odourless. He also said “No” when asked if he had ever kissed her. Dott was also asked if he had ever been alone with the boy he is alleged to have abused on a number of occasions. “Never in my entire life,” Dott insisted.

The 49-year-old told the court he became a professional snooker player in 1993, and from then on he was often away competing in tournaments. He said his career had “stopped when the latest allegations came out in 2024 or 2025”.

He said the first time he became aware of any alleged wrongdoing was when police contacted him in 2001 as part of an investigation they had launched.

Earlier on Thursday, the court heard evidence from Dott’s second alleged victim, who said the first instance of alleged abuse happened when Dott was world snooker champion.

Under questioning from advocate depute Lindsey Dalziel, the witness said a lot of the abuse took place while he was in a shower, when Dott would come in either partly or completely undressed.

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“He would… come into the shower and put soap on my body and wash me in the shower,” the man, who is now in his late 20s, told the court. “While he was washing me he would touch me in inappropriate places.”

He said looking back at it now, Dott was “clearly getting sexual gratification from it”, and he was “pleasuring himself” while this was taking place. The man said that because of his age at the time, he “did not know what was going on”, and it was only later he realised the interaction “wasn’t right”.

The witness also described abuse which took place in a car, where he said Dott would kiss him on the face, head and lips, and “push himself up against me”. He told the court he remembers the smell of the soap Dott used, and that he now gets “PTSD flashbacks” from the same smell today.

The witness said that during the abuse, Dott expected “nothing less than compliance” from him, and the defendant became “quite aggressive” if his alleged victim did not do what he wanted.

“(Dott) was quite forthcoming, his voice was aggressive,” the witness said. “Looking back on it I would say he knew what he wanted me to do.”

He said Dott would give him gifts following episodes of abuse.

“I think he used money, sweets and chocolates as a reward strategy,” the man said. “So that would have been in his eyes a reward for me doing what he wanted.”

Mr Dow also put it to the man: “Can I make clear to you that Mr Dott doesn’t accept any of the instances of alleged abuse that you described in your evidence.”

Mr Dow said the court had heard evidence that Dott had allegedly abused the victim up to seven times.

In response, Dott said: “It did not happen.”

Under cross-examination by Ms Dalziel, Dott denied being attracted to the girl when she was young, calling the idea “disgusting”.

When Ms Dalziel put it to Dott that he touched the first victim and told her what to do, he denied the allegation and called it “lies”.

Speaking about the second victim, Dott said he was “never in my company” and denied all allegations of abuse.

The trial, before judge Lord Harrower, continues.

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Lufthansa flight LH430 to Chicago diverted to Glasgow after declaring an emergency over Scotland due to a medical incident on board earlier today

A Lufthansa flight to the United States declared an emergency while cruising at around 33,000ft above the UK before diverting to Glasgow.

Flight LH430 had left Frankfurt Airport at midday UK time on Thursday and was heading for Chicago O’Hare International Airport when the aircraft turned back while flying over Scotland.

Around two hours into the nine-hour journey, the Boeing 747-8 made a sharp U-turn while cruising at around 33,000ft before the crew transmitted squawk code 7700, the international aviation code used to signal an emergency.

The aircraft initially appeared to be heading towards Dublin Airport before its diversion changed to Glasgow, where it descended and held at around 10,000ft.

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It eventually landed on runway 05 at 1.24pm local time, around three hours and 21 minutes after take-off.

The aircraft was then parked on a remote stand at Glasgow Airport, with the diversion understood to have been caused by a medical emergency on board.

The plane was refuelled before departing Glasgow at around 5.55pm on Thursday to resume its journey to Chicago.